certayne the darkyn the simple and playne uerite therof with intollerable sophismes the make heuen hell and hell heuen torn upp side downe and peruert the order of God if the heauen and godes right hand whether our saniours body is ascendyd be euery where and notith no certayne place as these uncertayne men teach I will belyuc no ascension what nedith it seing Christes body is euery where with his goded I will interpretat this article of my crede thus Christus ascendit ad dextram patris patris dextra est ubique ergo Christus ascendit ad ubique Se what erronyus doctryne folowith there imaginacions As coÌ„serning the right hand of God it is taken somtyme for God hymselfe and his omnipotent poure Psalm 117. dextra domini fecit uirtutem dextra domini exaltauit me thus his right hand taken for his poore it is euery where But it is not so taken when whe say Christ sittithe at the right hand of God As mark saith capit ultimo and as Stephen sayd Act. 7. Video Iesum stantem à dextris Dei But it signifieth acertayne place of Ioy where as the sowles of the blessyd sanctes rest thether hathe God translatyd the body of Christ to be in as mouche Ioy as it was incontempt here in the erthe as Paule saythe Philip. 2. Sitting thus at the right hand of god his body is as trew man as it was upoÌ„ the erthe and in lenghe breath and weight as phisicall matematical and naturall abody as it was hanging upoÌ„ the crosse in the changing of mortale qualites the humanite of Christe is nether destroyd nor changid into his deite but as trewly as his godhed coÌ„cerning his essence cannot be sen so is his body wher so euer it be subiect unto the iudgmeÌ„t of the senses And as he that makith à house first conceuithe à trew form in his imaginacion and yet the imaginacion nor concept of the mind is not materiali the house so souche as dreame and imagine à certayne phantasie and reduce the form and figure of à trew body into there imagination is not à trew body but à coÌ„cept or imaginacion of à body as those men haue that say Christ is in the bread and with the bread yet ocopy yth it no place nor is not sensible This is a wounderful doctrine to make that glorious body of Christ to be à trew body and yet lackith all the qualites and quantites of à body if Christ could haue souche à dreming body as they spek of yet may I not belyue it is in the sacrament corporally because Christ sayth Nolite credere And where they would better the mater with these wordes that Christ in the tyme of his being upon therthe dyd many thinges aboue the nature of abody and caryd his body sometime inuisible and entryd the house of the disciples the gates being shut they proue nothing only the troble the simple consciens and stablysh souch as be more addict unto the wryting of man then unto the wryting of god in there errour Peter walkid upon the water yet was uery man nothing the lesse so it pleacyd god to use his creatures to his glori Christes body was nothing changyd all thoughe somtymes for fere of the stones he conueyd hymself out of the way thowghe his disciples knew not how he entryd the dores being shit it is possible Inowg that he openyd the dores and yet they perceauid it not mens yeyes be obedient unto the creatour that they may se on think and yet not à nother The scripture so teachite those yle men that would haue don uilanye unto the angelles in loothes house Gene. 19. were made so blynd they could not fynd the next dore to them yet byd lothes house still in one place the same may ye rede 4. Reg. 6. how god made blind the assirians hoste so that Elizeus led the hole army into the cite of Samarie Balaam saw to bet his Asse And yet could not see the angell that the Asse saw till he was reprehendid by the Angell Num. 22. here may ye se that those reasones ê“uith nothing that they would Christes bodi to be in the sacrameÌ„t because soÌ„times he would not be sen of his ennymys This is oure belyue that Christ is ueri man and lik unto his brothers Ebr. 2. therefore where so euer his body be it must haue the qualites and quantites of à trew man if his body be corporally in the sacrament and yet with out all propertis of à trew body this text is false habitu iuuentus ut homo likwyce this similis est fratri bus per omnia They graunt that only the sprit of man eatithe the bodi of Christ in the sacrameÌ„t then other the sprit of man is turnyd into â corporall substance or else the body of Christ lostithe his corporall substance and is becom à sprit for it is not possibile for the sprit of man to eat corporally à corporall body nomore then he that studith the scripture and commeÌ„dith the contentes of the Bible to his memorie eatith corporalli the booke but by the helpe of godes sprit and his awne diligence he eatith theffect Marie and doctrine of the Bible and incase it were corporally and substancially withe paper and ynk in the botom of the see yet the lernid man may coÌ„fort him selfe and teache the maryners in the shippe with the coÌ„tentes therof thowghe the corporall Bible be drowid So in the sacrament the Christiane hart that is instructid in the law of god and knowith the right use of the sacramentes by the holy goost and afyrm fayth that he hath in the merites of Christes body and soule which is ascendid corporally into heuen man in sprit receaue theffect Marrye swetnys and commodite of Christes precious body thowg it neuer descend corporally thus dooth faith and the scripture coÌ„pell the churche to be lyue WheÌ„ they say it is in the sacrament and yeth mouith not from the right hand of God I belyue not there sayng but require aprobation therof Christ hath not so great à body to fill heuen and erthe corporally similis est fratribus perfectus deus perfectus homo they make hym there and yet ocopy no place then it is no body for à trew body phisicall and matematical as Christes body is cannot be except it ocopi place they say I must belyue and say with the uirgine Ecceancilla domini I mai not seke to know the meanes how Well let them do asmouch to me in this mater as was don unto the uirgine Mari and I am content she could not comprehend how Christ was made man in here bely yet theffect and corporall natyuite of Christ assertaynyd booth here reason and senses that she had born à trew bodi It shal suffice me if they mak demonstracioÌ„ unto my senses and warrant my reason that they haue present à corporall body how it cummith and by what meanes I leaue that unto god
as to say Sancta Maria ora pronobis and as the on is to be eschewyd and banishid our of the hart so is the other out of the yye in the temple where as godes worde is preachid unto the people and the sacramētes ministryd thus I proue by the authorite of boothe Testamentes The old and the Newe the old saythe thow shalt make no ymayge Exod. 20. Deu. 6. in the New there is nomencion made of ony ymayge But that Christ concerning the law and preceptes of the commaundementes sayd Non ueni soluere legem sed adimolere Matth. 5. For asmouche as Christ lefft the commaundementes of the old lawe unto the churche in the which he saythe thow shalt not make ony ymagye From whens hathe this men authorite that say if ymagys be not honorid they may be suffrid in the church it is but there opinion cōtrary and besyd the lawe of god and this cōmaundement non facies nō coles for byddith as well the makyng of the ymayge as the honoring of it Conserning the hauing of them in the place of puplik prayer and use of his Sacramentes Souch as would this occaciō of Idolatrie to remayne in the churche by diuisiō of the commaundementes would passe ouer this second commaundement whiche saythe Non facies tibi sculptile non adorabis ea and mak of the tenthe commaundement to cōmaundementes But the text will not suffre it For as the lord there for biddyth the inward lust and concupistencence of his neigbors house so dothe he for byd the lust and concupiscence of his neygbours wiefe seruāt Or dawghter and all is but one commaundement Exo. 20. rede the text in the Ebrew and then it shalbe more playne The second commaundemēt which the defenders of ymagyce neglect For bydith not only the outward reuerence and honor but also by the same expresse commaundemēt for biddith to make ony ymayge they do iniuries to the manifest text and there glose is to be abhorrid And the playne text to be folowyd The Kynges maiestie that ded is willyd not only all his trew subiectes to haue no familiarite withe Cardinal poule but also to refrayne his companie and not to haue to do with hym in ony case and not without godd and necessary cōsyderation he that would not with stonding this commaunde of the kyngis maiesty haue hauntyd Poules cōpanye and at the tyme of his accusation haue sayde he was not withe poule for frendshid nor familiarite to do hym ony honor but hauntyd his company withe souch other persones as ment no yle to the Kynges maiestie or his Realme doutles this law shuld of right and equite condemne hym nether for frendishippe nether oder cause no man shuld use his cōpanie Doutles as the Kynges mayesti and euery other prince knowith it to be dangerous dayli to suffre his subiectes in the company of his treatorous Ennymies so God knew right well what danger it was to suffre man his creatur to haue company withe those ydoles and therfore sayde thow shalt nether worshippe them ner make them All the princes of ther the hathe not had somany subiectes betrayd and made traytours by there Ennymyes as God hathe loost sowles by the meanys of imagis I make all the worold iudge that knowithe the truithe It is so childes an opinion to say that ymagys may be suffryd in the churche so they be not honoryd that it nedithe no probacion at all the gentilles that Paule speakithe of Roman 1. knew right well that the idoll was not God And all the Idolatres that usid ymagies that the new Testament speakyth of 1. Co. 5. 10. 1. Pet. 4. 1. Ioā 5. kew right well that these ymagys of gold or syluer was not the deuill that they worshippyd The apostes condemnyd not only there false religion but also there ymagis Iohan by expresse wordes callithe the ymayge Idolatrye and byddith them beware of ymagis sayng cauete â simulachris Dauid Psal 114. say the Idola gentium argentum aurum he condemnithe not only there false religion but also the ymagis made by the hand of man Which were of gold and syluer There false god was nether gold nether syluer But awyckid sprit who had entrid for lack of faythe in to there sprites It is to be lamentyd that god for our sinnes thus suffrythe the worold to be illudid by the deuill Of late yers the imagies were in the temple and honoryd withe pater noster hart and mynd Withe legg and kne This use of ymagis is taken away in many places But now they be applyed to an other use scilicet to teache the people and to be the lay mennes bookes As damascene and many other saithe Oh blasphemous and deuillis he doctrine to apoynt the moost noble creature of god man indued withe witt and reason resembling the ymayge of the euer lasting god to be instructyd and tawght of â mute Domme blind and ded Idoll the brut best that goithe by the way and the Asse that seruithe for the mille is not tawght by the rod of the Carter But by the prudens of him that usithe the rod. And shuld those pentyd blockes be the bookes of resonable man full well can the deuill transform himselfe into an angell of light And to deceaue the people under the pretenc of trew religion I had rather trust to the shadow of the churche that the scripture theachite then to all the mēnes writing sithe the deathe of Policarp 9. Christ sayth not go preache unto the people by ymagis But sayd Ite in uniuersum mundum praedicate euangeliū Matth. 28. They saye that ymagys adorn and semely deek the temple of God whether as people resort to hyre the word of god the more ymagys the more dishonoryd is the temple Fyrst let them teache by the manifest word of God that the temple shuld be deckid withe souche ydoles that cannot teache nor speke some mannes tonge must declare the history of the Idole or else they know not what the ydole is parauenture take sanct Barbara for saynct Katheryn And saynct cōcumbre for the rode of Paules Balaam and his asse that for lucre attemptid to curse the churche of god for Christ and his Asse that came to blisse and sanctifie his churche with his precious biud it is thabuse and prophanacion of the temple to suffre them and a great occation for people to return to there acustomyd yle I would all men shuld indifferently poundre these reasons and iudge whether they be to be suffryd or not Fyrst the moost perfeite churches of the prophetes Christe and his Apostelles usyd no souche meane to instruct the people We owght to folow them and the word of god wroten by the prophetis and Apostelles Also the greak churche neuer consentyd willyngly to admit the use of imaiges in the temples the yle that hathe happenyd unto the peple by the meanes of imagis is to playne and well knowen god by Idolatrie robbid
Christ by one sacrifice made perfet all thinges Ebre 7. 8. 9. 10. and as Iohan. saythe Sanguis Iesu Christi emundat nos â peccatis and there remaynithe nomore after it as Paule saith Vbi peccatorum remissio ibi noÌ„ amplius hostia pro peccato and to take away all dout that remission of sinne caÌ„not be optaynid for the me rites of the masse Paule saith playnely that without bludshedding no sacrifice can merite remission of sinne Althowge Christ now sit at the ringht hand of god and pray for his churche and like wice dothe offre the prayers and complaynt of us that belyue yet it is only for the merites of his deathe that we optayne the mercy of godes promesse in the whiche he susteynid souche payne that the remembraunce therof and the greatnis of godes Ire agaynst synne put his precious body and solle in souch an agony and fere that his passion of sorow surmountyd the passions of all men that euer trauelyd or were bordenyd with the weight and peace of godes importable Ire agaynst man for synÌ„ in so mouche that he wept not only tyres of blud but so aboundantly payne forsid them to descend that they trycklid upon the growne Sore troblyd and ouer coÌ„ with sorow was Dauid Psa 6 When he wayshyd his bed withe tyres for synne but it was Ioy and myrthe if his paynes be conferrid to these dolores of Christ They wantyd no augmentation this sacrifice was kyllyd alitle and alitle from one place of iudgment send unto the other and all wayes from the flames into the ardeÌ„t coles his deathe upon the crosse so differryd that altowgh he was uery god and the dere belouid son of the ffather his abiection was so contemptible aÌ„d uile â–ª that he cried out as Aman moost destitute of godes fauor and loue and sayd Deus meus Deus meus quare dereliquisti me And untill souch tyme as he offryd his moost holy soule unto the father and his blessid side percid with the spere his paines and sorowes incressyd Lo thus was the maner to offre Christ for sinne affter this sort and cruell handelyng of Christ was theire of God apecid If they sacrifice Christ in the masse let theÌ„ hange hym tyrauntes agayne upon the crosse and thrust â spere to his blessid hart that he may shed his blud for with out schedding of blud is no remission the scripture damnythe this abuse of the lordes supê‘ and is the coÌ„culcation of his precious blud As concerning the use of this Sacrament and all other The rites aÌ„d ceremonijs that be godly they shuld be so kept and usyd in the churche as they were deliueryd unto us of the highe Bishope Christ the auctor of all Sacramentes For this is trew that he moost godly moost religiousi and moost perfetly institutyd and celebratyd the supper And None other wayes then the Euangelist doothe record the best maner and moost godly way to celebrat this supper is to preache the deathe of Christ unto the churche And the redemption of man as Christ did at his supper and there to haue commune prayers as Christ prayed with his disciples then to repet the last wordes of the supper and with the same to breake the bread and distribute the winne to the hole church Then yeuyng thankes to God depart in peace these ceremonijs that God institutyd not But repugneth Godes institution be not necessari but rether in ony case to be leffte because they abrogat the institution of Christ it semithe sufficient unto me if the churche do as Christ hath commaundid it to do Saynct Paule to the Corinthious affter the ascenfion of Christ at lest 18. yeres wrote his Epistole and sayd he would delyuer them nothing but that he had receauid of the lord and wrote conserning the use of the supper as Matth. Mark and Luk writithe this is therfore and ungodly disputacion that the Papistes contend abut the chaÌ„ge and alteracion of the bread and also à false aÌ„d pernicious doctrine that teachyth the corporall presence of Christ booth God and man in the bread for althowgh Christ said of the bread this mi body It is well knowyn that he purposid to institute à sacrament Therfore he spak of à sacrameÌ„t sacramentally To spek sacramentally is to gyne the Name of the thing to the signe so yet not withstoÌ„ding that the nature and substaince of the signe remaynit and is not turnid into the thing that it signifiet farther the uerite of the scripture and the uerite of à Christiane faith will not suffre to iudge and belyue Christes body inuisible or uisible to be upon the Erth Act. 1. Luce ult Mar. ult Act. 3. If we lik wyce consyder the other places of the scripture Ioan. 6. 16. 17. we shall fynd that Christ would not nor ment not to institute ony corporall presence of his body But à memory of the body slayne resuscitatyd ascendid into heuens and from thense to cuÌ„ unto iudgment trew it is that the body is eatin and the blud dronkyn but not corporally in faith and sprit it is eatyn and by that sacrament the promis of god sealyd and coÌ„firmid in us The corporall body remayning in heuyn in the 24 chapiter of Matthew Christ yeuing his church warning of this heresy to cum by the preaching of false Prophetes sayd they will say lo here is Christe lo there is Christ belyue them not for as the lightynyng coÌ„mith from the est into the west so shall the cumming of the sone of man be meanyg by these wordes that his body is not à phantasticall bodi nor inuifible as these teach that say his corporall body is corporally yeuen in the bread with the bred and under the bred inuisible Agaynst this errour I will set the word of God and declare the truith therbi that they haue but an ymagynacioÌ„ or ydeam of Christes body and not the natural aÌ„d corporall body and the fyrst reason is this Christe byd his disceples they shuld not belyue hym that shuld say Lo here is Christ or there is Christ he spake of his body doutles and humaine nature for he commaundith us to belyue that his godhed is eueri where as Dauid sayth and as he sayth my father and Iamone likwyce he told theÌ„ be playne wordes Math. the last capi that he would be with them unto the end of the worold Christ hauing but too natures one deuine and the other humane by these expresse wordes now he declarithe to be present with the one and absent with the other these thinges markyd I put this mater incomprysse to be iudgid of euery humble and cheritable sprytyd man who iudgithe aright of the body of Christ those that say bodely he is not in the sacrameÌ„t or these that say he is bodely and corporalli there If he be there corporally and bodely as they say Why shall Inot beliue these wordes Ecce hic ecce illic and say Christ lyyth that sayd beliue them
but untill souch tyme as they shew me that glorious and perfeit mannes body of Christ as it was shewid unto the blessid uirgine there sayng belyue belyue shall not com into my belyue for Christ saith Nolite credere Of Christes wordes Marci 13. de die illo nemoscit the moment of the last tyme No man knowithe nether the sonne of god in asmouche as he is man I gather this argument A maiori if it be denied Christ concerning his man hed to know the last day mouch more to be euery where or to be in diuer places at one tyme is denied his humanite for it is more iÌ„possible and wounderfull to be euery where then to know many thinges I kno the Geographus conceuithe and coÌ„prehendithe all the worold in his hed But to be in all places where as his thowghtes and sprit is ocopyed it is impossible farther Christ is body hathe not loost his corporall qualites but wher so euer he be corporaly there is he with all qualites of abody and not withe out qualites as these dreamers imagine I will not iudge my sauiour that died for the sinne of the worold to haue abody in heuen sensible with all qualites of trew man and in the sacrament with out all qualites and quantites of à trew body But abhor and detest with the scriptura this opinion as an heresy so litle differing from marcion that I can scarse put diuersite as corporally is the corporall and substantiall body of all Englond in the hed of hym that describith by mape or cart the hole Realme in Italy or other wher so corporally is the body of Christ in the hart of the Christian The concept imaginacion or form conceuid of Englond is not the body mater nor substance selfe of inglond no more is the spirituall coÌ„cept of Christes body the corporall body it selfe thowg Auicen and Auerrois would prow souch à conclusion yet the fayth of our Religion will not suffre it à Pantasticall imagination to be à trew substannce to say that Christes uere naturall body is in the erth and yet inuisible it is to destroy the body and not to honor the body Aristole li. 5. metaphisicoruÌ„ cap. 22. definit what inuisible is inuisible inquit est quod non habet omni no colorem Take this from Christes body that it is trewly in the sacrament corporally and yet inuisible is to say Christ hath lost all the colour shape and form of his humanite But what shall Aristolle do in this our fayth the scripture teachith what we shuld belyue ascendit ad coelos sedet ad dex tram Dei patris omnipotentis Inde ueÌ„turus est iudicare uiuos mortuos Act. 1. Mar ultimo Luc. ultimo And hath leffte us à sacrament of his blessid body the which wear bond to use religiousy and many times to exercise and stablish our fayth and he being absent corporally dooth communicat by fayth in sprit that most precious body and the merites of the same and would to god peple would use it with more reuereÌ„ce and more awght as the scriptur teachith with trew amendemet of lieff and fyrm fayth I pout out a book in Septembre last past dedycatyd to my lord of wincheffter where in I haue declarid all my fayth conserning this blessyd and holy sacrament therfor I will passe to the other offyce of Christes pryshed Caput IX THe fourthe offyce of Christ is to consecrat and sanctifie these that beliue in him He is not onli holy him self but makith holy others also As he saythe IoaÌ„ 17. Pro eis sanctifico meipsum ut sint ipsi sanctificati perueritatem this sanctification is none other but à trew knolege of God in Christ by the gospell that teachyth us how unclene wear by the sinne of Adamme an how that wear clensid by Christ for who is sake the father of heauen doothe not only remitt the sinnes wrowght willyngly agaynst the word of God but also the imperfectioÌ„n and naturall concupiscens whiche remaynythe in euery man as long as the nature of man is mortall How the father dooth sanctifie his people the prayer of Christ shewith Ioan. 17. sanctifica eos per ueritatem tuam sanctifie them by thy word purche the hart teache them halow them make them apt for thy kyngdon wherwithe withe thy worde which is euer lastiÌ„g uerite The meaÌ„s to sanctifie is the word of God the holy gost and faith that receuith the word of our redemption so doothe Peter say Acto 15. Fide purgari corda nostra Here is the cause expressyd wherby we accept our sanctificacion by fayth sayth sanct Peter saynct Paule 1. Corint 6. shewith for whois sake and wherfore we ar sanctified Abluti estis sanctificati estis iustificati estis per nomen domini Iesu ê‘ spiritum Dei nostri For the merites of Iesus Christe by the operacion of the holy goost This is to be allwaies markyd that when Christ had prayed his father to sanctifie his church by his word and by his holy sprit and destityd hym to preserue them from ile for his mercys sake He addid the pryce the merites and iust deseruyng of Godes graces and sayd I sanctifie my selfe for them because they may be sanctified by the truith He sanctified hymselfe for the churche when he died for the detestable unclenys and fylthinis therof more stynkyng and fylthy theÌ„euer was the thaborryd and leporous bodi of Lazar 9. as tawghe he had said for asmouch as I offer aÌ„d submitt myselfe unto the bytter and cruell payne of the crosse for the church thow must most holy father sanctifie them and accept them as sanctified norysh theÌ„ loue them and defend them for the price and satisfactioÌ„ of my deathe what à consolacion is this for euery troblyd consciens to undrestond althowgh it be unworthi of remission of sinne for the gratnys therof yet for the prayer of Christ he shall not be a cast away so that he belyue as Christ said he praid not only for his Apostelles but also for as many as shuld beliue his word till the woroldes end as many as wilbe gospellers as the Ioue the gospel aÌ„d there awne saluacion let them not daily and play with it as thowgh god were à babe to be pleacid with à figg for syn let hym thynk upon the most uile and tyrannous deathe of hym that only was able to clense us from sinÌ„e and from hens beware of sinne it suffycit as Paule saythe that before we knew the truith to lyue want only 1. Cor. 6. Caput X. Of this verite and truit that the gospell reachith us only to be sanctfiied in the blud of Christ is confutyd the blaspemus pryde of the Bishope of Rome THat namith hiÌ„selfe the most holy father and takith upoÌ„ him to sanctifie all other men of therth as Godes uicar and leaue tenent to absolue à poena à culpa to pull out of hel aÌ„d send to heuen with his pardons Masses and