to be wise in oure owne conceiptes we maie embrace the trueth of yt earnestlie and vnfeignedlie beleuinge the same trueth and by beleuing also vnderstand yt for Nisi credideritis non intelligetis saieth the Prophete Except ye beleue ye shall not vnderstande And therfor let vs all call to the Esay 7. Authour of grace and geuer of faithe with the Apostles and saie Domine adauge nobis sidem Lord encrease our faithe and I doubte not but yf he see that Luc. 17. we come to him he will haue compassion vpō vs and renne and mete with vs and fall one oure neckes and kisse vs and so receauinge vs with moche Luc. 15. ioie and gladnesse walke with vs on the waie and interprete the Scriptures vnto vs and so open oure eyes whiche were holden before that we shall Ibid. 24. knowe him in breaking of the bread And here be aduertised Reader that yf thowe be not with Chryste in the breaking of bread thy eies shall neuer be opened to knowe Chryste For saincte Augustine shewing that the eies of the two disciples that went in Emaus were holden from the knowledge of Chryst vntill the breaking of bread saieth Non enim incōgruenter accipimus hoc impedimentū in oculis eorū à Satana fuisse ne agnosceretur Iesus sed tantùm à Christo propter eorum sidem ambiguam facta Agust de consensu Euāgelist est permissio vsque ad sacramentum panis vt vnitate corporis eius participata remoueri intelligatur impedimentum inimici vt Christus posset agnosci We do not take yt incongruentlie that this impediment in their eies mening the two disciples that went to Emaus was of Satan that Iesus shoulde not be knowen But onelie yt Luc. 24. was permitted of Chryste for their doubtfull faith sake vntill they came to the sacramēt of breade that the vnitie of Chrystes dodie beinge participated yt might be perceaued that the impediment of the Enemie was remoued that Chryste might be knowen Agreablie to this also saieth Theophilact vpon Luk. Insinuatur aliud quiddam Theop. in Luc. ca. 24 nempe quod oculi eorum qui benedictum panē assumunt aperiuntur vt agnoscant illum Magnam enim indicibilem vim habet CARO DOMINI An other thinge also ys here insinuated that ys that the eies of them which do take the blessed breade are opened that they maie knowe him mening Christe For the slesh of oure Lorde hathe a great and vnspeakable powre or strenght Thus moche Theophilacte Thus although the two disciples were in the companie of Chryste and hearde him interprete the scriptures vnto them yet he was a straunger vnto Soche as haue not a sowndfaith in the veritie of the Sacrament are straungers to Chryst. them for they knewe him not And verie well For as they for lake of perfecte and full faith in him were straungers to him So he agreablie as a straunger appeared vnto them And euen so though manie haue hearde the interpretacion of scriptures yea and can them selues interprete and vnderstande manie of them and can speake and talke of Chryste as these disciples did yet be they straungers to Chryste they knowe not Chryste for that they haue not a sownde faith in the veritie of the Sacrament and so in diuerse other poinctes and matters of faithe Whiche happeneth to all sohe as will not be with Chryste in the breaking of the breade For note well this Reader that whosoeuer he be that erreth in the matter Who erreth in the Sacrament erreth in many other matters of faithe of the Sacrament he erreth in manie mo So did Luther the Raiser and stirrer vppe of heresies in oure time So did Oecolampadius Zwinglius Bullingerus Bucerus and Petrus Martir So did our contrie men Cranmer Ridley Latimer and Taler So dothe this Chalenger as his owne confession in his sermō well prouethe So do soche as yet liue conuertlie cloaking and dissemblinge their heresies So that though some other heresie maie be alone in a mā yet be well assured the heresie against the blessed Sacrament ys neuer alone in anie man but accompanied with so manie other heresies as he that hath them becometh a straunger to Chryste and for lacke of a sownde faithe knoweth not Chryste Come therfore and ioin with Chryste in the breaking of the breade be partaker of the vnitie of Chrystes bodie that as saincte Augustine saieth the impediment of the Enemie whiche letteth thee to knowe Chryste maie be remoued and taken awaie For the flesh of Chryste as Theophilacte saiethe hath an vnspeakeable powre or strenght soche power or strenght that after the receipt The ffesh of Chryst in the Sacrament hath an vnspeakable powr of yt in due maner of faithe and sincere deuocion yt will open thine eies that thowe shalt knowe him trulie whiche nowe phantasieng that thowe doest knowe him knowest him but phantasticall Seing then this blessed Sacrament ys of soche great and vnspeakable vertue and geueth so great a benefitt let vs heare the Authour of veritie and of the Sacrament also commending to vs the veritie of the same THE SECONDE CHAPITER EXPOVNDETH THE sixt of saincte Iohn according to the letter THe holie gospell teacheth vs that the Authour of this blessed Sacramēt made two notable mencions therof at two sondrie Two notable menciōs made by Chryst of the Sacrament times The one was the promisse of the institution of yt with a declaracion of the befitte that shoulde ensewe to men therbie whiche ys sett surth and declared in the sixt chapiter of saincte Iohn The other was the plain and certen institutiō of yt in the last supper accomplishing the promisse before made Of these two by the helpe of the Authour of them with thassistance and direction of that his Spirit of trueth whiche he hathe promised shoulde lead vs into all trueth this booke shall tell the verie trueth And forasmoch as by ordre the promisse goeth before the accomplishment of the promisse although saincte Iohn who ys the writer of yt did write yt manie years after the other Euāgelistes had written the last supper yet will I as yt was spoken of Chryst first before the other was doen so first treacte of the same Oure Sauiour Chryst being God and man and knowinge for that nothing was hidden to him all thinges as well the present secrete thinges and thoughtes of man as also the ordre and succession of thinges to come foreseeing that the people wolde resorte vnto him and that mete occasiō shoulde be geuen and that the time wolde verie well serue for the preparinge of the mindes of soche as wolde beleue in him to speake of the high misterie of the receauing of his bodie and bloode he began with the great miracle of the multiplieng of fiue batlie loaues and two fishes By the whiche miracle they being moued to consider his great power might the more easilie be induced to the beleif of the greate miracle
holie scripturs he reprehended them imagining cōtradictiōs in thē he reputed thē saith Niceph. as things of naugh to yowe contēne the learned cōmentaries ād writings of the Saincts of God vpō the scripturs ād matters incidēt ād apperteining to the scripturs with skoffes yowe trauail to reprehēd their graue authoritie ād godlie writings Yowe plaie and dallie with them before the people like a ioung Porphirie as though they were things of naught Thus yow maie see as all that be wise and staied by Gods grace doo see howe fullie herin yowe bear the image and iustlie folowe the steppes of him that fiercelie as yowe doe persecuted with deadlie hatred the church and religion of Chryste Your third offence ys yet worse and more heinouse wher yowe haue vttered so manie vntrueths and lies euen aduersus Dominū aduersus Christū eius against our Lord ād against his Chryste against his holie gospell and against his holie woord Ys yowr matter soch M Iuell as yt can not be mainteined without lies and as the holie man Iob saied Nunquid Deus indiget vestro mendacio Hath God nede of your lies No so litle nede hath he of lies that he will destroie al thē that speak lies as the psalmist saieth But that I seē not to charg yowe without proof as yowe do other ys not one of your chalenging articles against the presence of Chrysts bodie and blood in the blessed Sacr ys not the doctrine yowe teach and preache in that poinct directlie contrarie to the doctrine of our Sauiour Chryst Whē he saieth This ys my bodie This ys my blood and yowe auouche and teache that yt ys verie bread and verie wine ys not this a contrarie doctrine to his ys yt not plain against his manifest woorde ys yt not in effect to charge him with vntrueth though yowe daie not yet in flat woordes saie that he lied The craftie sleight yowe vse in handling the scripture wher the trueth of Chrysts doctrin doeth appeare ād your wielie suppressiō of those woords which cheiflie declare the same trueth ād opē yowr vntrueth doe wel proue youre wicked meening to be none other For taking the woords of S. Paule for the theme of your sermō yowe produced thē truncatedlie and passed thē with moch sleight Thus yowe vtter thē I haue receaued of the Lord that thing which also I deliuered vnto yow that ys that the lord Iesus in the night that he was betraied took bread ād ther yowe end Wher although yowe pretēted to teach the first instituciō of the Sacr. yet either of malice to suppresse Christs trueth or for feare to disclose your own vntrueth you wold not or durst not reherse the verie words of the instituciō which I wish al mē to note but both in the latin ād inglish as your faith staeth in bread and as yow wold the faith of your audiēce should do the like your theme ended in bread in so moch as whē yowe come to your last matter to speak of priuate Masse as yow tearm yt though falselie for ther ys none soch and to proue yowr Cōmuniō beginne again to repete the woords of the instituciō Lord what shift yowe make to suppresse the words of Chryst This ys my bodie This ys my blood in the which lieth al the effect of his instituciō These woords yowe flie as frō a serpēt yowe cā not abide the sownd of thē ād therfor with shamful craft yowe passe thē saing thus Chryst in the last supper ordeined a Cōmuniō ād shewed no maner token of priuate Masse as maie plainlie appeare both by the woordes that he spake and also by the order of his doings For be tooke the bread brake yt deuided yt ād gaue yt to his Disciples and saied Drinke ye all herof These be yowr own woords Yowe pretēded to proue your matter by Chrysts woords ād order but whē yowe come to the verie point yowe do not as moch as touch his woords but skippe ouer thē so well maie your prof appeare bi thē ād so loath are yowe to vtter Christ words that his trueth might appear ād your falshead be disclosed Against your first offēce which ys your abuse of the doctours in mutilating their saings as yow doo Anacletus in falsifieng their meening as yow do Tertullian and S. Cyprian in craftie alleaging two or three woordes that apparantlie maie seem to make for yowe leauing oute the rest that mightilie maketh against yowe as yowe doe sainct Augustine in corrupting authours by putting woordes to their saings which they haue not as yowe doe with Leo wherbie euidentlie appeareth yowr contēpt of their autoritie whom by so manie means yowe labour to abuse to shadowe and hide the trueth by them so clerelie settfurth I come in right vse reuerentlie alleaging them whollie and fullie producing them truelie reporting them and their mening iustlie letting euerie of them plainlie to testifie that whiche he hath written and causing euerie one to speake his owne woordes without corruption And that yowe maie perceaue that the catholique Churche ys strong against the whiche the gates of hell the power of heresie shall not preuaill knowe yowe that yt ys Terribilis castorum acies ordinata a terrible fortresse in most goodlie order appoincted Oute of the which fortresse in goodlie order ys comed a great nombre against yowe marching by cooples eche coople to shewe the vnitie of trueth and faith professed in bothe Churches being one of the greke church and other of the latine churche and the seniours for the most part placed in the forewarde These haue I brought furth not one alone and by piece meale so to rume awaie with the matter as yowe doo but in good nombres and with their full saings and the same doo I oftentimes conferr together that the full and perfect cleernesse of the trueth in ther consonant sentences maie appear and shine to all that list to looke therat and be disposed to knowe the trueth Against yowr second offence which ys the mocking of holie writers and Saincts wherbie yowe seke to dishonour and deface bothe them and the religion they professed I come with due reuerence and honour of them whō I knowe by Chrysts promesse to be honourable before the Father in heauen for their constant confession of his holie name whilest they liued here vpon earth Wherfor as being vpon the earth they were not gests and straungers but the felowes of Saincts and of the house of God I tearme them as senatours of the Parliament house of Chryste as knowing the enacted and receaued trueth of the matters of faith perteining to that house For this cause I regard all their writings which the catholique Churche hath allowed considering that the same Churche that hath taught me that the gospell that ys the verie woorde of God written by the mocion and instruction of his holie Spirit hath taught me that these mens wiritings vpon the same are good and commendable And as with S. Augustine
transfusa fortius sonat Vnde AEschines cum Rhodi Hieron ad Paulinum exularet legeretur illa Demosthenis oratio quam aduersus eum habuerat mirantibus cunctis atque laudantibus suspirans ait Quid si ipsam audissetis Bestiam sua verba resonantem The liuelie voice saieth saincte Hierom hath I wote not what an hidden vertue or clerenesse of demonstration and beyng vttered from The liuelie voice hath a more force in the eare then the dead letter in the eye the mouthe of the Authour into the eares of the disciple yt haith a more force in sownde wherfore Aeschynes when he was a banisshed man at the Rhodes and the oration which Demosthenes made against him was red when all men did wonder at yt and praise yt sithing he saied what yf ye had heard the beast him self vttering his owne woordes Thus moche saincte Hierom. In the whiche saieng he declareth that ther ys more clerenesse in a sentence liuelie spoken from the mouth of the Authour and the hearers shall more easelie preceaue yt and sooner vnderstande yt then they shall onelie reading the same in the dead letter Yt maie therfore be concluded that the gospell as yt ys written ys more hard to be vnderstanded then as yt was of the mouthe of Christe spoken But as yt was spoken yt was hard to be vnderstanded wherfore being written yt ys more harde to be vnderstanded Saincte Paule enombring the giftes of the Spirit saieth To one ys geuen 6. 1. Cor. 12. the vtterance of wisdome to an other the vtterance of knowledge to an other ys geuen faith to an other the giftes of healing to an other power to do miracles to an other prophecie to an other iudgment to discern spirites to an other diuerse tounges to an other interpretacioÌ„ of touÌ„ges All theise saieth he woorketh one and the self same Spirit diuiding to euerie man a seuerall gifte euen as he will In the whiche distinction of giftes ye perceaue that the vtterance of wisdome the vtterance of knowledge the gifte of tounges be seuerall giftes And that they be not geuen to all men indifferentlie but some to one some to other as yt pleaseth the holie will of that blessed Spirit that ys the Authour and distributour of the same gistes For saincte Paule in the ende of the same chapiter wher the former alleaged woordes be writteÌ„ saieth Are all Apostles are all prophetes are all teachers are all doers of miracles haue all the giftes of healing doo all speake with touÌ„ges doo all interprete c. whiche his maner of questioninge includeth a negatiue that euerie man hath not all thâ—se Then forasmuche as euerie man hath not the giste of vtterance of knowledge nor the gifte of prophecie nor the gifte of interpretacion c. Euerie Interpretation of Scripture not geuen to euerie man man hath not the vnderstanding of the scriptures Neither then be the scriptures easie to be vnderstanded of euerie man For vnto him that hath the gifte of knowledge prophecie and interpretacion of scriptures the same be easie But euerie man hath not these giftes wherfore the scriptures to all meÌ„ be not easie This also saincte Paule proueth verie well by the ordre and disposition of the naturall bodie from whiche he diduceth and taketh an argument to 7. 1. Cor. 12. proue an order in the misticall bodie the Churche Ye are saieth he the bodie of Christe and membres one of an other And God hath also ordeined in the Congregacion First Apostles secondarelie prophetes thirdlie Teachers then them that doo miracles after that the gifte of healinge c. In the whiche description of the order in Christes Churche ye see that the three cheifest and highest states be Apostles Prophetes and teachers Nowe if the Scriptures be easie for euerie mans vnderstanding then either these states be superfluouse bicause euerie man vnderstanding the Scriptures ther nedeth no teacher nor Prophete Or ells forasmoche as euery man vnderstandeth the scriptures he ys in this state to be a teacher All be not Prophets nor teachers and a prophete whiche ys directlie against saincte Paules doctrine For he saieth all be not Prophetes neither be all teachers Forasmoche then as Christe hath appointed as one of the cheifest states of his Churche the state of teachers there must be of necessitie a great nombre of inferiour membres that must be hearers and learners And whie shoulde they so be but that the scriptures being harde and obscure by the teachers they must be opened and declared that other maie learn So that as by this scripture yt maye be perceaued and learned that euery man hath not the gifte of knowledge and therfore no easie vnderstanding of the scriptures So by all the other before alleaged yt ys moste manifest that the scriptures be harde and full of difficulties whiche shall also by other means well appeare to the Reader in the processe ensewinge THE SECVNDE CHAPITER TO PROVE THAT THE SCRIPTVRES BE NOT EASIE RECITETH CERtain hard and obscure places of the olde testament ALBEIT that this that ys all readie saied ys sufficieÌ„t to proue the scriptures to be hard and not playn ne easie to be vnderstanded yet that ye maye see yt more manysestlie before yowe face certain places shall be laied before yowe whiche for their obscuritie and difficultie shall compell and enforce yowe to confesse that they be not easie for euerie mans vndestanding And first shall be brought some places of the olde Testament oute of the whiche I might bring not places but wholl bookes and of them not a fewe as all the Prophetes as well the greater as the lesse the Booke of Iob the booke of psalmes the booke of the Preacher and Cantica canticorum englished the Ballett of ballettes of Salomon All whiche bookes certen I am be of soche difficultie hardnesse and obsturitie that as queen Candaces ChaÌ„amberlain saied they can not be vnderstanded with oute a guide or ells Acto â— speciall inspiracion of god As for Genesis although it be counted so easie and so plain a booke yet Hieron presa in Ezech. Genesis might not be red of the Iewes before thirtie yeares of age the Iewes as saincte Hierome witnesseth might not read yt before they were thirtie yeares of age as in whiche were many thinges verie harde to be vnderstanded whiche required a staied heade of mature rype and graue Iudgement soberlie to seke the true sense and vnderstanding of them whiche rash youthe wolde sooen ouerpasse and frame an vnderstanding at their pleasure soche as they phantasied as manye do nowe a daies Oute of this booke although saincte Augustin and other that haue trauailed in the exposition of the same do mooue manie and sundrie doubtes yet I shall ouerpasse them wisshinge the Reader to consider the 49. chapiter in the whiche are coÌ„teined the blessinges of Iacob to his twelue Sonnes and let him trie howe he can waid through the vnderstanding of them as for
appeareth not flesh in the Sacr. like vnto his holie flesh and yt auailed to his augmentacion and sustentacion after the maner of man Therfor nowe also the bread ys chaunged into the flesh of our Lorde And howe saieth he dothe yt not appeare flesh but bread That we shoulde not abhorre from the eating of yt What can be saied against these so manifest and so plain testimonies Maie we not or raither aught we not to saie as these holie famouse and learned men do raither then to saie as a fewe phantasticall heretiques and Apostaties do Let vs beleue these pillers of Chrystes Churche and beleuing them seke to be saued as they be Thus haue ye hearde enough I suppose to declare vnto yowe that by consecracion whiche Haimo spake of the bodie of Chryst ys in the Sacrament And therfor Manna as he saied signifieng the bodie of Chryst consecrated signifieth the very reall and substanciall bodie of Chryst And thus hauing opened the minde of this authour who as he ys agreable to the holie auncient Fathers before alleadged So ys he plain and pithie to the readers and strong and mightie to debell the Aduersaries I will come to heare Theophilacte expownde the same place of Sainct Paule Thus he writeth Vt enim nos aqua Baptismi perfusi corpus dominicum manducamus Sic Manna illi mari traiecto in esum sunt vsi Et quemadmodum ipsi Domini sanguinem bibimus Sic illi erumpentem è percusso lapide aquam biberunt As we washed A plain saing for M. Iuell with the water of Baptisme do eate our Lordes bodie So they hauing passed through the sea vsed Manna for their foode And as we drinke the bloode of our Lorde So they dranke the water that gushed out of the smitten Rocke Thus Theophilacte These two testimonies be so like in sense and phrase that they might raither be iudged to come oute of one minde and oute of one mouthe them from two men different in time distant in place and contrie But God who ys not as Sainct Paule saieth Dissentionis Deus sed pacis 1. Cor. 14. The spirit of vnitie among catholiques vnitatis The God of dissention but of peace and vnitie who by his holie spirit wrought that Multitudinis credentium erat cor vnum anima vna The multitude that beleued were of one heart and of one soule made them being of one faith to speake one thing as he did his foure holy Euangelistes Who although they did write in diuerse times and places yet they agreed in vnitie of one trueth But they that can not content them selues with that ordre and condicion that God hath placed them in but being puffed vppe with the spirit of pride go aboute to buyll the tower of Babell to get them a name The spirit of diuision among Protestantes God by his spirit of humilitie and vnitie not working withe them their tounges are diuided and dissention ys among them they agree not they speake not of one thing as yt ys easie to see in the schoole of confusion euen an other Babell the Tower of the wicked name of Luther Among whose disciples was nor ys the spirit of vnitie neither were nor be yet that multitude of one heart nor of one soule but of diuerse Luther he spake with one toung and saied the verie bodie of Chryst was in the Sacrament reallie and substanciallie Oecolampadius he spake in an other toung contrarie to his Master and saied that Chrystes bodie was not ther but as in a sign Some other of Luthers disciples saied that Magistrates and rulers must be obeied Some of them had other tounges and saied that we are called to libertie and therfor we be all equall and owe no obedience to Man Some tounges saied that children must be chrystned again Some other tounges saied naie Some tounges saied that ther were but two Sacramentes Some saied their were three Some otherwise with a nombre of diuisions not onely among the multitude but among them selues I meen that one of them in all places and at all times did not agree with him self but here saied this in an other place clean contrarie as hereafter by the helpe of Gods grace more at large shall be shewed But God qui facit habitare vnius moris in domo Who maketh men to Psal 67. be of one minde in the house maketh men that dwell in his house of his holie Churche to be of one toung of one minde to beleue one thing and to saie one thing Therfor let these men of Babell go these men of confused tounges and let vs heare the people of agreement Ye see I saie howe Theophilacte agreeth with Haimo and yf ye ascende to Oecumenius to Chrysostome and other ye shall see soche agrement in sense soche liknesse in woordes that a man might saie that they were all spoken not of diuerse men but of one man Conferre them together Reader and trie my ttueth I shall not nede to trooble thee with many woordes to open the saing The Iewes eate Māna we our Lordes bodie They dranke water we the bloode of Christ of Theophilacte for yt ys so euident and plain that yt nede no expositour Onelie I wish that for the pourpose that he ys alleadged that ye note first that he compareth Manna and the water to the bodie and bloode of Chryst as the figures to the verities in that he saieth As we eate our Lordes bodie So they Manna As we drinke the blood of our Lorde So they drinke the water of the Rocke That by the bodie and blood of Chryst he meneth the bodie and bloode in the Sacrament whiche he most manifestlie affirmeth and by expresse woordes denieth the onelie figure of the Aduersarie so wickedlie auouched Cap. lx yt appeareth in his exposition of this saing of Chryst This ys my bodie in the six and twenteth of Sainct Matthew and in the fourtenth of Sainct Marke whiche bothe be alleageth in the seconde booke in the exposition of the same saing of Chryst Likewise also dothe he vpon the vj. of Sainct Iohn wher he saieth thus Theoph. in 6. Ioan. Marke that the bread which ys eaten of vs in the mysteries ys not onelie a figure of the bodie of our Lorde but the flesh yt self of our Lorde For he did not saie the bread whiche I will geue ys a figure of my flesh But yt ys my flesh In this sentence yt perceaue Theophilacte not onelie auouching the verie substanciall presence of Chrystes flesh in the Sacrament whiche ys the Reall presence auouched and the hereticall figure denied catholique doctrine but also denieng the figure whiche ys the hereticall doctrine What wicked obstinacie ys this that wher this Authour denieth yt to be a figure they affirme the contrarie and wher he affirmeth the substanciall presence of Chrystes flesh they denie yt Yf the Aduersaries had but one soche place to denie the presence as certen I am they