that his godhead and manhood be plucked asunder because we auouch that the naturall body of Christ is in heauen at the right hand of God the Father and yet his godhead to be euery where did not his godhead then fill heauen and earth when his naturall body was in a corner of the earth wheÌ„ it lay in the graue And may not nowe the Godhead fill the whole world and his naturall body be onely in heauen and the two natures not seuered Away then away with quarrels and let truth preuayle and tryumphe by the which the two natures of christ tyed togeather with the merueylous bonde of the vnion be distinguished but not seperated And truely to continue in the same resemblance of saint Basill the fyre doth not chaunge all the properties of the Iron for the Iron fyred and hotte is heauy falleth downward is a solidde and thicke body This is S. Basils meaning that these forces of the fyre be transferred into the Iron of the which the nature of the yroÌ„ is capable not those which ouer throwe the nature of the yron And in like manner that those forces and proprieties of the godhead be transferred into the body of Christ of the which the nature of the body is capable not those which ouerthrow the nature of the body For we must â—uer haue recourse to that worthy shying of S. Austen he gaue immortallity to his body but he tooke not awaye the nature of the body neyther is the godhead of the man so to be mainteined that the truth of the body be destroyed But why do I stand vpon this poynt why doth my spéech so long waÌ„der why doe I not open the spring of this controuersy For al this conteÌ„tion floweth froÌ„ the question aboute the presence of the naturall body of Christ being in the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ For if that matter be once ordered and adiudged the other will soone be ended But that is a matter of great importaunce of the greatest in the worlde it oughte not to be handled but warely and reuerently most warely and most reuerently Your good name shal be rent with the bad spéeches not only of the enemies but of the enuious I refer that to god The matter is very hard The questyon to too darke discoursed in Sermons Jossed in disputations varyed of through all Christendome and as it should séeme of passing great difficulty God will helpe out with that whose both helpe we most humbly pray and busines most faythfully do out of whose most blessed and most certayne most true wordes all the reste of our spéeche shall grow It is written in the .26 Chapter of the Gospell after S. Mathewe in this wise when Jesus had taken bread and blest he did breake and gaue to the Disciples and sayd take ye eate ye this is my body And taking the Cup after he had geuen thanks he gaue to them saying drink all ye of this For this is my blood of the new Testament which is shed for many for the forgeuenesse of sinnes And in the .14 after S. Marke when Jesus had taken the bread and geuen thanks he did breake and gaue to them and sayd Take yée eate yée this is my body and when he had taken the Cuppe and geuen thanks he gaue to them and sayd Drinke ye all of this and he sayde to them this is my blood of the newe testament which is shead for many And in the .22 after S. Luke when he had taken bread and geuen thankes he brake and gaue to them saying This is my body which is geuen for you doe you this in remembraunce of me Likewise also the cuppe after he had supped saying This cuppe is the new testameÌ„t in my blood which is shed for many Lastly saint Paule to the Corinthians the .xj. Chapter and the fyrst Epistle The Lorde tooke breade and when he had giuen thankes he brake and said Take ye eate ye this is my body which is broken for you do ye this in remembrance of me Likewise also the cup after he had supped saying this cup is the newe testament in my bloude Doe ye thys as often as you shall drinke in remembraunce of me For as oft as you shall eate this bread and drinke of this cup you shall shewe the Lordes death vntill his comming I haue set downe the whole words of the holye ghost done out of greeke into Englishe worde by worde That so good a foundation being layde the rest that foloweth myght be the more fyrmly builded thervpon Let vs nowe view and waigh all these things Christ toke the same bread in his hande which was vpon the table Christ gaue to his Disciples the same breade and whiles he was giuing the breade to his disciples he speaketh as before whiles his Disciples eate this breade whiles they did broose it with their téeth and swallowed it into their stomaks where was christ was be not at the table did he not speak to theÌ„ did he not both eate drink with them was he not séene hearde and touched In which place was the bodye of Christ In the mouth and stomack of his disciples or at the table where they both sawe Christ and heard Christ if you say in both places Then this followeth That eyther Christ had two bodies or else that there was two christs both which aunsweres be very vngodly and absurde But you wil say the words be plaine for Christ saide plainely and distinctly This is my body This is my bloude Neyther is it lyke that Christ woulde speake doubtfully in the last talke that he had with his disciples I graunt the words be plaine after the maner of misteries in the which things subiect to the sense doe represent and shewe things which be taken onely of a godly minde and by a religious fayth I graunt that Christ gaue his bodye and that his Disciples toke it and eate it not after a naturall and grosse maner but after a supernaturall that is he heauenly and spirituall What then doe you denie that the breade is the bodye of Christ That the wine is the bloud of Christ not I truely But I saye that they be so in truth of religion sacrament and mistery and not by chaunging of nature element or substaunce For Christ doth call the breade his body but he doth not say that it is chaunged into his bodye Then you call it breade and the holye writer of this holy Storie doth himselfe call it breade the wordes be these He toke breade he gaue thankes he brake he gaue doth he not meane by this circumstance of wordes to make the matter plaine I praye you what toke he bread What brake he the same bread What gaue he the same bread For that that he toke that he brake and that that he brake that he gaue to hys Disciples and that that he gaue to his disciples that did his disciples eate But bicause it is a mistery
oblation thereof once made vpoÌ„ the Crosse hath sanctifyed vs for euer and hath purchased for vs euerlasting redemption and that there is none other name or sacrifice vnder heauen wherby we can be saued but only by the name of Jesus christ That these things ought to make the heart to tremble For that therin is laid forth the mistery that was hidde from worlds and generations the horrour of sinne the death of the sonne of God that he tooke our heauinesse and bare our sorrowes and was wounded for our offences and was rent and tormeÌ„ted for our wickednesse that he was carryed like an innocente Lambe vnto the flaughter that he cried vnto his Father O God my God why haste thou for saken me There we call to remembraunce the shame of the Crosse the darckning of the ayre the shaking of the earth the renting of the vale the cleaning of the rockes the opening of the graues how Christ came to his passion how he was wounded in the syde howe blood and water issued and streamed froÌ„ his wounde They thinke it ynough to bow the knées of the body to stretche forth the handes of the body to lifte vp the eyes of the body and to looke vppon the sacramentall bread and the sacramentall Cuppe and that they thinke might serue once a yeare We teach quarterly monthly weekely dayly to bow the knées of the body and the knées of the seule to stretch forth the handes of the body and the handes of the soule to lift vp the eyes of the body and the eyes of the soule and by farth the mouth of the soule to feede of the blessed glorious body of our Lord sauiour christ Jesus They teach that in it they doe eate the naturall body of Christ and drinke the naturall blood of Christe naturally and seÌ„sibly But by this spiritual faithfull and heauenly receipt of the blessed sacrameÌ„t we say teach and beleeue that we receaue though not naturally and corporally yet spiritually truely and effectually our Lord and sauyour Christ Jesus the true and naturall sonne of God consubstantiall and coequall with the Father in all poyntes and that hée is made vnto vs the fulnesse of all grace and truth The Lambe of God that taketh away our sinnes the ladder gate of heauen the aduaunced Serpent that healeth our poysoned soules the sonne of God that reconsileth vs to the father the bread of life the light of the worlde the dore the way the truth the life to be briefe a full and perfect helth wisdome rightcousnesse redemption satisfaction and saluation They thinke they doe much aduance she omnipotent power of God greatly exercise their faith for that they teach and beleue that the substaunce of the breade is changed into the substance of the body of Christ and the substaunce of wine into the substance of the bloude of Christ naturally corporally and really We knowe that we doe a great deale more aduaunce the omnipotent power of God and more mightily exercise our faith and further carrie our selues from sence and reason in beleeuing the inuistble but most marueylous graces blessings that God hath graunted and appointed to this most blessed sacrament For we beleue that we spiritually heauenly truely and effectually eate the fleshe of Christ and drinke his bloude Dwell in Christ and Christ in vs be one with Christ and Christ with vs that our sinneful bodies be made cleane by his body and our soules washed thorowe his most precious bloude that we be assured of the forgiuenesse of oure sins and all other benefits of the death and passion of Jesus Christ that we be filled with heauenly grace and benediction that we be assured of God his fauor and goodnesse towarde vs that we be liuely members incorporated in the misticall bodye of Christ Jesus and be beyres thorowe hope of his euerlasting kingdome The Lorde Jesus for his mercie sake graunte vnto vs his heauenlye grace that we may abandon sence reason and our owne fansies and so by fayth builde vpon the rock of his worde and institution that we maye be partakers of the fruits and ioyes purchased by his death and geuen graunted sealed deliuered and possessed of the Christian heart by the true and faithfull recept of that most holye and blessed Sacrament FINIS Rom. 1. 〈…〉 August â–ª ad Dardanum Tertullianus aduâ—rgus Praxâ—am Hiâ—ron â–ª tomo 1. epist. ad Eustoch Aug. lib. 26. cap. 5. Theodor. in 3. dial Basillius lib. de â—â— 5. Vigilius in dâ—all Cirillus lib. 〈…〉 cap. 1. Theodo dial 2. Cirillus lib. 2. tom â— de Trinitate August in Iohan. tract 30. Theodoretus Cirillus August Iustinianus lib. institut Aug. ad Dard. Act. 17. Aug. in Ioh. tract 56. Aug. liber de essente diuinite Cirill tract 59. Gregorius Beda Fulgenti ad trac in Vigilius John. 16. Coloss 3. Acts. 2. Irenens Ambrâ—s Iâ—â—eron Vigilius Aug. Vigillus lib. 2. contra Eâ—ty Theodoretus Iohan. prâ—â— Math 26. Coloss 1. Coloss 2. Simile Basill Math. 26. Marck 14. Luke 22. 1. Cor. 11. Thomas Aquinas Augustinus Horatio Chrisost Theodoretus Theodoretus August August August Iabriel Biel.
let vs runne ouer againe from the beginning the foresaide braunches and let vs search in euery one howe eyther the power of the maker is plainely knewne by the number of things made or hys wisedome by the beauty or hys mercie by the profitablenesse And bycause the number was the first in parting it ought to be the first in searching Therfore marke well what I shall say ⧠The first branche WHen there was nothyng to make somthing how great power was it yea what sence can perceaue what power it is so of nothing to make something yea some one thing although verie little if then it be such power of nothing to make some verye little thing that it cannot be taken by anye sence what power is it to be thought to be to make so many things Howe manye Number the starres of the skie the sande of the sea the dust of the earth the droppes of water the feathers of birdes the seales of fyshes the heires of beasts the grasses of fields the leaues or fruites of trées and thousandes thousandes moe that cannot be reckened Things that cannot be numbred be like things vnlyke things or both together which be lyke things Things of one kinde As man and man Lion and Lion Egle and Egle Babion and Babion euerye of these and other such in their kinde be like Which be vnlyke things such as be indued with diuers qualities as a man and a Lion a Lion an Egle an Egle and a Babian these be one vnlyke to another Which be of both sortes All things vewed together Nowe marke howe there be innumerable in things like things vnlyke and things of both sortes Man is one kind but there is not one onely man for who can sette downe the iust number of men Lyon is one kind but there is not one only Lyon for who can set down the iust number of Lions And so there be infynite kinds of things in other things without number and in euery kinde infynite lyke things And altogether infynite without number But peraduenture some will say that he that made so manye things made them little things but coulde not make many and great together Let him consyder what it is to measure the hugenes of the mountaynes the courses of the waters the spaces of the feyldes the heyght of heauen the depth of the sea Thou marueylest that thou canst not doe it But thou shalte doe better to espye that occasion is ministred vnto thée to prayse GOD in that thou canst not do it To those that consyder of the number of the creatures we haue giuen a kind of tast Nowe will we go about to set forth the beautie of the same Although the beautie of the creatures resteth in many and diuers pointes yet there be some chiefely in the which all the beautie of the same doeth stande Sight mouing shape and quality The which if a man were able fully to search out he should fynde with all them the meruaylous light of God his wisdome And woulde God I coulde as plainely spie them and as fully set them downe as I doe earnestlie loue them for it delighteth me greatly bicause it is excéeding sweete and pleasant often to deale about those things for both the sence is taught by reason and the minde delighted with swéetenes and the affection stirred vp with further desire insomuch that amazed and meruayling we crye oute with good King Dauid How maruaylous are thy workes O Lorde in thy wisdome hast thou made all things thou hast delyghted me with thy handye workes of thy hands and in the works of thy handes wyll I reioyce An vnwise man doth not knowe this and a foole doth not consider of it For the whole world which is knowne by sence is as it were a booke written with the fynger of God That is to say made by the power of God And euery y creatures be as it were certaine letters founde out not by the skill of man but ordeyned by the iudgement of God to make knowne and as it were after a certaine maner to signify the inuysible wisdome of god And as an vnlearned man sée a booke open he looketh vpon the letters but knoweth not what they meane So a foolishe man and carnall doth not vnderstande the things that be of God but in these séene creatures he beholdeth the outwarde shape but doth not perceyue the wisedome of God in them But he that is of the spirite and can giue true iudgement of all things in that that is outward doth beholde the beautie of the worke and inwardlye spyeth how marueylously the wisedome of the maker is And therefore there is none but he meruayleth at GOD hys works For the foolish and vnwise man doth wonder at only the outward shape but the wise man by that which he séeth outwardlye doeth picke out the déepe knowledge of God his wisedome as if in one and the selfe same wryting one man praise the colour and proportion of the letters and an other the sence and meaning Therfore it is very good continually to beholde and looke vppon the workes of God but so him which cannot tourne the beautie of bodily thinges to an heauenlye vse for therefore the worde of God doth so often moue vs to think vpon the wonderfull workes of God that by the outward things which we sée we may come to the knowledge of inward truth Wherevpon King Dauid doeth tell it often as a great matter that he hath so done and promyseth styll so to doe saying I haue remembered thy dayes of olde and haue mused vpon the workes of thy handes and will be exercised in thy wisedomes Herevpon also the Prophete Esay doth say to certayne which not knowing their Creator doe giue vnto the creatures the honor due to god Who hath measured the waters in his fyst and compassed the Heauens with his spanne and comprehended the dust of the earth with his fyngers or hath weyghed the Mountaynes in hys skayles and the hilles in ballances He that sitteth vpon the circle of the earth and before whom the inhabitants therof be as Grashoppers he that stretcheth out the heauens as a Curtaine spreadeth thē out as a Tent to dwell in And agayne King Dauid sayeth in another place reproouing the worshipping of Images All the Gods of the gentyls be Deuils but the Lorde hath made the heauens Why then doe you thinke that the workes of God be so plainly aduouched to maintaine the true goohead and that it is saide the Lorde made the heauens but bicause the creature well cōsidered doth teach a man to know his Creator Let vs also therfore note the wonderfull workes of God by the bewtyfulnesse of the things made let vs seeke out that bewtiful most bewtiful of al bewtifull things which is so merueylous vnspeakable that al bewty in respect of it is nothing And if it were any thing in déede yet in no poynt to be cōpared to it And bicause we haue sayd before
but had not his purpose then he plucked forth the shirt of Iuâ—ius Caesar all to bée sprinckled with blood and sayd the forth before the eyes of the people which as soone as the people behealde with their eyes they were inflamed by and by as it were with the seÌ„sible old loue of their good Soueraigne and ran fourthwith fyred the houses of the traytors and killed them Euen so when the Preacher setteth forth the graces and mercies of God obtained to man by renting of the blessed body and shedding of the precious blood of the vnspotted Lambe Christ Jesus it moueth man much but when the said Preacher doth pluck forth the shirte of Christ be sprinckled with blood that is by breaking of bread sheweth to the eye how his body was broken and by drinking of the Wyne how his blood was shed it inflameth man as it were with the sensible old loue of his grand Soueraigne Christ Jesus The like example is drawen out of the holy writ wheÌ„ the Leuites wife was killed by the wickednesse of the Sabionittes he the said Leuite cut his wife into twelue péeces sent one péece to eche Tribe of Israell with this message that one might vpon necessity be lodged in the Citty of Gabia where his wife was not only most vngodly abused but also cruelly murthered which moued theÌ„ somewhat but when the messenger plucked forth the parts of the woman and shewed the head to one the arme to an other and so forth all the people by by were moued as one to reuenge that fact euen so when the preacher telleth the people of the whipping scourging of Christe of the nailing to the Crosse of the pearsing of his heart of the sweating dropping of water blood it moueth man much but when he sheweth vnto the eye in the wine as it were the droppes of Christes blood it moueth man a thousande times more to the remembraunce of his death and thanckfulnesse So that the Sacramentes be both most necessary for instruction and also for vse For he that contemneth to be renued by water and the holy ghost contemneth eternall saluation he that contemneth to eate of the sacramental bread and drinke of the sacramentall wyne contemneth to bée pertaker of the death passion of Christ For albeit the grace of God is not tyed to these ordinances yet because they were ordayned of our sauyour for the comfort and instructioÌ„ of his people and to moue them to be thankfull for the great benefites which they haue receiued froÌ„ God in christ to despise the same is to despise God and to run and to get eternal damnation and yet to bind God to the outward elementes and rytes is méere superstition And that this is not my doctrine but the ancient fathers I shall show briefelye and plainely by the most famous of them Origin which liued aboue xij hundred yeares agoe writing vpon the .xv. chapter of saint Mathew saieth thus it is not the materiall substaunce of bread but the worde which is spoken ouer it that is profitable to the man that eateth it worthely And this I meane of the Tupical and simbâ—â—icall body of Christ Origin ascribeth all grace to the force of the word the worthinesse of the Receauer nameth the materiall substaunce of bread and calleth it the Tupical that is figuratiue and simbolical that is sacramentall body Before the bread sayeth Chrisostome to Cesarius the Monke be hallowed we call it bread but after the grace of God hath sanctifyed it by the meanes of the Minister it is deliuered new from the name of bread and estéemed worth to be called the body of Christ although the nature of bread remayneth still Theodoreto in his first dyalogue writing against Vtiches saieth thus he that calleth his naturall body Corne bread and nameth himselfe a vine trée euen he the same hath honored the sacramentall signes with the names of his body bloud not chaunging in déede the nature it self but adding grace vnto the nature Theodorete doth saye that Christ did not in déede chaunge the nature of bread and wine but added grace vnto the nature by vertue whereof they receyued force to féede the soules of the faithfull receyuers which naturall breade and wine cannot doe Augustine vpon the 89. Psalme speaking in the name of our Lorde and Sauiour to his Disciples and recyting and expounding the wordes of the institution of this blessed sacrament sayth thus It is not this body that you doe sée that ye shall eate nor the bloud that the souldiours shall shed that shall crucify me that ye shall drinke but I doe commend vnto you a misterie which spirituallye vnderstoode shall giue you life Saint Augustine doth say that they did not eate of his naturall body for that was séene of them nor drinke his naturall bloode for that was shed of the souldiors And he addeth further to refute the bald gloses of the Scholemen that that is a misterie and is to be vnderstood spirituallye not really or corporally And although he take away the litterall sence and corporall pertaking yet doth he not take awaye the heauenly blessing and grace For he addeth which spiritually vnderstoode geueth life So that that is â—plaine slaunder that manye doe vrge against those that deny the reall and corporall presence make an heauenlye spirituall foode that they make nothing of this blessed sacrament For saint Augustine teacheth to vnderstande the wordes spiritually and yet affirmeth that spirituallye vnderstode they geue life The fyre simplie and naturally is adustine that is hath force to burne to the stone called Amanthos to the Vermine called Salamandra it is not adustie nor doth burne them Euen so the sacramentall breade and drinke be simply and properly spirituall but after a sort and by accident that is vnto the vnworthy receyuer it is not spiritual nor the body and bloud of Christ And the S. Augustine doth teach vs saying That Iudas did eate spiritual bread and he did eate the Lorde his bread but it was not to him spirituall it was not to him the Lorde Some also say we do make nothing of this most blessed sacrament Let any indifferent person consider who doeth more They ascribe and binde al the graces of the sacrifice to the intencion of the sacrificer For Gabriell Biell doeth saye that it belongeth to the priest to determine and limit the force vertue and grace of this sacrifice that it may be bestowed vpon such and suche néeding it as a rewarde to be geuen And Summa Angelica in the Masse The Masse sayeth he is auaileable vnto them vnto whom it pleaseth the Priest in his intencion to apply it We know teach beléeue and confesse in and by the faithfull recept of this blessed sacrameÌ„t that Christ his body is rent for our sins and that by his woundes we were all made whole that Christ in his bodye caryed our sinnes vpon the trée and by the