hensforth of this fruite of the vine vntil that day when I shal drink it new w t you in my fathers kyngdom This thyng is rehersed also of saynt Marke in these woordes As they dyd eate Iesus toke bread and when he had blessed he brake it and gaue it to theim and sayd Take eate this is my body And takyng the cuppe when he had geuen thankes he gaue it to them and they all dranke of it And he sayd to them This is my bloud of the newe testament which is shed for many Uerily I saie vnto you I will drynke no more of the fruite of the vine vntyl that daie that I drinke it newe in the kyngdome of God The Euangelist S. Luke vttereth this matter on this wyse When the howre was come he sat down and the .xii. apostles with hym And he sayd vnto them I haue greatly desired to eate this pascha with you before I suffre For I saie vnto you Hensforth I wil not eat of it any more vntyll it be fulfylled in the kyngdome of god And he toke the cup and gaue thankes and sayd Take this and diuide it amōg you For I say vnto you I wil not drink of the frute of the vine vntill the kyngdom of God com And he toke bread and when he had geuen thankes he brake it and gaue it vnto them sayeng This is my body whiche is geuen for you This dooe in remembrance of me Likewise also whā he had supped he toke the cup saiyng This cuppe is the newe testament in my bloud whiche is shedde for you Hytherto you haue heard all that the Euangelistes declare that Christ spake or did at his last supper concernyng the institucion of the Cōmunion and sacrament of his body bloud Nowe you shall heare what sainct Paule sayth cōcernyng the same in the tenth chapiter of the first to the Corinthians where he writeth thus Is not the cup of blessynge whyche we blesse a comunion of the bloude of Christe Is not the bread whiche we breake a communyon of the bodye of Christ We beyng many ar one bread and one body For we all ar partakers of one bread and of one cuppe And in the eleuenth he speaketh on this maner That whiche I deliuered vnto you I receaued of the Lorde For the lord Iesus the same nyght in the which he was betraied toke breade and whan he had geuen thankes he brake it and sayde Take eate this is my bodye whiche is broken for you Doo this in remembrance of me Likewise also he toke the cup whan supper was doone saiyng This cuppe is the newe testament in my bloude Doo this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me For as often as you shal eat this bread and drinke this cuppe shew forthe the Lordes death tyll he come Wherfore who so euer shall eate of this breade or drynke of this cuppe vnworthily shall be gyltie of the body and bloude of the Lord. But let a man examine him self and so eate of the bread and drynke of the cuppe For he that eateth and drinketh vnworthily eateth and drynketh his owne damnation bycause he maketh no difference of the Lordes body For this cause manny are weake and sycke among you and many do sleape By these wordes of Christ rehersed of the Euangelistes and by the doctrine also of saynte Paule whiche he confesseth that he receaued of Christe two thynges specially are to be noted Fyrst that our sauiour Christ called the materiall bread whiche he brake his body and the wyne whyche was the fruite of the vyne his bloud And yet he spake not this to the intente that men shulde thynke that materiall bread is his very body or that his very body is materiall bread neither that wyne made of grapes is his very bloud or that his very bloud is wyne made of grapes but to signifie vnto vs as S. Paule saith that the cuppe is a communion of Christes bloud that was shedde for vs and the bread is a cōmunion of his fleshe that was crucified for vs. So that although in the truth of his humane nature Christe be in heauen and sitteth on the ryghte hande of God the father yet who so euer eateth of that bread in the supper of the Lorde accordynge to Christes institution and ordinaunce is assured by Christes owne promyse and testament that he is a membre of his body and receyueth the benefittes of his passion whych he suffered for vs vpon the Crosse. And lykewise he that drynketh of that holly cuppe in that supper of the Lorde accordynge to Christes institution is certified by Christes legacie and testament that he is mad partaker of the bloude of Christe whyche was shed for vs. And this ment saynte Paule when he saith Is not the cuppe of blessyng which we blesse a communion of the bloude of Christe Is not the breade whiche we breake a communion of the body of Christe So that no man can contemne or lyghtly esteme this holy communion excepte he contemne also Christes body and bloud and passe not whether he haue any felowshyp wyth hym or no. And of those men saynte Paule saieth that they eate and drynke their owne damnation bycause they esteme not the body of Christe The seconde thyng whiche may bee lerned of the forsayd wordes of Christe and saynt Paule is this that although none eateth the body of Christ and drynketh his bloud but they haue eternall lyfe as apereth by the wordes before recited of S. Iohn yet both the good and the bad do eate and drynk the bread and wyne whiche be the Sacramentes of the same But beside the Scaramentes the good eateth euerlastyng lyfe the euyll euerlastyng death Therefore S. Paule saith Whosoeuer shall eate of this breade and drynketh of the cuppe of the Lorde vnworthyly he shall be giltie of the body and bloudde of the Lorde Here sainte Paule saith not that he that eateth the bread and drinketh the cup of the Lorde vnworthyly eateth and drynketh the body and bloud of the Lorde but is giltie of the body and bloud of the Lord. But what he eateth and drinketh S. Paule declareth saiynge He that eateth and drynketh vnwoorthyly eateth and drynketh his owne damnation Thus is declared the summe of all that scripture speaketh of the eatyng and drynkynge bothe of the body and bloud of Christ and also of the sacrament of the same AND as these thynges be most certainly true because they be spoken by Christe hym selfe the author of all truth and by his holy apostle S. Paule as he receaued them of Christ so all doctrines contrary to the same be moste certainly false and vntrue and of all christian men to bee eschued bycause they be contrary to gods word And al doctrine concernyng this matter that is more than this whiche is not grounded vpon Goddes word is of no necessitee neither ought the peoples heades to be busied or theyr consciences
glory For when I se his vineyard ouergrowen with thornes brambles wedes I know that euerlastyng woâ— apperteyneth vnto me if I holde my peace and put not to my handes tonge to labour in purgyng his vineyard God I take to witnes who seeth the harts of al men thrughly vnto the bottom that I take this labour for none other consideration but for the glory of his name the discharge of my duetie and the zeale that I beare toward the flock of Christ. I knowe in what office god hath placed me to what purpose that is to say to set forthe his word truly vnto his people to the vttermost of my power without respect of ê‘son or regarde of thyng in the world but of him alone I know what accompt I shall make to hym hereof at the last day whan euery maÌ„ shal answere for his vocation and receiue for the same good or yl accordyng as he hath done I know how Antichriste hath obscured the glory of God the true knowlege of his word ouercastyng the same with mystes and cloudes of errour and ignorance thorough false gloses and interpretations It pitieth me to see the symple and hungrye flocke of Christ ledde into corrupt pastures to be caryed blyndfield they know not whether and to be fed with poyson in the stede of holsome meates And moued by the duetie office and place wher vnto it hath pleased God to call me I geue warnyng in his name vnto all that professe Christe that thei flee far from Babylon if they wyl saue their soules to beware of that greate harlot y t is to saye the pestiferous sea of Rome that she make you not dronk w t her pleasaÌ„t wine Trust not her sweet promises nor banket not with her for in steed of wine she wil giue you sower dregs and for meate she will feede you with ranke poisoÌ„ But come to our redemer and sauiour Christ who refresheth all that trewely come vnto him be their anguishe and heauines neuer so great Giue credite vnto him in whose mouth was neuer found gile nor vntruth By him you shalbe clearly deliuered from all your diseases of hym you shall haue full remissyon A pena à culpa Hee it ys that feedeth contynually all that beelong vnto hym with his owne flesh that hanged vppon the crosse and gyueth them drinke of the blud flowyng out of his owne syde and maketh to springe within them water that floweth vnto euerlasting lyfe Lysten not to the false incantacyons sweete whisperinges and craftye iuglynges of the subtyl Papystes wherwith they haue thys manye yeares deluded and bewytched the world but harken to Chryst gyue ear vnto hys wordes whych shall lead you the ryghte waye vnto euerlastyng lyfe there wyth hym to lyue euer as heyres of hys kyngedome AMEN THE FYRST BOKE IS OF THE TRVE AND CATHOLIKE DOCTRINE AND VSE OF the sacrament of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Christe THE SVPPER OF the Lorde otherwise called The holy Communion or Sacrament of the body and bloode of our sauiour CHRISTE hathe beene of many men and by sondry wayes very much abused but speciallye within these fower or fiue hundreth yeares Of some it hathe beene vsed as a sacrifice propiciâ—torye for synne and otherwise supersticiously farre frome the intent that CHRIST dyd fyrst ordaine the same at the beginning doing therin greate wronge and iniurye to his death and passion And of other some it hath beene verye lyghtly esteemed or rather contemned and dispised as a thynge of small or none effect And thus betwene bothe the parties hath been muche variance and contention in diuers places of Christendome Therefore to the intent that this holy sacrament or Lordes supper may here after neither of the one partie bee contemned or lyghtly estemed nor on the other partie be abused to any other purpose than Christe hym selfe dyd fyrste appoynte and ordeyne the same and that so the contention on bothe parties may be quieted and ended the most sure and playn way is to cleaue vnto holy scripture Wherin what so euer is found must be taken for a moste sure grounde and an infallible truthe and what soeuer can not bee grounded vpon the same touchyng our faithe is mans deuise chaungeable and vncertayne And therfore here are set forth the very wordes that Christe hym selfe and his apostle saynt Paule spake bothe of the eatyng and drynkyng of Christes body and bloud and also of the eatyng and drynkynge of the sacrament of the same FYRST as concernyng the eatyng of the body and drinkyng of the bloude of our sauyour Christe he speaketh hym selfe in the .vi. chapiter of saynt Iohn in this wyse Ueryly verily I saie vnto you except you eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud you haue no life in you Who so eateth my fleshe drinketh my bloud hath eternall lyfe and I will rayse hym vp at the laste daye For my fleshe is very meate and my bloud is very drink He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in hym As the liuyng father hath sent me and I liue by the father euen so he that eateth me shall lyue by me This is the bread whiche came doune from heauen Not as your fathers dyd eate Manna and ar dead He that eateth this breade shall lyue for euer Of these wordes of Christe it is playne and manyfest that the eatyng of Christes fleshe and drynkyng of his bloude is not lyke to the eatyng and drynkyng of other meates and drinkes For although without meate and drynke man can not lyue yet it foloweth not that he that eateth and drynketh shall lyue for euer But as touchyng this meate and drynke of the body and bloude of Christe it is true bothe he that eateth and drinketh them hath euerlasting life and also he that eateth and drynketh them not hath not euerlastynge life For to eate that meate and drynke that drynke is to dwell in Christe and to haue Christ dwellyng in him And therfore no man can say or thynk that he eateth the body of Christ or drinketh his bloud excepte he dwelleth in Christe and hath Christe dwellyng in hym Thus haue ye hearde of the eatynge and drynkynge of the very fleshe and bloud of our sauiour Christ. Nowe as touchynge the sacramentes of the same our sauiour Christe dyd institute them in breade and wyne at his last supper whiche he had with his apostles the night before his deth At whych tyme as saynt Mathewe sayth When they were eatyng Iesus toke breade and when he had geuen thankes he brake it gaue it to his disciples and sayd Take eate this is my body And he toke the cup and when he had geuen thankes he gaue it to theim saiynge Drynke ye all of this for this is my bloud of the new testament that is shed for many for the remission of synnes But I saie vnto you I will not drynke
disease the puttyng away of thyn infection the wipyng away of thy fylthynesse be not seene with thyne eyes but are beleued in thy mynde so lykewyse when thou doest go vp to the reuerende altare to feede vpon spirituall meate in thy faith loke vpon the bodye and bloude of hym that is thy God honour hym touche hym with thy mynd take hym in the hande of thy hart and chiefely drynk hym with the draught of thy inward mā Hytherto haue I rehersed the saiynges of Eusebius whiche bee so playne that no man can wyshe more playnely to bee declared that this mutation of the bread and wyne into the body and bloud of Christe is a spirituall mutation and that outwardly nothyng is changed But as outwardly we eate the bread and drynke the wyne with our mouthes so inwardly by faithe wee spiritually eate the very fleshe and drynke the very bloud of Christe Hilarius also in fewe wordes saieth the same There is a figure saieth he for bread and wyne be outwardly seene And there is also a truth of that fygure for the body and bloude of Christe be of a truthe inwardly beleued And this Hilarius was within lesse than 350. yeares after Christe And Epiphanius shortly after the same tyme saieth that the bread is meate but the vertu that is in it is it that geueth lyfe But if there were no bread at all howe coulde it be meate About the same tyme or shortly after aboute the yeere our Lorde 400. Saynte Iohn Chrysostome wryteth thus agaynst theim that vsed onely water in the sacrament Christe sayth he myndyng to plucke vp that heresye by the rootes vsed wyne as well before his resurrection when he gaue the mysteries as after at his table without mysteries For he saith of the fruit of the vyne whyche surely bryngeth foorth no water but wyne These wordes of Chrysostome declare plainly that Christe in his holy table bothe dranke wyne and gaue wyne to drynke whych had not bene true if no wyne had remayned after the Consecration as the Papistes fayne And yet more playnely Saynct Chrysostome declareth this matter in an other place sayeng The breade beefore it bee sanctified is called breade but whan it is sanctified by the meanes of the prieste it is delyuered frome the name of breadde and is exalted to the name of the Lordes body although the nature of bread doeth styll remayne The nature of bread saith he doeth styll remayn to the vtter and manyfest confutation of the Papistes whiche saye that the accidentes of breadde dooe remayne but not the nature and substance At the same tyme was S. Ambrose who declareth the alteration of breade and wyne into the body and bloud of Christe not to be suche that the nature substance of bread wine be gone but that through grace there is a spirituall mutation by the mightye power of God so that he that worthily eateth of that bread dothe spiritually eate Christe and dwelleth in Christe and Christ in hym For sayeth saynte Ambrose speakynge of this chaunge of bread into the body of Christ if the woorde of God bee of that force that it can make thynges of noughte and those thynges to be ▪ whiche neuer were before much more it can make thynges that were before still to be and also to be chaunged into other thynges And he bryngeth for example here of the chāge of vs in baptisme wherin a man is so changed as is before declared in the wordes of Eusebius that he is made a new creature and yet his substance remaineth the same that was before And saint Augustin about the same time wrote thus That whiche you see in the altare is the bread and the cup which also your eyes do shew you But fayth sheweth further that bread is the body of Christ and the cuppe his bloude Here he declareth foure thyngs to be in the sacrament Two that we see whiche be bread and wine And other two which we se not but by faithe only whiche be the body and blud of Christ. And the same thyng he declareth also as plainly in an other place saiyng The sacrifice of the Church consisteth of two thynges of the visible kind of the element of the inuisible flesh blud of our Lorde Iesu Christe bothe of the sacrament and of the thynge signified by the sacrament Euen as the person of Christe consisteth of God and man forasmuch as he is very God and very man For euery thyng conteyneth in it the very nature of those thynges whereof it consysteth Nowe the sacrifice of the Churche consysteth of two thynges of the sacrament and of the thyng thereby sygnified that is to saye the bodye of CHRISTE Therfore there is bothe the sacrament and the thynge of the sacrament whyche is Christes bodye What can be deuised to be spoken more plainly against the errour of the Papistes which say that no bread nor wyne remaineth in the sacrament For as the person of Christe consisteth of two natures that is to say of his manhod and of his Godhead And therfore bothe those natures remayne in Christ euen so sayth saynt-Augustin the sacrament cōsisteth of two natueres of the elemētes of bread and wine and of the body bloud of Christ therfore both these natures must nedes remayne in the sacrament For the more playne vnderstandyng herof it is to bee noted that there were certayne heretyques as Simon ▪ Menander Marcion Ualentinus Basilides Cerdon Manes Eutiches Manicheus Apollinaris and dyuers other of lyke sortes whyche sayd that Christ was very God but not a very manne althoughe in eatynge drynkynge sleapyng and all other operations of man to mens iudgementes he appered lyke vnto a man Other there were as Artemon Theodorus Sabellius Paulus Samasathenus Marcellus Photinus Nestorius and many other of the same sectes whyche sayd that he was a very naturall man but not very God although in geuyng the blynd their syghte the dumbe theyr speeche the deafe their hearynge in healyng sodeynly with his worde al diseases in raysyng to life them that were dead and in al other workes of God he shewed himselfe as he had been God Yet other there were which seyng the scripture so playne in those two matters confessed that he was both God man but not both at one tyme. For before his incarnation sayde they he was God onely and not man and after his incarnation he ceased frō his Godhead became a man onely and not God vntyl his resurrection or ascension and then saye they he left his manhod and was only God agayn as he was before his incarnation So that whan he was mā he was not God and whā he was God he was not man But against these vain heresies the Catholike faith by the expresse word of God holdeth and beleueth that Christ after his incarnation lefte not his diuine nature but remained styll God as he was before beyng togyther at one tyme as he is styl
gone hence estranged from vs. For that were to make two natures of one body to diuide the bodye of Iesus for as much as one nature can not at one tyme be both with vs and absent from vs. And therfore saith Origen that the presence must be vnderstand of his diuinitie and the absence of hys humanitee And according herevnto S. Augustin writeth thus in a pistle ad Dardan Doubt not but Iesus Christe as concernynge the nature of his manhode is now there from whence he shal come And remēbre well and beleue the profession of a christian man that he rose from death ascēded into heauen sitteth at the righte hande of his father and from that place and none other shall he come to iudg the quick and the dead And he shal come as the angels said as he was sene go into heauen that is to say in the same forme substaunce vnto the which he gaue immortalitee but changed not nature After this forme saith he meaning his mans nature we may not thinke that he is euery where For we must beware that we do not so stablyshe hys dyuinitee that wee take awaye the veritee of his body These bee S. Augustines plaine wordes And by and by after he addeth these woordes The Lorde Iesus as god is euery where and as manne is in heauen And fynally he concludeth this mattier in these fewe woordes Doubt not but our lorde Iesus Christe is euerye where as God and as a dwellar he is in man that is the temple of God and he is in a certayne place in heauen bicause of the measure of a very bodye And againe S. Augustine writeth vpon the gospell of S. Iohn Our Sauiour Iesus Christ saith S. Augustine is aboue but yet his truth is here His body wherein hee arose is in one place but his truthe is spred euerye where And in an other place of the same boke S Augustine expoundyng these woordes of Christe You shaleuer haue poore menne with you but me you shall not euer haue saithe that Christ spake these woordes of the presence of his bodye For saith he as concernyng his diuine maiestie as concerninge his prouidence as concerninge his infallible and inuisible grace these woordes bee fulfilled whiche hee spake I am with you vnto the worlds end But as concerning the flesh which he toke in his incarnation as concerninge that which was born of the vigin as cōcerning that which was apprehended by the Iewes and crucified vppon a tree and taken doune frome the Crosse lapped in linnen clothes and buried and rose againe and appered after his resurrection as concernyng that fleshe he said You shall not euer haue me wyth you Wherfore seeyng that as concernyng his fleshe he was conuersaunt with his disciples fortye daies and they accompanyeng seyng and folowyng him he wente vp into heauen bothe hee is not here for hee sytteth at the ryght hande of his father and yet hee is here for hee departed not hense as concernynge the presence of hys diuine Maiestie As concernynge the presence of his maiestie wee haue Christe euer with vs but as concernyng the presence of hys fleshe he said truely to his disciples Ye shall not euer haue me with you For as concernynge the presence of hys fleshe the churche had Christ but a fewe dayes yet nowe it holdeth hym faste by faythe though it see him not with eyes All these be S. Augustines woordes Also in an other booke entitled to sainct Augustine is written thus We muste beleue and confesse that the sonne of god as cōcerning his diuinite is inuisible without a body immortal and incircumscriptible but as concernyng his humanitee we ought to beleue and confesse that he is visible hath a body and is contayned in a certayne place and hath truely al the membres of a man Of these wordes of S. Augustyne it is most cleare that the profession of the catholike fayth is that Christ as cōcernyng his bodely substāce and nature of man is in heauen and not present here with vs in yearth For the nature and property of a very body is to be in one place and to occupie one place and not to be euery where or in many places at one tyme. And though the body of Christ after his resurrection and ascencion was made immortal yet the nature therof was not chaunged for than as saint Augustyn sayth it were no very body And further sainct Augustyne sheweth bothe the maner fourme howe Christ is here present with vs in yearth howe he is absent saiyng that he is present by his diuine nature and Maiestie by this prouidence and by his grace but by his humaine nature and very body he is absent frō this worlde and present in heauen Cyrillus likewyse vpon the Gospel of sainct Ihon agreeth fully with S. Augustyne saiyng Although Christ toke away frō hence the presence of his body yet in the Maiestie of his Godhead he is euer here as he promised to his disciples at his departyng saiyng I am with you euer vnto the worldes ende And in another place of the same boke sainct Cyril sayth thus Christian people must beleue that although Christ be absent from vs as concernyng his body yet by his power he gouerneth vs and all thynges and is present with all them that loue him Therfore he sayd Truly truly I say vnto you whersoeuer there be two or thre gathered together in my name there am I in the myddes of them For like as when he was conuersant here in yearth as a man yet than he fylled heauen did not leaue the company of Angels euen so beyng nowe in heauen with his fleshe yet he fylleth the yerth is in them that loue him And it is to be marked that although Christ should go away onely as concernyng his fleshe for he is euer present in the power of his diuinite yet for a lytle tyme he sayd he would bee with his disciples These be the wordes of sainct Cyril Sainct Ambrose also sayth that we must not seeke Christ vpon yearth nor in yearth but in heauen where he sytteth at the right hand of his father And likewyse sainct Gregorye wryteth thus Christe sayth he is not here by the presence of his fleshe and yet he is absent no where by the presence of his Maiestie What subtiltee thynkest thou good reader can the Papistes nowe imagyne to defend their pernitious errour that Christe in his humayne nature is bodely here in yearth in the consecrated bread and wyne seyng that all the olde Churche of Christ beleued the contrary and all the olde authors wrote the contrary For they all affirmed beleued that Christe beyng but one parson hath neuerthelesse in him twoo natures or substaunces that is to say the nature of his Godhead and the nature of his manhood They say furthermore that Christe is both goone hence from vs vnto heauen and is also here with vs in yearth but
is manyfest to euery man that wayeth substantially the circumstances of the place For whan Christ gaue bread to his disciples and sayd This is my body there is no man of any discrecion that vnderstandeth the Englishe tongue but he may well knowe by the order of the speeche that Christ spake those wordes of the bread callyng it his body as all the olde authors also do affirme although many of the Papistes deny the same Wherfore this sentence can not meane as the woordes seme and purport but there must nedes be some figure or mystery in this speeche more than appeareth in the plaine wordes For by this maner of speeche plainly vnderstande without any figure as the wordes lye can bee gathered none other sence but that bread is Christes body and that Christes body is bread whiche all christian eares do abhorre to heare Wherfore in these words must nedes be sought out an other sense and menyng then the wordes of them selues do beare And althoughe the true sense and vnderstandyng of these wordes be sufficiently declared before when I spake of Transubstantiation yet to make the mattier so playne that no scruple or doubt shal remaine here is occasion giuen more fully to intreate therof In whych processe shall be shewed that these sentences of Christ This is my body This is my bloud bee fyguratiue speches And although it be manyfest ynoughe by the playne wordes of the Gospel and proued before in the processe of transubstantiation that Christe spake of bread whan he sayde This is my body lykewise that it was very wine whiche he called his bloud yet least the Papistes shuld say that we sucke this out of our owne fingers the same shall be proued by testimonye of all the olde authors to be the trewe and olde faithe of the catholike churche Where as the schole authors and Papistes shall not bee able to shewe so muche as one worde of any auncient author to the contrary Fyrst Ireneus writyng agaynst the Ualentinians in his fourthe boke saithe that Christe confessed bread whiche is a creature to be his body and the cup to be his bloud And in the same boke he writeth thus also The bread wherein the thankes be geuen is the body of the Lorde And yet agayne in the same booke he saithe that Christe takyng bread of the same sorte that our bread is of confessed that it was his body And that that thing whiche was tempered in the chalice was his bloudde And in the fift boke he writeth further that of the chalice which is his bloude a man is norished and doeth growe by the bread which is his body These wordes of Ireneus be most plaine that Christe takynge very materiall breade a creature of God and of suche sort as other breade is whiche wedd vse called that his body when he sayde This is my bodye And the wyne also whiche doothe feede and noryshe vs he called his bloudde Tertulian likewise in his booke written agaynst the Iewes saith that Christe called bread his body And in his booke against Martion he oftentymes repeteth the selfe same wordes And S. Cyprian in the firste boke of his epistles saith the same thyng that Christ called such breade as is made of manny cornes ioyned togither his body and suche wyne he named his bloudde as is pressed out of many grapes and made into wyne And in his second boke he saith these wordes water is not the bloud of Christe but wyne And agayn in the same Epistle he sayeth that it was wyne whiche Christe called his bloude and that if wyne bee not in the chalice than we drynke not of the fruit of the vyne And in the same epistle he sayth that meale alone or water alone is not the body of Christe excepte they be both ioyned togither to make thereof bread Epiphanius also saith that Christ speakyng of a lofe whiche is round in fashion and can not see here nor feele sayde of it This is my body And Saynt Hierome writynge Ad Hedibiā saieth these wordes Let vs mark that the bread which the Lord brake and gaue to his disciples was the body of our Sauiour Christ as he sayd vnto them Take and eate this is my body And S. Augustine also saith that althoughe we may sette foorthe Christe by mouthe by wrytynge and by the sacramente of his bodye and bloud yet wee call neyther our tounge nor wordes nor ynke letters nor paper the body and bloudde of Christe but that wee calle the bodye and bloudde of Christe whiche is taken of the fruite of the yearth and consecrated by mysticall prayer And also he sayth Iesus called meate his body and drynke his bloudde More ouer Cyrill vpon Sayncte Iohn saith that Christe gaue to his disciples peces of bread saiyng Take eate this is my bodye Likewise Theodoretus saith Whan Christe gaue the holy mysteries he called bread his body and the cuppe myxt with wyne and water he called his bloude By all these forsaid authors and places with manny mo it is playnely proued that whan our Sauiour Christe gaue breadde vnto his Disciples sayinge Take and eate this is my body And lykewise when he gaue them the cuppe sayinge Diuide this amonge you and drynke you all of this for this is my bludde he called than the very materiall bread his bodye and the very wyne his bloudde That bread I say that is one of the creatures here in earth amonge vs and that groweth out of the earth and is made of many graynes of corne beaten into flower and mixed with water and so baken made into bread of such sort as other our bred is that hath neither sence nor reason finally that fedeth and nourisheth our bodies suche bread Christe called his bodye whan he sayd This is my body And such wine as is made of grapes pressed togyther and ther of is made drynke whiche norisheth the body suche wyne he called his bloud This is the true doctrine confirmed as well by holy scripture as by all auncient authors of Christes churche bothe Grekes and Latines that is to say that when our Sauiour Christe gaue bread and wyne to his disciples and spake these woordes This is my bodye This is my bloude it was very bread and wyne whiche he called his body and bloud Now let the Papistes shewe some authoritee for their opinion eyther of scripture or of some auncient author And let theim not constrayne all men to folowe their fonde deuises onely bycause they sai It is so without any other groūd or authoritee but their owne bare wordes For in suche wyse credite is to bee geuen to Goddes worde onely and not to the worde of any man As many of theym as I haue redde the byshop of Wynchester only excepted doo say that Christe called not the bread his body nor wyne his bloud whan he said This is my body This is my bloude and yet in
doest thou in this sacrament drinke the similitude of Christes precious bloud And againe he sayth in y e sayd boke The priest sayth Make vnto vs this oblaciō to be acceptable whiche is the figure of the body and bloud of our lord Iesu Christ. And vpon the Epistle of sainct Paule to the Corinthians he sayth that in eatyng and drinkyng the bread and wyne we do signifie the flesh and bloud whiche were offered for vs. And the old testament he sayth was instituted in bloud because that bloud was a wytnes of Gods benefite in significacion and figure wherof wee take the mistical cuppe of his bloud to the tuition of our body and soule Of these places of sainct Chrysostome sainct Hierom and sainct Ambrose it is cleare that in the sacramentall bread and wyne is not really and corporally the very natural substance of the flesh and bloud of Christ but that the bread and wyne be similitudes mysteries and representacions significations sacramentes figures and signes of his body and bloud and therefore be called and haue the name of his very fleshe and bloud And yet S. Augustyne sheweth this matter more clearely and fully than any of the rest specially in an Epistle which he wrote ad Bonifatiū where he sayth that a day or two before good fryday we vse in common speeche to say thus To morowe or this day .ii. dayes Christ suffered his passion where in very dede he neuer suffered his passion but ones and that was many yeres passed Lykewise vpō Easter day we say This day Christ rose frō death where in very deede it is many hundred yeres sithens he rose frō death Why than do not menne reproue vs as lyers when we speake in this sort But because we cal these dayes so by a similitude of those dayes wherein these thynges were done in deede And so it is called that day whiche is not that day in dede but by the course of the yere is a like day And suche thinges be sayd to bee done that day for y e solemne celebracion of the sacramēt which thinges in dede were not done that day but lōg before Was Christ offereed any more but ones And he offered him selfe yet in a sacrament or representacion not onely euery solemne feast of Easter but euery day he is offered to the people so that he doth not lye that saith he is euery day offered For if sacramentes had not some similitude or likenes of those thynges whereof they be sacramentes they could in no wyse bee sacramentes And for their similitude and lykenes commonly they haue the name of the thynges whereof they bee sacramētes Therfore as after a certayne maner of speeche the sacrament of Christes body is Christes body the sacrament of Christes bloud is Christes bloud so lykewise the sacramēt of fayth is fayth And to beleue is nothyng els but to haue fayth And therfore whē we answere for yong children in their baptisme that thei beleue whiche haue not yet the mynd to beleue we answere that they haue fayth because they haue the sacramēt of fayth And we say also that they turne vnto God because of the sacrament of the cōuersion vnto God for that answer partaineth to the celebracion of the sacrament And likewyse speaketh the Apostle of Baptisme saiyng that by Baptisme wee bee buryed with him into death he sayth not that wee signifie burial but he sayth plainly that we be buried So that the sacrament of so great a thing is not called but by the name of the thyng it selfe Hytherto I haue rehersed the answere of S. Augustine vnto Boniface a learned Byshoppe who asked of him howe the parentes frendes coulde answere for a yong babe in baptisme and saye in his person that he beleueth and conuerteth vnto God when the childe can neither doo nor thinke any suche thinge Whervnto the answere of S. Augustine is this that for as muche as baptisme is the sacramente of the profession of our faith and of our conuersion vnto God it becometh vs so to answere for yong children comming thervnto as to that sacrament appertaineth although the children in deede haue no knowledge of suche thinges And yet in our said answeres we ought not to be reprehended as vain men or liers forasmuche as in cōmon speche we vse daily to cal sacramēts and figures by the names of the things that be signified by them although thei be not the same thing in dede As euery Good fryday as oftē as it returneth from yere to yere we cal it the dai of Christes passion and euery Easter daye we call the day of his resurrection and euery day in the yeare we saye that Christe is offered and the sacrament of his body we call it his body and the sacramēt of his blud we cal it his blud and our baptism S. Paul calleth our burial with Christ And yet in very deede Christe neuer suffered but ones neuer arose but ones neuer was offered but ones nor in very dede in baptisme we be not buried nor the sacrament of Christs body is not his bodye nor the sacrament of his bloud is not his bloud But so they be called bycause they be figures sacraments and representacions of the thinges theym selfe whiche they signifye and whereof they beare the name Thus doth S. Augustine most plainly open this matter in his epistle to Bonifacius Of this maner of speache wherein a signe is called by the name of the thing which it signifieth speaketh S. Augustine also right largly in his questions super Leuiticum contra Adamantium declaring how bloud in scripture is called the soule A thing which signifieth saith he is wont to be called by the name of the thing whiche it signifieth as it is written in the scripture The vii eares be vii yeares The scripture saith not signyfieth vii yeares And vii kine be vii years and many other lyke And so saide S. Paule that the stone was Christe and not that it signified Christ but euen as it had bin he in deed which neuertheles was not Christ by substance but by significaciō Euen so saith S. August bicause the bloud signifieth representeth the soul therfore in a sacramente or significacion it is called the sowle And Cōtra Adamantiū he writeth much like saying In such wise is blud y e soule as the stone was Christ yet thapostle saith nor that the stone signified Christ but saith it was Christ. And this sentence Bloud is the soule may be vnderstand to be spokē in a signe or figure for Christ did not stick to say This is my body when he gaue the signe of his body Here S. Augustine rehersing diuers sentences which were spoken figuratiuely that is to saye whan one thinge was called by the name of an other and yet was not the other in substance but in significacion as that bludde is the soule vii kyne be vii yeares vii eares be vii yeares the stone
was Christe Amonge suche maner of speeches he reherseth those words which Christ spake at his laste supper This is my bodye whiche declareth plainly S. Augustines mynd that Christ spake those woordes figuratyuelye not meaning that the breade was hys bodye by substaunce but by signifycacion And therfore S. Augustine saith Contra MaximinuÌ„ that in sacraments we must not considre what they be but what they signifye For thet be signes of things beyng one thyng and signyfiyng an other Whych he doth shew specyally of thys sacrament saying The heauenly bread which is Christes flesh by some manner of speache is called Christes body when in very deede it is the sacrament of his body And that offering of the flesh whiche is doone by the priestes handes is called Christes passion deathe and crucifiyng not in very deede but in a mystycall signyfycacion And to this purpose it ys both pleasaunt comfortable and profytable to reade Theodoretus in hys Dyaloges wher he dysputeth sheweth at length how the names of thyngs be changed in scrypture and yet thynges remayne styll And for exaumple he proueth that the fleshe of Chryst ys in y e scrypture sometyme called a vaylor couerynge someâ—yme a clothe sometyme a vestiment and sometime a stole the blud of the grape is called Christes blood and the names of breade and wine and of his fleshe and bloode Christe doth so chaunge that sometyme he calleth his body corne or bread and sometime contrarye he calleth breade his body And likewise his bludde sometime he calleth wyne and sometyme contrary he calleth wyne his bludde For the more plaine vnderstandinge whereof it shall not be amysse to recite his owne saiyngs in his foresaid dialogs touchiÌ„g this matter of the holy sacrament of Christes fleshe and bluâ— The speakers in these dialoges bee Orthodoxus the ryghte beleuer and Eranistes his companion but not vnderstanding the right faith Orthodoxus saith to his companion Doest thou not knowe that God calleth breade his fleshe Eranistes I knowe that Orth. And in an other place he calleth his bodye corne Eran. I know that also for I haue heard him saye The hower is come that the sonne of man shalbe glorified and Except the grain corn that falleth in the ground dye it remaineth sole but if it dye than it bringeth forth much frute Orth. Whan he gaue the mysteries or sacramentes he called bread his body and that which was myxt in the cuppe he called bloude Eran. ' So he called them Orth. But that also which was his natural bodye maye well be called his body and his verye bludde also maye be called his bludde Eran. ' It is playne Orth. But oure sauiour without doubt chaunged the names and gaue to the body the name of the signe or tooken and to the tooken he gaue the name of the body And so when he called himselfe a vyne he called blud that whiche was the token of blud Era. Suerly thou hast spoken the truth But I would knowe the cause wherfore the names were chaunged Orthod The cause is manyfest to theim that bee experte in true religion For he would that they whiche bee partakers of the godly sacramentes should not sette their myndes vppon the nature of the thynges whiche they see but by the chaungyng of the names should beleue the thynged whiche be wrought in them by grace For he that called that which is his natural body corne and bread and also called him selfe a vyne he dyd honour the visible tokens and signes with the names of his body and bloud not chaungyng the nature but addyng grace to nature Eran. Sacramentes bee spoken of sacramentally and also by theim bee manyfestly declared thynges whiche all men knowe not Ortho. Seyng than that it is certaine that the Patriarche called the Lordes body a vestiment and apparelle and that nowe we be entred to speake of godly sacramentes tel me truely of what thyng thynkest thou this holy meate to be a tooken and figure of Christes diuinitee or of his body and bloud Era. It is cleare that it is the fygure of those thynges wherof it beareth the name Orth. ' Meanest thou of his body and bloud Era. ' Euen so I meane Orth. Thou haste spoken as one that loueth the trueth for the Lorde when he tooke the token or signe he sayd not This is my diuinitee but This is my body and This is my bloud And in another place The bread whiche I wylle geue is my fleshe whiche I wylle geue for the life of the worlde Era. The thynges be true for they be Gods wordes All this wryteth Theodoretus in his fyrst Dialogue And in the second he wryteth thesame in effect and yet in some thynges more plainly against suche heretikes as affirmed that after Christes resurrection and ascencion his humanitee was chaunged froÌ„ the very nature of a maÌ„ turned into his diuinitee Against whoÌ„ thus he writeth Orth. Corrupcion health sickenes death be accidentes for they go and come Era. ' It is meete they be so called Orth. Mens bodyes after their resurrection bee deliuered from corrupcion death and mortalitee and yet they lose not their propre nature Era. ' Trueth it is Orth. The body of Christ therfore did ryse quit cleane from all corruption and death and is impassible immortall glorifyed with the glorye of God and is honoured of the powers of heauen and yet it is a body and hath the same bygnes that it had before Era. Thy saiynges seme true and accordyng to reason but after he was asceÌ„ded vp into heauen I thynke thou wylt not say that his body was turned into the nature of the Godhead Orth. I would not say for the persuacion of mans reason nor I am not so arrogaÌ„t and presumptuous to affirme any thyng whiche scripture passeth ouer in silence but I haue heard S. Paule crye that God hath ordayned a day whan hee wyll iudge all the worlde in iustice by that maÌ„ which he appointed before performyng his promise to all men raisyng him from death I haue learned also of the holy angels that he wyll comme after that fashion as his disciples sawe him go to heauen But they saw a nature of a certaine bygnes not a nature whiche had no bygnes I heard furthermore the Lord say You shall see the soÌ„ne of maÌ„ come in y â— cloudes of heaueÌ„ And I knowe that euery thyng that menne see hath a certaine bygnes For that nature that hath no bignes can not be seen Moreouer to sytte in the throne of glory and to sette the Lambes vppon his right hande and the goates vpon his left hand signifyeth a thyng that hath quantitee and bygnes Hytherto haue I rehersed Theodoretus wordes And shortly after Eranistes sayth Era. Wee must turne euery stone as the prouerbe sayth to seeke out the truth â–ª but specially whan godly matters be propounded Orth. Tel me than the sacrameÌ„tal signes whiche
be offered to God by his priestes wherof they be signes sayest thou Era. ' Of the Lordes boby and bloud Orth. ' Of a very body or not a very body Era. ' Of a very body Orth. Uery wel for an mage must be made after a true paterne for Paynters folowe nature and paynt the images of suche thynges as wee see with our eyes Era. ' Truthe it is Orth. If therfore y e godly sacramētes represent a true body than is the Lordes body yet styll a body not conuerted into the nature of his Godhead but replenished with Gods glory Era. It cōmeth in good time that thou makest mencion of Gods sacramentes for by the same I shall proue y e Christes body is turned into another nature Answer therfore vnto my questions Orth. ' I shall answere Era. What callest thou that which is offered before the inuocation of the priest Orth. We must not speake plainly for it is like that some be present whiche haue not professed Christ. Era. ' Answere couertly Orth. ' It is a norishmēt made of seedes that be like Era. ' Than howe call we the other signe Orth. It is also a cōmon name that signifieth a kynde of drynke Era. But howe doest thou cal them after the sanctification Orth. ' The body of Christ and the bloud of Christ. Era. And dost thou beleue that thou art made parttaker of Christes body and bloudde Orth. ' I beleeue so Era. Therfore as the tokens of Goddes bodye and bloude be other thynges before the priestes inuocation but after the inuocation they be chaunged and be other thynges so also the bodye of Christe after his assumption is chaunged into his diuine substaunce Orth. Thou art taken with thyne owne nette For the sacramentall signes goe not from their owne nature after the sanctification but continue in theyr former substance forme and figure and may be sene and touched as well as before yet in our myndes we do consyder what they bee made and do repute and esteme them and haue them in reuerence acordyng to the same thynges that they be taken for Therfore compare the ymages to the paterne and thou shalt se them like For a figure must be lyke to y e thyng it selfe For Christes bodye hath his former fashion figure and bygnesse and to speake at one worde the same substance of his body But after his resurrection it was made immortall and of suche power that no corruption nor deth coulde come vnto it and it was exalted to that dignitee that it was set at the ryght hande of the father and honoured of all creatures as the body of hym that is the Lorde of nature Era. But the sacramentall token chaungeth his former name for it is no more called as it was before but is called Christes boyde Therefore must his body after his ascention be called God and not a body Orth. Thou semest to me ignorant for it is not called his body onely but also the bread of lyfe as the Lorde called it So the bodye of Christe we call a godly body a body that geueth lyfe Goddes body the Lordes body our maisters bodye meanyng that it is not a common body as other mens bodies be but that it is the bodye of oure Lord Iesu Christ both god and man This haue I rehersed of the great clerke and holy byshop Theodoretus whome some of the Papistes perceyuynge to make so playnely agaynst them haue defamed sayeng that he was infected with the errour of Nestorius Here the Papistes shewe their old accustomed nature and condition whiche is euen in a manifest matter rather to lye without shame than to geue place vnto the truthe confesse their owne errour And althoughe his aduersaries falsely bruted suche a fame agaynst hym whan he was yet alyue neuerthelesse he was pourged thereof by the whole councel of Calcedon about aleuen hundred yeares ago And furthermore in his boke which he wrote against heresies he specially condemneth Nestorius by name And also all his .iii. bookes of his dialoges before rehersed he wrote chiefly agaist Nestorius and was neuer herein noted of errour this thousande yere but hath euer been reputed and taken for an holy byshop a great lerned man and a graue author vntyl now at this present tyme when the Papistes haue nothyng to answere vnto hym they begyn in excusyng of them selues to defame hym Thus muche haue I spoken for Theodoretus which I praie the be not wery to rede good reder but often and with delectation deliberation and good aduertisement to rede For it conteyneth playnly and brefely the true instruction of a christian man concernyng the matter whiche in this boke we treate vpon First that our sauiour Christe in his last supper when he gaue breade and wyne to his apostles sayeuge This is my bodye This is my bloud it was bread which he called his body wyne myxed in the cuppe whyche he called his bloud so that he changed the names of the bread and wine which were the misteries sacraments signes figures tokens of Christes fleshe and bloude called them by the names of the thinges which they dyd represent and signifie that is to say the breade he called by the name of his very fleshe the wyne by the name of his blud Second that although the names of breade and wyne were changed after sanctification yet neuerthelesse the thyngs them selues remayned the selfe same that they were before the sanctification that is to say the same breade and wyne in nature substance forme and fashion The thyrde seynge that the substance of the bread and wyne be not chaunged why bee then their names changed and the bread called Christes flesh and the wyne his bloud Theodoretus sheweth that the cause therof was this that we shuld not haue so muche respect to the breade and wyne whiche we see with our eies and tast with our mouthes as we shuld haue to Christe hym selfe in whom we beleue with our hertes fele and tast him by our faith with whose flesh and bloud by his grace we beleue that we bee spiritually fedde and nouryshed These thynges we ought to remembre and reuolue in our myndes and to lyfte vp our hartes from the bread and wine vnto Christ that sytteth aboue And bicause we shuld so do therfore after the consecration they be no more called bread wyne but the body and bloud of Christe The fourth It is in these sacraments of bread and wyne as it is in the very bodye of Christe For as the body of Christe before his resurrection and after is al one in nature substance bignesse forme and fashion and yet it is not called as an other cōmon body but with addition for the dignitee of his exaltation it is called a heauenly a godly an immortal and the Lords body so lykewyse the breade and wyne before the consecration and after is all one in nature substance bygnesse forme and fashion and yet it is not called as
wee should remembre howe muche Christ hath done for vs and howe he dyed for our sakes Therefore saith saint Paul As often as ye shal eate of this bread and drinke the cuppe you shall shew foorth the Lordes death vntyll he come And forasmuche as this holy breade broken and the wine deuided doo represent vnto vs the death of Christ nowe passed as the kyllynge of the Paschall lambe dyde represent y â— same yet to come therfore our sauiour Christ vsed the same maner of speeche of the bread and wyne as God before vsed of the Paschall lambe For as in the olde Testament God sayd This is the Lordes Passeby or Passeouer euen so sayth Christ in the new Testament This is my body This is my bloude But in the old mistery and sacrament the Lambe was not the Lordes very Passeouer or passyng by but it was a figure whiche represented his passynge by So likewise in the newe Testament the breade and wine be not Christes very body and bloude but they be figures whiche by Christes institution bee vnto the godly receauers thereof Sacramentes tokens significations and representations of his very fleshe and bludde instructyng their faith that as the bread and wine fede them corporally and continue this temporall lyfe so the very fleshe and bloud of Christ feedeth them spiritually and geueth them euerlastyng lyfe And why shulde any man thinke it strange to admit a figure in these speches This is my body This is my bloude seyng that the coÌ„munication the same nyghte by the Papistes owne confessions was so full of figuratiue speeches For the Apostles spake figuratiuely whan they asked Christ where he would eate his passeouer or passeby And Christe hym selfe vsed the same figure when he sayd I haue muche desyred to eate this passeouer with you Also to eate Christes body and to drynke his bloude I am sure they wyl not say that it is taken proprely to eate drike as we doe eate other meates and drynkes And when Christe sayde This cup is a newe testament in my bloude here in one sentence bee two figures One in this worde Cup whych is not taken for the cup it selfe but for the thynge conteyned in the cup. An other is in this worde Testament for neyther the cuppe nor the wyne contained in the cuppe is Christes Testament but is a token signe and figure whereby is represented vnto vs his Testament confirmed by his bloudde And if the Papists wil say as thei say in dede that by this cup is neither ment the cup nor the wine conteyned in the cuppe but that therby is ment Christes bloud contained in the cuppe yet must they nedes graunt that there is a fygure For Christes bloude is not in proper speche the New testameÌ„t but it is the thyng that coÌ„firmed the new testament And yet by this strange interpretation the Papistes make a very straunge speche more strange then any figuratiue speche is For this they make the sentence This bloud is a newe testament in my bloud Which saiyng is so fonde and so farre from all reason that the foolyshenes therof is euident to euery man Nowe forasmuch as it is plainly declared and manifestly proued that Christe called bread his body and wyne his bloud and that these sentences be figuratiue speeches and that Christe as concernyng his humanitee and bodily presence is ascended into heuen with his whole fleshe and bloudde and is not here vpon earthe and that the substance of breade and wyne doo remayne styll and be receaued in the sacrament and that although they remayne yet they haue changed theyr names so that the bread is called Christes bodye and the wyne his bloudde and that the cause why theyr names bee chaunged is this â–ª that we should lyft vp our hartes and myndes frome the thynges whyche we se vnto the thinges whyche we beleue and be aboue in heauen wherof the bread and wyne haue the names althoughe they bee not the very same thynges in dede These thynges well considered and waied all the auctoritees and argumentes whyche the Papistes fayne to serue for theyr purpose be cleane wyped awaie For whether the authors which they alledge say that we doo eate Christes fleshe and drynke his bloudde or that the bread and wyne is conuerted into the substance of his fleshe and bloud or that we bee tourned into his fleshe or that in the Lordes supper we do receaue his very fleshe and bloudde or that in the breadde and wyne is receaued that whyche dydde hange vppon the Crosse or that Christe hathe lefte his fleshe with vs or that Christe is in vs and wee in hym or that he is whole here and whole in heauen or that the same thynge is in the Chalice whyche flowed oute of his syde or that the same thynge is receaued with our mouthe whyche is beleued with our faythe or that the breade and wyne after the Consecration bee the body and bloudde of CHRISTE or that we bee nouryshed with the body and bloude of Christ or that Christe is bothe gone hence and is styll here or that Christe at his laste supper bare hym selfe in his owne handes These and all other like sentences may not be vnderstanded of Christes humanitee litterally and carnally as the wordes in common speeche doo proprely signifie for so doothe no man eate Christes fleshe nor drinke his bloudde nor so is not the bread and wyne tourned into his fleshe and bloud nor we into hym nor so is the breade wyne after the consecration his flesh and blud nor so is not his fleshe and bloud whole heere in earth eaten with our mouthes nor so dydde not Christe take hym selfe in his owne handes But these and all other lyke sentences whiche declare Christe to be here in earth and to be eaten and dronken of christian people are to bee vnderstande eyther of his diuine nature wherby he is euâ—ry where or els they must be vnderstanded figuratiuely oâ— spiritually For figuratiuely he is in the breade and wyne and spiritually he is in them that worthyly eate and drinke the bread and wyne but really carnally and corporally he is onely in heauen frome whence he shall come to iudge the quycke and deade This briefe aunswere wyll suffice for all that the Papistes can bryng for their pourpose yf it bee aptely applyed And for the more euidence hereof I shall applye the same to somme suche places as the Papistes thynke doo make moste for theym that by the aunswere to those places the reste maye bee the more easyly aunswered vnto They alledge saint Clement whose words be these as thei report The sacramentes of Gods secretes are coÌ„mitted to thre degrees to a priest a Deacon and a minister whiche with feare and tremblyng ought to kepe the leauynges of the broken peeces of the Lordes body that no corruption be founde in the holy place least by negligence great iniury bee done to the portion
neither corporal nor local but an heauenly spiritual supernatural dwellyng wherby so long as we dwell in him he in vs we haue by him euerlastyng life And therfore Cyril sayth in the same place that Christ is the vyne and wee the braunches because that by him wee haue life For as the braunches receiue lyfe and nourishement of the body of the vyne so receiue we by him the natural propertie of his body whiche is life and immortalitee by that meanes we beyng his membres do liue and are spiritually norished And this ment Cyril by this worde Corporally when he sayth that Christ dwelleth corporally in vs. And the same ment also sainct Hilarius by this woorde Naturally whan he sayd that Christ dwelleth naturally in vs. And as sainct Paule whan he sayd that in Christ dwelleth the full diuinitee Corporally by this worde Corporally he ment not that the diuinitee is a body so by that body dwelleth bodely in Christ. But by this worde Corporally he ment that the diuinitee is not in Christ accidentally lightly and slenderly but substantially and perfectely wyth all hys mighte and power so that CHRIST was not onely a mortall manne to suffre for vs but also hee was immortall God able to redeeme vs. So S. Cyril whan he sayd that Christ is in vs corporally he mente that we haue him in vs not lightly and to small effecte and purpose but that we haue him in vs substantially pythelye and effectually in suche wise that wee haue by hym redemption and euerlastinge lyfe And this I sucke not out of myne owne fyngers but haue it of Cyrils owne expresse words where he saith A lyttle benediction draweth the whole manne to god and filleth him with grace and after this manner Christe dwelleth in vs and we in CHRIST But as for corporall eatinge and drinkinge with our mouths and digesting with our bodies Cyril neuer ment that Christ doth so dwel in vs as he plainly declareth Our sacrament saith he doth not affirme the eatinge of a manne drawynge wickedly christen people to haue grosse imaginacions and carnal fantasies of suche thinges as be fine and pure receiued onely with a sincere faithe But as twoo waxes that be molten put togither they close so in one that euery part of the one is ioyned to euery parte of the other euen so saith Cyril he that receiueth the flesh and bloode of the Lord muste needes bee so ioyned with Christ that Christ must be in him and he in Christ. By these wordes of Cyril appeareth his mind plainly that wee maye not grossely and rudelye thinke of the eating of Christ with our mouths but with our faith by which eatinge although he be absente hence bodely and be in the eternall life and glorye with his father yet we bee made partakers of hys nature to bee immortal and haue eternall lyfe and glorye with him And thus is declared the minde aswell of Cyryll as of Hylarius And here may be wel enough passed ouer Basilius Gregorius Nissenus and Gregorius Nazianzenus partely bycause they speake lyttle of this mattier and partely bycause they maye bee easyly aunswered vnto by that which is before declared and often repeted whiche is that a fygure hath the name of the thing wherof it is the figure and therefore of the fygure maye be spoken the same thinge that maye be spoken of the thynge it selfe And as concerninge the eatinge of Christes fleshe and drinkinge of his bludde they spake of the spirituall eatinge and drinkinge thereof by faith and not of corporall eating and drnkinge with the mouth and teethe Likewise Eusebius Emissenus is shortly answered vnto for he speaketh not of any real and corporall conuersion of breade and wyne into Christes body and bludde nor of any corporall and reall eating and drinkinge of the same but hee speaketh of a sacramentall conuersion of bread and wyne and of a spirituall eatinge and drynkyng of the body and bloode After whiche sorte Christe is as well present in baptisme as the same Eusebius plainly there declareth as he is in the Lordes table Which is not carnally and corporally but by faithe and spiritually But of thys authour is spoken beefore more at large in the matter of transubstantiation fo 24. And now I wyll come to the saying of S. Ambrose whiche is alwaies in their mouthes Before the consecration saith he as they allege it is bread but after the woordes of consecration it is the body of Chryste For answere herevnto yt muste be fyrste knowen what Consecration is Consecration is the separation of anye thing from a prophane and wordely vse vnto a spirituall and godly vse And therfore whan vsual and common water is taken frome other vses and put to the vse of baptisme in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost than it may rightly be called Consecrated water that is to saye water put to an holy vse Euen so whan cōmon bread wine be taken seuered frō other bread and wyne to the vse of y e holy cōmunion that portion of bread and wyne although it be of the same substance that the other is frō the whych it is seuered yet it is nowe called consecrated or holy bread and holy wyne Not that the bread and wine haue or can haue any holynes in them but that they be vsed to an holy worke and represent holy godly thinges And therfore S. Dionyse calleth the breade holy breade and the cuppe an holy cuppe as soone as they bee sette vppon the aultate to the vse of the holy communion But specially they maye be called holye and consecrated when they be separated to that holy vse of Christes owne wordes whiche he spake for that purpose saying of the breade This is my body And of the wyne This is my bloude So that commonly the authors before those wordes be spoken do take the breade and wyne but as other common bread and wine but after those woordes be pronounced ouer theym than they take theym for consecrated and holy breade and wyne Not that the bread and wine can be partakers of any holynes or godlynesse or can be the body and bloode of Christ but that they represent the very bodye and bloude of Christe and the holy foode and nourishement which we haue by him And so thei be called by the names of the body bloud of Christ as the signe token and figure is called by the name of the very thinge whiche it sheweth and signifieth And therefore as S. Ambrose in the wordes before cited by the aduersaries saith that beefore the consecration it is bread and after the cōsecration it is Christes body so in other places he dothe more plainly sette forth his meaninge saying these wordes Before the benediction of the heauenly wordes it is called an other kinde of thinge but after the consecration is signified the body of
a thing that we should knowe that the eatyng is our dwellyng in him and our drinkyng is as it were an incorporation in him beyng subiecte vnto him in obedience ioyned vnto him in our wylles and vnited in our affections The eatyng therefore of this fleshe is a certaine hunger and desire to dwell in him Thus wryteth Cyprian of the eatyng drynkyng of Christe And a lytle after he sayth that none do eate of this lambe but suche as be true Israelites that is to say pure christian menue without colour or dissimulacion And Athanasius speakinge of the eatinge of Christes fleshe and drinking of his bloud sayth that for this cause he made mention of his ascēcion into heauen to plucke them from corporall phantasie that thei might learne hereafter that his fleshe was called the celestiall meate that came from aboue and a spirituall foode which he would geue For those thinges that I speake to you saithe he be spirite and life Whiche is as muche to say as that thinge which you see shalbe slayne gyuen for the norishment of the worlde that it maye bee distributed to euerye body spiritually and be to all men a conseruacion vnto the resurrection of eternall lyfe In these woordes Athanasius declareth the cause why Christ made mention of his ascention into heauen whan hee spake of the eatinge and drinking of his fleshe and blud The cause after Athanasius mynde was thys that his hearers shuld not thinke of any carnal eating of his body with their mouths for as concerning the presence of his body he should be taken from them and ascende into heauen but that they shuld vnderstande him to be a spirituall meate and spiritually to be eaten and bi that refreshing to giue eternall lyfe which he doth to none but to suche as be his lyuely membres And of this eatinge speaketh also Basilius that we eate Christes flesh and drinke his blud beynge made by hys incarnation and sensyble lyfe partakers of his worde and wysedome For his fleshe and bludde he called all his mysticall conuersation here in his fleshe and his doctrine consistinge of his whole lyfe pertaininge bothe to his humanitie and diuinitye whereby the soule is norished and brought to the contemplacion of thinges eternall Thus teacheth Basilius howe we eate Christes flesh and drinke his blud which pertaineth only to the true and faithful membres of Christ. Saint hierome also saith All that loue pleasure more than god eate not the fleshe of Iesu nor drinke his bludde of the whiche himselfe saith He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my blud hath euerlastynge lyfe And in an other place S. Hierome saith that heretiques do not eat and drynk the body and bludde of the Lorde And moreouer he saithe that heretiques eate not the fleshe of Iesu whose flesh is the meate of faythfull men Thus agreeth S. Hierome with the other before rehersed that heretiques and such as folow wordly pleasures eat not Christs flesh nor drink his blud bicause that Christ said He that eateth my flesh drinketh mi blud hath euerlastīg life And S. Ambrose saith that Iesus is y e bread which is the meat of Saintes and that he that taketh this breade dieth not a sinners deathe For this breade is the remission of sinnes And in an other booke to him intituled he writeth thus This breade of lyfe whiche came frome heauen doth minister euerlasting life and whosoeuer eateth this bread shall not dye for euer and is the bodye of Christe And yet in an other booke sette forth in his name he saith on this wise He that did eat Manna died but he that eateth this body shal haue remission of his synnes and shall not dye for euer And againe he saith As oftē as thou drinkest thou haste remission of thy sinnes These sentences of S. Ambrose be so playne in this matter that there needeth no more but only the rehersall of theim But S. Augustine in many places plainlye discussing this mattier saith He that agreeth not with Christe doeth neither eate his bodye nor drinke his bludde although to the condemnation of hys presumptiō he receiue euery day the sacramente of so highe a mattier And moreouer S. Augustine most plainly resolueth this matter in his booke De ciuitate Dei disputīg agaīst two kinds of heretiques Wherof the one said that as many as were christened and receaued the sacrament of Christs body and bludde shuld be saued howe so euer thei liued or beleued bicause that Christe saide This is the breade that came frō heauē that whosoeuer shal eate thereof shall not dye I am the bread of life which came from heauen whosoeuer shall eate of this breade shall lyue for euer Therfore said these heretiques all such men must needes be deliuered from eternall deathe and at length to be brought to eternall life The other said that heretiques and scismatiques myghte eate the sacrament of Chrystes bodye but not his verye body bicause they be no membres of his bodye And therfore they promised not euerlasting life to all that receaued Christes baptisme and the sacrament of his body but all suche as professed a true fayth althoughe they lyued neuer so vngodlye For suche sayde they doo eate the bodye of Christe not only in a sacrament but also in deede bicause they bee membres of Christes body But Saint Augustine aunsweringe to bothe these heresyes saith That neither heretiques nor such as professe a true fayth in their mouths in their lyuyng shew the contrary haue either a true faith which worketh by charity and doth none euel or are to be counted among the membres of Christ. For they cā not be both membres of Christ and membres of the diuell Therefore saith he it maye not be saide that any of theim eate the bodye of Christe For when Christe saythe he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bludde dwelleth in me and I in him he sheweth what it is not sacramentally but in deede to eate his bodye and drynke his bludde whiche is when a man dwelleth in Christe that Christ dwelleth in him For Christe spake those wordes as if he should say He that dwelleth not in me and in whom I dwell not lette him not saye or thinke that he eateth my body or drinketh my bloode These be the plaine wordes of S. Augustine that suche as liue vngodly although they may seme to eate Christes body because they eat the sacrament of his body yet in deede they neither bee membres of his body nor do eate his body Also vpon the gospel of sainct Ihon he sayth that he that doth not eate his fleshe and drynke his bloud hath not in him euerlastyng life And he that eateth his fleshe and drynketh his bloud hath euerlastyng life But it is not so in those meates whiche we take to sustayne our bodyes For although without them we can not liue yet it is not necessarye that whosoeuer receyueth them
shall liue for they may dye for age sickenes or other chaunces But in this meat and drynke of the body and bloud of our Lord it is otherwise For both thei that eate and drynke them not haue not euerlastyng life And contrary wyse whosoeuer eate and drynke them haue euerlastyng life Note and ponder well these wordes of sainct Augustyne that the bread and wyne and other meates and drynkes whiche norishe the body a man may eate neuerthelesse dye but the very body and bloud of Christ no mā eateth but that hath euerlastyng life So that wicked men can not eate nor drynke them for then they must nedes haue by them euerlastyng life And in thesame place sainct Augustyne sayth further The sacrament of the vnite of Christes body and bloud is taken in the Lordes table of some men to life of some men to death but the thyng it selfe wherof it is a sacrament is taken of all men to life and of no man to death And moreouer he sayth This is to eate that meate and drynke that drynke to dwell in Christ to haue Christ dwellyng in him And for that cause he that dwelleth in him And for that cause he that dwelleth not in Christe and in whom Christe dwelleth not without doubt he eateth not spiritually his fleshe nor drynketh his bloud although carnally and visibly with his teethe he byte the sacrament of his body and bloud Thus wryteth sainct Augustyne in the xxvi Homelie of sainct Ihon. And in the next homelie folowyng he sayth thus This day our sermon is of the body of the Lorde whiche he sayd he would geue to eate for eternal life And he declared the maner of his gift distribution howe he would geue his fleshe to eate saiyng He that eateth my fleshe drynketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him This therefore is a token or knowlege that a man hath eaten and dronken that is to say if he dwell in Christe and haue Christe dwellyng in him If he cleaue so to Christe that he is not seuered from him This therfore Christe taught admonished by these misticall or figuratiue Wordes that we should be in his body vnder him our head among his membres eatyng his fleshe not forsakyng his vnitee And in his boke De doctrina Christiana sainct Augustyne sayth as before is at length declared that to eate Christes flesh and to drynk his blud is a figuratiue speache signifiyng the participation of his passion the delectable remembrance to our benefite and profite that his fleshe was crucified and wounded for vs. And in another sermō also De verbis Apostoli he expoundeth what is the eatyng of Christes body the drinkyng of his bloud saiyng The eatyng is to be refreshed and the drinkyng what is it but to liue Eate life drinke life And that shall be when that whiche is taken visibly in the sacrament is in very deede eaten spiritually and drunken spiritually By all these sentences of S. Augustyne it is euident manifest that all men good and euil may with their mouthes visibly sensibly eate the sacrament of Christes body bloud but the very body and bloud them selues bee not eaten but spiritually that of the spirituall membres of Christ whiche dwell in Christ haue Christ dwellyng in them by whom they be refreshed haue euerlastyng life And therefore sayth sainct Augustyne that when thother Apostles did eate bread that was the Lorde yet Iudas did eate but the bread of the Lorde and not the bread that was the Lorde So that the other Apostles with the sacramentall bread did eate also Christ him selfe whō Iudas did not eate And a great numbre of places moe hath sainct Augustyne for this purpose whiche for eschewyng of tediousnes I let passe for this tyme wyll speake some thyng of sainct Cyrill Cyrill vpon sainct Ihon is Gospell sayth that those whiche eate Manna dyed because thei receyued thereby no strength to liue euer for it gaue no life but only put away bodely hunger but they that receyue the bread of lyfe shalbe made immortal and shall eschewe all the euils that partayne to death liuyng with Christ for euer And in another place he sayth Forasmuche as the fleshe of them to Christe doth naturally geue life therefore it maketh lyfe that bee partakers of it For it putteth death awaye from them and vtterly dryueth destruction out of them And he concludeth the matter shortly in another place in fewe woordes saiyng that when wee eate the fleshe of our sauiour then haue wee life in vs. For if thynges that were corrupt were restored by onely touchyng of his clothes howe can it bee that wee shall not liue that eate his fleshe And further he sayth that as two waxes that be molten together do rūne euery part into other so he that receyueth Christes fleshe and bloud must needes be ioyned so with him that Christ must be in him and he in Christ. Here sainct Cyrill declareth the dignitee of Christes fleshe beyng inseperately annexed vnto his diuinitee saiyng that it is of suche force and power that it geueth euerlastyng life And whatsoeuer occasion of death it fyndeth or let of eternal life it putteth out and dryueth cleane away all the same frō them that eate that meate and receiue that medicine Other medicines or plaisters somtyme heale and somtyme heal not but this medicine is of that effect and strength that it eateth awaye all rotten and deade fleshe and perfectely healeth all woundes and sores that it is laide vnto This is the dignitie and excellencie of Christes fleshe and bloode ioyned to his diuinitie of the whyche dignytie Christes aduersaries the Papistes depriue and robbe him when they affirme that suche men do eate his fleshe receiue this plaister as remaine styll sicke and sore and be not holpen thereby And now for corroboration of Cyrils saying I would thus reason with the Papistes and demaunde of them When an vnrepentant synner receiueth the sacrament whether he haue Christes body within him or no If they saye no than haue I my purpose that euel men although they receaue the sacramente of Christes body yet receiue they not his verye body Yf they saye yea Then I wolde aske them further Whether they haue Christs spirit with in them or no If they say nay then do they separate Christs body from his spirite and his humanitye frome his diuinite and be condemned by the scripture as very Antichristes that diuide Christe And yf they say yea that a wicked man hathe Christes spirit in him then the scripture also cōdemneth them saying that as he which hath no spirite of Christes is none of his so he that hathe Christe in him lyueth because he is iustified And yf his spirite that raised Iesus from death dwell in you he that raised Christe from death shall gyue lyfe to your mortall bodyes for his spirits sake whiche dwelleth in you Thus on
euery side the scripture condemneth the aduersaries of goddes worde And this wickednes of the Papistes is to bee wondred at that thei affirme Christs flesh blud soule holy spirite and his deite to be a man that is subiect to sin and a limme of the diuell They be wonderfull iuglers and coniurers that with certayne woordes can make god and the dyuell to dwel togither in one man and make him both the temple of god and the temple of the diuell It apeareth that they be so blinde that they can not see y ◠light frō darknes Beliall from Christ nor the table of y ◠lord from the table of diuels Thus is confuted this third intollerable errour and heresye of the Papistes That they which be the lymmes of the diuell do eate the very bodye of Christ and drinke his bludde manifestly and directly contrary to the wordes of Christ himself who saith Who so euer eateth my flesh and drinketh my bludde hath euerlasting life But leaste they shuld seeme to haue nothinge to say for themselues they alleag S. Paule in the eleuenth to the Corinth where he saith Hee that eateth and drinketh vnwortheli eateth and drinketh his owne damnation not discerninge the lordes bodye But S. Paule in that place speaketh of the eatinge of the breade and drinkinge of the wine and not of the corporall eating of Christes flesh blud as it is manifest to euery man that wyll read the text For these be the words of S. Paul Let a mā examine himselfe and so eat of the bread and drynk of the cuppe for he that eateth and drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation not discerninge the Lordes bodye In these wordes S. Paules mynde is that for asmuche as the breade and wyne in the Lordes supper do represent vnto vs the very bodye and blud of our sauiour Christe by his owne institution and ordinance therfore although he sit in heauē at his fathers right hand yet shuld we come to this mysticall bread wine with faithe reuerence purite and feare as we wold do if we should come to see and receaue Christe himselfe sensibly present For vnto the faithfull Christ is at his owne holy table present with his mightye spirite and grace and is of them more frutefully receaued than if corporally they shulde receaue him bodely present And therefore they that shal worthely come to this goddes bord muste after due triall of themselues considre first who ordained this table also what meate and drinke they shall haue that come therto and how thei ought to behaue themselues therat He that prepared the table is Christ himselfe The meat drynke wherwith he feedeth theim that come thereto as they ought to do is his owne body ▪ flesh blud They that come therto muste occupy their myndes in considering howe his bodye was broken for them and his blud shed for their redemptiō and so ought they to approache to this heauenly table with all humblenes of hart and godlynes of minde as to the table wherin Christe himselfe is gyuen And they that come otherwise to thys holy table thei come vnworthely and do not eat drinke Christes flesh blud but eat and drink their owne damnacion bicause thei do not duely considre Christes very fleshe and blud which be offered ther spiritually to be eaten and drunken but dispising Christs most holy supper do come therto as it were to other meates and drinkes without regard of the lordes body which is the spirituall meat of that table But here maye not be passed ouer the answere vnto certain places of auncient Authors which at the firste shew seeme to make for the Papists purpose that euel men do eate and drink the very fleshe and bludde of Christe But if those places be truely and throughely waied it shall appeare that not one of theym maketh for theyr errour that euel men do eat Christes very body The first place is of S. Augustin contra Cresconium grāmaticum wher he saith that although Christ himselfe say He that eateth not my fleshe and drinketh not my bludde shall not haue lyfe in him yet doth not his apostels teache that the same is pernicious to theim whiche vse it not well for hee saith Whosoeuer eateth the bread and drinketh the cuppe of the Lorde vnworthely shalbe gylty of the body and bloud of the Lorde In whiche wordes S. Augustyne seemeth to conclude that aswell the euil as the good do eat the body and bloud of Christ although the euil haue no benefite but hurt therby But consider the place of S. Augustyne diligently and then it shall euidently appeare that he ment nat of the eatyng of Christes body but of the sacrament therof For the intent of sainct Augustyne there is to proue that good thinges auaile not to suche persons as do euil vse them and that many thynges whiche of them selues be good and be good to some yet to other some they bee not good As that light is good for whole eyes and hurteth soore eyes that meate whiche is good for some is euil for other some One medicine healeth some and maketh other sicke One harnes doth arme one and combreth another one coate is mete for one to straight for another And after other examples at the last S. Augustyne sheweth the same to bee true in the sacramentes both of Baptisme and of the Lordes body whiche he sayth do profite onely them that receiue the same worthely And the wordes of sainct Paule which sainct Augustyne citeth do speake of the sacramental bread and cuppe not of the body and bloud And yet sainct Augustyne calleth the bread and the cuppe the fleshe and bloud not that they be so in dede but that they so signifie As he sayth in another place contra Maximinum In sacramētes sayth he is to be considered not what they be but what they shewe For they be signes of other thynges beyng one thyng and signifiyng another Therfore as in baptisme those that come faynedly and those that come vnfaynedly both bee washed with the sacramental water but both be not washed with the holy ghost clothed with Christ so in the Lordes supper bothe eate and drynke the sacramental bread wyne but bothe eate not Christ himselfe and bee fedde with his fleshe and bloud but those only which worthely receiue the sacrament And this answere wyll serue to another place of sainct Augustyne against the Donatistes where he sayth that Iudas receiued the body and bloud of the Lorde For as S. Augustyne in that place speaketh of the sacrament of Baptisme so doth he speake of the sacrament of the body and bloud whiche neuerthelesse he calleth the body and bloud because they signifie and represent vnto vs the very body fleshe and bloud And as before is at length declared a figure hath the name of the thyng that is signifyed thereby As a mannes ymage is called a man a Lyons image a
he spake not that of the priestes of the Newe testament but of the olde whiche as he sayth offered calues goates And yet they were not suche priestes that by their offerynges and sacrifices they could take awaye the peoples synnes but they were shadowes and figures of Christ our euerlastyng priest whiche onely by one oblacion of himselfe taketh away the synnes of the worlde Wherfore the Popishe priestes that apply this text vnto them selues do directly coÌ„trary to the meanyng of sainct Paule to the great iniury preiudice of Christ by whom only sainct Paule sayth that the sacrifice oblacion for the synne of the whole worlde was accoÌ„plished fulfilled And as litle serueth for the Papistes purpose the texte of the Prophete Malachie that euery where should be offered vnto God a pure sacrifice and oblation For the prophet in that place spake no worde of the Masse nor of any oblacioÌ„ propitiatory to bee made by the priestes but he spake of the oblation of all faythfull people in what place soeuer they bee whiche offre vnto God with pure heartes and myndes sacrifices of laude and prayse propheciyng of the vocacion of the Gentyles that God would extende his mercy vnto them and not be the God onely of the Iewes but of all nations from East to West that with pure fayth call vpon him and glorify his name But the aduersaries of Christe gather together a greate heape of authors whiche as they say cal the Masse or holy communion a Sacrifice But all those authors be answered vnto in this one sentence that they called it not a sacrifice for sinne bicause that it taketh awaye oure synne which was taken away only by the death of Christ but bicause it was ordained of Christ to put vs in remembraunce of the sacrifice made by him vpon the crosse And for that cause it beareth the name of that sacrifice as S. Augustine declareth plainlye in his Epistle ad Bonifacium before rehersed in this booke fol. 64. And in his boke De fide ad Petrum diaconum before rehersed also And in his booke De ciuitate Dei he saith That which men call a sacrifice is a signe or representacion of the true sacrifice And the Maister of the sentence of whom all the schoole authors take their occasion to write iudged truly in this point saying That which ys offered consecrated of the priest is called a sacrifice and oblation bicause it is a memorye and representacion of the trewe sacrifice and holye oblation made in the altare of the crosse And S. Iohn Chrysostome after he hath said that Christe is our Byshop whiche offered that sacrifice that made vs cleane and that we offre the same nowe least any man might be deceaued by his manner of speakinge he openeth his meaninge more plainly saying That whiche wee doo is doone for a remembraunce of that whiche was doone by Christe For Christe saith Do this in remembraunce of me Also Chrysostome declaring at length that y e priests of the old law offered euer new sacrifices and changed them from time to tyme that christiaÌ„ people do not so but offre euer one sacrifice of Christ yet by by lest some meÌ„ might be offeÌ„ded w t this speache he maketh as it were a correctioÌ„ of his wordes saying But rather we make a remembrance of Christes sacrifice As though he shuld say Although in a certaine kinde of speach we may sai y t euery day we make a sacrifice of Christe yet in very deede to speake properly we make no sacrifice of him but only a coÌ„memoration remembrance of that sacrifice whiche he alone made neuer none but he Nor Christ neuer gaue this honor to any creature y t he shuld make a sacrifice of him nor did not ordain the sacrameÌ„t of his holi supper to the inteÌ„t y t either the people shuld sacrifice Christ againe or that y e priests shuld make a sacrifice of him for y e people but his holy supper was ordained for this purpose that euery man eating drinking therof shuld remembre that Christ died for him and so shuld exercise his faith and comforte him selfe by the remembraunce of Christes bnefites and so giue vnto Christ most harty thanks and giue himselfe also clearly vnto him Wherfore y e ordinance of Christ ought to be folowed y e priest to minister the sacrameÌ„t to y e people they to vse it to their consolation And in this eating drinking and vsing of the lords supper we make not of Christ a newe sacrifice propitiatory for remission of sinne But the humble confession of al penitent hartes theyr knowledgyng of Chrystes benefytes their thanks giuing for the same their faith and consolation in Christe their humble submission and obedience to goddes wyll and commaundementes is a sacrifice of laude praise accepted and alowed of god no lesse then the sacrifyce of the priest For almyghty god wythout respect of persone accepteth the oblatyon and sacrifyce of priest lay person of kyng subiect of mayster and seruaunt of man and woman of yonge and olde yea of English French Scot Greek Latine Iewe and Gentyle of euery maÌ„ accorig to his faithfull obedient hart vnto him and that through y e sacrifice propiciatory of Iesu Chryst. And as for the sayiÌ„g or singing of Masse by y e priest as it was in time passed vsed it is neither a sacrifyce propiciatorye nor yet a sacrifyce of laud praise nor in any wise alowed before god but abhominable and detestable and therof mai well be verefied the saying of CHRIST That thing which seemeth an high thinge before men is abhominacion before God They therfore which gather of the doctours that the Masse is a sacrifice for remission of syn and that it is applied by the prieste to theim for whom he saith or singeth they whiche so gather of the doctours do to them most greuous iniury and wronge moste falsely belying them For these monstrous thinges were neuer seen nor knowen of the olde and primitiue churche nor there was not than in one Churche manye Masses euery daye but vppon certayne dayes there was a common table of the lordes supper where a numbre of people did togither receive y â— body and blud of the lord but there were then no daily priuate Masses where euery preest receaued alone lyke as vntill this daye there is none in the Greeke churches but one common Masse in a daye Nor the holy fathers of the old church would not haue suffered suche vngodly and wicked abuses of the Lordes supper But these priuate Masses sprange vppe of late yeares partelye throughe the ignoraunce and supersticion of vnlearned Monks and Fryers whiche knewe not what a saâ—ifyce was but made of the Masse a sacrifice propiciatorye to remytte both synne and the paine due for the same but chiefely they sprange of lucre and gaine when priestes founde the meanes to
A DEFENCE OF THE TRVE AND CAtholike doctrine of the sacrament of the body and bloud of our sauiour CHRIST with a confutation of sundry errors concernyng thesame grounded and stablished vpon Goddes holy woorde approued by y e consent of the moste auncient doctors of the Churche Made by the moste Reuerende father in GOD THOMAS ARCHEBYSHOP of Canterbury Primate of all ENGLANDE and Metropolitane Yt ys the spirite that giueth lyfe the fleshe profiteth nothinge Ioannis 6. Thys booke ys deuyded into fiue partes The fyrst is of the true and Catholike doctrine and vse of the sacrament of the body and blud of our sauiour CHRIST The second is agaynst the erroure of Transubstantiation The thyrde teacheth the maner howe CHRIST is present in his holy supper The fowerth is of the eatynge and drinking of the body blud of our Sauioure CHRIST The fyft booke is of the oblation and sacrifice of our sauiour CHRIST A PREFACE TO THE READER OVR SAVIOVR CHRIST Iesus accordyng to the wil of his eternall father when the tyme therto was fully coÌ„plished takiÌ„g our nature vpon him cam into this world frome the high throne of his Father to declare vnto miserable sinners good newes to heale them that wer syck to make the blind to see the deaf to here the domb to speke to set prisoners at libertee to shew that the tyme of grace mercy was come to giue light to them that were in darknes and in the shadow of deth and to preach and geue pardon and ful remission of sinne to al his elected And to perfourme the same he made a sacrifice oblation of his owne body vpon the crosse whiche was a full redemption satisfaction propitiation for the sinnes of y â— wholle world And to coÌ„mend this his sacrifice vnto al his faithful people and to confirm their faith hope of eternall saluation in the same he hath ordeined a perpetual memory of his said sacrifice daily to be vsed in the Church to his perpetual laud praise to our singular comfort coÌ„solation That is to saie y â— celebration of his holy supper wherin he doth not cesse to geue him selfe with al his benefites to all those that duely receiue the same supper accordyng to his blessed ordinance But the Romish Antichrist to deface this great benefite of Christ hath taught that his sacrifice vpon y e crosse is not sufficient herevnto without another sacrifice deuised by him and made by the priest or els without IndulgeÌ„ces Beades Pardons Pylgramages suche other pelfray to supply Christes imperfection And that christian people can not apply to them selfes the benefites of Christes passion but that the same is in the distribution of the byshop of Rome or els that by Christe we haue no full remission but be deliuered onely from synne and yet remayneth temporall payne in Purgatorye due for the same to be remitted after this life by the Romishe Antichrist and his ministers who take vpon them to do for vs that thyng whiche Christ either would not or could not do O heynous blasphemy and moste detestable iniury against Christe O wicked abhominacion in the teÌ„ple of God O pryde intolerable of Antichrist and most manifest token of the soÌ„ne of pardicioÌ„ extollyng him selfe aboue God with Lucifer exaltyng his seate power aboue the throne of God For he that taketh vpoÌ„ him to supply that thyng whiche he pretendeth to bee vnperfite in Christ must nedes make him selfe aboue Christ and so very Antichrist For what is this els but to be against Christ to bryng him in coÌ„tempt as one y â— either for lacke of charitee would not or for lacke of power he could not with all his bloudsheadyng and death clearely deliuer his faythfull and geue them full remission of their synnes but that the ful perfectioÌ„ therof must be had at the haÌ„des of Antichrist of Rome his ministers What maÌ„ of knowlege zeale to Gods honor can with dry eyes se this iniury to Christ and loke vpoÌ„ the state of religion brought in by the Papistes perceiuyng the true sence of Gods worde subuerted by false gloses of mans deuisyng the true christian religion turned into certayne hypocritical superstitious sectes y â— people praiyng with their mouthes hearyng with theyr eares they wyst not what so ignorant in Gods worde that they could not discerne hypocricie superstition froÌ„ true syncere religion This was of late yeres the face of religion with in this realme of Englande yet remayneth in dyuers realmes But thankes be to almightie God to the kynges maiestie with his father a prynce of most famous memory y e superstitious sectes of Monkes Fryers that were in this Realme be cleane taken away the scripture is restored vnto the proper true vnderstandyng the people may dayly reade heare Gods heaueÌ„ly worde pray in theyr owne laÌ„guage whiche they vnderstaÌ„d so that their heartes mouthes may go together and be none of those people of whom Christ complayned saiyng These people honor me with theyr lyppes but theyr heartes be farre from me Thankes be to God many corrupt weedes bee plucked vppe whiche were wont to rotte the flocke of Christ and to let the growyng of the Lordes haruest But what auaileth it to take away beades pardoÌ„s pilgremages and such other like Popery so long as .ii. chief rootes remaine vnpulled vpâ— wherof so long as thei remain wil spryng again al former impedimeÌ„tes of the Lordes haruest corruption of his flock The rest is but branches and leaues the cuttyng away wherof is but like toppyng loppyng of a tree or cuttyng downe of weeds leauiÌ„g the body staÌ„dyng the rootes in the ground but the verye body of the tree or rather the rootes of the wedes is the popish doctrine of TransubstaÌ„tiation of the real presence of Christes fleshe and bloud in the sacrament of the aultar as they call it and of the sacrifice oblation of Christ made by the preest for the saluation of the quick and the dead Which rootes if thei be suffred to grow in the Lords vineyard thei wil ouerspreade all the ground agayn with the old errours superstitions These iniuries to Christ be so intollerable that no christâ—aÌ„ heart can wyllyngly beare them Wherfore seing that many haue set to their hands whetted their to les to pluck vp y e weedes to cut down y e tree of errour I not knowyng otherwise how to excuse my selfe at the last daie haue in this boke set to my hand and axe with the rest to cut downe this tree and to plucke vp the wedes and plantes by the rootes which our heuenly Father neuer plaÌ„ted but were grafted and sowen in his vineyard by his aduersary the diuell and Antechriste his minister The Lord graunt that this my trauail and labour in his vineyard be not in vaine but that it may prosper and bring forth good frutes to his honor and
our bodies be fedde nourished and preserued with meate and drink so as touchynge our spirituall lyfe towardes God we be fed nourished and preserued by the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ and also that he is such a preseruation vnto vs that nother the deuils of hell nor eternall deth nor syn can be able to preuaile against vs so long as by true and cōstant faith we be fed and nouryshed with that meate and drynke And for this cause Christ ordeyned this sacrament in bread wine whiche we eate and drynke and be chiefe nutrimentes of our body to the intent that as surely as we see the breade and wine with our eies smell theim with our noses touche theym with our handes and tast them with our mouths so assuredly ought we to beleue that Christ is our spirituall lyfe and sustinance of our soules like as the sayd bread and wyne is the foode and sustinaunce of our bodies And no lesse ought we to doubt that our soules bee fedde and lyue by Christe then that our bodies be fed and lyue by meate and drinke Thus oure sauiour Christe knowing vs to be in this world as it were but babes and weakelynges in faith hath ordeined sensible signes and tokēs wherby to allure and drawe vs to more strengthe and more constaunt faith in hym So that the eatyng and drinkyng of this sacramentall breade and wyne is as it were a shewyng of Christ before our eies a smellyng of hym with our noses a feelyng and gropyng of hym with our handes and an eatyng chawyng digestyng and feedyng vpon hym to our spirituall strength and perfection Fyftly it is to be noted that although there be many kyndes of meates and drynkes whych feede the body yet our sauiour Chryst as many auncient authours write ordeyned this sacrament of our spyrytual feedyng in bread wine rather than in other meates drinkes because that bread and wyne doo moste lyuely represent vnto vs the spiritual vnion and knot of al faithfull people aswell vnto Christ as also emonges them selfs For lyke as bread is made of a great numbre of graynes of corne grounde baken so ioyned together that therof is made one lofe And an infinite numbre of grapes be pressed togyther in one vessell and therof is made wyne likewyse is the whole multitude of true christiā people spyrytually ioyned fyrste to Christe and then among them selues togyther in one faith one baptisme one holy spyrite one knotte and bonde of loue Sixtely it is to bee noted that as the breade and wyne whiche we do eate be turned into our fleshe and bloude and bee made our very fleshe and very blud and be so ioyned and mixed with our fleshe bloud that they be made one whole body togither euen so be al faithful christians spiritually tourned into the body of Christ and be so ioyned vnto Christ also together among themselues that they do make but one misticall body of Christ as sainct Paule saithe We bee one bread and one body as many as bee partakers of one bread and one cuppe And as one lofe is geuen amonge many men so that euery one is partaker of the same lofe and lykewyse one cup of wyne is distributed vnto many persons wherof euery one is partaker euen so our sauiour Christ whose fleshe and bloud be represented by the mystical bread and wine in the lordes supper doeth geue hym selfe vnto all his true membres spiritually to fede them noryshe them and to geue them continuall lyfe by hym And as the braunches of a tree or membre of a body if they be dead or cut of they neyther lyue nor receiue any nourishement or sustinaunce of the body or tree so lykewyse vngodly wycked people which be cut of from Christes misticall body or be dead membres of the same doo not spiritually fede vpon Christs body bloud nor haue any lyfe strength or sustentation therby Seuenthly it is to be noted that where as no thynge in this lyfe is more acceptable beefore God or more pleasaunt vnto man than christen people to lyue togither quietly in loue peace vnitee and concorde this sacrament doth most aptly and effectuously moue vs thervnto For when we bee made all partakers of this one table what ought we to thynke but that we be al membres of one spiritual body wherof Christ is the head that we bee ioyned together in one Christ as a great numbre of graines of corne be ioyned together in one loofe Surely they haue very harde and stony heartes whiche with these thinges be not moued And more cruel vnreasonable be they then brute beastes that can not be persuaded to bee good to their christian brethren and neighbours for whom Christ suffred death when in this sacrament they be put in remembraunce that the sonne of God bestowed his life for his enemies For we see by dayly experience that eatyng and drynkyng together maketh frendes and contynueth frendshippe Muche more than ought the table of Christ to moue vs so to do Wylde beastes and byrdes bee made gentle by geuyng them meate and drynke why then should not christen men waxe meeke and gentle with this heauenly meate of Christe Herevnto wee bee stirred and moued as well by the bread and wyne in this holy supper as by the woordes of holy scripture recited in the same Wherfore whose heart soeuer this holy Sacrament Communion and supper of Christ wil not kindle with loue vnto his neighbours and cause him to put out of his heart all enuye hatred and malice and to graue in the same all amitee frendshyp and concorde he deceaueth hym selfe if he thynke that he hath the spirite of Christe dwellyng within hym But all these forsayd godly admonitions exhortations and comfortes doo the Papistes as muche as lyeth in them take away from al christen people by their transubstantiation For if we receaue no breade nor wyne in the holy communion than al those lessons and comfortes be gone whiche we shulde learne and receyue by eatyng of the bread and drynkynge of the wyne And that phantasticall imagination giueth an occasion vtterly to subuert our whole faythe in Christe For yf this sacrament bee ordeyned in bread and wyne whiche be foodes for the body to signifi and declare vnto vs our spirituall foode by Christ then yf our corporal fedyng vpon the bread and wine be but phantasticall so that there is no bread nor wine there in dede to fede vpon although they apere there to be than it doth vs to vnderstande that our spirituall feedyng in Christe is also phantasticall and that in dede we fede not of him Which sophistrie is so diuelyshe and wicked and so much iniurious to Christ that it could not come from any other person but onely from the diuell hym selfe and from his speciall minister Antichriste The eyght thyng that is to bee noted is that this spirituall meate of Christ is
as a necessary article of our fayth But it is not the doctrine of Christe but the subtill Inuension of Antechrist fyrst decreed by Innocent the thyrd and after more at large set furth by schole authors whose studye was euer to defende and set abrode to the worlde all suche matters as y e byshop of Rome had once decreed And the deuil by his minister Antichrist had so daseled the eyes of a great multitude of christen people in these latter dayes that they sought not for their fayth at the cleare light of Gods worde but at the Romishe Antichrist beleuyng whatsoeuer he prescribed vnto thē yea though it were against all reason all senses and Gods most holy worde also For els he could not haue been very Antichrist in dede except he had been so repugnaunt vnto Christe whose doctrine is cleane contrary to this doctrine of Antichrist For Christ teacheth that we receiue very bread and wyne in the most blessed supper of the Lord as sacramentes to admonishe vs that as we be fedde with bread wyne bodely so wee be fedde with the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ spiritually As in our baptisme we receiue very water to signifye vnto vs that as water is an element to washe the body outwardly so be our soules washed by the holy ghost inwardly The seconde principall thyng wherein the Papistes varry from the truth of Gods worde is this They say that the very natural fleshe and bloud of Christe whiche suffered for vs vpon the crosse and sitteth at the right hand of the father in heauen is also really substancially corporally and naturally in or vnder the accidentes of the sacramental bread and wyne which they cal the fourmes of bread and wyne And yet here they varry not a lytle among them selues For some say that the very natural body of Christ is there but not naturally nor sensibly And other saye that it is there naturally and sensibly and of the same bygnes fashion that it is in heauen and as the same was borne of the blessed virgyn Mary and that it is there broken and torne in peeces with our teethe And this appeareth partly by the schole authors and partly by the confession of Beringarius whiche Nicholaus the second constrayned him to make whiche was this That of the sacramentes of the Lordes table the sayd Beringarius should promise to holde that fayth whiche the sayd Pope Nicholas and his counsail held whiche was that not onely the sacramentes of bread and wyne but also the very fleshe and bloud of oure Lorde Iesu Christ are sensibly handeled of the priest in the altare broken and torne with the teethe of the faythfull people But the true catholike fayth grounded vpon Gods moste infallible woorde teacheth vs that our sauiour Christ as concernyng his mannes nature and bodely presence is gone vp vnto heauen sitteth at the right hand of his father and there shall he tarry vntyl the worldes ende at what tyme he shal come agayn to iudge both the quicke and the dead as he sayth him selfe in many scriptures I forsake the worlde sayth he and go to my Father And in another place he sayth You shal haue euer poore men among you but me you shall not euer haue And again he sayth Many hereafter shall come and laye Loke here is Christe or looke there he is but beloue them not And sainct Peter sayth in the Actes that heauen must receiue Christe vntyll the tyme that all thynges shall be restored And saint Paule writyng to the Colossians agreeth hereto saiyng Seke for thinges that be aboue where Christ is sittyng at the right hand of the father And sainct Paule speakyng of the very sacrament sayth As often as you shall eate this bread and drynke this cuppe shewe furth the Lordes death vntyll he come Tyll he come sayth S. Paule signifiyng that he is not there corporally present For what speeche were this or who vseth of him that is already present to say Untyl he come For Untyl I come signifyeth that he is not yet present This is the catholike fayth whiche we learne from our youth in our common Crede and whiche Christ taught the Apostles folowed and the martyres confirmed with theyr bloud And although Christ in his humayne nature substantially really corporally naturally and sensibly be present with his father in heauē yet sacramentally and spiritually he is here present in water bread and wyne as in signes and sacramentes but he is in deede spiritually in the faythfull christian people whiche accordyng to Christes ordinaunce be baptised or receyue the holye communion or vnfainedly beleue in him Thus haue you hard the seconde pryncipal article wherin the Papistes vary from the truthe of Goddes worde and from the catholike faith Nowe the thyrde thynge wherin they varye is this The Papistes saye that euell and vngodlye men receaue in this sacramente the very bodye and bloud of Christe and eate and drynke the selfe same thinge that the good and godly men doo But the truthe of Gods woorde is contrary that al those that be godly mēbres of Christe as they corporally eate the bread and drinke the wyne so spiritually they eate and drinke Christes very fleshe and bloude And as for the wycked membres of the dyuell they eate the sacramental bread and drinke the sacramental wyne but they doo not spiritually eate Christs fleshe nor drinke his blode but they eate and drinke theyr owne damnation The fourthe thynge wherein the Popyshe preestes dissente frome the manifest woorde of God is this They saie that they offre Christe euery day for remission of sinne and distribute by their Masses the merites of Christes passion But the prophetes apostels and euangelistes doo saye that Christe him selfe in his owne person made a sacrifice for our sinnes vppon the Crosse by whose woundes all our diseases were healed and our sinnes pardoned and so dyd neuer no preest man nor creature but he nor he dyd the same neuer more than ones And the benefite hereof is in no mannes power to gyue vnto any other but euery man muste receaue it at Christes handes him selfe by his owne faith and beliefe as the prophete saieth HERE ENDETH THE fyrste booke THE SECONDE BOOKE IS AGAINST THE ERROVR OF Transubstantiation THVS HAVE you hearde declared fower thynges wherein chiefly the papisticall doctrine varieth from the true worde of God and frome the olde catholyke Christen faith in this matter of the lordes supper Nowe lest any man shuld thynke that I faine any thinge of myne owne heade without any other ground or authoritee you shall heare by Goddes grace as well the erroures of the Papistes confuted as the catholike truthe defended both by goddes most certaine woorde and also by the moste olde approued authors and martyrs of Christes churche And fyrst that breade and wine remain after the woordes of consecration and bee eaten and drunken in the
say that they dyd eate his body drunke his bloud although he was not yet borne nor incarnated They say that the body of Christ is euery day many tymes made as often as there be Masses sayd that than and there he is made of bread and wyne We say that Christes body was neuer but ones made and than not of the nature and substance of bread and wyne but of the substance of his blessed mother Thei say that the Masse is a sacrifice satisfactory for sinne by the deuocion of the priest that offereth not by the thyng that is offered But we say that their saiyng is a most haynous lye detestable error against the glory of Christ. For the satisfactiō for our synnes is not the deuociō nor offeryng of the priest but the only hoost and satisfaction for all the sinnes of the world is the death of Christ the oblacion of his body vpon the crosse that is to say the oblacion that Christ him selfe offered ones vpon the crosse and neuer but ones nor neuer none but he And therfore that oblation whiche the priestes make dayly in their papistical Masses can not be a satisfactiō for other mens synnes by the priestes deuocion but it is a mere elusion and subtyll craft of the deuil wherby Antichrist hath many yeres blynded and deceiued the worlde They say that Christe is corporally in many places at one tyme affirmyng that his body is corporally and really present in as many places as there be hoostes consecrated We say that as the sonne corporally is euer in heauen and no where els and yet by his operation and vertue the Sonne is here in yearth by whose influence and vertue all thynges in the worlde be corporally regenerated encreased and growe to their perfecte state so lykewise oure sauiour Christe bodely and corporally is in heauen sittyng at the right hande of his father although spiritually he hath promised to be present with vs vpō yearth vnto the worldes ende And whansoeuer two or thre be gathered together in his name he is there in the myddes among them by whose supernal grace all godly menne bee first by him spiritually regenerated and after encreace and growe to their spiritual perfection in God spiritually by fayth eatyng his fleshe and drinkyng his bloud although the same corporally bee in heauen farre distant from our sight Nowe to returne to the principal matter lest it might bee thought a newe deuise of vs that Christe as concernyng his body his humayne nature is in heauen and not in yearth therfore by Gods grace it shal be euidently proued ▪ that this is no newe deuised matter but that it was euer the olde fayth of the catholike churche vntyll the Papistes inuented a newe fayth that Christ really corporally naturally and sensibly is here styll with vs in yearth shut vp in a boxe or within the compasse of bread and wyne This nedeth no better nor strōger profe than that whiche the old authors bryng for the same that is to say the generall profession of all christian people in the common Crede wherein as concernyng Christes humanitee thei be taught to beleue after this sorte That he was conceiued by the holy ghost borne of the virgyn Mary that he suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buryed that he descended into hell and rose againe the third day that he ascended into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of his almightie father and from thence shal come to iudge the quicke and dead This hath been euer the catholyke fayth of christian people that Christ as concernyng his body and his manhood is in heauen and shall there continue vntyll he come doune at the last iudgement And forasmuche as the Crede maketh so expresse mencion of the article of his ascencion and departyng hence from vs if it had been an other article of oure fayth that his body taryeth also here with vs in yearth surely in this place of the Crede was so vrgēt an occasion geuen to make some mention therof that doutlesse it would not haue been passed ouer in our Crede with silence For i◠Christe as concernyng his humanitee be both here gone hence and both those two be articles of our fayth whan mencion was made of the one in the Crede it was necessary to make mencion of the other least by professyng the one we should be dissuaded from beleuyng the other beyng so contrarye the one to the other To this article of oure Crede accordeth holy scripture and all the olde auncient doctours of Christes churche For Christe himselfe saide I leaue the worlde and go to my father And also he saide You shall euer haue poore folkes with you but you shall not euer haue me with you And he gaue warninge of this errour beefore hande saying That the tyme wolde come whan many deceiuers shulde be in the worlde and saye Here is Christe and there is Christe but beleue theim not said Christ. And S. Marke writeth in the last chapiter of his gospell that y e Lorde Iesus was taken vp into heauen and sytteth at the ryghte hande of his father And S. Paule exhorteth all men to seeke for thinges that be aboue in heauen where Christe sayth he sitteth at the ryght hand of God hys father Also he saith that we haue such a bishop that sitteth in heauē at the ryght hand of the throne of Gods maiesty And that he hauing offred one sacrifice for sinnes sitteth continuallye at the right hande of God vntyll his enemyes be put vnder his feete as a foote stoole And herevnto consent all the olde doctoures of the churche Fyrste Origen vpon Mathew reasoneth this matter howe Christe maye be called a stranger that is departed into an other cūtrey seing that he is with vs alwai vnto the worldes end and is among al them that be gathered togither in his name and also in the middes of them that know him not And thus he reasoneth If he be here among vs stil how can he be gone hence as a strāger departed into an other contrey Wherevnto he answereth that Christe is both god and man hauinge in him two natures And as a manne he is not with vs vnto the worldes ende nor is present wyth all hys faythfull that bee gathered togyther in his name but his diuyne power and spirite is euer with vs. Paule saith he was absent from the Corinthes in his body when he was present wyth them in his spirite So is CHRIST sayth he gone hense and absent in his humanitee whiche in his diuine nature is euery where And in this saying saith Origene we diuide not his humanitee for S. Iohn writeth that no spirite that diuideth Iesus can be of God but we reserue to both his natures their owne properties In these wordes Origene hath plainly declared his mind that Christes body is not both present here with vs also
Christ. Likewise before the consecration it is called an other thing but after the consecration it is named the bludde of Christe And again he saith When I treated of the sacramentes I tolde you that that thinge whiche is offered before the woordes of Christ is called Bread but when the wordes of Christ be pronounced than it is not called bread but it is called by the name of Christes body By whiche woordes of S. Ambrose it appereth plainly that the bread is called by the name of Christes body after the consecration and although it be styll bread yet after consecration it is dignyfyed by the name of the thing whych it representeth as at lengthe is declared before in the proces of transubstantiation and speciallye in the woordes of Theodoretus And as the bread is a corporal meat and corporally eaten so saith S. Ambrose is the bodye of Christe a spirituall meate and spiritually eaten and that requireth no corporall presence Now let vs examine S. Iohn Chrysostome who in sounde of woordes maketh moste for the aduersaries of the truthe but they that bee familyar and acquainted with Chrysostomes maner of speaking how in all his writinges hee is full of allusions schemes tropes and figures shall soone perceyue that he healpeth nothyng their purposes as it shal wel appeare by the discussyng of those places whiche the Papistes do allege of him whiche bee specially two One is in sermone de Eucharistia in Encaenijs And the other is De perditione Iudae And as touchyng the first no maÌ„ can speake more plainly against them than sainct Iohn Chrysostome speaketh in that sermone Wherefore it is to be woÌ„dered why they should allege him for their partie vnlesse they be so blynde in their opinion that they can see nothyng nor decerne what maketh for them nor what against them For there he hath these woordes Whan you comme to these mysteries speakyng of the Lordes boorde and holy Communion do not thynke that you receyue by a man the body of God meanyng of Christe These bee S. Ihon Chrysostome his owne wordes in that place Than if we receiue not the body of Christe at the handes of a man Ergo the body of Christ is not really corporally and naturally in the sacrament and so geuen to vs by the priest And than it foloweth that all the Papistes bee lyars because they fayue and teache the contrary But this place of Chrysostome is touched before more at length in answeryng to the Papistes Transubstantiation Wherfore nowe shall be answered the other place whiche the allege of Chrysostome in these wordes Here he is present in the sacrament and dothe consecrate whiche garnished the table at the maundy or last supper For it is not man whiche maketh of the bread and wyne beyng set furth to be consecrated the body and bloud of Christe but it is Christe him selfe whiche for vs is crucifyed that maketh him selfe to bee there present The wordes are vttered and pronounced by the mouthe of the priest but the consecration is by the vertue myght and grace of God hym selfe And as this saying of God Increase be multiplied and fyl the yearth ones spoken by God toke alwayes effect towarde generation Euen so the saiyng of Christe This is my bodye â–ª beyng but ones spoken doth throughout all churches to this present and shall to his last commyng geue force and strength to this sacrifice Thus farre they reherse of Chrysostomes wordes Whiche woordes although they sound muche for their purpose yet if they be throughly considered and coÌ„ferred with other places of the same author it shall well appeare that he mente nothyng lesse than that Christes bodye should be corporally and naturally preseÌ„t in the bread and wyne but that in suche sorte he is in heauen only and in our myndes by fayth we ascend vp into heauen to eat him there although sacramentally as in a signe and figure he be in the bread and wyne and so is he also in the water of Baptisme in theim that rightly receiue the bread wyne he is in a much more perfectioÌ„ than corporally whiche should auayle them nothyng but in them he is spiritually with his diuine power geuing them eternall lyfe And as in the first creation of the world al lyuyng creatures had their first life by gods only word for god only spake his word and al thinges were created by and by accordingly and after their creation hee spake these woordes Increase and multiply â–ª and by the vertue of those wordes al thinges haue gendred and increaced euer sithens that tyme euen so after that Christe sayd Eate this is my body Drink this is my bloud Do this hereafter in remembrance of me by vertu of these words and not by vertu of any man the bread and wine be so consecrated that who so euer with a lyuely faithe dothe eate that bread and drink that wine doth spiritually eate drynke and feede vpon Christe syttynge in heauen with his father And this is the whole meanynge of S. Chrysostome And therefore dooeth hee so often saye that wee receaue Christe in baptisme and whanne he hathe spoken of the receauinge of hym in the holy Communion by and by he speaketh of the receauing of him in baptisme withoute declarynge any diuersytee of his presence in the one from his presence in the other He saieth also in many places that we ascende into heauen and do eate Christe sittinge there aboue AND where S. Chrysostome â—nd other Authors doo speake of the wonderfull operation of God in his sacramentes passynge all mannes wytte senses and reason he meaneth not of the workyng of God in the water bread and wyne but of the meruaylous workyng of God in the hartes of them that receaue the sacramentes secretely inwardly and spiritually transformyng them renuyng fedyng comfortyng and nourishyng them with his fleshe and bloud thorough his most holy spirite the same fleshe and bloud styll remaynyng in heauen Thus is this place of Chrysostome sufficiently answered vnto And yf any man requyre any more than let hym looke what is recited of the same author before in the matter of transubstantiation Yet furthermore they bryng for theim Theophilus Alexandrinus who as they alledge saieth thus CHRISTE gyuynge thankes dydde breake which also we do addynge therto praier And he gaue vnto them sayeng Take this is my body this that I doo now gyue and that whiche ye nowe doo take For the breade is not a figure onely of Christes body but it is chaunged into the very body of Christe For Christ saith The bread whiche I wyll geue you is my fleshe Neuerthelesse the fleshe of Christ is not sene for our weakenesse but bread and wyne ar familiar vnto vs. And surely yf we shoulde visibly see fleshe and bloude we coulde not abyde it And therefore our Lord bearing with our weakenes doth reteyne and keepe the forme and apparaunce of bread and wyne
Adam is spirituall therefore our generation by hym muste be spirituall our feedyng muste bee lykewise spirituall And our spirituall generation by hym is playnly set forth in baptisme and our spirituall meate and foode is set foorth in the holy Cōmunion supper of the Lorde And because our sightes bee so feble that we cannot see the spiritual water wherwith we be washed in baptisme nor the spiritual meat wherwith we be fedde at the Lordes table therfore to healpe oure infirmities and to make vs the better to see the same with a pure fayth our sauiour Christ hath set furth the same as it were before our eyes by sensible signes and tokens whiche we be daily vsed and accustomed vnto And because the common custome of men is to washe in water therfore our spiritual regeneration in Christe or spirituall washyng in his blud is declared vnto vs in baptisme by water Lykewise oure spiritual norishement feadyng in Christ is sette before oure eyes by bread and wyne because they be meates and drynkes whiche chiefly and vsually we be fedde withal that as they feade the body so doth Christe with his fleshe and bloud spiritually feade the soule And therefore the bread and wyne bee called examples of Christes fleshe and bloud and also they be called his very fleshe and blode to signifie vnto vs that as they feade vs carnally so do they admonishe vs that Christe with his fleshe and bloud doth feade vs spiritually and moste truely vnto euerlastyng life And as almyghty God by his moste myghty worde and his hollye spirite and infinite power brought forth all creatures in the begynnyng and euer sithens hath preserued theym euen so by the same worde and power he woorketh in vs from time to tyme this meruailous spiritual generation wonderfull spirituall norishment feedyng which is wrought onely by God and is comprehended and receiued of vs by fayth And as bread and drynke by natural norishement be chaunged into a mannes body and yet the body is not chaunged but the same that it was before so although the bread and wyne be sacramentally chaunged into Christes body yet his body is the same and in the same place that it was before that is to say in heauen without any alteracion of the same And the bread and wyne bee not so chaunged into the fleshe and bloud of Christ that they bee made one nature but they remayne styll distinct in nature so that the bread in it selfe is not his fleshe the wyne his bloud but vnto them that worthely eate and drinke the bread and wyne to them the bread and wyne be his flesh and bloud that is to say by thynges naturall and whiche they be accustomed vnto they bee exalted vnto thynges aboue nature For y ◠sacramental bread and wyne be not base and naked figures but so pithy and effectuous that whosoeuer worthely eateth them eateth spiritually Christes fleshe and bloud and hath by them euerlastyng life Wherfore whosoeuer cōmeth to the Lordes table must come with all humilitee feare reuerence and puritie of life as to receiue not onely bread and wyne but also our sauior Christ both God and man with al his benefites to the relief and sustētacion both of their bodies and soules This is briefly the summe and true meanyng of Damascene concernyng this matter Wherfore they that gather of hym either the natural presence of Christes body in the sacramētes of bread and wyne or the adoration of the outward and visible sacrament or that after the cōsecracion there remayneth no bread nor wyne nor other substaunce but onely the substaunce of the body and bloude of Christe eyther they vnderstand not Damascen or els of wilful frowardnes they wyll not vnderstande hym whyche rather seemeth to bee true by suche collections as they haue vniustly gathered noted out of him For although he say that Christe is the spirituall meate yet as in baptisme the holy ghost is not in the water but in hym that is vnfaynedly baptised so Damascene ment not y t Christ is in the bread but in hym y t worthily eateth the bred And though he say that the bread is Christes body and the wyne his bloud yet he mente not that the bread considered in it selfe or the wyne in it selfe beyng not receyued is his fleshe and bloud but to suche as by vnfayned faith woorthely receyue the breade and wyne to suche the breade and wyne are called by Damascene the body and bloude of Christe bycause that suche persons through the workyng of the holy gost be so knytte and vnited spirituallye to Christes fleshe and bloude and to his diuinitee also that they bee fedde with them vnto euerlastyng life Furthermore Damascene sayeth not that the sacrament should be worshipped and adored as the Papistes terme it whiche is playne ydolatrye but we must worship Christ God and man And yet we may not worship him in bread and wyne but sittyng in heauen with his father and beyng spiritually within our selues Nor he sayeth not that there remayneth no bread nor wyne nor none other substaunce but onely the substaunce of the body and bloud of Christe but he sayeth playnely that as a burnyng coale is not wodde onely but fyre wodde ioyned together so the bread of the Cōmunion is not bread onely but bread ioyned to the diuinitee But those that say that there is none other substance but the substāce of the body and bloud of Christe doo not onely denye that there is bread and wyne but by force they must denye also that there is either Christes diuinitee or his soule For if the fleshe and bloud the soule and diuinitee of Christe bee foure substances and in the sacrament be but two of them that is to say his fleshe and bloud than where be his soule and diuinitee And thus these men diuide Iesus separatyng his diuinitee from his humanitee Of whom sainct Ihon sayeth Whosoeuer diuideth Iesus is not of God but he is Antichrist And moreouer these men do so separate Christes body from his membres in the sacrament that they leaue hym no mans body at all For as Damascene saith that the distinction of membres pertayne so muche to the nature of a mannes body that where there is no suche distinction there is no perfecte mans body But by these Papistes doctrine there is no suche distinction of membres in the sacramente for eyther there is no head fete handes armes legges mouthe eyes and nose at all or elles all is heade all feete all handes all armes all legges all mouthe all eyes and all nose And so they make of Christes body no mannes bodye at all Thus beynge confuted the Papistes errours as well concernyng Transubstantiation as the reall corporall and natural presence of Christ in the sacrament whiche were two principall pointes purposed in the begynnyng of this woorke Nowe it is tyme som thyng to speke of the third errour of the Papistes whyche is concernynge the