Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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B00802
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A most godly and very necessarie lesson to be learned of all christen men and womẽ, before they come to y[e] Communion of the the bodie & bloud of our sauiour Christe Jesus. Compiled by Richard Tracie. Anno .M.D.xlviii..
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Tracy, Richard, d. 1569.
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1548
(1548)
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STC 24163; ESTC S101662
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10,401
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46
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A most godly enstruction and very necessarie lesson to be learned of all christen men and womeÌ„ before they come to the Communion of the bodie bloud of our sauiour Christe Iesus ☞ Compiled by Richard Tracie Anno. M.D.xlviii SAint Peter sayeth that oure aduersary the deuyl i. Peter .v. lyke a roringe lion goeth aboute sekynge whom he may deuowre So that his erneste studie and purpose is euer fixed other wyth fierce cruelty or with pleasaunte suggestioÌ„ or wyth importune hote temptacion to allure and entise man to disobeye goddes lawe whereby he myght bringe man into lyke misery and eternall peyne wherein he nowe iustly suffereth But if he can not atteyne his purpose by these meanes before declared then he transfigureth and chaungeth hymselfe into an Angell of lighte and pretendeth to setforth and maynteyne religion takyng some text and parte of holy scripture to bee hys whole authoritie principle grouÌ„d So that bringinge and allegynge for him the holye scripture no man shall mistruste any disceyte or euyl in hys procedinges and then moste craftelye he intendeth to disceyue euen as he entended to disceyue Christe coluring hys malyciouse entent with authorities of holye scripture Mat .iiii. Euen so he wyth lyke disceyte and policy and wyth no lesse malice towardes man hearinge thys promise of Christe He that eateth my fleshe drinketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in him hath inuented the doctrin of transubstanciation of breade into Christes naturall body and of wyne into Christes naturall blude by force of certaine wordes spoken by the priest And so by the clerenes of the wordes spoken by a priste wyll perswade the Ignorant people wyth lyke fonde opinion wherewith the Caparnites wer led to beleue that they mygthe eate Christes fleshe wyth theyr teeth and dryncke and swallowe Christes bloude wyth their throtte frome the whiche grosse opinion Christ perswaded the saide Caparnites to leaue sayinge Dooe these my saynges offend you What and you shal se the son of man ascend wher he was before It is the spirite that quickeneth the fleshe profiteth not any thing The deuell not wythstanding thys doctrine of Christ wherby he taught the spirituall eatynge of his flesh and drinkinge of his bloud hath sowed this false doctrine of transsubstanciation in the hertes of greate clerkes byshopes and of other spiritual pastours and wit tye babes of the worlde that by suche teachers and highe powrs the people myght be led taught to truste that they had sufficiently eaten Christes fleshe wheÌ„ they haue eaten the sacramente wyth their teth trusting to the gros eating with their teth thei shuld not enquire nor serch for anye godly and spirituall eatynge of Christes fleshe by fayeth whereby it myght be profitable to their soules for the which entent and purpose all sacramentes were instituted ordeyned that is to feede the mynde and not the mouth to comforte the soule and not the body and all thys false doctryne of transsubstanciation the deuyl hath enduced thorow the clernes of these wordes spokeÌ„ by the prist saiyng this is mi bodi although that thorowe all the holye scriptures where they entreate of sacramentes they euer call sacramentes by the same name of the thinges wherof they be sacrameÌ„tes as it appereth the .xvii. of Genesis where circumsicion is called goddes couenaunte whiche was but the sacramente thereof and in the .xii. of Exodi where the Easter lambe was called the passouer of the Lord which was but a sacrament therof And the Chalice is called the newe testamente which is but the sacrament therof yea Christ is called syn which was onely the sacrifice for synne And therfore Christen reader be not disceyued by the clearnes of the wordes but conferre and trie the scriptures by other places of holy scriptur diligently readyng this litel treatise folowing wherin thou shalt find I trust a spiritual eating of christs flesh drinking of his bloude taughte by the primatiue churche and the auncient holy fathers whiche dyd write of the same before the deuyll hadde corrupted the holy scripture with false gloses and wicked interpretacions And thys I commytte the gentle reader to almyghtye GOD who geue the hys spirite whereby thou mayste haue the true vnderstandynge and swete taste of his holy worde and spirituall eatinge of hys fleshe to thy spiritual comoditie and eternall healthe of thy soule Amen FIrst it is to be noted that all Sacramentes aswell of the olde lawe as also of the newe lawe were instituted and ordeyned of God to put vs in remembraunce of his most louing benefites and most mercifull kyndnes shewed and done vnto vs. Which benefites these sacramentes thorough gods worde doe offer vnto our mindes and not to our senses and we receyue the said benefites by faythe into oure soules and not wyth our senses into our bodyes SacrameÌ„tes be of such coÌ„ditions and nature that they haue in them two thinges to be considered the one is an outward visible thinge which perteyneth vnto the bodyly senses and is also receiued therby The other thing is not perceyued nor receyued with any bodily senses but as a pure and mere spiritual thing a benefite done by God vnto maÌ„ perteinyng only vnto the soule whyche spiritual benefite is geuen done by god vnto man because it shold be had reteyned in coÌ„tinual memorye of the christiaÌ„ man These outward sensible thynges were instituted and ordeined to sygnifie represent the same hauing in nature a propertie and condicion somewhat coÌ„firmable lyke to expres and represent the thing which thei declare and singnifie As bread hath a natural properti to fede coÌ„fort and sustain the natural bodi so Christes bodi betraied and his bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes feadeth coÌ„forteth and susteyneth the soule of the christian man borught into greate feare and sorowe with the â—yght of the multitude and greuosnes of his sinnes Which hungreth and ernestlie thristeth for the iustice of God and remission of hys sayed synnes And if these thynges be well noted and pondered it wyll cause to cease contencion moued about the maner of receyuyng of the sacrameÌ„t for all christean meÌ„ muste condescend and agre that euery faythfull Christian thorough Gods word in the sacrameÌ„t dulie to him exhibited and ministred doth eat and receyue bi faith in Gods promyse Christes fleshe and dryncketh his bloude So that the thing is not in contencion Whether we eate Christes flesh or dryncke hys bloude or no in the SacrameÌ„t but the forme maner of eatyng Christes fleshe and drynkyng his bloude is in coÌ„teÌ„cioÌ„ For some of the clergie striue stowtly and teache vngodlie that we should eate and receyue Christes naturalle-bodye wyth our teth drynke and swallowe hys bloude wyth oure mouth and throte affirming veri grossely Christes natural bodie so to be naturally reallye and bodeli present in the sacrament therof and that euerie man whych receyueth the sacrament receyueth also the natural bodie of Christ be he neuer
so wicked vnfaythful An other sort of teachers preach the receiuing of the sacrament with our mouth and chewing it wyth our teth we eate not nor receyue Christes natural bodi and drinking and receiuing the wine with our lippes throt we drink not Christes bloude except we faithfully and constantlie beleue Christes bodie to be betrayed for vs and his bloud to be shed for the remission of oure sinnes For the mouth saye they receyueth not nor tasteth anie other thing then breade and wyne But Christes body slaine his bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes which is the spirituall gyfe and grace of God geuen to vs in the sacrameÌ„t the soule eateth and receyueth by fayth to his great spiritual comfort coÌ„moditie and profit and the mouth cannot receiue nor tast it For coÌ„firmacion wherof thei say that man consisteth and is made of a bodie and of a soule the bodi is a natural and a materiall substance which is fed with natural and corporal sustenaunce noryshement And the soule of man which we cal the spirit mynde is a spiritual substauÌ„ce which caÌ„ not eate nor receiue anye bodelie meat sustinauÌ„ce For the soule being a spiritual substauÌ„ce hath no teth mouth nor stomacke to receyue or degest anie suche bodelie sustinauÌ„ce Math .xv. for that which entreth into the mouthe defileth not the soule which is in the inward maÌ„ saith Christ So in lykewise that whiche entreth into the mouthe profiteth not the soule beyng the inward man which caÌ„not receiue it So that the sacrament which the vngodlie sai bi vertue of gods word spoken by the priest is turned into the natural reall and corporal bodie of Christes natural substaunce leauyng the nature of bread is yet such a natural substaunce that caÌ„not enter into the spiritual soule by bodelie eatyng and receyuynge therefore with the mouth For our soule is norished fed liueth bi the spirit of Christ and not by the bodeli eatyng of his body with our teeth For in the maner of eatinge with the teeth Christes flesh profiteth not saith Christ It is his holy spirit that quâ—ckeneth and maketh vs aliue for spirit liueth not but bi the spirit of Christ For whosoeuer hath the spirit of Christ the same is Christes saith Paul And as touching this bodeli eating of Christes bodie with the teeth of men it differeth not from the fond vngodli opinion of the Capernaites rehersed in the .vi. of Ihon. Which hearyng Christ say I am the bread of lyfe and the bread which I wil geue you is my fleshe And further he sayd excepte you eate my flesh drink my bloud you shal not haue life in you They sayde this word and sayng is veri hard Who can heare hym how can he geue vs his flesh to eate For thei thought that he woulde haue geuen vnto theÌ„ perceles and gobbettes of hys natural and bodily flesh to eate with their teeth and to haue let out part of hys natural bloud for them to drink EueÌ„ lyke as some of our clergie groselie and no lesse fondlie imagyne and without any feare of God or worldlie shame preache the same And althoughe Christ louyngly myndyng and wyllyng to teache them the profitable and spiritual eatyng and drinkyng of his flesh and bloude sayde doo these my wordes offende you what and yf you shall see the sonne of manne asceÌ„de where he was before The spirit quickneth the fleshe profiteth not Yet this his answer did nothyng teach theym the godlye and spiritual eatyng drinking of his naturall fleshe and bloude because as Christ sayd there were som of them which did not beleue So that without true belefe no man can eate Christes fleshe and drinke his bloud Iohn .vi. and then he eateth and drynketh it spirituallie to his godli profite Also if the sacrameÌ„t be turned into Christes natural and real bodie as the most part of oure cleargie vntrulie do preache teache then it weare also reson that the same natural-and reall bodie should also be receiued and perceiued with our seÌ„ses For Christes natural bodie al though it be nowe glrified and immortal yet it is not so spirituall that it is inuisible and that proued Christ when after his resurrectioÌ„ he appered vnto his disciples saiyng Luke .xxiiii Fele and se a spirit hath not fleshe bones as you seme haue Wherfor doubtles if his real and natural bodie were corporally present in the sacramente it sholde be both felt and sene Because selynge and feinge be two naturall properties declared by-Christ whereby a naturall bodie is perceiued and knowne to be visible and to occupie place For as saint Augustine sayth to Dardanum That doubtles Christes natural bodie is in heaueÌ„ For saith he take from bodies the roume space of places and they shal be no where and if thei be no where theÌ„ thei shall not be Wherfore if his naturall bodie were in the sacrament it must nedes occupie roume and place in the sacrameÌ„t Hebru .iiii. euen aswell as it doth in heauen or aswell as anye other naturall substaunce occupieth place And theÌ„ Christes bodie beyng and occupiyng place in heauen cannot also in one tyme occupie place in the sacrament For hys naturall bodie cannot occupie two places bothe at one tyme. For Christ is like vnto vs his reasonable creaturs in all thyngs except onlie in syne But our bodies after our resurrection shal be visible wherefore doubtles Christes bodie shal also be visible whersoeuer it be preseÌ„t Or elese he hath no natural bodie But a shadow or fantasticall bodi which is Marcians-heresye Christ also saith Iohn .xvi you shal haue pore folkes alweis with you but me you shal not haue alwais wyth you Also Iesus knowynge that his howre was come that he should go to his father How shal he go to hys father excepte in his humanitie which euer was present with his father in hys Godhead Act .iii. Also S. Peter in the Actes sayth repent and turne you that your synnes may be done awaye That when the tyme of rest shall come from the syght of the lorde he shal send him which is preached vnto you Iesus Christ whoÌ„ the heauens must receyue vntyl all thynges whiche were spoken bi the mouth of the prophetes be fulfylled Also Paul sayth as often as we shall eate of the breade i. Cor .xi. and drynke of the cuppe we shall shewe the death of the Lorde vntyll he come whiche wordes vntyl he come declare to be spoken of one that is absente and not of one that is presente Wherefore doubtles Christes naturall body is absente in heauen and not present in a corporall presence in the SacrameÌ„t of the aultare which is no dyscomeforte nor hurte to vs that hys naturalle bodie is preseÌ„t in heauen For as the sone in sommer wheÌ„ he is most highest and distant from vs workethe in the earthe most effectuousli and yeldeth hys vertue most feruentlye and aboundantlye vpon