thysis be able to blynde any man after that redeth it except some such as wyllyngly lyste to wynke or 〈◊〉 he put out theyeyen wyll hold theyr heddes to hym them selfe ¶ Now to the entent ye may the bet ter perceyue marke whyther myne exposycyon agre with the texte and whyther I leue any thyng vnto wched I shall fyrst gyue you the wor des of the texte it selfe in englysshe all to gyther and than expoune it you piece by pyece after And yet hadde it not bene euyll to begyn somwhat before at Chrystes dyscyples goynge in to the shyppe in the euenynge and Chrystes owne walkynge after vppon the see and after y e on the morow the people comyng after to seke hym in other shippes which piece maistee Masker left out and word not medle with bycause it hath an hard allegory declared by holy doctours whyche she we that the shyppe in whiche the discyples went 〈◊〉 the chyrch which was but one and the other diuerse shyppes that came after betokened the dyuerse chyrches of herety kes And yet in that one shyppe that sygnyfyed the chyrch there were as appered after both good badde to gyther But lette this piece passe for this onys I wyll begyn y e texte but there as mayster Masker begynneth hymselfe So good chrysten readers these be the wordes The. iiii chapyter ¶ Ueryly veryly I saye to you you seke me not bycause ye haue sene my racles but bycause ye haue eatyn of the loues and are fylled worke you not the meate that perisheth but that 〈◊〉 into euerlastyng lyfe which the sone of man shall gyue you for hym hath good y e father sealed They sayde therfore vnto hym what shall we do that we maye worke the workes of god Iesus answered sayde vnto them This is the worke of god that ye byleue in hym whom he hath sent Than they said vnto hym what token she west thou therfore that we may se and byleue the what workest thou Our fathers haue eaten maÌ„na in the deserte as it is wryten he gaue them brede from heuyn to eate Than sayd Iesus to them veryly veryly I say to you Moyses hath not gyuen you the brede from the heuyn but my father gyueth you the very brede froÌ„ the heuyn For the very brede is that that is desceÌ„ded from heuyn and gyueth lyfe to the worlde Than sayde they to hym lorde gyue vs all waye this brede ThaÌ„sayd Iesus to them I am the brede of life he that cometh to me shall not hungre and he that byleueth in me shal neuer thyrst But I haue sayd vnto you that ye haue bothe sene me and haue not byleued All that my father gyueth me shall come to me and he that cometh to me I shall not caste hym out For I am 〈◊〉 froÌ„ heuyn not to do myne owne wyll but the wyll of hym that hath sent me This is veryly the wyll of hym that hath sent me that is to wytte the father that all that he hath gyuen me I shold not lese any thyng therof but sholde reyse it agayne in the last daye This is veryly the wyll of my father that hath sent me that euery man that seeth the sone and by leueth in hym shold haue euerlasting lyfe shall reyse hym agayne in the last day The Iewes murmured ther fore of that that he had sayde I am the lyuely brede that am descended from heuyn And they sayde Is not this man the sone of Ioseph whose father and mother we haue knowen Now sayth he therfore I am descended from heuyn Iesus therfor answered sayd vnto theym murmure not amonge your selfe There can no man come to me but if the father that sent me draw hym and I shall reyse hym agayne in the last day It is wry ten in the prophetes And they shal be all taught of god Euery man that hath herd of the father and hath lerned cometh to me not bycause any man hath seue the father but he that is of god hath sene the father Ueryly veryly I tell you he that byleueth in me hath lyfe euerlastynge I am the brede of the lyfe your fathers haue eateÌ„ manna in the desert and be dede This is the brede descendynge from the heuyn that yf any maÌ„ eate therof he sholde not dye I am the lyuynge brede that am descended from the heuyn If a man eate of thys brede he shall lyue for euer the brede whiche I shall gyue is my fleshe whyche I shall geue for the lyfe of the worlde The Iewes therfore stroue amonge them selfe sayeng how can this man geue vs his fleshe to eate Than sayd Iesus to them Ueryly veryly I saye to you but yf ye eate the fleshe of the sone of man and drynke his bloude ye shall not haue lyfe in you He that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude hath lyfe euerlastyng and I shall reyse hym in the last daye My flesshe is veryly meate and my bloud is veryly drynke He that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude dwel leth in me I in hym As the lyuyng father sent me I also lyue for the father And he that eateth me he shall also lyue for me This is the brede y t hath descended from heuyn not as your fathers haue eaten manna and are dede He that eateth this brede shall lyue for euer These thynges sayd he in the synagoge teachyng in CapharnauÌ„ Many therfore of hys dyscyples herynge sayde This is a hard sayeng and who may here hym Iesus therfore knowyng in hym self that his disciples murmured at this sayd vnto them doth this offend you yf ye shall than se the sone of man ascendynge vppe where he was before The spyryte it is that gyueth lyfe the flesh auayleth nothyng The wordes which I haue spokeÌ„ to you be 〈◊〉 lyfe But there be some of you y t byleue not For Iesus knew from y e begynnyng who shold be y t byleuers who shold bytraye 〈◊〉 and he sayd Therfore I haue sayd vnto you y t no man can come to me but yf it be gyueÌ„ him of my father From y t time many of his discyples went backe now walked no more with hym ThaÌ„ sayd Iesus to the. xii wyll you go your wayes to Than answered vnto hym Symon Peter lord to whom shal we go Thou hast the wordes of euerlastyng lyfe we byleue haue knoweÌ„ that thou art Chryst the sone of god Iesus answered vnto hym Haue not I chosen you xii one of you is a deuyll He sayd y t by Iudas I 〈◊〉 y e sone of Symon For he it was that shold betray hym beyng one of ye. xii The exposycyon of the sayd texte The. v. chapyter WHo so rede coÌ„syder well good crysten reders the doctryne and y e doynge of our sauyour Crist shall by sundry places of holy scrypture ê‘ceyue y t of his heuynfy wysedome his 〈◊〉 vsage was in ma ny great thynge y t he purposed to do byfore the
eating if they eate it with faith that thynge agayne and agayne he declareth them to dreue them to faith by the desyre of eternall lyfe fayth fyrst onys had they shold be than the more easy to be tawght For the prophete Esay sayth But yf ye byleue ye shall not vnderstaude Therfore it was of necessyte requysyte that they sholde fyrst fasten the rotes of fayth in theyr mynde and than aske suche thynges as were metely for a man to aske But they before they wolde byleue wolde out of season aske theyr importune questyons fyrste And for thys cause our sauyour declared not vnto them how it myght be done but exhorteth them to seke the thynge by fayth So vnto the tother syde to his dyscyples that byleued he gaue the peces of the brede sayeng Take you and eate this is my body And in like wyse he gaue them the cuppe about sayenge drynke you of this all thys is the cuppe of my bloude whyche shall be shed for many for remyssyon of synnes Here thou seest that to theÌ„ that asked wythout fayth he opened not the maner of thys mystery or sacrament But to theÌ„ that byleued he expouned it though they asked not Therfore let theym heare thys those folke I saye that of arrogaunce and pryde wyll not byleue the faythe of Chryste ¶ Here ye se good readers that saynt Cyrill playnely declareth you that our saliyour wolde not teache theym at that tyme the maner of the eatynge bycause of theyr infydesyte for all theyr askynge but after ward he tolde and taught it hys faythfull dyscypses at hys faste 〈◊〉 and mauÌ„dye whan he toke them the bred and bode them eate it and tolde them that the same was hys body and the cuppe and bode them drynke therof and shewed theym that that was his bloud And thus you se well by saynt Cyrill that mayster Masker here whych by hys exposycyd wold make vs wene that our sauyour in all hys worde here to the iewes ment onely to tell them of y e geuyng of hys flesh to the deth that he ment nothyng of the geuynge of hys fleshe to eate in the blessed facrament doth in all hys exposycyon but play with false dyce to deceyue you ¶ Now as for that saint Crrif here calleth it by the name of brede that is I trow the thynge that can nothynge trouble you For I haue shewed you before by the wordes of that greate holy doctour Theophylactus that it is called bred bycause it was bred and bycause of the forme of brede y e remayneth yet is no brede in dede but is the very blessed body of Crist his very flesshe and hys bloude As you se also by saynt Cyrill here whi che of thys blessed sacrameÌ„t so often reherseth and inculketh the myracle exhortynge all folke that no man be moued to mystruste it though the thynge be meruelouse nor aske as y e Iewes dyd how such a wunderfull wurke can be wrought but mekely byleue it syth he is god that sayth it therfore as he sayth it so do wt not but he 〈◊〉 do it as he doth other lyke thynges and dyd ere he were born in to thys world of whyche thynges saint Cyrill hath here rebersed some As the turnynge of the water into bloude as he turneth in the sacrameÌ„t the wyne into bloud and the turnyng of Aarons rod into a serpeÌ„t and that into such a serpent as deuowred vp all the serpentes of the Egypcyane wytches Lyke as our sauyour in the blessed sacrament turneth the brede into hys owne body y t holy holesome serpent that deuowreth all the poysened serpentes of hell and was therfore figured by the brasyn serpent that Moyses dyd sette vp in the maner of a crosse in the desert the byhol dyng wherof deuowred destroyed the venym of all the poysen serpent that had stongen any man there The. xvii chapyter ANd all be it that I she we you good chrysteÌ„ readers saint Cyrilles wordes and hys exposycyon vpon the place bycause maister Masker shall not make men wene y u I make all the mater of myn owne hed yet semeth me that our sauyour declareth thys mater wyth playne wordes bym selfe For what can be playner wordes than are hys owne whan that vppon theyr wunderynge and theyr murmuryng question how can he gyue vs his flesshe to eate he said vnto theÌ„ Ueryly veryly I say to you but yf you eate the flesh of y t sone of man drink his bloud ye shall not haue lyfe in you He y t eateth my flesh drynketh my bloude hath lyfe euer lastynge and I shall rayse hym vppe agayne in the laste daye For my flesshe is veryly meate and my bloud is veryly drynke He that eateth my flesh and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym ¶ In these wordes ye se good readers howe playnely that our lorde sheweth theym bothe the profyte of the receyuynge and the peryll of the refusynge and also bothe that he not onely speketh of his very body and bloud whyche thyng mayster Masker agreeth but ouer that also that he more playnely and more precysely sayth that they shold veryly eate it and drynke it whyche thyng mayster Masker denyeth and yet is that the thynge that our sauyour in these wor des most specyally laboreth to make theym byleue For that he spake of hys very flessh they perceyued well inough But that he wold haue them verily eate it that they thoughte such a maner thynge that they neyther wolde do nor could byseue bycause they myssetoke the maner thereof wenynge that they sholde eate it in dede peces cutte out as the bochers cutte the bestes in the shammellys ¶ And Cryst therfore wold at thys tyme for theyr arrogaunt infydelyte as saynte Cyrill hath told you no thynge declare them of the maner of hys geuynge it to be veryly eaten not in the proper forme of flesshe as they flesshely imagyned but in the forme of bred in the blessed sacrameÌ„t bycause as Theophilactus declared you men sholde not abhorre to eate it But leuynge that vntaught tyll the tyme of hys maundy souper where as saynte Cyrill hath also she wed you he taught it his faithfull dyscyples at the instytucyon of that blessed sacrament he laboreth as I say in these wordê here most speciall wyth as playne wordes as can be de 〈◊〉 to tell them and make them by leue that they shall veryly eate hys flesshe Whyche thyng for any thyng that he could say to them they were so hard harted that they wolde not byleue hym ¶ And yet is mayster Masker here mych more obdurate now and mych more faythlesse to than all they were than For bothe he hauyng herd what Criste sayd to those 〈◊〉 than also what he taught his faythfull dyscyples at hys maundy after and what all holy doctours and sayntes haue sayde theron and byleued euer synnys yet wyll he with a few fond heretykes take a folysshe fro
warde waye and byleue the contrary or at the leste wyse saye that he byleueth y e contrary But in good sayth y t they veryly byleue as they say that can I not byleue except that of y e scrypture and the chrysten fayth these folke by leue nothyng at all And so vpon my fayth I fere me that you shall se it proue at laste as appereth by somof them that so begynne all redy and haue in some places put forth suche poysen in wrytynge ¶ But surely though neyther any man had euer wryten vppon these wordes of Cryste nor our sauyour bym selfe neuer spoken word therof after that euer had in wrytyng comeÌ„ into meÌ„nys hands yet are these wordes here spokeÌ„ so playne so ful that they must nedes make any man that were wyllyng to byleue hym clerly perceyue and knowe that in one maner or other he wolde gyue vs hys awne very flesshe verely to be recey ued and eaten For whan the Iewys sayd how can he geue vs his flesshe to eate He answered them with no sophims but with a very playn open tale tolde them they sholde neyther dystruste that he could on hys parte geue them his flesshe to eate nor yet refuse vppon theyr parte to eate it if euer they wolde be saued As though he wold say Maruayle you and mys truste you my word and aske how I can geue you mine own flesh to eate I wyll not tell you how I can geue it nor in what forme or fasshyon ye shall eate it but this I wyll tell you neyther in tropis allegories nor parables but euyn for a very playne trouth y e eate ye shall my very flessh in dede yf euer ye purpose to be saued ye and drynke my very bloude to For but yf you be content to eate and wyth a trewe fayth to eate the flessh of the sone of man and drynke hys bloude ye shall not haue lyfe in you But who so wyth a trewe well wurkynge fayth eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude he hath euerlastynge lyfe Not onely bycause he ys as sure to haue it whan the tyme shall come as though he had it all redy by reasoÌ„ of the promyse that Chryste here ma keth where he sayth And I shall re suscitate and rayse hym 〈◊〉 at the last day but also for that the very body of Cryste that he receyueth is very lyfe euerlastyng of it selfe and such a lyfe as to them that well wyll receyue it in trew fayth and purpose of good lyuynge it is the thynge that is able to gyue lyfe quyknesse euer lastynge For as the godhed is of his owne nature 〈◊〉 lyfe so is the flesshe ioyned in vnyte of person to the godhed by that immedyate coÌ„iunccyon and vnyte made bothe euer lastyng lyuely in it selfe and also euerlasting lyfe to the geuyng of life euerlastyngly to all other that well and wurthely receyue hym and wyll perseuer and abyde wyth hym For though euery maÌ„ here naturally dye for the whyle yet shall Chryst as he promyseth here reyse resuscytate hym agayne to euerlastynge lyfe in the laste daye The. xviii chapyter ANd to shew more and more that he meneth playnely of very eatynge and very drynkynge he sayth my flesshe is veryly meate my bloude is veryly drynke 〈◊〉 these wordes sayth saynt Cyril thus Chryste here declareth the dyfference agayne bytwene the mystycall benedyccyon that ys to wytte the blessed sacrament and manna and bytwene the water flowynge out of the stone and the coÌ„munioÌ„ of the holy bloude And thys he repeteth agayne to the entent they sholde no more merueyle of y e myracle of manna but that they sholde rather receyue hym whyche is the heuynly brede and the gyuer of eternall lyfe your father 's sayd oure sauyour dyd eate maÌ„na in the desert and they be deade But thys brede is descended from heuyn that a man sholde eate therof and not dye For the meate of manna brought not eter nall lyfe but a short remedy agaynst hunger And therfore manna was not the very meate that is to wytte manna was not the brede from heuen but the holy body of Chryst that ys the meate that noryssheth to immortalyte and eternall lyfe ye sayth some man but they dranke water out of the stone But what wanne they by that for deade they be and therfore that was not y t very drynke but the very drynke ys the drynke of Chryste by whyche death ys vtterly turned vppe and destroyed For it ys not the bloude of hym that ys onely man but the bloude of that man whych beynge toyned to the naturall lyfe that ys to wytte the godhed ys made also lyfe hym selfe Therfore we be the body and the meÌ„bres of Chryste For by thys blessed sacrament we receyue the very sone of god hym selfe ¶ Here you se good readers that saynte Cyrillus playnely declareth here y t these wordes of Chryst My 〈◊〉 is veryly meate c. are spoken and ment of hys holy flesshe in the blessed sacrament of whyche mayster Masker in all hys exposycyon and in all his hole wyse wurke telieth vs playnely the contrary But saynte Cyrillus is here open and playne bothe for that poynte for the hole mater For who can more playnly declare any thyng thaÌ„ y t holy doctour declareth in these wordê y t in the blessed sacrameÌ„t is veryly eaten and dronken the very blessed body holy bloude of Chryst. And yet doth not saynt Cyrillus say it more opeÌ„ly than 〈◊〉 our sauyour in hys 〈◊〉 wordes hymselfe ¶ And now ferther to shewe that it must nedys be so that he whyche eateth hys flesshe drynketh his bloud muste nedes be resuscytate reysed agayne in body to euerlastynge lyfe our sauyour addeth therunto saith He that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym Uppon whyche wordes also thus sayth holy saynt Cyrill ¶ Lyke as yl a man vnto molteÌ„ wex put other wex it can not be but that he shall thorow out mengle the tone wyth the tother so yf a man receyue the flesshe and the bloude of our lord worthely and as he 〈◊〉 it can not be but that he shall be so ioyned wyth Chryst as Chryst shal be wyth hym he wyth Chryst. ¶ Thus may you good readers se how veryly a man eateth in the sacra ment the 〈◊〉 body of Cryst and by that eatynge how eche of them is in other And than yf he so perseuer how can it be that that body shall haue euerlastynge deth in whych there is 〈◊〉 euerlastynge lyfe For as ye haue herd the body of Chryste is by the coÌ„iunccyon wyth his godhed made euerlastynge lyfe ¶ But this is ment as I saye and all the holy doctours do declare the same of them that receyue the sacrament not onely sacramentally but also effectually That is to wyt of them that not onely receyue the body of our sauyour by the sacrament into theyr bodyes
harte so sure but that with hys good hope he shall all waye couple some feare as a brydyll abytte to refrayne and pull hym backe leste he fall to myschyefe and folow Iudas in falshed waxe a deuyll as Cryst called hym Whyche name our sauyour gaue him not without good cause For y t deuyllys seruaūt sayth saynt Cyril is a deuyll to For lyke wyse as he y t is by godly vertues ioyned vnto god is one spyryt wyth god so he that is with deuylysshe vyces ioyned wyth the deuyll is one spyryte wyth hym ¶ And therfore good readers he y t in suche plyght receyueth the blessed sacrament wythout purpose of amen dement or wythout the fayth and by lyefe that the very flesshe bloude of Chryste is in it he receyueth as saynt Austayne sayth notwythstandyng his noughtynesse y e very fleshe and bloude of Cryst the very pryce of our redempciō But he receyueth them to hys harme as Iudas dyd eateth and drynketh hys owne iugement dampnacyon as sayth saynt Poule bycause he discerneth not our lordes body But who so doth on the tother syde whych I besech god we may all do caste out the deuyll hys wurkes by the sacrament of penaūce and than in the memory all remembraūce of Chrystes passyon receyue that blessed sacrament wyth tre we fayth and deuocyon wyth all honour and wurshyppe as to the reuerence of Crystes blessed person present in it apperteyneth they that so receyue the blessed sacrament verily receyue and eate the blessed body of Cryst that not onely sacramētally but also effectually not onely the fygure but the thynge also not onely his blessed fleshe in to theyr bodyes but also his holy spyryte into theyr soules by par tycypacyon wherof he is incorporate in them they in hym be made lyuely membres of his mysticall body the congregaciō of all sayntes of which theyr soules shall yf they perseuer attayne y e fruit fruicyō clene pure onys purged after thys transytory lyfe and theyr flesh also shall Cryst resuscytate vnto the same glory as hym selfe hath promysed Of whych hys gracyous promyse hys hyghe grace and goodnesse so vouche saue to make vs all perteners thorow the merytes of hys bytter passyō Amē ¶ And thus ende I good readers my fyrst boke conteynyng thexposycyon of those wordes in the syxte cha pyter of saynte Iohn̄ wherby you may bothe perceyue by these myndes of holy sayntes whose wordes I bryng forth the trewth of our fayth concernynge the blessed body bloud of Chryst veryly eaten in the blessed sacrament and may also perceyue and controlle the wyly false folyshe exposycyon of mayster Masker to the contrary suche as haue hys boke and they be not a fewe And yet that all men may se that I neyther blame hym for nought nor bylye hym I shall in my secunde boke she we yous as I promysed some part of hys fawte both in falshed and in foly his own wordes therwyth Here endethe the fyrste boke The secunde boke The. i. chapyter I haue good reders ī my fyrst boke here before perused you thexposicyon of all that part of y e syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ which mayster Masker hath expowned you before And in the begynnyng of thys exposicyō I haue not brought you forth the worde of any of the olde expositours bycause y t as I suppose myne 〈◊〉 wyll not mych 〈◊〉 tende wyth me for so farre But afterwarde concernyng those wordes in which our sauyour expressely speketh of the geuyng of his very flesh bloud to be veryly eaten drōken there haue I brought you forth such authorytees of olde holy doctours sayntes y t ye may well se bothe that I fayne you not the mater but expowne it you ryght also ye se therby clerely that mayster Masker expowneth it wrong For though a man may dyuersly expoune one texte and bothe well yet whan one expowneth it in one trewe maner of a false purpose to exclude another trouth that is in that wrytynge by the spyryte of god 〈◊〉 and immedyately ment his exposvcyon is false all though euery worde were trewe as mayster Mas kers is not ¶ And therfore syth you se myne ex posycion proued you by excellēt holy men and by theyr playne wordes ye perceyue that the wordes of our sauyour hym self do proue agaynst all these 〈◊〉 the catholyke fayth of Crystes catholyke chyrche very faythfull and tre we concernyng the very flesshe of Cryste veryly eaten in the blessed sacrament of whyche eatynge mayster Masker wold with his exposycyon make men so madde as to wene y t Cryst spake nothynge at all now I say by thys exposycyō of myne ye se his exposycyō auoyded clerely for nought and all the mater clere vpon our parte though no man wrote one worde more ¶ And yet wyll I for all that for y t ferther declaracyon of mayster Mas kers handelynge she we you some peices of thexposycyō in specyall by whych ye maye clerely se what credence may be geuē to the man eyther for honesty or lernynge vertue 〈◊〉 or trouth The. ii chapyter IN the begynnynge of the second lefe of hys boke these are mayster Maskers wordes ¶ Consyder what thys meate is whyche he bad thē here prepare and seke fore sayenge worke take paynes and seke for that meate c. and thou 〈◊〉 se it no nother meate than the bylyefe in chryst Wherfore he concludeth that thys meate so often mencyoned is fayth Of the whyche meat sayth the prophete the iufte lyueth Fayth in hym is therfore the meate whiche chryst prepareth and dresseth so purely powderynge and spycyng it wyth spyrytual allegoryes in all thys chapyter folowynge to geue vs euerlasiynge lyfe thorow it ¶ I wyll not laye these wordes to hys charge as heresye but I wylbe bolde by hys lycence to note in them a lytle lacke of wytte and some good store of foly For though a man may well and wyth good reasō call fayth a meate of mannys soule yet is it great foly to saye that the meate that Chryst speketh of here ys as mayster Masker sayth it is none other meate but fayth ¶ For mayster Masker maye playnely se and is not I suppose so poore blynde but that he seeth well in dede that the meate whych Cryst speketh of here is our sauyour Cryste hym selfe Whyche thynge he so playnely speketh that no man can mysse to per ceyue it whan he saith I am my self the brede of lyfe And whan he sayth I am the lyuely brede that am descen ded frō heuyn he that eateth of this brede shall lyue for euer And whā he sayth also That y e meat shold be hys owne fleshe whyche promyse he performed after at his maundye whych thynge he tolde them playne in these wordes And the brede which I shall geue you is my flesshe And he that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude hath euerlastyng lyfe and I shall
as the Chomystycall papystes saye ben inuisyble wyth all 〈◊〉 dymencyoned body vnder the forme of bredetranssubstancyated into it And after a lyke Chomistycall mystery the wyne transsubstancyated to into hys blonde so that they sholde eate his flesh and drynke his blonde after theyr owne carnall 〈◊〉 andynge but yet in another forme to put away all grudge of stomake Or syth saynt 〈◊〉 yt he had thus vnderstode hys maysters mynde and toke vpon hym to wryte hys maysters wordee wold leue this sermon vnto the worlde to be redde he my 〈◊〉 now haue delyuered vs and them from this dowte But Chryst wolde not so satysfye theyr questyon but answered veryly veryly I say vnto you excepte ye eate the flesshe of the sone of man and drynke his bloude ye shall not haue that lyfe in your selues He that eateth my flessh and drynketh my blonde hath lyfe euerlastynge and I shall steve hym vp in the laste daye For my flesshe is very meate my bloude the very drynke He sayth not here that brede shal be transsubstancyated or conuerted into his body nor yet the wyne into his bloude ¶ 〈◊〉 good chrysten readers thys man here in a folysshe iestynge and mych blasphemouse raysyng maner agaynst the conuersyon of the brede and wyne into the blessed body and bloude of Chryste in the hlessed sacrament in conclusyon as for a clere confutacyon of me of saynt Thomas bothe vppon whyche holy doctour and saynt he foly shely iesteth by name he argueth as youse that 〈◊〉 Chryst had entended to haue geuen them his flesshe and his bloude in the sacrament than myght he haue decla red it more openly with mo wordes and more playnly And than mayster Masker deuiseth Chryst the wordes that he wold haue had hym say yf he had so ment And therin the blasphemouse beste deuyseth that he wolde haue had our sauyour say y t he wold play as iuglers do and slyly conuay hym selfe into a singyng lofe that our sauyour so doth he sayth is myne opinion wherin the man is shameles shamefully bylyeth me For I saye as the catholyke fayth is that he not conuayeth but conuerteth the brede into his owne body and chaungeth it therin to and neyther conuayeth as he speketh his body into the brede for than were the brede and his bles sed body bothe together styll which false opinion is Luthers heresy and that knoweth this man well inough and therefore sheweth hym selfe shamelesse in layenge that opinion to me nor also conuerteth not his blessed body into brede for that were yet mych worse For thā remaineth there nothynge ellys but brede styll that is ye wote well mayster Maskers owne heresy for whiche he wryteth agaynste me and therfore is he dowble shamelesse as you se to say any suche thynge of me ¶ But in conclusion theffecte of all his fonde argumēt is that euynthere in that place to breke stryfe to soyle all theyr dowte our lorde myghte wolde haue done at the selfe cōmunicaciō or els at y e lest wyse 〈◊〉 at y e tyme of his wrytyng myght and wold haue told thē playnly that they shold ete it noti forme of flesh but in forme of bred But neyther our sauyour than tolde them so nor theuangrelyste hath tolde vs so in the reportynge of his wordes spoken to them ergo it must nestes be that Chryste ment not so ¶ This is mayster Maskers argu ment whiche he lyketh so specyally that afterwarde in another place he harpeth vppon the same strynge agayne But surely yf the man be in scrypture any thynge exercysed than hath he a very poore remembraunce And whrthet be be scryptured or not he hath a very bare barayne wytte whan he can wene that this argumēt were aught ¶ For fyrste as for the scrypture can he fynde no mo places than one in whych our sauyour wolde not tell out playnely all at onys ¶ Coulde Chryst of the sacrament of Baptysme haue tolde no more to Nichodemus yf he had wolde Coulde he to the Iewes that asked hym a token haue told them no more of his deth sepulture and resurreccyon but the fygure of the prophete Ionas thre dayes swalowed in to y t whalys bely ¶ Whan his dyscyples asked hym 〈◊〉 the restytucyon of the kyngdome of Israell and mysse toke his kyngdome for a worldely kyngdome dyd he forth with declare theym all that euer he coulde haue tolde theym or all y t euer he tolde them therof at any other tyme after nay nor theuangelyste in the rehersynge neyther ¶ 〈◊〉 this mā eyther neuer redde or ellys forgotten that all be it our sauyour came to be knowē for Cryst somtyme declared hym so him self yet at some other tymes he forbode his dysciples to be a knowen therof So that as for y e scripturys excepte he haue eyther lytell redde or lytell remēbered of them wold haue made mayster Masker to forbere thys folysshe argument for shame ¶ But now what wyt hath this mā that can argue thus whan he sholde yf he had wytte well perceyue his argumēt answered by the lyke made agaynste hym selfe vppon the very selfe same place ¶ For mayster masker sayth here that our lorde ment nothynge ellys but to tell them of the geuyng of his flesh to y e deth for y e life of the world and to make them byleue that Now aske I therfore mayster Masker whyther Chryste coulde not haue tolde them by more playne wordes than he dyd there yf it had so ben his pleasure that he sholde dye for the synne of the world and in what wyse also If mayster Masker answere me no I am sure euery wyse man wyll tell hym yes For he spake there not halfe so playnely of the geuynge of his body to be slayne as he dyd of geuynge it to be eaten For as for his deth not so myche as onys named it but onely sayeth And the brede that I shall geue you is myne owne flesshe whyche I shall geue for the lyfe of the worde In whyche wordes he not onys nameth deth But of the eatyng he spe keth so expressely by and by and so spake before all of eatynge mych more afterwarde to that he gaue them lytle occasyon to thynke that he ment of his deth any worde there at all but of the eatynge onely ¶ And some greate holy doctours also construe those whole wordes And the brede that I shall gyue is my flesshe which I shall gyue for the lyfe of the worlde to be spo ken onely of the gyuynge of hys bles sed body in the sacramēt and neyther the fyrste parte nor the seconde to be spoken of his deth But that in the fyrste parte Chryste sheweth what he wolde gyue them to eate that is to wytte his owne flesshe and in the seconde parte he shewed them why he wolde geue the worlde hys flesshe to eate and what commodyle they shold haue by the eatynge of it sayenge y t he wolde
For he confuteth you mayster Masker you se well a lytell more clerer than I. And than whyther of them twayne ye shal byleue and take for the more credyble man mayster Masker or holy saynt Chrysostom euery mannye owne wytte that any wyt hath wyll well serue hym to se. The. iiii chapyter BUt mayster Masker to shewe you a ferther declaracyon of his wytte forth with vpon his wyse and wurshypfull exposycyon of those wordes of Chryst he repeteth that fonde argument agayne that Chryst ment not of eatynge his flesshe in the sacrament bycause that yf he hadde ment it he coulde and wolde haue de clared his menynge more playnely And in that mater thus maister Mas ker sayth Here myght Chryste haue 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 the trouth of the eatynge of hys fieshe in forme of brede had thys ben his menynge For he 〈◊〉 them neuer in any perplexite or dowt but sought all the wayes by symylytudes and famylyare examples to teche them playnely he neuer spake them so harde a parable but where he perceyued theyr feble ignoraunce anone he helpt them and declared it them ye and somtymes he preuented theyr askynge wyth his owne declaracyon And thynke ye not that he dyd not so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 veryly For he came to teache vs and not to leue vs in any dowt and ignoraunce especyally the chyefe poynt of our saluacyon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 standeth in the bylyefe in hys deth for our synnys Wherfore to put them out of all dowt as concernyng this eatyng of his flessh and drynkyng of his bloud that sholde geue euerlastynge lyfe where they 〈◊〉 it for his very body to be eaten with theyr tethe he sayed It is the 〈◊〉 that geueth this lyfe My flesshe profyteth nothynge at all to be eaten as 〈◊〉 meane so 〈◊〉 It is spyrytuall meate that I here speke of It is my spyryt that draweth the har tes of men to me by fayth and so refresheth them gostesy ye be therfore carnal to thynke that I speke of my flesshe to be eaten bodyly For so it profyteth yow nothynge at all How longe wyll you be wyth out vnderstandyng It is my spyryte I tell you that geueth lyfe My flesshe profyteth you nothynge to eate it but to byleue that it shal be crucyfyed suffre for the redempcyon of the worlde it profyteth And when ye thus byleue than eate 〈◊〉 my flesshe and drynke my bloude that is ye byleue in me to suffre for your synnes The veryte hath spoken these wor des My flesshe profyteth nothyng at all it canne not therfore be false For bothe the Iewes and hys dyscyples murmured and dysputed of his flessh how it sholde be eaten and not of the offerynge therof for our synnes as Chryst ment Thys therfore is the fure anker to holde vs by agaynst all the obieccions of the 〈◊〉 for the eatynge of Chrystes body as they say in forme of brede Chryst sayd My flesh profyteth nothyng menyng to eate it bodely Thys is the key that solueth all theyr argumentes openeth the waye to shew 〈◊〉 all theyr false and abomy nable 〈◊〉 lyes vppon Chrystes wordes and vttereth theyr sleyght ingesynge ouer the brede to mayntayne 〈◊〉 kyngdome therwyth And thus when Chryste had declared it and taught them that it was not the bodyly eatynge of hys materyall body but the eatynge wyth the spyryte of faythe he added sayenge The wordes whyche I here speke vnto you 〈◊〉 spyryte and lyfe that is to saye thys mater that I here haue spoken of with so many wordes must be spyrytually vnderstanden to geue ye this lyfe euerlastynge wherfore the cause why ye vnderstand me not is that ye byleue not Here is lo the conclusyon of all hys sermon ¶ Many a fonde processe haue I redde good chrysten readers but neuer redde I neyther a more folysshe nor a more false than this is For the effecte and the purpose of al this pro cesse is that Chryst in all his wordes spoken in thys syxte chapiter of saint IohnÌ„ ment nothynge of the eatyng of his blessed body in the blessed sacrament but onely of an alle gorycal eatynge of his body by whyche he ment onely that they sholde byleue that he sholde be crucyfyed 〈◊〉 shedde his bloude and dye for redempcyon of the worlde ¶ Now that our saniour bysyde al such allegories other spirituall vnderstaÌ„dings playnely ment of y e very eatyng of his blessed body in the bles sed sacrament you haue good reders all redy sene by so many holy doctours and sayntes whose playn wor des I haue rehersed you that no maÌ„ can dowte but that in the whole conclusyon of his argument and his exposycyon mayster 〈◊〉 hath a shamefull fall except any maÌ„ dowt whyther mayster Masker be better to be byleued alone or those holy doc tours amonge them all ¶ But now thys false conclusyon of hys how febly and how folyshely he defendeth y t is euyn a very great pleasure to se. ¶ In this processe hath he ii poynts The fyrste is that Chryste coulde wolde haue made it open and playne in thys place by clere and euydent worde yf he had ment of the eatynge of his flesshe in the sacrament The second is that by these wordê It is the spyryte that geueth lyfe my fleshe profyteth nothynge at all The wordes that I haue spoken to you be spyryte and lyfe Chryste doth playn and clerely declare both that he ment not the eatynge of his flesshe in the sa crament and also that he ment onely the bylyefe that he sholde dye for the synne of the worlde ¶ Now touchynge his fyrste folysh poynt I haue confuted it all redy shewed you some samples where Chryste coulde at some tyme haue declared the mater mych more openly than he dyd and that in great maters of our fayth For I thynke the sacrament of baptysme is a pryncypall poynt of our fayth And yet Chryste taught not Nichodemus all that he coulde haue tolde hym therin as I sayd before ¶ And longeth it nothyng to y e fayth to byleue the remyssyon of mortall sinnes I suppose yes And yet could Chryste yf he had wolde haue decla red more clerely those worde of his who so blaspheme the sone of man it shal be forgeuen hym But he that blasphemeth the holy gooste it shall neyther be forgeueÌ„ him in this world nor in the world to come ¶ No good chrysten man thynketh other but that it is a pryncypall artycle of the chrysten fayth to byleue y t Chryst is one equale god with his father And yet Chryste albe it that by all places sette togyther he hath declared it clere inough in conclusion to them that wyll not be wylfull contencyouse yet dyd he not in euery place where he spake therof declare the mater so clerely as he could haue done yf he than hadde wolde whiche appereth by that that in some other places he declared it more clerely af ter And yet in all the places of the
wherwith he wolde make me be taken in myne owne trappe And therfore fyrste for argument sake I denye that thapostles them selfe vnderstode Chryste worde Now wyll now mayster Masker proue me y t they dyd Mary sayth he for they were well acqnaynted wyth suche phrases And answered theyr mayster Chryst whan he asked theym wyll you go hense fro me to Lorde sayd they to whom shall we go thou hast the wordes of euerlastynge lyfe we byleue that thou arte Chryste the sone of the lyuynge god ¶ Now good reader I thynke there be some textes in scrypture that may ster Masker vnderstandeth not no more than other pore men But yet yf he wyll not agre that but say that he vnderstandeth yet yf we wolde put y e case that there were some such one texte he wold I thynke admytte the case for possible Let vs than put him hardely none other but euyn the same wordes of Chryste that we be now in hande wythall For no man vnderstandeth any word wurse than he vnderstandeth those euyn yet whyle he wryteth on them If hym selfe had ben than of that flocke and had sene all other thynges in Chryst that his apostles saw and had byleued in hym and had not mysse trusted Chryste but ben redy to do what he wolde byd hym do and byleue what he wolde byd hym byleue but had yet as for those wordes of eaiynge Chrystes flesshe thought them hard to perceyue what Chryste ment by theym but though he fully vnderstode them not as he thought yet he dowted not but that good they were that god spake and that Chryst if he taryed hys tyme wold tell hym ferther of the mater at more leysour yf now whan other went theyr waye Chryst wolde haue sayde vnto hym wylte thou mayster Masker go thy waye fro me to whyther wold than mayster Masker haue letted to saye euyn the selfe same wordes that the apostles sayd with other lyke whyther sholde I go fro the good lorde Thou haste the wordes of euerlastynge lyfe I byleue and knowe that thou arte Chryst the sone of the lyuyng god and art able to do what thou wylte and thy wordes be holy and godly whyther I vnderstande them or no and thou mayst make me perceyue them better at thy ferther pleasure wold mayster masker haue ben contented to saye thus or ellys wolde he haue sayd Nay by my fay good lorde thou shalte tell me this tale a litel more playnly y t I may bet ter perceyue it by by or els wyll I go to the deuyll with yender good felowes and lette theym dwell wyth the that wyll ¶ Now yf mayster Masker wolde as I wene he wolde but yf he were starke madde haue sayde the same hym selfe that saynt Peter sayde or be content at the lest that saynt Peter sholde saye it for hym though hym selfe hadde not well and clerely perceyued what Chryste ment by those wordes Now can he nowe proue by the same wordes of theyrs that thapostles vnderstode hys wor des than ¶ Thus you se good readers that of his two questyons the fyrst haue I so answered that it is come to no thynge yf I wolde stycke wyth hym styll at hys answere tyll he haue better proued me than he hath yet that thapostles in the syxte chapyter of saynt Iohn̄ dyd vnderstand Cristes wordes And now therfore tyll he haue better handeled his fyrst que styon he can agaynste me neuer vse his secunde wherby he bosteth that I coulde make none answere but suche as sholde take my self in myne own trappe From whych syth I am clene ascaped all redy by the answerynge of his fyrste questyō you may good readers se that mayster Masker goth as wylyly to worke to take me as a man myghte sende a chylde about wyth salt in hys hand and byd hym go cache a byrde by layenge a lytell salt on her tayle whan y e byrd is flowen comforte hym than to go cache another and tell hym he hadde caught y t and it had taryed a lytell The. vi chapyter BUt yet to se now how craftely he could betrappe me if I wold let hym alone Let vs graunte hym for hys lordly pleasure that the dyscyples and apostles vnderstode Christes wordes well in all thre pla ces not onely whan he sayd he was the dore and whan he sayde he was the vyne but also whan he sayde my flesshe is veryly meate What now Mary than sayth mayster Masker If More answere ye or yes than do I aske hym ferther whyther Chrystes dyscyples and apostles thus 〈◊〉 and vnderstandynge hys wordes in al the thre chapyters wōdered merueyled as More sayth or murmured as hath the texte at theyr may sters speche what thynke you More muste answere here here maye you se why ther thie olde holy vpholder of the 〈◊〉 chyrche is brought euyn to be taken in hys own trappe For the dyscyples and hys apostles neyther murmured nor metuayled nor yet were not offended wyth this theyr mayster Chrystes wordes and maner of spekynge ¶ In what trappe of myne owne or his eyther hath mayster Masker caught me here Mine argumēt was ye 〈◊〉 well y t at the herynge Cryst saye I am the dore I am the very vyne no man meruayled at the maner of spekynge bycause that euery man perceyued his wordes for allegoryes parables But in the thyrd place where he sayde My flesshe ys veryly meate And the brede that I shall geue you is my flesshe And ex cepte you eate the flesshe of the sone of man and drynke his bloude you shall not haue lyfe in you so many meruayled bycause they perceyued well it was not a parable but that he spake of very eatynge of his flesshe in dede that of all his herers very few could abyde it but murmured sayd how can he gyue vs his flesshe to eate And his own dyscyples sayd Thys worde is harde who maye here hym and went almost all theyr way Now whan theffecte of myne argument is that in this poynt many meruayled at the thynge as a thynge playnely spoken and not a parable but a playne tale that men sholde veryly eate his flesshe and that no man meruayled at the tother two maner of spekynge bycause they perceyued them for parables what maketh it agaynste me that in the thyrde place there were some that meruayled not nor murmured not syth that though some dyd not yet many dyd bothe meruailed murmured went theyr war that farre the moste part and saue the apostles almost euerichone And veryly the tother dyscyples as saynt Chrysostome sayth those that than were present agaynst mayster maskers sayeng went theyr wayes all the maynye ¶ Where is now good readers thys trappe of myne owne makynge that I am fallen in hath mayster Masker caste me downe so depe with prouynge me that some meruayled not where I sayd many dyd Be these two proposicions so sore repugnaunt and so playne contradyctory Many meruayled
do but answere the thynges that Fryth layed forthe agaynst the catholyque fayth the selfe same kynde of arguynge I saye mayster Maskar vseth hym selfe and so dothe yonge father Fryth hys felow in folye to ¶ But than agayne whan they argue thus These places maye be so vnderstanden by an allegorye onely as those other places be ergo they be to be so vnderstāden in dede I haue proued alredy that his entēt is false and that they maye not be vnderstanden in an allegory onely as the tother be but the playne and open diffe rence betwene the places appere vp pon the cyrcumstaunces of the texte This haue I proued agaynst Frith alredye and that in suche wyse as your selfe hath sene here that mayster Maskar can not auoyde yt but in goynge about to defende Frythes foly hathe wyth his two solucyons of myne one argument ofter than twyse ouer throwen him self made myne argument more than twyse so stronge ¶ But yet good readers bycause I say that those wordes of Crist The brede y t I shal geue you is my flesh which I shal geue for the lyfe of the world and my flesh is verily meat and my blood veryly drynke and But if you eate the fleshe of the son of man and drynke hys bloode you shal not haue life in you and so forth al such wordis as our sauyour spake hym selfe mencyoned in the syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn and those wordes of our sauyour at hys maun dye wryten wyth all the tother thre euangelystes Thys is my bodye that shall be broken for you be playn and expresse wordes for the catholyque fayth and mayster maskar sayth that the be not wordes playne and expresse but expowneth them all another waye therfore to breke the stryfe therin betwene him and me I haue brought you forth for my parte in myne exposycyon the playne expresse wordes of dyuerse olde holy sayntes by whych you may playne expressely se that they al sayd as I saye ¶ And mayster maskar also can not hym selfe say naye but that agaynst other heretyques before his dayes and myne dyuerse whole generall counsayles of chrystendome haue playnely and expressely determyned the same to be trew that I saye ¶ And all the countreys chrystened can also testyfye that god hathe hym self by manyfold opē miracles playn expressely declared for the blessid sa crament that this is the trewe fayth which mayster Maskar here oppugneth and that god hath by those myra cles expowned his own wordes hym self to be playne expressely spoken for our part ¶ And therfore nowe good christen reders yf mayster mas kar wil make any more stickyng with vs not graūt Christes wordes for playn expresse accordynge to hys promyse reche receyue y e trew faith hold it faste to ye may playne ex pressely tel him there shal neuer trew man trust his false promyse after ¶ Now touchyng the fyfth poynte where he saith that he findeth xx pla ces in scripture mo to prouyng that Christes body is not here in erth remember this wel good reder agaynst he bryna them forth For in his second part whē we come to the tale ye shal fynd his mo than twēty farre fewer than fyftene of al y t shal wel serue hym ye shall fynd fewer than one ¶ Then where he concludeth in the laste poynt vpon these fyue poyntes afore whyche fyue howe well they proue good chrysten readers you se that I must geue hym leue to byleue myne vn wryten vanyties veryties he wold saye at seysour yf the thyn ges that he calleth vn wrytē verities were ī dede vn writē inuēted also by me thā he might be y e bolder to cast hē myne vn writen vanities as he cal leth thē before myn vn writē dremis to But on y e tother syde syth you se your selfe that I haue shewed you theym writem in holy saintes bokes and that a thousand yere before that I was borne your self seeth it wri ten in the playne scrypture to proued playn expresse for our part against hym by tholde exposycyon of all the holy doctours and sayntes and by y e determinacyons of dyuerse generall counsayles of Christes whole catho lyque chyrche and proued playn for our parte also by so many playn opē myracles mayster maskar must nedes be more then madde to cal nowe suche wryten vetyties myne vn wry ten vanytes or myne vn wryten dremys either except he proue both all those thynges to be but an inuencyon of myne and ouer that all those wri tynges to be yet vn writen and that holy doctrine both of holy saintes and of holy scripture vanities also that all the whyle that al those holy folke 〈◊〉 awurke ther with they neyther wrote nor studyed nor dyd nothynge but dreme ¶ Now whyle mayster More must therfore vppon suche consyderaciōs geue maister Masker seue to byleue thys vnwryten vanyte whiche is in all the. iiii euangesystes an expresse wryten verite whyle I must I say therfore vppon suche folysh false cō 〈◊〉 geue hym seue to byleue the tre we fayth at leysour yf he had put it in my choyce I wold haue ben soth to geue hym any senger seysour therin for he hath ben to longe out of ryght bylyefe all redy But syth he sayeth I muste I maye not choyse wherof I am as helpe me god very sory For excepte he take hym selfe that leysour bytyme seuynge the busynesse that be dayly taketh in wrytyng of pestylēt bokes to the cōtrary he shal eis not faile to byleue y e trew fayth at a longe leysour ouer late y t is to wytte whan he lyeth wrechedly in hell where he shall not wryte for lacke of lyght and burnynge vp of his paper but shall haue euerlastyng laysour from all other worke to byleue there that he wolde not byleue here and lye styll euer burne there in euerlastynge fyre for his formar vngracyouse obstinate infydelyte out of whyche 〈◊〉 I be 〈◊〉 god geue hym the grace to crepe and gete out by tyme. And thus you se good readers what a goodly piece mayster masker hath made you which pleased him I warraunt you very well whan he wrote it But it wyl not I wene please him now very well whan he shall after this myne answere rede it The. xii chapyter BUt now goth he ferther against me with a specyall goodly piece wherin thus he sayth Here mayst thou se chrysten reader wherfore More wolde so fayne make the byleue that 〈◊〉 lest aught vnwryten of necessyte to be byleued euyn to stablysshe the popes kyngdome whych standeth of Morys vnwryten vanytees as of the presence of Chrystes body and makynge therof in the brede of putgatory of inuocacyon of sayntes wurshyppyng of stonys and flockys pylgrymages halowynge of vowes and 〈◊〉 and crepynge to the crosse c. If ye wyll byleue what so euer More can fayne wythout the scryptures than can thys poete
to performe hys worde And 〈◊〉 for otherwyse how and in what maner he could or wold do it he lefte theyr questyon and theyr how vnsoysed ¶ But now lest mayster Masker Masher make men wene that I make all thys mater of myne own hede ye shall here good readers vppon thys questyon of the Jewys what saynte Cyryll sayth ¶ The Iewes sayth he wyth greate wyckednes cry out and saye agaynst god How may he gyue vs his flesh they forgete that there is nothynge impossyble to god For whyle they were fleshely they could not as saint Poule sayth vnderstande spyrytuall thynges but thys great sacrament mystery semed vnto theym but foly But lette vs I beseche you take profyte of theyr synnes and let vs geue ferme fayth vnto the sacramentes lette vs neuer in suche hygh thynges eyther speake or thynge that same how For it is a Iewes worde that same and a cause of exterme ponysshement And Nicodemus therfore when he sayd How may these thynges be was answered as he wel was worthy Art thou the mayster in Isra ell and knowest not these thynges Let vs therfore as I sayd be taught by other folkes fawtes iÌ„ goddes wor ke not to aske How but leue vnto hymselfe the science and the way of hys owne worke For lyke wyse as though no man knoweth what thing god is in hys owne nature and substauÌ„ce yet a man is iustified by fayth when he byleueth that they that seke hym shal be ryally rewarded by hym so thowgh a man know not the reasoÌ„ of goddys workys yet when thorow fayth he dowteth not but that god is able to do all thyng he shall haue for thys good mynde great rewarde And that we shold be of thys mynde our lorde hym selfe exhorteth vs by the prophete Esaye where he sayth thus vnto men ¶ My deuyces be not as your deuyces be nor my wayes suche as your wayes be fayth our lorde but as the heuyn is exalted from the erth so be my wayes exalted aboue yours and my deuyces aboue your deuyces Chryste therfore whyche excelleth in wysedome and power by his godhed how can it be but that he shall worke so wonderfully that the reason and cause of hys workes shall so farre passe and excelle the capacyte of man nes wytte that our mynde shall neuer be possyble to perceyue it Doste thou not se oftentyme what thynge men of hande crafte do They tell vs somtyme that they can do some thinges wherin theyr wordes seme of theÌ„ self icredyble But yet bycause we haue sene them somtyme done suche other thynges lyke we therby byleue them that they can do those thynges to Now can it be therfore but y u they be worthy extreme torment that so coÌ„tempne almyghty god the worker of all thynges that they dare be so bolde as in hys wordes to speke of how while he is he whoÌ„ they knowe to be the geuer of all wysedome and whyche as the scrypture techeth vs is able to do all thynge But now thou Iewe yf thou wylte yet cry out and aske how than wyll I be coÌ„tent to playe the fole as thou doest and aske how to Than wyll I gladly axe y e how thou camest out of Egipt how Moyses rodde was turned into the serpent how the hand strykken wyth lepry was in a moment restored to hys formare state agayne how the waters turned into bloude how thy fore fathers went thorow the mydde sees as though they had walked on drye grounde how the bytter waters were chaunged swete by the tree how the fountayne of water flowed out of the stone how the runnyng ryuer of Iordane stode styll how the inexpugnable walles of Ieryco were ouerthro weeÌ„ with the bare noyse and clamour of the trumpettes Innume rable thynges there are in whyche yf thou aske how thou must nedes subuerte and set at nought all the whole scrypture the doctryne of the prophe tes and Moyses owne wrytynge to wherupon you Iewes ye shold haue byleued Cryste yf there semed you than any hard thynge in his wordes humbly than haue asked hym Thus sholde ye rather haue done than lyke dronken folke to crye out Now can he gyue vs hys flesshe do ye not per ceyue that when ye say such thynges there appereth anone a great arrogaunce in your wordes ¶ Nere you se good readers that S. Cyriss in these wordes psaynesy shewed y t Crist here in these wordê The brede that I shall geue you is my flesh whych I shall geue for the lyfe of the worlde ment of y e geuyng of hys flesshe in the sacrament And that the Iewes wondered that he sayd he wolde geue them his flesshe and asked how he could do it bycause they thought it impossyble And in reprofe of theyr incredusyte and that folyshe mynde of theyrs by whiche they could not byleue that god could geue them his owne fleshe to eate S. Cyriss both sheweth that many hand crafted men do thynges such as those that neuer sawe the lyke wolde wene impossyble and also that in any worke of god it is a madnes to putte any dowt and aske how he can do it syth he is asmyghty and able to do all thynge And to the entent that no chry sten man sholde dowt of the chaunge and conuirsyon of the bred into Cry stes blessed body in the sacrament Saynt Cyriss here by waye of obieccyon agaynste the Iewes putteth vs in remembraunce for vs he teacheth though he spake to theÌ„ among other myracles he putteth vs I say in remembraunce of dyuerse conuersyons and chaunges out of one nature into another that god wrought in the olde sawe As how the hande was turned from hole to sore and from sore to hole agayne sodaynly Now the waters were sodaynly tur ned from bytter into swete and how the waters were turned from water to bloude and how the dede rodde of Moyses was turned into a quyche serpent The. xvi chapyter BUt yet shall ye se that vpon the wordes of Cryste folowynge Now saynte saynte all waye more and more declareth that Christ spake there of his very body that he wold geue men to eate in the blessed sacrament For it foloweth in the text of the gospell ¶ Than sayd Iesus vnto the Jewes Ueryly veryly I say vnto you but yf ye eate the flesshe of the soue of man ye shall not haue lyfe in you He that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude hath euerlastynge lyfe Uppon those wordes thus sayth saynt Cyrill ¶ Cryst is very mercyfull and mylde as the thynge it selfe she weth For he answereth not here sharpely to theyr hote wordes nor falleth at no conten cyon wyth them but goeth about to inprente in theyr myndes the lyuely knowlege of thys sacrament or mystery And as for how that is to wyt in what maner he shall geue theÌ„ hys flesshe to eate he teacheth them not For they coulde not vnderstande yt But how greate good they shold get by the
geue it men to eate for the lyfe that men sholde haue by the eatynge of it And therfore he pursueth forth bothe vpon the eatynge therof and vppon the lyfe that they shall lacke that wyll not eate it and of the lyfe that they shall haue that wyll eate it So that as I saye Chryste spake and ment after the mynde of some holy cunnynge men but of the eatynge onely but by all good men of the eatyng specyally and without any maner questyon of the eatynge moste playnely as of whiche he speketh by name expressely And of hys deth yf he there spake of it as diuers holy doctours thynke he dyd yet he spake it so couertly y t he rather ment it than sayd it as the thynge wherof he nothynge named but onely the ge uynge to eate So that where as mayster Masker argueth y t Chryste nothynge ment of geuynge of hys flesshe to be eaten in the sacrament but onely of his flessh to be crucified bycause that yf he hadde ment of his flesshe to be eatyn in the sacrament he coulde and wolde haue tolde them playnely so ye se now good readers very playne proued by the self same place that syth mayster Masker can not saye nay but that of his body to be geuyn by deth Chryst could haue spoken myche more playnely than he dyd in that place as well as he could haue spoken more playnely of the geuynge of hys body to be eaten in the blessed sacrament mayster Mas kers owne argument yf it were aught as it is nought vtterly destroyeth all his owne exposycyon whole And therfore ye maye se that the man is a wyse man and well ouer seen in arguynge The. ii chapyter IN the. xi lefe he hath an other argument towarde whiche he maketh a blynde induccyon byfore And bycause ye shall se that I wyll not go about to begyle you I wyll reherse you his induccyon fyrst and than his argumēt after These arre his wordes Whan the Iewes wolde not vnderstande thys spyrytuall sayenge of the eatynge of Chrystes flessh and drynkynge of his bloude so ofte and so playnely declared he gaue them a stronge tryppe and made them more blynde for they so deserued if suche are the secrete iudgementes of god addyng vnto all hys sayenges thus who so eate my flessh and drynke my bloude abydeth in me and I in hym These wordes were spoken vnto the 〈◊〉 into theyr farther obstynacyō but vnto the faythfull for theyr better instruccyon Now gather of thys the contrary and saye who so eateth not my flessh and drynketh not my bloude abydeth not in me nor I in hym ioyne thys to that foresayd sentence excepte ye eate the flesshe of the sone of man and drynke hys bloude ye haue no lyfe in you Lette it neuer fall 〈◊〉 thy mynd chrysten reader that fayth is the lyfe of the ryghtwyse and that Chryst is thye lyuynge brede whom thou eatest that is to saye in whom thou byleuest ¶ Here is mayster Masker fall to iuglynge so and as a iugser layeth forth hys trynclettes vpon the table and byddeth men loke on this loke on that and blo we in hys hande and than with certayne straunge wordes to make men muse whurseth his iuglynge stycke about his fyngers to make men loke vpon that whyle he playeth a false caste and conuayeth with y e tother hand some thynge slyly into his purse or his sleue or some where out of syght so fareth maister Masker here that maketh Christes holy worde serue hym for his iugling boxes and sayeth them forth vppon the borde afore vs and byddeth vs lo loke on this texte and than soke so vpon this and whan he hath she wed forth thus two or thre textes and byd vs loke vpon them he telleth vs not wherfore nor what we shall fynde in thē But bycause they be so playne agaynste hym he letteth them slynke awaye and than to blere our eyen and call our mynde fro the mater vp he taketh his iuglynge stycke the cōmendacyon of fayth and whyrleth that about hys fyngers and sayeth Let it neuer fall fro thy mynde chrysten reader that sayth is the lyfe of the ryghtuouse and that Chryst is thys lyuynge brede whom thou eatest that is to saye in whom thou byleueft ¶ What are these wordes good chry sien reader to the purpose All thys wyll I pray you remember to But I wyll pray you remēber there with all where about this iugeler goth y t wolde with bryddynge vs loke vppe here vppon fayth iugle awaye one great poynt of farth from vs and make vs take no hede of Chrystes wordes playnely spoken here of the very eatyng of his holy flesshe And therfore let vs remēber fayth as be byddeth But let vs remember well therwith specially this piece therof y t this iugler with byddynge vs remēbre wold fayne haue vs forgette ¶ But now after thys induccyon forth he cometh with his wyse argu ment in this wyse For yf our popystes take eatyng and drynkyng here bodyly as to eate the naturall body of Chryste vnder the forme of brede and to drynke his bloud vnder the forme of wyne than must all yonge chyldren that neuer came at goddes borde departed and al lay men that neuer dranke his bloude be dampned If our sauyour Chryste whyche is the waye to trouth and the trouth it selfe and the very trewe lyfe also coulde and wold say false and breke his promyse by whyche he promysed his chyrche to be therwith hym selfe vnto the worldes ende and to sende it also the spyrite of trouth that shold teche it and sede it into al trouth than wolde there of trouth bothe of these wordes of Chryste and these other wordes of his also But yf a man be borne agayne of the water and the holy goost he can not se the kyngdom of god and of many other wordes of his mo many greate dowtes aryse ryght harde and inexplycable But now am I very sure sith trouth can not be but trew Chrystes promyse shall euer stande and be kepte ther fore shall his chyrche euer more by y e meane of his holy spyryte which maketh men of one maner and mynde in the howse of his chyrche so fall in a concorde and agrement togyther vppon the trew sense and so be led into euery necessary trewth that by misse takynge of any parte of scrypture it shall neuer be suffred to fall into any dampnable errour Whiche thynge what pratynge so euer mayster masker make I haue so often so surely proued for the comen knowen catholyke chyrch of good and badde bothe agaynst Willy ā T indale y t neyther he nor all these heretikes among thē all shall neuer be able to voyde it ¶ Now as for his argument concernynge laye men of age it were alytell more stronge yf the blessed body of our lorde were in the blessed sacramēt vnder forme of brede with out his bloude whiche whyle it ys not nor theyr
receyuynge is not the sacryfyce nor oblacyon which to the integrite therof requyreth bothe the formys that the thynge sholde agre with the fygure the fygure I saye of the brede and wyne that was offered by Melchysedech mayster Maskers argument is of a feble force Of whyche thynge bycause I purpose onys to touche god wyllyng in answerynge to doctour Barons treatyse specyally made of that mater I wyll holde here mayster Mas ker for this tyme with no longe tale therof But to th entent ye may shortely se how lytell wytte is in his wise argument with whych vppon Chrystes general wordes but yf you eate the flesshe of y e sone of man drynke his bloude ye shall not haue lyfe in you he argueth vniuersally of all men and women chyldrenthat dye and neuer eate his flesshe or neuer drynke his bloude shal be dampned by the selfe same forme of arguyng vppon these generall wordes But yf a man be borne of water and the spyryte he shall neuer se the kyngedome of god Mayster Masker may argue generally that who so dye byfore he be baptysed by water and the spyrite shal be dampned And therup pon conclude that many martyres be dampned for lacke of baptysynge in water for all theyr baptysynge in theyr owne bloude And thus you se good readers how substancyall his argumentis The. iii. chapyter IN the. xii lefe to proue y t Cryst ment nothynge to geue his body to be eaten mayster masker vppon these wordes that the dyscyples whiche were offended with his wordes sayde This is an harde worde who maye here hym bryngeth in an other wise argument vnder colour of expownynge y e texte in this wyse These wordes dyd not onely offende them that hated Chryst but also some of his dyscyples They were offended sayth the texte and not meruayled as More tryfleth out of trouth These wordes good reader of offendynge and meruaylynge I shall answere anone in a more conuenyent place whyche dyscyples sayd Thys is an harde sayenge who may here hym These dyscyples stoke no lesse in Chrystes visyble flesshe and in the barke of his wordes than doth now More byleuynge hym to haue spoken of his naturall body to be eaten wyth theyr teth ¶ Here mayster masker maketh as though the catholyke faith in the bles sed sacrament were but my fayth But lyke wyse as I do coÌ„fesse that his heresye is not onely his but that he hath felowes in the same falsed not onely fryth and Tyndale but Wicliffe also and zuinglius frere Huyskyn to bysyde a lewde sorte of wreched heretykes moo so must he confesse yf he wyll say trew that my fayth is not onely my fayth but that I haue felowes in the same fayth not onely the comen hole multytude of all good chrysten cuntrees this fyftenne hundred yere but specyally by name those holy saiÌ„ts whose wordes I haue rehersed you before vppon this same mater as Theophylactus saynt Bede saynte Hyrineus and saynt Hilary and saynte Austayne saynte Cyryll and saynt Chrisostome the playne wordes of euery one of all whome I haue here all redy brought you forth agaynste mayster Masker prouynge them selfe felowes of myne in my fayth all redy now in this answere of this fyrste parte of his And yet kepe I for mayster Masker mater inough bysyde of holy sayntes autho rytees as well the same sayntes as other to fyll vp the messys at the seconde course And where he bringeth forth for hym in his seconde parte Austayne Tertullyan and saynte Chrysostom For in all this his fyrst course he bryngeth forth neuer one those thre dysshes I warraunt you shall whan I come to them but barely furnysshe hys borde ¶ But where mayster masker saith that More stycketh in the vysyble fleshe of Chryst to beaten as those dyscyples and those Iewes dyd he is holde to saye what hym lyste bycause he goth inuysyble For ellys how coulde he for shame say that we y t are of the catholyke chyrth thynke that Chryste geueth vs his visyble flesshe to eate as those dyscyples those Iewys thought whan euery man 〈◊〉 woteth that those dyscyples and those Iewes thought that they sholde receyue hys flesshe visyble cutte out as saynt Austayne declareth in visyble dede piecys and euery man as well knoweth mayster Masker to that we thynke that we do and so in dede we do receyue and eate his flesshe inuisyble not in dede pyeces but his quycke blessed body whole vnder the visible forme of brede And therfore you se good readers what trouth is in this man ¶ But now goth he forth and commeth to hys wyse wurshypfull argument and sayth whyche offence Chryste seynge sayed doth thye offende you what than wyll you saye yf you se the sone of man ascende thyther where he was before If it offende you to eate my flessh whyle I am herre it shall myche more offende you to eate it whan it shal be gone out of your syght ascended into heuyn there syttynge on the ryght hande of my father vn tyll I come agayne as I went that is to iudgement ¶ The exposycyon of these wordê of Chryste I haue good readers shewed you before accordyng to the myndes of holy doctours and saynts that by those wordes of his ascencyoÌ„ he gaue them warnynge before that be wolde by his ascendyng vp to heuyn make them a playne profe that thei were deceiued whaÌ„ they thought it could not be that he was descended downe from heuyn and by his ascen dyng vp with his body hole vnminyshed make them a playne profe y t they were deceiued whan they thought he wold in pyeces cut out and so geue his fleshe to them as he sholde gyue it from hym selfe therby lese it hym selfe For hys whole body ascendynge shold well proue y t though his apostles had euery one eatyn it yet had he it styll whole hym selfe y t they sholde therby not dowt afterward but that as eche of them had it and dyd eate it and yet hym selfe had it styll and all at onys in xiii dyuerse places in erth and hym selfe ascended after whole therwith into heuin so sholde euer after all good chrysten folke receyue it whole here in erthe and hym selfe neuer the lesse haue it whole styll wyth hym in heuyn ¶ Thys beynge good chrysten readers y e mynde of our sauiour in those wordes as by the holy doctours and sayntes well doth appere of old now cometh this new dronkeÌ„ doctour maister masker and with a wyse exposycyon of hys owne brayne wolde make vs wene that those wordes with whiche as the olde doctours testyfye Chryste confermed the sacrament in declarynge his power by whyche he wurketh that wonderfull miracle in the sacrament our sauiour had hym selfe spoken agaynste his myracles in the sacrament For thus lo doth maister Masker make Cryst expowne his owne wordes and say If it offende yon to eate my 〈◊〉 whyle I am here it shall mych more offende you to eate it
he reherseth as hym selfe maketh theym new These were good readÌ„er my worde And ouer this the very cyrcuÌ„stauÌ„ces of the places in the gospell in whych our sauiour speketh of that sacrameÌ„t may wel make open the dyfference of his spech in this mater of all those other that as he spake all those but iÌ„ an allegory so spake he this plainly menyng y t he spake of his very body his very bloud beside al 〈◊〉 For neyther whan our lorde sayde he was a very vyne nor whan he sayde he was the dore there was none that herde hym that any thynge meruayled therof And why for bycause they perceyued well that he ment not that he was a materyall vyne in dede nor a materyall dore neyther But whan he sayd that his flesh was very mete and his blood was very drynke and that they shold not haue lyfe in them but yf they dyd eate his flesshe and drynke his blood than were they all moste all in suche a wonder therof that they could not abyde And wher fore but bycause they preceyued wel by his wordes and his maner of cyrcumstaunces vsed in the spekynge of them that Chryste spake of his very flesshe and his very blood in ded For ellys the straungenesse of the wordes wold haue made them to haue taken it as well for an allegorye as eyther his wordes of the vyne or of the dore And than wolde they haue no more merueyled at the tone than they dyd at the tother But now where as at the vyne and the dore they merueyled nothynge yet at the eatynge of his flesshe and drynkynge of his blood they so sore merueyled and were so sore moued and thought the mater so harde the wonder so great that they asked how coulde that be and went almoste all theyr waye wherby we maye well se that he spake these wordes in suche wyse as the herers perceyued that he ment it not in a parable nor an allegorye but spake of hys very flesshe and hys very bloude in dede ¶ Lo good readers here I speke of Chrystes very flesshe and his very bloud as the trouth is in dede But here I saye not as mayster masker sayth I saye that Christ ment of his flesshe and his bloude in suche wyse as the Iewes thought that forsoke hym therfore whych thought as you haue herde that they sholde eate hys flleshe in the selfe fleshely forme and also pyecemele in lothly dede go bettes without eyther lyfe or spiryt ¶ And nowe that you haue sene hys trouth in rehersynge you shal se a shewof his sharpe sotle wit in the soy lynge wherin fyrst after his iuglyng fashyon to carye y e reder wyth wonderynge fro markynge well the mater thus he begynneth wyth a great grauyte geuynge all the worde war nynge to be ware of me To chrysten reader here haste thou not a taste but a great tunne full of Moris myschyefe and pernycyouse peruertynge of goddes holy worde And as thou seest hym here falsely and 〈◊〉 destroye the pure sense of goddes worde so doth he in all other places of hys bokes ¶ To good readers now haue you a great hygh tragycall warnynge with not a litle taste but a great tuÌ„ne full at onys of my myscheuouse pernycyouse false pestylent peruertynge and destroyeng of y e pure sense of goddes holy wordes in this one place whych he wyll shall staÌ„de for a playnte prose that I do the same in all other places ¶ Now good readers alde it that yt myght mysse happe me by ouersyght to mysse handle this one place and yet iÌ„ some other to write wel ynough yet am I content to take the condÌ„ycy on at mayster Maskers hand that if myne hadelyng of this one place be such an heyghnouse handlyng as ma heth it suche a pernycyouse pestilent not onely ê‘uersyon but also destruccyon of the pure sense of goddes holy worde neuer make examynacyon of any other worde of myne farther For I than forthwyth confesse euen here that I haue in al other places wryten wronge euery whyt But now on the tother syde though you shold happe to fynde that in this place I haue somwhat ouer sene my selfe in mysse takynge of some one worde for an other without thecfecte of the mater chaunged than wyll I requyre you to take my fawte for no greater than it is in dede nor mysse truste all my wrytynge for that one worde in this one place mysse taken without thempayrynge of the mater For suche a maner mysse takynge of a worde is not the dystroyeng of the pure sense of goddes holy worde And therfore if you fynde my fawte good readers no ferther than suche ye wyll I dowte not of your equyte bud mayster Masker leue his iniquite and chaunge his hygh tragicall ter mes and turne his great tunne full of pernyciouse pestilent false peruer tynge poysen into a lytell taste of holesome inough though some what smale and rough rochell wyne And therfore lette vs nowe se wherin he layeth this greate hygh hepe of myscheuouse peruertynge To thus good readers he sayth Fyrste where More sayth they merneyled at Chry stes sayenge my of is very meate 〈◊〉 that is not so Neyther is there any suche worde in the texte excepte More wyll exponne murmurabant id est mitabantur They murmured that is to saye they meruayled as he expowneth oportet id est expedit et conuenit he must dye or it behoueth hym to dye that is to saye it was expedient and of good congru ence that he sholde dye c. This poete maye make a man to sygnifye an asse and blacke whyte to blete the symple eyes ¶ Now good readers I wote well that you consider that the cause wher fore I spake of the meruaylyng that they had whych herde Chryst speke of the eatynge of his flesshe was by cause that none of those that herde hym at other tymes call hym selfe a vyne or a dore meruayled any thyng therat so that by the great difference of the behauour of y e herers it might well appere that there was greate dyfference in the spekynge and that the tother two were well perceyued to be spoken onely by waye of allegorye and the thyrde to be spoken of his very flesshe in dede where as Fryth helde opinion y t thys was none otherwyse spoken but onely by way of an allegorye as the tother twayne were ¶ Now good readers yf you reade my wordes agayne in euery place of them where I write they meruey led it wolde lyke you to put out that worde they merueysed and set in this worde they murmured in the stede therof ye shall frnde no chaunge made in the mater by that chaunge made in the wordes But you shal se myne argument shal stand as strong with that worde They murmured as with this worde they merueyled For whan at the herynge of Chryste wordes spekynge of the eatynge of his flesshe the euangelyste sheweth that many of the herers
and some meruailed not that bycause I sayd the fyrste and he proueth the secund therfore I am quyte caste and caught in myne owne trappe This man is a wyly shrewe in argument I promyse you The. vii chapyter BUt now that I haue good readers so fayre escaped my trappe I truste with the helpe of some holy saynt to cach mayster Masker in his owne trappe that his maystershyppe hath made for me ¶ Ye wote well good readers that the trappe whiche he made for me were these two wyly capcyouse questyons of his with whych he thought to cache me that is to wytte fyrste whyther the dyscyples and apostles hard and vnderstode our sauyour in all thre places and than vpon myne answere ye or yes his other questyō ferther whyther they meruayled or murmured Unto whyche whyle I haue answered no now by the trappys of his questyons he rekeneth me dreuyn to be caught in myne owne bycause I sayd that many merueyled as though many other might not bycause the apostles dyd ¶ Now before I shewe you howe hym selfe is taken in his own trappe ye shall here his owne gloryouse wor des with which he bosteth y t he hath taken me wolde make men wene it were so 〈◊〉 these are his wordes Here may you se whether thys olde holy vpholder of the popys chyrche is brought euyn to be taken in hys owne trappe For the dyscyples and his 〈◊〉 neyther murmured nor meruayled nor yet were not offended wyth this theyr mayster Chrystes worde 〈◊〉 and maner of speche For they were well acquainted wyth such phrases answered theyr mayster Cryst when he asked theym wyll ye go hence fro me to Lorde sayd they to whome shall we go 〈◊〉 thou 〈◊〉 the wordes of euevlastyng lyfe we byleue y t thou art Chryste the sone of the lyuynge god Lo maysters more they neyther merueyled nor murmured And why For bycause as ye saye they vnderstode it in an allegorye sence and petceyued well that he ment not of hys materyall body to be eaten wyth theyr teth but he ment it of hym selfe to be byleued to be very god and very man hauynge flesshe and bloude as they had and yet was he the sone of the lyuynge god Thye bylyefe gathered they of all hys spyrytuall sayenges as hym selfe expouneth hys owne wordes sayenge My flesshe profyteth nothynge meanynge to be eaten but it is the spyryte that geueth this lyfe And the wordes that I speke vnto you are spyryte and lyfe So that who so byleue my flesshe to be crucyfyed and broken and my bloude to be shede for hys synnes he eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloud and hath lyfe euerlastyng And thys is the lyfe wherwyth the ryghtuouse lyueth euen by fayth Abacuk 2. ¶ Lo good reader here haue I reher sed you his wordes whole to th ende And yet bycause you shall se that I wyll not hyde from you any pyece of hys that may make for any strength of his mater I shal reherse you fer ther his other wordes wryten in his 13. lefe whyche I wolde haue touched before sauynge that I thought to reserue it for hym to strength with all thys place of his where it myght do hym best seruyce where he wold proue agaynst me to trappe me with that the cause why the dyscyples and apostles merueyled not nor murmured not nor were not offended was bycause they vnderstode Chrystes wordes to be spoken not of very eatynge of hys flesshe but onely of the bylyefe of his passyon by waye of a parable or an allegorye as he spake those other worde whan he sayed I am y e dore whan he sayd I am the vyne The worde lo of M. Masker with which he setteth forth the profe of this point in his 13 lefe be these in the ende of all his exposycyon vpon the syxt chapyter of saynt Iohn̄ Here is lo the conclusyon of all thye sermon Chryst very god and man had set hys flesshe byfore them to be reteyed with fayth that it sholde be broken and suffre for theyr synne But they coulde not eate it spi rytually bycause they byleued not in hym wherfore many of hys dyscyples fyll from hym and walked no more wyth hym And than he sayd to the. xii wyll ye go away to And Symon Peter answered Lorde to whome shall we go Thou haste the wordes of euerlastynge lyfe and we byleue and are sute that thou arte Chryste the sone of the lyuynge god Here it is manyfest what Peter and his felowes vnderstode by this eatynge and drynkynge of Chryste For they were perfytely taught that it stode all in the bylyefe in Chryst as theyr answere here testyfy eth If this mater had stode vppon so depe a myracle as our papystes fayne wythout any word of god not comprehended vnder any of theyr comen senses that they shold eate hys body vnder forme of brede as longe depe thycke and 〈◊〉 brode as it hangeth vppon the crosse they beynge yet but feble of fayth not confermed with the holy goost 〈◊〉 here nedes haue wondered stonied and staggered and haue ben more inquisytyue in and of so strange a mater than they were But they neyther dowted nor merueyled nor murmured nor nothynge offended wyth wyth ma ner of speche as were the other that slypte awaye but they answered fermely Thou hast the wordes of euerlastynge lyfe and we byleue c. Now to the exposycyon of the wordes of our lordes sowper ¶ Lo good readers ye wyll I trow nowe bere me recorde that I dele playnly with mayster Maskar here and hyde nothynge of his a syde that maye do hym any substancyall seruyce towarde the profe of hys purpose And I warraunt you yt shal be long ere you fynde hym or any of all that secte deale in suche playne ma ner wyth me ¶ But nowe good Christen reader reade al these whole wordes of hys in both y e places as often as you lyst and consyder theym well and than shal you perceyue in conclusyon y t he proueth hys purpose by none other thynge in all this worde than onely by his owne wordes expownynge al way the wordes of Chryste as may ster Maskar lyste hym self And vppon that that hym selfe sayeth that the cause wherfore the disciples and apostses 〈◊〉 not not murmured not at these wordes of Christ The brede y t I shall geue you is my flesh c. was bycause they per ceyued that Chryste spake yt in a pa table as I say of his other wordes I am the dore and I am the very vyne vppon these wordes of mayster Maskere owne mayster Maskar concludeth for his purpose the selfe same thynge that he fyrste pre supposeth the thyng that he shold not presuppose but preue that is to wyt that Chryst spake yt but by way of a parable ¶ But agaynste mayster Maskar and his presumptuouse presuppo synge the mater appereth playne For as I haue byfore sayde our sauyour whan he sayd I am the
masker lyste better to byleue hym self than all them which yf he do as in dede he doth than is he myche 〈◊〉 fole than a naturall fole in 〈◊〉 ¶ For as for his iii. places of saynt Austayne Tertulyane and saynte Chrysostome whom he bryngeth in his secunde parte I shall in my secunde parte in takynge vp of his secund course whan we come to frute pare hym I warraunt you those thre perys so nere that he getteth not a good morcell amonge them And yet peraduenture ere I come at it to ¶ For so is it now good reders that I very certaynly knowe that y e boke whiche Fryth made laste agaynst the blessed sacrament ys come ouer into thys realme in prente and secretely sent abrode into the bretherns hands and some good systers to And for as mych as I am surely enformed for trouth that Fryth hath in to that boke of his taken many textes of old holy doctours wylyly handeled by false frere Nuy skyn byfore to make it falsely seme that tholde holy doctours and sayntes were fauerouse of theyr false heresye therfore wyll I for the whyle sette mayster maskers secund part asyde tyll I haue answe red that pestylent peuyshe booke of Iohn̄ Frith about which I purpose to go as soone as I can gete one of them whych so many beyng abrode shall I truste not be longe to And than shal I by the grace and helpe of almyghty god make you the 〈◊〉 the fashed of Fryth and frere Nuys kyn bothe as open and as clere as I haue in thys wurke made open and clere vnto you the falshed and the foly of mayster Masker here ¶ And where as I a yere now passed and more wrote and put in prynte a letter agaynste the pestylent treatyse of Iohn̄ Fryth whyche he than had made and secretely sent abrode amonge the bretherne agaynste the blessed sacrament of th aulter which letter of myne as I haue declared in myn apology I nathelesse caused to be kepte styll and wolde not suffre it to be put out abrode into euery man nes hands bycause Frythes treatyse was not yet at that time in prente yet now sythe I se that there are comen ouer in prente not onely Frythes boke but ouer that this maskers boke also and that eyther of theyr bothe bokes maketh mencyon of my sayde letter and wolde seme to soyle it and laboreth sore there about I do therfore nowe suffre the prenter to putte wyth thys boke my sayd letter also to sale ¶ And for as myche also as those authorytees of saynt Austayn saynt Chrysostome and Turtuliane whych master maysker layeth in hys secunde parte I shall of lykelyhed fynde also in Frythes boke and therfore answere theym there and all mayster Maskers whole mater to before I retourne to his secund part whyche yet I wyll after all thys god wyllyng not leue nor let go so in the meane while may mayster mas kar syth it is ashe saith so great plea sure to hym to be wryten agaynst ha uynge as he bosteth all solucyons so redely loke and assay whither he can soyle these thynges wyth whyche I haue in this fyrst parte ouethrowen his whole heresye and proued hym very playne a very false fole all redye Of whose false wyly foly to be ware our forde geue vs grace and of all suche other lyke whych with folyshe argumentes of they re owne blynde reason wresting the scripture into a wronge sense agaynste the very playn wordes of the text agaynst the xposycyons of all the olde holy sayntes agaynste the determynacyons of dyuers whole generall counsayles agaynste the full consent of all trewe chrysten nacyons this xv hundred yere before theyr days and agaynste the playne declaracyon of almyghty god hym self made in eue ry chrysten coūtrey by so many playn open myracles labour now to make vs so folyshely blynde and madde as to forsake the very trew catholike fayth forsake y e socyetie of the trew catholyque chyrche and wyth fundry sectes of heretike fallē out therof to set both holy dayes fastyng days at nought for the deuyllis pleasure to forbere abstayne from all prayer to be made either for soules or to saynte iest on our blessed lady y e immaculate mother of Chryste make mockes at all pylgrymages and crepynge of Chrystes crosse the holy ceremonyes of the chyrche and the sacramen tes to turne theym into tryflynge wyth lykenynge theym to wyne garlandes and ale polys and fynally by these wayes in the ende and conclusyon forsake our sauyour hym selfe in the blessed sacramente and in stede of his own blessed bodye his blood wene there were nothynge but bare brede and wyne and call it ydolatrye there to do hym honour But woo may suche wreches be For this we may be sure that who so dyshonour god in one place wyth occasyon of a false fayth standynge that false bylyefe and infydelyte all thonour that he dothe hym any where besyde ys odyouse and dyspyghtfull and reiected of god and neuer shall saue that faythlesse soule from the fyre of hel From whcche our lorde geue theym grace trewely to tourne in tyme so that we and they to gether in one catholyque chyrche knytte vnto god to gether in one catholyque fayth fayth I saye not fayth alone as they do but acompanyed wyth good hope and wyth her chyefe syster well workynge charytie maye so receyue Chrystes blessed sacramentes here and specyally that we may so receyue hym selfe his very blessed bodye very fleshe and blood in the blessed sacrament our holy blessed howsyll that we maye here be wyth hym incorporate so by grace that after the shorte course of this transytorye lyfe wyth hys tender pytye powred vppon vs in purgatorye at the prayour of good people and intercessyon of holy sayntes we maye be wyth them in theyr holy felyshyppe incorporate in Chryste in hys eternall glorye Amen Finis The fautes escaped in the prentynge of thys booke In the preface 〈◊〉 pag. 〈◊〉 the fautes y e amendmētes xii ii i. hys syxte the syxte xiii i. xx fashed falshed xv ii iiii fashed falshed In the booke 〈◊〉 i. xvii for the fro the xvii ii xiiii meat mete xix i. ii meat mete xx ii xxii could could not xxi i. xvii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 xxii i. xiii onele onely xxvii i. xix byddyng byddynge 〈◊〉 xxxii i. xxi furst the the xlviii i. xiiii wpych whych xlviii ii iii. fayth fayth 〈◊〉 ii ix some 〈◊〉 such some such xlviii ii xvii 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 xlviii ii xxii hyuynge gyuynge lii i. xxi 〈◊〉 doctout lv i. vii quein quam lxx ii iii. how saynt saynt lxxi ii i. vnto the vn the lxxv i. vi bothe he he bothe lxxxviii ii x. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lxxxviii il xlii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ii xi 〈◊〉 chose fo pag. li. the fautes y t amendemētes cii i. xi preasely precysely cviii i. vii such shulde cix ii ix so vouchsaue 〈◊〉 cix ii 〈◊〉 by these by the cx i. vii 〈◊〉 you
come in to the worlde and by those wordê declared clerely y t they thoughte he was Chryste that is to wytte Messyas whom they loked for by the pro phecye of Moyses and other prophe tes that shold come to saue y e world and that theruppon they wold haue made hym kynge who could haue went that they could haue hadde so soone vppon the morowe so colde a mynde toward hym as to go sayle seke hym for none other deuocyoÌ„ but for the fedynge of theyr belyes But our sauyour whose depe syghte entred into theyr hartes labored not vppon any fallible coniecturys both saw the sykenesse of theyr vnperfait myndes and as a perfyt phisicyon agaynst theyr dysease diuised them a good and perfyte medecyn sayenge vnto them thus wurke syrs and labour for the meat not the meate that perystheth but for the meate that abydeth into euerlastynge lyfe whyche meate the sone of maÌ„ shall gyue you for hym hath god y e father sealed As though he wold say ye labour hither seke me for such meate as I fedde you with y e tother daye but y t meat is soone gone and perysheth Labour wurke and make you meat that you maye eate the meat y t shall neuer be gone nor neuer perysh but shall last with you for euer in euerlasting lyfe ¶ By these wordes of the meate euerlastynge our sauyour dyd as the olde holy doctours declare insumate and secretely sygnifye to theym the meat of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both the spiritual eatyng of his godhed by fruicyoÌ„ in heuyn the bodyly eatyng of his very body here ierth of which both meates he more declareth after ¶ For the better perceyuing wherof ye shall vnderstand that y e materyall meate that men eate here hath two maner of peryshyngs One by which thorow the naturall operacyoÌ„ of the body that receyueth yt it is altered chaunged and leseth his own forme shape nature and substaunce and is tourned into the nature substaunce of the body which it norisheth And in this maner of peryshynge perysheth all the meate that euery man eateth or els it nothyng nurysheth ¶ The tother maner of perysshyng by which the meate perysheth is that peryshynge by which the meate that is taken thorough glotony is for the inordynate appetyte and vse thereof destroyed and punyshed by god and the glotonous bely to Of whyche maner of peryshynge saynte Poule sayth The meate for the bely the bely for the meate and god shall destroye both the tone and the tother This is spoken agaynste those that eate not for the conseruacion of theyr lyfe and theyr helth to preserue them selfe to the seruyce of god but eate drynke onely for the voluptuouse pleasure of theyr body ¶ Now taught our lord the Jewes in these few wordes adoctryne short and compendyouse that they sholde neyther be glotons in laborynge for the meate that perysheth of that secunde fashyon nor so very hyghly esteme the meate that perysheth of the fyrst fasshyon that is to wyt any maner of meate that onely nurisheth the body but that they sholde labour and wurke and endeuour them selfe that they myght be meate to receyue and eate that meate that shall abyde endure with theÌ„ in euerlastinge lyfe that is to saye that as theym selues were bothe bodyes and soules so spi rytually to receyue and eate of hys own godhed with the fruicyoÌ„ wherof they shold after this lyfe be euerlastyngly fedde among his angellys in heuyn and for the meane whyle in thys world bodyly to receyue eate his owne blessed body into theyrs as an ernest peny of theyr perpetuall coÌ„ iuÌ„ccyon and incorporacyon with hym afterwarde in the kyngdome of hys eternall glory where our bodies shal also be fedde for euer wyth the farpassynge pleasure of the bodyly beholdynge of his gloryous body there in his owne bewtyfull forme whiche we now veryly recepue here hydde in the blessed sacrament in lykenesse and forme of brede ¶ This is the meat that Cryste in those worde ment wold they shold labour to make them selfe mete for For this meat wyll in no wyse perish But where as the bodyly meate that the man eateth of the shepe in the nuryshynge of the man perysheth and leseth his owne nature not turnynge the flesh of the man in to the flesh of the shepe but beynge turned from the owne proper nature of shepys fleshe in to the naturall fleshe of the man this meate is of suche vigour strength that in the nuryshyng of the man it abvdeth whole and vnchaunged not beynge turned into the flesh of the man but afterynge turnyng traÌ„sformyng as holy saynt Austayn sayth the fleshely man froÌ„ his groce 〈◊〉 into a certayn maner of the pure nature of it selfe by particy pacyon of that holy blessed flesh and immortall that is with his siuely spy ryte imedyately ioyned and vnseparably knitte vnto y e eternall flowyng fouÌ„tayn of all lyfe y e godhed This meat therfore Cryste byddeth them labour wurke for in those wordes wurke you not the meat y t peryssheth but that abideth into euerlasting lyfe ¶ But yet though Cryst toÌ„mauded them that they shold not be idle slougardes slouthfull of them self but that they sholde wurke labour for theyr owne parte to gete this meate and make them selfe mete therfore yet he let them knowe that no man could by hys owne onely power attayne it And therfore he added these wordê whych meate the sone of man shall gyue you tellyng them therby that hym selfe which had fedde them before wyth that other meate whiche was peryshable wold also yf them selfe wold wurke and labour for it geue theym the tother meate that is permanent in to lyfe euerlastyng to ¶ And therfore as dyuerse holy doctours say whan the preste minystreth vs this mete let vs not thinke that it is he that gyueth it vs not the preste I saye whome we se but the sone of man Chryst hym self whose own fleshe not y e preste there geueth vs but as Chrystes mynystre delyuereth vs. But y e very geuer therof is our blessed sauyour hym selfe as hym selfe in these wordê wytnesseth where he sayth queÌ„ filius hominis dabit vobis whyche meate the sone of man shall gyue you ¶ Now lest the Iewes myght haue cause to mystruste that he y t were the sone of man couldÌ„ gyue theÌ„ y t meate that were fre from all peryshynge permanent into euerlastynge lyfe he taketh awaye that obieccion and sheweth them that he is not onely y e sone of man but also the sone of god and no more verily man by that that he is the sone of man that is to wyt not of Ioseph but of our forefather Adam the fyrst man than he is veryly god in that he is the sone of god as veryly and as naturally begotten of god the father by generacyon as he was veryly and naturally descended of our forefather Adam by liniall dyscent and
propagacyon Which thynge our sauyour shewed theym in these wordê Hunc enim pater significauit deus For hym hath god the father sealed This is to say that hym hath god the father specyally sequestred and seuered and set asyde out of the nomber of all creaturs and hath sent hym in to y e worldÌ„ anoynted sygned and marked with the very prent of his owne seale For as the olde holy doctours declare and amonge other saynt Cyrill and saynt Hilary the seale of the father with which he sealed his sone is nothynge els but hym self his own very nature substauÌ„ce And therfore hath god caused these wordê to be writen in holy scrypture that god the father hath sealed hys sone as our sauyour sayd here to the Iewes and that Crist is the image prent and character of the father as saith saint Poule bycause we therby sholde lerne and vnderstand that as a trewe seale trewly prented leueth in the tother the very whole expresse thynge that it is it selfe not as it is iron stele or coper syluer brasse or golde but as yt is a seale that ys to wytte thys fasshyoned fygure or y e and yet hepeth it whole styll 〈◊〉 the lesse it selfe so dyd god the father in the sealyng of god the sone that is to wytte in hys eternall bygettynge gyue hym all that euer was in hym selfe all hys whole wyll all his hole wysedome all hys whole myghte and power and fynally all his whole nature substaunce and godhed and yet kepe neuer the lesse all the same styll hym selfe ¶ And thus the sone of god so sealed by his father and not onele expres sely representynge but also veryly beynge one equale god in nature sub staunce wysedome wyll myghte power with almyghty god hys father beynge sent in to the worlde by hys father and hym selfe and they re bothe holy spyryte equale god wyth theym bothe toke vppon hym the manhode the very flesshe and the very soule of our sauyour Chryste anoynted aboue all other creaturys with fulnesse of all graces by the coÌ„ iunccion of his manhed in wonderful vnite with hys omnipotent godhed meruelousely makynge one perfyt persone and one farpassynge perfyte person of god and man togyther ¶ Thus hath our sauiour not onely she wed them the great gyfte of euer lastynge lyuely meate that yf they wold wurke for it he wold gyue theÌ„ but hath also she wed them that hym self is equale god with his almighty father and therby well able to gyue it them and also sent into the worlde for the nonys bycause he sholde to such folke as wold be well wyllyng to labour and wurke therfore wurke with they re good wyl and wyllyngly gyue it them The. vii chapyter WHan that the Iewes had herd oure sauyour speke of suche a meate that wolde not perysshe but sholde abyde endure with them into euerlasting lyfe glad men were they For yet they hoped to haue som meate that so shold fyll theyr belyes and so satysfye them that they shold neuer nede to labour for any more ¶ Now were those iewes yet somwhat lesse glotons thaÌ„ are many chry sten people now a dayes For they coulde haue ben content so that they sholde neuer haue felt hunger more to haue forborne eatyng for euer As the woman of Samary so that she myghte haue had of our sauyour one draught of suche water as myghte haue quenched her thyrste for euer was well coÌ„tented in her own minde to haue forborne drynke for euer But many chrysten men there are y e wold not I wene be content to take eyther suche meate or suche drynke though god wold offer it theym For many men have suche a pleasure in eatynge and drynkynge that they wolde not gladly lyue but euyn to eate and drynke And for the pleasure therof they loue better hunger and thurst thaÌ„ the harmelesse lacke of theÌ„ bothe though god wold gyue it them For we se that they seke meanes to make they re apppetyte gredy And some wyll eate salt meate purposely to gyue theym a corage to the cuppe These folke do not longe to eate drynke to lyue the lenger but longe to lyue to eate and drynke the lenger These be those therfore of whom 〈◊〉 apostle sayth Esca ventri et venter 〈◊〉 deus et hunc et illam bestruet The meat for the bely the bely for the meat god shall destroye both the tone and the tother ¶ And surely besyd the puny she meÌ„t of god in another world besyde all the paynes that euyn in this worlde thorough sykenesse sorys aryse and sprynge of suche glotonye they that gladly wold endure a gryese perpetually to haue the pleasure of the con tinuall swagyng haue in theyr beste welth but a dysplesauÌ„t pleasure except men be so mad as to thynke that he were well at ease that 〈◊〉 be euer a hungred euer eatyng euer a thurst euer drynkyng euer lowly euer clawig euer skoruy euer scrat chyng ¶ These iewes I saye therfore the woman of Samary were not of this mynd but so y t they might haue lacked y e grief of huÌ„ger thurst they wold haue ben coÌ„teÌ„t as it semeth to haue for borne meat drynke ¶ Now be it to say the treuth theyr worde well wayed it semeth y t theyr affeccioÌ„s were wurse than they seme at y e fyrst syghte For as me thynketh they were not so gladde to put away theyr fawte as to make a chaunge of one fawte for an other not so glad to lese the pleasure of y e meate that is y e mayntenaunce of glotony as to gete them to reste and idlenesse that is the mayntenaunce of slowth And oure lorde to wched thappetyte of slouth in these Jewes whan he bad them Operamini non cibum qui perit c. Worke you for the meate not y t that peryssheth but that that abydeth into euerlastynge lyfe notynge therein as sayth saynt Chrysostom y e slouthfull appetyte by whiche they wolde sayne haue had hym fede them stylle by myracle wythout any labour of theyr owne And the woman of Samary sayd vnto hym Lord gyue me of y t water that I nede no more to la boure hyther and draw vppe water here at thys depe welle ¶ But surely who so put not away his vyce but make a chaunge maye soone happe to take as euyll as he le ueth and not a wurse lyghtely than slouth Whiche vyce god saw so noyouse vnto mankynde that euyn whaÌ„ he sette hym in paradyse he bad hym be occupyed in the kepynge of that pleasaunt gardayn And after warde whan he sholde be dreuynthense into the erth he gaue hym a necessyte to labour makyng the erth to be suche as without mannys labour shold not brynge hym forth hys lyuynge ¶ And therfore an euyll and a perylouse lyfe lyue they that wyll in this worlde not labour wurke but lyue 〈◊〉 in idelnesse or in
them But there is vndowtedly a certayne maner of eatynge that flesshe and drynkynge that bloude in whyche maner he that eateth it and drynketh it dwelleth in Cryste and Cryste in hym And therfore not who so euer eate the flesshe of Cryste and drynke hys bloude dwelleth in Cryste and Cryste in hym but he that eateth it and drynketh it after a certayne maner whyche maner Cryste saw whan he spake the wordes ¶ Here you se good readers that saint Austayn she weth that Iudas in the sacramēt receyued dyd eate y t body of Cryst and declareth also the very whole thyng that he meneth cō cernyng the vnderstandyng of this word of Crist He y t 〈◊〉 my flesh and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym that is to wyt they y u eate it in a certeyn maner by which he meneth they y t eat it wel in y t state of grace as he playnely declareth bothe in hys exposycyon vppon saint Iohn̄s gospel and many sundry pla ces bysyde ¶ And those that receyue hym other wyse with a fayned hart and in purpose of deadely synne they folo we Iudas and shortely shew them self For suche as they were wont to be such wyll they be styll or yet rather mych wurse if they were before veri nought And therfore sayth saynt Au stayn y t a mā to eate y e flesh of Crist is to dwell in Cryst to haue Cryst dwellyng in hym For he y t dwelleth not ī Crist wel declareth y t though he haue receyued eatē his flesh into his body by the sacramēt yet hath he not receyued eatē his spirit as I sayde into hys soule and therfore hath not receyued and eaten his fiesshe effectually but without theffecte of the spyryte and lyfe whiche is the thyng wherby the flesshe geuyth the lyfe and wythout whiche as our sauyour saith his flesh auayleth vs nothyng And so for lacke of the spyrytuall eatynge the flesshely eater of his flesh though he receyue the sacrament receyueth not theffecte of the sacramēt the thynge that the sacrament sygnyfyeth that is the partycypacyon of y e mystycall body of Chryste that is to wytte the chyrche and congregacyon of all sayntes whyche chyrch and cō gregacyon is gathered togyther as many mēbres into one body Cryste as the brede whyche our lorde in the sacramēt chaungeth into hys blessed body is one lose made of many gray nes of whete and the wyne whyche he chaungeth into his bloude is one cuppe of wine made of many grapes as thapostle declareth ¶ And veryly to be a quycke lyuely member of that body doth no man attayne that receyueth the sacrament without fayth and purpose of good lyfe but waxeth a more weke membre a more lame more astonied and more losely hangynge theron than he dyd before and by suche often receyuynge so rotteth more and more that finally it falleth quyte of and is cast out into the dunghyll of hell and shal neuer be resuscytate reysed agayne to be made a membre of that body in glory ¶ But as saynt Austayne sayth yf a man after the receyuynge of the sacrament do dwell siyll in god that is to wytte abyde and perseuer in trew fayth and good wurkes than is it a good synge and token that he hath effectually eaten the flessh of Cryst in the blessed sacrament And therupon muste it nedes good crysten reader folow y t he that receyueth the blessed sacramēt well eateth therin y e flesh of Cryst not onely veryly whyche euery man doth good bad but also which onely the good foske do effec tually so dwelleth in Cryste and Cryste in hym perseuerauntly that man or woman without dowt it must nedes be that they can neuer euerlastyngly dye but Cryst dwellyng in them shall conserue theyr soules and resuscytate agayn theyr bodyes that so dwell in hym into euerlastynge lyfe The. xix chapyter 〈◊〉 the surety and vnfallyble profe wherof our sauiour said forth with vpō his worde afore remē bred forther vnto the Jewes as the lyuynge father sent me so also do I lyue for my father And he that eateth me shall lyue also for me ¶ The father of heuyn beynge the orygynall substaunce of lyfe before all begynnyng begate hys coeternall sone and gaue vnto hym his owne whole substaūce therfore his own whole lyfe as to hym whome he begate one equale god wyth hym selfe in nothynge dyfferent but in onely persone ¶ The father I saye gaue all hys owne whole lyfe to his sone and yet none therof from hym self And ther fore sayth our sauyour Cryste that hym selfe lyueth for or by his father And so y t man saith he that eateth me shall lyue thorow me For syth that by the very eatyng of hys very blessed body the eater but yf hym selfe be the let is ioyned wyth the flesshe of Chryst as holy saynt Cyrill hath declared and therby with that holy spyryt of hys also whyche from that holy flesshe is vnseparable and so ioyned vnto the very substaunce of lyfe that is lyfe and geueth lyfe to he can not but lyue thorow Chryste ¶ 〈◊〉 this our sauyour fynally for conclusyon telleth them that this brede also is come frō heuyn sayeng Thys is the brede that is descended from heuyn Not meanynge that his flesshe was fyrst in heuē and so sent downe from thense as some heretyhes haue ere this holden an opynyō but that hys body was in the blessed virgyn hys mother by the heuynly obumbracyon of the holy goste And also syth hys godhed and hys manhed were ioyned and knytte togyther in very vnite of person our sauyour vsed that maner of spekynge by the tone that he vsed by the tother And therfore as he sayde vnto Nichodemus the sone of man descēded from heuyn so sayth he here of hys flessh this is the brede that is descended frō heuyn ¶ And bycause that the Iewys had in the begynnynge of this cōmunicacyon bosted vnto hym the brede of manna bryngynge forth for y e preyse therof the wordes of the prophete Thou hast geuyn them brede from heuyn Our lord here shewed theym that thys brede that he wolde geue them to eate that is to wyt his owne very flesshe as hym self very playnely declared them is of an other ma ner descēded down frō heuen thā the manna whose descendynge from heuyn they in the begynnynge bosted so And therfore he sayd Thys is the brede that is descended from heuyn not as your fathers dyd eate manna are dede He that eateth thys bred shall lyue for euer As though he wold say This is another maner of brede otherwyse come from heuyn than manna was that ye boste of so For that bred was gyuen you but for the sustenaunce of the lyfe in thys worlde but this brede y t is myne own body conceyued by the holy goost in vnyte of person ioyned wyth my godhed as verily as it is ioyned with myne
resuscytate hym in the last day And whan he sayed My flessh is veryly meate ¶ Thus you se good readers how ofte how playnly that he declareth that the meate whiche he speketh of here is hym selfe And now sayth mayster Masker very solemynely with authoryte byddeth euery man marke it well and consyder it that y e meate that Cryste speketh of here is nothynge ellys but 〈◊〉 ¶ And vpon what colour saith may ster Masker 〈◊〉 bycause sayth he that our lorde bode them labour and wurke for the meate that wolde not peryshe but abyde into euerlastynge lyfe and afterward tolde them that the wurk of god by which they shold wurke labour for that meate was nothynge ellys but fayth and bylyef in hym ¶ Fyrste in thys construccyon mayster Masker lyeth very large For though Cryst sayd that to byleue in hym was the wurke of god he sayde not as mayster Masker maketh it that nothynge ellys was the 〈◊〉 of god but onely bylyefe ¶ But now suppose that Cryst had sayd as mayster Masker wold make it seme that is to wyt that the wurke of god were nothynge ellys but the bylyefe yet ye se well good readers that Cryst in sayeng that the bylyefe in hym is the wurke by whyche they shall wurke to gete the meate sayth that the bylyefe is the meane to gete the meate and not that the bylyefe is the meate ¶ But mayster Masker bycause y t bylyefe is the waye to this meate therfore he calleth the bylyefe the meate as wysely as though he wold call the kynges strete Westmynster chyrche bycause it is the way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yf he come from charing crosse And bycause men must spyrytually eate thys meate with fayth therfore he calleth the fayth the meate as wy sely as yf he wold bycause he eateth his meate wyth his mowth therfore call his mowth his meate what wyt hath thys man ¶ But now wyll mayster Masker wax angry with my wordes and call me M. mokke as he dothe onys or twyse in hys boke ¶ But now good readers I wyll not adiure you by godde holy names to iudge iustely but euyn onely desyre you that in waye of good company that you wyll say but euyn indyfferently Were it not wene you great pytye that a man sholde mokke mayster Masker whan euery fole maye perceyue hym in so great a mater wryte so wysely ¶ And yet you maye se that I dele wyth hym very gentylly For in thys poynt wherin by cōtraryeng of Cristes own wordes he wryteth playne heresye I minyshe his bordē of that odiouse cryme bycause the mater in thys place so serueth me do couer the both of his 〈◊〉 heresye with this prety plaster of his pleasaūt frenesie ¶ And yet I wene the man hath so lytle honesty that he wyll neuer can me thanke for my curtesye specyally bycause that as farre as I can se the man had leuer confesse hym selfe an heretyke than be proued a fole And that appereth well in this For this lytell scabbe of hys foly he labo reth somwhat to hyde and couer so that a man muste pull of the clowte ere he can spye the boche But as for y e boch of hys cancred heresyes with out any clowt or plaster he laieth out abrode to shewe to begge withall amonge the blessed bretherne as beggers laye theyr fore legges out in fyght that lye a beggynge a frydays aboute saynt sauyour and at ye. Sauy gate ¶ But as for raylynge agaynst ima ges purgatory and 〈◊〉 to sayn tes and agaynst the holy canō of the masse all this he taketh for tryfles and wolde we sholde reken all these heresyes of his for poyntes well and suffycyently proued by that that he goth so boldely forth on biyond them denyeth the blessed body of Cryste it selfe in the blessed sacrament to And where as he not onely mokketh and iesteth agaynst the olde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sayntes of 〈◊〉 catholyke chyrche but agaynste oure sauyour hym selfe in hys holy sacrament to yet the sage sad ercnest holy mā all made of grauite sadnes and seueryte must hym selfe be reue rently reasoned with may haue no mokke of his matched wyth no mery worde of myne in no maner wyse ¶ But yet lyke as yf a ryght greate man wolde wantonly walke a mummynge and dysguyse hym selfe and with nyce appareyle dyssemble hys personage and with a fonde visour hydde and couer his visage he muste be content to be taūted of euery good felow that he meteth as merely as hym selfe lyste to ieste wyth them so tyll mayster Masker here put of his maskers visour and shewe forth his owue venerable visage that I may se hym such an honorable personage as it may become hym to saye to me what he lyste and me to requyte hys mockes with no mery worde in this world but stande styll demurely and make hym lowe curtesy agayne I wyll not let in y e meane tyme whyle I wote nere what he is and whyle his wytteles wrytynge maketh men wene he were a wylde gose to be so bolde and homely wyth his maystershyp as sory as I am for hym whā he playeth the blasphemouse beste to laugh yet make mery wyth hym where I se hym playe the fole ¶ Yet wyll I now lette passe his re pugnaunce another foly of hys For yf euer he defende his foly y t I haue shewed you than shall he be fayne to declare his repugnaunce hym selfe And therfore I leue that poynte for hym selfe that in defendyng his foly he maye shew his repugnaunce and so for defence of a syngle foly proue hym selfe thryes a fole fyrst in wrytynge foly secundly in wrytynge repugnaunce thyrdly to be so folysshe 〈◊〉 in defēce of that one foly to bryng in the totherto ¶ Makynge therfore for thys tyme no senger tale of his folyes whiche wold make myne answere ouer long to brynge them in all let vs se some pyece of his fruytefull exposycyon The. iii. chapyter IN the seconde lefe these are his wordes I am the brede of lyfe and who so come to me that is to saye who so is gryffed and ioyned to me by fayth shall neuer honger that is who so byleue in me is satissyed It is fayth therfore that stanncheth this honger and thyrste of the soule Fayth it is therfore in Cryst that fylleth our hungry hartes so that we can desyre no nother yf we ones thus eate and drynk hym by fayth that is to say yf we byleue his fleshe and body to haue ben broken and hys bloude shedde for out synnes for thā are our sowles satysfyed and we be iustyfyed ¶ The worde of Chryst good reader with which he begynneth is well and fully fulfylled yf it be vnderstā den as I haue before declared that is to wytte that who so come onys by well workynge fayth and perseueraunce therin vnto the meate that is Chryste and attayne the possessy ō and fruicion of hym in blysse he shall neuer hunger nor
euerlastynge hauynge therof theyr euerlastyng desyre euerlastingly fulfylled theyr desyre shall euer be wythout any gryefe and payne euer full of euerlastynge pleasure so that of y t state onely the prophete Dauyd sayth I shal be saciate or satysfied whan thy glory shall appere ¶ And this ment here our sauioure Chryste and not that a man shall by his fayth be fully satysfyed in this wreched worlde and neuer hunger nor thyrste after here as mayster Masker maketh here by his exposycyon in turnyng y e saturyte of heuyn into a saturyte in this lyfe and turnynge the very meate of Chrystes blessed person into the onely bylyefe of Chrystes bytter passyon than bryngeth all in conclusyon to thauansynge of his heresye agaynst the blessed sayntes as though Chryste in those wordes hadde ment to speke agaynst the honourynge of his sayntê wherwith he was so well content y t he promysed saynt Mary Mawdeleyn a perpetuall honour in erth for her deuocyon towarde hym in bestowynge her costely glasse of oyntement vppon hym and promysed his twelue apostles the honour of xii seates to sytte with hym in iudgemeÌ„t vppon the worlde for the dyshonour and penury that they sholde sustayne for hym before in the worlde The. iiii chapyter ANd se nowe good reader also howe myche pestylent poyson mayster Masker hath in thys pyece of his exposycyon put here by this one syllable onys ¶ For it is not inough to hym to say that who so eate Chryste by fayth shall neuer hunger whiche wordes he myghte expoune by perseuerauÌ„ce and abydynge styll wyth hym after his onys comynge to hym as Cryst meneth by his but he sayth who so come to hym by fayth onys he shall neuer hunger nor thyrst And yet this worde onys is not there in the texte of Crystes wordes but added by mayster Masker in his glose ¶ And yet if mayster Masker were a good catholyke man I wolde not myche marke hys worde onys But syth he she weth hym selfe wel that he is of mayster Tindals secte or is peraduenture mayster 〈◊〉 hym selfe one of whose false heresyesis that who so haue ones y e fayth can neuer after fall therfrom nor neuer fall after into dedly synne therfore I can not let mayster Maskers onys thys onys passe vnmarkyd by me by whyche he sayth that who so come onys to Cryst by faith that is to say sayth he who so byleue onys that Crist suffered hys passion for our synnes he shall neuer hunger nor thyrste but that is he sayth to be vnderstanden that he shall neuer after desyre none other ¶ But now wolde I wht of mayster Masker onys agayne what he meaneth by this worde none other If he meane that no man that onys byleueth that Cryste suffred 〈◊〉 for vs shall after at any tyme desyre any other sauiour bysyde y t he sayth one false heresye in that word onys For that fayth maye be onys hadde and afterwarde loste agayne as testyfye not onely all holy doctours the catholyke fayth but the playne scrypture to he hath in those wordes I saye bysyde that false heresye a very false wyly foly For the catholyke chyrche of chrystcndome whych he to wcheth in prayenge to sayntes goynge in pylgrymages do seke no saynt as theyr sauyour but onely as them whom theyr sauyour loueth whose intercessyon and prayour for them he wylbe content to here and whoÌ„ for his sake he wold they sholde honour whom whyle for his sake they do honour the honour that is done them for his sake specyally redowndeth to hym selfe as hym selfe saith he that hereth them hereth him and he that dyspiseth them dyspyseth hym and in lyke wyse he that wurshyppeth them for his sake wurshyp peth hym ¶ Now yf mayster Masker wyll say that by these 〈◊〉 who so onys byleueth that Chryste dyed for vs shall neuer after desyre none other he meneth that he shall so mynde and desyre euer after onely Chryst that he shall not hunger nor thyrst nor desyre after that any other thynge but god Than syth mayster Masker in this boke of his asketh me so many questyons and saith so often I aske mayster More this mayster Masker muste of reason geue M. More leue to aske Mayster masker some questyons agayne ¶ Nowe myghte I aske hym ye se well whyther he that hath had onys that bylyefe sholde neuer after in suche wyse be an hungred that he sholde desyre his dyner But than wold mayster masker cal me maister Mokke say that it were but a scoffynge questyon And yet out of all questyon that same scoffing questyon wold quyte ouerthrow his ernest exposycyoÌ„ But now bycause I wyll not angre hym I wyll lette that scof fyng question go I wyll aske hym now another maner thynge `a thynge of y t wayght grauite that it wayeth some sowlys downe vnto y e depe pyt of hell For yf mayster masker be mayster Tyndale than wyll I aske hym whyther he beyng a preste desy red none other thyng but onely god whan synnys y t he sayd he had onys that bylyefe he hath beynge a preste brokeÌ„ his promyse made onys to god gone ofter than onys a woynge ¶ And yf mayster Masker be mayster 〈◊〉 Ioy than wold I aske hym whyther that after that bylyefe onys hadde he desyred nothynge but god whan beynge a preste he brake his promyse to god and wedded a wydowe and by such weddynge neuer made her wyfe but made her a prestys harlotte ¶ If mayster Maysker be neyther of these twayn yet syth what so euer he be he is a dyscyple of Luther and 〈◊〉 Huyskyn both as contraryouse as they be both eche of them to other I shall aske hym than whyther bothe his maysters beynge both professed frerys and hauynge bothe vowed perpetuall chastyte to god dyd after that fayth onys had neuer after desyre any other thynge but onely god not than whan they brake bothe theyr solempne vowys made vnto god and ran out of relpgyone and wedded the tone a single womaÌ„ the tother a nonne and made theym frerys harlottes bothe dyd not than frere Luther and frere Huyskyn bothe contrary to mayster Maskers wordes desyre another and eche of them go seke by nyght to loue another byfore whom he wolde lay his gryefe what answere shal mayster Masker make M. More to thys he muste eyther confesse agaynste hys owne exposicyon that after that bylyefe had onys his owne maysters the archeretykes them selfe thyrsted in the desyre of some other thyng besyde god or els muste he fall to blasphemy and call a frerys harlot god or saye that for goddys sake they wedded and than for hys sake they wedded agaynste hys wyll or ellys afferme finally that the maysters of hys fayth had neuer the faith yet not the selfe same fayth that they teche And why sholde any man than be so madde to gyue eare to suche beretykes byleue theyr faythlesse talys The. v. chapyter NOw handelynge