the olde testameÌ„t where the Idoles of the heatheÌ„ ar named in the singular 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet for to settâ— forth the vnitie of the godhead alwaie with this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the plural nuÌ„bre is adioined a verbe of the singuler as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And also in the hygh name of God which the Iewes had in so high estimacioÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth sigâ—ifie vnto vs that onely euerlasteing powre wherbi al thinges haue their being is manifestli opeÌ„ed the vnitie indiâ—…sible Of this spirit is it writeÌ„ thus He that hath not the spirite of Christe is none of hys And agayne Who so ener are led by the spirit of God they are â–ª the childreÌ„ of God So â–ª that as we can not be wythout God or Christe su can we not be wythout this spirite proceadeinge from them boeth as Christ him selfe witnesseth saieinge The conforter euen the holye goste whome my father shal sende in my name Againe WhaÌ„ the holy â–ª goste shall come whom I shal send from my father Of this spirite dyd the prophetes speake muche vnder the name of water and fire as Esaie I shall poure forth my spirit vpoÌ„ the thirstie miâ—floudes vpon the drie land I shal poure forth my spirit vpon thy sede and my blesseing vpon thy buddes and the same shal saye I am the lordes Lyke vnto these are there other places as in Esaie xii Eze. xxxvi Psal C. xlvi lxiii This spirit together wyth the father and the sonne this Trinitie and Vnitie that can not be diuided do we belieue and teach not by a blynde saiynge of any doctoure as you do but by the worde of God and the worke of his spirite whiche is able to leade vs into all truth neuer faileth his church builded vpon the rock Christe agaynste the which the gates of hel can not preuaile For by this spirit thus workyng faieth in Christ and loue to God and maâ— is knowne the true church as Iohn sayeth By thys do we knowe that we dwell in hym and he in vs because he hath geuen vs of hys spirite And Paule saieth generally to alâ— the faithful Do you not knowe that you are the church of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you If any man do defile the teÌ„ple of God him wyl God destroye Thys church of God is holy which you are wher he doeth not meane of the Popes Churche though it wer builded of v. M. proude cardinales and bishopesse much les of our english church built vpoÌ„ the blind ignoraÌ„ce sinful lyueing but of x. oâ— xi horned Miters for three or foure of you woulde all were well so it were not longe of theâ—… but of that onely Churche whyche doeth alwayes knowe heare and folowe the voice of Christe theâ—â— heade and shepeherde and wyll not harkeâ— to the voyce of any straâ—nger Who though they be but. ii or iii. gathered together in the name of Christe beinge alwayes dispersed abrode by the Idole shepherde yet is Christ in the middes of them and shal at the length gather them all in one that ther maye be one shepherde and one folde Thys church is washed this church is sanctified and made holie This churche is iustified by the name of the Lorde Iesu and by the spirite of oure God sayeth Paule Christe so loued thys churche that he spent him selfe for hyr to make hyr holye clenâ—ed throughe the fountaine of water by hys worde that he myght make hir vnto hym selfe a gloriouse churche haueinge no spot blemish or wrinckle or any such thynge But you wyl doubt still O byshopes whether of vs be thys church Whether you gloriouse in the worlde or we despiced Firste therfore marke the fouÌ„dacioÌ„s of this church for ther can no man laie anye other then that is al redye layed the Lorde Iesu Christe ⧠The fyrst foundacion Whome the fayeth hath set as the chosen stoâ— for the fouÌ„dacioÌ„ of the tru church Sion ⧠The seconde foundacion Christe is the heade of thys churche ⧠The threde foundacion And heade shepeherde of thys folde For the fyrste all men iudge that you al ledgeinge so muche mans lawaâ—es establisinge and buildinge your fayeth wyth mans â—â—raâ—y settinge your cousciences vpon your doctours who are but fleshe and bloude do not so greately regarde Christe as we do whyche wyl haue hym oure onely foundacion and wyll admitte nothinge but that is spoken by hys spirite in his scriptures This fayle you in your fyrst foundacion Secondelye if Christe be heade and maister who dyd come humble meke and pore rideinge vpon an asse not hauinge an house where to â—aye hys heade dispisinge al worldly an outwarde glorie when the people would haue made him a kinge why do you ride on mules trapped wyth goulde Why haue you suche castelles holdes parckes and palaices Why wyll you be Lordes worldelie and take to you suche outwarde glorie Christe sayed that hys kyngedome was not of thys worlde and why wyl you beare suche rule heare Yea Christe forbade you to be called maister and why wyll you be called Lorde On the contrarie parte we haue the worde of Christ our heade for vs. Who sayeth Ther is no seruaunt greater then his Lorde and maister If they haue persecuted me they wil persecute you If they haue kept my word they wil kepe yours If the world do hate you knowe that it dyd hate me before it dyd heate you If you were of the worlde the worlde woulde loue that which is his owne But because you are not of the worlde but I haue chosen you forthe of the worlde therfore the worlde hateth you Yet do I leue you peace and my peace do I geue vnto you but not as the worlde geueth do I geue it vnto you â–ª Yea more ouer they shall curse and excommunicate you whyche was your olde practise o prealates and not onely that but the time shal come that who so euer sleath you shall thincke that he doeth high sacrifice vnto God And thys shall they do because they neither knowe my father nor peâ— me Tyrdlye If Christe be the heade shepeherde and dyd for your exemple saye that the learneynge whyche he taught was not hys but his fathers that sent him howe daâ—e you be so boulde to grownde so many thynges on your doctours Christe coÌ„maundeth you to feade hys flocke but you â—…ea them Christ coÌ„maundeth you to edifie but you distroye Christe byddeth you go into all the world to preach his word to al the worlde and to preach hys worde to al creatures but you saie naye none shal haue it but geÌ„tlemeÌ„ the other pore knaues shal haue a sophistrie boke of your gloses I praie you whoÌ„e make you the heade shepeherde in this and al your doeinges Not Christe but your doctours and Idle braines
can chaunge the thynge that they doe but once breath vpon Proue it once to be chaunged and I wyll neuer call it breade agayne But because you can proue no chaunge your similitude of the rodde of Moyses which was turned into a serpent strenght waye retorned to a rod agayne is not lyke For the same rodde was afterwarde declared euer in the sight of Pharao and al the Egiptians to be the aduengeing rod of God wherby al the waters of Egipt were turned into bloude and all the wonderfull plages wroughte whiche are terrible vnto vs vnto thys day Worthely therfore was this called a rodde for it was the chastesyng rodde of God and alwayes returned into a rodde agayne so often as Moyses or Aaron dyd take it in their handes Nowe for that you bryng Iacob for your purpose ther was no chaunge of substaunce in hym for he was styl Iacobbe his house was styll called the house of Iacob through out all the prophetes as wel as Israel Micheas sayth I am full of strength to shewe the house of Iacob their wyckednes and the house of Israel their sinne Agayne ye rulers of the house of Iacob and ye iudges of the house of Israell You are far deceiued in the Etimologie and true significacion of this worde Israell For the name was geuen him not of seinge the Lorde neither wyll the Hebrue word Israell serue therunto but as is plainely declared in the text of Genesis it was because he had striued princely wyth God and with men and had preuailed therfore was it sayed vnto hym Thy name shalbe Israell that is to saye one that hath myghtilye preuayled against God and meÌ„ for this is the true Etimologie of the worde Israel All your other exemples make for vs but that we wil not be tediouse in appling them to oure purpose because the tyme is to little for your other mattier ⧠The church and elders NOw doth the foxe renne to his old vsed pathes Stoppe thin eares and be deafe Thou muste belieue the churche and learne to spell 〈◊〉 with a lyttle as we men of the churche teache the The foxe hath small shifâ—e when for feare of espiynge in playne pathes he rennethe to this hedgerowe of eÌ„ est eÌ„ en but we haue answered to this churche before and taught you it hath deceiued vs with false spelles darke gloses And we maye well be contented with this answer that SaÌ„ct Paul calleth it breade and it is called bread also in other places of the scripture how so euer the bishopes men do name it For ther is no word truer or better then the wordes of scripturs are neither any spellinges or speakings more certain then those that be taught by the word of God But you aske vs thys question Hath not the church had and vnderstand these wordes and yet notwithstandinge taught this lesson That the bread is by consecracion turned into the bodie of Christ Yea they haue coÌ„demned and brent all them that woulde saye that bread remayneth Yet did they kepe Paule still as they did Iohn geuinge occasioÌ„ to the Arians To this I answer that the Romeish churche hadde the scriptures but the father of this church did treade them vnder his fete Not onely bodily when he was coniuringe at his masse but also by his powre and the spirites that he sent abrode commaundeinge that no man shoulde otherwise vnderstande them then he and his church determined And therfore he assigned that eueri man that shoulde meddle with the studie of them shoulde first be trayned in the scholes of his doctours and so be sinered with the blacke coles of theyr helly doctrine that theyr soules should neuer be cleare againe as for al other pore men not brought vp in the popeishe learninge of hys scholes and therfore haueing theyr coÌ„sciences lyke a whyte wall redie to receyue all trueth of God his holie worde the scripture was clearlie forboden them like as you haue also with shame inoughe procured in this oure tyme that pore men shall not reade it for feare lest they dispice your shamlesse pompe and pride and vtterly renownce all your wycked erroures For the vnderstandynge of it I can not be leue that the popeishe prelates had the true vnderstandynge therof because they maytened many blinde erroures cleane contrarie to the scriptures which doeth manifestli declare that they were voide of the spirite of trueth which onely openeth the waie to the vnderstaÌ„dinge of the heauenly misteries How blindly haue they taught wythout the worde contrarie to the iudgment of reasoÌ„ or the perceiueynge of the senses that thys bread is chaunged this bitter contencioÌ„ about the matter declareth Surely they haue condemned and brenned men and that ryght many for this mattier wherby they declare theÌ„selfes to be of the cursed seed of Cain and the wicked serpent who was the murtherer euen frome the beginninge Finally they haue kept the gospel and scriptures still we thanke God and not them for god hath caused the phariseis before theÌ„ and our bishopes folowing to kepe these Iewelles for our vse and profite and for theyr own coÌ„fusion that by the sam bokes which they kept and wher vpon they boasted they shoulde be openly conuinced and ouercome Wherfore in that your doctour Damascen and you would haue vs learne of our elders we answer that froÌ„ the elders al iniquitie is sprongen A seniorâ—bus ingressa est iniquitas And the Israelites are alwayes by the threateninges of the prophetes forbidden to folowe the waye of theyr fathers and elders We must therfore crie with Dauid Peccauimus cum patribus nostris iniuste egimus iniquitateÌ„ fecimâ—s We haue sinned with our fathers we haue done vnrighteously we haue done wickednesse Aske your father and myne O bishope aske theyr fathers and grandfathers what they haue beleued and they wyl answer accordinge to the tyme that they were in that they belieue as the churche of Rome doeth belieue For so my father taught me and so dyd the priestes generally teach in all place chargeinge the people vnder the payne of the greate cursse to belieue as theyr holy father of Rome belieued And farther coulde they not teache vs theyr children neyther beinge suffered to haue the scriptures in englyshe neyther heareynge any thynge but the lyes of the Romeishe Antichriste by their popeishe curates In this church you can finde nothinge amisse And this blynde churche is it that you laboure so sore to defend or else woulde you in some one place haue geuen vs warneinge that we folowe not thys Romeishe churche But doutlesse all your boke thorowe you spende all your wittes to brynge vs vnder the captiuitie of thys church that you might worthily triumphe as you haue done makeinge marchandise of our soules Woulde God the kynge oure maister heade ruler and leader woulde searche forth suche Romeishe traytours For they can neuer take hym for they onely heade so longe as they haue an
that is to prohibite or forbid mariage and coÌ„mauÌ„de to abstaine from meates whyche God hath created to be receiued wyth thankes geueing as the good ceatures of God Who foloweth the diuelles doctrine moste in these to pointes is not harde to be iudged of al the world Yet muste we futhermore consider the spiritâ—es you saye which thinge we â–ª are not loth to do for Iohn teacheth vs so mistrusteinge our owne iudgment And Iohn sayeth that euerie spirite that confesseth Iesus Christ to be come in the flesh is of God This do we all confesse whome you call at your pleasure heretikes and saye that we wyll doubte in all together But we knoweinge certenlie by the scriptures that he was manifestely declared in the flesh to be verie man and perfectly declared in the spirite to be God in the wonderouse workinge of his miracles was sene amonge the angelles was beleued in the world and receiued into glorie where he reigneth equale wyth his father sittinge at the ryght hand of God from whense we no thing doubt but we shal se him come down as the apostles dyd se hym go vp into the heauenes Act. i. In the meane season we beleue stedfastly that he is with his faiethfull church by hys holy spirite euen to the worldes ende For the which he gaue him selfe to sanctifie it and cleuse it in the fountaine of water bi the worde to make it vnto him selfe a gloriouse congregacion wythout spot or wrynckle or any suche thynge but that it shoulde be holy and wythout blame Where contrarie wyse you whiche accompte your selues onely men of the churche and spirirituall men as the onelye partakers of the spirite doe wyth out scripture or reasone teache vs laye and lewde men as ye call vs onelye wyth swerde and fire that Christe was not verie man haueinge a naturall bodie For you saye that thys his bodie that he had maie be in x. thowsande places at once Whiche property howe well it agreth with a natural bodie al that haue any knowledge maye decerne Againe you saye that this bodie of the same lengeth and breadeth that it hanged vpon the crosse maye be closed in a little boxe contrarie to the ordinaunce of mans naturall bodie in the creacion And where we se nothynge but a piece of breade for you can not teache vs by the scriptures that the breade is chaunged we must neades beleue that their is a bodie besides the bread because you saye so thought there can be perceiued neither quantitie nor qualitie that is to saye nothynge parteininge to a bodie As for your answere of fayeth constrained to beleue thys wythout either scripture or â–ª reasone that it maye haue merite and that all these be naturall reasons I shall answere whan I come at those wordes In the meane tyme marke your owne maliciouse wickednesse how you wil haue â–ª Christ to haue a bodie nothynge lyke the naturall bodie of man but insensible and infinit yet by your subtilties to be comprehedend and wythin your listes bandes and boxes to be contained and haue hys measure appointed but in no parte agreable to our natural bodi which he did voultchsalfe to take vpon him Thus after you haue denied him by your wicked enueÌ„cion to be a verie maÌ„ like one of vs sinne onely excepted whych the scripture teacheth plaine After you haue denied christ to haue a verie natural bodie and verie flesh then procede you to teach how he cometh in breade And because you â—et Christes religion in your ceremonies as farthynges that make the heape you set Iesu oure saniour to come in al trifles and baggage Yet to cloke your false speach wyth hipocrisie you saye properly that Christe consecrateth him selfe in those formes of bread wine with which worde consecrate you ingle by your diâ—ilish sophistrie For if ye meane he haloweth him selfe into bread wine which your word coÌ„secrate doeth signifie as lewde as you take vs we woulde laught at your folie If you woulde saye by that worde he tourneth him selfe into the fourme of breade and wyne so then your doctrine is that Christe cometh vnto vs in breade wine And we saye that he is comen all redie in the fleshe and in the same fleshe is gone vp to heauen and from thense shall come to iudge all flesh You saye lo here is Christe Lo there is Christe Loke whose spirites you be You are of the world and therfore speake you of the worlde and the world heareth you And like as by faieth so also by loue saieth Iohn is the spirite of trueth and of errowre knowne asuÌ„der Therfore let vs loue together for loue is of God and euerie one that loueth is borne of God He that loueth not knoweth not God for God is loue If we loue together God dwelleth in vs and his loue is perfece in vs. If any man saie I loue God and doeth yet hate his brother that man is a lier For he that loueth not hys brother whom he seeth how can he loue God whom he seeth not Howe your hote bourneinge loue whyche causeth you to bourne men that can not vnderstand your gloses can be of god I know not but thys wotte I well that when the people of Samaria woulde not receiue Christe hys Apostles woulde haue had fire froÌ„ heauen to bourne them But Christe answered You knowe not whose spirites you are The sonne of man dyd not come to destroy the soules of men but to saue them And you byshoppes haue your authoritie to edifie and not to destroie But the olde serpent and his first begotten caine theÌ„ Pharao next Herod and the phariseis the olde byshopes condemninge Christe and you their successours banisheinge his worde with crueltie are of a coÌ„trarie spirite And where you byd vs take hede of carioÌ„ surely your glose is a very carion and the worde of God which you take a way froÌ„ al men saue geÌ„tlemeÌ„ marchauÌ„tes is the onely fode and life of the soule wher it liueth as Christ him selfe wittnesseth Not by bread only liueth man but by eueri word that proceadeth out of the mouth of God But the blacke birdes and rauenes the pies and deuoreinge fleshe crowes they fede vpon flesh and theafore vpon carion My wordes saieth Christe are spirite and lyfe My spirite sayeth God shall no longer remayne with man because he is fleshe Therfore wheÌ„ the worde of God and the spirite of lyfe are not with your fleshly teachinge it must nedes be carion Suche is your flieinge about the dead as about carion for filling of your paunches For the deade carions haue made you riche in youre monasteries chauntries and perpetuities The deade carions of Becket Benno and darnel Gader of Dunstane woulstane Audrie and suche other haue filled your wide throtes so full and you carie your praye so gredily in your monthes that you are become dome dogges that you can not barcke but onelye at them that woulde
speake are spirit and lyfe Wher vpon Peter saied Lord why ther sâ—hal we gooâ—thou hast the words of euerlasting life And these are the waters that Christe wyll geue after the whiche no man shall euer thurste But the water whiche I shall geue hâ—m saieth Christe shalbe made in hym a fountaine of water springeinge into lyâ—â—e euerlasteing Blessed be they that heare the worde of God and kepe it whiche was sharpely answered agaynste them which dyd so highlie aduaunce to knowe God in the fleshe Against whom also Paule sayth we know none after the fleshe etc. Moreouer saieth he though we haue knowne Christ after the fleshe yet nowe do we not knowe hym so any longer But he that is in Christe muste be a newe creature in the spirite accordeinge to the saieinge of Christe to him Nâ—codemus Excepte a man be borne a newe from aboue from heauen euen of the spirite the can not enter the kingdoÌ„e of heaneÌ„ That whych is borne of the fleshe is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Againe it is profitable that I go from you for it I go not the spirite of confort shal not come vnto you but if I go I wyl sende hym vnto you he shal leade you into al truthe Therefore should you reioyce because I saie that I go vnto my father Thys profite of the bodilie departeing to haue the confort of the spirite dyd appeare manifestelie in Petre and the other Apostles who deniynge and forsakeinge theyr maister whome they hade bodily present dyd nothing doubt to die for hym whan he was in bodie absent Besides that thys bodilie presens in euerie corner to take awaye sinne is preiudicial to the liuely fealeing of oure faith Firste for that he is verie man in al thinges haueing a naturall bodye as we haue sufficiently paiyng oure raâ—â—some to hys father vpon the crosse SecoÌ„dly it may cause vs to doubt whether we shall saye that he hath ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hand of the father and froÌ„ thence shal come to iudge the quicke and the deade other else saie with you that the prieste muste dayly offer hym a sacrifice here vpon earth for vs and that he muste kepe him heare styl in a boxe to ware mouldie and mustie and then chaunge hym for a newe Christe beinge infinitly created Who shall at the daye of dome starte forth of all these boxes at once into a newe shape I trowâ— to iudge all the eâ—â—h or elfe muste you â—…des confesse that they shall al be iudged and â—…ned where they lye in their boxes The scripture I saye the liuely sâ—aâ—eing of my fayeth grounded onely vpon the spirite of Christâ— and your owne madnesse that I haue reade in your owne bokes and no pride or arroganciâ— what so euer you saye I take god to recorde caâ—se me that I dare not so carnally and grossely vnderstaÌ„d the wordes of Christe as you do And I daâ—e maintaine 〈…〉 I haue many of your owne doc tours whose testimonie either in thys poynt or any other vnâ—es they bringe open scripture wâ—…h them I do not greately regarde but to your confution Yet haue I the better parte of them whiche do spiritually vnderstande and interprete thys scripture wyth me â–ª How be it I knowe we shall neuer make aâ— ende 〈◊〉 we bringe doctour vpon doctoure To answere therfore to thys text this is my bodye whyche is your onely shoâ—eaukere And to 〈…〉 aâ— your wode wordes tauÌ„tes that flowe frome your eloquet mouth as smoke doeth from a lake of brimstone But firste I wyll bringe forth the whole texte of Mathewe Marke and Luke And by the open worde of God I truste I shall declare the true sence and meaneing to him that wyth a spirituall eie shall iudge therof Christ in the xxvi of Mathewe when he was together wyth hys Apostles eateinge the passouer whyche was the most liue lyke figure in the olde lawe nowe makeing an ende in Christe the lambe wythout all spoâ—e and blemishe did ordeine this godly sacrament for the remembraunce of hym selfe to the worlde folowinge and that hys death myght be shewed and published vnto the worldes and like as in the passouer was cotinually mencioned and declared to the posteritie foloweinge the benifite of God in the deliueraunce from Egipt And as that ceremonie the eateinge of the lambe was called the passouer and he hym selfe called the lambe of god so like wise calleth he thys hight misterie and sacrament hys bodie and a newe testament in hys bloude That as truely as the Israelites were deliuered forth of Egipte the angel passing by not hurting the people of that house the dore posts wherof were sprinkled wyth the bloude of that lambe so verily shoulde Christe delyuer vs out of the Egipt of sinne and perfourme the thynge before figured For thys cause saieth Iohn beholde the lambe of God whych taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde And Christe sayeth Thys is my bodye whyche is gyuen for you And thys cup is the newe testament in my bloude whiche is shede for you By the which wordes it maye appeare that Christe dyd meane no chaunge of natures or traunssubstancion but onely that where the bloude of the lambe in the olde testament was sprenkled on the postes to saue frome the aduengeinge angell so many as shoulde be saued so lykewise thys bloude of Christ in the newe testament should be shede to saue vs so mani as haue our soules sprink led wyth the bloude of thys lambe Christe Iesâ— Therfore in lyke maner as the fathers of the olde lawe dranke of the spirituall ston that folowed them â–ª whiche was Christe euen so are we all commaunded to drinke of thys bloude none other wyse then the chyldren of Israell were commaunded that the bloude of the lambe shoulde be theire token in all the houses wher they were Ther was 〈◊〉 man so mad to saye that these wordes this cup is â—he newe testameÌ„t in my bloud dyd chaunge the substaunce of the cup into the newe testament And yet are thei christes owne wordes who can not lye If you therfore be driuen to your â–ª gloses tropes and figures in the wordes spoken of thys sacrament why should we be coÌ„demned to death because we can not vnderstande youre carnal gloses â–ª You must neades haue one glose to declare what is meÌ„t by the cup. Whether the wiâ—e the bloude or the cup it selfe either else a signe and sacrament of the newe testament or a performeinge of the same in the bloude of Christe as Luke teacheth you to speake and as Mathew and Marcke boeth do wittnesse This is my bloud of the newe testament whyche is shed for many to the remission of their sinnes Thus were the Apostles nothinge curiouse in wordes as they ought to haue bene if the wordes had made the cup or the wine God chaunging the substaunce therof so sone as they hadâ—â—eâ— spoken Thus you
To be shorte let any indifferent persone take in hande to iudge the life trade and learneinge of you byshopes and compare it wyth the doeinge of Christe and he shall fynde so muche diuersitie as betwen Christe and Antichrist To compare them also to Peter an Paule and other of the Apostles woulde sâ—ne declare the one parte to be naught they are so coÌ„trarie but they shalbe founde the folowers of Christe and therfore of the trwe churche and you the â–ª contrefaites yea the verie folowers of the Romeish Antichrist and therfore the sinnagoge of SathaÌ„ As for vs we wyll heare the voice of oure shepeherd onelie We will heare â–ª no straunger and therfore we haue no nede of any testimonie of man For the verie anointe inge teacheth vs to call Father father And the same spirite witnesseth vnto our spirit that wee are the chyldren of God For he that confirmeth vs to gether in Christe is God who hath also sealed vs and geueÌ„ the erneste of hys spirite in oure hertes And as Paule sayeth in the fyrste to the Ephesians to so manie as do beleue in the worde of truethe and the gospell of health you are sealed vp by the holy spirite a fore promised whyche is the ernest of oure heritage Therfore sayeth he agaâ—ne drawe no pâ—cke wyth the vnfayethful For what companye can ther be betwene the ryghteouse and the vnrighâ—â—ouse or whaâ— parâ—etakeing of the lyghte wyth darckenesse What concorde wyth Christe and Belial Or what parte can the fayethfull haue wyth the vnfathfull or howe can â—he churche of God agree wyth Idoles For you are the â—emple of the liueynge God as God sayede I wyll dwel in theÌ„ and walke in them and I wil be their God and they shall be my people c. And thys is the vniuersall churche scatered thorough out the worlde whiche we beleue not the churche of Rome Fraunce and Englande as Peter confessethe sayeinge I perseiâ—e in deed that wyth God there is no regarde of persones but in euerie nacion he thâ—t feareth hym and worketh ryghtuousenesse he is acceptableâ— vnto him This church sufferreth alwaye wyth hir heade Christe wherefore she shall also reigne wyth hym alwayes and be glorified This is eueÌ„ the felowship of sainctes that we do suffer together wyth oure heade and make perfite the afflictions whyche lacked vnto his bodye which is the church haueing one onli father in heauen one onely sauiour on erth one fayeth grounded on hys onely worde one baptisme of the spirite one hope of our calleing one heritage commune from Christe to all the whole feloshipe of sayntes and memberâ— of hys bodie Haueinge the remission and forgeuenesse of oure sinnes as the whole scripture witnesseth be leueinge stydfastely the riseinge agayne of the fleshe as is moste playnely taught and euerlasteâ—nge lyfe as Iohn witnesseth that God hath geuen euerlasteinge lyfe And thys lyfe is in his sonne He that hath the sonne hath lyfe The spirit is it that witnesseth these thinges for the spirite is trueth and he that beleueth in the sonne of God hath this testimonie wit in hym selfe and he that doeth not beleue maketh God a liar These thinges haue I written that al men myght knowe our fayth not to be grounded on man but on goddes holy worde and that we doubt in noparte of the olde fayeth but onely vpon your newe articles and gloses ⧠The resolusion of certen doubtes contained in Winchesters booke THus haue I put you out of doubt â–ª that we doubte in no article of the christiaÌ„ faith But I doubt that you bâ—e not yet out of doubte in those thinges that you doubt of in your detection amongest whych this is the greatest doubt You doubt you saye how the sonne of god whome you cal Iâ—…sus shoulde be contained in the woÌ„be of the virgine Vnto this your boubt I answere that as he was and is God so was â–ª he and is wythout begining and ende And the heauen yea the heauen of al heauens can not containe hym much lesse a littlle boxe to be shut therin but as he was verie man so was it true that the prophete dyd speake That a woman shoulde coÌ„passe a man And thys body that was borne of of the woman can you not proue to be scatterred throught out all corners of the erthe and to be in heauen also For so shoulde you make hym a spirite and no bodye yea all together God no crature for no creature can be in â—…o places theÌ„ one at one coÌ„trari to the chieffest article of our faith which is that he was incarnat became maÌ„ like vnto vs in al thynges synne onelye excepted and that in the same fleshe he dyed once rose againe and ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hande of God the father from when 〈◊〉 he shall come euen verie man as he asended hauinge all the propreties of an incorruptible bodye that is to saye beinge visible and local haueing quantitie and qualities as his fayethfull disciples and Apostles sawe and perceined hym to haue after his resurrection whyche proprites declared hym to diâ—â—er froÌ„ a spirite muche more from God as concerneinge the bodye wherin these qualitites be The godheade differeth and is knowne froÌ„ the bodye by that it is immense and can be coÌ„tayned in no place neither is it sensible nor can be perceiued by any of the senses Wher as contrariwyse the bodye is sensible and maye be boeth felt and sene and must nedes be alwayes contained in some one place other else is it no bodie And thought by miracle God haue caried any corporall bodie froÌ„ place to place coÌ„trarie to the cours of nature as he dyd Elias in the firely chariot Or as he caried Abacuke for the confort of daniell and as the spirite of God toke awaye Philip when he had christened the Ennuche of quene Candaces and set him at AzotuÌ„ And as by the spirite Peter was brought out of prisone taken from the foure quaternians of souldiours hys bodye lowsed forth of all the chaines and prisons sodaynelye yea the â—ate of Irone openeinge agaynste hym contrarie to the naturall order yet can no man proue by these or any lyke miracle that one bodye hath ben in ii places at once much les that any of these bodies maie be eueri where as you do maynetayne by miracle of Christ comeinge into the house when the Apostles had shette the dores and wyndowes for the feare of the Iewes that the natural bodye of Christe maye be in ten thousande boxes and aultres when you do not knowe whether the dores dyd open agaynst Christe as the Iron gate dyd agaynst Peter But you bringe in your sophistrie agaynste al reasone wyth out any scripture and therfore wythout any fayeth affirmeinge that ii bodies are in one place together occupi the same place at one time which neither faieth reasone nor any of the seÌ„ses that
erthly God that coulde not erre â—…deceiued yea offerring his shoes to be kiâ—… kinges and Emperours Thus I saye thys Romeish church changed frome pouertie to pride creepeinge vp like the Iuie by the rootes of the great trees be gan to ouer renne and subdue kingedoÌ„es and empieres yea to put downe kinges and Emperours For the mainteners of this diuellishe life and doctrine they had taÌ„ken such awaie and order that if we take theym and their adherentes that is to saye all theyr sworne doctours anointed byshoppes and shauen priestes for the true church we muste neades by theyr learning lyuinge and all their workes coÌ„demne Christ and his membres The true churche remayneth still pore persecuted and sore oppressed all the time of their tyrannie whiche coulde neuer beriefe Christe of hys witnesses for in al times and ages ther haue ben faitheful witnesses of the truthe though their names and doctrine haue alwaies bene obscured and sclaundered by these papistes who were allwaies bothe the Iudges and accusers the scribes and reporters of their doeynges This churche as it was alwaie ruled by the spirite of Christe so did it vnderstande the scripture spiritually by the spirite of god and worship him in spirite and truthe Like as amonge the fathers of the old testameÌ„t the ambitiouse scribes and phariseis and the fleashly minded bothe priestes and people did knowe non other holmesse by the circumcision of the fleshe and the bodily sacrifices where contrary wife Moyses and Dauid and the little chosen flocke led bi thâ— spirite of god did knowe circumcision of the fleashe to be nothingâ— wythout the circumcision of the hert and the sacrifices to be but shadowes of our Christe vpon whom all waies they did feade and sâ—tt their delyght knowyng him to be the vnspoted lambe and red heyfer offred for the finnes of the people euen so the hole popeyshe churche cleane coÌ„trarie to the doctrine of the spirite hathe fol lowed fleashely Imaginations of their own brayne in all their doctrine and sete up their own workes and sacrisices to take awai sinnes as did the old phariseis wherby it commethe to passe that al Idolatrie iâ—… stablished their own doctours and decres stroÌ„gly mainteined and the word of god â—…alli regarded The pore shepe of Christe fisshers and shepherdes plowemen and all vnder the degre of gentilmen are by your decrees banished froÌ„ the swete pastours and fode of theyâ— soules And yf it chaunce any of theÌ„ to break in to the pleasaunt bankes of Christe his doe trin and fead on the hilles of saluatioÌ„ the popysh bishops can smel hym xl myles froÌ„ theÌ„ and then shall the innocent lambe be burned and suffer death for the reding of this word for the whiche Christe his shepeherde and heade died for the establisheynge therof by the shâ—adynge of hys herte bloude Iudge nowe who is the true churche for Christe did not cheuse the wise nor the men of powre nor many menne of noble birth But the eternall wisdome of god chose that whiche was foleishe before the worlde that he might shame the wise And those that are weake in the worlde did he cheuse to shame the mighty and stroÌ„g powrs And those that are vile and dispised and of no reputacion ⧠The vtteringe of the popeyshe Sophismes BVt to returne to your wordes and to coÌ„sider how you of this popeish churche wolde captiue our wittes aboute this sacrameÌ„t thus you say and writ Ther is in the sacrament of the aulter non other substaunce but the substaunce of the bodie and bloude of our sauiour Christ and yet remaynethe the forme and accidentes of breade and wyne not altered by this miracle from knowelege of the senses wherewithe they were before knowne and also by god his sufferaunce subiectes to the passibilitie that they were in before Oh when will you waxâ— ashamed The mouse may eate yt as you say your selfe 〈◊〉 yet it must be the self same substaâ—nce of the body of Christ wer it not for shame to bable longe in this matter I wolde bringe in the scriptures that proue all them to haue euerlastinge lyfe that eate his fleshe and drincke his bloud But go to I wil stope your monthe withe your owne madnes Pope Victor the thyrd was poysoned in this sacrament and yet must it be the bodie of Christ which can bringe nothinge but helthe and life The Emperour HeÌ„ry the seuenth was poysoned by a Dominik frier named Barnardinus de monte policiano in receyuinge the sacrameÌ„t and yet may it be non other substaunce but the bodie and bloâ—de of our sauiour Christe God and man wher yf he had ben man they had poysoned hym firste but yf he had bene God he woulde first haue espied theyr poyson by cause he can not be deceyued and bycause he can not deceyue he would not haue poisoned the Emperour who mistrustid no thinge But let them passe they be the learnynge and practises of your churche You goo on still with the same Sophistrie of the forme and accidentes of bread and wyne Alwaye synginge one songe that with often rehersall you maye bringe it into credence If you preache this forme these accidentes 〈◊〉 this passibilitie to the pore people they may wel wonder at your high learnyng but thei can knowe litle what you meane These thinges I haue somwhat touchide and shall dâ— more here after You say that these accideÌ„tes are not altered vnto the senses but are subiect to the same passibilitie I pray you what sophistrie hath taught you that accidentes are become subiectes of passibilitie If euer you learned Logike or philosophi you know that the subiect to passibilitie must neades bee a substauÌ„ce Wherfor seyng you wil haue such passibilitie suche chaunges both corruptioÌ„ of the cake and generation oâ— anewe bodie you must coÌ„fesse some other substaÌ„ce in thes chauÌ„ges that sustaynethe the accidentes after the chaÌ„ge for the infallible rule of Logike is this Ther is no accident without his subiect periculiar substance And coÌ„sequeÌ„tly if you wil wade in these dark termes of sophistrie â–ª you shalbe coÌ„pelled to graunt an other substance which sustayneth the accideÌ„tes bysides the bodie and bloude of Christ And seyng that Godhath created none other substaÌ„ce which hath these peculiar qualities that we feele smel se and tast stil to remain but onli bread and wyne we must nedes by the properties bi god onli attributed to these creatures conclud against you that here be the two substaÌ„tes and creatures of breade and wyne vnto whome God did in theyr creation attribute and gyue these qualities these accidentes these selfe same properties the selfe same forme and shape that we se doth stil remayne vuchainged vnder your fingers and in your mouthes As for your holi entralies I know not what passibilitie thei suffer there In this place of your booke I muste pas ouer with scilence certayne of your wordes as are these The creatour of al
you are the braunches And continuinge in these parables whiche he accustomed his speache vnto in al his sermons and nowe moste specially towardes his death he opened his mistèries for to rauishe the myndes of his disciples that he myghte prynte them the better in their memorie and contrariwyse that the wycked shoulde heare wyth their eares and not vnderstande see wyth their eyes and not perceyue as Christe alledgeth out of the. vi of Esaie in the. xiii of Math. Thus is the highe wysdome of God alwayes vsed from the begynnyng In Moyses wyth his figures In Solomon with his Prouerbes And ryghte so in all the scriptures to the intent that the preciouse Margarite shoulde not be caste to the hogges He wonderfully enstructed his disciples of his departyng Sometyme in parabbles soâ—…tyme wythout parables in thys and the. ii chapters folowing Wheras he might haue conforted them substancially â—…t one worde as you teache if he had sayed I wyl not go from you for alwayes when you wyll haue me do onely blowe these iiii wordes this iâ— my body ouer a litle breade and you shall haue me straighte wayes at hande But oh blynde guides Christe telleth you that the fleshe profiteth nothynge though you haue it present as the Iewes Iudas and the bishoppes had Yea though Iudas had eaten it as you wryte that he dyd in the supper No though he had eaten hym alyue when he kyssed and betrayed him Though he had then eaten Christe I saye euen as he went on the grounde whiche is the thynge that you do so sore stryue about that he must be eaten as he went on the earth sauyng onely that thys muste be done inuisibly Thoughe as you say he were thus eateÌ„ in fleshe Christ sayth the fleshe profiteth nothyng at al. And where as you cal thys the chiefe holines and chiefe worshippe Christe sayeth his father seeketh suche worshippers as wyll worshippe hym in spirite and trueth and not in the fleshe shadowes and ceremonies Agayne Christe sayeth I dyd not speake these thynges vnto you from the beginning because I was wyth you But you papistes wyl answer So art thou present styl though thou be hid in a boxe or a litle breade Christe sayeth nowe do I go vnto hym that sent me and I demaunde of you papistes howe he went vnto his father that sent hym Not the Deuyl but the scripture and the angelles of God shall answere for you Christe after he was rysen froÌ„ death gathered his Apostles together and commaunded them to tarie at Hierusalem and to awayte for their conforâ—our the holy spirite whom he had promised to sende them when he departed in fleshe froÌ„ the earth And whilse he spake thus vnto theÌ„ he was in the sight of them all taken vp and a cloude couered hym And whylse they loked stedfastly vp into heauen beholdyng his goinge beholde ii men stode by theÌ„ in white garmentes whiche sayed Ye men of Galesee why stande you gasyng vp into heauen Thys same Iesus whiche is taken vp from you into heauen shal so come as you haue seene hym go into heauen He is gone none otherwyse but in the fleshe his fleshe therefore is not in the breade When he cometh agayne he shall come visibly euen as he went in the syght of them al as the angelles wytnes He is not therfore inuisible in the bread Nowe thys your opinion of his being vpon the earth in the fleshe and sufferyng of hym selfe to be hid in a litle boxe and such cakes whereof an hundrede are scarse worth one halfpeny is to shamfull There is no reuerence of God in his sonne remaynynge iâ—… your hertes And therefore as the Propheâ—… Osee sayeth though God shewe the trueth of his lawe neuer so often vnto you yet do you take it but for a straung doctrine Wheras they do sacrifice sayth the Prophete offeryng the fleshe and eatyng it the Lorde wyll haue no pleasure therin but wyll remembre their wickednesse and punishe their synnes Israell woulde turne agayne into Egypte to the fleshe pottes They put fleshe theyr arme which is ment by seekinge to Egypte In many places of the kynges also Yea alwayes both in figures and open wordes the folowyng of the fleshe and outward holines whiche is communely voied of the spirite is sore rebuked greuously punished Therfore addeth the prophete They haue forgotten hym that made them they buylde churches and Iuda maketh many stronge bulworkes I wil therfore sende a fyre into their cities and it shall consume their palaices Agayne sayeth Ose As for the Prophete you holde hym a fole aâ—d hym that is ryche in the spirite for a madde man So greate is your wickednesse Fleshe you are fleshe you seeke voied and destitute altogether of the spirite of God the onely authour of al truth and vnfeyned holines Christe sayeth I tell you truth it is profitable to you that I go for if I do not go froÌ„ you the spirite of conforte can not come vnto you But if I go I shall sende hym vnto you These wordes were fyrste proued true in the Apostles whiche were conforted by the spirite after theyr mournyng for the bobily absence of theyr maister And nowe also doth it appeare true in you papistes that the liuely coÌ„fort of the spirite is â—mally felt or regarded amoÌ„gest you whilse you thinke your selues to haue Christe bodily amonge you Agayne Christe sayeth vnto his father Thys is euerlastynge lyfe to knowe the onely the true God and whom thou hoste sent Iesu Christe You saye is euerlastyng lyfe and the chiefe misterie of our religion to knowe thys cake to be a God to knowe the wyne to be a whole Christe God and man where all faythfull hertes muste needes confesse that it is no god nor caÌ„ be god what so euer is made with mans hande For both the thinge that is made as the boke of wisedom telleth is inferiour to the man that made it and because maÌ„ him selfe is mortal the thing that he maketh caÌ„ not be god immortall But I knowe your answere The priest maketh it by the worde of God I answere you agayne We can neither see nor perceyue any maner of thynge there but onely the breade that is made by the hande of the bakar and therfore made and facioned by the handes of man who hath but a borowed spirite and vnhappie are they and amonge the deade is theyr hope that call them Gods whiche are the workes of mens handes Thys is the errour of mannes lyfe when men ascribe vnto stockes and stones and other vile creatures the name of God whiche ought to be gyuen vnto no creature Yea they are twise vnhappy and accursed that do hereby make the creature abominable also depriue the creatoure and maker of all of his dewe honoure But marke agayne that whiche Christ sayth in the same chapter of Iohn Nowe am I not in the worlde and these are in the worlde and
killed grat Goliath it is easilie perceiued by coÌ„paring of his bokes with EcolaÌ„padius zwin glius how far vnable he was to defeÌ„de thys cause What mildenes of spirit ouer much care of christian quietnesse caused Bucere in wordes so far as the trueth could any thing yelde to agre with you al men that read his bokes with iudgement may iudge Zwinglius workes who so readeth theÌ„ as he was a man of in comparable eloquence and lerneing are able to coÌ„found all the rabble of the papistes and al his aduersaries that speake againste him But nowe come you into your ruffe againe with your doctours of thousaÌ„d yeres yet maie we proue some of theÌ„ to haue ben scarselie v. hundred yeres other some of small Authoritie and the best smally serueing for your purpose AmoÌ„gest theÌ„ all the most auncieÌ„t is S. Andrewe the apostle you saie whom you alledge not out of the scripture for we haue nothinge of his writeinge there but out of your holy legeÌ„da auria as I suppose or else I praie you whens shall this thing haue his authoritie of the porteous perchanÌ„ce which techeth vs to locke for saluacioÌ„ by the merites of Thomas Beket by setting vp a caÌ„dle or building a chapel in the name of S. Margarete It appeareth that you would faine haue the mattier good wheÌ„ you flie to your popeish portous Thus woulde you craftilie deceine the people Let Paul answere your porteouse maÌ„ which saieth he doth dailie sacrifice Christ on the aulâ—…re of the crosse We lerne in the Epistle of Paule to the Heb. that it is the propre peculiar office of Christ to offer him selfe that with his owne offering he hath made his holy for euer by his own offering once don therfore was he made prieste after the order of Melchisedech without successour Wher for they that go about to sacrifice Christe do rob him of his priesthod For Christ onely was called vnto that office for he ouelie was called as Aaron was and no maÌ„ maye take vnto him that office vnlesse he be caled as Aaron was Not with standinge that we maie please al and offeÌ„d no maÌ„ if it be so possible take the wordes of S. Andre spirituallie as no doubt he was spiritual would speake theÌ„ none otherwaies but spiritually and thaÌ„ make thei nothing against vs. He sacrificed not on the aultare of stone but vpoÌ„ the aultare of the crosse And for the maintenaunce of thys sacrifice he hym selfe was also sacrificed on the crosse What dyd he sacrifice The vnspotted lambe Where he alludeth to the olde figure as is saied whose flesh and bloud beinge spiritually receyued feadeth al the faythfull people Thus maist thou answere gentle reader euen vnto the best of the doctours vnderstandeinge them spirituallye And that they shoulde be so vnderstanded appeareth by the firste wordes that you bring out of Chrisostome we offer sayeth he but for the remembraunce of hys death Again this sacrifice is a resemblanÌ„ce of the other Agayne alludeinge to the olde figure he sayeth We do offer one lambe or else should ther be many Christes Then sheweth he who is the byshop that offereth the sacrifice Not Chrisostom nor Andrewe â–ª but Christe And thys whiche they do is the remembraunce of that whiche is done alredie These olde writtes had muche more libertie to speake such wordes because at that tyme ther wer no suche errours hard of as you do defend nowe by your popeishe prerogatiue But whan you answere that Christe bydeâ—h you pristes sacrifice him because he sayeth Hoc facite I dare saye you finne in wylfull blindenesse And that boeth for that you leaâ—e out thefâ—â—t and principall parte of the sentence whiche moste declareth the purpose of Christ in the remembraunce of me and also because you knowe well inowghe what significacion Hoc facite muste haue boeth in thys place and all other I knowe well that you english bishopes be not so sleÌ„derly learned as the Sorbouistes or doctors of Parise whiche in their determinations do bringe incum faciam vitulam Take the whole seÌ„teÌ„ce together therfore and make of it what you can Hoc facite in mei memoriam do thys in the remembraunce of me Donec veniat tyll he come maketh cleare against you that saye he is heare al redie let Damascene dote as longe as he lusteth If you wreast this playne text do this in the remembraunce of me vntill I come what scripture can be salfe from your gloses Yet by your doctoures by whom you caÌ„ glose forth al thinges I wyl not greatly contende with you as I dyd proteste in the begining First and principally because our fayeth maye be grounded vpon no maÌ„s saings but vpon the worde of God onely whiche is able to teach to reproue and to enstructe a man to euery good worcke Secondly because this contencion shal neuer haue an ende so long as you maye haue authoritie to glose euerie worde of the doctours accordinge to your owne pleasure Thirdely because ther hath ben no â—…ning so lewed but it hath ben proued and is at this daye allowed by the authorite of the doctours Fourthli because the scripture must be the toâ—chston and iâ—dge of all other thynges wordes sayinges and writeynges and may be Iudged by non other Sixtli because we our selues shalbe Iudged and examined whether we haue kept that whyche Christe coÌ„maunded vs and not that which doctours haue written Seuenthly and finally because in the worde of god lyeth al truth and we haue an especiall commaundement frome the father to here Christe the authoure therof the spirite comeynge down from heauen with his open testimonie Thys is my dearly beloued soÌ„ne in whom I delyte heare hym where the doctours contrarie wyfe as they are men and this scripture must nedes be true Omnis homo mendax euerie man is a lyar so do they trie them selues as men contendeynge one with an other eche one coÌ„trarie to his felowe Yea and the selfe same man retracteynge and recanteynge that that he had wrytten before that we may learne to trust in no man nor to put fleshe our arme for feare of the great curse but to stycke vnto the euerlastinge worde of God as a lantern vnto our fete wherof ther shall not one Iote or tytle perishe though the heauen and the earth do melt awaye In thys we shall finde sufficient fode for our soules if we can paciently rest and fead therin Wherfore for this tyme all your doctours set aparte and your dyuell sayeth neglected because your hope is so muche in man and you are not ashamed so often to brinde in the deuil sayeth I praye you here the complaynt of God by his prophetes vpoÌ„ the Idolatours of al ages and do not thinke much to herkeÌ„ what God sayeth of you of this time which caÌ„ non other wayes mayntain your pompe but with the coÌ„tumely of your creatour the plain denial of the only sacrifice of his son
and truth wil I be worshiped And suche worshipers do I seke as with pure mindes flye vp aboue the heauens and wishe that myne impere and kingdome maye be delated and my name helowed and renowâ—â—ed celebrated and prased in al though al creatures Such worshipers I saie do I seke as can coÌ„prehend and perceiue Christ sitting â–ª at my right hand and wyll seke hym without the helpe of any creature These worshipar wyll I regarde and to their sacrifices wil I haue respect For their high bishop hath an euerlasting priesthod wherbi he may fully saue al theÌ„ that wil com vnto me by him whom I haue made the gouernour of holy thynges and of the true ta bernacle which I my selfe and not man haue made which must therfore be coÌ„prehended receiued without the help of any creature vpon earth neither must these worshipers seke Christe here nor ther nor renne after him in anie places vpon earth where any man shall name him to be Muche lesse shall these true worshipers seke me the incomprehensible God tyed to any one place or creature for heauen is mi seate and thearth my fotestole euen as my prophete Esaie dyd witnesse vnto you when he demaunded what house you wold build vnto me or what place I woulde reste in seinge that my hande hath made all My seruaunt Paule also hath sayed vnto you that I the Lorde God haue made the worlde and al that is therin yea the heauens also haue I made howe shoulde it be theÌ„ that I might dwell in temples made with mans hande who is one of the creatures that I my selfe haue made And eueÌ„ as I dwell not in the temples made with mans hand so am I not worshiped wyth the workes of mans haÌ„d as once standing nede of any thinge For I the Lord geue breath to al liuing thynges and haue of one bloude made al the kinde of man and haue caused hym to spread ouer the whole face of earth appointinge prescript tymes and limeting the borders of their dwellynges that they maye seeke me theyr God and trye whether they can by gropeing find me Yet not withstandeinge I am not far froÌ„ euerye one of you For through me you are do lyue and are moued So that ther is no ignoraunce canne excuse you because you nede not â—o secke my kyngedome farther then in your selues And to ressemble my Godly powre and worshippe wyth golde siluer stone or ani other creatture named and coÌ„uerted into the stead of me the onelie and almightie your god you shall not be excused â—i any ignoraunce for by my workes you maie knowe me from my worckes and much more from your owne worckes If you therfore can not be able resemble my godlie powre by any of your Imaginacions howe muche lesse able shal you be to shet vp me the immortal immensurable and incomprehensible God whom the heauen of heauens is not able to conteine in a little box of golde siluer or any other meatall in breade wine or any other creature setteinge vp a newe and strainge I dole of the whiche neyther you nor your fathers haue hearde one worde of my mouth imagineinge a strange worship of your own Idle braines not withstandeinge that my sonne Christe doeth crie agaynst you sayeinge In vaine do you worshipe me teacheinge the doctrines and preceptes of men His most fayethful seruauntes also ceased not to threaten sharpe plages vnto all them that shoulde adde to or take fro chaunge or alter any one worde of all that theye had receiued of their Lorde the father of spirites Wherfore because your fathers haue for saken me and folowed strange gods serued them and worshiped them they haue forsaken me â–ª and my lawe haue they not kept And you haue done worsse theÌ„ your fathers For euery one of you walketh after the wickednes of his owne herte striuinge alwaies howe you maye stop your eares agaynste my wordes and admonicions Loo therfore I wyl fyll all the inhabitauntes of the earth and the kynges which sit in their hygh thrones the preistes and the Prophetes together with drunkennes And I wyl scatter theym one brother from another and the father froÌ„ the chylde I wil not spare them nor haue pitie on them but wil vtterly destroy them Harken and geue eare and beware you do not rage for the Lord hath spokeÌ„ it Geue glory vnto the Lord your God before it wax darke and before your fete do stumble in the darke hilles when you shal loke for lyghte and lo ther is nothynge but the shadowe of death and deepe darkenesse Oh Popes and Princes and glorious Prelates high couÌ„terfait names called byshops to you al I saye whych holde the worlde in darkenes If the Morian can chaunge his skinne or the Leoparde her spottes then can you also do well suckyng wickednes with the mylke of your mothers This shalbe your charge therfore and the portion prepared for you Because you forget me and trust vnto lyes I wil disclose your thoughtes and your shame shall appeare Your lustes your lechery your wiked fornication shall I disolose Let no man praye for thys sorte of people They synne vnto death and their plages are vncurable If you faste I wyll not heare your prayers If you offre offerynges I wyll not receyue them For when you were corrected with famine you dyd not regarde it WheÌ„ you were chastened whyth the pestilence and diseases you refused al discipline Stormes teÌ„pestes and earthquakes floâ—des and breaches of the sea you count not to be sent by my haÌ„de One of you therefore shal dygge in the bealy of an other and you shall be consumed with the sworde of my furie Lo I wyll sende fishers whiche shall fâ—she after you by the sea and hunters whiche shall hunte you in euery hyll mountayne and cragy rocke For myne eyes are vpon your wayes and shortly I wyll sende my spirites whiche I haue created for a vengeaunce the fyre the stormy hayle famyne death the teeth of beastes serpentes and the sworde whiche beinge readie in my wrathfull displeasure do torment all thynges at my commaundemente and especially death bloude debate oppression tiranny and the sworde are create for the wicked and therwyth I beate downe myne enemies be they neuer so proude I the Lorde do create all these thynges that my name maye be terrible vnto the heathen and my power knowne thorowout the earth I demaunde of you O Byshoppes of my flocke I wyll aske you stande vp and gyue me answere of your wayes Is there any of your newe founde Goddes that can gyue you rayne or that can saue them selues from the tiranny if neede require Is there any of these Goddes that can saue hym selfe and his worshyppers furth of my hande when I sende fyre and the sworde vpon them Yea tell me thys rather Hath either you or your parentes founde any wyckednesse in me that you are departed from me and folowe vanities
dignitie the maintenaunce of Idolatrie Popetrie hath caused the bishop to wryte his boke and to rayle agaynste the trueth And shall not the crowne of glorie whiche can neuer decaye the glory of the only euerlasting God steare faythful men to make answere for the trueth agaynst falsehode specially seinge that we haue thys playne testimonie spoken by the mouth of our sauiour He that confesseth me before men him wyl I confesse before my father that is in heauen and hym that denieth me before men shall I denie also before my father and his holy angels If I be blamed if I be imprisoned yea if I be burned for Christes cause the trueth yet am I happie by the opeÌ„ testimonie of Christ in Math. My name shall be restored in the heauens in the boke of lyfe to be a fayethfull witnesse I shalbe set at libertie for euer with Christ the sonne of God my bodie brent into ashes where it hath put of mortalitie shal be restored vnto me muche better immortall and incorruptible If I lose wyfe and childe father and mother I shal receiue for them an hundreth folde And for aduauntage aboue all for fâ—ll recoÌ„pence lyfe euerlasting Who wyl not be ammate and encouraged by such large promises ⧠God saue Kynge Edward from all errours God defende his tender age from all â—he subtile malice of al Hypocrites and trayâ—…urs The lyuyng God establishe his herte in the waye of the trueth for euer and euer So be it ⧠FINIS ⧠The Table A A Rehersall of the benefactours and founders of the Masse Fol. liij An Image can not be a womans husbande Fol. cxlij A declaration of the true churche Fol. lxv Augustine to Dardanius Fol. cxv A double errour Fol. cxxi At his departynge Christe commaunded his remembraunce to be celebrated Fol. cxlix A vaine muÌ„bling called the masse Fol. cxlix A double causion Fol. cl AbrahaÌ„ was iust before circumcisioÌ„ Fol. clxii An answere to the principal pointes after the Doctours Fol. clxvi A broade shauen crowne Fol. clxxi All men muste knowe etc. Fol. lxxviii Accidentes muste haue c Fol. lxxiiii A right bishop c. Fol. lxxv Al the workes of God c Fol. lxxix An apt similitude Fol. clxxxxvii Lit. Dd A shauen crowne c. Fol. clxxxxvii Dd A longe gowne Fol. clxxxxviii Dd An Englishe bishop Fol. ccvi Anne Askue Fol. cciiii B Beleue not euerie spirite Fol. xii Be no more Caparnaites Fol. xxxiiii By what fruite you may know theÌ„ Fol. xli Bonifacius putteth Christ out etc. fol. lxxii Bishops defende wyckednesse fol. cxxxix Baptisme is not estemed as it c fol. lxxxv Because all thinges are possible c. fol. clviii By the workes you shall etc. fol. lxxvii Beware of my Lordes lyes fol. clxxxxii Barnes fol. cciiii Bylnaye fol. cciii C Christ dyd not coÌ„secrate the bread fol. xxxvii Christ can not be eaten without fruite fol. xl Christes comyng is at hande fol. cxxxviii Christes fleshe gyueth lyfe fol. cxiv Christ is the verie vine fol. lxxxxvi Christ shal coâ—… againe visible fol. lxxxxvii Christ onely must be our bishop fol. clix Christ neuer preached traÌ„substaÌ„ c fol. clxiii Cato fol. ccvi D Doctour Buttes fol. cxli Damascen putteth water into c fol. cv DamasceÌ„ wil haue water made bloud fol. cv Damascen fol. cxi Dogges wyl not eate dogs fleshe fol. cxx Doctrine preached at Pauls crosse fo clxxxxi E Ecolampadius repented fol. ciii Exemples of mennes c fol. clxxxxii Cc. F Fewe are founde faythfull fol. lxvi Fyre can not preuayle fol. lxix Fayth receyueth Christes body fol. cxliii Feare not the breade God fol. clvii Fryth is not confuted fol. clxvii From the Elders c fol. clxxiiii Fishe prouoketh lust fol. clxxxx Fyl the bealy fol. ccvii G Go no farther theÌ„ your coÌ„mission fol. xxxvi God hath neuer forsakeÌ„ his churche fol. lxv God flryketh and healeth agayne fol. lxvii Gyue eare for God sayeth it fol. cxlv God regardeth them that worshippe hym in spirite fol. cl God is nere to euerie one of vs. fol. cli God is the father of spirites fol. cli God hath his ministers of venge c. fol. clii God giueth warning before ven c. fol. cliiij God is far in dette to his makers sol clvi God is not chaungable fol. clvi God accepteth iustice by fayth fol. clxiâ— God regardeth not the osferyng of signes or sacramentes fol. clxiii God ment vs good fol. clxiiii God regardeth none of our inueÌ„ c. fol. clxv God is pacient Fol. clxvii Gregorie Nazienzene Fol. clxxxvi Gods word must giue place c. Fol. clxxxix Gyue no eare c Fol. clxxxxiii Lit. Cc. H Howe full of iniquitie this time is Fol. xi Howe God giueth wisedome to al that aske it in fayth fol. xviii Howe the Papistes reason a posse c fol. xx He that hath eyes to see let him see fol. xxxv He that wyl fynde Christ fol. clx Hidra the monster fol. clxxxviii Howe fasting dryueth out c fol. clxxxx He that knoweth not God fol. lxxvii He that is once c fol. lxxix Holy water fol. cci Hunne fol. cciiii Husse fol. cciii I I woulde wishe my Lorde this c fol. xxxiii In two wordes lieth the whole etc. fol. xxxix If we wyl entre into Christes etc. fol. cxlv Iudas dyd not eate the body etc. fol. lxxxxiiii It is possible for God to chaunge etc. fol. cv Idols shal be brent fol. cxlvii Idols be thanked for Gods giftes fol. cliiii In what respect the fleshe of Christ was heauenly breade fol. clxi Iohn Lasselles fol. cciiii It is more easie to liue wel then Ill fol. clxix If thynges be auncient etc. fol. clxix If the prelates had had â–ª etc. fol. clxxiiii It is for the papistes profite fol. clxxvi K Knowledge of the senses fol. xli L Learne to eate the fleshe bloud c. fol. xxxiâ—i Learne to resist sophistrie fol xxxviii Learne to knowe the membres of Christes churche fol. lxviii Learne witte at the mouse fol. lxxxvi Let them that doubt etc. fol. clxvii Learne to auoyed offence etc. fol. clxxxiii Learne at the bishops to fast fol. clxxxiii Learne wherin to folowe Christ fol. clxxxvii Learne to knowe etc. fol. clxxxxix Dd M Marke what meate Christ c fol. xxxiii Marke howe God prouided etc. fol. lxvi Marke who hath ben the. c fol. lxx Maxentius the tirant fol. lxxi My Lorde woulde haue no traÌ„ c. fol. cxliii Marke the fruites of my lordes c. fol. lxxxii Marke my Lordes intent fol. lxxxâ—i Marke my Lordes sophistrie fol. lxxxvi My Lordes owne swerde stryketh of his heade fol. lxxxviii My Lordes wordes ende in ly fol. lxxxxv My Lorde hath loste his witnesse fol. câ—i My lordes similitudes serue not for his purpose fol. cvi Marke the constancie of the Doct. fol. cvii Marke thexaâ—…ation of these c. fol. cxxvi My lorde might haue ben asha c. fo cxxxvii Man hath made hâ—m Goddes fol. cxlviii More
maye be exemple fol. clxviii My Lordes answere in priuate communication fol. clxxxviii My Lorde recant for shame fol. clxxxxi My Lorde wyl haue etc. fol. lxxii N No maruayle though the sim c. fol. xxxviii No maÌ„ caÌ„ lay any other foundation fol. cxiii Nature worketh no miracles fol. cxxvii Note the cause whie thys Sacrament was inâ—tituted in breade fol. cxxxix No man amendeâ—h fol. cxlvi Nothynge lyke fol. clxxii Norfolke fol cciiii O One errour draweth an other fol. cvi Of the wordes and meanyng fol. lxxxx Of contrarietie and contradiction fol. cxiii Obstinacie is cause of vnbeleife fol. cxvii Of the worde institution fol. cxxiiii Only god is in many places at etc. fol. cxxv Of quotidian miracles fol. cxxvi Onely God is true fol. cxliiii Of the worde Sacrament fol. clxx One thinge to be signe and thinge fol. clxxi Of the name breade fol clxxi Of the name Masse fol. clxxx Of the pure sacrifice etc. fol. clxxxvi P Pithagoras fol. xli Popishe is the fittest name that can be giuen to the Masse fol. liii Poâ—…durus de inuento â–ª c. fol. clxxxi Persecusion etc. fol. lxxii Paule alloweth not etc. fol. lxxvi S Seeke the trueth at the minist etc. fol. xvi Sophistrie fol. xl Silence betokeneth consent fol. liiii Sophisters are the Diuels messeÌ„gers fo lxx Stephane the martyr fol. cxxiii Sathan begynneth to roare fol. clxxviii Stephane Gardinar fol. clxxxix Some drynke no wyne fol. clxxxxiiii â—d Superstion etc. fol. clxxxxvi Lit. Cc. T The perfection etc. fol. ccii The salt fol. ccv The anoyntyng fol. cc The bishops fol. ccv Take heede of carion fol. xv The priest can not sacrifice fol. xxiii That the priest doeth must be in the remembraunce of Christ fol. xxv The verbe est hath no power to chaunge any substaunce fol. xxv The waye to lyfe is but one fol. xxxiiii Take this profite of the SacrameÌ„t fol. xxxv The receyuyng of the SacrameÌ„t is the preachyng of the death of Christe fol. xxxvi Two maner of teachynges fol. xxxix The similitude that declareth all c fol. xl The senses be witnesses fol. xliij The folowers of Christ are c fol. xlviii The churche of Christ is not lunge without persecution fol. lxxi The openyng of this text Do this in the remembraunce of me fol. cxxxviii The prelates discourage vs fol. cxli The Apostles were stronger in Christes absence fol. cxliiii The true blisse fol. cxlv Thre syllogissmoses fol. lxxx The Rabbies fol. lxxxi The Apostles dyd not worshyppe the Saerament fol. ci The cup is not the newe testament fol. ci The Diuell worketh miracles fol. ciiii The worshippyng of Images fol. cvii Thys was far fot fol. cviii The body of Christe can not be chaun fol. cx The answere to Damascen fol. cii The resolution of certeine doubtes fol. xlix The foundation of our fayth fol. cxii To the good al thinges are good fol. clxviii Tyme vttereth al thynges fol. clxx Two agaynst two fol. clxx The definition of a sacrament fol. clxx Two thynges are to be considered fol. clxxi The etimologie of this worde c. fol. clxxiij The churche and Elders fol. clxxiii Their owne testimonie fol. clxxiii There is no faut c. fol. clxxv To the gouernours of the people fol. clxxvi The knowledge of the tonges fol. clxxvii The bishops open the waye fol. clxxix The Papistes busie mens etc. fol. clxxx To the bishops fol. clxxii The father giueth the true bread fol. clxxxiiij Toutch nor etc. fol. clxxxxviij The Masse is not the memo c. fol. clxxxiii That whiche the priest eateth etc. fol. clxxxv The vertue of the Masse fol. clxxxv The cause why Christ fasted â–ª fol. clxxxvii The Sacrament fol. lxxiii The Judglers are not etc. fol. lxxv This shalbe our scholemaister fol. lxxviii The Apostles were etc. fol. clxxxxviii Dd. The prelates consideration fol. clxxxxv Dd Traditions and church c. fol. clxxxxiiij Dd The cup of brotherly loue fol. clxxxxiiii Dd The ceremonies etc. fol. clxxxxvij Dd The determinations etc. fol. clxxxxiii Dd. The true description fol. clxxxxiii Letter Cc The Phariseis etc. fol. clxxxxv Letter Cc The Morian leoparde fol. clxxxxviii Cc. The kentishe man fol. clxxxxix Letter Cc The maner of Christes blessing fol. cxxii The difference betwene the signe c. fol. cxli. The complaint of God fol. cxlv The ruine of the gentiles is at etc. fol. cxlv The worlde doeth alwayes stryue agaynste the spirite fol. cxlvi The newe founde God fol. cxlvii The folowers of Idols fol. cxlviii The Lorde speaketh to the prelates fol. clii The obstinate must not be prayed c. fol. clij The bishops must stande vp and. etc. fol. cliij The Lorde plageth tiranny fol. cliii Thys Almonde is wel blanched fol. clv. The feare of a mouse fol. clvi The suppressioâ— of Abbayes fol. clvii The bread God is thrise miserable fol. clviij That is sacrificed must be slayne fol. cliâ— They that wyll feede carnally etc. fol. clx The cause why Christe called the breade his bodie fol. clx The lyfe that is in all the blesseâ— fol. clxi The Israelites fed not on a signe fol. clxiii The fleshly sacramentaries fol. clxiiij The spirite beareth witnesse fol. clxv The doctours are to be suspected fol clxvi The doctours that are called saintes fo clxvi What diuelishe sophistrie is fol. xii Wynchester fol. xxii Wynchesters eloquence fol. xxxiii Wherein the senses be deceyued fol. xlii When reallitie was inuented fol. lxii We muste beare wyth the weake fo cxxxviij We must confirme our lyues to c. fol. câ—l We resist not the scripture fol. cix Wycklyffes wycket fol. clxâ—ii Wynchester woulde haue vs. c. fol. clxxii Wynchester preached openly fol. clxxv Who be the theues fol. clxxxii Wyll holynesse fol. clxxxxix Letter Cc. Finis Tabule ii Corh xi Psalâ— ii Mach. vii Galat. ii Esaye xi Gala. i. Phili. iii. Math. xxiii Iames. iii. i. Peter v. i. Chap. Howe full of iniquity that tyme is Timo. i. â—…hat diuilâ—… sophistrie Beleue not eâ—…ie spirite Iohn iiii Iohn i. Timo. iii. Ephe. v. Folio lvi Iohn iiii Luk. 〈◊〉 Take heede of carion Mathe. iiii Seeke the trueth at the ministers of the church Gala. iii. Iohn the x. The answer Iohn v. Hieremi i. Howe the papistes do reason A posse ad â—sse Romans i. Wynchester The prieste can not sacrifice any more The prieste must do thys in the remembraunce of Christe Exod. xii The verbe est hath no powre to chaunge substaunce Iohn vi Matxxvi Iohn vi Iohn iiii ii Corhi v. Iohn iii. Iohn xvi Iohn xv Luk. xxii Esai liuf Hiere xxxi Note Lerne to eate the fleshe and bloude of Christe Winchesters eloquence Iacob iij. I woulde wishe my Lorde this wisdome Mark what meate Christ geueth vs. The waye tâ— lyfe is but one Iohn vi Be not Capernites any longer Take thys profit of the sacrament Luke xxii Go no farther theÌ„ your commission 〈◊〉 Corin. xi The receiueyng of the sacrameÌ„t is the preacheing of the
Christe Iesu our sauiour who onelye is the ende of all prophecies in whome they al are made perfecte with whome we shall enioye this perfecte peace so many as defire to knowe the liuinge God and whome he sent downe to saue the worlde Iesu Christ nowe sitting at his right hande to whome be glorie For euer and euer So be it Iohn iiii Episto i. Who so knoweth God heareth vs. Anâ— he that is not of God heareth not vs. And herby do we know the spirite of truthe and the spirite of errowre The Prologue GRace and peace from the Lorde the liueinge God who hath all our hertes in hys hande to moue and stere to what shall lyke hym beste who onely knoweth the hertes of men and therefore oneli is the iudge of the thoughtes and intentes of vs all what or whan so euer we speake or thinke whose daye and iudgment is without regarde what man which is but flesh and bloud and therefore ful of erroure and blindnesse shall dispute and determine and iudge I paciently loke for and a bide whan as all darnell drake and weede shall be caste into the hell fire and all the good graine shal be gathered into God his owne garner vnto whome we lyue all the tyme that we walke vpon the earth And wheÌ„ we die yet are we sure that we are his owne by the raunsome that his dearely beloued sone Christ our Lord and heade hath paied geueinge the holy gost into our hertes as a most suer wittnesse of the same teacheinge vs to crie Aba father whereby we knowe that though we die yet we die vnto hym to lyue euer after cowpled and ioyned in one kinde and nature vnto our heade Christe who as he is fully God and of equale powre wyth his father so shal he make vs like vnto hym when he shal appeare after our porcion and measure partakers of his godly nature like as he hath in hys world though but in a shadowe and cloude in regarde of the fulnesse that shalbe declared be gonne al redy to regenerate and begete vs a newe â–ª creature by the holy gost workinge by the worde of hys trueth that we nowe resembling the image of God whereunto we were made maye be continually occupyed in the workes of hys kingdome as be these Iustice peace â–ª and ioy in the same holy gost geuear of al goodnes For he that by these workes serueth Christe is acceptable to God and conmended of men Thys sâ—me â—â—e euer lasteinge God without begininge and without endinge he geue me grace to the fortheraunce of his glorie to make answere to that deuellishe detection the sophistrie of Sathan published by Stephane Gardiner bishope of Winchester for the maintenaunce of the popishe Idole the dombe God and poetical chaungling wher by not onely the true liuinge God is neglected his true honoure obscured and defaced the preachinge of hys worde almoste set at nought but also all kindes of poperie as images blessing kissinge shaueinge of crownes supersticioÌ„ of garmenets and such like are craftily by subtile pointes of the popes sophistri and wordes filthy framed for such merchaundise confirmed and established as thought al the whole heape of these triffes heaped vp together were the religion of a Christian man wher as to knowe God for our true God and whom hehath sent Iesu Christ and by this knowledge to be borne a new and to kepe our selfe immaculate and vnde filed from the worlde is the true and perfecte religioÌ„ demauÌ„ded of vs true christians The other is but countrefaite what so euer â—his sophistrie doeth name it because our maister christ who can not lie doeth saie ful plaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They worshipe me in vaine teacheinge the doctrine and preceptes of men c. And where he bringeth in this texte in the ende of his boke nothing so ful as our sauior Christ did speake it as he knoweth well inowgh if he haue so muche Greke as he braggeth abrode he addeth therunto his owne glose as though he coulde vtter the wordes of christ the sone of God much more wiselie by hys babling Yet am I coÌ„tent to let his own glose be his owne iudge in these matters His wordes bee these They worshippe me in vaine with the teachinge of such as remaine in the estate of men onely theÌ„ teach their owne for theÌ„ selues for al such teachinge is like the teachar that is to saye carnal Let eueri man that hath not his conscience al redie brenned wyth the hote proâ—e marke whether hys owne glose make against him and all the ceremonies that hys father the pope beinge I trowe but in the estate of a man and that a carnal maÌ„ hath made though Winchester go aboute craftily accordinge to the cannon lawe whereof he is sworne by solemne othe doctoure and teacher to make him more theÌ„ a man And marke againe good christen hertes what they win by theyr gloses and multiplied wordes wherby in fayth it were verie easy to confute them all euen by the testimonies of their owne doctours as Bucere Ecolampadius and Frith haue done perfectlie well if these men woulde suffer there bokes to come to lyght For these papistes do so mixte the trueth and salsehed together for without some ground of trueth noman woulde beleue them that the one piece of the tale standeth commonly with the trueth and the other vttereth their salshed And therfore speake they longe matter and are not content to saye plainely a spade but they muste necker it as they do in theyr mattens and saye spaâ—a aâ—ade As for me I haue learned to cal breade bread to speake althinges plainelie Therfore by the open scriptures wyll I make them answere to their questions For al the scripture inspired from God is profitable boeth to teache and to reproue to correcte and to instructe in rightuousnesse that the man of God maye be perfecte and fite for euerie good worcke So that if ther be any â–ª good worke â–ª to be taught or yll worck â—o be rebuked we must go to the scripture onely as to the toutchstone and onelye triall of al trueth For wyth scriptures did Christe driue awaie the deuil and not wyth holy water as you are reported to saie that the deuil greatly dreadeth it and so do ye still commaunde that it shalbe made a coniured water euerie sonnedayes in â–ª euery churche to driue furth deuilles But he thoughe he were boeth god and man alledgeth scriptures alwayes to confirme his saienges and commandeth his hearers to sherch the scriptures So doe Peter Paule Iames and Iohn Wheras Paul beinge brought vp at the fete of Gamaliell the greate lawier was redie inoughe to haue disputed out of the Thalmud of the tradicions of their fathers whiche he saieth he hath ernestely studied beinge ouâ— of the phariseies and interpretour of that law and such one as by the outward wordes of the lawe could not be found fantie Yet dyd he accoÌ„pte all thys
reine you of that foule carion and leade you home to take heede of your maisters folde And to teache plainely what is carion we do take it to be what so euer you do bringe into the church of Christ as his religioÌ„ without hys holy worde and the liuely spirite of God The same I saye is that stinckinge carion that Paulle calleth Anathema and the prophet warneth vs we touche it not And Iohn biddeth vs that we do not so much as saye Ane and salute the bringers therof leste we be compted partakers of their iuell workes I wyll passe with silence the roten ragges and carion bones of your reliques and suche lyke ware that sauoure little of the spirite of life and of the worshipeing of god in spirite and trueth But for thys thinge we haue in hande lettinge slippe all other your vnsauourie cerimoneis and carianlyke relyques more stinckinge carion surely and more poisenfull sophistrie causeinge deathe and murren of so many soules was ther neuer in the worlde then the gloses and dreames of your idle braines about this mattier that we shal now handle as shalbe proued plainelie by the grace of the liueinge God Your termes of realities qualites accedentes and dimencions sauour nothinge of the spirite of God and therefore are they fleshe and carion The whole course of your boke labouringe to make Christe really and naturally present vnder these fourmes qualites and quaÌ„tities sauoureth of the rotten pastures and stinckinge fleshli braines of your dreameinge doctours Dunse Thomas de Aquino and petrus Lombardus Therfore is this the carion wherof we muste be ware This is the diuellishe sophistrie wherwyth the world hath bene so loÌ„g bewitched in such sorte that in the steade of the liuelie feading of their soules by the worde of God the breade of lyfe you haue filled theire eares and eies with darcke termes dombe signes and deceiueable shadowes allwaies beateinge and burninge the poreshep bleatinge a gainste the filthy stinckinge carion of your popeishe and I dolatrouse tradicions What other thinge let all men iudge betwexte vs are these sophisticall termes of realitie quantitie accedentes dimentions and alteracions whyche are the onely foundacion of your boke and the establishement of thys fleshly doctrine but the vsuall termes of the subtile sophistes of Cambrige and exforde and the Sorbonistes of parise They can not be founde in the bokes of the holy spirite of the holy scripture of God â–ª and therfor are they fleshely sophistrie and stinckeinge carion Thys your boke all grounded vpon man which is but flesh vpon the darcke sentences and blind termes of blind teachers as Iohn Damascene and such other can be likened to nothinge so well as to carion The whiche mattier is picked out of the maister of the sentences or carionouse sophismes chouse whether you wyl call hym And where you woulde seme to be most spirituall about the words of Christ Hoc est corpus meum ther you are all to gether carnalle and fleshly You wil haue a carnall chaunge a carnal presence a carnall sacrifice A piece of paste as we saye fleshe and bloude as we saye to be carnally worshipped wyth fonde gestures A creature to be made the creatoure A vile cake to be made God and man Which doctrine beinge examined by the spirite of God the triar of all trueth shalbe founde Idolatrouse carion The residue of your preface would haue vs captiue to you Christes vikeres to your doctours and mainteners These haue you alwayes heretofore called the churche of Rome But nowe that you maye deceiue if it be possible the verie electe by a false name calling it Christes church But in verie dede it is the sinnagog of Sathan and the church of Antichriste because you are in liueinge so contrarie to Christe and because you set â–ª and establish therin the ceremonies of Antichrist and bannishe the pore shepe from the worde of theyr shepherde seldome or neuer preacheinge vnto them Christe but your owne baggage nor yet sufferinge the pore lambes to reade and feade of hys worde and pasture But we all are not so folishe thus to be enchaunted We haue Iesu Christe before oure eies crucified by your predicessours which boasted them selues to be the church â–ª Whome alone we learne to knowe to heare and to folowe nowe in these latter daies because your fathers boeth of Rome and of Englande haue led vs out of the waye vn whoreinge in to Babilon and haue hitherto taught vs to worshipe suche thinges as by their nature are no goddes But nowe seing that we knowe God yea rather seinge that we are knowne of God we wil not returne agayne to your weake Idoles and your beggerie ceremonies to the whiche you woulde haue vs slaues and do seruice a freshe But marke and take it for an answere We haue begone in the spirite and we nether wyll nor can be made perfite by the fleshe We wyll make subiecte our senses and captiue our vnderstandinge to all trueth of goddes holy word but to no lies of your idle braines and couetous conspiracie We are no longer vnder the schole of your popeish tradicions for we are all the children of God because we haue beleaued in Christe Iesu For so many of vs sayeth Paulle as are baptised we are clade with Christe so that there is no Iewe nor Greke no exception of yoman from Ientleman or man from womaÌ„ but wee are all one in Iesu Christe Therfore wil we staÌ„d in the liberti wherin Christ hath deliuered vs and we wyll no more be wrapped with your seruile bondage knowinge that whoso trobleth vs shal receiue his iudgement who so euer he be Therefore all the fruites of the fleshe and al the workes of darckenesse set a parte adulterie Idolatrie and suche like we will walke in the workes of the spirite loue Ioye peace gentlenesse liberalitie goodnesse faith mildenesse and sobrenesse And we wil glorie in nothinge â—aue onely in the crose of oure Lorde Iesu Christ by whome the worlde is crucified vnto vs and we vnto the worlde beinge fully parswaded that Christe is the good shepeherde that putteth his soule for his shepe and that al you bishopes are but hirlinges workyng for wages whiche scatter the fâ—oke barcke not for the shâ—pe But he knoweth his shepe and is knowne of them His voice onely wil they heare hym onely wyll they folow and he onely geueth vnto them euerlasting lyfe they shall neuer perish No man shal be able to take them out of his hande for his father and he be all one Thus are we beinge grounded vppon oure heade and maister Christ by faieth the very true church of Christe againste the whyche the gates of hel can not preuaile ⧠An answere concerneinge the true vnderstandeinge and wisdoÌ„e that God geueth to all men that aske it in sure fayeth wherin is declared the true vnderstandinge of these wordes Hoc est corpus meum Winchesters text THe first chiefe and principall point of
haueinge but one texte thorough out al the Bible that maketh for your purpose do swareue frome that and put ther vnto your gloses whyche do also driue you frome the firste texte this is my bodye when you write that it is in fourme of bread and vnder the accidentes and qualites of breade For Christe dyd not saye in thys is my bodie or vnder this is mi bodie But this is my bodie Wherfore nowe 〈◊〉 â—…e you shoulde slaunder vs no more wyth denieing of the scripture for we denie but your gloses It is scripture that we striue for It is scripture that we desier It is scripture that you denie vs vnder the degre of geÌ„tile men Wherein doublesse if we boeth had our senâ—… diligently occupied and exâ—…sed spiritually â–ª nâ— doubte not onely thys text but al the misterie of redempcion shoulde be so well knowne that we woulde no longer seke our redemer vpon eâ—…er here nor ther but onely at the right hande of hys father from whâ—â—e sendeingâ— his spirite he maxe saue vs at the fâ—ll so many as by hym wyll go to God We do beleue wyth oure herte and must playnely and simplye coÌ„fesse with oure mouth that thys is the bodie of Christ thys is the bloude of Christ thys cup is the newe testament that the fleshe of Christe is verie meaâ—e and hys bloude verie drinke That Christ is the waye the trueth and the liâ—… the doâ—e the good shepeherde Christe is the verie true vine and we the braunchese That all we are one breade and one verie bodie so mani as be partakers of one breade And al these thynges I do beleue more surely then if I dyd se them wyth mine eyes or perceiue them with any other sense â—ecause the knowledge of the spirite farre passeth all other knowledge and the heauenly thynges are sure when the other are but decâ—euable shadowes It is neither Manna that fed the fathers neither any other thinge or name vnder heauen but onely the breade comminge downe from heauen that is the verie true meaâ—e geueinge lyfe to the worlde Thus are we fully taught in the text of Iohn where we maye most playnely se this spâ—…ual eatinge whereof onely all confort lyfe and fode of the soule do arise and stowe forth In that Chap we learne that the people folowinge Christ for the hope of meate because he had fed them a little before were by him called according to the whole course of the scriptures as maye appeare specially to hym that hath bene diligently exercised in the misteries of the prophetes from the sensible and outwarde bodily thynges to thynges inwarde and spirituall For the beautie of thys kinges daughter as Dauid saieth is inwarde And therefore doeth our sauiour admonishe them that sought hym for meate that before all thynges they shoulde worcke the meate that neuer perisheth Thus goeth he frome the meate that nourisheth the bodie vnto the meate of hys heauenly worde that nourisheth the soule This meate he calleth the heauenly meate that geueth lyfe vnto the worlde and that so abundantly that who so eateth it shall neuer be hungri agayne Thys meate as the maner of the Hebrues is to call all kinde of meate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so doothe he same tyme call it breade 〈◊〉 meate When they hearinge thys dyd imagine bodily meate as Manna that Moses gaue he openeth thys meate sayinge I am the breade of lyfe He that cometh to â—â—e shall not be hungrie and he that beleueth in me shall neuer be thirstie By the whyche wordes he meaueth none other thynge but that those that come vnto hym that is to saye beleue in hym for so are the wordes folowinge they can none other wayes be wrasted Qui veuit ad me non esuriet et qui credit in me non sitiet vnquam They shall seke none other foode but onely thys verie breade that cometh downe from heauen The Iewes astonied that he called hym selfe the breade comming downe from heauen and the liuely meate sayed Is not thys the sonne of Ioseph But Christe admonished them againe byddinge them not grudge at thys for it standeth not in the capacite of man but by the inspiracion of the spirite as the prophet saied They shalbe al taught of God Wherfore it is not possible for any maÌ„ to beleue that Christe was borne from heauen the meate of the soule excepte the father drawe hym Then goeth he farther to shewe howe he is the meate of the soule and howe he shoulde be eaten For the firste he saieth thus Verilie I saie vnto you He that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life I am the breade of life whiche came downe from heauen that men might eate of thys breade and not dye But to tell the wattier plaine Thys breade that I wyll geue you is my fleshe which I wyll geue for the lyfe of the worlde Thys offeringe of my selfe for you shall reconcile the worlde vnto my father and therby geue it life This therfore is it that I haue spoken so longe vnto you whan I shal be offerred vp for the worlde and dye for the sinnes therof than shall I be the meate of soules wherby they liue ascerteined of the mercie of God who nowe can denie nothinge vnto man seinge he hath geuen his owne sonne for him Thus therfore is my fleshe the meate of the soule beinge flaine for the deade that thei might liue Not as you thinke geueing it vnto you as I am counersant amonge you for that whyche is engendred of the fleshe is fleshe and therfore my fleshe carnally eaten can bring furth nothing but fleshe but contrariewise the fleshe of Christe â—…ge for vs maketh vs spirituaâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therfore the childreÌ„â—… of God On thys sorte it is verie meaâ—e and verie drinke But the Iewes coulde not perceiue thys but sayed againe Howe can he geue vs his flesh to eateâ— vnto 〈◊〉 Christ sayeth againe excepte 〈◊〉 the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloude you shal noâ— haue lyfe in you What Lorde hath no man lyfe but that denoureth the wyâ—h hys teâ—h and swaloweth the downe hys throte Or hath euerie suche euerlastynge lyfe as doeth eate the carnally and bodâ—â—e euen the same bodie wherein thou liuedest wheÌ„ thou saidest He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude hath euerlastinge lyfe and I wil raise him at the laste daye Naye surely For than euerie Idolatour and whorâ—â—onger who can haue no parte in thy kingdome myght make them selfe sure of life by their owne worcke For they saye they eate the carnally and bodily fleshe bloude and bones But o men ouer muche carnall and fleshlye and yet not once vnderstaÌ„dinge what should folowe of the coÌ„mone iudgment of the senses Bâ—t as Iudas propâ—ecied vpon you euê in suche thinges as you haue the knowledge of by the course of nature commune wyth brute beastes in the same you are corrupted Ipraie you therfore suffer me to reasoÌ„e with you accordeinge to your
owne grossenes Howe dare you for shame name this christes bodie that you do eate and saie that you eate it bodily May any thing be called a bodie but that may be perceyued bi some of our outwarde sences For by theÌ„ onely as by corporall instruments appointed of God to the same purpose maye we iudge what so euer is a bodie Seinge then our senses and bodilie instrumenâ—es perceiue no suche bodie the worcke beinge inwarde by the spirite what neade we to speake grossely and carnallie of the bodie or whaâ— profite can come by that strange doctringe Seinge then that Christe is not the meate of the soule that waye it is to muche shame thus to contrefaite a Christ in the breade good for nothinge But we beleueinge that Christe hath died for vs haue all the conforte that maye be continuallie refreshed wyth the body and bloude whyche are the onely foode of the soule For of thys spirituall eateinge the spirite encreaseth like as of the carnal eateing flesh onelie can be cherished and encreased For this worde must euer staÌ„d true That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that whiche is borne of the spirit is spirite And for this cause doeth Christe vnderstand a spiritual eateinge But howe I praye you That 〈…〉 maye be eaten carnally and bodily Then shal it be al one thinge to eate hym bodily 〈…〉 spiritually which euen by your sophistrie you must nedes iudge impossible If the eaâ—â—ng of Christ be spiritual â–ª why do you say that you eate hym bodilye If it be bodilie what other thyng can it confort butthe bodi Christ saiâ—h that except we eat his flesh that is beleue that he died and shed his bloud for vs we cannot haue lyfe in vs. Agayn if we 〈◊〉 his flesh that is beleue that it was slaine for vs and drinke his bloude that is beleue shed that his bloud is shed for vs than is Christ in vs and we in him But is Christ in any man corporally and bodilie Naye ve rily What neadeth it vs than to make any â—…o doubtes of cateinge hym bodily for thaÌ„ do we eate hys bodie when we beleue that it was slaine for vs. It is fayth therfore and â—…e other eateinge wher of Christ speaketh for man consisteth of two partes bodie and soule The bodie nether can nor dare by any meanes eate him because it is horrible and a gainste nature No thoughe it coulde and woulde eate hym it shoulde auaile hym no more then the bodilie kisse of Iudas and the handeling of the Iewes auailed them It remaineth therfore that the soule shal eate him which can be none other wayes but by liuely faieth in the bodie and bloude â–ª offerred for vs vnto hys father The soule hath no teth and therfore none other maner of eateinge Thus do we conclude that the soule beinge a spirite and the meate spirituall no maÌ„ ought to seke for to eate Christe in this sacrament bodilie really and carnally but onely spiritually as hys worde is spirite and lyfe But stil you wyl vse your eloquence and saye Thys is spoken by intollerable arroyancie deuillishe sophistrie carnall reasones deceitfull expositions croked argumentes contrefaite contradictions by the spirite of the deuell it is lies erroure and blindnesse Captiue your wittes vnto vs of the cleargie Christe speaketh still in the priest at the aultare and saieth This is my bodie And therfore it is his natural bodie Thys is it that you haue to saye Oh howe full of Christes holy worde and the conforte of the scriptures is thys blessed byshoppe These are the blesseinges that flowe from thê so sone as they wagge theire pope holye membres I wyll not raile againe to your worthynesse But as I haue begoue I wyll answere wyth scriptures The tonge is a worlde of wickednesse So is thetonge set in our membres that â–ª it defyleth the whole bodie and setteth on fire all that we haue of nature and is it selfe set onfire euen of hel Therwith do we blesse god and curse men made to hys owne Image Out of one mouth procedeth blesseinge and curseinge where it is contrarie by course of nature that one fountayne shoulde bringe fourth both swete and bitter water If any man be wyse and endued wythknowledge amonge you let him shewe hys worckes out of hys good conuersasion wyth mekenesse and wisedome But if you haue bitter enuie and striffe in y our herte reioyce not neither be ye lyars agaynst the trueth For such wise dome desceudeth not froÌ„ a boue but is erthly naturall and deuellishe For where enuie ann strife are ther is vnstablenesse and all maner of iuell workes But the wysdome that is from aboue is first pure than peaceable gentile and easye to be entreated Full of mercie and good fruites wythout iudgeing wythout simulacion Yea and the fruitte of rightuousnes is sownein peace to them that maintaine peace But to go forth with our purpose No arrogancie no deuellishe spirite or sophistrie can haue the whole course of scriptures thus to maintayne their cause To proue farther therfore that we be taught the spiritual worship onely and not the sâ—eshely and carnall that perisheth and consumeth by tyme marke the scriptures First howe Christ con maundeth to worcke the meate not that perisheth but that remaueth into lyfe euerlastinge whiche the sonne of man shal geue you Nowe Christ did geue vs none other meate wherbye we lyue for euer but thys gospell aâ—d glade tidinges that he freely hath sufferred death for vs. Againe this is the worke of God To beleue in him whom he hath sent Lo the plain wordes of christ Fayeth in him whom the father hath set worketh the meate that neuer perishe It is fayeth therfore in Christ crucified that maketh vs â–ª blessed and not to eate the bodie carnally bodilie and naturally For then should we haue two waies to lyfe The one by fayth and the other by this bodilie eateinge which no man I trowe wyll graunte Againe Christe sayeth that it is the true breade that cometh downe from heauen and geueth lyfe vnto the worlde So that Christ is the liuely fode as he is God and geueth lyfe vnto the world as he is God the sonne of God not as he is fleshe For if the bodily meate that we do eate be but a burthen vnto â—s tyll it be chaunged iâ—to spirite and altered from the grosse substaunce to nourish the liuely spirites and spirituall partes what do we so grossely thyncke that the flesh of christ swalowed into oure bealies shall do vs so muche good â–ª Thys opinion is verie grosse Therfore sayeth Christe to the Capernites in the same blindenesse What if you shal see the soÌ„ne of man go vp where he was before It is the spirite that geueth lyfe the fleshe profiteh nothing The wordes that I speake vnto you are spirite and lyfe Thus doeth he call from the earth to heauen from the fleshe to the spirite lyke
as in all hys other preacheinges and scripturs so heare he calleth to the heauenly â—ateinge wherby we haue lyfe and at once stoppeth the mouth of carnal iudgmeÌ„ts How you do examine this texte it shall be opened when we come to the place In the meane ceason we wyl take this text the fleshe auaileth nothynge wyth out any contencion onely to driue awaie the grosse opinion of the Capernits and all such as styke to muche to the fleshe and can not lyfte vp their heades to the misteries of the spirite for the whiche purpose these wordes were spoken by Christe and not to thincke that Christe whose worckes were al wayes profitable woulde teache any suche wayes or do any suche deades as were nothynge profitable vnto man For no man I dare well saye is able to proue any more profite by the fleshe bodily eaten in the sacramente than wee haue in scripture graunted vnto vs whiche do worshipe hym and eate hym in spirite and trueth Let vs therfore consider the greate goodnesse of our sauiour Christ in thys sacrameÌ„t Who beinge the verie lambe that taketh awaye the â—…es of the worlde caused al the Iewes ceremonies to cease and their passeouer to haue an ende and therfore saieth that he hath greatly disired to eat thys passeouer that the promises of God the father concerneâ—ge thys newe testameâ—t might be fullfilled Namely that the sede of the woman shoulde breake the heade of the serpent That by thys sede all the nacions of the earth shalbe blessed That the saluacion and sauiour of the worlde shoulde be declared the light of the heathen and the glorie of Israell published Al these thinges were fulfilled in hys passion and suffereinge accordinge to hys owne saieinge Whan I shalbe exalted from the earth I shall drawe all vnto my selfe And when he had dronken that bitter drinke vpon the crose he saied that all was finished and fulfilled All these thinges together do we receiue in the supper of the Lorde whiche he dyd therfore celebrate and make the nyght before he suffred for to enstructe hys Apostles more deapelie in these great misteries of the saluacion of the whose worlde by hys death wherin he would geue him selfe frely vnto them and therefore dyd he testifie vnto them the selfe same thinge be fore hande in thys holie sacrament And because the life of the rightuouse standeth here in that they beleue in the same he geueth charge that they haue hys death in remembraunce saiâ—inge Thys is my bodie whiche is geuen for you do thys in the remeÌ„braunce of me Likewyse the cup after he had supped sâ—â—einge This cup is the newe testament in my bloude which is shed for you That like as by thys sensible meate corporall lambe whiche they had eaten in theyre supper their bodies was nourished cherished and streghned â–ª so by this spiritual lambe and heauenly meate bi this blessed memorie â–ª I saie wherby we knowe that oure sauiour and redemer Christ Ieâ—â— died for vs that we might liue are our soules certified that the same oure sauiour dyd so clearely take awaye our trespasses that hys father wyll nowe take vs for his children and heires and geue vs frely euerlasteinge lyffe Wyth thys therfore we maye continually fede oure soules that they encreaseinge in full fayeth of goddes mercie whiche is the lyfe of the rightuouse myght be nourished growe and encrease to the full age of a perfect man in Christe Iesu If you marke the wordes of Christe wyth a singuler eye you shalbe coÌ„pelled to grauÌ„te these two thynges onely to be taught therin That Christ gaue hys bodie for vs and eoÌ„maunded vs to do thys thinge That is to take and to eate thys Accipite et manducate The wordes are plaine do thys in the remembraunce c. For by what scripture maye it be fouÌ„de true that you do glose saieinge God dyd consecrate hym selfe into accideÌ„tes qualites of breade And that you shoulde make God in the remembraunce of God in mine opinion is agaynst reasone I maye saye and raile not it is a made heresie Christe sayeth Take and eate He geueth no prieste powre to consecrate and to make his bodie neither with his worde nor by his worde And thys whiche is the chiefe pointe of your newe beldame whyche you establishe wyth the fire we require you for the loue of Christe if you â—eale any thynge of hys mercies either to proue it by some scripturs whiche I knowe is impossible for you or else to call backe your tiranye You haue no worde of God wher vp on onely fayeth maye be gâ—ownded that commaundeth you once to repeâ—e these wordes agayne Thys is mi bodie much lesse are you able to proue that these wordes at any tyme repeted and rehersed by any one of you shoulde chaung the nature of thynges and not onely worke in creatures but also in the creatoure and maker of all God and man whose maiestie ought rather to be praised and had in admiracion than thus vnreuerenly to be taingled wyth your transsubstanciacion whyche is muche after the arte of magike thus by prescript wordes to worcke wonders God hath appoynted hys holy worde to be preacheâ— to vs reasonnable creaturs and that moste especially in this sacrament as the most sure token of our saluacion As it is plaine by the wordes of Paule So ofte as you shal eate thys breade sayeth he and drinke of thys cup you shall shewe forthe the death of the Lorde vnto that he come So that it is ouer muche shame to vse Christes worde as an enchauntmeÌ„t ouer deade creaturs to chaung them no man can tell howe to call downe Christe into breade to bringe hym into the chalice Where he beinge a whyle blessed and blowene wyth your stinkeinge breathes shall taâ—ie so longe a god as it shall please man yea and that scant an honest man sometymes Surely it maketh vs leude people to thinke that you do not take him as a God when we se you so vnreuerently breathe oa him make himâ—…eape about the chalice break hym â—…nd that nothinge after the institucion wherin we shoulde all together be partetakers of the breade and cup of Christe for the foode of oure soules And where as the stength of your sophistrie lieth in the blinde worde consecracion whych you do not leâ—ne here of Christ but you thinke you maie haue some cloke because it is reade that Iesus when he dyd take the breade in hande blessed and breake it you shal heaâ—… an answere I truste that maye satisfie any herte that is not bent vpon contencion In al places wher Christ dyd take breade in hys handes he blessed and gaue thankes as it appeareth Iohn vi and Luke ix where as we reade the same wordes that he hath at thys supper as the treade of hys commone vsage wherby we shall lerne to blesse renowme praise god alwayes to geue him humble thankes wheÌ„ so euer we do vse any
fleshe profiteth nothinge thought it were eaten euerie meÌ„bre after other But the spirite giueth life Who leadeth vs to the fode that bringeth lyfe euerlasteinge And thus by the spirite whiche onely isprofitable we vnder stande these wordes Take and eate thys is my bodie which is giuen for you That like as I geue the bread to be eaten wyth the bodilie tethe so do I geue mi bodie to be eaten bi faith and that of the spirite For nowe shal it be geuen vnto the death that you maye haue lyfe And thus is my fleshe verie meate and my bodie breade and fode whiche maye be taken and receiued onely spiritually and not carnally bodilie or really In lyke maner therfore as you do bodilie take this brad at my hande eate it wyth your mouth and so receiue it into your stomake and bodie for the fode and sustentacion of your naturall lyfe so muste â–ª you by fayth the onely meane wherby ye maye eate or haue me present vpon erth receiue my body beleueing that my bodie is geuen for you that where you were deade frome God by your synnes I haue brought youfurth to leue in good workes vnto my father who compteth you nowe aâ—… children an heâ—ers prepared to euerlasteingâ—… lyfe so many as belieue truste in my deathâ—… Thus doeth Christe geue the breade to bâ—… eaten bodily with the mouth but hys bodiâ—… to be eaten spiritually in the spirite by faith And thys is it that good byshop Augustine sayeth What doest thou prepare thy teeth and thy bealiâ—… Beleue and thou haste eaten It is fleshe as I haue saied before what so euer bringeh not lyfe and therfore it profiteth nothing so ar al things that ar don without faith wherfore if christ might be eaten with the mouth as he might be in dede if he were bodilie in the breade which boeth fayethfull and vnfaythful do eate then myght Christe be eaten wythout fruite whiche is contrarie to the manifeste worde of God which affirmeth that who so euer eateth him hath euerlasteinge lyfe We do conclude therefore that there is but one onely eateinge of the bodie of Christ whyche is perceiued of the faythfull onely none otherwyse then these wordes whyche is geuen for you and whyche is shed for the remission of sinnes are proper and peculiar vnto them onely And to tell you somewhat of your sophistrie WhaÌ„ you reasone in this wyse Thys is the bodie of Christe therfore 〈◊〉 is naturally really and bodily hys bodie It is a fallax or deceiueable argument of sophistrie affirminge that simpliciter quod est modo aliquâ— Thys câ—n euerie sophiste of Cambridge tell you And we knowe that it is small reasone to conclude that Iohn baptist was thâ— same Elias that was dead many hundred yeres before hys tyme because Christe saâ—ed that he was Elias except we shoulde be of the opinion of the fonde Phylosophers who helde that the soules of men departed went into other newe bodies and so coÌ„tinued stil immortal In like maner whaÌ„ Iosephe saieth that the. vii fatte oxen are vii good yeres and the. vii leane one 〈◊〉 vii yuell yeres â–ª we maye not coÌ„clude that oxâ— or â—ieÌ„ aâ— natural yeres More ouer wheÌ„ Christ saieth that the worde of God is a sede it is but a slender argument to saye therfore it is a bodylye sede An hundred suche places maye be brought And yet if thei can bring but one place where God hath sayed This is such a thynge and woulde haue at corporally so to be I wyll gladly geue place vnto them thoughe it be so that the thynge do not appeare to be as God hath sayed it is But I do know â—…m certaine in my beliefe that al the workes of the Lorde be trueth And as he hath sayed that they be so shall they be and are in dede either in spirite or else in the sight of all men bodilie ¶ An answere coÌ„cerneing the knowledge of The seÌ„ses and a declaracion of al the. xii Articles of the fayth whyche euerie true Christian man muste beleue in herte and Confesse wyth moUth THus far haue I brought in mi faith plainely contrarie to no place of scripture except you call Your gloses scripture And where I myght haue your owne doctours to confirme the same yet wyll I not stir contencion so farre Knoweinge that no thynge hath bene so popeishlie thaught neither worshiping of Images and Idoles praieing to saintes and fond pilgrimages nor yet monasteries monkes purgatorie and the poppe hym selfe but it hath bene by theÌ„ and their subtile argumeÌ„tes diuised and by their writeinges set forth and maintained Wyth dainger therfore haue we folowed them ouer long But nowe you maye not thyncke styll to leade vs captiues from Christe whome we loke for spedilye to come into iudgement wyth vs when we shalbe iudged by his word and not by their writeinges We haue folowed you to longe beinge but blynde guides gropeinge after your blynde wayes in the darcke wythout wit reasone or faith but onely because your holie father of Rome and that holie mother churche dyd so belieue and teach and nowe at lengh as our holy mother church of Englande doeth leade and therfore maye you worthyly cal vs as you do beastely blinde and therfore far from the knowledge of our religion But nowe that your father is fallen and weseke for our father in heauen desireinge hys kingedom to come vpon the erthe and praieing for the foode of our soules his heauenly breade whiche you haue so longe banished and neither woulde your selfe enter into his kingedome nor suffer them that woulde to enter accordeinge to the sayeinge of Christe our sauioure we knoweynge that what so euer is not of fayth is sinne and that fayth is of heareynge not of you Byshoppes and your doctours but of the worde of God whyche can deceiue no man nor yet be deceiued desire and require you to beate into oure heades no longer as articles of oure faith your chaunge of suâ—… staâ—… your accidentes qualities and quaÌ„tities in fourme and vnder the fourme of dreade to go awaye from it when the bread musteth and brenneth you knowe not how For thys your answere is an euident argument that you knowe as little howe it came ther. And thinke not much I praie you that we do in thys mattier â—…ye your crafte â—…d falsehode not onely wyth scriptures but also wyth oure reasones and outwarâ—e senses The whyche three that is to saye Fayeth grownded vpon the worde of God reasone that caâ—â—e not be resisted and the senses as sight tasteinge smellinge and felinge which can by no learneinge but by your schole be deceiued Yet you woulde haue vs wholely captiuated vnto you in all these thinges that you might leade vs wher you lyste to make vnseÌ„sible chauÌ„g where you blowe and blesse crosse and kisse No faile in thynges far distant as is the â–ª sinne moue and sterres and diuers other thynges he senses maye
begin ninge who commynge downe from oure heauenlye father dyd declare hym selfe to be the hed corner stone of the true church thoughe the byshoppes refused hym in their buildeinge And when he ascended vp agayn leading capteyue wyth hym captiuitie hyrselfe he gaue gyftes vnto menne makynge one sorte Apostles an other sorte Prophetes some other Euangelistes some Shepeherdes and â—eachers These onely be appointed to be the ministers of his church in the new testament that they shoulde all together in spirite and trueth boeth worship him and cause other to do the same for the spirite is the worcker of al diuiding to eueri one as pleaseth him The bodye of thys churche then is not one membre as of long tyme you haue named your selues onely to be the church but it is many membres as the Apostle witnesseth amonge the whyche membres I feare me you shall not bee worthy to be numbred onles you do amende your life so contrarie to Christ the heade of this churche For thys churche hath he begotten vnto hym selfe by his worde as the parent and onely mother therof that it should be without spot or wrinkle gloriouse holy and without blame and especially saithe Paul the bisshope muste be such a one that no man sholde find any faute with him Thus writethe he to his dearely beloued Timothe and Titus makinge it moste euident and playne vnto vs that you bishopes prestes teachinge for your gaine sake or els teachinge nothinge at all are not the true byshopes and members of the true churche but the hierlinges and hypocrites that haue no parte in the Kyngdom of God and his Christe who dyd come â–ª pore not hauinge wher to laie his heade and dyd chuse pore sheperdes to be his first witnesses and after them fishers toulers and tentmakers And the words that he spake to his disciples are far ouer harde for you byshopes to bear Who so doeth not saieth he for sake father mother goodes lyfe and al together for my sake and the Gospell can not be my disciple Moreouer wher as the bishops of the Iewes and chife priestes doe crie TeÌ„plum domini Templum domini As thoughe they them selues and none other were the true church Christe answereth that the sonne of man shalbe betraied to the chief priestes and they shall condemne hym vnto the death so that they were none of the trwe churche thoughe they were of the seéde of Leui to whome the gouernance â–ª of the churche was promised and performed In like maner you so longe as you persecute Christe hys members and burne his worde crie you holie church neuer so much you shalbe no more of the true churche then â–ª they were For ther is all one worcke and purpose in you boeth that is to saye to miantayne your pompe and estimacion your powre and your holynesse before the people But now is the time come that the thing which â–ª was most holy in the sight of the world as you your iewels haue bene shalbe abominable â–ª vnto God Yet one other thing nothinge pleasaunte to your lordlike stomakes He that wilbe the cheife in this church must be the seruante of al Like as the sonne of manne did come not that he shulde haue seruice done vnto hym but that he him selfe shuld serue and giue his soule for many As many therfore as we finde agreable withe this heade Christ as were the. xij Apostles and all the true disciples who continued together in the breaking of breade and praier acceptinge none of the possessions of this worlde as their owne but makinge all that was theirs commune to the necessitie of their brothers we esteme to be the true and faiethful membres of this church Paule also geueinge him selfe for the Gospell to be imprisoned stoned and slayne was of thys churche Stephane also stoned for the defence of GOD his glorie and Antipas the true and fayethfull witnesse of Christ slaine at Pergamis Ignatius the scholar of Iohn who suffred for the Gospel Ignatius I saié Who so ernestly desired the breade of God the heaueÌ„ly bread of life whiche is the flesh of Iesu Christ the sonne of the liuing God who was borne in the last ende of the world of the seede of Dauid and Abraham and desyred to drincke the bloude of hym that is wythout corruption and the life euerlasting All these I saye we knowe to be the lyuelye membres of Christes true churche but not these onelye whiche sufferred vnder the Romishe tirantes but theim also the whiche in al countreis and at al tymes haue witnessed and suffered for the trueth â–ª of God his word for all are created for hys glorye and God hath not at any tyme or in any place ben altogether without hys witnesses if the world woulde receiue theim He sente into oure naâ—ion Iosephe of Aramathia He stirred vp Gildas he enstructed the plowemen oâ— kent and other contries of whome we haue the monumentes After warde dyd he sende Robert Grosheade who boeth by worde and by writinge dyd rebuke the worlde of blynde iudgement Then came the greate clarke that wrate so mani godli bokes Iohn Wicklife of whose workes though Subincolepus the bishop of Prage did bren to the uombre of two hundred yet are ther manie of them reserued vn to thys daye by the prouision of God to the coÌ„fusion of the kingdome of Antichrist cleare testimonie that the worlde before vs hath not ben vtterly destituted of true know ledge thoughe frome tyme â–ª to tyme whan the lyghtte hath come into the worlde the kingdome of darckenes the children of pridâ— haue loued darkenesse better then light and therfore haue laboured to extinguishe it and haue prohibited these bright sterres to geuâ— lighte saue onelye to a fewe whome he had chosen and longe a fore appoynted euen to the weake abiectes and caste awaies in the sight of the world of the whyche sorte parte were slaine and part liued vnknowne to the worlde for this litle flocke euen from the beginninge hath not bene of the wife and stout worldely men and therefore sayeth Christ I thanke the father that thou haste hid these thynges frome the wyse and prudent and haste shewed the same to littleones smallye regarded And Esaie saieth I wyll destroie the wisedome of the wise and the vnderstaÌ„ding of the prudent wyl I caste awaye And agayne Where is the wise Where is the scribe and interpreter of the law wher is the disputer of this worlde Hath not the Lorde made folyshe the wisdome of this worlde For after that the worlde by hir wysedome could not know God in his wisdom it pleased god by the folishenesse of preachinge to make salfe them that beleue This preachinge of the liuing god whiche sent his sonne an euerlasting sacrifice for the lyfe of the worlde caused the sacrifices to waxe colde and that was it that caused the priestes of the Iewes to persecute the christians so sore that
is broken eaten and mouldeth And what so euer goeth into the mouth sayeth Christe the same goeth into the bealie and so is conueighed farder So that this whiche you teach of the reall carnall and bodilie presence of Christe may well be called deuellish sophistrie For seyng that al lies are of the deuell as the father and authoure of them these lienge blasphemies must neades be of him and verie dyuellesh sophismes to set forth his kyngdome of darkenesse The spirite of God and the spiritual doctrine of the holie goste can not dwell yn you bycause you be fleashe The spiritual eating of the bodie of Christ by fayeth How Christ who sitteth nowe at the ryght hand of his father and hath by his death and passion payed sufficient raunsome for all our sinnes hath pacified the wrath of his â—ather by the takynge our synnes on his backe hathe gotten vs life by hys death and whâ—â— so euer benefit we haue receyued by the deth of our sauioure Christe thys wyl you neuer teache and preache vnto vs in the ministring of the Sacramente and in your Pope holie Masse but you teache vs to gase and galpe at a thinge we knowe not whiche you saye is in your chalice and is holden vp betwexte your fingersto be worshiped with all godly honour vnder the forme of bread vnder outwarde accidentes qualities and dimensions And thus doe you bliude vs with your sophistrie termes that we can not perceyue what you meane But yf you woulde answere simpliciter as you are wonte to laye to our charge either that this sacrament is Christ God and man or that it is not Christ him selfe really carnally and naturalli then shuld this strife be sonâ—at an end But seyng that it shalbe Christe God and man bodilie present whan you will name it so and qualities accidentes and dimensions when you wil haue it so surely we can not but of force call you sophisters Agayne when Christe must be in the forme of bread and vnder the forme of breade I can not tell what scripture you haue for you you go frome your shâ—… â—nchor this is my bodie and other handfast I can se you take noâ—e Then procede you wyth your sophistrie and therby charge vs wyth the thinges in thys wyse i. First you saye that we woulde haue all in out warde miracle ii TheÌ„ that if accideÌ„tes were made impâ—ssible the deuell woulde require that mans bodie shoulde be impâ—ssible iii. Thirdly that the senses maye not empayre oure fayeth For the fyrste we answere that we do reâ—…ier no miracle other wise theÌ„ whaÌ„ we saâ—… that Christe is the lambe of God But you would haue suche a miracle dayely wrought is Christ neuer did vpon the erth euen such â—ne as 〈◊〉 her scripture testifieth nor any coÌ„mon sense wit nor reason should perceiue A miracle good for nothinge but to maintaine your powre A miracle that no maÌ„ caÌ„ espie but priestes and such as geue eares to pophish liâ—… A miracle muche more blinde then Magipharaonis for theirs dyd at the lestway sâ— appeare as they enchaunted it to be Secondly that mans bodie shoulde be impassible â–ª you ar the first that named it Wherfore if it be of the deuel as I thinke no lesse take it to your selfe for it is your own terme 〈…〉 â—â—l the seÌ„sâ—â— and reasoÌ„â— to do seruice and beare witnesse vnto our faieth iâ— like maner as the Apostles do witnesse the thinges that they sawe with their eies harde with their eares and haÌ„dled with their haÌ„dâ— We aske no forder signe nor miracle but those that Christ hath wrought alredie But you must haue â—…ie new miracles to streÌ„gtheÌ„ your faieth coÌ„tinualli â–ª makeing this cake of yours Christe boeth God and man And besides this which is more like madnesse theÌ„ miracle eueâ—… whoremoungar drâ—…ckarde and Idiâ—… shal haue a God of his owne making so sone as he hath â—…nbled â–ª vp iiii latine wordes And that the diuell maie playe his pagiaâ—t among the childreÌ„ of darcknesse he helpeth you forth with manie pretie miracles both by the appearauÌ„ce of the dede and other waies as your lieing bokes do testifie Thus maie you worthily be called Gens incredula que signum querit et signum non dabitur ei nisi signum Ione prophete You haue the sygne of Ionas the prophet that is to saye of Christe lieinge in the erth and riseing again Yet this wil not serue you onlesse you haue him impanate and bodilie carnallye reallie by a wonderful miracle in an hundred thousaÌ„d places at once Whether of vs twaine is nowe more like the capparnites You that wil eate christ flesh bloud and bones as they required and maye not abyd that we should â—eke in this supper onely the breade that did come downe from heauen as Christe taught or we that haue abundantly found this bread into life euerlasting and do coÌ„â—…esse with Peter that the wordes of Christ are lâ—fe euerlastinge and not the â—…heli eate inge of his bodie â–ª We belieue Mosses and the prophetes for they haue geuen clare testimonies of thys that I do writte in that thei teach one Messias and sauiour of the world â–ª We belieue also that which Paule doth saie of theym all that all the fathers were vnder the cloude Thei were'al Baptised in the sea they dyd all eate of one spirituall meate and drinke one spiritual drinke for thei dranke of the spirttual stone whiche folowed them the stone was Christe We do beleue al thinges that are written tuen froÌ„ the fyrst begining of Genesis to the last word of the reuelasions But as you say we can not beliue your newe miracles nor the appeareing of the dead No nor yet you bishopes pristes nor any of your doctoures forther then you bringe the word of God in your inouthes So long wil we saie Ane vnto you and receiue you most willing lie For our faieth hath hir onely ground vpon heare inge not of euerie fable but onelie the worde of God Nowe bishopes coÌ„sider that if you wil haue vs hear ani doctrin that is not grouÌ„ded on the scripture as your doctours youâ— dreames and visions you cause vs to sinne For that which is not of faith is sin Againe without fayeth it is impossible to please god and as faâ—e impossible is it to haue faith and to beleue the doctours For they are one coÌ„trari to an other so that no fayth can be grounded vpon theÌ„ Yea they theÌ„ selues woulde not be belieued father theÌ„ they bring the scripture for them Their owne coÌ„fession therfore and the coÌ„trarietie that is in them declareth them to be fleshe and we were accursed if we should make fleshe oure arme and settle our faith vpoÌ„ maÌ„s wordes for euery maÌ„ is a lia◠¶ Of the wordes and the meaneinge wherin the meaneinge of Christe is declared at large by the manifolde circumstances and certaine other thinges towcheing the occasion offered AN other point of the diuelles
passouer In the passeouer they gaue thankes for theyr deliueraunce wheÌ„ the EgyptiaÌ„s and the kinges seede were slayne In this sacrameÌ„t thaÌ„kes are gyueÌ„ that the sonne of the high king is slayn for the saluatioÌ„ of the worlde The lambe and the feast itselfe are called the passeouer The one was but a signe the other was but the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the passing angell So lykewise this breade or sacrameÌ„t is callyd the bodie of Christ when it is but the remeÌ„braunce and thankes geuynge for the death which Christ suffered in hys bodie The cupe also he calleth the newe testameÌ„t in his bloude where the bloud of the lambe sprynkled vpoÌ„ the postes was but a shadow of the old testameÌ„t and a token to the angell of godes fauour And thys bloude of our sauiour Christ is a coÌ„firmacioÌ„ and establishemeÌ„t of his testameÌ„t as both the epistle to the galathians and the Hebrues do witnesse and the testameÌ„t so loÌ„g before promised was this I wylbe theyr God and they shall be my people Agayne In the boke of Exodi he coÌ„maundeth them to tel theyr chyldren of that greate benifite So now when they shal no leuger speake of theyr delyuerauÌ„ce forth of Egypt but of a far greater deliueraunce from all the infernall powres by hys death He coÌ„maundeth them to do thys in the remeÌ„braunce of hym Thus he goynge from the olde testameÌ„t to the newe from the olde passeouer in shadow to the bodie whyche is Christ our passeouer offâ—ed for vs as Paul sayeth vseth the same phrase in speakynge And after that he had eaten thys passeouer whiche he desiered so greatly he preached of hys betrayeing and departeynge saiynge The sonne of man must go as it it wryteÌ„ But woe vnto that man by whoÌ„ he is betrayed It had beÌ„ better for hym that he had neuer ben borne This text may somwhat make for the declaracion that Iudas though he were par takare of the same breade and cupe yet he did not eate the fleashe and bloude of Iesus Christ which he must neades haue done if the thynges had ben chaunged and therfore haue had euerlasteynge lyfe as it is sayd in Iohn the vi cha Who so eateth my fleash c so that he had ben happye that euer he was borne The most parte of the longâ— sermone that Iohn reherseth is concernynge hys departyng from his disciples where as after your doctryne he mygh haue coÌ„forted them wyth one worde sayeinge I wyl not depart froÌ„ you but wilbe inuiseble wyth you vnto the worldes ende in a litle cake But he sayth plainely that he must go from theÌ„ and that he will no more drincke of that fruite of the vine vnto he dryncke it newe agayne in the kingdome of his father wher he manifestly calleth it the fruite of the vine euen after the coÌ„secrasion as you cal it and that the verye same thing that you cal the bloude the bodi the fleshe and altogether Christ saieth thys is my bodie You marke no circuÌ„stauÌ„ces but adde her unto realli naturallie carnalli christ sayeth do thys in the remembraunce of me You saye Naie we will make a litle cake to be Christ God and man Christ saieth thys is the cup of the newe testament in â—…bloud You saye Naye we wil make ii sponeful of wyne whole Christ bodie bloud and bones Loke your Estatute of vi Articles Christe saith my litle children yet a litle while am I with you The papistes do saie we haue him heare stil Christ saieth you shal seke me but you can not come to me The papistes dâ— saye thei make hym and haue hym in there haÌ„ds ther maist thou seke him But I beleue thou canst not find him there for Christ did geue warneinge alitle before hys death that ther should arise false Christs and false prophetes to deceiue the elect if it wer possible with false miracles and wonders Thei shal 〈◊〉 â—o hear is Christ and ther is Christ But beleue them not saith Christ for lyke as the lightning cometh froÌ„ the east and appeareth vnto the weste so shal the comeinge agayne of the sonne of man Let not your herte be troubled beleue in God and beleue in me I go to prepare you a place and thoughe I go yet I wyll come agayne and take you vnto me The papistes saye beleue in the breade that we haue coÌ„scerated for it is boeth God and maÌ„ Christ shal not go awaye We wyl haue it so that euerie shauelinge shall maâ—e him a place in a rounde cake and breake one pice of him into the chalice and drinke it and rate the residue drie I am the waie the truth the life saieth Christ no man cometh to the father but bi me Yes marie â—aith the bishop of Winchester bringeing in the blind lessoÌ„s of Damascen concerninge the worshipeinge of Imageâ— by the intercessione of saintes come we to God And by the sacrament of the aâ—â—tare are we made partetakers of the god heade of Iesu Christe Christ goinge froÌ„ the erth saith for the câ—…forte of his disciples what soeuer ye aske in my name I wil do it But the papistes wyll haue vs asâ—e in the name of other and by the praier of saintes do they promise many verâ—… â–ª but wythout any worde of scripture and therfore ought we not to beleue them Christ promiseth none other coÌ„forter but the spirite of trueth whiche shall dwell with vs for euer The papistes promise comfortin al deade creatures Again Let not your hert be troubled sayth Christ nor be ye afraied thoughe I go I do leane my pease wyth you I geue you my peace Not as the world geueth do I geue it vnto you Well saye the papistes If thou saye that Christ is gone thou shalt haue little peace among us kepe the peace of Christ as wel as thou canst For we haue him wheÌ„ we luste bodielie reallie naturallye carnally present But O you papistes all your wordes ende in a lie For Christe saieth You haue hearde that I haue said vnto you I goe and come agayne to you And if you loued me suerli you woulde reioyce that I sayed I goe vnto my father You papistes I saye do ye not beleue that Christe died did ryse agayne ascended into heauen and ther sitteth at the ryght hand of the father bodilie really naturally carually that is to saye in plaine euglishe in bodye in substance as he was a natural man and verie flesh taken of the virgyne Marie If you did beleiue this thynge you woulde reioice that man is so highly exalted that oure kinde is so far aboue the angelles auaunced that we haue our bishoppe not in the erth but in the heaueÌ„s not offering ofte tymes for our sinnes which were imperfection but once for al makinge perfecte for euer so many as by hym wyll go vnto the father Agayne Christe sayeth I am the verie vyne and my father is the housbande man â–ª I am the vyne and
of moste weight importaunce Wherby is wrought the marueilous wisedome of God who onely wyl be accompted alwaies true vprighte and iuste in all his wordes and that all men should appeare as they are lyars If in any one man shoulde rest the fulnes of al trueth we woulde by our weakenesse verie proudely swere into his wordes thereupoÌ„ establish oure beliefe and make hym as it were an earthly God Paule therefore led by the spirite of God taketh his maister Gamaliell and the greate Rabines to no counsell in the settynge furth of the high misteries which God had reueiled vnto him No he woulde not confer with fleshe and bloude that is with any man notwithstanding he him selfe was wonderfully enstructed in the lawe and became irreprehensible therin beinge a pharisei that is to saye an interpreter and as your men are a doctoure hym selfe Notwythstandynge he bryngeth nothynge of Thalmud he teacheth not hynge by the traditious of their fathers but by Moyses by the prophetes and the open worde of God whereupon onely fayth can haue his foundation Fayth is of hearing sayth Paule and this is by the hearing of the worde of God and not of mans doctrine Though you therfore do cal this your doctrine of the real and carnal preseÌ„ce of Christ vnder the fourme of bread and wine the fouÌ„dation of our faith yet were they neuer set in our olde Crede beliefe nor nuÌ„bred among the. xii articles of our faith And Paule wheÌ„ he said I do only know Iesu Christ and him crucified which is the very fouÌ„dation of our faith wherby we might be saued though we lyued in wyldernesse or dyed vpon the seas without thys sacrament Yea though we be murdered in your presence and by your formentes put to death wythout the receyueinge of this Sacrament For our â—ayth standeth fully grounded vpon this worde Whâ— so euer confesseth Christe to be come in the fleshe he is borne of God and who so euer beleueth and is baptised the same is saued Adde you hereunto what newe foundations you please We feele in oure hertes beinge taughte by the open worde that no man can laye any other foundation but Iesu Christe By whose death we dye from confidence in all creatures and by whose rysynge from death we do ryse agayne and do seeke thinges that are aboue where Christe sitteth at the right hande of God ⧠Of contrarietie and coÌ„tradiction THe Deuyll hath an other piece of Sophistrie which is in conterfaite contradictions wherein he vseth for a preface and introduction a moste certeyne trueth whiche is that trueth agreeth wyth it selfe and hath no parte contrarie to an other Wherefore seinge the worde of God is an infallible trueth it hath no contrarieties in it selfe All the worlde muste assent hereunto But thus the Deuyll procedeth to his cauillations from thynges euidently true by little chaunge to thinges euideÌ„tly false HeaueÌ„ and earth haue a kinde of contradiction Christe is in heauen where saynt Stephane dyd se him Ergo he is not in the earth in the sacrament of the aultare Christe ascended into heauen Ergo he taryeth not here He sitteth at the righte hande of God Ergo he is not in the sacrament of the aultare He is the creatoure Omnia per ipsum sacta sunt All thinges be made by him Ergo he is not a creature made of breade He dwelleth not in the teÌ„ples made with mannes handes Ergo he is not in the box vpon the high aultare Your solution to these opeÌ„ scriptures and moste euident argumentes is at one worde and that is this They be taken for notable coÌ„tradictions and insoluble sophisines and in effecte in all these argumentes there is no contrarietie or contradiction in the thinges but onely a repugnaunce and impossibilitie to mans carnal capacitie But I beseche you good bishop is there no contrarietie in the thinges Is not heauen and earth cleane contrarie Haue you so captiuated your wittes and dulled your vnderstandinge that you caÌ„ not perceiue those two thinges to the coÌ„trarie God is the creatoure and maker of all therefore can he not be a creature made of breade He dwelleth not in the temples made with mannes handes for the heaueÌ„ of heauens can not contayne him therfore is he not enclosed in a litle box and hanged vp by a bande It is to muche shame for any priest bishoppe or christian man to thinke so vnreuerently of the secrete maiestie of God as that he mighte be bounde vnto a place enclosed in a cake or a litle boxe seinge boeth heauen and earth be full of his dreadfull maiestie and we what so euer we be do lyue be moued and haue our beinge of him He is infinite incomprehensible vnmeasurable higher then the high heauens lower then the deape botomles waters he measureth the wyde worlde wyth his spanne and coÌ„teyneth all enclosed in his fiste Wyth him the light dwelleth and the sunne beames are at his orderynge By hym is ruled lyghte and darkedesse lyfe and death and altogether Wherefore when thou canâ—t inclose in the box the rageyng seas when thou canst catche the moue in a corner aâ—d sparre her vp in a case when thou canst penne vp the sunne beinge but a creature in thy pix then wyl I graunte the to haue power ouer thinges infinite and incomprehensible In the meane tyme I muste take it impossible not onely by carnall capacitie but also by spiritual iudgement grounded vpon the worde of God by the gifte of reason wherby al men coÌ„sidering the worke of God in the cretion maye knowe their creatoure to exeell all creatures farre and that he can therefore be made by no creature neither of any creature muche lesse can he be enclosed in a box of an yâ—che and an halfe deape when the priest wyll â—…mble foure wordes in a corner and there lye tyed tyll he wax foystie vnlesse the prieste lose hym Oh abominable Idolatours howe muche doeth thys derogate to the maiestie of God And howe farre contrarie is thys to his godlie nature Nowe that it is contrarie to the humaine nature of Christe to be enclosed in bread and sparred in a litle box thus mape we more largely proue vnto you Christe in his humaine bodie forsaketh the worlde he goeth vnto the father He dyd keepe those that were his so longe as he was in the worlde And when he departed out of the worlde he desired his father to keepe them He coÌ„forted them when he went awaye sayinge that it was profitable for theÌ„ that he departed that the spirite of coÌ„fort might come He promised to come againe visibly and with glorie as he went and in the scriptures there is none other comynge of Christ taught vs but the coming first in humilite to take our flesh vpoÌ„ him afterward in glorie to iudge all fleshe whiche thynges are declared Math. xxvi Marke xvi Luke xxiiii Iohn xiii xvi xxii Actuum i. vii Rom. viii Ephe. i. ii Corhi
this is meÌ„t by the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in diuers places of Deutronomie The wordes are these Thou shalte come to the priest that shall be in those daies and say vnto hym I acknowledge this day before the Lorde my god that I am entred into the lande for the whiche he sweare to our fathers that he woulde giue it vnto vs. Here is a like memorie of God commaunded by Moyses Whereby as in thys sacrament is ment a reuerent thankes gyuyng and acknowledgyng for sâ— is the Hebrue word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 traÌ„slated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicum iâ— Whereby we may perceyue the worde blessing to agree with the other greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus we therfore haue by the healpe of the Hebrue tonge and the olde testament furth of the whiche two all rites and ceremonies and the trueth of al the principal places of the newe testament haue both their coÌ„firmation and declaration and by the circumstaÌ„ces of the places proued vnto you first that in this sacrament there muste be a general profession of oure sayth in the death of Christ outwardly and theÌ„ priuately euery one must in hert acknowledge giue thaÌ„kes And if the profite of his brethren do so require it or the ordre of the coÌ„gregaâ—ioÌ„ permit they muste with mouth celebrate and prayse this great benifite to the glorie of God and the conforte of the congregation Your first declaration that we must haue Christ present in this memorie by fayth maketh nothinge agaynst vs. For this is it that we do beleue and teach that vnto the eyes of our faith there is preseÌ„t in the sacrament the natural body of our sauiour Christ the same body that suffered And your similitude of the maried womaÌ„ that wyl make an Image of her husbaÌ„de for a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of him maketh much against you For this I dare saye that al the eloqueÌ„ce you haue â—aÌ„ not proue vn to a righte selêder witted woman that the Image thus made for a memorial is hir owne natural housbaÌ„de and so make hir do honor and reuerence vnto him at bed and at bourd as you woulde haue vs to do to this very Image as you cal it of Christ beinge departed in body froÌ„ his churche and leauing this most perfect Image of him selfe and as you say him selfe for a memorie Furthermore If you coulde proue vnto this womaÌ„ that this image were the natural body â—lesh bloud and bones of hir husband what neede she to loke for hym in any other place abseÌ„t whoÌ„ she hath thus really present at all tymes What shal we say Is hir husbande gone Nay verely hir husbande lyeth hid in and vnder the Image Lo whither your blynde similitudes do leade you But to proue his body to be in diuers places wythout any chaunge of place you had neede to aske better counsayle of your sophisters and then we shal answere you agayne For the texte folowinge Non dâ—…dicans corpus domini makynge no difference of the Lordes body which wordes be so translated in the Bible that you haue allowed by Act of parliament For the scriptures suche is oure miserie can be no farther good and profitable for vs but as yon wyll allowe it That is to saye the laste yere good for all men but thys yere good for gentlemen onely In the last proclamation you condemned three translations and saued one But in thys your boke you seme to be wery of that one for you fynde fautes therein and wyll not haue at reade at suche tymes as men meete together in the churche But God is the Iudge of your doinges You do not Iudge and knowe that God is as presently in his wordes and scriptures whiche you do burne as he is in the Sacramentes whiche are made and take theyr strength of the same worde Oh byshoppes If thys thynge that you do be for the pure â—eale of Goddes worde then take so muche paynes amongest you al as to set furth one traÌ„slatioÌ„ so true â–ª that no man may fynde any faut therwyth But you caÌ„ not heare on that side You haue burned fiue thousande but of your translation we fynde not one It is easy therefore to iudge what your purpose hath bene But to returne to the wordes Non diiudi caÌ„s etc. Your english text is making no differeÌ„ce of the Lordes body But your owne interpretation is not vnderstanding not coÌ„side ring But if you wyl adde thereunto the signification of the greke worde not iudging I wyl say al is true and agreeth very wel For who so euer doeth eate this bread and drinke this cup vnworthily eateth his owne iudgemeÌ„t making no differeÌ„ce not vnderstanding consideringe or iudgynge the Lordes body Where he that doeth eate it worthily doeth by his faith eate the very body of the Lorde so ofte as he eateth of this bread and drinketh of this cup and fedeth his soule by the reioycing in the death of the lorde For who soeuer seketh the spirituall fode he regardeth nothinge but the body of Christ offered for his sinnes though with his mouth bodily he receiue the bread the figure of the same If any haue â—…scoÌ„strued this texte do not charge vs therewyth But if we do take it wronge reproue vs by scripture No man doubteth but that he is giltie of the bloud of Christ which taketh Baptisme vnreuerently Yet dare we not saye that in the water is really presente the body and bloud of Christe He despiceth me saith Christ that despiceth you speaking of his Apostles Yet is it no good argument to say therefore that Christe is corporally in his Apostles But spiritually we must boeth beholde most thaÌ„kefully receiue our Christ in al his sacramentes in al his messengers The third text Spiritus viuificat caro noÌ„ prodest quicquaÌ„ In english the spirite giueth life the flesh profiteth nothyng maketh much agaynste you Yea thoughe you take it after your owne glose which is that this text is a general lesson for the true vnderstandyng of oure whole religion But thys glose shall we touche hereafter This texte The spirit gyueth lyfe the fleshe profiteth nothynge is boeth proued true and manifestly declared in the. xvi chapter folowinge where Christe sayeth I tel you truth that it is profitable for you that I departe for if I do not go awaye that confortynge spirite shall not come vnto you But if I go I wyll sende hym vnto you etc. Whereby it appeareth playnely agaynste your wordes that the presence of the bodie carnally is not profitable vnto vs nowe after his ascendynge into heauen because Christe sayeth it is profitable that in bodie he shoulde departe but you saye it is profitable to haue hym here in a cake notwythstandyng that he sayeth that onlesse he go his waye the spirite of conforte can not come The exemple of Peter and all the Apostles who were stronger by the confort of the spirite then by the presence
of the bodie doeth declare the same thynge This thynge maye be made euident also to hym that with a cleare conscience marketh the same considerynge that thereof chiefely and onely we haue cause to reioyce that Christe beinge verie man vpon earth hath for our sakes ouercomâ—n all helly and earthly powers and nowe sitteth at the righte hande of God our perpetuall aduocate Thys is the spirituall feedynge and not the fleshly whiche who so feeleth he wyll neuer route vpon the earth for fleshe any more Of the profite of the spirite and the departyng of the fleshe reade Iohn the. xiiij Thou mayst also marke in all the scripture howe the fleshe is smally regarded As to be mother and brother after the flesh Mathew xij Marke iii. and Luke viii Agayne Christe hymselfe doth attribute the true blisse and in fallible felicitie nether carnally to beare hym 〈◊〉 the wombe nor yet to gyue him sucke of â—…e brestes whiche are the greatest thynges â—…at can be touchynge the fleshe but to heare the worde of God and to do the same Thys thynge because it is of the spirite onely profiteth and maketh a man blessed You do well that you couple these two textes Caro non prodest quicquam et quod natum est ex carne caro est spoken to Nicodemus For in verie deede they teache boeth one thynge and are a generall rule of the true vnderstandynge of oure whole religion as you do saye Whiche is that all godly lyfe and holynesse is borne in vs not of the fleshe neither visibly nor inuisibly but of the inuisible power of the spirite whereof we muste be borne a newe if euer we entre into the kyngdome of God as oure sauioure Christ taught Nicodemus The which wordes if any man should so grossely interprete as to expounde it thus sayinge that by the power of God inuisible a man myght enter his mothers wombe and so this fleshe borne inuisibly shoulde be profitable euery man woulde laugh at his foliyshnesse And thys is eueÌ„ muche lyke your gloses coÌ„trary to the which we haue proued by the scriptures that it is profitable that the fleshe do depart that the spirite may come vnto vs that the flesh which in this humilitie hath once suffered 〈…〉 the crosse and done the wyll of the father is no longer profitable vnto vs vpon the earth â–ª but nowe we muste be borne of the spirite â–ª al our conforte al our hope muste be of the spirite For what so euer is borne of the fleshe is fleshe and therefore carnall and no parte of our spiritual religion and spiritual byrth You adde these gloses that inuisibly we muste haue this fleshe present in the fourmes of breade and wine and so muste we eate the fleshe of Christe really but yet inuisibly you saye And shall we by inuisible fleshe but yet very fleshe brynge lyfe vnto oureselues and be borne a newe agaynste the lessons of the spirite If the presence of the fleshe in the bread be so profitable whiche you can proue by no worde of scripture and therefore we neede not beleue you excepte we lust wherfore thynke you woulde Christe rather hide him selfe in bread then shewe hym selfe opeÌ„ly seinge boeth are lyke possible vnto hym He sayeth that thys is the wyll of the father that sent hym that whosoeuer seeth the sonne and beleueth in hym hath euerlastyng lyfe Now for this doubt that you do moue whether his fleshe be caro viuifica that is fleshe giuing life that it is so is the very fouÌ„dacion of our faith and we both agree in this point â–ª But here ariseth the doubte howe this fleshe geueth lyfe You saye by eateinge the same reallye and naturally in the breade wythout any scripture But we taught by the whole course of the scriptures that the spirite onely is profiteable do vnderstand a spiritual eateinge of thys flesh whiche is taught in the. vi â–ª of Iohn to be by the beliefein this flesh offered for the lyfe of the worlde as it is taught at length before And where as you saye that Christe dyd by these words rebuke the grosse and earnal Caparnaites it is verye true an serueth styl agaynste all them that saye Christe must be carnallie eaten be it in loÌ„pes as you speake or the whole bodie swalowed downe al togither as you defende your selfe If you saye as you do againe in thys place that Caro fleshe is taken for the carnall parte of man then do you nothinge coÌ„sider the circumstaÌ„ce howe Christe laboreth in this place to teach the people howe his owne fleshe is profitable vnto them Thys doctrine of yours therfore is confused to gether makeinge the spirituall eateing carnal and the verie fesh and bodie to be the spirite For in your chaunge howe can this be his verie bodie which you cause to go and come no man knoweth howâ—â—einge he hym selfe saieth vnto Didimus his bodie hath verie fleshe and verie bones and is not lyke the spirite You make him lyke a spirite to come and go into thousand milioÌ„s of cakes and aultares insensibly You make him geue life also which is the chiefe and only propertie of the spirite And wher you woulde cloke the firste mattier sayeinge that his bodie maye be in so many places and be insensible because it is adioyned to the God heade you must learne to be ware that in no wise you confounde the natures as I haue spoken before And likewise whan you saye that this fleshe geueth life alwaies because it is inseparably adioyned to the spirite you must acknowledge the proprieties of these ii in sunder grauntinge it to be the properietie of the spirite onely to geue life according to thys text spiritus est qui viuificat though it do by the flesh and dodie of Christe as the onely instrumeÌ„t and peculiar sacrifice wherwith the wrath of God myght be pacified worke in vs that be faythfull the same lyfe And this same fleshe of Christe is a stumbling stone in Zyon to the wicked as the prophet wittnesseth and is set vp to the rniue and resurrection of many It was vnto the Phariseis a blindyng and liuely to them onlie that were ordeined to life Vnto the Iewes whiche handled it and to Iudas which kyssed it and as you would haue it did eate it it was death beynge of it selfe the sauiour frome deathe So that we maye verie well conclude that the spirite onely geueth lyffe and to them onely that haue thys spirite in their hertes to theÌ„ I say the fleshe of Christ is profitable and to them hys fleash is verie meate and hys bloude verie drynke for they onely can feade spiritually of Christe God and man For it is the breade that commeth froÌ„ heaueÌ„ saieth Iohn that geueth lyfe vnto the worlde And thys heauenly breade of the spirite doeth fede vnto lyfe euerlastynge so that who so euer doth once taste therof shall no more be hongrye nor thyrstie after the carnall fode And as for
your opinioÌ„ coÌ„cernynge that the fleash carnally eaten should be lyuely and confortable you are not able to iustifi by any scripturs And therfore beware how you establishe it wyth your tyranny wee haue learnyd thys gospell that Chryst was crucified to saue synners and to gyue lyfe vnto the worlde But that he must be eaten bodylye to gyue lyfe is a newe gospell For Iohn in hys syxte chapiter doeth wholly declare and set forth the spirituall eateynge of the fleash of Christe by fayth as is before declarede contrarie to your carnall writynges WheÌ„ you saye that we make the scripture like a coÌ„fuse sonne of belles I do take all meÌ„ to witnesse yea I dare appeale your owne conscience whether of vs hath the scriptures in more estimacion You and your doctours which do accostomably preach and writ that the scriptures are like a nose of wax easie to be tuurned to al purposes or we that compt no lerneing of maÌ„ nor yet ani doctrine taugh by the apearans of Angelles to be sure and stable vnlesse it be confirmed by the word of God and his infallible scriptures A gayne how lightly and vnreuerently you iudge of the authority of the scriptures of God your â—larckelye cloked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall testifye to the whole worlde wherin you are nothinge ashamed to recite how that openlye in the greate cownsaile lyke A byshope streightwayes at your beginning to be sure to folowe the foundacion of your Romeish church you compted the authoritie of scriptures vnprofitable for your purpose because the sense therof as you say maie be drawne at pleasure to both partes You cloke the matter with cleÌ„lier termes O bishop as you do al your mattiers but in effect this is al one with the nose of waxe coÌ„fused soune of belles Your words be these Prefatus sum inutiliter me verba effusurum si ad fraÌ„gendam hominum pertinaciam scripture authoritati vt nunc sunt hominum ingenia inniterer cuius seÌ„sus pro arbitrio vtrinque distahatur Iudge O you that do syte haue not your consciences all readie marked boeth of these wordes and of the brennyng of the scripturs for loe here may you se the cause why the bishope wyll neither meddle wyth them hym selfe in hys disputacions nor suffer them that woulde so much as in hym selfe lyeth but burne them and banysh the diligent interpretatours of them because he and hys felowes do thinke that they may so easilie be wrasted to the madnesse of man Oh what shall we say or thinke of suche bishopes It is no maruaile though you haue your brethern in smal reputacion and rayle vpon them at your pleasure seynge the worde of God is so smally regarded with you Yea how can you loue God whom you see not when you hate your brethern wyth whom you lyue conuersant derydeyng despiseing and brenninge al that you can haue of God in thys worlde his holie word and scriptures we take God to our Iudge that to our knowledge we do not abuse the scriptures neither write we any thinge but wyth suche mindes hertes conscience as we are redi to stand before hym and make answer at the greate day when he shall appere And because we do knowe the scriptures inspired aboue from God hym selfe to be profitable to teache to improue to amende to enstructe in ryghtuousenese that the man of God may be perfecte and prepared vnto all good workes therfore haue we it in suche estimacion that we can counte no learning good but that is hereby confirmed and establysshed But let vs â–ª returne to your fyrst expositioÌ„ of these wordes Caro non prodest quicquaÌ„ spiritus est qui vinificat and Quod natum est ex carne caro est That is The fleash profiteth nothynge it is the spirite that geueth lyfe that which is borne of the fleash is flesh Thys you say is the true rule of our whole religion The fleashe when it is carnallye eaten as you wil haue it engendreth nought els but fleash Then if it be but fleash that it engendreth then haue we no profit therbi for the fleash doeth nothynge profit Contrary wyse the spirituall eatinge geueth life and engendrethe the spirite whiche onely feadeth the soule therfore we nede nothing to regard the carnall eatinge whyche neither feadeth the soule nor bodie for no bodily thyng can enter the soule nor no spirituall thynge can feade the bodie Now where you would myxte the fleashe and the spirite to gether by this solusioÌ„ that the fleash of Christ can not be wythout the spirite marke what we do answere If we haue lyfe by the spirituall eatynge of Christ once offered for vs as thepistle to the Hebrues doeth witnes if we haue al one spiritual fode with the fathers if we haue lif so many of vs as do thus beleue in hym by the benefite of the spirite as the. vi of Iohn doeth tell at larg if the rightuous liue by the fayth and not by bodily eatynge if that whiche cometh from the herte do make the man holye or prophaâ—e and not that which goeth into the mouth if he that beleueth in Christe shall not be condemned but haue euerlasting lyfe if God haue graunted to all them that receyue Christ that they shalbe the chyldren of God that is to saye as many as beleue in hys name as Iohn doeth interprete hym selfe if he that drinketh of the fountayn of life by faieth shall neuer be thyrsty but be refresshed into euerlastynge lyfe if he that heareth the worde of God and beleueth haue euerlastinge life what auayleth the fleashly eatynge or what can you wyn therby As doctour Ciprian callynge the breade of thys sacrament Sacramentalem panem that is to say bread signifiyng by sacrameÌ„t farther thynge than breade it is a mattier so euideÌ„t that we nede not to striue for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 panis breade in all languages haue al one propre signification of the bread made of graine An other significatioÌ„ they haue by translacioÌ„ wherby they signifie al maner of fode but your doctour must haue a loÌ„g glose of your bishoplyke brayne wherby you are so wyttie you can depraue euery thing For you are not content to haue glosed your doctour but you must forbyd Paul to cal it ani lenger bread bicause that you bishopes haue espied that panis may signifie fode But I prei you good bishop leaue your daliing and tel vs what christ did take in hys haÌ„des as he sate at supper It was not a pece of the lambe to haue a similitude of fleash but it was bread the general substaunce of mans bodily lyfe euen lyke as Christ is the onely breade of lyfe and spiritual fode of the soule Bread I saye it was to declare that lyke as breade is made of many graynes whych all to gether do make but one bodie so lykewise we beynge many beleueynge in Christ are all one bodie in Christ We are one breade and one
Christ Think not straing that the thing is writteÌ„ in the persone of God for al truth is of god Gâ—ie pacient eare therfore vnto our God sayth as we haue done toyour deuill sayth al thys while The coÌ„plaint of God against Idolatours HEare the worde of the Lorde thou proud Babilon Thou people of Sodome spirituall Egipt heare the word of the Lord For asmoche as the lord Iesu Christ is daily crucified daily slayn daily set forth in mocking sacrifice the bloud of the testameÌ„t is trodeÌ„ vnder fote and the arke of the couenaÌ„t is driuen awaye He that despiseth the lawe of Moyses sayth the Lorde is vnder ij or iij. witnesses condemned and howe muche more shall he be punished that treadeth vnder foâ—e the sonne of god despiseth his word and doeth vnhalow the bloude of the testament whereby he was saÌ„ctified and worketh coÌ„tumeliously against the spirite of grace It is God O you prynces of Sodom that geueth sentence in thys matter Before the hygh Iudge shall you be condemned you seed of Babilon because it hath pleased God to admonishe you fyrst bi Moyses and then by the prophetes and last of al by his own sonne to turne into the way of trueth But you contrarie wise do wyllingly folow the waye of wickednes And wheras the Lord sendeth daiely for the fruite of his viniâ—â—rd â–ª you entreate his seruants at your pleasure Some of them you do beate some other you slea and that more is you do neither reuerence nor forbeare his onely begotten sonne but rageynge like men in a furye you haue with one whole consent taken him slain him and cast him out of the vyneyarde which was his own enheritaunce Heare therfore theÌ„ wicked nacioÌ„ and know that he whom thou hast caste awaye in the corner stone where vpon whatso euer buylding is stablisshed it groweth vp to be a holi temple vnto the Lord and who so euer doeth fall vpon this stone he shalbe shakeÌ„ in pieces which thynge the Iewes stoÌ„blyng vpon his humiliti do shew vnto the world to haue â–ª ben truly spoken euen lyke as the ruâ—nâ— of the gentyls shall shortly declare vpon whom 〈…〉 uer thys stone shall fal for he shal most spedily be broken to powder that the whole world mai at leÌ„gh lerne how horible a thing it is to fall into the handes of the lyuynge God whose vengaunce is sore and greuouse against his enemies Lyke as his mercy is redie towarde the chyldren of mercy the Niniuites for an example who at the preachinge of Ionas onely dyd penaunce in ashes and sakclothe and so escaped the aduengeynge haÌ„d of the almighti But you that liue now in the later ende of the worlde beynge admonishede by a thousande oracles and warninges of the prophetes threateninge battail famine an pestilence do not chaunge your wycked purpose but suffer all the wordes of Chryst his prophetes and Apostles concernynge the wrath of God in the later dayes to be spokeÌ„ in vayn No man renueth his herte no man chaungeth his maners Ther is not one that doeth good no not one But the more that your wyckednese is opened by the scripturs the more that Moyses chasteneth your malice the more earnestly that my true messengers sayeth the Lord would drawe you froÌ„ your errours so much the more fyersly you resiste my spirite boastyng forth your powre wysdom and counsels so filled wyth your owne â—…es and subtyl inuencions that you resist all spiritual knowledge and nourishe euen agaynste your conscience these gros er rours and carnal blindnesse not much vnlike vnto Cayn your forefather whiche not beynge coÌ„tented with the dignitie of the firste birth neither yet restrained bi the word of chastimeÌ„t killed his brother Abel deseruyng no suche thing at his hande I praye you what did Pharao and the Egiptians when they were admonished by Moyses and Aaron but in resisteing the opeÌ„ wil of God heap vp his displeasure against theÌ„ Herode also and the wicked phariseis alwaies persecuteynge the Iust and ascribing the workes of the spirite to the powre of Belzebub or the deuyll with sinneing against coÌ„science brought ven geaunce vpon theyr heades So doeth the world saith the Lorde alwaies striue against the spirite And this is the onely sinne that coÌ„demneth the world that I send forth the ligh of the spirite to driue awaie the darkenesse of vyce errour and men loue darkenesse more theÌ„ lyght It is my vse sayeth the Lorde allwayes to send forth my worde before I iudg the worlde that they whych with brasen forheades and IroÌ„ neckes do obstinatly opprese the trueth â–ª shoulde haue nothynge to excuse theyr synne Thus dyd I send Noe and Loth before I destroyed the worlde wyth water and the. v. cyties wyth fier Thus haue I seÌ„t my prophetes also to gyue warneynge vnto Israell and Iuda of my wrath toward them And this same ordre do I obserue coÌ„tinually like as Iam the same god to dai to morewo and for euermore And now shortly I must go into IudgmeÌ„t Wherfore morne houle Oh you wicked vpon the miseries whyche shal chaunce vnto you you I say whych are the inueÌ„ters of new Idols and the dispisers of me your euerlasteing God For your god in whom your hope resteth shal perish And wheÌ„ you shal strech forth your handes vnto heaueÌ„ yet wil I not here you saith the Lord because you haue made you Idols wyth the same handes that you lyft vp towarde me Your Idoles therfore shall be turned into sparkes of fyre your selues into stubble ther shalbe none to quentche it Once I wyl awake and not alwayes suffer so greate reproch as to be dispiced where a dead Idole whiche hath neither sense moueynge lyfe nor breath shall be receyued and embraced It is I I saye that doeth gyue lyfe and breath to al creatures it is I that lend streÌ„gh and all the natural powres whyche you do mispeÌ„d in making of your Idoles vtterly for gettynge that I am the same that made your parent Adam vnto myne owne likenes I adourned and decked hym wyth no smal gyfts Reason and iudgemeÌ„t I gaue him and ordeyned hym gouernour ouer al other creatures You haue forgotten also that immediatly after this my great mercie shewed vnto youre said parent He despising the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of me hys creatour chose rather to be subiect vnto the most vile creature of al foloyng the Idole of his owne herte thaÌ„ to cleaue firmely to my worde Thys newfound God therfore doeth vnto thys daye dwell vnder my cursse and shal do for euer and shall crepe on his breaste sucking therth in steade of his breade Yet haue I not vtterly for saken this your rebelliouse kinde at diuers and sundrie tymes Firste I called againe to my mercie the same your forefather who by the remorsse of his coÌ„science fled my sight Againe after that man kinde was encreased and wickednesse dyd growe more and more in so much that if I
be betwixt me and your feyned goddes I am that auncient in yeres that doeth feele â–ª none age For a thousande yeres are but one daye in my syghte For in the twynckelynge of an eye do I beholde all thynges be they presente paste or to come Your Saturne whom you hange vp in a corde as a wicked fellowe had neede to haue Iupiter his sonne sought out to healpe to defende hym in his olde age when his chaungable fleshe and bones whiche you feyne him to haue and defende the same wyth sworde and fyre begyn once to musker and moulde after he passeth once the age of one moneth But who shal reuenge the litle gods whiche liue but the space of one minute and so perish coÌ„tinually Thei are takeÌ„ streighte from the wafer box to the chalice and there are they deuoured A woÌ„derfull mattier so sone made God and so sone-brought to nought againe Olde Aristotle your great maister couÌ„pteth for a greate miracle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in englishe beastes that â—yue but one daye But if he had knowen thys sodeyne chaunge of so many Goddes in one minute what myght he haue writteÌ„ to his posteritie I appeale to your owne conscience in this mattier your conscience I say that do make and marre so many Goddes in so litle space you I saye that do seeke out so straunge ingines for the preseruation of your Goddes You close hym in a box of harder metal then myse teeth can penetrate you hange hym vp in a corde leste the gredie myse shoulde besiege hym you couer hym wyth a canopie so that the myse can not come at hym and what meaneth all thys but that you knowe by experieÌ„ce that the myse do nothinge feare hym because he is made but of breade and hath no lyfe in hym nor hardinesse to beate a mouse Let your owne coÌ„science be Iudge in thys mattier But O wicked Idolatours If thys were God that you do thys handle he woulde somtyme breake open his prison wherein he is enclosed by his power and strength How be it he can do nothinge Or if he can do any thynge crie vpon him as dyd the priestes of the olde Idolatours that he wyll do so much as put one horne out of his shel box wherin he is enclosed to assray his enemies or els to your great coÌ„fusion he shall be lesse set by then a creping snaple Or if you dare make a profe of his power leaue hym without but one night out of his box and you shal see the litle mise wyll not be much afrayed of hym neither do the cattes backes owles swallowes and sparowes greatly feare hym Then tel me I praye you why man shoulde be so mad as to stande in feare of the thynge whiche is of no reputation Feare him not therfore O my litle flocke for he can neither do good nor â—uyll No he hath neither life nor feeling He felt not when he was baken into a cake neither feeleth he wheÌ„ the priest breaketh him because there is no spirite of lyfe in hym Be you ashamed therfore al you that worshippe him for if by the negligence of the priestes he fall to the grounde he can not aryse alone neither if he be raysed can he stande In vayne therfore do you worship suche a God as in no poynt can healpe hym selfe Howe can you then desyre his healpe in your aduersitie The Goddes that you worshyp are none other thynge but as the baker that baketh them wyll haue them and the priest that maketh them And neither of these two workemen is of longe continuaunce Howe caÌ„ their workes be Goddes therfore These gods of yours caÌ„ not deliuer them selues froÌ„ theues and robbers whiche haue ofteÌ„ times spoyled them of their boxes And you haue of late seene in the suppressioÌ„ of the Abbayes which I did sende for a punishmeÌ„t of Idolaters they were then left succuâ—lesse turned out of their siluer boxes and were not able to resist Therfore wheÌ„ you see the people worshiping round about you say in your hertes O Lorde that hast layed the foundations of the earth and the heauens the muste we worshippe And so doinge myne Angel is with you and I wyll require your soules at the hande of the oppressours Oh hertes barraine of al heaueÌ„ly doctrine Oh myndes voied of al godlines Howe can I the true God be knowen whilse the bread God and the cake vnsensible is in so high reputation Yea what needeth it men to lifte vp their mindes vnto heauen seinge they haue hym in earth which can grauÌ„t their prayers Howe can they worship in spirite and trueth seing they worshipe the thinge that hath neither spirite nor lyfe Howe caÌ„ you vnderstaÌ„de or coÌ„preheÌ„de my dreadful maiestie whilse ye do take this for a god whoÌ„ a blast of wynde wyll klowe downe from his aultare and his superaltare Al such goddes therfore as haue not made the heauens shall perish froÌ„ the earth and froÌ„ vnder the heaueÌ„ Marke howe the breath of maÌ„ a thinge of smal streÌ„gth againste any other creature is able to chaunge alter traÌ„sfourme the breade so sone as he hath it in his mouth and it shalbe ynough to him that hath reason to declare how shaÌ„ful the chauÌ„g is from the most strong to the moste weake froÌ„ the greatest to the least from the best and most mightie to the worste most impotent Oh miserable and chaungeable nature of man Oh twise miserable God whom this miserable man maketh Yea thrise miserable for he must come downe into the chalice at the call of euery whoremonger and sodomite drunckarde and couetouse caytyfe and be streight wayes swallowed into his filthy and vusaciable paunch that the firste beginnynge and endynge of his godhead maye he lyke miserable If the scripture do describe you any such If AdaÌ„ Enoch Noah AbrahaÌ„ Isaac Moyses AaroÌ„ or Samuel do knowe any such If Esaie Ieremias or Daniell haue described him in their prophecies If Math. Marke or Luke whoÌ„ you leudly alledge had tolde you that there had ben any such God on the erth If Peter Paule Iames and Iohn the faythful witnesses of my sonne Christe and the openers of his secretes had taughte you thys crusted cake myghte be chaunged into God or his sonne Christe shewe me one place But I knowe your crafte and subtiltie Nothynge is impossible to God you saye What then Shall God at your commaundement be a stone a tree or breade By the same possibilitie make hym your Asse All mine therfore shall answere you in this sort Because all thynges are possible vnto oure God he is able to escape your blynde iugelynge and is of power ynough to destroye you al together with your Idols And what so euer he be that teacheth any God that I haue not opened to my seruauntes in the scriptures the same I haue commaunded by my seruaunte Moyses to be stoned to death Which lawe I do nowe ratifie and wil
that all such be put out from amonge my people And who so euer wilnot repēt this grosse errour beinge admonished be it knowen vnto them that they are not of my shepe For my shepe do heare my voice And being once raysed wyth my voice they wyll folowe no straunger but wil with open voice crie vnto the straunger and say Oh Idole shepeherde Al this haue I spokē because I your god am so opēly cōtemned and a weaks Idol embraced Gyue eare nowe and herken what I shal saye for my sonne whō I sent to be your sauiour and the onely sacrifice that can take awaye synne in my sight You make hym of none effect that so you maye establishe your owne glorious workes and sacrifices I was and am fully cōtented and satisfied wyth the offering of his body once done What neede is there then of your lyeinge sacrifice If his onely sacrifice be ynough as it is ynough more then ynough to satisfie for al what nedeth you to sacrifice and offer him vp again Wyl you or cā you kyl him againe For that which is sacrificed must needs be slayne and wythout bloude can there be no remission of sinnes I know your hertes bloudy bishops by the betrayinge of him whē he was in the earth amonge you nowe by the brennyng of his worde by the tirānous destroyinge of his flocke which wolde cal againe the memorie of his passiō which you haue extinguished wyth your sacrifice for the quycke the dead making it a cloke for your couetousnes and a buckler for the pompe and rigorous authoritie you chalendge ouer my litle flocke I appointed him priest according to the ordre of Melchisedech without successoure or felow I anointed him with the spiritual oile of my spirite that I mighte haue a bishop to offre vnto me sacrifice which should be pure and without spot whiche shoulde not neede many times to offer or to be offered but makinge al thynges perfecte by one onely offeringe of him selfe vnto me his father and by his bloude which all other sacrifices so oft iterated and repeted as thinges vnperfect dyd onelie signifie In this my dearly beloued sonne is my delyte He is the greate bishop whiche once for all hath entered into the place most holie And beinge founde lyke one of you in althings sinne only excepted he hath now penetrated and passed throughe into the heauens there to be your bishop for euer to offer hym selfe alwayes for you in my syghte by whom you maye come to the throne of my grace to haue healpe by tyme. If you wyl seeke any other bishoppe to offre for yo◠I tell you he is poluted and muste firste offre for hym selfe And because of the imperfection that is in hym he can not please me nor pacifie forhim selfe Yea you may also perceiue that his offeryng is vnperfecte or els should he not neede to reiterate it so oftē If you wil not be deceiued therfore sticke fast vnto the offering ofmy sōne once for all made for you And as I haue giuē him to the deth for your sakes so wyll I deny you nothinge that you aske in his name be you sure Hōse comethit that you be called christiās that Christ my sonne was for your sakes manifestly made man in the flesh was iustly declarede God by the spirite and shewed vnto the Angels and after receyued into glorie This must you beleue if you wyl be partakers of the same glorie That he was verie man as one of you are synne onely excepted conuersant vpon the earth in all humilitie care and miserie at my cōmaundemēt wherby for his obedience toward me he deserued to be ▪ crowned wyth a crown of glorie wherfore I sendynge the holye gost vnto you at his desyre whyche may teach you how you are become my chyldren by hym dyd take him vnto my selfe and raised him aboue al the heauēs euen to sitte at my ryght hand for euer Wher you shal seke him if you intende to find hime But neither here nor ther in ani corner of the earth He tolde you that he must departe from you And if you loke for my fauoure you muste not compt him a liar But wylt thou seke my sonne Lo he hath offered one offerynge for sinne and sytteth for euer at the ryght hande of me hys father lokynge for that whiche remayneth That is that hys enemies be made his fote stole And thus doeth my spirite witnes vnto you that in this my newe testamēt established in hys death your sinnes shoulde be done awaye so that I woulde no more remembre them Then if you beleue them to be forgyuen how can you offer for them any more It is a manifest token therfore that all you which wilbe styll sacrificeynge for your synnes do not beleue that they beforgeuē by the death of my sonne Christe You also whych wyll carnally and grosely eate hym and feade vpon hym as chaungeynge breade into hys fleshe can not worthly beleue vpon hym For he departeyngefrō the earth dyd cōmaund you to eate the bread of this supper which he louyngly called hys bodye for your weake remēbraunce and for the declaracion of the benefite which he then shewed vnto all the faythful beleuers in hys death and bloud shedeynge For the declaracion and remēbraunce I saye of this benefite he cōmaunded all his faythful folowers brotherly to deuide amonge them the bread and wyne so ofte as they woulde eate or drynke in the remembraunce of hym whom they shoulde not haue any longer presently conuersant amonge them For he was then commynge vnto me his father for your profyte And therfore byddeth he you do this thynge in the remēbraunce of hym wyll you then know what it is to do the worke that he commaundeth you or to worke the meate that ne neuer perisheth whiche meate he promised to geue vnto you and I haue sēt him downe and appointed hym for the same purpose If you wil knowe this worcke reade in the. vi of Iohn wher you shal learne that the worke of God is to belieue in hym whome he hath sent This is al that you can geue me This is all that I require at your handes I geue you therfore the breade of life if you can receiue it by faieth vnfainedlie That is to say trusteinge to my promise onely in the death of my sonne and to none other creature Yea my sonne is this breade of lyfe and he that cometh vnto hym shall not be hongry he that beleueth in hym shal not be thirsty And thys he tolde you was my wyll and pleasure that who so euer doeth see him and beliue in hym hath euerlasteynge lyfe For thys is the lyfe euerlasteynge to knowe me and to knowe my sonne whome I haue sent Iesu Christe By thys knoweledg do the Angelles and blessed spirites lyue reioyce and take their comfort Thys is the heauenlye fode Thys is the Manna that comethe frome heauen Therfore so muche haste
aduaunce your kind aboue the Angels And now you wyl haue hym cowpled with your wrechede creatures worse then your selues But he hath taken the forme of the children of Abraham And for his elect seed was he coÌ„tent to be come man disdayneing all other formes Loke no more therfore for my son Christe vpoÌ„ the earth in the bread the box or the chalice But heare in heauen shal you seke hym wher he reigneth at libertie with me his father from whom he sendeth down the holie gost the spirite of comforte into the hertes of mine elect to strengthen them against all the assaultes of the serpent I feade inwardly my shepe driueÌ„ from the pasture of my word Yea I geue life euerlasting to so many as by him onely wyll come to me his father Thus doeth he sitte at my ryght hande and fulfilleth al in al things spiritually Not beinge bodylie present in euery place where you wyll like charmers muÌ„ble foure words vpon dombe creatures Here in heauen you are sure to haue him your aduocate In the bread you haue no such promise With what fayeth then can you seke him ther. He promised you that he woulde sende the holie gost after his going froÌ„ you but he neuer taught that he was profitable to be chaunged into breade When he returned vnto me froÌ„ the earth then did he send in fyrie tonges visibly the spirite of our powre wisdom which taught the cleare vnderstandynge of the misterie that he had wrought before in the earth This spirite taught the hope of your callinge and that our wonderful worke in you that beleue how that I raysed my son Christ from death and set him at my right hande in heauenly thinges Whense you would most vilaniousely pluck him down turne him into bread and swalowe him like flesh into your bealies which grosse blindnesse and SythiaÌ„ crueltie my flolâ—…l abhor My flocke shal learne nowe other â—…inge of the flesh of my sonne Christ â–ª â—ut that onely which is by the knoweledgâ—… and beleueing of my mercies in my sonne â—…nd therfore shall they follow no tradicions of the world nor sticke to any creatures but say with mine olde seruaÌ„t Dauid I wl loue the O lord my strenth the lord of my succour my refuge my sauiour my buâ— lar the horne of my salucioÌ„ Yea the more boldely because of my newe testameÌ„t Saiâ— thus O heaueÌ„ly father thoughe heaueÌ„ and earth do perish and all creatures tourne to naught yet liuest thou O lordof heaueÌ„ and earth in me thou liuest whose son I am bi adoption thi spirite geueing witnesse of this thing Yea Christe the strength might and powre of thi right haÌ„d liueth no maÌ„ is able to driue him froÌ„ the place whether thou hast exalted him Of this am I sure and so loÌ„g as he is saulfe I am sure to be saulfe for I am partaker of his nature substaÌ„ce powre according to the gifte of Iesu my sauiour that dwelleth in me Not carnally eateÌ„ but spirituallye receiued by fayeth wherby I knowe that he is my heade and I one of hys members Thus may you learne O my little flocke whan you haue for sakeÌ„ al creatures to be assured of fauour and optaine the sownde and sure taste of yâ—… saluacion and euerlasteynge lyfe and 〈…〉 and fele the hope of your calleinge â—…hall neuer suffer you to come to confuâ—… and so reioyce as my son wilded you of no powre earthlye neither of carnall eatinge of Christ nor 〈◊〉 dynge vpon serpentes but that your names are written in the boke of lyfe in the heauenes Vnto the other sorte which may worthely boaste of their powre if it be true that they saie because they caÌ„ make God or cal down God into the chalice for all is one matter in effecte I will an swer as I did of olde by my prophet Esaye I abhor your Sabothes your sacrificies and all your ceremonies Yea what do I care for your masse muÌ„bling whiche banisheth the memorie of my sonne and setteth a newe Idole to prouoke my zelouse indignacion against you What care I for your gletteringe miters seynge you banishe my word What care I for your fasteyuge and prayeinge seinge your handes are of full of bloude your fingers full of â–ª wickidnes What care I for the swarme of your ceremonies y e whole heap of your farthings where vpoÌ„ your religion staÌ„deth seiâ—g your lippes tell lies Geue â—are and tremble for the wickednesse of your handes for the Lorde hath spoken it ⧠An answere to the principal pointes that follow after the doctours in the bishop of winchesters boke NOw go to you papistes who had rather er with your father the pope with his doctours his furred hods and forcked caps then to saie trueth with Christes despised membres wyll you follow the broud way that leadeth to perdicioÌ„ because the multitude doeth enter into it Nay rather coÌ„tend and labour to enter the narrow and straight waye whiche leadeth vnto lyfe which is the waye of knowledge and truth wherein fewe do walke I knowe your doctours are gloriouse You call them sainctes and I truste they be so accepted of God But Christ and his Apostles though they were not so glorious and well taken in the worlde yet was ther more truth in their wordes and writings Yea sure it is to be fea red â–ª ther is some priuie flatterie and vntrueth closely â–ª cloked in the darke sentence of their longe bokes where the wrytinges are so coÌ„mendable in the worlde and so phausible in generally to all the heape of the papistes the vpholders of Antechrist For after olde custom and auncient ordre the scriptures of God maie not be reade in the scholes til such tyme as the maister of the sentences and the heape of your other doctoures haue stopped Iacobs welles the louelye fountaynes of the heauenly water with the fillthy mud of their gloses â–ª Yea the filthieste of that floâ—… let hym lye let him dote let him bable whaâ— helusteth yet shall he be alowed boeth in lâ—… ten and in englishe when the worde of God wheÌ„ the new and olde testament shalbe breÌ„â—… with fire Yea the maynteners therof whâ—… are the onely holions of God because they maynetayne the holie worde of God shalbâ—… destroyed and brent together with the bokeâ— of the Gospell that they mayntayne Surely your perswasion maye do muche to the worldely mynded when you compaâ—… these ii contraries togither The gloriouse doctours the sayntes by the pope canonised and by al worldely powers maynetayned renowmed and worshiped vnto the out castes of the world stil barkynge at the vices which are abominable scrapeing the eares of men wyth the sharp reaseinge trueth and therby deserueinge as the worldelye suppose worthely to be expelled banished or burned But vnto the godlye whose desyre is to be lyke their master Christ in sufferinge with him in this worlde that they may after rayne wyth him in the
together with you into the blinde pit of darknesse Thus haue you led our fathers before vs so many as would take you for their scho maisters and had none other secrete motion of the spirite to lifte their hertes vp into the heauens dâ—…nge the ayde and healpe of al other â—râ—… And yet 〈◊〉 can not content your selues with the kingdome that you haue vsurped in the consciences of men where none ought to reigne but God more then these thousande yeres onlesse you maye styll haue the same authoritie in establishinge your popetrie and Idolatrie beating euermore into oure eares that your Idolatrous and superstitious religion hath continued these M. D. yeres Where as we partly haue declared might more at large declare were it not to tedious that it hath crept vp onely with your wicked papacie and possessions of the churche and hath continued onely the tyme that Sathan hath bene lose and sent furth into the worlde to worke his wyll when you his stoute souldiour dyd shit vp the kyngdome of God his worde and neither woulde enter in your selues nor suffre them that woulde entre But now that the lambe hath vnlocked the boke Sathan begynneth to roare for feare of the fal of his kingdome and you bishoppes his champions do rage and fight agaynst God his worde yea agaynste euery thinge that is God or godly But we shal ouercome by the bloude of the lambe and by the worde of his witnesse And therefore do we ieoperde oure soules vnto death not onely against the Romishe Antichriste but the Mahumetaine also who is like to reigne ouer vs as a worthy plage for slidynge from the worde of God eueÌ„ as he hath many yeres reigned ouer many christian nations whiche boeth in life and learning were as holy as we be now coÌ„pted If thys thynge I saye shall come to passe as no man knoweth Goddes secrete working but suche onely as it shall please him to endue with this knowledge we shall be redie both to speake and write as we nowe do for the glorie of God against al Idolatours so far as God shal open our hertes and giue vs strength For without his audacitie and boldnesse of spirite poured into vs we shall stande in as gerate feare to perfourme thys as we shoulde be to write against your abominations knowing your crueltie towardes theÌ„ that haue hertofore moued your pacieÌ„ce What other men haue written in the fauour of Mahumete I can not tell But thys do I see with myne eyes that you bishoppes do opeÌ„ a great dore for him to entre in at by the Idolatrie that you do maynteyne in settyng vp so weake a creature to be God For what playner waye can ye haue to impunge the christian religion then to fynde it to be grouÌ„ded vpon so fonde a foundation as this weake Idol of yours And on the other side by your wicked life and tirannouse handlynge of the pore flocke of Christ you ministre great occasion for vs to thyinke that we shall lyue vnder the turckes as quietly and safly as vnder you both in auoydynge the Popishe Idolatrie and also in escapynge of outragiouse tiranny Beware howe your malice leadeth you to minister suche occasions For though we abhorre eueÌ„ froÌ„ the bottomes of our hertes the turrkeshe Mahumete and his lawes and are ready to wryte and speake agaynste them in the defence of our Christ and his religion rather wishyng to dye then to be subiect vnto him yet thys present necessitie and more greuous bondage that we suffre nowe vnder the byshoppes the lymes of the Romishe Antichrist are so intollerable that we had rather proue any thynge then longe to abyde it If they ouercome here the victorie wyll hardly be stayed from conquest in the reste Call backe your tiranny therefore aboute the worshyppynge of thys Idoll Surely it is full tyme as you saye for you to stryue for your God and to encourage your companions to sticke to their taklynge for if we maye once get the victorie herein all the residue of your Poperie wyl haue a foule fall Note our simplicitie as much as you wil and skoffe on styll wyth the Deuyll is simple iwys we wyll neuer be ashamed to call breade breade so longe as we haue Luke the Euangelist and Paule the Apostle of Christ to take our parte Come you in wyth your double gloses and put furth two faces in owne hoode in euerie thinge you go about as longe as you luste But it is an high mattier to vnderstand what breade meaneth and what the worlde signifieth you saye Go to go to And all the worlde what so euer the worlde signifieth wyll shortly deride you and thynke you worthy of your ii forcked myters for your doublenesse ⧠Of thys name Masse and of the diriuation of the same NOw labour you to haue this name Missa or Masse diriued of an Hebrue worde wherein I wyll not greatly contende thoughe it make not much for your purpose because I know the subtiltie of the generation that fyrste named it whose caste it is alwayes to busie mens myndes wyth straunge names darcke termes and subtile disputations aboute the same to holde men occupied in trifles and to keepe them froÌ„ the playnes of the trueth Other wise they could haue ben coÌ„tent to haue named it the breaking of the bread with Luke or the supper of the Lorde wyth Paule But for the nature of the Hebrue worde Lerne what Sanctes Pagninus wryteth in Thesauro lingue sancte 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Missa sufficientiaÌ„ significat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est Sufficientiam voluntatis aut spontis manns tue TarghuÌ„ Deut. xv xviii pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est sufficieÌ„tia habet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rabbi Selomoh in coÌ„meÌ„taries exponit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficieÌ„tiaÌ„ Rabbi AbrahaÌ„ hoc pacto scribit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Daghessatur samech nam deducitur a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est signâ—m Iheroâ—iâ—nus OblationeÌ„ spontaneaÌ„ manâ— tue Vnde dicuÌ„t noÌ„ nulli quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est oblatio que fit deo propter aliquod munus personale quibus non assentior cum nullus ex Hebreis doctoribus hoâ—dicat quos legerim Hactenus Pagninus These wordes declare the nature of this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by diriuatioÌ„ euen froÌ„ the original Whiche howe wel it agreeth with our englishe word masse let the learned iudge It caÌ„ not be tried hereby that it is a sacrifice for the quicke for the dead but rather cleane coÌ„trarie by that whiche Pagninus affirmeth Ther is yet an other Hebrue worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifiynge a tribute whiche some men saye is the originall because of the contribution and payment that was gathered for the reliefe of the pore in the beginning There is also a verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which betokeneth to melte or to be dissolued awaye where of you may diriue Missa if you wyll
bicause the houre is at hande wheÌ„ the Masse and all mans inuentions shal melt like waxe before the brenning fyre of the word of god But what mattier maketh it whereof thys worde cometh seinge al the worlde seeth that your Masse is a Masse and heape of ceremonies and fonde gestures nothinge after the forme that Christ our maister did institute it Seinge therfore you haue both geuen it a newe name chaunged the thinge it selfe also men that do mislyke your doinges maye wythout blame gyue it the name that they fynde in scriptures to call Christes deede into remembraunce whiche you haue almoste extinguished We therefore do coÌ„munely call it the supper of the Lorde as Paule doeth because at his last supper Christ dyd ordeine this sacrameÌ„t for a memorie remembraunce But for the worde Cena it is inough for chyldren to daly as you do in the scholes And the text of Paule is playne inough It is the mattier that we coÌ„tende for not the termes Thys terme the supper of the Lorde doeth signifie vnto vs the worke that Christe dyd and the thing that shoulde be had in memorie Your masse you say signifieth but no maÌ„ caÌ„ tell by what propertie of laÌ„guage al these thynges The gloriouse presence of the bodie and bloud of Christ the whole circumstauÌ„ces vsed and ceremonies done the deuoute prayers that be spoken by the priest Wel it is a smal mattier for you that can chaunge thynges and creatures to chaunge wordes and names at your pleasure Polidore semeth to speake in differeÌ„tly for vs both in this mattier where he sayeth that in the Masse there was an offeringe and gathering for the poore whiche fauoureth some thynge of the Hebrue worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tributum collectum But the pore are dispised and therfore there remayneth only the songe that is called the Offertorie sayth he which was songe whiâ—se the money was in gathering Finally whether you prelates whiche cal your selues the church may say with Paule Ego accepi a domino quod et tradidi vobis Let al me iudge that haue knowledge to perceyue what is in your Masse and what the Lorde dyd at his supper when he coÌ„maunded vs to do this in the remeÌ„braunce of hym and that we shoulde al drinke thereof Yea that so ofte as we eate of this bread drinke of thys cup we shoulde shewe furth the death of the Lorde vnto that he come whiche is the onely thynge that we desyre to haue the death of Christe preached in thys sacrament for that is the only fode life of the soule where you wyll haue nothynge but blynde diguisinges wherwith neither the body nor soul caÌ„ be fed ⧠Of theues that steâ—e awaye the fode of the soule THey would steale awaye the precious fode of the body and bloude of Christ make it a bare drinking of breade and wine Iudge you that be of god how we would steale awaye the precious fode of the body bloud of Christ wheÌ„ we do coÌ„tinually teach that this is the only fode of the soule and the working of the meate that neuer perisheth to beleue hym whom the father hath sent And would haue therfore the coÌ„ming sufferyng of Christ preached vnto the people by this sacrameÌ„t that they mighte continually feede of his body brokeÌ„ for them for the only fode of their soules Yea rather you are the theues the whole worlde to witnes that robbe the shepe of the fode of their soules You rob the pore people of the testament of their father You rob vs lay leude meÌ„ of the one halfe of the sacrament You take froÌ„ vs the testament which only was strikeÌ„ and established in the bloud which was coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the olde testameÌ„t to be sprinckled vpoÌ„ al the people of the which we were al coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the new testament to drinke And bisides that in the ministering of this sacrameÌ„t you wyl preach nothing of the death of Christ vnto vs though it be the sacrament therof No you will not speake one worde of his death passion nor once name vnto vs his body broken and his bloude shed for our synnes that it mighte be the fode of our soules You cause vs to gape gase at dead dombe ceremonies whereby the soule that is spiritual caÌ„ not be fed Yea that is worste of al in the steede of this fode of Christ you do kyl the soule not only with famine for lacke of this fode but also wyth the moste present poyson of Idolatrie The vtter confusion and distruction of all that wyllyngly folowe it And where they wyll passe none of their owne suppers on the greatest fastinge daye without fleshe yet in this supper of the lorde they diuise a diete wythout deinties to haue nothynge present but breade and wyne In our owne suppers we do vse no superstitioÌ„ of meates nor daies because God hath created al his creatures to be takeÌ„ with thankes giuinge as his good creatures and hath made maÌ„ Lorde ouer dayes and times to vse theÌ„ to his necessitie to serue to his vse And though the Iewes were nourterid for a time with shadowes of daies meates like ordinauÌ„ces tyl Christ the body did come set vs at libertie froÌ„ al such boÌ„dage yet because we christiaÌ„s haue once professed to worshyp god in spirite truth we may not turne backe froÌ„ the same to folowe the grosse superstitioÌ„ that the Pope hath soweÌ„ thorowout his kyngdoÌ„ but labour to breake it to take it awaye for the wealth of our brethreÌ„ leste peraduenture they that be weake do stil thinke it an high honour vnto god great holines to eate fish vpoÌ„ certeine daies coÌ„mauÌ„ded by the Pope to be so fasted and coÌ„trariwise that the eating of fleshe on those daies is dishonour vnto him a crime deseruing sore punishment And thus by our streÌ„gth the weake be offeÌ„ded established in their errour EueÌ„ as thei did that dyd styll eate of the meate offered vnto the Idols amongest the Corhinthians though thei dyd know that nothing was poluted or vucleane of it selfe yet thei sitting at the table of the Idoles were the occasion that the weake brothers who fraimed their fayth after thexeÌ„ple of theÌ„ that had knowledge were established in their errour by seing theÌ„ sit at the meate of Idols For it was not the maner that any maÌ„ shoulde syt at the Idoles table but suche as would be partakers of the Idolatrie In this point dyd Peter offeÌ„de also wheÌ„ he disseÌ„bled in the eating of â—eat paul rebuked him therfore In our owne suppers therefore we eate flesh or fish indiffereÌ„tly as is offred vnto vs giue god thaÌ„kes for his creatures WheÌ„ we fast we absteine froÌ„ both And not regarding bodily things for the time we do occupy our selues in spiritual meditation in mournynge for our sinnes the sinnes of the people And wheÌ„
your handes For from the easte to the west my name is greate amonges the heathen And euerye where do they bren incense and offer vnto my name euen a pure offeringe For greate is my name amonge the heathen sayeth â–ª the Lorde of hostes and you haue poluted it in your wordes The phariseis to whom this was spoken thought them selues and theyr sacrifices so acceptable in the sight of God that they despised al other people as you do nowe And therfore this text serueth agaynst you boeth That enerie wher in euerie nacion and people as Peter was taught in the Act. the pure offeringe in spirite and trueth shalbe offereâ—… So that we maye truelie saie that Malachie doeth make agaynste you teacheing that aâ— al prophecies are general as the Iewes preistes were refused for their couetousnesse so shall you for yours And as he declared that their sacrifices ceremonies where vpoÌ„ they boasted bragged so much shoulde cease so are yours now at the same point He declared also that God should be honoured in spirite trueth thorowout all nacions euen as we haue an example of C xx M. in Niniue of diuers priuate persons in diuers coÌ„treyes as NaamaÌ„ in Siria the wydow of Serephtha Iethro the father inlawe of Moyses Hira of Tirus the quene of the south which though they were not of the outwarde Israell dyd neuerthelesse magnifie the name of the lord offer the caâ—ues of their lyps offering a pure offeringe of thaÌ„kes geueing offering theyr own bodies a liueinge sacrifice holie acceptable vnto God this is the pure offeringe that the prophet Malachie did speake of I will not striue with you about your doctours any more because I inteÌ„d to auoide the infinite conteÌ„cions whiche I perceyue doe a rise of them Notwithstandinge here is a iust occasioÌ„ offered as ther hath ben many times where Gregorie Nazianzeue calleth fasteynge in Christe a bulworke and defence against teÌ„tacioÌ„ As though christ which could not sinne neaded any such bulworke And yet so far as we know he was tempted when he was fasteynge The same Gregorie calleth fasteyngein vs apurgacion or cleanseynge What should we coÌ„teÌ„de about this mattier Lyke as it pleased God to gyue powre vnto Moyses to fast xl dayes twyse in the mountayne not for the a voydeinge of tentacion but for to set forthe the gloriouse lawe and wyll of the father then to be published And Elias beynge sent to anoynte a Kynge ouer Siria a Kynge and a prophet ouer Israell by whoÌ„ boeth thefe kingdoÌ„es shouldbe cleane tered chaunged did faste fortie dayes from all maner meate for the declareinge of the powre of God in his workes So did it please Christ of his owne powre to faste fortie dayes that the Iewes shoulde haue none occasion to thinke hym inferionre to those ij theyr greateste prophetes in the publisheynge of his gospell and glad tithinges vnto the worlde and his renewynge of all thinges Not to the entent that we should folowe him and therby haue purgacioÌ„ of oure synnes For besyde that it is impossible to folowe him without an especiall worke of the spirite either in that he fasted xl dayes or in that he was neuer hongrie this were a plain deniall of the benefite of his passion and the settinge vp of our owne worke which is vnperfect For what great mattier is it to eate meate but once eueri daye and drinke ij or iij many haue so liued in the olde tyme. And what holinesse is it to eate fish onely do not cormorâ—ntes and such as lyue by the sea syde lyue so lykewise Christ hath coÌ„maunded vs to folowe him in loue peace mercie and such lyke but in this example as a thinge imposseble we haue no such coÌ„maundement except we be drawn into wildernes by the spirit as Christ was or by any other worke of God we be destiâ—â—te of fode the coÌ„fort of creatures then Lo the example of Christe may strength vs and teach that not by bread onely do we liue but by euery worde that proceadeth out of the mouth of God Woulde God that true fasteynge and prayer were taught and vsed and popeish abuse abolished for trueth and falshode can not be coupled to gether But you bishopes must bear the blame for all these thynges if it be not amended shortly For you haue taken the charge of the flocke ⧠An answere to diuers questions IN the ende of your boke we loked for a substanciall rehersall of your stronge argumentes where with you haue coÌ„firmed this mattier that you haue taken in hande But we find a rable of confused questians nothinge partaynige to this purpose which we must touch or els you wyl saye that you are not answered And therfore do you craftely heape these to gether in the ende of your boke that in the wrappeynge vp of so many matters you may haue credite of the coÌ„mune people as a professed patrone of theyâ— vsed errours and cause vs to be despysed as the contemners of all these thinges that you do styfly mayntayne This is deuillishe sophistrie subtiltie of Sathan mindeinge nothinge but contencion debate strife when one stynge is stinged to shote forth an other Yea it is rather the moÌ„strouse poysoÌ„ful nature of Hidra that Hercules slewe wheÌ„ thou haddest striken of one heade to haue vij or moe ariseinge in his place When you caÌ„ not ouercome by argumentes in the matter we haue in hande then stricke you vp newe alarum to a newe fielde of contencion Thus shal we neuer haue don if we now a freshe take in hand to answer you Fyrste you demaunde which is the true fast which is the true prayer Then what place the preachinge of Godes word owght to haue in the church what place the doctriâ—e of men may haue in the worshype of God Agayn whether the sacrament ought to be ministered in boeth the kyndes or but in breade onelye For you wyll euer be inuentynge newe mat tiers to occupie mens mindes in contencion and to affraye simples soules from the scriptures And because you wyll maintayne all poperie thought you perceiue it is nothing you can fynde faute with nothynge that the popehath inuented But when you are demaunded of any of his trifles a lone you saie they are nothing And yet you wil haue thys large heape of nothinges to be the masse as you call it and whole heape of our religion and euerie one seuerallie to be necessarie to your estate Agayne by your boke we haue iust occasioÌ„ ministred were it not that we would gladly auoide coÌ„teÌ„cionto examin this moÌ„strouse geare to their worthinesse and to speake of al your nothinges dombe signes lieing shadowes that your father you haue heretofore inueÌ„ted But thaÌ„ should we neuer haue done for euerie one of these argumeÌ„tes would aske an whole boke lyke as the mattier of the sacrament hath done you haue so blinded the trueth in theÌ„ all
prophecie agaynst you that haue the names of shepeherdes and wyll not feede his flocke with his worde but feede your selues by your craftie inuentions and cause the shepe to go astraye in the wylde mountaines of your errours Wo vnto the shepeherdes of Israell sayeth the Lorde whiche do feede them selues oughte not the flocke to be fed of the shepeherdes But you haue eaten the mylke you are clothed wyth their woll you sley that whiche is fat and feede your selues and wyl not feede my flocke You conforte not the weake you heale not the sicke you bynde not vp the broken you seeke not that whiche perisheth but wyth power and rigour do you rule ouer them Thus are my shepe scattered because they haue no shepeherde and deuoured wyth wylde beastes They go wanderynge in the mountaynes and are scattered thorowe the earth and no man doeth seeke them No man doeth seeke them I saye As truly as I do lyue sayth the Lorde God because my flocke is thus spoyled my shepe denoured whylse the shepeherdes do feede them selues and dispise my flocke Lo I my selfe wyll require my flocke at the handes of these shepeherdes and they shal neither feede my flocke nor yet them selues any loÌ„ger For I wil deliuer my flocke out of their mouthes sayeth the Lorde Thys is the talke that God the father hath thorowout the olde testament agaynste you that wyl not be coÌ„tent to feede his flocke wyth his worde onely without the sowre leuen of mannes doctrine He calleth you men fed and led with the winde of errours Idole shepeherdes yea deuouring wolfes that wyl neuer be saciate Seinge then that boeth the scriptures and your owne lyues do testifie of you that you are such rotten trees or rather poysoned stockes what fruites of heauenly doctrine shall we loke to springe from you Do men gather grapes of thornes or figges of thystles The yuyl tree caÌ„bring no good fruite Christe therefore in the newe testament and in his firste sermon gyueth vs warnyng of suche Idole shepeherdes sayinge Beware of these false prophetes whiche come to you in shepes clothynge for inwardly they are rauenyng wolfes And after that he had rebuked them that would seme to know al thynges yet could not see the tyme of their visitation callynge them Hypocrites wicked nation aduoulterouse generation that coulde not marcke or ponder the signe of Ionas the Prophete streightwaye he admonished his to take hede not of the leuen of breade but of the seuen of the doctrine of the scribes and phariseis Neither dyd he at any time rebuke so sharply as when he dyd speake of these blynde shepeherdes their doctours shewing how theido teach the traditous of meÌ„ to put the preceptes of God out of place that all their doctrine maketh for their corban and lucre that thei do all thynges to be sene of men Thus do you also folowynge the trade of your fathers For couetise worldly pompe and hypocrisie do establishe all the workes and doctrines of men that you do cal so necessarie Reade the damnation that Christ him selfe pronounceth agaynst you in the. xxiii of Mathewe Where he gyueth vs oure lesson also that we shall keepe obserue your doctrines so longe as they come furth of the seate and doctrine of Moyses But in no wyse to folowe your workes He teacheth in the beginnyng of his preachyng that oâ—les our ryghtuousnes do farre passe the ryghtuousnes of the scribes phariseis who onely were accompted the church in those dayes as you woulde be nowe we can not entre the kyngdome of God The state of the phariseis and you O bishops lest you should murmour and grudge at my playne wrytynges is in thys case of your doctrines for the feedynge of Christes â—locke all one Neither hath any of you authoritie either to make lawes or interprete the scriptures for boeth haue one strength muste be done by the same spirite you haue none authoritie I saye oâ—er the flocke further then you haue the worde of God for you And bryngynge that worde you maye saye he that despiseth you despiseth God As for thynges indifferent you muste say as Paul sayed vpon this your owne exeÌ„ple If any maÌ„ be coÌ„tentiouse the church of God knoweth no suche custome So that rather then any suche bitter contention as is nowe adayes shoulde continue it were better that all your in uentions were refused For seinge that your authoritie is gyueÌ„ to edifie by loue and charitie you maye not abuse it and destrye by bitter braulynge and cruell contention for suche thynges as were not good before you named them so nor yuyl before you did forbid them Thus do I take many of your doctrines of men to be indifferent As to stande vp at the Gospell to praye or preach bare headed to eate fishe this daye or that daye All these thynges being indifferent in their kinde that is to saye nothinge yuyll being voyed of superstition are by superstition made yuyll For that chaungeth good into yuyll Yet are the beste of these doctrines but vayne worshippe of God euen in their best vse For his worship standeth in spirite and trueth But you haue other doctrines and that verie manie that are manifestly yuyll because you do therein adulterate the worde of God as dyd the phariseis when they added their gloses to the coÌ„maundementes of God As when God sayed Thou shalte loue thy neighboure they added hate thyne enemie God sayed Thou shalte not swere but they added vnto the precepte Paye vnto the Lorde the thynge that thou swearest Agayne dyd not the olde pharisies wyth their sowre leueÌ„ whiche is Hypocrisie make vnpleasante and vnsauerie the two speciall workes of the newe man Fastynge and prayer Dyd not Christe hym selfe continually rebuke them because thei brake the commaundementes of God for their owne traditions doctrines where God the father had giuen commaunmente to honoure father and mother they cryed for their gayne their corban and offerynges Where God asketh the whole herte and thereof onely measureth all oure doinges their teachynge is to worshippe wyth the lippes though the herte be farre from me sayeth the Lorde by his Prophete In vayne therefore do they worshippe teachynge the doctrines as preceptes of men The whiche doctrines syth their firste bebyâ—â—ynge the true Prophetes of Christe seekynge the onely honour of God haue froÌ„ time to time laboured to coÌ„fute to restore to their worthiâ—es the preceptes of God his holie coÌ„mauÌ„dementes which euer more amongest hypocrites haue ben in small reputation in comparison of their owne inuentions In somuch that all these Prophetes whom God sent to beate downe the blynde errours of mennes dreames were hated persecuted from Citie to Citie scourged slayne and crucifyed So that all the bloude of the iuste whiche was and shall be shed vpon the earth from Abell to the worldes ende maye be heaped vpon the Hypocrites in the
vp the great heape of your baggage which you cal the substaunce of your religion And therfore do you nowe fyght wyth fyre faggot for the conseruation of the same that it maye conserue you in your lordly dignities Thus hath your worldly witted fathers euen from the begynnynge fought wyth the sayntes of God whose bloud cryeth froÌ„ vnder the aultare and asketh vengeaunce shal be hearde ryght spedily Marke good bishops whom â–ª you haue alwaye murthered euen froÌ„ the begynnyng Whiche of the Prophetes of the olde testament did escape chiefe priestes and byshops And syth the comyng of Christ your murthers are innumerable I wyll not nor caÌ„ not recken them Dyd not Christe hym selfe dye by the conspiracie of Annas Cayphas and other bishops because he rebuked the worlde of blyndenes Al such as you haue murtherd sence that tyme haue cleare testimonies of theyr innocencie by some of your owne scribes and wryters Had not Husse whoÌ„ yon accompt the Arche heretike foure seales of the noble men of Morania to wytnesse his innocent lyfe and godly learnynge to your cursed cruel counsayle at coÌ„staunce Doeth not Pope Piê° otherwyse called Eneas Silnius Pogius the Florentyne Platina Sabellicus and other your owne men reporte well of hym But to come home boeth to your owne tyme countrey Who doth not bewaile the tiranny that you shewed vnto that innocent lambe Bylnaye who beinge demaunded in derision by a proude papist when he went to his death why he wroughte no miracles beinge so holy as he was accompted answered wyth mylde voice countenaunce God onely sayed he worketh miracles and wonders and he it is that hath wrought thys one wonder in our eyes that I being wrongfully accused falsly belyed opprobriously and spytefully haÌ„dled imprisoned buffetted and condempned to the fyre yet hitherto haue I not once opened my mouth with one euyl worde agaynst any of you This passeth the worke of nature is therefore the manifest miracle of god who wyl by my suffering death be glorified and haue his trueth enhaunced What report haue you gotteÌ„ for the murthering of Hunne in the lowlars towre You had neither felonie nor treason to laye to his charge yet most vilanously dyd the chauncelour of London murther that honest man for his owne childes crisome I wyl say nothing of the priest that was found hanging in your porters warde And fiue hundreth mo wherof some haue by your tirannouse handlyng for sworne the truth forsakeÌ„ theyr maisters Some for feare of your tiraÌ„ny haue renne out of their wittes some haue forsaken their couÌ„treis chosyng rather to â—…ue like banished men then to suffre your cruell and babilonical bondage I coulde reken many whose life is yet in the eyes of the worlde and the cause of their death vtterly vnknowne vnlesse it were for speakynge agaynste your popishe madnesse Wherfore dyed Barnes Therome Garret in the late storme of your capitayne of Norfolke steared for his kinswoman They were neither declared felons nor â—…aytours They dyd not stryue wyth you agaynst the god of bread But this was their death so far as I could learne because they preached man to be iustified by fayth in the bloud of Christ onely by none of your popishe inuentions OhtiraÌ„ny intollerable You haue to long blynded our gouernours made them your butchars and tormentours What should I speake of the last persecution wheÌ„ you caused to be proclamed that no boke of christian religion should be brought into this Realme froÌ„ beyonde the sea Howe many dyd you then murther woulde haue done mo had not the Kinge by his power plucked out of your clawes one whom you had with small equitie examined and wyth lesse iustice coÌ„demned What iustice did you shewe in that you dyd so shamefully racke Anne Askue after she was condemned But she shewinge more constancie then hath bene communely seene in a woman shal nowe after the death of hir body worke you shame to all your posteritie Was Lassels wyth the other his felowes martyrs coÌ„fessinge the liuinge God and his sonne Christ the only sauiour worthily burned with fire as you did rashly determine and iudge condemned and destroied in body and soule What were they whoremongers Idolatours adulterers theues extorsiouers or maÌ„quellers Vpon suche cometh the wrath of God suche haue no parte in the kingdome of God But you suffre to lyue you shewe no power agaynst them No you are not any thynge terrible vnto suche for they dwell at your noses they eate at your tables and are your darlinges But who that speaketh any thinge agaynste your popishe Idols brainsicke inuentions haue he neuer so faythful an hert to God and be he neuer so trustie to his prince yet must he be an heretike a traytour a lowlar and all together This doeth the worlde espie at the length talketh of you I woulde this talke mighte make you leaue your euyll doinges and to learne at the least to do some parte of your dutie before the wrath of God fal vpon you But I do feare me al wordes are but wynde with you Onely vexation and chastisement wyll giue you vnderstandinge For lo here you saye ful finely and like a popishe prelate that woulde haue all thinge broughte to the olde blyndenes and ignoraunce and to suche captiuitie and bondage that no man shoulde talke of his fayeth but vnder my Lordes licence though Peter commaunded the contrary You saye that of fayth there is so muche talke tattelinge to vse your owne termes that true beliefe is gone Surely if you call thys true beliefe the Romishe beliefe of pardones pilgrimages when we myght haue no talke of â—ure fayth but were coÌ„maunded in payne of cursinge and burninge to beleueâ—… as the churche of Rome beleueth like as you can knowe none other true churche nor none other good men but suche as folowe that church I graunt your beliefe is fore wasted I trust shall right shortly coÌ„sume like stubble with the fyre of Goddes worde and true workes of mercie peace and louing kindneâ—… shall springe furth wheÌ„ men knowynge thaâ— your Pope holy workes are but the madnes of idle braynes shal worship the liuing God in spirite and trueth But lo you wyll haue here the carte to go before the horsse and wyl haue vs to do these workes before we knowe them saying that doing is the way to knowledge where coÌ„trary wise al wel doing must needes springe of knowledge as the onely thinge that maketh our deedes good And because you bishops are so slowe in preaching good workes that God requireth the people muste needes be stacke in doinge them For you should be the salt of the earth But seinge that you be become vnsauourie howe caÌ„ you season other You preach your owne inuentions the preceptes and coÌ„maundementes of men and them must we needes knowe and confesse or els must we be brent But it is
of the fleshe nor by the wyll of man but are borne of God as Peter sayeth Borne againe not of mortall seede but by the worde of the lyuinge God This is the milke not of the bodie saieth Peter but it is the meate and milke of the soule that knoweth no gile Thus renneth all the scripture by metaphors and borowed speache from bodilie meate to spirituall meate from the bodilie teeth and eatinge to the spirituall eatinge by the soule whiche can be done by faith onely So that he whiche is not borne from aboue of the spirite can neither see the kingdome of God nor come vnto Christe let him eate the breade wherein you saye is really the fleshe so longe as you luste For this muste needes be true That whiche is borne of the fleshe is fleshe and that whiche is borne of the spirite is spirite Euen like as Moyses set vp the serpent in the wildernesse that so many as woulde come vnto it mighte be saued from the firie serpentes so likewise was the sonne of man exalted that al that do beleue in him shoulde not perishe but haue euerlasting life Againe So hath God loued the worlde that he hath giuen his onely sonne that who so beleueth in him shall not perishe but haue life euerlastinge Againe He that beleueth in him shall not be condemned And he that beleueth not in him is condemned all readie because he beleued not in the name of the onely begotten sonne of God Thus may we see that fayth and not eaâ—…inge of Christ really in the sacrament doeth â—…aue and bringe life euerlasting And not to â—…eleue in the onely begotteÌ„ sonne of God is â—…amnation of bodie and soule So is it not to â—…enie your gloses really present and bodilie â—…aten Yea mainteininge this grosse opinion â—…ou can not esteme him to be the sonne of the â—…uinge God nor beleue the worke that his â—…ather hath wronght in his death For God the father dyd not sende hys â—…ne in the fourme of breade or any other creature but onely in the fourme of man to the entent to exalt man therby to make man of his householde to giue life vnto man by his sonne Christe to raise him againe wyth Christe and cause him to sit together wyth Christ amonge the heauenly spirites And to shewe furth in the worlde to come the passing richesse of his grace in his godnesse towardes vs by Christe Iesu We beleue in the onely begotten sonne whiche was made man to saue the worlde â–ª wherefore we can not be condemned though we do seeke none other straunge beliefe of really present and bodisie eaten to feede the bodies whiche thinges are not taught in the scriptures You do not beleue in the onely begotten sonne made man but made breade to take awaye sinnes wherfore vnlesse you do repent your daÌ„natioÌ„ is at hande because you beleue not in the name of the onely begotten sonne of God whiche is the onely begotten sonne as he is man coÌ„ceiued by the holie goste and borne of the virgin Mary not as he is bread blowen with your stinkinge breathes Neither is he the onely begotteÌ„ sonne of God as he is wine whispered into your chalice Howe do you beleue in this name the only begotten sonne of God wheÌ„ the scripturâ—… teacheth you that there is none other name vnder heauen wherby men should be saued and yon do saye that there is an other thinge whiche some name the Masse and some the sacrament of the aultare that saueth from sinnes and is a sacrifice boeth for the quicke and the deade and as your man Damascen wryteth it purgeth all diseases and incommodities Furthermore We do beleue that Iesu Christe is the Christ that is the anoynted of God to offre the sacrifice wherewyth onely the father coulde be pleased and therefore are we borne of God You do say that you are the Christes and anointed priestes to offer styll for the sinnes of the people Who is your father but he that woulde darken the sacrifice of the onely begotten sonne of God and sit in the temple of God boasting him selfe for God being in deede the aduersarie and is lifted vp agaynst euerie thinge that is God or godly the wycked man the cursed childe Againe God the father sayed this is my dearly besoued sonne in whoÌ„ I am pleased and pacified heare you him We beleue this worde and wyll seeke no further but to thys onely begotten dearly beloued sonne of God Neither to pacifie the wrath of God for oure trespasses nor yet to seeke any other teacher of his wyll then the sonne of God whom we are commaunded to heare You wyll sette vp the Masse your owne worke to pacifie the father for the sinnes of the quicke the deade You wyll haue your owne doctours to descant newe gloses and these must the pore flocke of Christ heare beleue and confesse or els they shall be brent But to heare Christe the onely begotten sonne of god speake in the scriptures is poyson to al men vnder the degree of gentlemen and punishable by your lawes as in the cases of heresie What call you this but to make the onely begotten sonne of God an hereticke Call you thys the beleuynge in his name Thus maye we proue that you beleue in the Popes name whose lawes and wrytynges are reserued of certeyue men for certeyue purposes and are as muche practised and more stoutely defended then any thynge that Christ coÌ„maundeth Yea howe can we thinke but that you beleue more in the Pope when you defende his Actes more styfly then the lawes of the lyuynge God What if it shoulde be proclamed that no maner boke concernynge any parte of the Popes reâ—igion shoulde be broughte into the Realme and that al those which are brought in alreadie shoulde be brent coulde you byshopnes beare this thynge so guietly as you dyd diligently laboure to haue all sâ—che bokes of christen religion brent and banished But to make an ende where we beganne Iohn sayeth that euerie spirite that contelleth Christe to be comen in the fleshe is borne of God Thys do we conâ—esse that denie him to be come in breade wherefore we be borne of God And thus beleâ—ing in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oâ—ten sonne of God we can not be condemned But that spirite whiche doeth not confesse Christe to be comen in the fleshe is not of God And thys is the spirite of Antichriste of whom you haue hearde that he shal come and he is in the worlde alreadie Nowe seinge that we so many of vs as confesse Christe to be come in the fleshe be borne of God why shoulde nor we for the glorie of oure heauenly father aâ—d for oure saluation be so readie to laye downe oure soules in the faythfull handes of his câ—…todie as the spirite of Antichriste and the chyldren of this worlde are to speake 〈◊〉 â—or the mainteinaunce of Ido atric â—he kingdom of Antichrist to their owne 〈◊〉 â—amnation Worldly Pompe and
weake Christes coÌ„myng is at hande i. Corh xi Byshoppes haue ben and be the defenders of all wyckednes i. Chrin xi Exod. xii Pas Cxrxiiii and. Cxlv. Psa Cxlviii Math. xxiii 〈◊〉 Corint xiiii We must coÌ„firme our lyues to the bishoppes lyfe The prelates discourage vs froÌ„ preaching the Lordes death Doctoure Buttes Deut. xxvi Iud. ix An Image caÌ„ not be a womannes husbande My lorde woulde haue no translatioÌ„ by his wyll Fayth is the mouth that receyueth Christes bodie Iohn vi The Apostles were stroÌ„ger in Christes absence theÌ„ in his preâ—ence The true blisse is to hear theword of God and folowe it If we wilenter into Christes kyngdoÌ„e we muste bec borne a newe Christes fleshe giueth lyfe Iohn vi My Lorde myght haue ben ashamed to make thys boaste Iohn vi Hebr. x. i. Corhi x. Note the cause why this sacrameÌ„t was instituted in breade Wiuchesters wordes The answer So much differeÌ„ce is betwene the signe and the thing sngnified as is betwen the maister and seruant vii viii ix x. My â—ord sinneth iâ— wylful blindnes Ro. x. Onely God is true and al men are lyars Gene eare for God sayth it The ruine of the gentiles is at hande Noman ameÌ„deth his maners The worlde doeth alwaies striue against the spirite your Idoles shalbe brâ—…t The newe found god is â—ccursed of God The whole worlde foloweth Idoleâ— Man hath made him gods of the â—â—est creatures At his departing Christe commaunded his remembraÌ„ce to be celebrated A vaine â—â—uÌ„lâ—uge called the masse A double câ—…sion God recordeth theÌ„ that worship him in spirite Esai lxvi Act. xvii God is meri to euerie one of vs God is the father of spirites The Lorde speaketh to the prelates The obstinate muste not be prayed for God hath his ministers of vengeaunce The bishoppes are commaunded to stande vp and answere The Lorde plageth the tyrannouse rulers Idols be thaÌ„ked for the benifites that God gyueth God giueth â—…eth â—…geâ—… God is far in dept to his makers This almoÌ„de is wel blanched God is not chaungeable The feare of a mouse causeth al this defence Ferae not the bread God The suppression of Abbayes was for Idolatrie The breade God is thrise miserable Because all thinges are possible to God he can escape the prieâ—â—es iuglyng That whiche is sacrificed must nedes be slaine Christ onely must be oure bishoppe He that wyll finde Christe muste seke hym at the right hande of the father They that will sede carnally vpon Christ can not beleue in hym The cause why Christ caâ—…ed the bread hys bodye The lyfe that is in all blessed spirits is the knoweledge of christ In that the flesh of Christ was giueÌ„ for the life of the world it was heueÌ„ly bread other wyse not AbrahaÌ„ waâ—… accompted iust before 〈…〉 was certuâ—… sised God accepâ—eth none oâ—her iustice out onelye that whyche â—s by fayeth The Israelites fed not on a signe or sacrament God regardeth not the offring of signes or sacramentes Christ neuer preached traÌ„s substaÌ„ciacioÌ„ God intended to haue iust occasion â–ª to exaltvs wheÌ„ he made his son man Ephe. i. These flesly sacramentaries are eaters mans fleshe as the Sithians are Psa xvii The spirite beareth witnesse that we are sonnes by adoption God regardeth none of oure inuencions The doctours are to be suspected because they please the papestes so wel These doctoure that be called S. sit highly in tht consciences of men Fryth is nat yet confuted Wicklifes wicket openeth the waie God is pacient and of loÌ„g suffering More maye be an exemple to mockars Rom. iii. To the god all thinges are good and to the wicked contrarie It is more easie to lyue well then yll If thyâ—ges of auncient tyme be to be receiued theÌ„ is ther no vice to be refused Tyme vtterreth al thynges Two against â—wâ— The definicion of a sacrament A broade shaueÌ„ crowne is the signe of folishuesse Two things are to be considered in asacrament One thynge can not be boeth visible and inuisible 〈◊〉 Corh xxi Math. xvii Marke xiiii Luc. xxii i. Corh x. Wynchester would haue vs saye our lorde and not the Lorde Luc. xxiiii Act. ii Nothing like Exod. iiii Gens xxxii The etimologie of this worde Israel Theyr owne testimonie is inought to declare them to be woulfes If the prelates had had the true vnderstandinge of scriptures they woulde not haue maintained errours From the elders haue we receiued al wickednesse Ther is no faute in the Romeish church Wynchester preached opeÌ„ly agaynst gods worde Luk. x. Math. x. It is for the papistes profite to keepe the worlde in blyndnesse Mich. iii. Zach. i. Iherem xxiii Let them that doubt aske of God The knowledge of the â—onges is profitable to the studie of scripture Sathan beginneth to roare The bishops open the waie for the turkes to enter Winchesters wordes The answere The papistes busy mennes myndes wyth straunge names i. Corh xi Polidore de inuentoribus â—erum Winchesters wordes The answer Who be the theues that steale awaye the fode of the soule Winchesters wordes The answere Learne to auoied offence in eatinge of meates i. Cor. x. Galath ii Learne at the byshoppes to faste The father geuethe the true breade from heauen The masse is not the memorie of Christe That which the prieste eateth doeth vs no good The vertue of the masse of the fiue woundes Malach. i. Act. x. â—… â–ª vii Gregorie Nazianzene for fasteynge The cause whie Christe fasted Lerne where in to folow Christe Hidra the monster the hercules slewe My Lordes answere in priuate communicacion Stephane Gardinar Gods wrod must gene place to mattens â–ª i Corch xiiii Mat. xv Rom. xiiii 〈◊〉 Timoth. iii. Coloss ii How fasteynge driueth forth diuilles Fishe prouoâ— Doctrine preached at Poules crosse Psalm cxviii My lorde recant for shame Exemples of mens inuentions i. Reg. xv i. Thess iiii Leuite xix xxv Hebr. xiii ii Corh iiii i. Corh xi Iherou xxii xxiii Geue no eare to the prophetes that deceyue you Ezechi xxxiii Ezech xxxiiij The true de scription of our prelates Math. vii Math. xvi Marke vii Math. vi Math. xxiii Mat. v. The phariseis and byshops al one Superstition maketh all thinges euyll Iohn iiii Math. vi Math. xv Esai xxix Math. v. Math. vi Math. xv Math. xxiii Math. vi The morian and leopardâ—… Toutch not Coloâ—â— ii Wyl holines The kentishe man Beware of my Lordes lyes Some drinke no wyne Luke xxiiil Aâ—tâ— ii The prelateâ— consideracion i. Corh x. The cup of brotherli loue Winchesters wordes The answer Tradicions and churche An apt similitude In the. cxxvi â—eafe of my lordes boke the. xvii liue A shauen crowne is no thynge Leuit. xix A loÌ„g gowne is nothynge The Apostles werenot aâ—ointed withoutward oyles Learne to knowe a true prieste Osee iiii The anoynting of the spirite Holy water The perfecâ— on of the bishops faste Husse Bylnay Hunne Barnes Norfolke Anne Askue Iohn Lassels The bishops darlinges The salt is â—â—sauourie Cato An Englishe bishoppe Fyll the bealie to come to Christe 1. Pet. i. i. Pet. ii Ephe. ii Math. v.
myght repent me of my works I had eueÌ„ theÌ„ iust occasioÌ„ to haue sorowed for the benifites that I had shewed vnto your wicked kinde the wickednesse wherof was so greate that I could not other wise expresse it to the worthynesse then to saye that it repented me to haue made man Idolatrie was then spred thorowe the whole earth and fewe or none woulde call vpon my name For â—embroth the stoute hunter raysed Idoles in Babilon and the Chaâ—aneâ—s worshiped the fier After that Belus with his coÌ„plices builded a towre to withstaÌ„d my vengeaunce Sodome and Gomore prouoked myne heauie displeasure wyth theyr manifolde enormities To be shorte all the whole world refused â–ª me the leueinge God the wel of liuing waters and digged them cisternes which can holde no water Euerie citie inueÌ„â—ed a straung god Saturnus Iupiter Iuno Mars Mercurie and such othere moÌ„strous Idoles are newelye inuented whylse I destroie the olde But Israell whom I had chosen to be my people to be my holy people coÌ„mauÌ„ding him to haue no maner of Image doeth after so many my greate mercies shewed vnto Aabraham Isaake Iacob and the fathers after suche wonderfull deliueraunce from Pharao set vp a goldeÌ„ calfe the Idole of theire idle braine They renâ—e to Baall Pheger They fill the holy lande whyche I gaue them in heritage full of most filthy Idoles Worthily therfore are thei destroied wyth pistelence famine and swerde But you that heare the name of my soÌ„ne Christe and are named Christians whom I haue by the death of the same myne onely begotteÌ„ sonne made â—…e owne you are much more blame worthy and pour miserable waâ— wardnesse is no longer to be sufferred For you haue these xv hundred yeres prouoked my wrath vpon you renneing head long into al kindes of wickednesse But to pas with silence al other thinges wherin you haue offended my maiestie ther is nothing so vile amongest al my creatures but that you haue assaed to set vp the same as your God dispiceing therin both my powre and the rule that I gaue you ouer al other creatures forgettinge clearelie that I haue exalted myne elect aboue the Angelles and haue fent mine heauenly spirites io do seruice vnto them Al this notwithstanding haue not you worshipped stockes and stones dome and deade blockes and geuen my glorie whiche I do not wyllingely imparte vnto anie other abâ—un dantly to such monsters and I do les polluteinge your bodies with boweinge and beckeing crowcheing 〈◊〉 kneleing kisseing and more filthily defiled your mindes and soules with worshipeinge as goddes such insensible creatures so that you leaue no place of dewe reuerence vnto me your creatur nor to my son Christe whoe suffered moste bitter death to bring you out of bondage You do ofteÌ„ crie Lorde Lorde If I be your lord â–ª where is my feare where is the worship mete for a Lord wherfore do you forsake me your lord You do often times call me father but I meruaile whither the childeli reuerence is banished or into what contrey al brotherly loue is flede Yea muche more do I meruaile where you haue hyd the memorie of my soÌ„ne Christe of whom al fatherhod brotherhode and kinred froÌ„ me to you warde taketh his beginning For he is the firste begotten of euerie creature of whoÌ„ al kinred in heauen and in earth hath his original Who suffering most cruel death for your sinnes and most bitter tormeÌ„tes in his bodie asketh nothinge againe but that you wyll celebrate some thankefull memorie of hys name and not suffer his bountuouse benifite to be forgotten by vnworthy scilence For when he departed from the earth to come agayne to hys heauenlye mansion what dyd he commaund to any of you but onely this that as he had after hys last supper ministred the bread and wyne in misterie so shoulde you so ofte as you eate and drinke in the remembraunce of him Certifiinge you that so ofte as you shoulde eate thys breade and drink of his cup you should shewe his death tyl he come agane vnto you The charge that he geueth you is to do it in the remeÌ„braunce of him promiseing you that he wyll not forget you wher he siteth at the ryght hand of me hys father where he is a continuall mediatour and meane for you neuer ceasynge to opteyn for you what so euer you aske of me in his name But loe your ingratitud you acquite vs our mede Me you do cast cleane frome you and to a stone do you say Thou art my father and to a bloke thou hast begotten me Agayne to my sonne you are so vnkynde and vngentle that you haue pute awaye the memorie of hys death wherby you lyue not onlie forgetfull of the laboures whiche he susfered for your â—akes but also if any of my seruantes wolde renew his memory among you he shal with muche crueltie be put to silence And you boast of a certayn vayne and conterfayte gesture and mumblynge called the masse which you say is more holie and more wisely set forth then Christ my sonne could do it when he was in the worlde Thus do you forsake his coÌ„mauÌ„dement of preachynge his death to your brethern and posteritie for the maintenaunce of popyshe ceremonies the ware of Antechriste wher in you bable blasphemouse collectes with blynde mumblinges Yet pache you your matters wyth my scriptures that you may deceyue so much the more craftelie day lyinge so wyth the pore people in a tounge that they do not vnderstande nor know noâ— â—ne worde what you saye least they shoulde chaunce to dreame any thynge at al of the death of my sonne and haue him in any remembraunce at all Yea and to kepe the matter more secrete you are ryght well ware that when any mencion is made of hys bodie geuen for the worlde you speake not onelie in a strange tonge but also vnder suche scilence that a man had nead to crepe verie nere you and harâ—en verie diligently if he should vnderstaÌ„d any thinge though he were learned in y e tong that you whisper in Yea you blow forth your words so closeli into your chalice as though you intended nought els but to deceiueth people And they silâ—y soules being alâ—o gether astooied through theyr own ignoraunce and your strange gestures cease not to renne about you lyke men amased They fall down and worshyp they wonder at this newe and strangeâ— God in so little a piece of bread They striue who shaldo most honore and reuerence to this weake Idole Yea they falone in aâ—others necke at the soÌ„ne of the little bell They kysse theyr fingers they parte pardoÌ„ to their â—ies and other partes of theyr bodies They strok their heades What god Yea what mortal man coulde abid to be worshiped with such mad gestures But I the lord of hostâ—s for as muche as I am a spirite and the creatour of aâ— pure spirites wyth bodily gestur am I nothing delited but in spirit