Christe but to come vnto hym nor to drinke his bloud but to beleeue in him And thus fayth was y e more precyous the further of his bodely presence was remoued from them They knew faith was the taking hold and substaunce of things we hoped for and the sure apprehension profe of thinges that were not seene So that they knewe howe to feede of hys bodye with great boldnesse to lift vp theyr soule and take holde of his mercy that sitteth in heauen at the right hande of hys Father Whence vndoubtedly all the merites of his passion doe presentlye flow vpon hys poore children His conflictes and agonies with sinne and condemnation to set vs free from Gods wrath displeasure and all his obedience shewed here in flesh from his corporall reall and substantiall bodye commeth downe vpon vs to cloth vs wyth righteousnesse that wee may bee found vnblamable before hys father Thns much y ◠disciples well vnderstoode and they murmured not at these wordes this is my body Thus muche let vs learne out of this place against we come vnto the sacrament that to come vnto Christ to beleeue in Christ that is truely to eate Christ. Thys beyng proued true vnto you you well soone set your selues free frō all popish idolatry And how true it is marke well I beseech you what are the wordes I am sayth Christ the bread of lyfe He that cōmeth vnto me shall not hunger Yf Christe had spoken still properly accordyng to y e metaphore he had sayd thus I am the bread of lyfe he that eateth me shall not hunger Now he himself hath said he that commeth in stead of this he that eateth if you will beleue him you must needes confesse it To eate Christe is to come vnto him So in this other sentence He that beleueth in me shall not thyrst If he had kepte y e property of speach he had sayd thus he that drinketh of me shall not thyrst In stead of drinketh he sayth beleeueth and therefore it is moste certayne to drinke of Christe is to beleeue in Christe So that this is now an vndoubted truth to eate Christe to drinke Christe to come vnto Christe to beleue in Christ these are all one And who hath eares to heare and heareth not this or whose iudgement is so blind that he can not perceyue it Compare the sayings of Christ in this chapter you can not if you wil not be deceyued He that beleeueth in mee hath euerlasting life And after He that eateth of this bread hath euerlasting life Exceptye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud you haue no lyfe in you He that beleueth on him that sent mee hath lyfe euerlasting You will not come vnto me that you may lyue Who seeth it not here to eate to come to beleeue is all one Againe He that beleeueth in me I will rayse him at the last day And he that eateth my flesh drinketh my bloud I will rayse him vp at the last day After all those sayinges of eating his flesh in deede and drinking his bloud in deede at which the Capharnaites were offended diuerse of his disciples forsooke him Christe sayth then vnto hys Apostles will you also go away As if he should haue sayde are these wordes so strange that you also will be driuen a way Unto which Peter aunswered Lorde to whom shall we go thou hast the wordes of eternall lyfe we beleue and know that thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing Lord. Loe here how Saint Peter himselfe of whose name the Pope braggeth so much and yet vtterly renounceth hys fayth S. Peter I say vnderstandeth all these wordes of life of the eating and drinking of Christes flesh and hys bloud he expoundeth them thus to beleue in Christe and to knowe him to bee the sonne of the liuing God euen as Christ hym selfe had before taught hym The wordes that I speake are spirite aad life it is the spirite that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothyng If all this be not playne enough looke yet let S. John expound hym selfe Here Christ sayth he that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in hym The same S. John that wrote this sayth thus agayne Who so confesseth that Iesus is the sonne of God God dwelleth in him and hee in God Wherby it is playne he that confesseth thus of Christ he eateth his fleshe and drinketh hys bloud This dearely beloued is no newe doctrine but taught by Christe receiued by his Apostles written for all ages by hys holy Euangelistes now preached to y e comfort of all true Christiās and in the primitiue Church beleeued of all the holy Fathers I would alledge you theyr owne sayinges but that the tyme passeth you haue thē plentifully set out vnto you you may reade them when you will These places alledged out of the Scriptures one expoūdyng an other they are the surest witnesses to know the meaning of the holy Ghost And what if here I should reason out of our Christes owne wordes to proue there can bee no transubstantiation He sayth for proofe that hys naturall body is rysen See my handes and my feete touch me and handle me it is euen I. Seyng Christe will haue our senses to iudg of his body let vs do so See feele touch tast is it ought but bread this argumēt me thinketh is good and well warranted by Christ him selfe and it semeth not so onely to me but S. Augustine thought so nowe eleuen hundred yeare agon See De doctrina Christian lib. 3. cap. 16. there yon shall finde it But the tyme passeth and I will come vnto that that I thynke you looke for and whych the Pope hath made the substance of all his masses Christ saith thus Take eate this is my body And what then is there any obscuritye in these wordes Is it not often and playnely spoken what it is to eate is body are not his disciples well taught knew they it not lōg before As it is playnely said this is my body so is it not playnely expounded these wordes are spirite and lyfe No man can here be offended but he that is dull of hearyng and hath not harkened before to the wholesome doctrine of truth But you will say why could not Christ as well haue sayd this is a figure or signe or token of my body I aunswere Fyrste these wordes are without daūger that his disciples should dream of trāsubstātiation they are so assuredly taught before how they should eate or drinke Christ. Then I say thys our sauiour Christ did choose to speake to shew his great and aboundaut loue to warde vs that wee should be so fully perswaded that he were our head wee his members as if hys naturall and reall body were substantiallye within vs that we should know what so euer we could wish from his mercy to comfort vs by this Sacrament or couenaunte of his
A Sermon preached at the Tower of London by M. Dering the xi day of Decēber 1569. Imprinted at London by John Day dwelling ouer Aldersgate Cum gratia Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis per Decennium John 6. 34. Then they sayd vnto him Lord geue vs euermore of this bread And Jesus sayd vnto them I am the bread of lyfe hee that commeth vnto me shall not hūger and he that beleueth in me shall neuer thirst WE haue dearlye beloued in our Lorde sauyour Christ we haue in this portion of scripture to consider First this petitiō or request which y e Iewes make vnto Christ in these words Lorde geue vs euermore of thys bread Then the answere that our Sauiour Christ maketh agayne I am the bread of life c. Theyr request riseth of certayne wordes spoken immediatly before where Christ sayth My Father geueth vnto you from heauen the true bread For the bread of God is he that cōmeth downe from heauen and geueth lyfe vnto the world Through whiche wordes they breake out straight into this prayer O Lord geue vs alwayes this bread These wordes they doe not vtter wyth any good affection or longing desires to be partakers of the mercies which are offered vnto all in Christ Jesu but rather of a distēpered mynde drawne into contrary desires seeking by all meanes to fil themselues with happinesse and yet to jeste and scoffe at the doctrine of Christ. The thoughtes of them myndes are made manyfest both by these words of Christ Ye seeke me because you eate of the loaues and were filled and also by theyr owne wordes to the same effecte where they say our fathers did eate Manna in the wildernesse likewise requiring y t Christ would so feede them still by miracle and then they would follow him And afterward also when Christ had further taught them y t he woulde in no such sort feede them deintelye on earth but if they would eate of the bread that he would geue they must renounce such fleshly concupiscence crucify themselues vnto the worlde and be with a liuelye fayth incorporate into hys bodye then they shoulde eate of liuing bread as soone as they had heard this they murmured at him shewing y t he was not the bread that they did seeke for and then declared what was theyr scoffing spirite and sayd openly Is not this Jesus the sōne of Joseph whose Father and mother wee knowe howe came he down from heauen Thus dearely beloued we learne what mindes these men had y t would so fayn haue bene fed with the bread of lyfe They would liue for euer ◠but they woulde liue as they liste They would followe Christ but they woulde neyther hunger nor thirst They would do the will of God but they would not crucifie theyr affectiōs They would come vnto heauen but they would not be led by Jesus the poor Carpenters sonne Theyr carnall fancies beguyled them Their scoffing at Jesus Christ made their hartes so blinde and their desire of happines was nothing but the shew of their owne folye Now let vs beware by other mens harmes Let vs not fall after the same example of disobedience Yf we bring our carnall fancies to the worde of God we shall neuer vnderstād it The naturall man perceyueth not the things that are of God Such grose imaginations deceiued Nicodemus that he knew not what it was to be borne a newe Such fancies made blinde the weoman of Samaria that she knew not howe to aske for the water of lyfe Such carnal imaginations made the children of Zebedie to aske of our Sauyour Christe they knew not what Yea all the disciples of our sauyour Christ by such fleshly desires oftentymes vnderstoode him not And how muche more ought we to take heede that haue so barren hartes not watered so plētifully with gods sprite Whether shall we be led yf wee bryng vnto Gods word our sensuall appetites sure euē thether whether these Jewes are gone before vs to murmur agaynst Christe and despise his crosse Let vs thē take heede while it is yet tyme and in obedience of Gods worde banishe farre from vs our own vnderstāding and yf we will be taught of the Lord God let vs leade into captiuity all our own cogitations and seeke no better estate for the Gospell of God then he hymselfe hath appoynted by hys holy wisedome Otherwise it will surelye come vpon vs that came so long agone vpon these carnall Iewes wee shall haue so good liking of our owne delight y t we shall contemne the poore Galilean with a proude countenaunce wee shall thinke much scorne that the Carpenters sonne should bee our mayster This is the fruyte y t groweth out of mans wisedome Here it is plainely testified in this 6. of John It is testified in the Scribes and Pharisies that so often scoffed at our Sauiour Christ in the Soldiours that vppon the Crosse had him in such derision in the whole multitude of the Iewes y t stroke him and spitte on hym bid hym areade who had hurt him Thus after that by carnall reason they woulde needes iudge of Christe they grewe more more in hardnes of hart till they thought it good wisedome to speake so great blasphemye Such Gospellers there were many in the primitiue Churche that thought themselues wyse in makyng a ieste of Christ. So Iulianus the Apostata when y e Christians asked helpe agaynst all theyr iniuryes with mockes and scoffes hee woulde aske why they did complayne whē the Galilean theyr mayster bad them doe good for euyll yf any would take away theyr coate that then they shoulde geue him also their cloke So many wicked Magistrates spoyled the Christians of theyr monye and would taunt them merelye with the saying of theyr God Quod Caesaris scis Caesari da geue that vnto Cesare that thou knowest is Cesars Such Gospellers at this day wee haue a great many in Englād y t laugh smothly in their sleeues at theyr madnes as they thinke that followe so earnestly y ◠Gospel So S. Peter hath borne witnesse generally of the wicked of all ages that they shall thinke it much madnes that other will not runne to like effusion of riot but let them alone y t seeke willingly to goe so farre astray This is the time of their reioysing The daies of repentaunce are not yet come When they haue done with their mocking them selues shalbe then mocked at and for all their pleasaunt sporting they shalbe called to Judgement An other thing I noted vnto you in y e petition of these Iewes that was a desire of happinesse which they wished to come vnto and in y e middes of their malice yet an inward sighing of spirite that they might once eate of the bread of lyfe They pleased them selues exceedingly in fighting agaynst Christ and yet agayne in remorse of conscience they wished to be partakers of
eternall lyfe And this is that sparkeling of the grace of god which is kindled in the harts of all men of which S. John sayth that Christ lighteneth all men that come into this worlde Cayne had this light when the burden of his sinne seemed so heauy vnto him that it could not be pardoned Esau had this light when for losse of his fathers blessing he lifted vp his voyce and wepte Pharaoh had this light when in remembraunce of all his plagues he cried at the last The Lord is righteous but I and my people are wicked The sorcerers of Egipt they had this light wheÌ„ God confounded theyr wisedome in a most vile creature and they confessed before Pharaoh This is the finger of God Pilate had this light when he washed his handes and cried before all the Jewes that he was innocent from the bloude of Christ. Simon Magus had this light when hee wondred at the signes and miracles that were wrought by y e Apostles would haue geuen monye for the holye Ghost The Gentiles themselues they had all this light Antiochus when he wept for all the euill that he had done at Jerusalem Julianus wheÌ„ he cried vicisti Galilaee O man of Galile thou hast gotteÌ„ the victory Adrian at his death wheÌ„ he spake vnto himselfe Animula vagula blandula hospes comèsque corporis quae nunc abibis in loca nâ—â— vt soles dabis iocos pallidula rigida nudula Brutus had this light when the night before he was slayne he thought he sawe a sprite that cryed thus vnto him Ego sum tuus malus genius Brute hodie me in Phillippis videbis But what neede I dearely beloued to make this longe by examples You your selues I am sure you can witnesse with this trueth There is none of you so far geuen ouer to vncleanes but I am sure sometyme you say with these vncleane Iewes O Lord geue vs one day the bread of lyfe This is the triumph that vertue hath our vice that whereso euer she is most hated there she is often wished for And this is the great punishment that God bringeth vpon the wicked euen as the Poete sayde Virtutem vt videant intabescantque relicta that though they loue not vertue nor can not like to follow her yet they should pyne away with a loÌ„ging desire after her And this I am sure it striketh deepe woundeth the conscience of the wicked Though they haue set their harte as an Adamant stone and made their face like stint yet grace perseth throughout their concupisceÌ„ce they say sometime y e way of vertue is better There was neuer so impure and disolute and adulterer but he hath said sometime y e chaste body is beste There was neuer so blasphemous nor vile a swerer but sometyme he hath treÌ„bled at Gods Maiestie There was neuer man so proud and ambitious but sometyme he remembreth he is but earth and ashes There was neuer such an vsurer nor couetous wretch but sometime he thinketh his Gold siluer shall canker the ruste of it shall be a witnesse agaynst him There was neuer so riotous a person sumptuous prodigall but sometyme he condemneth hys owne doing and sayth with the Prophet The vnrighteous man boroweth and payeth not agayne And what should I say more There was neuer so high minded nor vayneglorious a king but hee hath soÌ„tyme thought his crowne would fall from his head and the crowne of righteousnes was better which was in the kingdome of Heauen And this dearely beloued as it is in a wicked lyfe so likewise it is in corrupt religion Truth that is strongest and ouercommeth all in Religion forceth the enemy oftentymes to confesse her There was neuer papist that so magnified merites and talked of his workes of supererogation but oftentymes in his coÌ„science he would surely confesse that when he had done all yet he was vnprofitable There was neuer any so great an enemy to fayth but wheÌ„ his conscience was touched with the greife of sinne he would cry a loude Fayth alone doth iustifie There was neuer I am sure papist yet so dronken that made so much of all his fleshlye worshippinges of Organes and singing of altares and altareclothes of francomesence and sweet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sauours of banners streamers of goodlye tunes and melody of siluer crosses and chalices but he hath sayd sometime who required these things at our hands the true worshippers do worship in spirite veritie There was neuer Papist in so deepe a sleepe of pardons and of purgatory but hee hath surely sayd it such weake engines can breake downe but paper walles and such could water can quench but paynted fyres There was neuer Pope nor generall counsell so desperately bent to set vp worshipping of Images but theyr owne hartes haue often cryed within them they haue mouthes and speake not they haue eyes and see not they haue eares heare not they haue noses and smel not they haue handes and touche not they haue feete and walke not thou shalt not bow downe to them nor worshyp them There was neuer Papist so blinded wyth the great absurditie of transubstantiation but some tyme seyng the wyne in the chalice he hath bene afrayde to say by this and by nothing els let my sinnes be washed and seing the cake in the Priestes handes thou alone hast redemed me and alone by thee I looke to be saued This doubt ye not dearly beloued is the working of the Lord in the hartes of all his enemyes Refuse hym how ye wyll in lyfe or in Religion you shall cary day and night a witnesse in your brest agaynst your selues your hartes will condemne you that cry euermore agaynst you y t way vnto true happines is neyther by sinne nor superstition neither by open rebellion nor yet by accursed idolatry And thus farre out of this petition of y e frowarde Iewes I haue noted vnto you what I haue thought best for our common instruction The Lorde graunt vs that we make the like request but with a better spyrite and pray euermore vnto hym O Lorde geue vs alwayes the bread of life Now let vs consider the other part which I sayd is y e anÌ„swere of our Sauyour Christe in these wordes I am the bread of lyfe he that commeth vnto me shall neuer hunger and he that beleueth in me shall neuer thirst Out of this place dearly beloued I will note vnto you as the text geueth me occasion these three poynts First who is the bread of lyfe then by what meanes he is eaten and thyrdly what fruite commeth of such sustenaunce Who is thys breade Christe sheweth in these wordes I am the bread of lyfe By what meanes he is eaten it is shewed in these wordes He that commeth vnto me he that beleeueth in mee What fruyte commeth of it it is shewed in these wordes he shall neuer hunger he shall neuer