the heauenly thynges are visible But the thynges selues that are inuisible to be honoured in them The same Austen in the fifthe Chapitur of the tenth booke de ciuitaâ—e dei sayeth thus therfore the visyble sacrifice is a sacrament that is to say an holy signe or token of a sacrifice inuisible Hierome in the fowerth booke vpon Matthew and the sixth and twentieth chapitur wryteth in this wise To the entente that as in the prefiguracion of hym Melchisedech the priest and ministerie of the moste high God did whan he offred vp bread and wyne so Christ himself should represente the veritee and trueth of his body and bloud Bartram Bartram also wryteth in this manner by laying applying the testimonies of the holy scriptures and the sayinges of the fathers together it is most euidentlye proued and declared that the breade whiche is called the bodye of Christe and the cuppe whiche is called the bloud of Christe is a figure because it is a mysterie hath a further thyng hyd vnder it Tertulliaâ— And Tertullian agaynste the heretique Marcion in his fowerth booke the breade which he had taken in handes had distributed to his disciples he made it his bodye saying This is my body that is to saye a figure of my body Cypâ—ian Cyprian in his secound booke and third epistle we see in the water the pâ—ople to bee vnderstanded and in the wyne the bloud of Christ to bee vndâ—rstanded Ambrose in his booke whiche he made and entitled de his qui initiantur misterâ—is that is to â—aye of them that are entred to the ordre of the holy mysteries saieth in this manier Ambrose before the blissyng with the holy wordes another kynd is named but after the consecracion the body of Christ is signified The same Ambrose in the fifthe Chapitur of his fowerth booke entiled de sacramentis that is to saye of the Sacramentes Make and doe vnto vs that this our oblation maye bee reasonablye and acceptablye which is the figure of the body and bloud of our lorde Iesus Christe And the same Ambrose agayne vpon the eleuenth Chapitur of the former epistle of Paule to the Corinthians Wee beynge mindeful hereof in â—ating and drynkynge signifie the fleashe and bloude of Christe whiche were offered vp for vs and wythin a fâ—we lynes againe In the fourme and signe of whom wee receyue the misticall cuppe of hys bloud to the safegarde and defence of our soules Barnarde in hys Sermon whyche he made vpon the Lordes supper Barnarde speaketh in thys wyse Into hym herefore the Lorde drawynge nere vnto hys passion vouchsafed of his grace and fauour to clothe and couer hys disciples to the ende that his inuisible grace might be geuen and deliuered by some visible signe Chrisostome in the fyrste epistle to the Corinthians and the tenth chapitur Chrisostom For what do I call the coÌ„munion that we are all but one veray bodye What doth the breade signifieâ— the bodye of Christe What become they or what are they made that receyue itâ— the bodye of Christe Basilius in hys boke entitled Liturgia Basilius calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the sample or paterne or couÌ„terpaine of a thynge thys doth he cal it after the consecration And Austen in the thyrde booke Detrinitate and the fourth chapitur Austen The Apostle sayth he might by signifiynge haue preached and sette forthe the Lord Iesus Christe dyuerse and sondrye waies as one way by hys tonge and wordes or otherwise by hys epistles and writinges or els another waye by the Sacramente of hys bodye and bloude The same Austen in the boke that he writeth agaynste Adimanus hathe these wordes The Lord doubted not to say This is my body whan he gaue but the sygne of hys bodye And likewyse the same Austen vppon the thyrd psalme He admitted Iudas to hys mauÌ„dye in the which he gaue coÌ„mauÌ„ded vnto his disciples a figure of his body The same maÌ„ against Maximinus in the .iii. boke .xxii. chap. sayeth thus In the sacramentes it is diligentelye considered and regarded not that they were but what they shâ—we and signifie For the sacramentes are signes of thynges and are in veraye dede one thynge and yet signifie an other thyng By these places thou perceiuest seest yâ— the fathers and auÌ„cient wryters do not abhorre to put a signification of the body of Christ in this sacrameÌ„t but do playnly put that there is a significatioÌ„ of Christes body in the sacrameÌ„t Ferthermore we haue alredi shewed out of the holy scriptures The solutioÌ„ and confutation of the fourth reason that was first recited for traÌ„substaÌ„tiatioÌ„ that there are many suche maners of speakinge as to saye that thys or that thinge is suche a thyng or such a thing whaÌ„ the menyng is that this or yâ— thing signifieth such a thing or such a thiÌ„g Wher fore thys argument is playn blanke is brought to nought Therefore whaÌ„ they obiect yâ— Christ dyd not say that it did eyther signifie or represent hys body we make answere that yet neuertheles euen out of the scriptures it may so be taken that haue we proued lately inough before Neither do we as they thynke reason or argue after thys maner sort Thyskind maner of speking is so takeÌ„ in other places therfore it ought so to be taken here But we only make answere to theÌ„ who when they should proue their transubstanciatioÌ„ they brynge for their purpose thys texte Thys is my body which is the verie place that all the doubt and controuersie is of and of whose sence mening al the doubt is They obiecte agaynst vs the naked and symple texte and grate still therupon where as by other plaâ—â—s of the scriptures it is manifeste that their reason is nothynge firme nor substantial for so much as thys kinde of speakinge is oftentimes to be taken otherwise in the scriptures Many moo and other reasons we haue to proue our seÌ„tence and opinion of the sacramentes neyther dooe we brynge thys for anye of our argumentes but we do by thys reâ—son onely answere vnto them whan they laye such a phrase of speaking in our lappes and we â—aie that very often it doth signifie otherwise therefore we say that it is but a weake a feble coÌ„clusion or argumeÌ„t that they make by that reasoÌ„ The coÌ„futacioÌ„ of the sixte reason that was made for trâ—subsâ—anciation in the beginning of this worcke The reason afterward coÌ„cerning worshypping of it that if there were breade lefte remayning in the sacrameÌ„t theÌ„ the same bread should be worshiped in yâ— sacrameÌ„t But I wonder muche howe they be come thus so dainely so reuerent obseruers of the true worshyppinge seynge that in other matters both wood and pictures and images be worshipped among theÌ„ and prayed vnto But peraduenture they will saye they worship not the stockes or pictures but the thinges
A discourse or traictise of Petur Martyr Uermilla FloreÌ„tine the publyque reader of diuinitee in the Uniuersitee of Oxford wherin he openly declared his whole and determinate iudgemente concernynge the Sacrament of the Lordes supper in the sayde Uniuersitee The Right honble Charles Viscount Bruce of Ampthill Son and Heir Apparent of Thomas Earl of Ailesbury and Baron Bruce of Whorleton 1712 ¶ To the right honourable Sir Wylliam Parre knight Lord Parre Erle of Essex Marquesse of Northampton Lorde great Chamberlaine of Englande and Knight of the moste noble ordre of yÌ„â— Garter Nicolas Udall wisheth grace and peace in Christ with helthe honour and longe prosperitee PErusyng of late righte honourable and my synguler good Lorde a certayne discourse of the righte excellente Clerke Petur Martyr wryten in Latin concerning the Sacramente of the bodye and bloud of Christ whiche is of the Grâ—kes called Euchaâ—istia because it pertayneth to the remembraunce of his moste tendre goodnesse in redemyng the worlde and to rendreyng of perpetuall thankes vnto hym therfore I confesse I was with the sayde treatise woondrefully rauished For first and formost wheras by reason of innumerable abuses detestable erroures and foule abominacions through the crafty conueighauÌ„ce of the purpurate whore of Babylon by litel litell conueyghed into the Churche there is no poynet concerninge oure religion so ferre entrieked or darkned as the mistâ—rie of this â—acrament this wryter throughe his singuler gifte of grace his right profounde learnynge and his highe iudgemente aswell in the scriptures as also in the doctours and in the generall councell wadeth so depein searchyng and boultyng out the trueth of this matâ—er that he maketh it so clere so plaine and so euâ—dent to all mennes yâ—es whiche either can or wyl see that neither there can now be any ferther doubtyng of the veritee and trueth of thys sacramente What it is nor any more bee saied for the right institucion and ordre therof how it should be vsed Wherfore me thought I could not better employ or bestow my trauaill then in translatynge this tractise into the Englyshe tounge to thentente that so profytable a thinge might not bee hiddden from the people which hauynge bothe an earnest zele to enbrace the trueth and a readye wille to folowe the kynges maiestees moste godly procedynges are muche hindred and kept backe from their desire partelye through ignoraunce because thei are not duely enstructed taught thâ—rin and partely through the malice of the moste peruerse Papistycall leaueners of Chystes doctryne whiche to mainteyne theyr owne lucâ—e and glorye ceasse not as Antechrystes owne trustie knyghtes to weorke as muche as in theym lyeth that the symple people maye styll continue in blyndenesse and errour But all prayse all thankes all laude and glorye be vnto oure moste louynge heauenly father and to hys onelye begotten sonne Iesus Chryste oure lord with the holy ghoste proceding from theim both who haue iâ— these oure dayes so opened the yies of the worlde that not onely the iugleyng sleyghtes of the Romysh Babylon be so throughly espyed that they can no longer deceiue and hir moste cruell tyrannye so vanquyshed that she maye nowe no longer reygne in Chrysten peoples consciences as she hath by goddes sufferaunce for oure synfulnesse many longe yeres dooen Neither is it possible that the excedynge mercye and fauour of god towardes this royalme of Englande maie more euidently appere then it is by these two tokens folowinge declared the one that it hath pleased him by his moste puissaunt and mightefull arme to deliuer vs oute of the bondage of this Romishe Egipte ferre passinge the yoke seruitude whyche the children of Isarel suffred vnder Pharao and the other that of his espiciall grace he hath vouchesalued to open the yies of oure hertes that we maye see the trueth and to giue vnto thys royalme the righte knowelege concernynge thys moste holy sacramente whiche the subtille and craftie illusyon of Sathan by the instrumente of the saide purpurate whoore of Babylon had made of a moste pure fountayne of water springinge vp into euerlastinge life a foule stynking puddle of idolatrie and supersticyon to endelesse damnacyon of a most precious and heauen iewel a most vile and deyulyshe abominacyon of a moste comfortable medycyne a most deadly present poyson Blissed therfore be the name of the lord our god for euer euer who of his infynite mercy botomlesse goodnesse hath cast his most fauourable yie vpoÌ„ this royalme of EnglaÌ„d illumining the hertes of the same most gladly and cherefully to enbrace his ghospell and giuing vs to ouâ—e Kinge suche a Godlye Iosyas as in his tender yeares of childehoode neither forgeateth ne ceasseth with the moste feythfull aduise and trustie assistence of his moste noble sapient Counsaylours to trauayle aswell that the woorde of God maye bee syncerely and purelye set foorthe and taughte vnto all his moste derely beloued subiectes as also that this sacramente of the Lordes body and bloude maye bee reduced to the right vse accordyng to the first institucion therof in the primatiue Churche And forasmuch as the whole processe of this discourse is bothe consonaunt vnto the worde of God that it cannot be doubted of but that it is true and also so iustely agreynge with the kinges Maiestees moste godly procedinges that the people maye by readyng or hearyng herof be throughly satisfied and perswaded vniuersally to enbrace and folow the other I thinke it as I haue said a weorke right expedient and necessary to be hadde in the Englishe toungue aswell for the instruction of suche as can reade as also for the helpe of some good persones curates whiche though they haue a good zele forwardnes to set forth the kiÌ„ges maiesties most christian procedynges yet for defaulte of sufficiente learnyng the more is the pietee are not of themselues hable neither throughly to enstructe their flocke of all the trueth nor to satisfy the ignoraunt in suche doubtfull cases or questions as maye haplye aryse aboute this matier nor finally to stoppe the mouthes of sedicious Papistes or of suche as are malicious and indurate enemies againste the pure doctrine of Christes ghospell And althoughe in treactynge of suche hygh matiers it can not bee auoided but that by reason of some schoole termes or argumentes there must nedes bee many thynges that maye seme to passe the capacitee and vnderstanding of the vnlettred sorte yet is not suche a notable good weorke as this discourse of Petur Martyr or as his disputacions vpon the same matier therfore to bee suppressed or kepte as it wer hidden vnder the bushel For yf no booke should bee sette foorth but suche as euery bodye yea euen of the vnlearned and grosse multitude mighte bee hable to vnderstande whan they heare it or reade it than what should Chauncer Goore Lidgate and others doe abrode whom some euen of the learned sorte doe in some places scarcely take than were it vayne to set foorthe Chronicles or
amonge hys disciples he made that breade hys bodye by sayinge Thys is my bodye That is to saye the fygure of my bodye but it shoulde not be a figure of hys bodye vnlesse the body hadde bene a verye true body in dede Origen Origen vpon the boke of Numeri in the .xvi. homilie we are said that we do not onely drinke Christes bloud whan it is ministred vnto vs in the ordinarye geuing of the Sacramentes but also whan we receiue his woordes Which self same thing also Hierome wrote in one place vpon the third chapitur of Ecclesiastes The same Origen also vpon the .xxvi. Chapitur of Matthew hath these wordes Panis iste quem deus verbum Corpus suum esse fatetur verbum est nutritorium animarum that is to saie this breade whiche god the woorde whiche is Christe dooeth plainelye affirme and saie bee his bodye is a woorde good and holsome to nourishe oure soules The same Origen also in the seuenthe homelie vpoÌ„ the booke of Moses entitled Leuiticus thus speaketh For euen in the ghospels also there is a litteral sense which killeth and not in the olde testameÌ„t onely For if ye folow the litteral sence in this sentence vnles ye eate my fleash c. And in thesame boke in the nynth homely doe not thou staigh nor dwel in the bloude of the fleashe but learne rather the bloude of the woorde and heare himselfe sayinge vnto thee that this is my bloode whiche is shed forthe for you The same Origen agayn vpon the fiftienth chapitur of Matthewe The breade that is halowed passeth into the bealie as touchyng his material parte and is cast forth into the draught c. And within a fewe woordes after he saieth thus Neither is it the matter or substaunce of the breade but it is goddes woorde spoken vpon the said breade whiche profiteth those that eate the same not vnworthely The same Origen in another place agaynst Celsus in the eight booke Celsus whan we haue geuen thankes for the benefites of God bestowed vpon vs we eate the breade whyche was offred Ciprian Cyprian in the syxte Epistle of the fyrste booke to Magnê° hath these wordes The lorde hauyng bread made of manye graynes of wheate ioyned togyther dothe call it hys bodye and hauynge wyne whyche was troden and pressed oute of manye clusters of grapes he calleth it hys bloud And the same Ciprian where he declareth and expouneth the Lordes prayer calleth the Lordes bodye breade And in hys sermon of the Lordes supper he sayeth that we dooe not whette or sharpen oure tethe but sayeth that wee breake or eate the breade onelye wyth a pure faith The same CipriaÌ„ in a sermon which he entitleth de chrismate that is of the Chrisme sayeth plainely that Sacramentes haue the names of those thynges whyche thynges they sygnifye Whychâ— two poyntes of callynge it breade and of eatynge it with sincere fayth onely it semeth that Austen dyd borow and take of hym the laste thynge Austen hath in hys epistle to Boniface and the other thing whan he sayd Quid paras dentem aut vetrem Crede et manducasti That is to saye why dost thou make readye thy toth or thy bealye beleue thou and thou hast eaten it And these wordes are in the fyue and twentye treasyse vpon Iohn But the same CipriaÌ„ in hys thyrde epistle of the seconde boke to Cecilius sayth that the bloude of Christe is shewed or sette forthe in the wyne And agaynste those menne whyche were called Aquarii he holdeth that the bloude of Christe can not appeare to be presente in the cuppe or chalyce if the wyne cease to be there whyche thynge shoulde so come to passe by the transubstantiation whyche these men do put And in hys sermon vpon the Lordes supperâ— he wryteth that the sygnes be chaunged into Christes body but yet in suche wyse that he taketh hys similitude of Christ him selfe in whom the humanitie or humaine nature appeared the godheade was not to be sene but was inuisible By whyche similitude ye see that he meaneth that lyke as two natures remayned in Christe so also in thys Sacramente two natures be reserued Also Ciprian in the thyrde epistle of the second boke hath these wordes After such sorte as neyther floure or meale alone or water alone can be Christes body vnlesse both thynges be ioygned coupled to gyther and made into one whole masse or lumpte by knyttynge it togyther into one breade or lofe wyth the whyche selfe same breade beynge nowe putte to the vse of a Sacrament our people is playnelye shewed and declared to be a people ioygned togyther in one Athanasius also declarynge these wordes of Christ. Athanasius If any man speake a worde agaynst the sonne of man it shall be forgeuen hym but he whiche speaketh agaynst the holy ghost shal neuer haue it pardened or for geueÌ„ him in thys world nor in the world to come wryteth in thys maner And howe greate a body should it be to bryng to passe that al the world shoulde eate and fede thereof But he bryngeth in afterwardes that the matter shuld be vnderstaÌ„ded spiritually and that Christe in that place therefore made mention and spake of his ascension againste the Capernaites Basilius Basilius in his boke entitled liturgia calleth the bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corpus Christi the exaumple or paterne or counterpaine of Christes body And this he sayeth to bee after the wordes of conâ—ecracion are once paste Dioâ—isius Dionisius in his weorke entitled de hierarchia Eclesiastica in the thyrd chapitur saythe The bishop openeth the bread which was couered and vndeuided and cutteth it in pieces Ambrose Ambrose declaryng the first epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s saieth Sith the entente of the matter is that this thing bee dooen for a memorial and remembraunce of Christe and of Christes death we in eatinng and drinkyng the Sacramente dooe signifye the fleashe and bloude of Christe which wer offred on the Crosse. And the same man about the same place saieth that we drynke of Christes mysticall cuppe for a figure of Christes bloud And in the fourthe chapitur of the fourth boke entitled de sacramentis that is to saie of the sacramentes where he putteth the chaunge of the signes he treateth also of our chaungynge into Christe and yet is there not anye transubstanciacion sayed to bee in suche as receiue the Sacrament And the same man in the same fowerth booke of the Sacramentes and the fourth chapitur saieth leat vs therefore make this by good reason how that thing whiche is nowe bread may be Christes body by consecracion of certain woordes pronounced ouer it And not many lines after he saieth If so great a strength and vertue bee in the woordes of the lorde that thynges begynne to be that thei were not afore how much more than can he weorke and bryng to passe that those thinges maye still remayne the same that they were before
thynges that they haue taken the names of Ortho. of his bodye and bloude is it than that thou saiest Aduer yea euen so doe I saye Ortho. Thou hast saied euen truely For the Lorde whan he tooke the figure in his hande sayed not This is my godheade but this is my body And again This is my bloâ—d And in another place But the breade whiche I shall geue is my fleashe whiche I wyll geue for the life of the world Aduer In dede al this is veray true For they be the lordes wordes Ortho. And certes if it be all true than the Lorde had veraily a body Aduer But I saye that he is without a body Ortho. But thou confessest alreadie and canste not denye that a body he had Now the wordes of thesame Theodoritus out of his second dialogue Aduer Truelye it behoueth vs to vse all meanes wayes possible that we maye atteygne to the veritee and trueth of thynges but moste speciallye in the doctrines and opinions of diuinitie now propouned and put forthe at this presente to talke of Ortho. Tell me than those same mystical signes whiche are offred vnto god by the holye ministers of what thinges are thei the signes Aduer Of the Lordes bodye and bloud Ortho. Of his veraye true and reall body or not real Aduersari Of his true and reall bodye Orthodoxus Ueraye well saied For anye counterpaine muste needes bee the true counterpaine of the thyng that it shall resemble For the peinctures doe counterfayct and resemble nature and dooe peincte the ymages and lykenesses of suche thynges as are naturall and visible thinges in dede Auersari Ye true it is that thou sayest Ortho. Nowe than if those holy and godly mysteris bee paternes of a body that is a true body in dede than is the bodye euen nowe at this present the veraie bodye of oure Lorde And yet is not his bodye chaunged into the nature of his Godheade but it is replete fylled with the glorie of his Godhead Adue Thou hast in veraye good seasoÌ„ moued this present talke of these heaâ—â—nly mysteries For out of thesame will I shewe vnto thâ—e the chaungyng of the Lordes bodye iâ—to another nature Aunswer thou therfore vnto my questions that I shall put forth vnto thee Orthod I wyll aunswere vnto theim Aduersari That same gifte that is offred vp what dooest thou call it before the inuocation that the prieste or minister maketh Ortho. It behoueth not vs herein to speake opeÌ„ly in playn termes For it is veray lykely that some there be here present whiche are not as yet entred and â—nstructed in the profession of Christianitie Aduersa Well than leat thine aunswere bee mysticall and couerâ—ly sette foorth as it weâ— in a riddle Orthodoxus Than I saye it is an eatable thynge made of suche kynde of sede or graine Aduersa And the other figure by what name dooe we call it Ortho. This name is a common name also signifying a kynde of cuppe to drynke of Aduersari And after the halowyng of it by what name dooest thou calle these thynges Orthodoxus The bodye of Christe and the bloude of Christe Aduersari And dooest thou beleue thy selfe to receiue the body and bloud of Christe Orthodox Yea truely I beleue it Aduersari Than lyke as the â—ignes of the Lordes bodye and bloude are in dede one kynde of thynges before the inuocacion of the Priest or Minister and after the inuocacion thesame signes are chaunged and are made another kynde of thynges euen so the Lordes bodye too is after his assumption into heauen chaunged into the substaunce of his mere godhead Orthodoxus Loe thou arte nowâ— caught in thesame nette whiche thou haddeste sette to catche me in Note here that the signes doe not leue ne cast awaye nor lese theyr own pâ—oper nature For those same mystical signes doe not depart away out of theyr owne proper nature after the halo winge of theÌ„ For thei remaine styl in theyr former substauÌ„ce and their former shape and their former kinde and are euen as well seen and felt as thei wer afore But the thinges that are dooen are vnderstanded and are beleued and are wurshipped euen as thoughe thei wer in veray dede the thynges that are beleued Therfore compare nowe the ymage or firste paterne with the counterpayne and thou shalt see the similitude For the figure muste of necessitie bee agreable and aunswerable to the truith For the self same bodye hath verayly his owne former kynde his owne former shape his owne former circumscription that is to saye occupying of a rome and place accordyng to his quantitee if it wer so requisite and to speake plainly without any subtilties euen the very same corporall and bodely substaunce that it had before But from the tyme of his resurrection foorthwarde it became immortall and had ouercomed all corruptibilitee and was iudged worthie to bee placed in the seate of glorie whiche is on the right hande of God and wurshipped it is of all creatures as beyng the veray naturall bodye of our Lorde Aduer Yet neuerthelesse that same mysticall signe that we treate of dooeth chaunge the former name that it was called by For it is not afterwarde called by thesame name that it was called by afore but it is called the bodye c. The trueth therfore and the thing selfe of whiche this is the counterpayne oughte no more to be called God and no more to be called a body Ortho. Thou semest now to me a man that knoweth litell For it is not called the bodye onely but also the breade of life For so dyd the lorde himselfe call it It is in the Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to sai geuing lyfe which in the latin he calleth â— iâ—ificâ—â— that maketh aliue oâ— that maketh liue lye Yea and thissame body we call a diuine or heauenly body and a body that geueth lyfe and our maisters body and the lordes bodye teachynge that it is not a common body of any man indifferently without any choyce but the body of our Lorde Iesus Christe beeyng both God and man for Iesus Christe yesterday and this daye is one the same without any chaunge now and for euer and euer c. Chrisostome in his epistle to one Cesarius a manne than hadde geuen hym selfe to a solitarie lyfe Chrisostome wrytten in the tyme of his seconde banishemente ageynste Appollinarius and others whiche made no distinction betwixt the godhead and the humanitee or manhood in Christ and his Epistle is to bee had in the Library at Florence al though it be not printed Christ saieth he is both god and man God for his impassibilitee and man for his passion one sonne and one Lorde the veray self same without doubte that hath one power one dominion of the two natures ioyned together although thei be not consubstancial that is to saye of one substaunce but so ioyned together that euerie of them beyng seuerall without menglyng doeth still kepe a
figura corporis mâ—i that is to wete sayeth Tertullyan the signe of my bodye The obiection out of Origen aunswered vnto They brought in agaynst vs Origen also because he wrote that Christe graunted the breade to bee his bodye And that dooe not we denye but all oure controuersie dooeth consiste in the manier how it is Christes bodye And as touchyng this poynte Origen hymself sheweth playnly in other places of his weorkes that there be figures here and that this bread is called the word nutritiue of the solle and geueth a ferther lesson concernyng thesame that we muste not set our myndes to cleue and sticke to the bloude of the fleashe but to the bloud of the worde Cyprian answered vnto Ciprian semeth to speake more hardelye when he sayed that this breade is chaunged not in his shape or outwarde apparaunce but in his nature But we muste haue a regard and consideracion what he wrote to Caecisius Whiche was that the Lordes bloude was shewed foorth with the wyne and that if wine ceassed to bee in the cuppe it coulde not seme that Christes bloud was in the cup. And as touchyng that he writeth in this place of chaungeyng the wyne into bloud we graunted also that a chaunge there is but we affirme it to bee a sacramentall mutacion or chaunging none other And thus takyng it we graunt that it is not the shape of the bread or the fourme or the accidentes of the breade that haue suche office here as to be Sacramentes but we saye that the nature and the veraye substaunce of the breade and of the wyne is chaunged into the sacrameÌ„tes of Christes body and bloud And And as the veray substaunce of the bread and not the shape of the breade dooeth nourishe so Christes body dooeth bothe nourishe our soule and bringeth couÌ„forte and strengthe to our bodye And as the very substaunce of the breade is made of many graynes so the mystical bodye whiche it representeth hath many members or partes ioyned and vnited together Wherfore as well we as oure aduersaries dooe graunte that it is not the shape that is to saye the outwarde apparence and sight of the bread and the outwarde fashion of it that is chaunged but that it is the veray substaunce therof whiche is chauÌ„ged Now our aduersaries will haue that the chanÌ„ge is made by the castyng awaye of the breades nature but we doe holde that there is but onely a sacramentall chaunge And Cyprian himselfe maketh playnly agaynste our aduersaries For they dooe not saie that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged but they saye that the substaunce of the breade is vtterly gone so that they take the bread cleane awaye We saye that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged and so chaunged that it becometh Christes bodye that is to saye the sacrament of Christes body which it was not before A man maye also besides all this saye that this latine woorde natura is not euermore in the good auctoures of the latine tongue taken for substancia that is to saye substaunce but sometymes it is taken for one of these woordes vis the strength or vertue ingenium the nature or disposicion or propriâ—tas the propretee c. Whereof Cicero saieth in his booke entitled Desomnio scipionis The propre nature and strength of the solle is sayeth he that it is moued of it selfe And in an epistle to one Lentulus he writeth thus The nature the religion of thy prouince to be suche c. In whyche place the worde nature is taken for the fasshion and the disposicion or inclinacyon c. And euen in lyke manier is it to bee taken whan it is saied the nature of herbes or the nature of stones and so others like And thys sygnification of the worde nature dooeth veraie well agree with the saieyng of Ciprian afore cited The obâ—â—â—on oute of Ambrose answered â—nto They bring foorth Ambrose agaynste vs also and specyallye in his Bookes entitled de sacramentis Whyche bookes Ambrose dyd not make as som men thynke Fysher late bishoppe of Rochester dooeth inueighe in maner rage agaynst al suche as so thinke And he sayeth that we ought in any wyse to geue credite vnto Austen who auoucheth that Ambrose wrote the sayed bookes and was Auctour of theim and he testyfyeth in plaine woordes that Ambrose wrote these said bookes of the sacramentes And for proufe of the mattyer he allegeth the prologue of AusteÌ„ vpon hys bookes entitled de doctrina Christiana which prologue of Austen I haue often tymes reade But yet cold I neuer ther fynd that that fysher wrytteth vnlesse paraduenture he meane of that that Austen wroote in his boke of Retractacyons whan he maketh mencion of his bookes de doctrina Christiana and ther in dede he saith suche a thyng but not in the prologe of hys work de doctrine Christiana as fysher citeth it Morouer thys pointe I doe verai wel know that Austen wrytynge agaynste one Iulianus a pelagion dooeth allege Ambrose concernyng the Sacramente of rege neracyon or of philosophye But he mencyoneth not any woorde of these bookes of the misteries or of the sacrameÌ„tes And the wordes that AusteÌ„ alâ—egeth in that place are not in these bookes of the sacramentes But I passe not for thys Suppose that Ambrose were the autour and wryter of them they dooe not vtterly dissente or disagree from oure myndes in this mattier For many thynges he speaketh of sygnyfyeng and that these sacramentes bee called or sayd to bee Christes bodye whyche thynges we dooe not denye And in case he dooe at any tyme speake or make mencion of chauÌ„ging or turnyng thaÌ„ is it all together to be vnderstaÌ„ded of a sacramental chaungeyng Morouer he himselfe must be wel loked vpon weyghed what he writeth in other places Fyrst de officiis in the fourth booke and fowertie eight chapitur he hath these wordes here ensuyng In the one that is to saye in the old lawe is the shadowe and in the one is the ymage but in the other that is to saye in the newe lawe is the veritee in the law is the shadowe in the ghospell is the trueth and trueth there is in heauenly thynges In the olde lawe there was offred a lambe there was offred a calfe nowe in the newe lawe is Christe offered but he is offered as a man and as one that receiueth his passion but he himselfe offrethe himself as a priest that he maye putte awaye our synnes here as if wer in an Image or similitude there in veritee where he maketh intercessyon as an Aduocate for vs before hys father And vpon the fyrste epistle to the Corynthyens as we haue before alleged the same Ambrose thus sayeth In eatynge and drinkynge we dooe represente or sygnyfye the fleashe and bloude of Chryste whyche thynges bee offred And whan he speaketh of the bloud he saieth that we receiue the misticall cuppe in tipum â—ius that is to saye for a sygne of he
wyth the vaylle of feyth And these thynges are of suche sorte that beeyng tasted of they bryng death vnleste thei haue takeÌ„ some sawce bee it neuer so litel of yâ— * By the first fruictes of the spirite is ment some litel taste or porcion of the spirite though it bee not yet the ful gift perfectioÌ„ of the spirite Rom. viii fyrst fruictes of the spirite * He alludeth to the historie of the potte of pottage made wyth colloquintida in the land of Gylgal swetened of â—liseus wyth puttyng mele into the potte reade .iiii. King iiii There is vtterly to me death in the potteâ— except it bee swetened with the mele of the ê“phete And within a litel after he sayeth But with how great aboundaunce soeuer these thynges growe in fatnesse yet dooe not we wyth lyke pleasauntenesse receyue the rynde of the sacramente and the fatnesse of the wheate self feyth and hope remembrance of a thyng and the presence of the same euerlastyngnesse transitorinesse the true visage a glasse the image of God the shape of aboÌ„dman for in al these thynges my feyth is ryche but my vnderstaÌ„ding is veray pore And I praie you is vnderstaÌ„ding and beleuing of egual sauourynesse seyng that beleuing is vnto merite vnderstaÌ„ding vnto rewarde Thou seest as ferre oddes to bee betwene the ê“uenders as there is betwene the places And as the heaueÌ„s are exalted in heigth froÌ„ the yearth so are yâ— inhabitours in them Here thou seest that Bernard dooeth in plain open wordes make a coÌ„trariousnesse betwene the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of a thing the psence of the same and so betwene certain other thynges whyche dooe greatly auaille to thys matter But let vs returne to our aduersaries They haue of the fathers auncieÌ„t wrytters of the Churche whoÌ„ to laye agaynst vs that is to wete Ireneus who affirmeth the sacramente oâ— Eucharistia to coÌ„siste of two thynges the one yearthly the other heaueÌ„ly whiche self same thing Gelasius also doeth suppose But al this doeth not coÌ„clude sauing that if thou take al the whole sacrameÌ„te together make one thyng of the signe the thing signified thereby thaÌ„ dooe we grauÌ„te the same to coÌ„siste of two thynges How the sacramente is sayed to coÌ„sist of two thinges the one yearthli the other heauenly But if thou wouldest afterward putte as great as nere a coniuÌ„ctioÌ„ betwene the bread Christes bodi as there is betwene the diuine nature and the humaine nature in Christe this poincte wer in no wyse to bee grauÌ„ted For thaÌ„ there should of necessite one substauÌ„ce or subiecte bee made of the bread of Christes bodie so that they should neuer be plucked asonder or disseuered the one from the other whiche thinges wer vttrely against al reasoÌ„ Out of the rest of the fathers they obiecte for the most parte the self same thinges that the traÌ„substaÌ„ciatours cited before But now leat vs see what those ê‘sones whyche embrace the thyrd opinioÌ„ dooe saye against these men Fyrst formeste thei dooe not admitte the said scatering abroade of Christes bodie in suche sorte that it maye bee euerye where Obiections against this opinion of the coâ—poraâ— pâ—esence of Christe in the sacramente because it is a thing repugnaÌ„t to the nature of maÌ„ And AusteÌ„ to Dardanus doeth in moste plain woordes wryte to the coÌ„trarie SecoÌ„dly they wyl nedes haue yâ— the eating whyche is putte in the sixth of Ihon thys last eatyng at the lordes supper bee vtterly al one sauing that here in this later eating there bee added outward â—ignes of breade and wyne And the thyng they proue by thys argumente because Ihon for somuche as he had once afore made meÌ„cioÌ„ of the eating whiche he wryteth of dooeth not afterward in the later parte of his ghospel make any meÌ„cion of the instituting of the sacrameÌ„t as the other EuaÌ„gelistes doe For he had sufficieÌ„tely wryteÌ„ al the geare afore And the summe of the doctrine whiche the others had leaft vnspoken Ihon did supply in the said sixth chapitur Neither is there any cause saye they why any person should allege yâ— coÌ„munioÌ„ to bee therefore superfluous The vtilitees of receiuing the coÌ„munion For by often receiuing of the communion we celebrate The lordes memorial and thankes geuing and the mynde is stirred vp by the representacioÌ„ of suche thynges as are there dooen neyther bee there conteined therin domâ—e signes but speakyng signes Besides thys there is there conteined a certain token or pledge wherbye the Christianes dooe note theym selfes ioygned and knitte together emong themselfes and with Chryste besydes this they professe their feyth concernyng the bodye of Chryste nailled on the crosse and concernynge his bloud that was shed forth for our redempcion For it is not enough to beleue with the herte but confession is made wyth the mouth too and not onelye wyth the mouthe but also wyth outewarde dooinges Neither dooe these men admitte that the others saie whiche is that the wycked also dooe receiue the bodye of Christe The wicked dooe not receiue christes bodye For our senses and reason dooe not reache vnto hym therefore it remaineth that he is receiued by feith Of the whyche feith forasmuche as the said parties are destitute they can haue nothing but the outeward signes And Paule wryteth thus Whoso eateth this breade vnwoorthyly c. and sayeth not whoso eateth the bodie of Christe vnwoorthily Ferthermore thei meruaille at these men whiche folowes the coÌ„trarie opinion that they should attribut remission of synnes vnto the saied corporal or bodyly eatyng of Christe For that is too admitte a worke that is accepted for the veray weorkyng or doyng of it wheras remissioÌ„ of synnes is not had but through feyth Thei dooe afterward lene and staygh altogether vpon the speakynges of Paule whan the lorde biddeth this to bee dooen in remembraunce in hym and his death to bee shewed til he come whyche wordes seme vnto them to declare the absence of Christes bodye and not hys presence But we haue elswhere geuen aduertisemeÌ„te that thys argumente is nothyng so strong nor substancial an argumente excepte it bee vnderstaÌ„ded of the bodie of Christe really corporally and naturally present For els forasmuche as it is receiued by feith it is not vnderstanded to bee vtterly absent though hys abydynge bee in heauen as touchyng his nature and his substauÌ„ce For he is eaten spiritually is thereby in veray true dede ioygned and knitte vnto vs. They allege after this the fathers who dooe in plain and manifest woordes geue a determinate sentence and saye precisely that here is a type or countrepaine a signe a figure of Christes bodye And they bryng in for theyr purpose twoo similitudes or comparisons One is of a frende vnto whom his frende that is absent is yet neuerthelesse sayed to bee present whaÌ„ his mynde or thought renneth on hym Also they putte many lookyng glasses whiche
opinioÌ„ that auoucheth transubstanciacion the ninthe the tenthe and the leuenth distinctions of his fourth boke And in a briefe summe to speake it thus in effect sayeth the booke Whyle the minister thereunto deputed and ordeined pronounceth the wordes of the Lordes institucion ouer matier and stuffe due and conueniente for the purpose that is to wete ouer bread wyne so that he haue an intencioÌ„ as they terme it so to do the substaunce of breade and wyne is conuerted and chauÌ„ged into the substauÌ„ce of the body and bloud of Christ and is in suche wise chaunged that the accidentes of the substaunce aswell that it is turned into as also that it is turned out of doe still remayne without a subiâ—cte whiche accidentes neuerthelesse manye wryters haue determined to rest in the body of Christ that the breade is tuâ—ned into But in dede that supposicioÌ„ is for this reason a false supposicion because that Christes body doeth not recraue any suche accidentes Some others haue laboured to constitute and appoynte the ayer as the naturall fundamente and subiecte of the saied accidentes which thing lykewise because it can not be proued al those for the moste part that are maynteyners and defendours of this sentence dooe agree that they are but as byhangers and dooe remayne withoute a subiecte Than ferther they wyll these accidentes whiche are seen felt tasted to signifie vnto vs the very true bodye of Christe whiche they conteyne within them couered and hidden From this they procede ferther and affirme this body of Christ the lyeth hyd vnder the sayed accidentes to be a signe aswell of the verye selfe body of Christ that haÌ„ged on the crosse as also of his body misticall that is to saye of the congregation and felowshyp of the electe sorte and predestinate Wherupon the Mayâ—â—er of the sentences affirmeth some thynge here to be that is onely a signe and that same doeth he put to be the likenesses and matiers visible and some other thyng agayne that is bothe the thynge and the signe too that is to wete the body of Christ that is hidden vnder the accidentes For the sayde bodye if it bee referred to the visible lykenesses of breade and wyne is the thyng selfâ— and in case ye haue respect to his body misticall it is a signe Another thynge also there is sayeth he whiche a man can by no mâ—anes saye to be a signe but to be the thyng onely that is to weete the body misticall because it is so signifyed that it is a thing present and no more a signe of any other or ferther thing to come The rest of the wordes whiche are sette before or after in the executing of these misteries he affirmeth to bee not of anye nâ—ceâ—sitie of the Sacramente but to be onelye thankes geuynge and prayers enterlaced And yf ye demaunde of them how sâ— great a body maye possibly be conteyned in suche a litle piece of breade they aunswere that it is noâ— by the waye of quantitie nor yet as other thinges that doe fyll vp a roome or a place or as they terme it definitiâ—ely that is to saye by circumscription of place but by the waye of substaunce and sacramentally as they cal it Neither doe they take it for thinges contrarie to reason that in this Sacrament two distincte bodyes should be conteyned in one selfe place For they are constreined to take that for one of theyr posions and conclusions For emiddes the accidentes of the breade there is a thing of quaÌ„titeâ— yea and the same of quantitee corporal Agayne they thynke it nothing agaiâ—st reasoÌ„ that one self body be verely in dinerse soÌ„dry places at once And graunt they do that a man of full groweth and statuâ—e as Christe was on the crosse and as he shall come to iudge the world is in veray true dede though inuisibly conteyned not onely in a litell cake of breade but also in the very least piece therof Many thynges mothere might yet be here brought in coÌ„cernyng this sentence but thus muche I thynke to be sufficiente for our discoursyng at this time Who so requireth any ferther to knowe of this mattier maye seke it in the Maister of the sentences in the places aboue cited with his expositours innumerable Now the Argumentes that they bringe for this conuersion or transubstanciacion The Argumentes for traâ—substanciacioÌ„ are these Fyrst formost The holy scripture doth enforce it For in the sixt of Iohn the lord promised that he wold geue his flâ—she not onely for the lyfe of the worlde but also to be eaten and added these wordes thereto Except a manne eate my fleashe and drinke my bloud he shal not haue life He moreouer affirmed hymselfe to bee the bread from heauen yea and the liuely breade whiche the father hadde geuen in which place he promised in playn wordes that he wolde geue hymselfe to be eatâ—n after the lykenesse of bread and the thyng that he promised he did truely and vprightly perfourme as the Euangelistes do beare witnesse that it was done at his last supper And that the thing which is geuen to eate is the lordes body Paule doeth playnly shew whaÌ„ he saieth Whoso eateth and drinketh it vnworthilye shall be guiltie of the bodye and bloude of the Lorde And agayne He eateth and drinketh iudgemente agaynste himselfe in that he maketh not a difference of the Lordes bodye But all the strength and pith of this argumente they auouche to consist in these wordes in which it is sayd This is my body which wordes they wil iÌ„ any wyse to be cleare to haue no nede of any ferther exposicion or declaracion And to vs say they for the reuerence that we oughe to the word of God it is behouable to beleue the wordes For the Euangeliste Mathew Marke and Luke doe with a full consent agree vpon those wordes yea and the Apostle Paule also in his former Epistle to the Corinthians And onlesse it were a mattier of great weyght and importaunce and so to be taken as it souneth without any ferther or other circuÌ„staunce the Apostles wold neuer with so greate concorde haue agreed among themselues That if it were a thing lawful with tropes that is to say with figurate maners of speakynges to defeact or auoyde it than shal nothyng saye they be safe ne sure for the Heretiques but that they wyl corrupte it with counterfaicte exposicions Secondarily such proposâ—cioÌ„s as these This is my body ought so to be taken that the former part of the clause the later part doe represent specifie one selfe thyng and that the whole proposicion or clause be as in the schoole terme it is called Identica that is to saye of suche sorte that one and thesame thynge is ment and signifyed by bothe partes of it except there be some thyng founde commyng eyther before or after in the processe of it that muste driue vs to some trope or allegorie whereas in this place is founde no suche thyng
Yea and in case a maÌ„ vieu rightly as he should dooe the processe that foloweth it rather calleth vs backe to the simple and playne vnderstandynge of the wordes as they lye For thus goeth the texte forthe Whiche is deliuered for you And manifest it is that the very true and selfe body of Christe it was that was deliuered for vs. Thirdly suche thynges as by nature and kynde are distincte thynges and as the Logicians in theyr terme call it disparata that is to saye so disseuered that their natures disagree and haue some contrarietie one to the other as for example a manne a horse and a stone al suche thynges I say are of suche rate that it cannot by any meanes be truely sayd that the one is the other For it cannot in any manner of speakyng be truely sayed that a man is a stone or a stone is a man And that breade and Christes body are of this rate that is to saye are thynges of two distincte and contrarie natures no man nedeth to doubte Wherfore it shall neuer be true to saye of breade that it is Chistes body And therefore whan the lorde pronouÌ„ced these wordes This is my body it must of necessitie be that the substaunce of bread was gone Another reason also that is made is this In saying This is my body Christ did not without a due coÌ„sideracion vse this word is whiche is in graÌ„mer a verbe substantiue that is to saye it playnly signifieth being it is of the present teÌ„se that is to say it signifieth yâ— tyme that is no we presente For els he might euen aswell haue sayed This signifyeth or betokeneth my body or this reprâ—seÌ„teth my body or this is a figure of my body or this is a signe and tokeÌ„ of my body or he might haue sayed This breade is my body c. all whiche maniers and phrases of speakynge forasmuche as he did eschewe the saying is to be playnlye taken as he pronounced it withoute any ferther addiâ—ion circumstaunce or menyng Furthermore if the substauÌ„ce of bread saye they shoulde remayne still than shoulde two soondrie substaunces yea the same corporal substaunces of quaÌ„titie be together in one thyng shold enterchauÌ„geably entâ—r and pâ—rce the one through the othâ—r whiche inconuenience is taken awaye by puttynge and aduouching of transubstanciacion Agayn There should be no small peryll towarde lâ—ast the people should fall into ydolatrie For wheras the body of Christ is to be adoured and worshipped in case ther should any bread there remayne thaÌ„ shold the breade also be adoured and wurshipped which to do wâ—re ydolatrie Agayne It semeth to be a thynge not well standyng with the dignitie of Christes bodye that it shoulde in this wyse be coupled or mengled either with bread or with wyne They also take an argument out of the forme the nature and the ordre of doing sacrifice For if the body of Christe be offred vp by the mynister it is necessary that he haue it there and that he there presente it vnto the sight of God excepte we will saye that he offereth no more but a thyng onely signifyed and betokened or a thing represented vnder a shadowe After all this they roare with an open mouthe that auncient fathers are altogether on theyr syde the fathers are cited for transubstanciacioÌ„ And afore al others they cite Irenaeus Irâ—neus who in his .v. booke sayeth thus Whan the cup beyng mingled and the bread beeyng broken dooeth receiue of the woord of God there is made the Sacramente of Christes bloud and body And afore in his fourth boke he sayed in a manier the selfe same thing Tertullianus Tertullia also sayeth in the fowerth booke that Christe of the breade taken into his handes and distributed vnto his disciples made his owne bodye And Origines Origines vpon Matthew in the twenty sixt chapitur saieth This bread which God the soonne confesseth to bee his owne body c. Cyprian in his Sermon of the Lordes supper Cyprianus saieth This common bread beeyng chaâ—nged into fleashe bloud procureth lyfe And eftsons in the same Sermon This breade whiche the Lorde gaue vnto his disciples beeyng not in fourme and similitude but in nature chauÌ„ged by the almightifulnesse of the worâ—e became fleashe Ambrose in his fowerth booke of the sacramentes Ambrosius Breade it is before the wordes of Consecracion but as soone as consecracion is come to it it is of breade made the fleashe of Christe And many thynges mo of lyke sorte he hath in his litell traictises of the Sacramentes Chrisostomus also in the sixtienth Homelie of the Sacramente of Eucharistie Chrisostomus whiche Homelie is to be found in the sixth tome of his weorkes as thei bee nowe sette foorth affâ—rmâ—th this Sacrament to beelyke vnto a piece of waxe put into the fyer where no part of the substaunce of waxe remaineth but is all together made lyke to the nature of fyer And euen so â—aieth he by this substaunce of Christes bodye the breade and the wyne is coÌ„sumed clene awaye Augustine also in the prologue of the twentye .iii. Psalme saieth Augustine that Christe bore and held vp hymselfe in his owâ—e handes whan he did at his last supper institute and ordein this Sacrament And in the .xc. and eight Psalme expouninge the wordes worship ye the stooâ—e of his feete he auoucheth that the â—eash of Christe is to be worshipped in the Sacramente Whiche wer not a thyng of ceÌ„gruence if thâ—re wer bread still remainyng in the Sacramente Also in the third booke of the Trâ—niâ—ie he affirmeth that there can not any Sacrament bee made but by vertue of the spirite weorkyng together with the woorde Hilarius also in hâ—s sixth boke of the Trinitie â—ilarius affirmeth Christ to bee in vs after the veritie of nature and not onely through the agrâ—eablenesse of will and aduoucheth vs at the Lordes bourd truely and veraily to â—â—ceyue the woorde beeyng become fâ—â—ashe Leo Bishoppe of Rome in his twoo twentieth Epistle to the Clergie and people of Constantinople wryâ—eth in this manier Leo. Râ—ceyuyng sayeth he the vertue and strength of heauenly meate leat vs passe and bee turned into the fleash of hym who became our fleash Thei aduouche furthermore that Damascenus is ful and whole on their syde Theophilactus also is brought in of them Throphilactus who dooeth in moste plain termes make mencion of transubstanciacion Now as for Aâ—selmus and hugo de Sancto Victore who haue been wryters of a later tyme there is no doubte but that thei bothe are aduouchers of transubstanciation wherefore thei allege aswel the auncient fathers as the newe to make all on their syde Thei cite ferthermore general councels The councel Ephesine that is to wete the councell that was holden at Ephesus againste the Heretique Nestorius where Cyrellus Cirillus an auncient father of the churche was present and chiefe president of
suche thyng as maye conueniently bee eaten as in the Hebrewe toungue LEHEM is taken for al kynd of meat LEHEM But clere agaynst theim make the Euangelistes who restreygne this kynde of meate The answer and referre it to bread onely An other sorte dooe imagine that by the woord breade are signified onely the accidentes and figure or fourme of breade But these men harpe altogether vpon one stryng that thei firste begonne withall and the verai same poynte that is yet in controuersie and not agrâ—ed vpon thei take as a thyng fully graunted vnto them whiche is that the accidentes are there without a subiecte whiche point their part had been firste to proue And as for miracles are not to be heaped vp together without a necessitie The second argumente An other argumente is The olde fathers had the same Sacramentes that we haue and yet emong theÌ„ there neded not any suche transubstanciacion that either the stone or the water that flowed oute of the stone or the Manna shoulde suffre any transubstanciacion whiche thyng at that could not bee dooen Wherfore suche transubstanciation is not requisite to oure Sacramentes neither The first proposicion and parte of this argument we reade in Paule whiche is that the fathers of the old lawe and we had one and the selfe same meate But our aduersaries saie naye Another obieccion and wil that our Sacramentes bee vtterly and many soondrie waies distinct and differyng from the misteries of the olde fathers Whiche thyng we also graunte vnto theim as well for the diuersitee of the outwarde and materiall signes The auÌ„swer as also for the difference of the tymes and for certain other propertees Neuerthelesse as touchyng the matier or substaunce of the Sacramentes Sacâ—amentes of the fathers vnder the old law and our SacrameÌ„tes to bee all one whiche wer receiued of the holy patriarkes we saye that it was vtterly one and the verai same meate and the veraie selfe drynke with the matier or substaunce of our Sacramente Austen wryteth vnto Marcellinus of the diuersitee and diffâ—rence of these Sacramentes that to a manne hauynge anye sparke of fine witte in his heade it maie suffise that it was conueniente that Christe were with one sorte of Sacramentes foreshewed whan he was yet to come and with another sorte of Sacramentes to bee declared after he was come In whiche place Austen semeth onely to haue regarde to the difference of the tymes Also thesame Austen in his litell traictise of the vtilitie and profite of dooynge true penaunce writeth in verai plaine woordes that the olde fathers whan thei had Manna did eate the self same thyng that we dooe nowe eate For saieth he thei didde eate the selfe same spirituall meate And what is it to saye the selfe same but that it is thesame whiche we also dooe eate And for that it might to some persone appere and seme a thyng vnconuenient that we shoulde haue no more nowe then the Iewes than had he stil beateth vpon the testimonie of Paule aboue alledged to whom saieth Austen it was not enoughe to saie that the olde fathers had a spirituall meate but he thought it good to adde moreouer and saie thei had the same self meate that we dooe receâ—ue to th ende we should vnderstande that the said old fathers in their Manna did eate thesame thyng that we dooe eate and therfore he added this terme the selfe same meate c. Neither doeth it make any thyng againste vs that certaine affirme him to speake of a spirituall eatyng because that the Patriarkes didde beleue in Christe to come First bâ—cause these felowes caâ— not vpon any sure foundacion esâ—ablishe their carnall eatyng of Christe And Secondarily for that the olde fathers didde not onely beleue in their hearte in Christe to come but did also receyue a token and signe of the thynge whiche thei beleued that is to wete Manna or Water Wherefore the thing didde not passe by feythe onelye and so Austens sentence and sayinge standeth styll in his force that the meate of the olde fathers was not onely spirituall as ours is but also the selfe same that we eate Neither is it of any great force or effecte if thou obiecte out of thesame Augustine vpon the thirtie seuenth Psalme in the Prologue wher he putteth difference betwene the newe and olde Sacramentes where he semeth to assigne three pointes of difference First that in the one a Salueour is promised and in the other he is geuen And afterward he saieth that our Sacramentes are more easie fewer in numbre more full of maiestee and more blisseful And at last he addeth that the others wer as toyes or iapes in childrens handes but in our Sacramentes to bee conteyned some thyng of more vtilitee and substancialnesse And these circumstaunces are to bee vnderstaÌ„ded as touchyng the first point concernyng the promissioÌ„ of Christ to come But not withstaÌ„dyng that thei had not yet in verai dede receyued him iâ—â—â—eashe yet neuerthelesse to the fathers beleuyng in the said promission he was spiritually geuen to meate But our Sacramentes are saied to geue Christe euen because thei testifie that he is come already and is no more to be looked for as though he wer not come Now that our Sacramentes are fewer in noumbre it is a thing certain and also that thei are more easie then the old Sacramentes Thei also signifie and represeÌ„t a more maiestie because the woordes that are spoken be more open and plain then thei wer in the old Testamente Now as for the happines of ours is a great dele more so that we are in a great dele better case with our Sacramâ—ntes then the olde fathers wer with theirs For we are free froÌ„ the yoke of the ceremonies and we liue altogether growyng to the last houre and ende of the world and are vndoubted more nere vnto the kyngdome of Christ. Thâ— holy ghost also dooeth now in this later tyme more plentefully abounde and the Churche or holy congregation is in this tyme larger then it was than wherof Christ saied in the ghospell to his disciples Many kynges Prophetes haue desired to see the thynges that ye see c. The Sacramentes morouer of the law wer as a man might saye as to yes or iapes in the childreÌ„s handes because it behoued the rude tyme of the old fathers to be exercised and trayned vnder a greater nouÌ„bre of ceremonies vnder soondrie elementes vnder manifold waies of nourturing and framing euen as children haue commonly muche more businesse in breakyng and trainyng then elders haue But by all these circumstaunces it is not concluded ne proued that the Sacramentes of the olde fathers at the leste wyse as touching the thing and substaunce of the misterie had not thesame thynges conteyned in them that our Sacramentes now haue For Cyprian in the third Epistle of the second booke hath these wordes folowyng Cyprian Oure Lorde Iesus Christ offered the self same thyng that
appertaine I meane mannes nature wer not there present in hym Thei saie vnto the fourth argumeÌ„t coÌ„cerning Marcion that he might take occasioÌ„ of his errour out of the ghospel In obieccioÌ„ of the aduersaries wher it is writeÌ„ of Christ that he walked vpoÌ„ water aswell as it had ben vpon land neuer weat his fote he was lifted vp into heauen escaped froÌ„ the Iewes handes that thei could not se him yet ought not those places â—saie thei to bee blotted out of the ghospell for the daungerous vnderstanding of the saied Marcionites To whoÌ„ we make auÌ„swer The auÌ„sweâ— that it is described in the gospels that Christ did worke these kinde of myracles once or twyse no more but ye holde that these miracles bee wrought coÌ„tinually wtout any intermission And the thinges yâ— are writteÌ„ in the holy scriptures we haue not imagined nor inueÌ„ted of our own heade and therfore ought we not to be blamed or accused as geuers of that or any other lyke occasion But in suche as we inuente of oure owne brayne in suche thynges as we expounde after our owne fansie and suche thynges sette foorth to bee holden for a doctrine not hauing Goddes woorde expressely for vs then had we nede to bee well aware leste we open a gappe and minister occasion to Heretiques The seuenth argument against transubstanciacion Morouer by this meane of transubstanciacion the nature or propertie of a SacrameÌ„te is clene destroied for Austen writynge vpon Iohn saieth thus of it The woorde of God commeth and is to the elemente and so becommeth it a Sacramente It is the nature of a Sacramente to bee made of these two thynges But after these mennes myndes the elâ—mental thynges as breade and wyne be gone and than ought Austen not to haue saied The wordes come to the elemente but he should rather haue sayed the woordes take awaye the elemente The eighte argumente And when thei put awaye the natures of the elementesâ— the analogie that is to saye proporcioÌ„ and reason of their significacion is cleane destroied and commeth to nothyng What proporcion aâ—d reason there is of the signes and the thinges in this Sacramente Bread dooeth therefore signifie the bodye of Christe because it fedeth and maketh strong and is a great sustenaunce to mannes life which propertee and operacion we can not attribute or applye the accidentes of breadeâ— as to witnesse of it or to the taste of it Again in that that many cornes or graynes bee put together and so breade made of them there maye bee a significacion in it to represent or signifie a bodie mystical and suche significacion can not bee conteyned in the whytenesse or the taste or the other accidentes of breade Wherupon it was that Paule sayed we beeyng many folke are one lofe or one bread and one bodye because we bee partakers of one loffe or breade In baptisme water is called lauachre or founteine of regeneracion or as ye might saie of a second byrth The propoâ—â—cion of the outwarde signes to the thing in baptisme and because the substaunce of the water dooeth still remayne it agreeth verai well which thyng would not so well agree with the accidentes of water Now where Christ saied This is my bodye The nynthe argumente the aduersaries takyng away the substaunce of bread and wyne dooe muche abuse the latine verbe substantife Est and muche contrarie to the propre significacion that would haue est to signifie transubstanciatur is chaunged in substaunce or to stand for conuertitur whiche is in Englishe it is coÌ„uerted or for transmutatur it is chauÌ„ged for whiles thei are in pronouncing those woordes of the Lorde This is my body the breade is not yet all this whyle Christes bodye Wherefore if thei should take est in his true and propre significacioÌ„ they should speake that thyng whiche is false and not true Which consideracion haue moued and driuen some of â—he schoole men to hold and affirme that the verbe est should bee takeÌ„ for one of these verbes fieri to be made mutari to bee chaunged or conuerti to bee turned Morouer The tenthe argumente this power and strength and efficacie to chaunge the substaunce of breade in to fleashe thei attribute to those fewe woordes of the Lorde so that as often as the saied woordes be repeted or rehearsed so often is thesame chaunge of transubstanciacion made And yet haue thei not any one woorde in all the holye Scriptures of any suche thyng to bee dooen or that it maie so bee dooen That if any other maÌ„ should pronounce thesame woordes whiche Paule Matthewe Marke or Luke doe recite yet would thei not thinke that ther wer any consecracion made For thei bynde al the strength and force of the matâ—er to the wordes of their Canon that is to saie of their rule of their massyng But this we doe certainly knowe that the Sacrament is than had whan we do those thinges which Christ did and commaunded to bee dooen But Christ didde not onely speake the saied wordes but he also gaue thaÌ„kes he brake bread he did eate bread and gaue bread vnto others to eate And where we bryng in nowe manye circumstaunces that wer dooen al these pointes euery one of them doe concurre and renne together to make the veritee of the Sacramente neyther oughte any one pointe or iot of the premisses to bee omitted or leafte vndoen I leat passe here to saye that thei knowe not whether the consecracion is accomplished and made perfeicte with the woordes of Christe or by prayers TheuleueÌ„th argumente Morouer thei put theimselfes forth to a great daungier For an euell prieste and suche an one as wer a deceiptefull merchaunte might passe ouer those woordes of consecracion and recite neuer a one of theim or might chaunge theim or els might turne them a coÌ„trarie waye The twelft argumente Farthermore wher these woordes require that the Minister whiche should consecrate must haue as thei bee woont to speake or to call it a certaine intencioÌ„ or purpose to make the body of Christ of it he might yet haue his mynde rennyng vpoÌ„ some other matiers and thynke nothyng at all vpon any consecracion whiles his mynde wâ—r so wandering He mighte also perchaunce bee of the mynde that he would not haue any suche consecracion to bee made or to come to passe Thâ—i dooe also by puttyng this transubstanciacion The .xiiii argumeâ—te against traâ—â—substanciacion fall into many vnreasonable inconueniences and suche as thei can by no meanes wynde out of For they hold that one same selfe body maye be in infinite and innumerable places to gethers and all at one tyme. But to helpe saue all thyng vprighte The euasâ—oÌ„ of the sâ—raâ—substanâ—iacioâ—ers thei allege for themselues that this maketh nothynge agaynste them nor is any disauauntage vnto theÌ„ For saie thei though Christes bodye bee there yet it is not there per modum quanti that is
in our body Sanctificacion begynneth of the â—â—ll and not of the bodye and what effecte shall it weorke there Thei will aunswere that Christes bodye entreth into our bodyes to the ende that a man maie be made holy thereby But it is mete and conueniente that holynesse take his beginnyng fyrst of the minde or solle and not of the bodye The .xxxv. argumente against transubstanciacion Thei will ferther saie that a certain strength and efficacie is thereby empriented in the bodye throughe whiche efficacie the mynde is the better and the bodye also is confyrmed and made strong But if ye talke or mene of vertue An obieccioÌ„ it is nothyng necessarie that it be brought to passe or wroughtby the meane of transubstancion ThauÌ„swere seeyng it maye be brought to passe euen aswell without it And the olde writers whan thei did setie foorthe and teache the nature and propertie of the sacramentâ— thei sayed The .xxxvi. argumente that an vnbloudy sacrifice was here sacrificed whiche thing wyll be founde ferre wyde An vnblody sacrifice yf we holde that the verai true and corporal bloud of Christ is conteyned in the Sacramente Neither dooeth that pointe satisfie this matier that thei affirme the sacrifice to bee vnbloudy in that that Christe is not killed in it An obieccioÌ„ neither is his bloud violently shedde or poured out For though these thynges bee not doen yet the sacramente is not ministred after their grosse and bluntishe opinion without bloud ThauÌ„swere Wherfore it is playne that the old writers ment that onely a memoriall or remeÌ„braunce of the true sacrifice is conteined in this sacramente and that there is here a spirituall receiuynge of the true sacrifice whiche spirituall receiuyng is comprehended and vnderstanded by feith onely Beside this The .xxxvii. argumente they bee woont to saye that the body and bloud of Christe bee vnuisible and not seen but to the yie but with whitenesse moisture and suche other accidentes of bread and wyne leste we shoulde seme to eate rawe fleashe and to drynke bloud But I would not thynke these men to saie that we doe not eate rawe fleashe whether we eate rawe fleash in the Sacrament how soeuer thei painte and colour the matier yf their transubstancioâ— bee a true a perfeict chauÌ„ge in dede of the bread into fleashe and of the wyne into bloud For it is neither declared of theim neither shewed in the scriptures howe that same fleashe is boyled or rosted And yet it was wryten in the olde testamente of the lambe of passeouer which was a figure of this sacramente that no rawe thynge shoulde bee eaten of that lambe We se also that in this matier of thankes geuâ—ng Christe did ordeyne and sette vp a sacramente It is mete that in the sacrameÌ„tes all thinges be taken sacramentally whereby it commeth to passe that all thynges therein muste bee vnderstanded and taken sacramentally Neither should ther bee in Sacramentes any thyng more eyther graunted or required then to the nature or propertie of a sacramente doeth apperteine The .xxxix. argumente Moreouer yf we would consider what Christe didde at that his last supper We should soone and easely perceiue the matier It is sayed that he gaue his body If we ferther aske this question What manier a body did he gâ—ue thei can shape no readie answere to escape with out a foile Some seme to saie that he gaue suche manier a bodye as he than had whiche vndoubtedlye was bothe passible that is to saye subiecte to hungre thurst colde and other tormentes and also mortall that is to saye subiect to death But suche manier a bodye with suche manier properties as Christe had at that tyme coulde not as these menne dreame bee fleashly and really conteyned in lytell cakes of breade But some others whiche thynke themselues men of a wyser sorte saie that Christe had in hymselfe a body bothe passible and mortall as is aforesaid but yet thei saye that in the breade he gaue his body gloryfied and spirituall But than dooeth that saying make againste these menne whiche we reade in the woordes of the Lord This is my body which is deliuered for you and this is my bloude whiche shall bee shed for you by whiche woordes he playnlye â—eweth and declareth hymselfe to mene the bodye whiche he had than at that presente and the bloude which he vsed at that honre For Christe had not these thynges glorifyed and vnpassible till after his resurreccion But leat vs suppose that the matier wer as thei holde Than dooe we thus argue The state and properties of a passible bodye and of a glorifyed bodye be contrary the one to the otherâ— so that they can not in one respecte bee in one bodye together and at one tyme wherefore it foloweth yf ye wyll haue bothe the sayed contraries of passible and glorifyed to bee in Christes bodye bothe at one selfe tyme that ye make Christes body a double bodye Experience also and the veraye hystories dooe â—ewe vs The xâ— argumeâ—te that this transubstanciation is not to bee graunted For it is wrytten in the hystories that Uictor the Byshoppe of Rome dyed of drynkynge poyson oute of the Chalice at his Masse And Henry the Emperour receiued poyson by eatyng the breade of the Sacramente If all thynges there bee chaunged by transubstanciacion and nothynge there leafte remaynynge but onelye the accidentes Howe coulde suche thynges as these haue been dooen Furthermore we knowe that all Sacramentes bee made and doe consiste of two partes The xâ—â— argumeâ—te that is to wete of matier and of fourme as the veray aduersaries selfes are wonte to terme it in theyr Schoole termes And by the matier thei mene the outwarde signes or elementes and stuffe that goeth to it Maâ—ier as the breade and wyne in this sacrament By the fourme Fourme thei mene that same that is added to the signes or elementes of bread and wyne by pronouncing of the wordes which make it a sacramente Nowe to our purpose that that is made of two partes ought not nor can so caste away the one part that nothyng but the onely accidentes of thesame shal remayne for than the nature propertie of the framing and ioyning together of the sayd matier and fourme in the sacramente should not be obserued and kept The matiâ—r of the sacrament caÌ„not bee caste awaye no more then the fourme Wherfore the conclusion foloweth that the substaunces of breade and wyne muste needes remayne styll in the sacramente And whiles thei thus ouer shoote themselfes for lacke of takyng hede the body of Christ is by them depriued and spoyled of his quantitie The traÌ„substaÌ„ciatoures depriue chrisâ—es body of his quaâ—titie of his situacion and placyng and of the distaunce and proporcionyng of the partes and membres of his bodye one from another so that all his whole bodye must by that meanes bee compelled and driuen to bee conteyned
That if any man shall make any earnest matier that that same first sayinge of Christe I am the liuely bread c. is to be taken and applied to his diuine nature and to his Godheade as Chrisostome in dede semeth to will it Fyrst we saye that this sence dooeth not veray well agree therwith For Christ had there entred a talke concernyng the eatyng of his bodye and in stede of yearthly breade he offred vnto the Capernaites his fleashe to bee eaten whiche thyng so to bee is euident and plaine euen by the ordre and processe of the woordes although he there sayth that the breade was come downe from heauen For often tymes the thyng that belongeth to his godhead is made common as it were emparted to his humanitee alsoâ— But yf this exposicion of Chrisostom be of suche pith and effecte with them leat thesame mannes exposicion be of lyke auctoritee with them where he afterwarde auoucheth that same sayinge of Christe The breade whiche I shall geue is my fleashe whiche I will geue for the lyfe of the worlde c. to apperteyne to this Sacrament of thankes geuyng called Eucharistia Neyther dooeth Chrisostome alone holde that opinion but the other expositurs also dooe assente and agree with hym ther in Forasmuche therefore as the Lorde dooeth there saye and affirme breade to bee his fleashe he dooeth now at his supper testifie the selfe same thynge For shewyng forth the bread he sayeth This is my bodye So in bothe places he auoucheth his bodye or his fleashe to bee breade that is to wete breade of the solle and of our substaunce nowe regenerate and borne of newe whiche breade is to bee spirituallye eaten And thus takyng it What manier of figuâ—ate speakyng is conteyned in these woordes this is my bodye there shall bee no conuersion at al of the proposition or sentence but thesame shal in bothe places bee taken one manier of waye That if we take it all whole together that is to wete the breade and the thynge offred by the breade that is to saye Christes bodye than we admitte the figure of Syuecdoche Sinecdoche because that thinge is sayed of the whole or of one parte whiche belongeth to another parte For Synecdoche is whan that that belongeth but to a parte of a thynge is attributed or assigned to the whole as for an exaumple if one shoulde saye My foote is sore whan nothyng is sore but his toe or his hele onelye it were Synecdoche because that the sorenesse or griefe whiche is in the toe alone is spoken of the whoâ—e foote or lykewyse if one shoulde saye of a blacke Moorian this manne is white in the teeth wheras no parte of the manne is whyte but the teethe onely c. But in case ye refferre the saying to the breade which dooeth boeth signifie and offre vnto vs the bodye of Christe to bee eaten it shall than bee a figurate maner of speakyng called Metonimia Metonimia which in our manier of speakyng is whan the name of the thynge that is signifyed is geuen to the signe as here whan the name of Christes bodye is geuen to the breade In this exposicion also takynge it after this sence laste afore goyng all pointes are light and easye and playn to vnderstande all poinctes of vnconueniences are auoyded and oâ—e place of the Scripture is not repugnaunt to another The aduersaries ferther alleged as we haue afore sayed in the fyrst beginning of this worke where we brought al the reasons that the schole men deâ—ise and make for theyr transubstanciacion Tropes of Scriptuâ—e Excepte we vse tropes we shall not bee hable to resist the heretiques the aduersaries I saye alleged for them that if place be geuen to tropes that is to saye to figurate maniers of speakynge in Scripture that than the Heretiques wyll peruerte altogether And I on the other syde saye agayn that excepte we vse tropes and figuratiue maniers of speakyng in scripture the Heretiques bee sure of the ouer hande as in those places whiche euen nowe a lytell before we haue cited it is mooste playne and euidente For the heritiques also on theyr parte wyll stycke to the propresence and signification of the wordes and to that sence whych at the fyrst choppe offreth it selfe to the reader Therefore thys onelye poynte doeth nowe remayne that we shewe suche phrases of speakinge and such figuratiue maners of speakinge to be much and often vsed in the holye scriptures Whyche thinge to shewe and to proue will be a lighte mattyer and an easye We reade written The sede is the word of God And. The stone was Christe c. Albeit I knowe that many dooe make cauillations and woulde haue it taken that there is no trouth nor figuratiue speaking in thys last clause bycause that Paul dyd restraigne this sayinge and applied it to a spirituall stone whyche spirituall stone they anouch to be Christe trulye and verilye and without any trope or figuratiue speakinge at allâ— Yet neuertheles both Austen and Origen make on our side which plainely say that that same external and outward stone did signifie Christe But leste we maye be thought slightly to auoyde that is obiected agaynste vs we saye that in case the aduersaries will in this sentence aforegoinge take vnderstande a spirituall stone Lette them also in thys our matter of the sacrament take and vnderstande the breade a spirituall breade and allegoricall that is to saye figurately spoken throughoute in euerye place that mentioneth it and then will we graunt vnto theÌ„ that trulie and verilie and withoute anye trope or figurate speakynge at all it is Christe More ouer the Lorde sayd I haue chosen you twelue and one of you is a deâ—yl And yet was not Iudas therefore transubstanciated into a deuill Concerning circumcision it is written in the scripture My couenaunte shall be in your fleshe where as circumcision was not the couenaunt but only a signe or token of the couenaunte In the three and thirtieth Chapitur of Genesis Iacob is reported that he builded an aultare whyche aultare he called the mightye God of Israell Iacobs aulter the migheâ— God of Israell Moses aultaâ—e the Lord is my banâ—eâ— And Moses in the seuententh Chapitur of Exodus after the vyctorie gotten againste Amalech buylded an aultare and called the name of it The Lorde is my bannier And Hieromie the Propheteâ— maketh mention of a Cytye that shoulde be called God our rightuousenes Hieâ—emies citie God our rightuousnes Bycause that these shoulde afterwardes be monumentes and tokens or markes of those thynges whiche they dyd expresse by those names Of Iohn the Baptist it is written that he was a candell burnynge and geuynge lighte and agaâ—ne of the same Iohn Iohn xv Uerilye it is Helias if ye will receyue hym Christe sayeth of hym selfe I am the vyne and the braunches Luke ii I am the dore Of the same Christe we haue also that he is a
stone set for to be the ruine fall and also the arisynge agayne of manye in Israell In the Deuteronomie it is written The bloud is the soule Where as it is but that thing wherby the soule is conserued and signified Iudas the brother of Iosephe speakynge of Iosephe and speakynge that he myghte not be slayne sayd He is our owne fleshe By the whyche phrase of speakynge the natural knyttyng togyther and necessitie of bloud and kynred was signifyed Saynte Paule sayeth that we beynge manye are one breade c. whyche sayinge it canne not be chosen nor auoyded but that it muste â—e vnderstanded to bee fyguratelye spoken And Christe breathed forthe vpon hys disciples and sayde Take ye the holye Ghoste c. Yet was not hys breathynge transubstanciated into the holye ghoste Geneâ— vi In the boke of Genesis it is sayd My Spirite shall not styll dwell in man bicause he is fleshe and in the fyrste Chapitur of Iohn The worde became fleshe c. in whyche place is the plain figure of Sinecdoch For the whole maÌ„ is vnderstanded vnder the name of flesh And our lord Iesus haÌ„ging on the crosse said to Mary his mother Woman behold thy sonne And to his disciple IhoÌ„ Behold thy mother Yet were neyther of theim traÌ„substanciated but remained styl the selfe same persons that they were afore but there was constituted betwene them a newe ordre and degree a newe referrynge and respecte Of Christe it is saide in the scriptures that he is oure peace where as he is only the cause of our peace Also in an other place My wordes are spirite and life where as they did but betoken the same or else were cause of them to the beleuers Iohn Baptiste sayde of Christ. Behold the lambe of god and yet was not his nature chaunged into the nature of a Lambe It is reade here and there in manie places of the holie scriptures that the Lordes wordes are iudgemente and trueth and ryghtuousâ—nes where as these thinges are but signified expressed in the saide wordes of the Lorde And this similitude or comparison doeth passinge wel serue and agre to the sacramentes whych are said to words visible In the Apocalipes it is reade I am α and ω Alpha Omega whereby is mente the firste begynnynge and the laste ende of all thynges And Paule speakynge of hys owne gospell which he preached sayeth The power of God it is to saluation vnto euery one that beleueth Where as it is but onely whereby the power of God declareth it selfe for the sauinge of men And of the preachinge of the crosse he sayeth that vnto the wicked sorte it is folishenes that is to saye it signifieth vnto suche maner of menne but a folishe thynge but to the Godly sort he saith it is the power and wysedome of God for bicause it sheweth and declareth the saide power and wisedome of God vnto the godlye And of the lawe of Moses God sayd that it did put deathe and lyfe blessinge and curssinge vnto the people of the Hebrewes which is none other but by the signification and notifiynge of the lawe the promises and threatenynges of God whiche were in them expressed In the boke of Genesis Gene. xlâ— the seuen kyne and the seuen yeares of corne are saide to be seuen yeres and that is no more but in signifiynge the same Ahias the Prophete a Silonite gaue vnto Hieroboam ten pieces of a cut or torne cloke iii. Kiâ— xi and sayde that he gaue to Hieroboam the kyngedome of ten of the tribes of Israell Also in this same very epistle to the Corinthians and the same eleuenth chapitur whyche we nowe traicte of S. Paule wrote that a woman shoulde haue a power on hyr heade by the whyche worde power he signifieth a coueringe by the whiche couerynge is signified the power and superioritie of the man ouer the woman And in the seconde epistle to the same Corinthians it is coÌ„tayned that God made Christe to be sinne whiche was nothinge els but to the likenes of synne and representation of our fleshe Yea and the ghoste that was offred vp for synne was called sinne And the prestes were saydâ— to â—ate the synnes of the people whyche mente nothinge els but eating the hostes that were slayne and offred vp for the sinnes of the people In the prophet Ezechiel it is written I wil poure forthe cleane water vpon you by the waâ—er he signifieth the holy ghostâ— whych selfe same thing we reade of Christ whan he sayth Who so drinketh of this water c. In whiche place the Euangeliste mencioneth that Christe spake of the holye ghoste whyche they shoulde afterwarde receiue Of the Lambe we heare that it was called Pascha thoughe some there be that attempte the same to denye But the playne words of the Hebrue doth declare it where it is sayd The sacrifice is Pascha that is the passeouer By the sacrifice there can not be vnderstanded anye other thinge but either the slaine hoste that was offred vp or els that same veray acte of sacrifisynge the sayde host So we haue the body of Christ expressed bothe by breade and wine and also by the acte as well of eatynge as of drynkinge And the said Lambe was not the passinge ouer of the Aungel but onely a monumente and token or signification of hym so passing ouer Christ sought a place wher he might eat the passeouer with his Apostles and by the word of passeouer he vnderstode those meates those consecrate or hallowed thynges which dyd betoken and signifie the passe ouer S. Paule also said Christe our passe ouer hath bene offered vp c. And in the same place he called Christe hymselfe our solemnitie oure passage or passeouer whych thinges can not be taken nor vnderstanded but as figuratelye spoken And the sayde lambe was not the passinge ouer of the aungell whyche was theÌ„ to be done or in doyng but whiche was done in old tyme many hundred yeres afore the remembraunce whereof was represented by these same externall signes Here also in thys sacrament we haue the bodye of Christ that heretofore suffered not that is nowe at thys present deliuered vnto the crosse or whose bloud is now at thys day shedde forth but a great while ago And in case these meÌ„ wold straightly expoune the words of Christ wheÌ„ he saith This is my bodye whyche is betrayed for you They coulde not chose but saye that the breade shoulde be crucified or at leaste wyse Christe couered vnder the accidentes of the bread in the sacramente as their exposition and determination is For Christe shewinge forthe that yâ— he theÌ„ had in hys handes sayd that the same it was that shoulde be betrayed and deliuered and shedde forthe for them That if they saye that in dede the same it was that was betraied and deliuered but not after the same manier nor in the same fourme or shape than do they seke interpretacions and expositions
same bloud Also the same ambrose in his fourth boke of the sacramentes and the fourth chapytur putteth plainly our chaungeynge into Christe whyche selfe same pointe we haue noted marked oftentimes in others of the olde fathers and wryters Now remayneth that we see concerning Chrisostome what is to bee saied Chrisostom aunswered vâ—to They brought in for their purpose hys similitude of waxe whyche waxe beeyng put to the fyer is distroyed as touchyng his substaunce so that nothyng of the waxe remayneth or eskapeth So thynke thou saieth Chrysostome that the mysteryes are coÌ„sumed of the substaunce of Christes bodye Our aduersaryes saye What thing can be spoken more plainly to declare that the substaunce of the bread is gon but here I thinke it no labour loste but a profytable excercyse to examin dyligently some places oâ— Chrysostomes weorkes that ye maye vnderstande plainly how wel the thynges be marked which we spake of before as touchyng such phrases founde in olde wryters In the .lxxxiii. homelye vpon Matth. he wrytteth thus Many men say that they wisshe and wolde fayn see the fourme and shape and likenes of Christ yea and that they would veraye fayne beholde his garmentes and shooes but he deliuereth himselfe to thee not onely that thou mayest see hym but also that thou maist touche hym Doe not we here vnderstande how he appliâ—th that to the thyng of the sacrament which belongeth or pertayneth to the sygnes as for example Chrystes bodye maye bee touched and maye bee seen whiche thing to bee true of the signes onelye what it is that doeth not receiue and see Again in the same homelie or exhortacioÌ„ Christ reduceth and bringeth vs with him selfe into one masse or lumpe and that not onely by fayth but also he maketh vs in veray dede his bodye Whiche same selfe thinge also he wrote in the sixtieth and sixtieth one Homelie vnto the people of Antioche affyrmyng that we not onelye by faithe and charitee but in veray dede are made and are ioyned and anexed to Christes body And if it so be that our substauÌ„ce is not turned into Christes substaunce and yet that we bee so nyghe to Christe why muste the substaunce of the breade bee chaunged whan it muste bee made Christes body But a doubt mighte here arise as though Chrisostome made against vs in that we holde that this receyuynge is by feythe where he sayeth that we be ioyned and turned or chaunged in to Christe not onely through feyth but also in veraye dede But here is to bee marked that althoughe we holde Christes bodye to be eaten and his bloud to be drounke through feith in receyuing of this sacrament yet vpon this receyuyng by feyth there doeth foorthe with folowe not a feyned ioygning but a true and an effectuall couplyng betwene vs and Christe through the whiche ioygning of vs to Christe not onelye oure mynde and solle is vnited and knitte vnto Christe and made one with hym but also oure body and our flesh hath therby a certayne restoryng and renewyng so that we are therby truly and verayly made the members of the Lorde and we receyue Christe whiche is our head of whom we draw and take our spirite aâ—d our life continually And this it is that Chrisostome ment whan he said that we be truely and veraily ioigned to Christ. And thus muche more maie yet be said herein that Chrisostome in the selfe same homelie and sermon vpon Mathew saieth that thâ—se be the signes or tokâ—ns of Iesu Christ with the whiche signes we stoppe the heretikes mouthes whan they demaunde of vs after what sort or facion Christ did suffer For if he had not had veraie true fleshe in deede and also if he had not truly and vâ—rily suffred passion in dede thaÌ„ were these signes or tokens but vayne thynges He sayeth also in thesame homelye that our tongue is made blouddye in the receyuing of the Sacramentes And leste one myghte make some cauillacion and saie that this bloude muste bee vnderstande to bee inuisible bloud that is to saâ—e suche bloud as cannot bee sene with ourâ— yies with the which bloude beyng conteyned in the wyne or in the accidentes of the wyne as themselues doe terme it oure toungue is made blouddie the same fathâ—r Chrisostome in the sixtieth homelie to the menne of Antioche sayeth that oure toungue is made redde with this bloud of the sacrament In the which wordes who doth not se that he speaketh by the figure Hiper boâ—e which is whan a man for the more vehemeÌ„t and more earnest expressing of a thing will speake more then the trueth is or maye withoute playne myracle as for exaumple if one shoulde saye that al the world heard a thyng spokeÌ„ whan his meaning is that a veray great noumber heard it this manier of speakyng is called hiper bole and in his homelye made in Eucherius he sayeth that in the cuppe there is bloud taken out euen from the lordes syde Whiche thyng can not be beleued in the verai same fourme that it is spoken Chrisostome himselfe declareth his owne hyperblicall speakynges forasmuche as Christes side is not nowe at this daye open neither any bloud takeÌ„ out therefrom He wrytethe morouer in thesame Homelie after this manier Doest thou see any bread or wyne And hymselfe in this wyse maketh the auâ—swere to the question Nay god forbyd Surely yf he should aske the sences of a manne suche a question they woulde aunswere yf thei could speake that it wer not true that Chrisostome sayeth For after the iudgemente of oure senses there is present bothe bread and wyne too But he speaketh truly whan he sayeth afterwardes non ita cogites that is thinke no suche thinge in thy mynde that there is breade there For as touchyng our mynde or thynkynge all suche thinges must awaye Thesame Chrisostome wryteth in this mannier Ne putes te ex homine accipere corpus Christi sed a seraphin qui astet et forcipe tradat tibi Carbonem ignitum That is to saye think not thy self to receyue the bodye of Christ at a mortall mannes hand but of an Aungel of the ordre of Seraphin who standeth by and deliuereth thee an hoate fierye coale with a payre of tonguesâ— c. here in this place I dooe not suppose that these men wolde haue that the minister or the pastour whiche ministreth the Sacramentes vnto vs is transubstanciated into an Aungell And thesame Chrisostome writeth afterwardes Accurramus ad exugendum sanguinem qui ex latere domini profâ—uit That is to saye leat vs renne to sucke out the bloude whiche floweth oute of the Lordes syde The veray schoolemenne themselues dare not speake so large as this For they wryte that the bread and the wyne are turned into the substaunce of the bodye and bloude of Christe but yet not so that anye thynge is added to the veraye true substaunce of Christes body or abated from the substaunce of the same And in the lx and one homelie
and reuerentlye bowe theyr knee whan they heare those wordes of the ghospell et verâ—um caro factum est that it is to saye And that word became fleashe c. And yet is it not to bee sayed of them that they wurship the veray wordes but the thynges that is sygnyfyed by the woordes Whyche same selfe thynge what stop or lette is there but that it may bee dooen in thys matyer of the sacramente so that the outewarde sygnes bee noâ— wurshypped but the thynge that is sygnyfyed by the sygnes But in these present dayes peraduenture outewarde wurshyppynge is not expedyent to bee vsed for the foresayde cause vnlesse often mention shoulde bee made of suche matyers in the sermons to the people And yet leat not any man take occasion of these my woordes to saye or thinke that it is lawfull to worshyp Images or pictures because that god and Christe dooe seme some times in them to declare him selfe effectually vnto vs. For we haue plain wordes of scripture that we shal not make vnto vs any Images to worshyp them But as touchynge the wordes of holy scrypture and as touchyng the sacramentes here is nothyng to the contrarye but that in hearynge or receyuyng them we maye worship them because they bee thynges instituted and ordeyned by the woord the wyll and the commaundemente of god too the entente that we might therby bee prouoked to the due seruynge of good whiche seruynge of god consisteth much in adoracion and humble wurshipping of hym Neyther can ye also of thys matyer or of any my wordes gather that any parte that remayneth after the receyuynge of the sacramente should be wurshiped For what so euer strength the outewarde sygnes in the sacramentes haue they haue it of the holy ghoste of the lordes woordes and of hys institucyon and ordinaunce Whyche thynges dooe no longer remain then whyle the vse and receyuynge of the sacramente dooeth continue And the promisse of God is applied to thys sacramente whiles we eate and drink the sacramente Wherfore that opinion and doctrine of reseruing the sacrament was not Catholike nor vniuersalli vsed or receyueth in the ChristyaÌ„ coÌ„gregacioÌ„s For in the time of Hesythius as hym self testifieth wrytyng vpoÌ„ the booke of Moses that is entitled leuiticus that that was least of the sacrameÌ„t was burnt which selfsame thing thou haste also in Orygyen vpon the same booke entitled Leuiticus though it bee but al one booke a scribed to know men And clement bysshop of Rome did ordein or make that the leauynges of this sacrament should be eaten of the clerkes as it plainelye appereth in his decree which is writteÌ„ in the title de consecratione that is of consecration and in the second distinction We doe not denie but that the leauinges of the sacrameÌ„t wer soÌ„etimes reserued kept but it was doen wtout any wurshipping of it without any supersticious pointes of reuerence The leauynges of this sacramente wer deliuered to children and to women to bee caryed to sicke folk as it is plain in the historie of Eusebius in Hierome one of the doctours of the Churche And I wolde suÌ„what stagger to saye the receyuinge of suche leauinges beyng doen privatly out of the holy compaignie with out the ordier and manier of receyuing the communioÌ„ instituted of Christe was a right a full and a perfect receiuing of the coÌ„munion or of the sacrameÌ„t which receiuing of the sacrament emoÌ„g the sicke folkes I could yet neuerthelesse grauÌ„t vnto so that thesame do repeate yâ— holy wordes of Christ so yâ— some honest ChristiaÌ„s doe there emoÌ„g theÌ„selues put in vse the ordinance of Christ in this behalf For except mo persons theÌ„ one alone do receiue the coÌ„munion together the due ordre course of receyuing this sacrameÌ„t is not obserued kept Christes wordes wer to me theÌ„ one in this sort Accipe edite et biâ—ite that is to say take ye eate ye drinke ye There is breade broken into sondrye pieces whiche thinge meneth that it should be dealed about and disstributed to mo then one And thei speake many thinges in theyr canon of the olde Masse whiche vnlesse a nomber dooe receyue it together are sterke false and veray lyes And besides this it is called of learned men Coena a supper Communio a communioÌ„ and sinaxis a gathering or coÌ„ming together which names do nothiÌ„g agre with a priuate accioÌ„ or doyng of one persoÌ„ alone by himselfe Neither do we in any place reade in olde writers of any priuate masses where one alone might receiue the sacrament without the companie of others Honorius byshop of Rome was the fyrst that made a decree that the sacrament of Eucharistia should be reserued kepte and decreed ferther that honour and reuerence should bee dooen to it Honorius bishoppe of Rome Whan it was caryed abrode any whither That if this thyng had been dooen of others before his dayes It had not beloÌ„ged vnto hym to make a decree of any suche thyng And to speake in a briefe summe we affirme hold as we haue before saide that this Sacramente hath not his ful strengthe vertâ—e efficacie but whiles it is in doyng in executing whiles it is in receiuing which thing thou seest also to be doen in al the other SacrameÌ„tes Hilarius is brought against vs Hilarius auÌ„swered vnto but he had veray great controuersies and disputacions with the Arrians against whoÌ„ he wryteth Whiche Arrians thought that the father and the soonne wer none other wise knitte or ioyned together but by a concord and agrement of wyll and by suche vnitie of minde that whatsoeuer the father would the soÌ„ne wolde thesame Agaynst these Arrians Hilarius thus sayth I demaund of you this questioÌ„ whether the coÌ„ioynyng vnitie that is betwene vs Christe bee of the propretee of nature or els of the coÌ„corde and vnitie of mynde and wyll For the Arrians woulde for their purpose haue caught holde on that that place in whiche Christe prayed that we mighte be made one with hym as he and his father bee one betwene themselues The text or sentence is in the seuenth chapitur of Iohns ghospel whece it is sayd Neuerthelesse I pray not for them alone but for theÌ„ also which shal beleue on theÌ„ through theyr preachinge that they all maye bee one as thou father arte in me and I in thee that they also maye be one in vs that the worlde maye beleue that thou haste sente me c. The Heretiques did putte this glose to it that we and Christe wer none otherwyse ioygned and knitte together but by consente and vnitie of wille and ther of they gatheredde and concludedde that ther was in like mannier none other couplynge and knittinge together of the sonne of god with the father but only thissame knittynge together and vnion of mynde and wyll It was Hilarius parte therefore to decclare that we are knitte and made one with Christe naturallye that
saieth that the bread is not a signe of Christes body this he sayeth vpon Mathewes Ghospell which thyng is well spoken if he mene that yâ— bread is not an emptye figure or a vain figure void of al streÌ„gth efficacy Neither do we saie that the bred is suche a signe or figure And we do nothiÌ„g doubt but yâ— this was his interpretacioÌ„ mening in dede for because that vpoÌ„ Markes gospel he saith that the bread is not a figure not onely For els if he shoulde vtterly denye that the bread is a signe or a figure of Christes bodi he should be contrary to the rest of the fathers and olde writers whom we haue alredy plainly declared to graunte and putte bothe a sygne and a fygure to bee heere in this sacramente He saieth also that the bread is transformed conuerted and chaunged from the elemente and matier that it was afore into an other Whiche maniers of speaking if he vnderstande and mene Sacramentally we dooe not abhorre from them For the breade and wyne become sacramentes they passe bee chaunged into elementes that is to saye matyers of heauenly thynges and they putte on as it were a newe garmente and shape to bee nowe the sygnes and tokens of an higher matier But saye they thys Theophylactus wryteth that the fleashe and the bloude for thys cause bee not seen leste oure stomackes shoulde stande agaynste the receyuynge of it But if thou what soeuer thou bee wilt so eagrely and so sore bynde vpon these woordes we for oure parte laye agaynst the agayne the wordes that the same Theophylactus wryteth vpon Markes ghospell whyche are that the kyndes or symylitudes of breade and wyne bee turned into the vertue or strength of the lordes bodye and bloud That if thou wilt allege that the sayd Theophylactus dooeth in all other places not saye into the vertue c. But into Christes boddye and bloud The kindes and similitudes of breade and wine coÌ„uerted into the vertue of Christes body bloude we aunswere that the interpretacion of these wordes is that these sygnes take vnto them the vertue of the thynges whyche they signyfye by reason of the whyche vertue the sacramentes bee of no lesse effecte then if the vâ—raithyng self wer there present And as I haue sayed the yrkesomnes and abhorrynge of it is taken away yf we putte that the chaunge is made not into the thinge but in to the vertue of the thing Hys other sentence semeth to bee somewhat more violeÌ„te and of some more force vehemencyeâ— whych he wroote vpon the sixth chapytur of Ihons ghospell where he thus sayeth As the breade that Chryste did eate whyles he lyued here in yearthe was chaunged into his fleashe by a naturall transubstanciation or chaungeyng after the common rate of foode and nourishement in mannes bodye so is this breade chaunged into Christes body here in the Sacramente Yet this similitude and comparison we graunte also to bee true yf it bee generally taken For in this sacrament also we dooe not denye but there is a chaunge Sacramentall that is to saye suche as in a Sacrament is required That if thou saye thou wylte nedes take this similitude euen plainly as it is made and as it souneth whiche is that the breade bee as verayly chaunged in the Sacramente of Eucharistia as breade was turned into Christes fleshe at suche tymes as he eate it whiles he here lyued than wyll there folowe an inconuenience cleane contrary to thyne owne sentence and determination For it wyll folowe that the accidentes of the signes cannot remayne or be reserued still in the Sacramente of Eucharistia For in thee foode and sustenaunce that Christe tooke frome time to tyme whiles he liued the acâ—identes did not remayne Besydes the premisses I wyll here allege for our purpose the woordes of the same selfe expositour vpon the sixth chapitur of Iohns gospell vpon these woordes he that eateth my fleashe and drynketh my bloude abideth in me and I in hym c. Upon whiche woordes Theophylactus expounyng them in the persone of Christ saith that this thyng is dooen whiles the partie is quodammodo that is to saye in a manier mingled and ioygned vnto me and is chaunged ouer into me Where thou seest agayne that Theophilactus holdeth as the reste of the fathers and wryters dooe holde that there is so great a chaungeyng of vs into Christe that he wryteth vs to bee chaunged ouer and dooe passe into Christe And thus muche I saye at this present for aunswere of that that was broughte in and allegedde agaynste vs out of Theophylactus Of the later wryters they bryng Anselmus and Hugo Anselmus and Hugo aunswered vnto and Rycharde whiche were in the tyme of Uictor But foraâ—muche as in the tyme of these menne the doctrine of transubstanciacion was now already perforce thrust into the lappe of the churche and the people compelled to receyue it the sayde wryters in suche woorkes as they made didde accordyng to the tyme so that the newe inuencion of suche ougâ—te not to haue place to the preiudice of the mooste aunciente opynyon of the churche and of the determinacion of the olde auncient fathers Iohn Damascene auÌ„swered vnto But one maÌ„ emong all others they seme to haue most highe in price and this is Iohn Damascene who in the fourthe booke and fowerteenthe chapitur of his worke of the right feith Hath verai largely wryteÌ„ of this matier But I fynd that this Damascene liueth vnder the Greke Emperour Leo Isanricus so that betwene the tyme of Gregorius Magnus bishop of Rome and thissame Ihon Damascene it was a full nye hundred and twentie yeares space at the leaste The time of Damascene whan he liâ—ed And wheras now alreadye in the tyme of Gregorie many poinctes of supersticion and manye thynges of maÌ„nes inuencioÌ„ wer come by heapes into the Churche the matier did euery daye from that tyme forward renue still headlong to wurse wurse By reason wherof it is no meruaile at al if this Damascene stumbled vpon many pointes that wer both vntru and also ful of supersticion The iugemeÌ„t of Damascene in diuerse Articles of docâ—trine And as for his iudgement how good and how great it was as well in arcticles and pointes of doctrine as also in expounyng of the holy scriptures we haue a sample good enough For he is a wonderous great fauourer of Images and susteyned both great and sore daungiers mo then one for vpholdynge and maynteining of them yea and in this selfsame fourth booke he wrote a seuerall chapitur of a sette purpose concernyng the same matier of Images where his mynde sentence is that Images not onelye are to bee made but also to be honoured and wurshypped Besides this he so highly estemed the reliques of sainctes and holy men whiche are now in rest that he appointed vnto them also a certayne chapitur for the nonce in whiche he feared not to
course of nature we shoulde bee placed and sette in those thynges whiche are aboue nature In whyche place he toucheth also of our chaungeyng into Christe But it is here to bee noted that he affirmeth the outward signes and matier of the sacramentes to bee thynges accordynge to nature that is to saye naturall thynges and thynges of their own natures That yf ye putte thesame to bee accidentes onelye and withoute a subiecte or accidentes that haue the bodye of Christe hidden vnder them than are thei not any longer to bee taken for thynges of theyr owne nature or for thynges within the ordre and course of nature And Damascen vseth suche playne termes in the matier that he affirmeth the nature of bread to be chaunged ouer to bee taken to another thynge and to be made Christes body which wordes chaunge yf they bee taken and vnderstanded of a Sacramentall chaunge they make nothynge at all agaynste vs. And where he also sayeth that these chaunges happen aboue nature we admitte and graunte that too For it is not of any naturall propretee belongynge vnto common breade that a sacrament shoulde bee made thereof no more then the fountayne of oure regeneracion or newe birth to bee made naturallye of water That yf ye demaunde of Damascene the manier howe this chaungeynge of the breade into Christes body commeth to passe he aunswereth that it is not a lyghte mattier euen for vs to expresse the mannier howe breade in oure naturall foode and susteinaunce is chaunged into oure fleashe But as touchynge this similitude and comparison howe it maye bee taken we haue sayed sufficiently afore whan we spake of Theophylactus If ye take this similitude generallye and applye it to a Sacramentall chaunge it is veraye well but if ye will haue the comparison specially made of suche a mutacion or chaungeynge as there is of the foode that we take in oure bodyes whan it is turned into our fleashe than shall ye make not onelye the nature of breade to geue place and to departe awaye but also the accidentes therof to dooe thesame Damascene after all this affirmeth the breade so to bee made Christes bodye and the wyne and water in suche wyse to bee made his bloude that the same are nowe not twoo thynges but one If he referre this terme to bee one thynge and not twayne to the cuppe and the breade as though he should saye that these twoo are one Sacramente We wyll make no greate a dooe in the mattier for in this accion or dooyng as in one Sacramente Christe is offred vnto vs for a foode And yet in takynge bothe partes of this Sacramente the Churche is not a fearde to speake of theym as thoughe they were twoo and to saye that there bee Sacramentes here And in the collectes whiche they were woont to saye in theyr olde Masse they did after the communion manye tymes saye these woordes The Sacramentes whiche we haue receyued c. But an yf they affirme them in suche wyse to bee one that after the consecracion the breade and Christes bodye bee nowe one thyng and notte twayne for the transubstanciation that is incedente vnto it than wyll we sette agaynste this the sentence and determinacion of Ireneus in whiche he wryteth the Sacramente of Eucharistia to consiste of twoo thynges the one yearthelye and the other heauenlye We also sette agaynste theym Gelasius sometyme Byshop of Rome who speakyng of the vnioÌ„ of the humayne nature and diuine nature in Christe bothe the sayde natures remayning wholle and vndefyled argueth and proueth it to bee true by the conioning and couplyng of the bread with Christes bodye in this sacramente bothe natures remaynynge whole and perfect He affirmeth moreouer that this Sacrament is not cast downe in the draught Neyther can it in veray dede otherwyse bee spoken of the transubstanciatours For wheras they put and holde that in this sacrament of Eucharistia there is nothynge but the accidentes of breade and of wyne and the nature of Christes bodye there doeth no parte of these thynges belong to any draught But against the premisses I wyll now bryng in and obiecte a most manifest place of Origen vpon Mathew in the fiftenth chaptur wher he expouneth and declareth these woordes of the EuaÌ„gelist That that entreth iÌ„to the mouth defileth not a man And there dooeth Origen saye thus Origens mynde of the sacramente whether it goe into the draughte or not If it dooe not defyle a man than dooeth it not sanctifie hym and make hym holy neither But what shall we saye of the Lordes breade Is it true that it neyther maketh a man holye nor defileth hym he aunswereth that lyke as if any thing seme vnpure it nothynge at all defyleth vs except through a corrupt conscience in vs Euen so also that that appereth and is called holy dooeth not sanctifye vs nor make vs holy vnlesse there bee righteousnesse wythin vs and perfectenesse of life For if of it owne nature it had the propretee to sanctifie to make holy than should there not haue been many sicke emoÌ„g the Corinthians and many haue died Where fore that that is materiall or grosse and corruptible in the lordes breade dooeth passe down into the bealie and is cast oâ—t into the draught and that that is by humble prayer by the lordes woorde is profitable vnto the solle accordyng to the porcion of euerie mannes feyth It is not than the materiall parte of the lordes breade that is profitable but the woord that is put thereto is the thynge that auayleth And to the entente that one shoulde not thynke hym to speake of any other meate he repeateth it agayne in a briefe summe and sayeth Thus muche haue we spoken of the mystycall and Sacramentall bodye of Christe Nowe leate not anye manne to impougne this that we haue sayed cauill and saye that Origen did nowe and than erre in diuerse opinions and articles For Hierome Epiphanius and the olde aunciente fathers whiche didde with all possible diligence searche and bryng foorth his erroures to lyghte dooe not in anye place make mencion that he was in anye wronge opinion of the Sacramente whiche thynge they woulde neuer haue leafte vnspoken yf he hadde in so greate a mattier gonne neuer so lytle oute of square And Origen in the place afore alleged moste manifestly and plainly addeth these woordes also that the wycked sorte dooe not eate Christes bodie because that Christes bodye is a thyng that geueth life and he that eateth it abydeth in Christe Wherfore agaynst thys Ihon Damascene beeyng but a newe wryter of late yeres a man not of so great a name to speake of leat Origene bee sette who is bothe a veray auncient wryter and also estemed of al men for a ryght famous Clerke After this there was obiected against vs out of the Counsayle of Ephesus that whiche Cyrillus wrote in the behalfe of the same counsayle to Nestarius byshop of Constantinople The counsell of
of the Latines and there they agreed as touchyng the discorde and controuersye that had been concernynge the holye Ghost And in the actes of the counsayle it is to be seen that after the Bisshoppes of the Easte parties and the Latines had agreed vpoÌ„ certain articles the Bishop of Rome than beyng would haue proceded ferther would haue driuen them to traicte of transubstanciation to receiue it as the Latines did beleue it But here the grekes stiffely with stode hym wold in no wyse traict of any suche matier Neither could they be moued nor induced by any argumentes to coÌ„sent therunto And whaÌ„ the letters or instrumentes of vnitie concord agrement betwene theÌ„ should be made publishedâ— the sayed Greke Byshops made a speciall prouiso that in no wyse ther should be any mencioÌ„ made of this matier of transubstanciation which was also obserued as appereth in the Bulle of Eugenius which begiÌ„neth Exultent caeli et letetur terra c. where in he reioyceth in the behalfe of Cristian nacions for this most happie chaunce that the churche of the grekes the churche of the Latines wer â—ome to a coÌ„cord vnytee agayn Wherof it foloweth that if the transubstanciacion had been a matyer of suche weyght effycacy the Romisshe churche woulde neuer haue come to a tonement and been coupled wyth the Churche of the Grekes not receyuing thesame For nowe of dayes they saye it is a veray pernicious and a detestable Hâ—resie not to admit transubstancioÌ„ Nor it is not to be thought nor supposed that the Latine churche would haue coupled her self with heretiques and been one with them By this also is the argumeÌ„t made voyde and of none effecte whiche they broughte of the vniuersal consent and agrement of the churche For it is not true which they affirme that all Christen churches did conspire and agree in this article of transubstanciacion For that same auncient churche which was in the tyme of the fathers as we haue shewed did neuer ymagine nor deuise any suche matier Also the Greke churche of the East parties was not in like opinion that we haue been in Besydes al this to their argumentacions they adde mooste hyghe prayses of the diuine and godly power To the Argument of â—he diuine power to induce the people to beleue so greate a myracle But this is an argumente moste weake and feble for the thynge whiche they ought chiefely to haue shewed they haue neuer yet hitherto truely proued whiche it is that god will dooe it and that the holye scriptures dooe promise suche a thyng vnto vs. For these woordes whiche they allege that is to wete This is my body thâ—se woordes I saye are the matier that is in controuersie maye haue another menyng wherefore the argumente is of no strength ne force And we shall declare the weakenesse of thesame by a certaine example The Lord said vnto Nicodeme Beholde a similitude of Nicodeme that no manne coulde â—ntre into tâ—e kyngdome of heauen excepte he wer borne of newe Than Nâ—codeme began to demaunde how can a maÌ„ whan he is old enâ—re agayne into his mothers woÌ„be It might haue been saied vnto hym Chryste hath euen now affyrmed that it shall so be whi dooest than doubte of the power of God by the whyche all thinges wer created By the same power of God maiest thou vndoubtedlye bee borne againe out of thy mothers wombe But the matyer was not so handeled But Chryste declared that all thys shoulde bee dooen by a spyrytuall regeneracyon For although he made mencion of the water whyche parteyneth to baptisme Yet did he most manyfestly teache that the regeneracion must be dooen by the spirite And euen so dooe we see it happen herein thys matier of the sacramente Chryst commaundeth vs to eate hys fleash and he takynge the breade in hys hande sayethe This is my bodye Now the transubstanciatours said It cannot bee that the bodye of Chryste shoulde bee to gether with the bread Wherefore it must nedes folow that the nature of the breade bee turned by transubstanciacyon into Chrystes body And that it is so transubstauncyated they wyll nedes parswade men by an argumente of the power of God Why the fathers speakinâ—g of this sacâ—amente dooe so magnifie the power of god because he is hable to doe it But in the meane whyle the transubstanciatours dooe thus obiecte agaynst vs We dooe not thys alowe say they for Chrysostome Ambrose Cyrillus whan they traict of thys mutacion the lykewyse remit vs to the power of god magnyfye the same power of god with wunderful high laudes praises But to thys we aunswer that the fathers speake veray wel for vndoubtedly it belongeth to the power of God so to chaunge breade and wyne that they bee made sacramentes whyche they wer not afore neyther is it the worke of nature that bread and wine should so mightely and so effectually signifie offre and represente the bodye and bloud of our lorde to bee comprehended wyth our myndes and wyth our feith Wherefore the holy ghoste dooeth here entremeole hymself the lordes institution and ordinaunce in this behaâ—fe is of great strength and vertue the wordes beeyng at the fyrst pronounced by the inspiracion of God and now repeated agayn by the ministre dooe weorke no smalle effecte Ye maye to the premisses putte our conuersion and chaungeyng into Christe whan we dooe receiue the communion all whiche thynges are ferre aboue the power strength of nature And now wher as the supernatural power of the lorde maye bee required to al these thynges these men applye the sayd power of God to transubstanciacion But thys is a muche lyke thyng as it we should make an argumente and should reason as the logicians termes bee ab vniuersiliore ad particularius that is to saie from the more general to the lesse general affirmatyuely that is by the waye of affirmyng a thyng to bee thus or thus whiche is the wourstkynde of argumente that can bee made as for exaÌ„â—le there can not bee a wourse arâ—umeÌ„te theÌ„ to saâ— Thissame is a tree ergo it is an applee tree For it maye bee a theritree or an oke tree or some other tree But contrarie wyse to saye this in an aple tree Ergo it is a tree is a veray good reason and a well framed argumente So to saye Goddes wyll is to dooe suche a thyng or suche a thyng ergo he can dooe it is a perfeicte good reason But theâ—e can not bee a lewder manier of arguyng then to saye God is of power to dooe suche a thyng ergo he wyl dooe it or dooeth it For God is of power euen now at this daye to heale all diseases and sicknesses of all men to make the dum to speake to restore sight vnto the blynde and to reuiue men that are dead as Christe reised Lazarus and as he wrought the thynges afore spokenâ— and many other miracles while he liued
a transubstanciacion take a similitude sayeth he of the outward voyce or woorde that a man dooeth speake of talke that is made by sounde of the ayer Unto what soeuer persones suche woordes dooe come it conteineth and hath wyth it hys owne propre sense and menyng But if it come to men of good vnderstaÌ„dyng thesame dooe heare it wyth some profit for they dooe well perceiue the thynges that are spoken But in case it come to the vnlearned and to men that lacke knowelage it dooeth neuerthelesse beare wyth it the ê“pre sense of the wordes but yet it is wythout any profit to the hearer because he is not a man of capacitee to vnderstande it Thys man lacketh here for hys argumente the woordes beare theyr sense and menyng wyth theÌ„ but he dooeth not marke that the sense is not included or enwrapped really as the terme is in the sonne or in the caractes of the lettres but onely by the waye of signifiyng Whyche self same thyng if it should bee sayed vnto hym of the breade and the wyne in the sacramentes that they offre vnto vs the bodye of Christe by the waye of signifiyng or betokenyng none other wyse he shal bee conuinced in hys owne similitude and comparison And by thesame also it is proued that the wyeked dooe not receiue the lordes bodye euen lyke as vnskilful or ignoraunt persones whan they heare talke in greke or latin dooe not perceiue the sense and menyng therof Wherupon conclude that there could not any thyng haue been spoken more strongly on our syde theÌ„ thys similitude of Algerius Thesame Algerius also in the fyrst chapitur of the second booke aduoucheth that the accidentes in thys sacramente dooe not veraily and truely susteme rottenesse or mouldryng away but onely that it so appereth vnto vs and yet is not so in dede whyche thyng euen the veray scholemen would not haue sayed For what other thyng is thys but to establishe a perpetual illusion and blyndyng of mannes senses Thus than we nede not muche to passe of Algerius though he labour by all meanes possible to ratifie and sette vp hys transubstanciacion We haue now traicted of the fyrst opinion and that at large For the sayd opinion of transubstanciacion remoued and taken away there shall there wyth also many supersticions bee taken away Of the other twoo opinions we shal not talke so muche at length For whether of theÌ„ bothe bee putte or affirmed we doee not so greatly passe so that it bee well vnderstanded as it should bee We shall at thys present onely shewe of them as ferre as we maye see iÌ„ it what we iudge mete to bee eschewed or to bee receiued in either of them There haue been many whiche haue reteined and kept still in the sacramente the substance of breade and wyne but they haue ioygned the bodye bloud of Christe wyth these materiall signes remainyng still in theyr owne natures these haue they ioygned together with a veray streight and fast knotte but yet as I trow not in suche sorte that of the boke beeyng so ioygned together there should bee made one substaunce or one nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yet neuerthelesse they haue sayed that the bodye and bloud of Christe are present in the breade wyne really as they terme it bodyly and naturali Some others again haue ioygned them together onely by the waye of betokenyng Of these twoo determinacions the former is fathered vpon Luther the later vpon zwynglius Of the conteâ—cion betwene Luther and zwynglius albeeit I haue heard of persones right credible that neither Luther was in veray dede of so grosse an opinion in thys matâ—er nor zwynglius of so slendre and light a belief concernyng the sacramentes And theyr saiyng is that Luther bowed lened vnto phrases of speakyng by the figure hiperbole of whiche figure we haue afore noted and to suche phrases of speakyng as in the veray woordes did after a manier excede the trueth because he supposed that zwynglius and others mynded to stablishe the sacramentes to bee naked vain signes wheras zwynglius neuer went about any suche matier Yea zwynglius again on the other syde feared lesce Luther would putte suche thynges as might bothe bee derogatiue preiudicial to the trueth of the humain nature in Christ aâ—d also would enclose the bodye of Christe in breade whereby supersticion myght yet stil bee more and more nourished and therefore he semed more slendrely to geue honour to this sacrameÌ„te And thus did the contencion betwene them enkâ—endle more then was behoufful and was the cause of many great euils wheras yet neuerthelesse the contencion and strife was in veray dede about wordes rather then about the thyng self We shall therefore remoue our discoursing vpon these two opinions from the said two persones For we dooe not affirme that either zwynglius or els Luther wer of suche opinions as aboue saiâ—d but we shall onely examin the said sentences and opinions suche as they are carryed about and supposed to bee These persones whiche dooe so grossely ioygne the bodye of Christe wyth the outward and material signes to the ende that they maye the better wynde out of all entangleynges are woont to beyng in for theyr purpose two similitudes or comparisons The fyrst similitude is thys If one haue a potte or a pitcher ful of wyâ—e pronounce these woordes Thys is wyne he shal make no lye at all because he â—â—eweth the â—eraâ— wyne in dede conteined in the potte And euen lykewyse shal it bee if thou take a piece of glowyng iron and shewyng foorth the fyâ—â— thou saie these woordes This is fyer there shal iÌ„ this case no thing agaiâ—st reasoÌ„ bee spokeÌ„ or ê“nouÌ„ced of thee And eueÌ„ so do these men saye that it is to bee vnderstaÌ„ded that the lorde saiethâ— This is my bodye and so dooe they manifestely admitte yeâ—â—ope or â—iguratiue manier of speakyng called Synecdothe of which also we haue dâ—clared afore For whan they shewe the thyng whyche theimselfes suppose to bee compouned that is to saye made of two sondrie partes as in thys sacrament of breade and of Christes bodye c. it is not a true proposicion or clause to saye Thys is the bodye of Christe but as touchyng the one parte of the thyng that is shewed forth in syght Yet neuerthelesse it is to bee knowen that these similitudes or comparisons are not taken of these men as though they wer of the opinion that they dooe in all pointes or all manier of wayes agree wyth the thyng that the comparison is made by for theimselfes dooe earnestely affirme and reasoÌ„ that Christe is not thâ—re present locallye that is to saye after suche sorte as thynges are commonly in places conuenient for theyr likenesse and quantitee but onely diffinitiuely that is to saye by the waye of determinacion and assignemente whyche they vnderstande than to bee so whan a thyng is encompaced wyth the measure and
largenesse of a place aunswerable in all pointes to hys likenesse but yet it is sayed to bee there because the nature or the beeyng of it is for that present deputed assigned to the place or because it woorketh and hath hys operacion in that place whyche propretee dooeth nothyng at all agree wyth the wyne in a potte for there it hath hys ful place and ful roome wyth whyche it is encoumpaced Besides thys these men woul not saye that Christes bodye is so in the breade that it maye haue hys name of the qualitees or accidentes of the breade For the bodye of Christe beeyng in the cake of breade can not truely bee called whyte round or baked whyche thyng neuerthelesse we see chaunce vnto fyer that is entremiengled wyth read glowing yron For the fyer that is in hoate glowing yroÌ„ doth so folow the facion of the yron as for exaumple the lengthe the bredthe and the thyckenesse of it that it maye well be named of suche facion or shape as the yron hath Wherby it do manifestly appere these similitudes in this sentence and opinion not to bee taken of these men so as it maye be applyed to aunswere and agree in all poyntes but onely that a true and a reall coniunction of the Sacrament and of the thyng signifyed by the sacramente maye be shewed and proued whiche as soone as it is graunted it foloweth by and by that aswell the godly as the wieked sorte do receiue Christes bodye The first that is that the godly do receyue Christes bodye because they thynke this real coniunction of Christes bodye and the sacrament to bee sufficiently proued by the lordes woordes the secounde that is that the bodye of Christ is geuen to the wieked also aswell as to the godly they see to folowe necessarily But we haue now alreadye shewed the contrarie whiche is that these wordes of Christe dooe not necessarilye dryue or leade vs to anye suche seâ—se and it is proued by effectuall and pitthy reasons that the wieked dooe receyue onely the elementes that is to saye the outwarde and materyall signes as breade and wyne and nothyng els These menne are woont also thus to argue If the woordes of scripture bee taken as figuratiuelye spoken than maye it easely be brought to passe that many preceptes of the lawe maye bee subuerted and fordoen Gene. xvi For Abraham might haue sayed of circumcision whan it was commannded This is a figuratiue manier of speakyng and I shall fulfyll and satisfie this commaundement yf I circumcise my hert cutte awai the eiuel desires and vices of the fleash Also whaÌ„ the choice of meates was commauÌ„ded Leut. xi the Isralites might haue said that the execucion of that commaundemente might consiste in a morall obseruacion or keping of it as if thei did not coÌ„mitte those synnes which wer assigned and noted to be in these vnclene beastes that wer for bidden theÌ„ Whether tropes dooe empeache the commauÌ„ndementes of God and so neither circumcision nor the choice or deuersytee of meates had taken place But that this a feble reason maie herof be wel proued because that by veray the lettre self and bi the expresse wordes of the text it is euidently to be gathered that the wordes are not spoken by any trope or figure For as concernynge circumcision the eighte daye from the childes byrth was determinately and precysely appointed and there is added that the league and couenaunte of the lorde should bee carryed of them in the verai fleashe selfe by whiche woordes it is euydent that verai true circumcision in dede was commaunded And as touchynge the choice or dyfference of meates the condycions of the beastes there mencyoned aswell the clene as the vnclene are so playnly and expressely described and concernynge the transgressours of that commaundemente there is an ordre of puryfiynge them so dystinctely and plainly sette oute that there is no place leafte of doubtynge or mystakynge of it AusteÌ„s rule how to take the woordes or the letter of the holye scripture We haue also Austens rule of christen doctryne whereby he sheweth that vnlesse the woordes seme to commaunde any vndecente or wyeked thynge or els to forbid some good worke it must be taken as the lettre goeth without any trope or figure Whiche rule yf it be laied to the meates and to circuncision it shall declare that the woordes of God are to bee taken simplye and plainly as they sounde wythout any figure They allege morouer that in the prophetes and in the histories there bee tropes and figures easie and readie to bee admitted because that in them the holy ghoste fareth after the manier of menne and dooeth accomidate him selfe to the famylier mannier of speakyng that men vse to thentente he maie the more vehemently and the better expresse the thynges that are to bee spoken but in doctrines and in preceptes or rules it maie not so bee For there say they must all thynges bee taken simply and plainly as the wordes souÌ„d without any ferther addicion or circumstaunce But this sentence of theirs is not firme and sure no nor yet vniuersall For as touchynge preceptes and lessons geuynge the lord sayeth Take hede and beware of the leauen of the pharisees c. where he dooeth moste manifestlye vse a trope and a fygure of speakynge yea and suche an one that the Apostles selfes were there ouerseene in takynge and vnderstanding of it He coÌ„maunded moreouer in the seuenteenth chapytur of Mathewe they should beware of false Prophetes for sayed he they shall come vnto you in shepes clothing but iÌ„wardly they are rauenynge woulfes c. In whiche precepte who perceyueth not a plain fyguratyue speche And in geuynge of doctrynes also and in structions there is no doubte but that tropes and fygures are vsed Paule sayeth in the newe testamente The stone was Chryste We are one breade and of God it is wryten that he is a burnyge fyer whether the bodye of Christe bee eueâ—y wher or not After thys they contende that the bodye of Christ may be in all places that by the woordes of Christ to Necodeme in the thyrde chapitur of Iohn where it is sayed No man ascendeth vp into heaueÌ„ but he that came downe frome heauen that is to saye the Sonne of man which is in heauen Be holde say they the sonne of man that is to saye Chryste euen in hys humanite talked wyth theym and yet was in heauen too For hys humayn nature cannot bee seperated frome the deuyne nature of hys godhed therefore whaâ—soeuer is affirmed of the one muste in lyke manyer bee veryfied of the other But thys is our aunswer that we goo not a bout in any wyse to deuide these twoo natures the one from the other but yet it foloweth not that what soeuer is verified and truelye saied of the one oughte also to bee attributed to the other Thys wyll we graunte wyth a good will that the diuyne nature
yf ye wyl referre it to places than ye must vnderstande it of certayne kyndes of places and not of euery singuler place according as this saying here folowyng is spoken the lorde will haue all men to be saued Therfore we muste saye that Christe soÌ„tyme hath occupyed the middle partes sometyme the vpper partes and sometyme the lowest partes in the sepulchre But now the transubstanciatours saie that they haue nothynge to dooe here wythall For they saye not that the bodye of Chryste is euerye where but onely he that is in al places where this sacrament is Howbeit it is agaynst theym neuerthelesse For yf it so bee as they affirme that it is not repugnant to the bodye of Chryste to bee at one tyme in the twentie or fiftie soÌ„dry places at once If Christes bodye maye bee in many places at once than it maye bee in euery place whiche also Dâ—â—us perceiued ynough than shal it not be repugnant for the same body to bee in an houndreth places or in a thousande and consequentlye in all places and so shall they make Chrystes bodye to bee infynite Neither can thei well fynde faulte with this manyer of arguynge or reasoninge as though this fourme of arguyng were not good For Hierome vseth euen the same manier of resonyng against Iohn the byshop of Hierusalem where he mindeth to proue that oure bodyes after the resurrection maie endewe without fode For sayth he Helias and Moses could by the power of God continue without meate by the space of fowertie dayes therfor maie an other man by thesame power of God bee susteyneth longer And yf he may continue longer than it foloweth that he may continue alwaies if it bee the wyll of God that he shall so dooe But leat vs returne again to our aduersaires the transubstanciatours They because they se that vpon this so nere a coniunction or couplyng together of Christe with the sacramente it foloweth that the same sacramente maye bee wurshypped For yf the lorde bether conteined really corporalli what his he that woulde not wurshyp hym they teache that we maie indiâ—ferently at our pleasures either doe it or leaue it vndoeÌ„ For saye they although he bee there in dede yet is he not there to any suche ende or purpose that he shoulde bee wurshipped If ye take and eate the Sacramente it is enoughe yf ye dooe also wurship it ye dooe not amisse But that that we putte of the Sacramentes is a thynge of more certainetee whiche is that in oure wurshippinge we maye not directe our mynde towardes the outewarde signes but yf any manne at the tyme of the ministracion of the sacramente beeyng well and rightly instructed afore of this mysterie directe his mynde to wurshippe Christe reygning in heauen he dooeth well yea he is bounde to wurshippe Christe who declareth himselfe vnto him Neither is there any Idolatry committed in so dooyng as Paule teacheth in the Epistle to the Corinthians whan he sayeth If anye man come into youre congregacion beeyng an ignoraunt vnlearned person and heareth you altogether speake with tongues vndoubtedly wil he saie these felowes are all out of their wittes neither shal he be any thyng edifyed But if he heare you prophâ—cieng and perceyue that the secretes of his herte are opened than will he fal downe on his face and worship god He wyll not in this case wurshyp the men that so prophecie or preyche but for asmuche as the lorde doth there open hym selfe vnto him he will turne hym selfe to wurshyp God But nowe to bee brief The reasoÌ„s against the second opiâ—ion that was propouned in the beginninge of this wâ—orke the reasons wherfore thys so grosse a supposicion and opinion semeth not to bee true are these here folowyng Fyrst for that this reall and corporall presence bringeth no maner of vtilytye or benifite vnto vs whiche we haue not by that other spiritual presence For in the sixt Chapiter of Iohn the lorde hath promised euerlastyng life vnto them that eate hym The first reson against the grosse opinioÌ„ of the corporal presence of Châ—ist in the sacramente and he hathe promised moreouer that he wyll abyde in them and that they shall abyde in hym And what canne we require more then thys Secondly it could not otherwise be graunted that both we and the fathers of the olde lawe had one maner of sacrameÌ„tes For they coulde not haue obteined this real and bodily presence The secoâ—d for somuche as the sonne of God had not yet taken the nature of man and fleshe vpon hym Moreouerâ— it should folowe that both the godly and the vngodly do eate the body of Christ. The thirde reason Also ouer and aboue that spirytuall eatyng whyche wee haue in the Syxte Chapiter of Iohn The fourth they brynge in an other fleshely and bodelye eatynge of Christe whiche can not bee proued whereas thys and yâ— other are but all one sauynge that in the latter there bee added outward material signes to confyrme the thyng so muche the better Also it shoulde folowe that whyle thei yeld so muche vnto the woordes and the letter The fifthe they wade in the same dificultee and hardenese that the transubstancyatours are entangled wyth all whan they saye Thys is my bodye For thei shall not bee hable so to winde out or vntangle theim selfes but that they haue condycyon and repugnaunce emonge theym selfes For they shall not be hable plainly to declare what thei dooe demonstrate and shew by those wordes nor howe the woordes bee true whan thei are in pronouncynge vnlesse thei will admitte a trope or a fyguratyue manier of speakyng Ferthermore thei dooe by this opinion scattre the bodie of Christ about to be in many places at once yea and euery where at once The reason againsâ—e the corporal pâ—esence Neyther is it to any effecte if they sayd not localli that is to saye in the waie of occupinge a roome or of filling a place For though it shoulde be there as the Aungels are said to bee in a place yet the same is not agreable for any creature as hath ben proued here afore by examples of Didimus Basilius Austen to Dardamus and of Cyrillus The seuâ—nth reason The woordes of the scrypture dooe not driue ne lede vs to suche a grosse and a corporall presence And feith commeth by the word of God wherfore feith is not bound to embrace any suche presence And besydes this the fathers dooe teache otherwyse The eighte reasoÌ„ For what manier of bodye there is in the sacramente of Eucharistia Ciprian declareth it in hys sermon of the lordes Supper whan he sayeth Cyprian who continually euen vnto this present daye dooeth create sanctyfie and blesse his bodye distributynge thesame to the godly receauers Now Christes verai owne propre bodye is not of newe created nor sanctified nor deuyded Chrisostome Chrisostome vpon the fifth chapitur of Matthew in the eleuenth homely of his work
and in Samaria and euen vnto the worldes ende Beholde what way I lye abiect that dooe ascende for I doee ascende because I am the head my bodye lieth yet styl what waye or in what place lyeth it truely through out all the yearth Unto Austen dooeth Cyrillus consâ—nte who wryting vpon Ihon in the syxth booke the fowerteenth chap. thus sayeth here is to be marked that although he conueyghed hence the presence of hys bodye yet by the maieste of hys godhed he is alwaies present wyth vs as hymself whan he was at the pointe of deâ—arting awaye froÌ„ hys disciples ê“miseth saiyng Beholde I am wyth you all the daye vntyl the coÌ„suÌ„matioÌ„ of the worlde And the same Cyrillus in the nynth boke vpoÌ„ Ihon the .xxi. chap. Christe sayed that he would bee wyth hys disciples but a litell space not because he should goe from them altogether for he is still wyth vs continually vntyll the ende of the worlde but because he should not liue nor bee coÌ„uersaunt wyth theym as he had been before For the tyme was now at hande that he should departe away from them vp to heaueÌ„ vnto his father And the parte of al feythfull is to beleue that although he bee absent from vs in bodye yet neuâ—rthe lesse all thinges are rewled by his power we by yâ— same power gouerned and he euermore prâ—sent wyth all them that loue hym And therefore it was that he sayed Uerayly verayly I saye vnto you wheresoeuer there shall bee two or three gathered together in my name there am I in the middes of them For lyke as euen at that tyme whan he was conuersaunt on yearth as a man he did also fyl heauen and forsoke not the coumpaignie of the Aungels euen so at this present though he bee in heauen wyth hys fleashe ye the fulfilleth the yearth is pseÌ„t with theÌ„ that loue hym And it is to bee marked yâ— although he should goe away after hys fleash onely for as we haue alreadie saied he is continually psent wyth vs by the vertue of hys godhed yet he sayed that he would for a litell space remaine wyth hys disciples namyng hymself in plain woordes because no maÌ„ should presume to deuide Christe into twoo sonnes And wyth these men agreeth Uigilius who in the fyrst booke against Eutiches wryteth in thys manier The sonne of god after hys humanitee departed away from vs but after hys godhed he sayeth vnto vs. Beholde I am wyth you vntyl the ende of the worlde And the same man not many lines aâ—ter sayeth For whom he leaft and from he departed in hys humanitee theym hath he not leaft nor forsaken in hys godhed For after the fourme and shape of a seruaunte or bondeman whyche he tooke away from vs into heauen he is absent froÌ„ vs but after the fourine shape of god he goeth not away froÌ„ vs but he is psent wyth is euen vpon yearth And yet aswell beeyng present as absent he is one the same vnto vs. Again in the fowerth boke If the nature of the woorde of the fleashe bee but one nature how happeneth that wheras the woorde is euery where the fleashe also is not found euery where For whaÌ„ he was on yearth certes he was not in heauen and now because he is in heauen certes he is not on yearth And so ferreforth is he not on yearth that as touchyng the fleashe we looke for Christ to come down froÌ„ heauen whom after the word we beleue to bee wyth vs vpon yearth Therefore after your opinion eyther the woorde is conteined and encoumpaced in some certain place together wyth hys fleashe or els the fleashe is euery where together wyth the woorde For one nature dooeth not receiue in it self any thyng that is contrarie to it or of a sondrie sorte from it And of a muche sondrie sorte and ferre vnlyke bee these two thâ—nges to bee encompaced or conteined in a determinat place and to bee euery where And forasmuche as the woorde is euerywhere and his fleashe is not euery where it appereth that one the same Christe is of bothe natures and that he is in veray dede euery where after the nature of hys godhed and to bee conteined wythin the circuit of a place after the nature of hys humanitee and manhoed and also that created he was and yet hath no begynnyng and to bee subiect to death yet of suche immortalitee that he can not die And within fewe lines after thus he sayeth This is the catholike feith and confession whyche the Apostles taught and deliuered whyche the Martirs confirmed and whiche the feithful dooe kepe and holde euen vnto thys present Besides these also FulgeÌ„tius vnto kyng Trasinnudus in the second book â—ulgentius One and the same man placeable as touchyng that he was borne of maÌ„ whyche is god infinite as touchyng that he was begotteÌ„ of the father One and the same man after his humain substaunce absâ—nt from heauen whan he was conuersaunt on yearth forsakyng the yearth whan he was ascended vp into heauen and after his godly and infinite substaunce neither leauyng heauen whan he came down from heauen nor bearyng the yearth whan he ascended vp into heauen Whiche thyng maie by the moste true and assured woordes of the lordes self bee knowen who to shewe hys humanitee placeable saied vnto his disciples I goe vp vnto my father and your father my god and your god Also whan he had saied of Lazarus Lazarus is dead he added thereto and saied I am glad for your sakes that ye maye beleue because I was not there And to declare the infinitenesse of his godhed he saieth vnto his disciples Beholde I am with you al the daies vntil the consummacion of the worlde How did he ascende vp into heauen but that he is a veray man in dede placeable Or how is he present wyth his feithfull but that he is veray true god in dede and infinite And the same fulgentius in the third booke Christe beeyng one and inseparable did after hys onely fleashe aryse out of the sepulchre and thesame Christe beeyng one and inseparable did after the wholle and perfeict nature of man whyche he tooke vpon hymâ— forsake the yearth locally and ascended vp into heauen and sitteth on the right hande of god and after the self same wholle and perfeict man he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead and to croune the feithfull and godly Finally Bernard vpoÌ„ the caÌ„ticles of Salomon in the three and thirtieth sermoÌ„ thus sayeth Bernarde I also haue the woorde but in fleashe I haue it and the trueth is sette afore me but it is in a sacramente The aungel is fatte fed with the fatte of the wheate and is now saciated and filled wyth the graine self and I must in the meane whyle bee contented wyth a certain rynde of the sacrament wyth the branne of the fleshe wyth the chaffe of the lettre
are in a circuit round about one and thesame man whose looke and face is multiplied throughe out all these glasses euery one of them though the man moue not out of his place In dede I coÌ„fesse that these are similitudes though some what to cold to agree well wyth thys misterie For a frende coÌ„preheÌ„ded and coÌ„ceiued in a mannes thought and beeyng stille rennyng in his mynde dooeth not weorke any alteracion or chaunge in the partie that is the thynker on his frende nor fedeth or nourisheth hys mynde nor also dooeth so renewe hys bodye that he maye bee made apte or hable to receiue the resurrecctioÌ„ And the same that is coÌ„teined iÌ„ a glasse is but a veray sleÌ„dre light shadowe neither ought so sleÌ„dre a thing to be compared with our ioygning coupling to Christ. For the spiritual presence of Christe whiche we putte hath the power of the holy ghoste annexed vnto it whyche dooeth moste streightly couple vs vnto hym Yet the sayd similitudes are not vtterly to bee reiected for somuche as they maye by some manier of meanes induce lede vs to the trueth so that thei be vnderstaÌ„ded not to bee altogether ful egual with the thyng self For the said similitudes dooe notifie vnto vs how thys receyuyng of Christe is doen by feyth with the mynde And meÌ„tion they make of two manier of couplynges of vs wyth Christe The one is that by feith we enbrace his bodie nailled on the crosse hys bloud shed foorth for our redeÌ„pcioÌ„ The other is that the veray sonne of god toke our veray true nature vpoÌ„ him by this meanes there is entred begonne a natural coÌ„munioÌ„ betwene vs Christe wherof there is a meÌ„cioÌ„ made in the secoÌ„d chap. of the epistle to the Hebrewes But there is a certain thyrd knittyng together whiche we entre and beginne wyth Christe by eatyng hym spiritually of whiche they dooe not make so often mencion though thei dooe not altogether hold theyr peace of it But of thys thyrd knittyng of vs wyth Christ we shal traicte here a litel after That if these men bee demaunded the question whether Christe bee present in the lordes supper or not thei saie he is but thei saye this by the figure synecdoche because the one parte of Christe that is to saye his godhed is veraily truely psent there Otherwyse in expounyng our lordes saiyng this is my bodye thei vse the figure of metonimia of whiche we haue afore spokeÌ„ vsing the name of the thing self iÌ„ stede of the signe And thei seme to grauÌ„t veray Christe hymself in suche wyse to be there pseÌ„t as the suÌ„ne whiche kepâ—th himself stil iÌ„ his owne circle is neuerthelesse saied to be present to the worlde the same to gouerne with hys goyng about with his lighte And how veraily feith maye make yâ— thyng pseÌ„t they thynke theymselfâ—s to haue sufficieÌ„tely declared out of the epistle to the GalathiaÌ„s where Paule saied yâ— Christ was described sette out before theyr yies crucified eueÌ„ emoÌ„g theim Now remaineth that bâ—twene these two opinioÌ„s determinatioÌ„s we shewe what is by our iudgemeÌ„t either to be auoided or to be receiued not yâ— I mynde to checke singular and moste excellent men that haue been or to geue any geacke eyther to Luther or els to zwynglius For as thouchyng zwynglius I doe certainly knowe yâ— in hys boke he putteth the signes in this sacrameÌ„t in no wyse to be void or vain signes as I haue aboue sayed And also it hath beeÌ„ tolde me of meÌ„ that haue beeÌ„ coÌ„uersauÌ„t with Luther yâ— he of a trueth made none other coÌ„iuÌ„ctioÌ„ betwene the bodye of Christe the outward signes but a coniunctioÌ„ sacrameÌ„tal But how the contencion betwene theym was increased and enkieÌ„dled yâ— time serueth not now to reherse it Setting therefore these men asyde whiche neuer can bee praised ynough we wil â—reacte of yâ— opinioÌ„s eueÌ„ as they are recited at large tossed to fro in the world Wherfore in the former opinion I dooe in no case approue ne allow the grosse copulatioÌ„ of the bodye of Christe with the breade so that it should be naturally corporally really coÌ„teyned in the same breade For the holy scripture doeth not coÌ„streigne vs to stablishe any suche doctrine to multiplie heape vp so many miracles without testimonie of goddes woorde standeth not wel with the rule of diuinitee Besides thys suche a presence is not necessarye neither hath it any efficacye as touching our saluacion Also that the vngodly should receiue the bodye of the lorde I doe not admitte For whatsoeuer the lorde hath instituted he hath done it that it myght bee to our saluacion but the carnall and corporal eating is not for the saluacion of the vngodly ergo Christe hath not instituted the sayd eating of hys bodye in suche sorte And whatsoeuer the vngodly dooe there eate corporally it maye not bee said that thei eate the bodye of Christe except ye wyll geue vnto the outward signe or matier of the sacramente the name of the thyng Morouer we wyl not grauÌ„te the bodie of Christe to bee euerye where or to bee dispersed thorough out al or many places because this is contrarie and repugnaunt to the condicions of mannes nature Neither also is it to bee thought that there is any difference betwene the spirituall eatyng whyche is wryten in the syxth chapiter of Ihon and that whyche the lorde did institute at his last supper sauing that to the samâ— doctrine and promise whiche he had taught before he did now at hys last supper adde the said outward signes putte the thing iÌ„ executioÌ„ whiche he hath taught before Also that thâ—y speake doubtfully coÌ„cerning the adoracion or wurshippyng of the sacramente ought not to bee admitted For we haue taught afore bothe plainly and clerely what is to bee thought coÌ„cernyng that mattier And thus muche of this opinion froÌ„ the whiche I iudge to bee excepted and auoided all these pointes whiche I haue now rehearsed In the seconde opinion this I lyke not that they dooe so seldome make mencion of the sacramental mutation of the breade the wyne whiche yet is no small matier And the fathers whaÌ„soeuer they seme to fauour the traÌ„substanciatioÌ„ Yet haue a respecte vnto the said sacrameÌ„tal mutation Also the holye scriptures dooe not coÌ„temne it for Paule in the same place where he treateth of the sacramente What thing is not approued in this opinioÌ„ as touching the corporal presence of Christe in the sacramente The sacramentalle chaunge is a grâ—at matier and approued by holy scripture dooeth not onely cal it the cuppe but the cuppe of the lorde We see also that in the olde testamente thinges that wer offered wer not onely called holy but also moste holy wherefore they ought not to esteme this mutacioÌ„ to bee a small matier seeyng that it is of so greate weyght efficacie But if they
will excuse the matier saiyng that they dooe it because we should not cleue to muche vnto the outward or material signes it is to bee aunswered that thys sore maie bee easely remedied by a doctrine whereby men maye bee instructed that Christe is ioygned wyth vs by a moste excelent coniunction or knotte whan we dooe communicate in that that he abideth in vs and we in him Secoundly in that that he is ioygned wyth vs by the wordes Christe is ioygned vnto vs by three thynges and that by the waye of signifiyng or betokenyng Thyrdly he is ioygned vnto vs by the material signes and that also by the waye of signifiyng whyche not wythstanding is lesse then that whyche belongeth to the woordes Yea and the material signes take theyr signifiyng or betokenyng of the former coÌ„ioynyng and couplyng whiche coÌ„meth of the wordes If these thynges bee diligently duely and ordrely taught there shall bee no daungier in the matier I graunte that the writers of this opinion haue somtime treated and made mencion of thys sacramental chauÌ„ge but yet veray seldome Morouer they haue not allwaies aydded theruÌ„to that efficacye whiche is due vnto it Of the efficacie of the sacrament For these thynges are not made vulgare or comon signes but suche signes as maye myghtily strongly stiere vp that mynde They wyl saie theÌ„ shal ye attribute to muche vnto the elementes material thynges of this world WheruÌ„to we aunswer that these thynges are not attributed vnto theym for theÌ„ selfes but for the lordes institutioÌ„ ordinaunce for the power of the holy ghoste for the clerenes plainnesse of the wordes If they demauÌ„de where I finde that the holy ghoste weorketh in thys matier The holy ghoste weorketh at the receiuing of the communion the aunswer there to is easie For we haue alreadie putte coÌ„cluded that thys eatyng is spirituall And how caÌ„ we eate spiritualli wythout the holy ghoste As touching the institucioÌ„ of the lorde there is no doubte to bee made of the efficacie of the worde the scriptures speake in dyuers places Paule sayeth that the gospel is the power of god vnto saluacioÌ„ that is to wete because god doeth by the instrumeÌ„te of the ghospel declare hys power And what other thyng is the sacrameÌ„te of Eucharistia but the ghospel or the woord visible Paule sayeth also that fayth coÌ„meth by hearyng the hearyng by the worde of God not that the worde maketh vs beleue for it is the holy ghoste through whoÌ„ we dooe beleue but he vseth the instrumeÌ„te of the wordes also of the sacrameÌ„tes whiche are the wordes of God suche as maye bee coÌ„prehended with our outwarde bodyly senses Who knoweth not also that by the worde of God the creatures are sanctified as it is in the epistle to Timothe whyche also must bee ryghthely takeÌ„ For the holy ghoste is he that saÌ„ctifieth in dede neuerthelesse he dooeth it by the instrumeÌ„te bothe of the wordes of the sacramentes Therefore thys mutatioÌ„ or chauÌ„ge maye not bee takeÌ„ awaye froÌ„ the breade the wyne by the whyche they are made signes of the bodye bloud of Christe effectual myghty in operatioÌ„ that is to saye suche as by theym the spirite of the lorde woorketh in vs myghtely not after the coÌ„mon sorte if â—o bee that we on our parte bee endewed wyth feyth and godlynesse For we dooe not here establyshe an efficacie whyche tyeth our saluacioÌ„ to the thynges of thys worlde Neither leat any man here obiecte saye Seing thys receiuing of the coÌ„munioÌ„ is dooen by feyth what shal they bee the better that do coÌ„municate seeying that in case they bee feythful they haue Christ alreadie ioygned vnto theym For suche persones maie easily bee auÌ„swered Christe is in dede alreadie ioygned vnto vs but he is daily by receiuing the coÌ„munioÌ„ more nerer nerer ioygned vnto vs whan we dooe coÌ„municate he is more more vnited made one with vs. Besides thys in receiuing of it we doe fulfil the coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„t of the lorde who coÌ„mauÌ„ded that we should eate drinke thys sacrameÌ„t Ye myght els saye eueÌ„ the lyke of baptisme too For whaÌ„soeuer any man dooeth beleue he is iustified wtout delaye hath forgeuenesse of his sinnes yet notwtstaÌ„dyng he is not Baptised in vayne If ye demaunde again whether thys efficacye of the sacrameÌ„te of Eucharistia Whether the efficacie of Eucharistia doe exteÌ„de equally indifferently to all men doeth extende equally indiffereÌ„tely vnto al men I aunswer no. But it is accordyng to the rate porcioÌ„ of feithe in the parties that dooe coÌ„municate as Origen sayed vpon the fifteenth chapitur of Mathewe It is not the substaunce of thys sacrameÌ„te that dooeth profite sayeth he but it is that whiche is by the worde by prayer that heireth our myndes accordyng to the quaÌ„titee and porcion of our feith There is yet another thyng that I would haue theim to beate in to the mindes of the people which is that through the coÌ„munioÌ„ we are incorporated as ye would saye enbodied vnto Christe whiche worde of enbodyeng is no straunge nor no newe deuised worde in scripture For in Paule to the Ephesians it is saydâ— that the Gentiles are made felowe heyres and concorporall wyth Christe and the greke woorde therof is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For although we putte that the vnderstanding and takyng of Christes bodye is dooen by feyth yet notwythstanding at thys conceiuing and takyng there foloweth effectually a true coniunction I saye betwene vs and Christe and not a feigned or ymaginatiue coniunction whiche first perteyneth to the solle and then redoundeth vnto the bodye We are incorporated vnto Christe whaÌ„ we dooe coÌ„municate And the same coÌ„iunctioÌ„ and incorporacion of vs wyth Christe is commended vnto vs in the holy scriptures of Paule vnder a comparison of the head and the bodye whan he calleth vs meÌ„bres of one bodye vnder Christe whiche is the head and vndre a comparison of the state and condicion of wedlocke wherin twoo are made one fleashe Whyche thyng to expresse Cyrillus brought forth a like exaumple of molten wax whyche beeyng myxte wyth other waxe becoÌ„meth of two substauÌ„ces one substaunce Euen so is it Cyrillus mynde that Christe is ioygned vnto vs. And to this purpose dooe the woordes of Paule to the Ephesians make verai greatly Where it is saied that we are of his fleshe and of his bones Whether Christ be of our fleshe or we of hys fleashe Which woordes at the first sight whan a man looketh on theim seme to haue another menyng and seme that thei ought to haue ben spoken another waie that is to wete that the sonne of God is of our flesh and of our bones because he toke fleashe of our kynde But Paule vnderstode not bare and coÌ„mon fleashe but suche fleashe as wer clene from synne fleashe apte to receiue the resurrectioÌ„ and immortalitee Whyche kynde of fleashe the