doth not lie that saith He is every day offer'd For if Sacraments had no similitudes or likeness of those Things whereof they be Sacraments they could in no wise be Sacraments and for their similitude and likeness commonly they have the names of the Things whereof they be Sacraments Wherefore as after a certain manner of speech the Sacrament of Christs Body is Christs Body the Sacrament of Christs Flood is Christs Blood so likewise the Sacrament of Faith is Faith c. After this manner of speech as St. Augustin teacheth in his Questions Super Leviticum contra Adamantium it is said That seven ears of Corn be seven years seven Kyne be seven years and the Rock was Christ Blood is the Soul The which last saying saith St. Augustin in his Book Contra Adamantium is understood to be spoken in a sign or figure for the Lord himself did not stick to say This is my Body when he gave the sign of his Body For we must not consider in Sacraments saith St. Augustin contra Maximinum Lib. 3. cap. 22. what they be but what they do signifie for they be signs of Things being one Thing in themselves and yet signifying another Thing for the Heavenly Bread saith he by some manner of speech is call'd Christs Body when indeed it is the Sacrament of his Body What can be more plain or more clearly spoken than are these places of St. Augustin if Men were not obstinately bent to maintain an untruth Yet one place more of St. Augustin will I alledge to this purpose That Christs Natural Body is in Heaven and not here Corporally in the Sacrament In his 50th Treatise upon John he speaks thus of Christ. By his Divine Majesty by his Providence by his unspeakable and invisible Grace That is fulfilled which he spake Behold I am with you unto the end of the World But as concerning the Flesh which he took in his Incaruation as concerning that which was born of the Virgin as concerning that which was apprehended by the Jews and Crucified upon the Tree and taken down from the Cross lapped in Linnen Cloths and buried and rose again and appeared after his Resurrection as concerning that Flesh he said Ye shall not ever have me with you Why so for as concerning his Flesh he was conversant with his Disciples forty days and they accompanying him seeing and not following him he went up into Heaven and is not here By the presence of his Divine Majesty he did not depart As concerning the presence of his Divine Majesty we have Christ ever with us but as concerning the presence of his Flesh he said truly to his Disciples Ye shall not ever have me with you For as concerning the presence of his Flesh the Church had him but a few days now it holdeth him by Faith tho it see him not Thus much St. Augustin speaketh repeating one thing so oft and all to declare and teach how we should understand the manner of Christs being here with us which is by his Grace by his Providence and by his Divine Nature And how he is absent by his Natural Body which was born of the Virgin Mary died and rose for us and is ascended into Heaven and there sitteth as is in the Article of our Faith on the right hand of God and thence and from none other place saith St. Augustin shall come on the latter day to judge the quick and the dead at the which day the Righteous shall then lift up their Heads and the light of Gods Truth shall so shine that all Falsehood and Errors shall be put to utter confusion Righteousness shall have then the upper hand and Truth that day shall bear away the Victory all the Enemies thereof quite overthrown to be troden under foot for evermore O Lord I beseech thee haste this day then shalt thou be glorified with the glory due unto thy holy Name and we shall sing unto thee in all joy and felicity laud and praise for evermore Here now would I make an end for methinks that St. Augustin is in this matter so full and plain and of that Authority that it should not need after this his Declaration to bring you any more Authors Yet because I promised to alledge three Writers of the Latin Church I will now alledge last of all Gelasius which was a Bishop of Rome but before the wicked Usurpation and Tyranny thereof spread and burst out abroad unto the World For this Man was before Bonifacius and Gregory the first in whose days both corruption of Doctrine and Tyrannical Usurpations did chiefly grow and had the over-hand Gelasius in an Epistle of the two Natures of Christ Gelasius Contra Eutychen writeth thus The Sacraments of the Body and Blood of Christ are Godly things whereby and by the same we are made partakers of the Divine Nature and yet nevertheless the substance or nature of Bread and Wine doth not depart or go away Note these words I beseech you and consider whether any thing can be more plainly spoken against the Error of Transubstantiation which is the ground and bitter root whereupon springeth all the horrible Errors before rehersed Wherefore seeing that the falsehood hereof doth appear so manifestly and by so many ways so plainly so clearly and so fully that no man needeth to be deceived but he that will not see or will not understand let us all that do love the Truth embrace it and forsake the Falsehood for he that loveth the Truth is of God and the lack of the Love thereof is the cause why God suâ—â—ered Men to fall into Errors and to perish therein Yea and the cause as St. Paul says why God sendeth unto them illusions that they believe Lies unto their own Condemnation because they loved not the Truth This Truth no doubt is Gods Word the Love and Light thereof Almighty God our Heavenly Father give us and lighten it in our Hearts by his holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen An Epistle of Mr. John Bradford Prisoner of the Lord to a faithful Christian in Coventry THe Peace which Christ left to his Church and to every true Member of the same the Holy Spirit the Guide of Gods Children be so ingraft in your Heart and the Heart of your good Wife and all my good Brothers and Sisters about you that unfainedly you may in respect thereof contemn all worldly peace which repugneth that peace I speak of and driveth it utterly out of the hearts of all them which would patch them both together For we cannot serve two Masters No Man can serve God and Mammon Christs peace cannot be kept with this Worlds peace God therefore of his mercy give unto you his peace which passeth all understanding and so keep your hearts and minds that they may be pure Habitacles and Mansions for the Holy Spirit yea for the Blessed Trinity who hath promised to come and dwell in all them that love Christ and keep his sayings
are not born of blood as John saith or of the will of flesh or of the will of man but are born of God tho the self same substance abide still in Heaven and they for the time of their Pilgrimage dwell here upon Earth By Grace I said that is by the gift of this life mentioned in John and the properties for the same meet for a Pilgrimage here upon Earth the same body of Christ is here present with us As for example we say the Sun which in substance never removeth his place out of the Heavens is yet present here by his Beams Light and natural Influence where it shineth upon the Earth for Gods word and his Sacraments be as it were the Beams of Christ who is Sol Justitiae Thus thou hast heard wherein doth stand the principal state and chief point of all the Controversies which do properly pertain unto the nature of this Sacrament As for the use thereof I grant there be many other things whereof here I have spoken of nothing at all And now least thou justly mayest complain and say that I have in opening this matter done nothing else but digged a Pit and have not shut it up again or broken a Gap and have not made it up or opened the Book and have not closed it again or else to call me what they list as neutrall Dissembler c. Therefore here now I will by Gods Grace not only shortly but also so clearly and plainly as I can make thee now to know whether of the aforesaid two Answers to the former principall state and chief point doth like me best Yea and also I will hold all those accursed which in this matter which now so troubles the Church of Christ have of God receiv'd the Key of Knowledg and yet go about to shut up the Doors that they themselves will not enter in nor suffer others that would And as for my own part I consider both of late what cure and charge of Souls hath bin committed unto me whereof God knoweth how soon I shall be called to give an Account and also now in this world what peril and danger of the Laws concerning my Life I am now in at this present time what folly were it to dissemble with God of whom assuredly I look and hope by Christ to have everlasting life Seing that such charge and danger both before God and man do compass me in round about on every side therefore God willing I will frankly and freely utter my mind and tho my body be Captive yet my Tongue and my Pen as long as I may shall freely set forth that which undoubtedly I am perswaded to be the Truth of Gods word And yet will I do it under this Protestation call me a Protestant who list I do not pass thereof my Protestation shall be this that my mind is and ever shall be God willing to set forth sincerely the true sense and meaning to the best of my understanding of God's most holy word and not to decline from the same either by fear of worldly danger or else for hope of gain I do protest also due obedience and submission of my judgment in this my writing and in all other mine affairs unto those of Christs Church which be truly learned in Gods holy word and guided by his Spirit After this Protestation I do plainly affirm and say that the second answer made unto the chief Question and principal point I am perswaded to be the very true meaning and sense of Gods holy word That is that the natural Substance of Bread and Wine is the true material substance of the holy Sacrament of the blessed Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ and the places of Scripture whereupon this my Faith is grounded be these both concerning the Sacrament of the Body and also of the Blood First let us repeat the beginning of the Institution of the Lords Supper wherein all the three Evangelists and St. Paul do agree saying That Jesus took Bread gave thanks brake and gave it to the Disciples saying Take Eat this is my Body Here it appeareth plainly that Christ called very Bread his Body For that which he took was very Bread In this all men do agree and that which he took after he had given thanks he brake and that which he took and brake he gave it to his Disciples and that which he took brake and gave to his Disciples he said himself of it This is my Body So it appeareth plainly that Christ called very Bread his Body But very Bread cannot be his very Body in very Substance thereof therefore it must needs have another meaning which meaning appeareth plainly what it is by the next sentence that followeth immediately both in Luke and in Paul and that is this Do this in remembrance of me whereupon it seemeth unto me to be evident that Christ did take Bread and called it his Body for that he would institute thereby a perpetual Remembrance of his Body specially of that singular benefit of our Redemption which he would then procure purchase unto us by his Body upon the Cross. But Bread retaining still its own very natural substance may be thus by grace and in a sacramental signification His Body whereas else the very Bread which he took brake and gave them could not be in any wise his natural body for that were confusion of substances and therefore the very words of Christ joyned to the next sentence following both enforceth us to confess the very bread to remain still and also openeth unto us how that Bread may be and is thus by his divine power his body which was given for us But here I remember that I have read in some writers of the contrary opinion which do deny that That which Christ did take he brake For say they after this taking he blessed it as Mark doth speak and by his Blessing he changed the natural substance of the Bread into the natural substance of his Body And so altho he took the bread and blessed it yet because in blessing it he changed the substance of it he broke not the bread which then was not there but only the form thereof Unto this Objection I have two plain answers both grounded upon Gods word The one I will reherse here the other answer I will defer untill I speak of the Sacrament of the Blood Mine answer here is taken out of the plain words of St. Paul which doth manifestly confound this fantastical invention first invented I ween of Pope Innocentius and after confirmed by the subtil sophist Dunse and lately renewed now in our Days with an eloquent stile and much fineness of wit But what can crafty Inventions subtilty in Sophisms Eloquence or fineness of Wit prevail against the infallible word of God What need we to contend and strive what thing we break for Paul saith speaking undoubtedly of the Lords Table The Bread saith he which we break is it not the partaking
is at hand I trust then these Mass-sayers and Seers shall shalke and cry to the Hills Hide us from the fierce wrath of the Lamb if they repent not in time Then will neither Gold nor Good Friendship nor Fellowship Lordship nor Authority Power nor Pleasure Unity nor Antiquity Custom nor Councel Doctors Decrees nor any Mans Devise serve The word which the Lord hath spoken that day shall judge the word I say of God that day shall judge And what saith it of Idolatry and Idolaters Saith it not Flee from it And farther That they shall be damned O terrible Sentence to all Mass-mongers and Worshippers of Things made with the Hands of Bakers Carpenters c. This Word of God knoweth no more Oblations or Sacrifices for Sin but one only which Christ himself offer'd never more to be re-offer'd but in Remembrance hereof his Supper to be eaten Sacramentally and Spiritually according to Christs Institution which is so perverted now that there is nothing remaining in it simply according to the Judge I mean the Word of God It were good for Men to agree with their Adversary the Word of God now while they be in the way with it lest if they linger it will deliver them to the Judge Christ who will commend these Men to the Jaylor and so they shall be cast into Prison and never come out thence till they have paid the uttermost farthing that is never My dearly beloved therefore mark the Word hearken to the Word It alloweth no Massing no such Sacrificing nor Worshipping of Christ with Tapers Candles Copes Cannabies c. It alloweth no Latin Service no Image in the Temples no Praying to Saints dead no Praying for the Dead It alloweth no such Dissimulations as a great many use now outwardly If any Man withdraw himself my Soul saith the Holy Ghost shall have no pleasure in him It alloweth not the Love of this World which maketh Men to do many times against their Consciences for in them that love the World the love of God abideth not It alloweth not Gatherers elsewhere than with Christ but saith they scatter abroad It alloweth no Lukewarm Gentlemen but if God be God then follow him if Baal and a piece of Bread be God then follow it It alloweth not Faith in the Heart that hath not Confession in the Mouth It alloweth no Disciples that will not deny themselves that will not take up their Cross and follow Christ. It alloweth not the seeking of our selves of our own Ease and Commodity It alloweth not the more part but the better part It alloweth not Unity except it be in Verity It alloweth not obedience to any which cannot be done with obedience to God It alloweth no Church which is not the Spouse of Christ and hearkeneth to his Voice only It alloweth no Doctor that speaketh against it It alloweth no General Council that followeth not it in all things It alloweth no Angel much less then Man that should teach any other thing than Moses the Prophets Christ Jesus and his Apostles have taught and left us to look upon in the written Word of God the Holy Books of the Bible but curseth all that teach not only contrary but also any other Doctrine It saith they are Fools unwise proud that will not consent to the sound Word and Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles and it biddeth and commandeth us to flee from such Therefore obey his commandment company not with them specially in their Church-Service but flee from them For in what thing consent they to Christs Doctrine He biddeth us pray in a Tongue to edify they command contrary He biddeth us call upon his Father in his Name when we pray they bid us run to Mary Peter c. He biddeth us use his Supper in the Remembrance of his Death and Passion preachng it out till he come whereby he doth us to wit that Corporally he is not there in the form of Bread therefore saith Paul Till he come He willeth us to eat of that Bread calling it Bread after Consecration and drink of that Cup All making no exception so that we do it worthily that is as the Sacrament of his Body and Blood broken and shed for our Sins and not as the Body it self and Blood it self without Bread and Wine but as the Sacrament of his Body and Blood whereby he doth represent and unto our Faith give and obsign unto us himself wholly with all the Merits and Glory of his Body and Blood But they forbid utterly the use of the Supper to all but to their Shavelings except it be once in the year and then also the Cup they take from us They never preach forth the Lords Death but in Mocks and Modes They take away all the Sacrament by their Transubstantiation for they take away the Element and so the Sacrament To be short they most horribly abuse this holy Ordinance of the Lord by Adoration Reservation Oblation Ostentation to drive away Spirits to drive away Tempests c. in nothing they are contented with the simplicity of Gods Word They add to and take from at their pleasure and therefore the plagues of God will fall upon them at the length and upon all that will take their part They seek not Christ and his Glory for you see they have utterly cast away his Word and therefore as the Prophet saith There Jer. 8. is no wisdom in them They follow the Strumpet-Church and Bawdy Spouse of Antichrist which they call the Catholick Church whose Foundations and Pillars is the Devil and his Daughter the Mass with his Children the Pope and his Prelates Their Laws are Craft and Cruelty their Weapons are Lying and Murder their End and Study is their own Glory Fame Wealth Rest and Possessions For if a Man speak or do nothing against them tho he be a Sodomite an Adulterer an Usurer c. it forceth not he shall be quiet enough no Man shall trouble him but if a Man speak any thing to Gods Glory which cannot stand without the overthrow of Mans Glory then shall he be disquieted imprison'd and troubled except he will play Mume and put his Finger upon his Mouth although the same be a most quiet and godly Man So that easily a Man may see how that they be Antichrists Church and sworn Soldiers to the Pope and his Spouse and not to Christ and his Church for then would they not cast away Gods Word and be no more Adversaries to his Glory which chiefly consisteth in obedience to his Word Therefore my dear Brethren in the Lord seem not to allow this or any part of the pelf of this Romish Church and Synagogue of Satan Halt not on both Knees for halting will bring you out of the way but like valiant Champions of the Lord confess confess with your Mouth as occasion serveth and as vocation requireth the hope and Faith you have and feel in your hearts But you will say That so to do is perilous you