dothe speake of the greate prouidence of God in ordering and disposing all thinges in heauen in earthe and in the Seas signifieng therby in the spirite of prophecie the goodlie disposition of thinges in the Church of Christe beautified adorned and confirmed with Sacramentes in most goodlie wise of the which Christe and his Churhe ys the wholl prophecie of that booke as here after more at large shall be declared amonge the whiche sacramentes speaking of the Sacrament of Christes bodie and bloode the prophet saied Vt educas panem de terra vinum laetificet cor hominis panis cor hominis confirmet That thow maist bringe furthe foode Psalm 103 oute of the earth and wine that maketh gladde the heart of man and bread to strenghthen mà ns hearte yt shall suffice for this present to declare the same by the woordes alleaged of saincte Hierom. For he ther declaring the ceassing of the olde Paschall lambe and the beginning of the newe whiche he calleth the true Passouer in the beginning of the same saieth thus Assumit panem qui confortat cor hominis He taketh bread whiche comforteh the hearte of man Yt was most certen as saincte Ciprian saieth that Manducauerunt de eodem pane secundùm formam visibilem They had eaten of the same bread after a visible maner But to that bread so eaten sainct Hierome wolde not applie the sainge of the Prophete but wher he beginneth to shewe howe Christe commeth to the institucion of this blessed Sacrament in the whiche they shoulde eate the true Paschall Lambe the bodie of Christe the verie bread of life and comforth Ther he applieth the propheicie of the Prophete to the verie thing that yt prophecied of and saieth He taketh the breade that comforteth the heart of man Thus the placing and applicacon of that Scripture well considered and weighed of the reader shall cause him well to perceaue howe the same ys to be vnderstanded as ys by me before saied And nowe altough saincte Hierom hath sufficientlie declared his faith in this matter of the veritie enacted and receaued throughout all the house of Christe in his time Yet for the satisfieng of them that thirst for the trueth I will bring in saincte Hierom in an other place speaking so plain woordes Hieron ad Heliodorū cpistola 1. Christes bodie ys cōsecrated of the preist as neither the enemie can withstāde so euident a trueth nor other men take occasiō of doubte Absit saieth he vt de ijs quicquam sinistrū loquar qui apostolico gradui succedentes Christi corpus sacro ore conficiunt God forbidde that I shoulde speake anie euell of them whiche succeading the Apostolike degree with their holie mouth do consecrate the bodie of Christe In the whiche sainge ye maie perceaue that sainct Hieroms faith was being so taught of the churhe wherin he liued that he preist doth consecrate the bodie of Christe wherby also then yt ys most manifest that Christes verie bodie ys in the Sacrament And this also ys not to be ouerpassed that the he saieth the preistes doo Amb. de saor lib. 4. cas Euseb Emise hō pasch Chry. de prod Hom. 30. with their holie mouth consecrate the same bodie of Christ For hereby ys reiected that foolish heresie void aswell of reason as of authoritie which taught that the faith of the receauer made the presence of Christ in the Sacrament for yt ys as S. Ambrose Eusebius and Chrysostom saie the holie woord of Christ spoken as sancte Hierom here saieth by the mouth of the preist that consecrateth the bodie of Christ And thus also if by the mouth of the preist the bodie of Christ be consecrated then ys that bodie verilie present And further yt maie be learned of this great learned and holie father that the ordre of preisthoode ys not to be contemned but reuerenced who Preistes aught to be reuerēced for their ordre and office with a maner of speache of vehemencie saieth God forbidde that I shoulde speake anie euell of them c. By whiche maner of speache he noteth yt to be a greate crime to speake euell of them The causes why he wolde not speake euell of them be that they succeade the Apostles in office whiche ys an high degree and that the worke of their ministraciō ys great and that they do consecrate the bodie of Christe And nowe that this noble mā hath so plainlie opened the treuthe enacted Chrysostom his woorthinesse of learning holinesse constancie and auncientie and receaued of the one side of Christes Parliament house we will also heare what one of the other side will saie Whiche shall be golden mouthed Chrisostome who ys wourthie so to be called for the golden sentences that proceade oute of his mouthe Who also ys woorhie to be beleued not onelie for his holinesse and great learning But also for his constancie of faith and auncientie in time Who being in the time of the heresie of the Arriās aboute the yeare of Christe 350 and therfore aboute 1200 yeares a gone gaue no place to yt neither for Princes neither for the losse of his Bishopperick neither for banishment neither for anie persecucion that did come to him for his constancie in faithe but stood immoueable inflexible and streight vpright by the right piller of trueth Wherfore we maie conceaue a good opinion of him that he will doo and hath doen the like in teachinge vs the matter that we nowe seke Let vs therfore heare Thus he saieth Sed per hoc etiam aliud maius beneficium monstrabatur quòd ille agnus futuri agni fuit typus ille sanguis dominici sanguinis monstrabat aduentum ouis illa spiritalis ouis Omel. de prodi Juda. fuit exemplū Ille agnus vmbra fuit Hic veritas Sed postquam sol iusticia radiauit vmbra soluitur luce ideò in ipsa mensa vtrūque Pascha typi veritatis celebratu est Nā sicut pictores pingendam tabulam vestigijs quibusdam adumbrare solent et sic colorū varietate perficere ita Christus fecit in mensa typū Paschae descripsit et Pascha veritatis ostendit Vbi vis paremus tibi comedere Pascha Iudaicum Pascha erat sed vmbralumini cedat aduectata imago veritate superetur But by that also an other great benefitte was shewed that that lambe was a figure of the lambe to come and that bloode declared the cominge of our Lordes bloode and that shepe was an exāple of the spirituall shepe That lābe was a shaddow This lābe the trueth But after that the Sūne of righteousnes shewed furth his beames the The olde Paschal lambe a shaddowe oure lambe the trueth shadowe ys put awaie with the light And therfor in that tablebothe the passeouers both of the figure ād of the trueth were celebrated For as the painters are wont to shaddowe the table that ys to be paincted with certain signes and lineamentes and
I saie that I wolde not beleue the Gospell but that the authoritie of the Churche moueth me therunto no more wolde I beleue the Fathers expownding the scripturs but that thervnto I am moued by the Churche Then yt foloweth well that as I ought to beleue the Gospell for the authoritie of the Churche so ought I to beleue the doctours for the autoritie of the Churche And here to ouerthrowe your contempt of them and your self also I do oftentimes conferre the expositions of the later Fathers with the expositions of the elder fathers and finding them alltogether grauelie against youre euell doctrine to consent and yt to confute as hereticall and deuelish I let your light mockes and skornes flie home again to yowe as fleshflies to their carien Against your thirde wickednesse I meen your cōtempt abuse and vntrue handling of the holie scripturs I come in euerie place where mencion ys made of the bless Sacrament with the wholl processe ther conteined In the vi of S. Iohn the xxvi of S. Matth the xxiiii of S. Luke the x. and xi of the first epistle to the Corinth the v. to the Ephesians and the xiii to the Hebrues somoch as the Fathers expownd to appertein to the holie Sacr. I produce not truncatelie and falselie but fullie and trulie euery sentence and euery woord submitting my self to the authoritie of gods woord ād not bi sleight subdewing yt to mine owne autoritie But here the learned perchaunce maie merueill that I wold ioin with yowe in the scripturs considering the auncient counsell of Tertullian who wolde not that anie catholique shoulde entre into disputacion with an heretique with the scripturs Nihil proficit congressio scripturarum cum haereticis nisi planè vt aut stomachi quis meat euersionem aut cerebri c. To ioin saieth he in disputacion with heretiques with scripturs yt doeth nothing auaill except a man will turne vppe side down either his stomacke or his brain what shall thowe gain thowe great learned man in the scripturs when yf thowe defend anie thing yt shall be denied of the contrarie part yf thowe denie anie thing yt shall be defended c. And after he concludeth thus Ergo non ad scripturas prouocandum est c. We maie not therfor appeall to the scripturs neither maie we appoinct our disputacion in them in the which ther ys either none or vnceten victorie or not verie certen For this cause and for that S. Hierom saieth that Scripturae non in legendo cōsistunt sed in intelligendo the scripturs cōsist not in reading but in vnderstanding I haue trauailed by diligent scarching of the fathers from the Apostles to this our time to trie oute by ther common consent howe the scripturs are to be vnderstanded and so haue I as by a line drawen from hand to hand descended from age to age that the true vnderstanding of them receaued and approued in all that diuersitie of ages and places might be perceaued and knowen In this my doing I haue fulfilled the counseill of Vincentius lyrinen who for remidies against errours among other willeth that if anie errour hath ben committed in the olde time either by certain men or by anie one wholl citie or by anie Prouince to reforme that the decrees of auncient generall Councells must be sought and yf none soche can be founde as in these daies though they be fownd they be not regarded then saieth he operam dabit vt collatas inter se maiorum consulat interrogetiue sententias c. He shall gene diligence to seke and learn the iudgemēts of the elders and cōferr thē together but of those elders onelie which although they were in diuerse times and places abiding yet in the Cōmunion and faith of one catholique Churche were allwaies allowed as masters or men of autoritie And what soeuer he shall knowe what not one or two of them but what alltogether with one consent haue holden written and taught openlie cōmonlie and continuallie let him vnderstand that that ys without all doubt to be beleued Thus he As this counseill ys on my part fulfilled in that I haue searched and conferred the iudgements of the fathers and fownd them though they were in diuerse ages and places fullie and whollie agreeng in the matters of the presence of Chrysts bodie and blood in the blessed Sacrament of the oblacion of the same and of other articles apperteining ther to whiche as in this worke yt maie be clerlie perceaued not one or two but euery one of them haue not obscurely but manifestlie not in one place or at one time but cōmonlie and continuallie holden taught and written So wolde wolde I that yowe M. Iuell if yowe regarde the Fathers of the primitiue Churche in dede as yowe bragge in woorde that yowe I saie shoulde receaue and embrace these scripturs as expownded and deliuered to yowe by their hands and their expositions to accept as a cleer and certen vndoubted trueth whiche trueth so opened by thē I bring furth against your vntrueths and not the bare scripture alone as Tertullian wolde I shoulde not This I trust yowe shall well perceaue if leauing your corruted affection apart yowe will with a cleer eie and vpright iudgement read this worke wherin yowe shall see all the Fathers that commonlie haue expownding the scripturs written of these articles of the Sacrament whiche yowe in your iolitie I will not saie more arrogantlie than as a chrystian preacher should mekelie and lowlie more rashlie then wiselie or aduisedlie with so great bragge wttered in your sermon all soche Fathers I saie shall yowe see aswell grekes as latines aswell auncient as of later time with one cōmon consent and agreement so expownding the scripturs as though they had ben in one time and had cōspired vpon one sense and vnderstāding all those shall yowe see impugning your negatiues ād by the scripturs affirming the catholike doctrine and faith catholiquelie and vniuersallie professed ād thus shal the trueth of the scripturs ouerthrow the vntrueth of your heresies Nowe I haue in a generall maner shewed your offences whiche moued me to write against yowe in like generalitie I haue shewed howe I do procead against yowe the specialitie of your offences and of the processe aunswerable to the same yowe shall finde in this worke though simplie without coolour yet plainlie without craft declared Yf my trauaill herein obtein not his enrēded effect namelie your conuersiō and amēdement and to doo yowe that good that yow maie be staied frō running to pertual damnacion yet staing other that by your pestilent heresies might be brought to that wofull daūger I shall not onelie do thē that good I wish but also helpe to make your dānaciō the easier whiche howe greuouse yt shall be he knoweth best that knoweth howe manie soules yowe haue brought to damnaciō Yf yowe being obdurated persist in your impietie yt cā not be auoided but yowe doe yt of malice hauing ben aduertised and
one doctour one example c. The time wolde not serue to nombre all that haue written in this matter and tedyousnesse wolde encombre the Reader wherfore leauing manie as Gropperus who right learnedlie and largelie hath haÌ„dled and setfurthe the Gropperus faithe of the Churche in all times of the high pointes of the SacrameÌ„t auouching the same by scriptures doctours and Councells And Wernierus who like vnto the Nycen Councell hath made Collection of three hondreth Vernierus eighten places of scriptures doctours and Councells for the assertion of the trueth of the Sacrament And also Tauernerius Eckius Pighius Hoffmeisterus Garetius Tauernerius Eckius Pighius Hosfmeister Garetius with other manie I will onelie bring two who be soche as I suppose this man will better regard and better like their iudgementes in this matter then of these before mencioned The one of them shall be Erasmus who in hys epistle aboue alleaged wryteth thus Ex euangelio habemus Hoc est corpus meum quod pro vobis tradiâ—ur Ex Paulo Erasmus ad Balthas Episcop habemus Ego enim accepi à Domino quod tradidi vobis c. Et qui ederit biberit indignè reus erit corporis sanguinis Domini Hoc nobis immobile fundamentum Oute of the Gospell we haue This ys my bodie whiche ys delyuered for yowe Oute of Paule we haue I haue receaued of our lorde which I delyuered also vnto yowe and so furthe And he that eateth and drinketh vnwourthylie Erasmus his iudgement of the SacrameÌ„t shall be giltie of the bodie and blood of our lorde This ys vnto vs an vmnoueable foundacion And after a fewe woordes he saieth Cum igitur tam euidens à Christo Paulo habeamus testimonium quum per hos viros euidentissimè declaratum sit priscos quibus non sine causa tantum auctoritatis tribuit ecclesia concorditer sensisse in Eucharistia veram esse substantiam corporis sanguinis Domini quum ijs omnibus etiaÌ„ accesserit SynodoruÌ„ constaÌ„s autoritas tantusque populi Christiani coÌ„sensus simus et nos concordes in tam caelesti mysterio hic sub enigmate edamus de pane et calice Domini donec aliter edamus bibamus in regno Dei Vtinam autem qui Berengarium secuti sunt errantem sequantur paenitentem Seing then we haue both of Christ and of Paule so euident testimonie seing also by these men meening Guitmundus and Algerus yt ys most euidentlie declared that the olde auncyent Fathers vnto whom the Churche not withoute cause yeldeth so moche authoritie haue agreablie vnderstand the verie substaÌ„ce of the bodie and blood of our Lorde to be in the Sacrament Seing also that to all theise agreeth the constant Authoritie of the Councells and so great a consent of Christian people let vs also agree in so heauenly a mysterie and let vs here in a darke maner as vnder a couert eate of the bread and drinke of the cuppe of our lorde vntill otherwyse we maye eate and drinke in the kingdom of God Wolde to God that all they that haue folowed Berengariut in errour wolde folowe hym also in penaunce Thus farre Erasmus Note gentle Reader and I wolde the Aduersarie shoulde note also that here ys most euident testimonie affirmed and auouched out of Christ and Paule and the common concorde of all the doctours the constante Authoritie of Councells the vniuersall and wholl consente of Christian people all agreyng beleuing and teaching the very substance of Christes bodie and blood to be in the Sacrament Forasmoch then as here ys produced asmoche and more to then thys chalenger did require for he did require but anye one scripture one doctour one couÌ„cell and here be produced sundrie scriptures all the olde doctours the Authortie of the Councels and besydes these the common and vniuersall consent of the Christian orbe yf ther be anye trueth in thys man he will perfourme his promisse and subscribe to this trueth whiche wolde to God were doen by him that to conclude with Erasmus his sayng he might folowe Berengarius in penaunce as he hath folowed hym in erroure Nowe to the better confirmacion of this matter and to the more confutacion of this hys impudent boast and shamefull blasphemye I shall ioyn his owne schoole with hym I meen the learned of the Germanes whiche write thus Decimus Articulus approbatus est in quo confitemur nos sentire quod in coena Domini verè Apologia Confess August substantialiter adsint corpus sanguis Chrysti verè exhibeantur cum illis rebus quae videntur pane vino his qui sacramentum accipiunt Hanc sententiam constanter defenderunt concionatores nostri Et comperimus non tantùm Romanam ecclesiam affirmare corporalem praesentiam Chrysti sed idem nunc sentire olim sensisse Graecam ecclesiaÌ„ vt testatur canon Missae apud Graecos Et extant quorundam scriptorum testimonia Nam Cyrillus in Ioannem cap. xv inquit ChrystuÌ„ nobis corporaliter exhiberi in coena Sic enim ait Cyrillus Non tamen negamus recta nos fide charitateue syncera Chrysto spiritualiter coniungi Sed nullam nobis coniunctionis rationem secundùm carnem cum illo esse id profectò pernegamus idue à scripturis diuinis omnino alienuÌ„ dicimus An sortasse putaÌ„t ignotaÌ„ nobis mysticae benedictionis virtuteÌ„ esse quae cum in nobis fit nónne corporaliter quoque facit coÌ„municatione carnis Chrysti ChrystuÌ„ in nobis habitare Et paulo post Vnde consideranduÌ„ est non habitudine solùm quae per charitateÌ„ intelligitur ChrystuÌ„ in nobis esse verumetiam participatione naturali etc. Haec recitauimus vt clarius perspicerent qui ista legent nos defendere receptam in tota ecclesia sententiam quòd in coena Domini verè et substantialiter adsint corpus The Germanes acknowlege the verie presence of Chryst in the Sacrament et sanguis Christi The tenthe article ys approued in the whiche we confesse that we beleue that in the supper of our Lorde be verilie and substantiallie present the bodie and blood of Chryst and that they be verilie geuen with those thinges that be seeÌ„ that ys with bread and wine vnto them that receaue the SacrameÌ„t Thys senteÌ„ce haue our preachers coÌ„stantlie defended And we finde not onelie the churche of Rome to affirme the corporall presence of Chryst in the SacrameÌ„t but also the greke churche both nowe to beleue The greke and latine Churches both nowe and in olde time affirme the corporall presence and of olde time to haue beleued the same as the CanoÌ„ of the Masse emoÌ„g the grekes dothe testifie And ther be also extant the testimonic of certain writers For Cyrillus vpon Iohn in the fiuetene chapter saieth that Chryst ys corporallie deliuered vnto vs in the Supper Thus he saieth We do not denie that we be spirituallie ioyned vnto
entreth not into their stomackes I meen into their solues ther to fede them and make them lustie and fatte that yt maie appeare in their faces in their outwarde conuersacion and godlie liuing Theise be the verie wasters in dede not wourthie to haue accesse to treasure houses storehouses and places of plentie Some other likewise lacking grace and discrecion abuse thinges of plentie As the father leauing to the Sonne great treasure for the mainteināce of his liuing and the mercifull releiuing of soche as haue nede the sonne abuseth and absumeth the same in mainteining of quarrells Suites contencions and molestations of his bretheren and other for whiche cause better yt had ben that soche treasure had ben deliuered vnto him as he had neded yt to helpe his necessitie than he hauing the libertie of the wholl wickedlie shoulde abuse yt Euen so men withoute grace and discrecion hauinge libertie to come to the treasure of the scripturs wher yt was geuen them to good vse as to maintein the godlie life that they shoulde lead in Christ and by counsell to relieue thē that haue nede of yt they abuse yt to Scisme and Heresie wherby cometh contencion Sectes and diuision to the great molestacion of their christen bretheren Wherfore were yt not better that this treasure were deliuered vnto them by soche as God hath appointed and so to vse yt well then hauing libertie of the wholl to abuse all Howsoeuer then this Proclamer to winne the people by flatterie wolde haue the scriptures common to all sortes yet as to the auncient Fathers yt hath appeared the best waie that yt shoulde be deliuered So shall our miserable experience teach vs at the last that yt ys the best waie Valdo a man alltogether vnlearned hauing a desire to cōme into this storehouse of God caused certain bookes of the scripture to be translated Valdo whiche he reading withoute vnderstanding fell into diuerse heresies and became an Authour of heresie hauing many foloweing as his Secte which Valdenses siue Pauperes de Lugduno were called after his name Valdenses and by an other name Pauperes de Lugduno the poor men or people of Lions Oute of the same fountain of ignorance saieth Alfonsus sprang an other sorte of Heretikes called Begradi Turelupini men plainlie ignorante and clere Begardi Turelupini withoute all learning All whiche mens errours proceaded of a peruerse sense and wrong vnderstanding of the scriptures whiche they through ignorance mixed with malice framed to them selues according to their phansies Nowe Reader hauing heard the mindes of the great learned and holie Fathers of the Churche as touchinge the difficultie of the scriptures the Luther ād zuīg their straunge doctrines Luther in Assertiō reading also and vnderstanding of the same of whom also and at whose handes ye must learne the vnderstanding of them what trueth ys to be thought in Luther and Zuinglius whiche so plainlie to the contrarie arrogantlie affirme the scriptures to be easie and plain for all men to vnderstand make yt free for all men to read and expowde them teache that not onelie men but also womē maye openlie preache the woorde of God And for the mainteinance of the same most wickedlie auouche all chrysten men and women to be preistes and to all theise mischeiuouse and wicked heresies adde this most pestilent heresie that as well a childe and a woman absolueth as the Bishoppe O Lord how manifestlie repugnante be theise pestiferouse assertions vnto the scriptures howe moche confownding and breaking the orde of the catholique Churche howe farre dissenting from all the holie Fathers Luther cōtrarie to himself yea and in some of theise how moche dothe Luther dissent from him self In one booke he teacheth as ys saied before that ther ys no difficultie in lib. de seruo arbitrio Luthers prowdbragges and lies the scriptures and boasting himself to be ignorant in no parte of them provoketh all men to bring him anie one place that he can not expownde This ys one mete to be an Heresiarch in Satans Sinagog that to gett him credite with his disciples extolleth him self with Luciferane pride accōpanied with falshood and lieng euen vnto the heauens But saincte Augustine endewed with an other Spirit and depressing and making himself lowe saieth of himself thus Fateor me in scripturis Dei plura nescire quam scire I acknowledge miself not to knowe mo thinges in the scriptures of God then to knowe Thus saieth saincte Augustin And yt ys easie for all men to iudge that betwixt theise two their ys no comparison whether ye haue respecte to excellencie of learning or sanctimony of lief But what trueth ys yn this saieng of Luther his owne woordes in an Luther in praefatione super psalmos other place shall be iudge thus he saieth Quocirca ingenuè me confiteri oportet me ignorare an legitimam habeam psalmorum intelligentiam wherfor I must francklie confesse that I am ygnorant whether I haue the lawfull vnderstanding of the psalmes or no. And a litle after that he saieth again Scio impudentissimae temeritatis eum esse qui audeat profiteri vnum librum scripturae à se in omnibus partibus intellectum I knowe him to be saieth Luther of most impudent Luther speaketh diuerselie as though he were not one but two diuerse mē rashnesse or foolish blodnesse that dare saie that he vnderstandeth anie one booke of the scripture in all partes Conferr theise two saienges with his other sentence before and then iudge of the Spirit of the man wolde ye not thinke them the sainges raither of two men the one sobre and the other drunke or the one sobre and the other stark madde When I conferred him in his first saing with saincte Augustin yt semed to me that I hearde Goliath and Dauid the condicions of the parties so well resembled eche other Neuerthelesse howe wicked so euer his Spirit and doctrine ys ther haue ben and yet be to manie that embrace and folowe the same For haue not The peoples arrogante irreuerēcia to diuiue matters the people vpon this persuasion of the easinesse of the scriptures taken a great boldnesse to read and dispute of the highest and hardest matters of all the scriptures Wil they not dispute and determine in predestinacon Ys yt not a common matter almost at euerie meting that man hath no free will Do not the Tauerns sownde of iustificacion Are not Barbre Shopps Schooles teaching God to be cause of Sinne doo not Innes and Alehouses swarme with disputers of the Sacramentes Howe manie ther be what ys the force of them what ys the Sacrament of the Altare what ys the woorthinesse of yt And what yt conteineth Do not the mouthes of women boies and Girles breath oute most filthie stincking and abhominable Blasphemie against this blessed Sacrament and the ministracon of the same in streetes high waies and feldes Ah Lord ys this the reuerence that aught to be geuen to the
conception What the figure was ye haue heard The Prophet Esaie being taught of God thus saied Ecce virgo cōcipiet pariet filiū Behold a virgē shal cōceaue and beare a Sōne As the person of the figure for that that nature failed cōceaued ād brought furth a childe by Gods power So a virgen wher nature hath not her ordre to conceaue hath besides nature and against the ordre of nature conceaued by Gods power And this prophecie of Esaie doth wel opē ād declare the former prophecie He saied a Rod shal come furth of the kinred of Iesse ād a flower shal florish oute of his roote Virga virgo est The rodde ys the virgē the florishing flower ys the Sōne of the virgē What maner of Sōne yt ys the Prophete immediatelie declareth Et vocabitur nomē eius Emanuel And his name shall be called Emanuel Matth. 1. What Emanuel ys the Euāgelist declareth Quod interpretatur nobiscum Deus which yf a mā interprete ys as moche to saie as God with vs. Whiche interpretaciō geueth vs to vnderstād that the Sōne of this wirgē ys the verie Messias God and man who was God with vs For In terris visus est cum hominibus Baruch 3. cōuersatus est He was seen in the earth and was cōuersaunt with mē or dwelt with men So thē wher the prophete said A rodde shall bring furth a flower nowe by plain woordes he saieth A virgen shall bring furth a Sonne called Emanuel And that this was fulfilled as yt was prefigured and prophecied the Euāgelist testifieth Cùm esset despōsata mater Iesu Maria Ioseph antequam cōuenirēt inuenta Math. 1. est in vtero habēs de spiritu sancto Whē Marie the mother of Iesus was maried to Ioseph before they came to dwel together she was founde with child by the holie Goste That she cōceaued by the holie Goste the Angel testified to Ioseph Ioseph fili Dauid noli timere accipere Mariā coniugē tuā Quod enim in eanatū est de spiritu sancto est Ibidem Ioseph the sōne of Dauid saieth the Angel feare not to take vnto thee Marie thy wief For that that ys cōceaued in her cometh of the holie Goste And to cōclude thus the Euāgelist saieth Hoc autē totū factū est vt adimpleretur quod dictū est à Domino per Prophetā dicentē Ecce virgo cōcipiet pariet filiū voca būt nomē eius Emanuel Al this was doē that yt might be fulfilled which wasspokē Esay 7. of oure Lord by the Prophete saieng Beholde a maide shal be with child ād shall bring furth a sonne And they shal cal his name Emanuel In this processe yt ys easie to be perceaued how the prophecie aūswereth the figure ād the Euāgelist aūswereth both figure ād prophecie certifieng vs that to be fulfilled ād doē in facte that thei promised the one in figure the other inwoord Christs passion and all notable partes therof conferred to the prophecies Ioan. 3. Esaie 53. Prophecie of Christes passion We haue heard of Chrystes cōminge into flesh by his cōception ād birth Now let vs procead to speake of the third which ys his passiō ād death And for ētrie therūto first let vs search by the prophecies wherfor he cā into flesh Chryste himself saieth Venit filius hominis quaerere et saluū facere quod perierat The Sōne of mā came to seke ād saue that that had perished But by what meanes was yt his pleasure to saue that that had perished The Prophet declareth saieng Ipse autē vulneratus est propter iniquitates nostras attritus est propter scelera nostra Disciplina pacis nostra super eū et linore eius sanati sumus He was woūded for our offences ād smittē for our wickednes For the chaistesemēt of our peace was laied vpon him and with his stripes are we healed By what means did he come to his passion and howe came he into the hādes of his enemies By the treason of one of his Apostles who as by the figure was prefigurated solde him to the Iewes as the Brethren of Ioseph solde him to the Ismaelites But that prolixitie maie be auoided and yet so notable a matter not omitted as wherbie the faithfull maie take occasion to reioice in the sowndenesse of their faith and therin glorifie God I will by the helpe of God passe through the storie of the Passiō as yt ys written of the Euangelistes comparinge euery notable parte of yt with the prophecies wherby shall appeare that the faith of the chrystians beleuing Chryst to haue died for the sinnes of the woorlde and by that death to haue wrought the redemption of the same ys a sure substancial and a grownded faith fownded vpon the vnmoueable trueth of Gods woorde As yt was by his foreknowledge by his holie prophetes liuelie and plainlie spoken howe and by what means Messias should woorke the saluaciō of mā Euē so plainly and liuelie hath our Messias wrought and doen the same in facte that was before spoken in woorde as by this brief comparison ensewing yt shall appeare And to beginne the howre of the passiō of our Lorde drawing nere which he right wel knewe Sciens Iesus quia venit hora eius vt transeat ex hoc mundo ad Patrem Iesus knowing that his howre was cōmed that he should departe oute of this worlde to the father he prepared him and willinglie went to Hierusalē Appropinquante hora passionis appropinquare voluit loco passionis The howre of Joan. 13. his passion drawing nere he wolde also drawe nere to the place of his passion And therfore as S. Matthew saieth he going vppe to Hierusalem tooke the xii disciples aside in the waie and saied to them Beholde we go vppe to Gregor Hierusalem and the Sonne of man shall be betraied vnto the chief preistes and vnto the Scribes and they shall condemne him to death and shall deliuer him to the gentiles to be mocked to be scourged and to be crucified ād Matth. 20 the thirde daie he shall rise again By the which his saieng and doing yt appeareth that he willinglie went to suffer his passion Which yet at the instant of the same when Iudas with his companie came to the garden wher he and his disciples were he did more plainlie shewe in effecte For as S. Iohn saieth Sciens Iesus omnia quae ventura erant processit et dixit eis Iesus knowing all thinges that shoulde come on him wente furth and saied whome seke ye They saied Iesus of Nazareth Iesus Ioan. 18. saieth to them I am he As soen as he saied vnto them I am he they wēt backward ād fel to the grownd Wherbie yt ys manifest both in that that he came to mete them ād also in that at his meting with thē with his onelie woorde he threwe thē on the grownd that he with like power might haue eschaped Ibid. Zach.
so with varietie of colours to make yt perfecte Euen so Christ did in the table He did both describe the figure of the passouer and also shewed the possouer of the truth Wher willt thowe that we make readie for thee to eate the passouer That was the Iudaicall Passouer But let the shadowe geue place to the light And the ymage be ouercōmed of the truthe Thus Chrisostom What neadeth me here to trauaill to open the Authours mening where he himself vseth so plain speche that he neadeth no interpretour He hath not onelie made a iust comparison betwen the olde Paschall lambe and our Paschall lambe but also by tearmes applied to them he hathe declared the contentes of thē and what they be That lambe saieth he was a shaddow This lambe the trueth That lambe a figuratiue passouer this the true Passouer I wolde to God all that haue romed astraie in the matter of this blessed Sacrament wolde open their eies and clerelie beholde howe by these woordes true and trueth whiche Chrisostom in this sentence so often hath vsed the true faith and the trueth of the faith of the Churche the piller of trueth ys taught maintened and aduaunced and the falsed of the false prophetes and preachers weakened and conuinced These preachers teache that the Sacrament ys but a figure a sign or token of Christes bodie Chrisostom saieth that the olde Paschall lambe was but a figure but our Paschall lambe caten in the Sacrament ys the trueth That the shaddowe This the light Yf then the olde Paschall lambe were the figure and the shaddow and our newe Paschall lambe the trueth and the light thē are they moche more then bare figures and signes for they are the verie thinges But to make an euasion from this argument they will saie that Christ ys our true Paschall lābe and ys truelie eaten in the receipte of the Sacrament Heretiques euasion frō Chrysostō And therfore we saie with Chrisostom we haue the trueth and the verie true Paschall lambe ys receaued of the faithfull euen the very bodie of Christe But if yowe procead to demaunde of them yf the verie bodie of Christe be consecrated on the Altar and deliuered by the preist to the hande or mouthe of the faithfull and so receaued here they starte backe and can not abide this voice that yt shoulde be on the Altar but onelie in the heart of the godlie receauer But Chrisostome saieth that his true Passeouer wherbye he meneth the bodie of Christ was on the table where the olde passeouer was In that table saieth he both the Passeouer of the figure and of the trueth were celebrated And that none occasion of misunderstanding or wresting of his woordes Figuratiue passouer ād true Passouer both in one table shoulde be taken he speaketh the same sentēce after warde in more plain woordes saing Christ in the table did bothe describe the figure of the Passeouer and shewed also the true Passeouer Note then bothe that Christe did shewe the true Passeouer And that he did shewe yt in the table whiche bothe do importe a reall presence For to shewe the true thing ys to shewe the verie thing yt self to shewe the verie thing yt self ys to shewe the reall presence of the thinge To shewe yt in or vpon the table importeth a substanciall maner of beinge farre differente frō their spirituall maner of beinge whiche ys onelie in the hearte For yt ys outwardlie vpon the table and therfore neadeth a presence reall And here somwat more to presse the Proclamer yt wolde be learned of him why S. Hierom and S. Chrisostom call not the iudaicall Passouer the light the trueth ād the veritie as they do oure Paschall lambe seing as he and his likes do saie they receaued Christ as well as we and we in our Sacrament no more them they for they spirituallie and we spirituallie and our Sacrament no better then theirs But vnderstand Reader that they so saing speak lies and deceaue thee The holie Fathers calling the olde sacramētes figures and shaddowes and ours the light the trueth and the thinges in dede teache that those sacramentes had not the verie presence of Christ and that our Sacrament hath And that ye maie the better perceaue that Chrisostom meneth as here ys declared ye shal heare him in an other place vttering his minde and faith yea the faithe of the Churche in his time in more plain and expresse woordes Thus he writeth Ipsa namque mensa animae nostrae vis est nerui mentis fiduciae vinculum fundamentum spes salus lux vita nostra Si hinc hocsacrificio muniti migrabimus Homeli in 10. 1. Corin. maxima cum fiducia sanctum ascendemus vestibulum tanquam aureis quibusdam vestibus contecti Et quid futura commemoro Nam dum in hac vita sumus vt terra nobis coelum sit facit hoc mysteriū Ascende ad coeli portas diligenter attende imò non coeli sed coeli coelorum tunc quod dicimus intueberis Etenim quod summo honore dignum est id tibi in terra ostendam Nam quemadmodum in regijs non parietes non tectum aureum sed regium corpus in throno sedens omniū est praestantissimū ita quoque in coelis regium corpus quod nunc in terra videndum tibi proponitur Neque Angelos neque Archangelos non coelos non coelos coelorum sed ipsum horum tibi omnium Dominum ostendo Animaduertis quónam pacto quod omnium maximū est atque praecipuum in terra non conspicaris tantum sed tangis neque tangis solùm sed comedis co accepto domū redis Absterge igitur ab omni sorde animā tuā praepara mentē tuā ad horū mysteriorū susceptionem Etenim si puerreguis purpura diademate ornatus tibi ferēdus traderetur nónne omnibus humi abiectis cum susciperes Verùm nunc cum nō hominis regiū puerū sed vnigenitū Dei filium accipias dic quaeso non horrescis omnium secularium rerūamorē abiicis That table ys the strenght of our soule the Sinnewes of the minde the bande of trust the fundacion hope health light and our life Yf we beinge defended with this sacrisice shall departe hence with most great trust we shall as couered with certain golden garmentes ascend to the holie place But what do I reherse thinges that be to come For while we be in this life this misterie causeth that the earth ys an heauen vnto vs. Go vppe therfor vnto the gates of heauen but not of heauen but of the heauen of heauens and diligentlie marke And then thowe shalt beholde what we saie For The thing woorthie of most honour ys in the Sacrament trulie that that ys woorthie of most highest honour that shall I shewe thee in earthe For as in Kinges howses not the walls not the golden Rooffe but the Kinges bodie sitting in Throne ys most cheif and woorthiest
of auncient time and the Authours of the later time Yf ye obiecte that Chrysostome did vse no soche woordes as this Authour dothe For Chrysostome though he saied that yt was the very meat that saued the soule yet he did not saie that this very meat was vnder the formes of bread and wine as this man doeth Ys this trowe yow abhorring from the sainges of the auncient Fathers though Chrysostom dothe not here speake yt by expresse woordes as this Authour doth Dothe not Chrysostome saie that this ys no parabolicall speache wherby what dothe he ells insinuate but that ther ys the thing euen as yt ys spoken of Chryst whiche ys the verie flesh the very meat of the faithfull Yf this flesh be verilie ther as most certenly yt ys and we do see but the forme of bread then yt ys ther vnder the forme of bread But to declare vnto yow that this maner ofspeache and wordes ys not of late vsage or of late or newe inuencion harke what sainct Augustin saieth Caro eius est quam forma panis opertam in Sacramento accipimus sanguis Lib. sente Prosp A plain place for M. Juell eius est quem sub vini specie sapore potamus Yt ys the flesh of him whiche we receaue couered in the Sacrament vnder forme of bread And yt ys the blood of him whiche we drinke vnder the forme and taste of wine Do ye not heare in these woordes of Saint Augustine the same forme of woordes vsed by Dionise Do ye not heare the forme of bread and Formes of bread and wine a speache knowen to S. Augu. wine Do ye not heare that Chrystes flesh ys vnder the one and his bloode vnder the other Why then do ye sticke still in the mire Why do ye not frame your selues to be obedient to the faith of Crystes Churche Or do ye thinke that ye alone haue the true faithe whiche the Churche had not in the time of sainct Augustine Why do ye perseuere deceauing the simple and vnlearned feading them with lies in stead of trueth with heresie in stead of faith and with Scisme in stead of vnitie of Gods religion Saie not nowe as yt hath ben your common slaunder that these late writers were full of corrupte doctrine For ye see yet that they teache no other doctrine in this matter then the auncient Fathers did And yet in this saing of sainct Augustine ther ys one thing wourthie of note that wher the Aduersaries trauailed to impugne this doctrine of Chrystes being in the Sacrament vnder the formes of bread and wine by the alteracion or chaunge of the significacion of this woorde species Species and forma vsed both in one significaciō saing that the woorde doth signifie the nature or kinde of a thinge and not the outwaade forme Let them here weigh well and consider saincte Augustines maner of speache who taketh here this woorde species applied to the wine in the same significacion that he taketh forma applied to the bread But this woorde forma ys taken for the outwarde forme wherfor this woorde species must nedes be so likewise And here also I wolde wish the vnlearned that haue erred in this matter that they wolde be aduertised by this good Father and learned man Dionise that they will not abuse these sentences of the scripture Petra erat Christus verè foenum est populus The stone was Chryste and Truly the people ys grasse to the maintenaunce of their errour that bycause these be spoken figuratiuelie therfor this also Caro verè est cibus My flesh ys meate in verie dede Ys spoken figuratiuelie For yf ye will so then might ye make these sentences Tu es Christus filius Dei viui Thowe arte Chryst the Sonne of the liuing God Et verè filius Dei erat iste And trulie this man was the Sonne of God ye might I saie make these sentences figuratiue speaches and so consequentlie subuert the sense of holie scripture and all our faith Therfor vnderstand by this Authour that they be figuratiue speaches or speaches so vsed for some agreablenesse of the thinges compared together and do not ouertwartly turn that to impugne the trueth that ys brought in example for the declaracion of the trueth as I hearde a Reader do in Cambridge who being willing to please the worlde he liued in began to impugne the presence of Chryst in the Sacrament and the Masse Schoole argumentes made for the opening of trueth produced of a Protestant to cōfirme a false doctrine And to make his matter good in apparaunce he induced manie argumentes and delighted him self very moche in them as by whiche his matter was moche confirmed and strengthed as he thought In the hearing of the argumentes methought they were soche as I had readde wherfor the lecture being ended I repared to my studie and supposing I had readde thē in Dunce I tooke him in hande and turned and fownde them Whiche as Dunce had moued against the truthe to be solued for the better declaracion and opening of the trueth So did this man bring them in against the truth to confirme his false doctrine So that soche argument as Dunce framed for an argument of impugnacion this reader vsed yt as an argument of confirmacion And so I feare verilie that manie seke good Authours and what they finde in them to impugn falsheade with that do they defende and fortifie the same Wherfor reader do not the like here that what this Authour bringeth in for a better and further declaracion of the trueth thowe take yt to impugne the trueth I thought yt good also not to omitte that this Authour saieth that we receaue in the Sacrament the very reall and wholl bodie of Chryst with veines sinnewes and bones for that I haue hearde some of the Iewish Capharnaites aske what do we receaue Chrystes bodie bones and all Howe can yt come wholl in to my mouthe Ah thow man of litle faith why doest thowe doubte bicause thowe imaginest with the Capharnaites no other presence but after the grosse corporall The presence of Christes bodie in the Sac. no more impossible thē many other his workes which some as impossible to naturall knowledge maner But thowe errest fowllie He ys ther spirituallie and yet verilie and really and no more to be thought impossiblie to thee than that that bodie was born of a virgen then that yt walked vpon the sea then that yt was transfigurated on the mount then that yt rose from death life then that yt passed oute of the graue the monument being still fast shett and close then that yt entred into the Apostles the doores being shett then that yt ascended into heauen all whiche factes yf thowe measure by naturall knowledge they will seme as vnpossible as the other For naturall knowledge wondereth and saieth howe coulde the bodie of Chryst being a perfect bodie Hauing flesh and bones passe oute of the sepulchre the sepulchre not being opened
Chryst deliuered to his Apostles his own bodie Of these verseis this maie be the sense in english When Chryste had thus saied he tooke bread in his handes and when he had geuen thankes he diuided yt to his Disciples and taught them that he deliuered vnto thē his owne bodie And after that our Lorde tooke the cuppe filled with wine he sanctifieth yt with thankes geuing and geueth yt to them to drinke and teacheth them that he hath geuen them his blood and saieth This bloode shall remitte the Sinnes of the people Drinke ye this my bloode c. This Authour setting furth the historie of the Gospell in verse and therwith oftentimes geuing vs with the historie the sense and vnderstanding of yt dothe euen so here For he dothe not onely saie that Chryst saied Thys ys my bodie but geueth the vnderstanding of yt saing that Chryst taught his Apostles that he deliuered vnto them his owne bodie In whiche maner of speache note this also that he saieth not onelie that Chryst deliuered them his bodie But addeth this woorde owne and saieth that he taught them that he deliuered to them his owne bodie Whiche maner of speach hath soche force and strenght with yt that as yt declareth the catholique saith and geueth great testimonie of the same so yt beateth and driueth awaie the wicked glose of onely figures and signes inuented by the Aduersaries to peruert the trueth For what more plain testimonie wolde we desire for the vnderstanding of Chrystes woordes then to saie that when Chryst saieth Take eate this ys my bodie that he taught his Apostles that he gaue them his owne bodie A plain saing for the Procla Thus maie yow see that for the catholique faith yow haue plain testimonie for the heresie of the Aduersarie yow haue not one woorde For I assure yowe of this as partlie before ys saied ther ys not one catholique writer neither olde nor yong from Chryst to Berengarius that euer taught or wrote that the Sacrament ys onely a figure or signe of the bodie of Chryst And therfor Reader looke to thie self be not caried awaie from Chrystes faith with onely bragges and glosing woordes voide of all good proofe But raither settle thy self wher thowe findest the trueth sett furth to thee with simplicitie and plainnesse commended with moche proofe and authoritie But hauing yet manie mo wittnesses let me hast me to bring him that ys appoincted to be this authours yockfelowe to declare the continuance of the vnderstanding of Chrystes woordes in the greke churche as the other hath doen in the latin churche This ys Eusebius Emisenus who by the supptacion of learned men liued in the same time that Iuuencus did He writeth thus Recedat omne infidelitatis ambiguum quoniam quidem qui author est muneris ipse est etiam testis veritatis Nam inuisibilis sacerdos visibiles creaturas in substantiam corporis sanguinis sui verbo suo secreta potestate conuertit ita dicens Hoc est corpus meū Et sanctificatione repetita Accipite bibite ait Hic est sangnis meus Let all doubte Euseb Emis Homil 5. Pa. Visible bread and wine turned into the substance of the bodie and blood of Chryst of insidelitie or vnbeleif departe For truly he that ys the authour of the gifte he also ys the wittnesse of the trueth For the inuisible preist by his secret power dothe with his woorde conuert or turne the visible creatures into the substance of his bodie and bloode saing thus Take and eate This ys my bodie and the sanctificacion repeted Take and drinke saieth he this ys my bloode In this saing of Eusebius ther ys no soche darke maner of speache that the reader nede to doubte of the true presence of Chryste in the Sacrament or howe to vnderstand the woordes of Chrystes supper seing that he so plainlie saieth that Chryste whom he calleth the inuinsible preist with his power and woorde saing This ys my bodie This ys my bloode turneth the visible Reall presence and transubstātiaciō plainlie auouched by Euseb Emis creatures of bread and wine into the substance of his bodie and bloode Yf they be turned into the substance of his bodie and bloode as by the testimonie of this authour they trulie be then these woordes Corpus sangnis bodie and blode in the sainges of Chryst doe not signifie the figures of the bodie and bloode of Chryst but the substance of the bodie and bloode of Chryste into which substance to make the bodie and blood verilie present the creatures of bread and wine be turned and so Chryst saing This ys my bodie this ys my blood yt ys asmoch as he had saied This ys the substāce of my bodie this ys the substance of my blood This doctrine ys so certen so sure and so true that this authour gaue exhortacion and admoniciō in the beginning of his saing that in this matter ther should be no doubte all vnbeleife should departe and so faithfullie to beleue Chrystes woordes that forasmoch as he ys the authour of all trueth and saieth This ys my bodie This ys my blood vndoubtedly so to take yt Beside this doctrine of faith of the presence of Chrystes verie substanciall bodie and blood in the Sacrament this authour also teacheth the meā how Transubstantiacion treacted of God woorketh yt and saieth that yt ys doen by turning the creatures of bread and wine into the substance of the bodie and blood of Chryst which turning or chaunging of one substance into an other as the holy Fathers do diuersly terme some of thē calling yt a conuersion or turning some of thē mutaciō or chaūging some communicacion or translacion some transelementaciō some trāsmutacion so the Church fullie and liuelie to expresse the thing that ys doen and therby the better to repell the heresies that haue risen and encōbred the Church since the time of Berengarius hath tearmed yt Transubstanciatōn which terme importeth no more in this matter then transmutacion or transelementacion but yt sowndeth and openeth the thing that yt signifieth more liuelie and suffreth notthe heretiques to wrest yt as they doe the other Which ys the cause that manie be so greuouslie offēded with the terme But bicause the Proclamer doth lightlie ouerpasse yt I will not tarie lōg vpō yt But in the allegaciō of the Fathers as thei shal make mēciō ofit so shal I breleiflie not it And yet that the reader shall not thinke that that matter ys so barren that nothing can be saied of yt or being desielrouse to learn should be frustrate of his desire ād expectaciō I shall somewhat here saie of yt desiering withal that as they do read the doctours that shall be hereafter alleaged they will note in them what they shall finde as therunto I shall geue thē occasion in euerie one that doth speake of this matter And for that we haue taken occasiō of this authours woordes to speake of yt we wil first
consecratione mysterij nemo qui verbis diuinis credit dubitat The holie Gost who withoute seed created the man Chryst in the wombe of the Virgen he also No man that beleueth the woordes of God doubteth of the bodie of Chryst in the Sacr. with his inuisible powre by the sanctisicacion of his Sacrament woorketh the Substance of bread and wine into the flesh and bloode of Chryste although neither by the seight outwardlie neither by the tast of the sauoure they can be comprehended but bicause they be spirituall thinges they are by faith and vnderstanding most fullie of a suertie receaued as the trueth did before saie yt That in verie dede the bodie and blood ys made by consecracion of the mysterie non man that beleueth the woordes of God doubteth Hauing now alleaged a good nōbre to testifie that the substāce of bread ād wine be chaūged or turned into the substāce of the bodie ād blood of Christ whiche turning of substance into substance the Church calleth Transubstanciacōn forasmoche Transubstantiaciō what yt ys as they are plain and euident testimonies not encombred with dark speaches as I content my self to produce no mo so I trust these maie suffice anie man considering howe auncient they be to cause him to setle and fixe his faith in the matter of the Sacrament and not to wauer or doubte In these doctours and authours this ys to be considered that Eusebius S. Howthe Fathers proue Transubstantiacion to be a miraculouse work of God Eusc Emis Gregorie and sainct Ambrose whiche be the first doe proue this turning of substances by the great workes of Gods might and power As Eusebius by the creacion of the high heauens the huge and depe waters or sloudes the great and vast earth and by the great worke of God in chaunging a man that was detestable and filthie in sinne that was bonde to the wofull and miserable bond of damnacion that was a straunger to God and an enemie that God maketh him pure and clean from all that filthinesse and setteth him in the state of innocencie deliuereth him from the bond and maketh him free to the kingdom of heauen and of a straunger and an enemie maketh him a domestical and a sonne adoptiue S. Gregorie by that worke of God that he caused bread and other naturall foode to be chaunged into that merueilouse bodie conceaued by the S. Gregorie holie Gost and ioined to the Godhead in vnitie of person whiche was not a common bodie but the bodie of God And for that yt hath God abiding in yt yt ys exalted to the dignitie of God which in dede well weighed ys a merueilouse worke of God S. Ambrose by the chaunging of the nature of a rodde into a Serpēt and of the nature of the serpent into the rodde again ād by a great nōbre of other S. Ambrese works of God which their maner of teaching geueth vs to vnderstād that this turning or chaūging wrought by God in the Sacr. ys no small work but soch a worke as ys and maie be accompted amonge the great workes of God among those workes that be myraculouse that be wonderfull soche as mans witte and vnderstanding can not atteign vnto but by faith And ther fore in the Sacrament ys an other maner of worke wrought by God then to make the bread and wine to be signes and tokens of remembrance that Chryst hath suffred an died for vs for that ys not among the miraculouse and wonderfull workes of God S. Cyrill in sitting furth this matter findeth as yt were a necessitie S. Cyrill that this chaunge a fore saied shoulde be bicause the flesh of Chryst whiche ys hable to geue life to our naturall flesh might by the receipt of the same in the Sacrament make owre mortall bodies to liue being once raised vppe to liue euerlastinglie Remigius ioineth the worke of the incarnacion with the worke of God in transubstanciacōn Damascen doth the like and with all teacheth S. Remig. Damascen that as the holie Gost wrought in the wombe os the virgen the incarnacion of Chryst by turning her substance into the substance of Chryst so in the Sacrament he woorketh the transubstanciacion by turning the substance of the bread and wine into the substance of Chrystes bodie Theophil Paschas and bloode Theophilact and Paschasius do the like with other good and necessarie instructions Thus ye maie see that as they teache the thing certenlie to be doen so doe they asscribe yt to the power of God to the woorke of the holie Gost they so esteem yt so magnifie yt that they accompt yt and enombre yt among the great and miraculouse workes of God As merueilouse and miraculouse yt ys in dede that the substances of bread and wine shoulde be turned into the substance of the bodie and bloode of the Sonne of God But to appoint a thing to be a figure to be a sign or token of remembrāce Appointing of figures ys nospeciall miraculouse worke of God ther neadeth not soch speciall power of God nor soch special worke of the holie Gost For manie thinges haue ben appoincted to be signes and tokens of remembrance of Gods benefittes whiche the writers and learned men did neuer accōpte among the miraculouse and wonderfull workes of God As the twelue stones whiche God commaunded Iosue that people shoulde laie in an heape in remembrance that the twelue Tribes passed vnder Iosue through Iordane with drie foote to go to Hiericho Though this were a tokē of the remembrence of a miraculouse and a wonderfull worke and benefitt Iosue 4. of God doē to the people of Israell yet the laing together of the xii stones was neuer accompted as a miraculouse worke of God To come to thinges that were figures of Chryste as to the Brasen Serpēt Num. 21. Ioan. 3. whiche Chryst applieth to him self as a figure of him self to be crucified though yt were both a token of the great benefitt of God to the people of Israell in releiuing them of the plague that he had sent amonge them and also a sigure of Christ to be crucified wherbie the faithfull shoulde be released of the plague of euerlasting damnacion yet this serpent was not of learned men in Chrystes Churche magnified and exalted among the great miraculouse workes of God The Paschall Lambe that was both a token of remembrance to the Iewes of the benefittes that they receaued in their passage oute of Aegipt and also Exod. 12. a sigure of Chryst and that a notable liuelie figure yet ys ther no christian writer that accompteth the killing or eating of that lambe as a miraculouse worke of God in yt self To come nearer to the maner the Catechumeni that ys the newlie instructed in christes faithe but not baptised of the whiche ther were a great nombre in the primitiue Church they receaued a bread whiche S. Augustine calleth a Sacrament and accompteth yt an holie meate yea holier
then August de peccatormerit remiss holie bread vsed in the primitiue Churche other meates although yt be not saieth he the bodie of Chryst And yet this bread accompteth he not though yt be a Sacrament to them and an holie signe amonge the miraculouse workes of God no more then the Church did the holie bread whiche the people receaued on certain daies Wherfor if the Sacrament were but a sign or token onelie as Oecolampadius saieth yt ys then yt should be but as the bread of the Catechumeni the newe conuerted to Chryst and as the holie bread of Christian people whiche S. Augustine accompteth but as an holie thing and yet referred yt not into the nombre of the miraculouse workes of God No more wolde these holie and auncient Fathers which I haue alleaged so haue esteemed the Sacrament and set yt furth by the great workes of God as a miraculouse worke requiring faith to be beleued to contein more than reason can conceaue or Figures cōtein what reason can conceaue the Sacr. what faith must beleue senseis iudge And therfor the holie fathers haue traueiled to staie and confirme the faith of the Chrystians by examples of workes doen miraculouslie by Gods power accompting this as one of the same kinde or sorte This being well weighed and considered by the Fathers in the Lateran Councell wher were assembled no small nombre of learned men as well of the greke church as of the latin as the Patriarkes of Hierusalem and Constantynople Archebishoppes 70. Bishoppes 400. of other Fathers 92. with the Ambassadours of the Grecian and Romain Empire and the Oratours of Hierusalem Fraunce Spain Englonde and Cypres for the declaracion and confirmacion of the faith in this matteir accordinge to the doctrine of the holie Fathers and to the confutacion of the wicked doctrine of Berengarius at that time yet lurking in corners this Canon was ther agreed vpon and set Concil Lateran cap. 1. de fide cathol furth Verum Christi corpus sanguis in sacramento Altaris sub speciebus panis vini veraciter continentur transubstantiatis pane in corpus vino in sanguinem potestate diuina The verie bodie and blood of Chryste are verilie and trulie conteined vnder the formes of bread and wine in the Sacrament of the aultar the bread and wine being transubstanciated into the bodie and bloode by the power of God Thus the Councell whiche was celebrated aboue thre hondreth yeares agone Nowe Reader thowe seest the learning and faith of Chrystes Church in this matter of transubstantiacion not onelie nowe in these daies professed taught and beleued through oute all Chrystendome but also aboue three hondreth yeares agon in the great and generall Councell Lateran and so by Fathers testified before and vppewarde vntill ye come to the primitiue church Wherfor minding here after to touche yt more as occasion shall be ministred I think this for this time sufficient to moue anie man to haue a regarde to his faith that hath not solde him self ouer to liue vnder heresie disobedience and sinne Nowe therfor I returne to my pourpose THE TWO AND FIFTETH CHAP. OPENETH the mindes of Sainct Basill and Sainct Ambrose vpon the woordes of Chryst THinke not gentle reader but that ther be manie lefte not here alleaged as Optatus Dionisius Alexandrius Hilarius Origen and other which geue goodlie testimonie for the veritie of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament But here we alleadge none but soche as treacting of these woordes of Chryst This ys my bodie This ys my bloode doe geue vs their doctrine for the true vnderstanding of them wherfor the other omitted this ordre hath brought vs to S. Basill in the greke churche and to S. Ambrose in the latin church S. Basill to whom this question was moued with what feare what maner Basil quaest compend explic qu. 172. of faith or assured certentie and with what affection the bodie and blod of Chryst shoulde be receaued made this aunswer Timorem docet nos Apostolus dicens Qui edit bibit indigné iudicium sibiipsi edit ac bibit At verò certitudinis perfectionē inducit fides verborū Domini qui dixit Hoc est corpus meum quod pro vohis datur Hoc facite in meà m cōmemorationē The Apostle teachethvs the feare saing He tht eateth and drinketh vnwoorthilie he eateth ād drinketh vnto himself iudgement But the perfection of certitude induceth the faith of the woords of our Lorde who saied This ys my bodie whiche ys geuen for yowe Doe this in the remembrance of me Thus moch S. Basill for aunswer to the question For the better vnderstanding of which aunswer consider that this question ys propownded as of them that were vnlearned and wolde be simplie S. Basill how he taught the simple to beleue of the Sacrament instructed in the faithe of Chryst to the instruction of whiche kinde of people S. Basill appointed him self in the solucion of this question and other Wherfor yt ys to be thought that in this solucion he taught the simple and plain trueth Nowe then teaching them that these woordes This ys my bodie doe instruct them what faith they shoulde haue in the receipt of the Sacrament what dothe he but teach that these woordes must be taken as they sownde and so by them to haue this faith that Chrystes verie bodie ys in the Sacrament according as the woordes doe sownde For consider wolde this holie man trowe ye teache the people to grownde their faith vpō these woordes if their faith shoulde not be grownded ypon them as they lie but vpon this sense this ys a figure of my bodie Yf the faith of the people of the Sacrament aught to be none other but that yt ys but a figure of the bodie and not the bodie yt self wolde he haue moued them to beleue the woordes as they be spoken and not haue taught the true sense that they aught to grownde their faith vpon in dede No chrystian will so thinke of so woorthie a man as this was And therfor ye maie perceaue that this holieman Ca. 25. 37. 44. vnderstoode Chrystes woordes simplie in propre sense and taught therbie the very presence of Chrystes blessed bodie and bloode in the Sacrament as before ys saied and shall be plentifullie declared in the thirde booke S. Ambr. booke of Sacr. reiected of Oecolāp as S. lames epistle by Luther for their plaintrueth Nowe foloweth S. Ambrose in whome I finde soche copie and soche plentie of plain and euident places to open and declare the right and true vnderstanding of this scripture This ys my bodie that as a man comming into a goodlie garden garnished adorned and pleasantlie furnished with all delectable and swete flowres can not tell which flower to take first Euen so I beholding S. Ambrose and the plentie of goodlie liuely places in him I knowe not whiche to take first But bicause he ys so plain in gods treuth and
that ther ys not one auncient doctour that maketh for the catholique faith of the Sacrament Thus Chrysostō expownding these woordes of owre Sauiour Chryst in the xxvi of Matthew saieth Credamus vbique Deo nec repugnemus ei etiamsi sensui cogitationi nostrae absurdum esse videatur quod dicitur superet sensum rationem Chrys in 26 Math. hom 83. nostram sermo quaeso ipsius quod in omnibus praecipuè in mysterus faciamus non illa quae ante nos iacent solummodò aspicientes sed verba quoque eius tenentes Nam verbis eius defraudari non possumus sensus verò noster deceptu facillimus est Illa falsa esse non possunt hic soepius ac soepius fallitur Quoniam ergo ille dixit Hoc est corpus meum nulla teneamur ambiguitate sed credamus oculis intellectus id perspiciamus Let vs in Gods word euen cōtrarie to senses must be beleued euerie place beleue God and let vs not striue against him although that that he saieth seem to our sense and thought vnlikely Let hys woorde I beseche yowe ouercome bothe our wittes and reason which thing let vs doe in all thinges but cheiflie in the mysteries not onely loking on those things whiche lie before vs but also regarding hys woords For by hys woords we cannot be deceaued our sense ys easie to be deceaued they can not be false this our sense ys often and often deceaued Forasmoche them as he hath saied This ys my bodie Let vs be holden with no ambiguitie or doubte but let vs beleue and with the eies of our vnderstanding let vs verilie see yt Thus farre Chrysostom In this saing yt ys to be perceaued howe he laboureth that in this matter of the Sacramēt we should discredit our senseis ād creditte Chrysts woords And sorasmoche as he saied This ys my bodie thouh yt passe our reason to comprehend the worke of God in making present the bodie of Chryst and our senseis can not of themselues atteign to perceaue the same bodie for neither But yt passeth not reason tomake present a figure of his bodie our eies doe see yt neither our tast discern yt neither our feeling or other senses perceaue yt yet saieth Chrysostome we maie not doubte of yt but beleue yt to be the bodie of Chryst bicause he saied yt was so Nowe consider with me if the woordes of Chryst had an other sense thē they doe outwardlie purporte as that they shoulde teache vs that yt ys but a figure of Chrystes bodie and not the bodie yt self wolde Chrysostom trow ye in this his open sermon wil the people to beleue and not to doubt of the trueth of the woords as they be spokē and wold not raither first vtter the true sense and vnderstanding of them yf anie other were and then perswade the people of that sense not to doubt Yt ys an euel maner of teaching to will the people to beleue the woordes of scripture as they lie and are not so to be vnderstanded but in a sense moche different from that Yt ys not the Chryso willeth Chrystes woordes to be vnderstāded as they be spoken maner of Chrysostom so to teache wherfore for so moche as he willeth them not to doubte but to beleue the woordes as they be spoken whiche he dothe in that that he teacheth no other sense yt ys manifest that these woordes are to be vnderstanded in their propre sense withoute the Aduersaries figure And that Chrysostome himself did so vnderstand them thys proueth that he in sondrie and manie places of his workes treating of these woords Reall presence auouched by Chryso of Chryst Thys ys my bodie he neuer addeth this sense Thys ys a figure of my bodie But euer leaueth them in the sense that they be spoken and in some place by expresse woordes in some place by plain circumstance he dcclareth the verie presence of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament By expresse woordes as wher he saieth Qui dixit Hoc est corpus meum rem simul cum verbo consecit Jn 14. Marc. hō 51. He that saied Thys ys my bodie He with hys woorde made the the thing also I wishe these fewe woordes of Chrysostom to be well marked that they Chryst saing This ys my bodie with the woorde made the thing neuer fall from memorie but maie allwaies be reteined as a rule to vnderstand him in all places wher he speaketh of the Sacrament of Chrystes bodie and blood For yf Chryst with hys woorde made the thing also that he spake of and the thing that he spake of was hys bodie then with the speaking of hys woorde he made hys bodie This then being trueth as Chrysostome here teacheth yt can not be denied but that by expresse woordes he teacheth the presence of Chrystes verie bodie in the Sacrament And thus by Chrysostome ys clerely wiped awaie the hereticall figuratiue Figure of the Sacramentaries wiped awaie by Chrysost vnderstanding of these woordes of Chryst Thys ys my bodie For the Aduersaries wolde haue yt so a figure as of a thing absent But Chryst as Chrysostome saieth made the thing together with the woorde Wherfore as the woorde was present so was the thing present Yf the thing be present then the figure of the Aduersaries can not here be admitted Vpon the certentie of which presence the same Chrysostome in the same homelie thus taught hys people Quando igitur sacerdotem corpus tibi prebere Plain places of Chrysost for the Pooclamer Chrys ibi videris noli sacerdotis sed Christi manum ad te porrigiarbitrari Therfore when thow seest the preist geue thee the bodie thinke not the hand of the preist but the hand of Chryst to be put furth to thee And that the people shoulde geue full creditte to this trueth he vseth this perswasion in the same homelie Qui enim maius idest animam suam prote posuit quare dedignabitur suum tibi tradere corpus Audiamus igitur tam sacerdotes quà m alij quà m magna quà m admirabilis res nobis concessa est Audiamus oro perhorrescamus carnes suas nobis tradidit seipsum immolatum nobis proposuit Quam igitur satisfactionem offeremus cum tali pabulo nutriti peccemus cum Agnum comedentes in lupos conuertamur cum ouinis carnibus refecti vt leones rapiamus He that hath geuen a greater thing for thee that ys to saie his life why will he disdein to deliuer hys bodie to thee Let vs therfore heare bothe preistes and other howe great and wonderfull a thing ys graunted vnto vs. Let vs heare I praye yowe and let vs feare He hath deliuered vnto vs hys flesh himself offred hath he putte before vs. What satisfaction then shall we offre that being nourished with soch foode doe sinne When eating the lambe we are turned into wolues when satisfied with shepes flesh we rauine as lions Thus farre Chrysostom Note well
That this ys the cause Chrysostome by plain woordes declareth saing Chryst did drinke first of yt lest when they had heard the woordes of Chryste which were these Eate This ys my bodie Drinke This ys my bloode they shoulde saie what doe we eate flesh and drinke bloode and therfor they shoulde be troobled Note that he saieth that the Apostles wolde haue saied whi doe we eat flesh Trooble of the Apost shoulde haue ben bicause they knewe they should eate verie flesh and drinke bloode In the whiche woordes he doth plainlie expresse their faith that they beleued yt to be flesh and bloode And bicause they did certenlie beleue yt to be flesh and bloode and that they shoulde so haue receaued yt yt might haue ben a cause to trooble them Therfor Chrysostom addeth Ac ideo perturbarentur And therfor they shoulde be troobled Therfor that ys bicause they shoulde eate the flesh and drinke the blood of a man Fot that ys the cause that Chrysostom doeth assign of their trooble That whiche foloweth also moche helpeth the declaracion of this matter that when Chryst saieth Chysostom did speake of these thinges before manie for the woordes alonelie were offēded In that he saieth that they were offēded for the wordes alone he geueth vs to vnderstād that the Apostles shoulde not nowe haue bē offended so but for the doing that where Chryst before did speake of the geuing of his flesh nowe he did both speake of yt and geue yt in dede And so in the receipt of yt in dede they shoulde haue ben offended But saieth Chrysostom that that might not happen he dranke first that they animated and comforted by his example might with a quiett minde neither thinking yt straunge neither lothsome receaue the misteries in the whiche as a mistery requireth was hidden a thinge not open to senseis whiche was the bodie of Iesus Chryste Nowe ye haue heard the minde of Chrysostom vpon the woordes of Chryst and howe he vnderstandeth them yowe maie perceaue and by the same also yowe maie knowe both howe he did beleue and howe also the Apostles who first tooke this misterie at Chrystes hand did beleue And nowe forasmoche as I haue taried long vpon Chrysostom but not without profitt to the reader as I trust I will with the more expedition breislie ouerpasse the breif saing of Sedulius who at this time ys ioined to Chrysostom Sedul in 11 prim Cor. as his yockefelowe to testifie the true vnderstāding of Chrystes wordes in the latin churche as Chrysostome hath doen in the greke churche Thus he saieth Accipite hoc est corpus meū quasi dixisset Paulus Cauete ne illud corpus A plain place for M. Iuell indignè comedatis dū corpus Chisti est Take this ys my bodie as though Paule had saied Beware that ye eate not that bodie vnworthilie forasmohe as yt ys the bodie of Chryste Thus mochehe Who expownding the woordes of Chryst vttered by S. Paule to the Corinthians dothe by expresse woordes geue vs to vnderstande thē in their propre sense as speaking of the verie bodie and of no figure or trope For if they were so to be vnderstāded this learned man taking vpon him the office of an expositoure and so to expownde the woordes of Chryst and the mening of S. Paule in the alleaging of them wolde haue taught nowe that theie are to be vnderstāded by a figure as an expositour aught to doe But forasmohe as he teacheth that they are vndestanded of Chrystes bodie as in opening S. Paules minde yt doeth wel appeare yt can not otherwise be but the woordes Sedulius cōmended of Chryste are to be taken simplie as teaching vs that Cryste and S. Paule spake of the very bodie and not of the bare figure of yt This mā was both learned and auncient not moche aboue foure hondreth years after Chryste who as by learning he was not voide of good knowledg so by auncientie he was not voide of true faith Wherfor we must nedes confesse that this doctrine ys according to the true faith and so consequentlie acknowledge that yt ys the true faith to beleue Chrystes verie bodie in the Sacrament Thus Reader thowe hauest heard these twoo noble men of Chrystes Parliament The Proclāer must subscribe to the catholique doctrin of the Church if he will kepe promesse howse openinge to vs the enacted trueth of the vnderstanding of Chrystes woordes bothe of them testifieng the presence of Chrystes bodie by the same woordes and no one title of the Aduersaries figures and signes and that so plainlie and euidentlie that methinke the Proclamer shall doe me wronge if he subscribe not to this trueth for somoche as he hath promised so to doe vpon the seight of anie one plain place in scripture Councell or doctoure Chrysostom I am sure ys so plain and with all so euident and strong against the wicked assertion of the Proclamer that he shall neuer be able with all his engins and false shiftes that he had to withstand his force But yf hys mouthe will not for pride confesse the trueth his conscience I doubte not accuseth him as confownded THE SIX AND FIFTETH CHAP. ABIDETH in the exposition of the same woordes by Theophilus and Leo. NOw gentle Reader coming towardes the ende of these famouse and noble men of Chrystes higher house of Parliament I meen of soche as were within sixe hondreth years after Chryst I trust thowe wilt not fainte to proceade and see the ende And to thy more ease I also as a man trauailing in iourneie and coming towarde the ende being desierouse of the same taketh courage to him and maketh the more hast to atteign his desire Euen so I nowe drawing to the ende will be shorter then I haue ben and so make hast that I maie obtein that that I desire And nowe of those fathers that remain Theoplnlus Archibishoppe of Alexandria Origen his heresic shall be the first that in our matter shall geue his testimonie This man writing against Origen for that he saied that the deuells shall be saued at Theop. Alexand li. 2. pasch the last saieth thus Consequens est vt qui priora susceperit suscipiat quae sequuntur Et qui pro Doemonibus Christum dixerit crucifigi ad ipsos quoque dicendum suscipiat Hoc est corpus meum accipite Hic est sanguis meus Si enim pro Daemonibus crucifigitur vt nouorum dogmatum assertor affirmat quod erit priuilegium aut quae ratio vt soli homines corpori eius sanguiniue communicent non Daemones quoque proquibus in passione sanguinem fuderit Yt ys consequent that he that receaueth the first thinges shoulde also receaue those thinges that folowe And he that doeth saie Chryst to be cruicified for Deuels alow also to be saied vnto thē This ys my bodie and Take this ys my bloode For yf Chryst shall be crucified also for Deuells as the auoucher of newe
sit eo manifestè dicente Hoc est corpus meum sed potius suscipe verbum Cirill ad Calosyriū Chrystes woordes manifest and without doubt saluatoris in side Cùm enim sit veritas non mentitur Doubt not whether this be true or no seing that he manifestlie saieth This ys my bodie But raither receaue the woord of our Sauiour in faith For lie forasmoch as he ys tureth he lieth not Weigh these fewe woordes of S. Cyrill well gentle Reader and first that he willeth Calosirius not to doubte whether this that Christ manifestlie saied This ys my bodie be true or no. For in that he willed him and by him all chrystians not to doubte what clls willeth he but that al errour heresie opinion wandering wauering and colde faith shoulde be remoued and firme suro and fast faith should be geuen to the woordes of Chryst This ys my bodie S. Cyrill she weth the Proclamer plain woordes whiche woordes he saieth be manifest Yf they be manifest then they haue no obscure sense then they must be taken in the sense that manifestlie lieth open before vs. That sense ys the grāmaticall sense Then the figuratiue sense ys taken awaie For that sense as the woordes be nowe spoken ys not manifest but obscure Then also must the Proclamer subscribe For by the iudgemente of S. Cyrill the woordes of Chryst be manifest Yf they be manifest as vndoubtedlie they be then ther ys one scripture that manifestly teacheth the presence of Chrystes bodie Again sainct Cyrill saieth that forasmoche as Chryst ys the trueth he lieth not but he taking the bread and wine saied This ys my bodie Therfore he being the trueth and lieng not the thinges were as he saied then were they his bodie and bloode For so saied he that they were Yf the bread and wine he saing Thys ys my bodie This ys my bloode were not made by his allmightie power and woorde the bodie and blood of Chryst these woords being spoken by demōstraciō of certain singular things in nature without anie circūstance to declare anie other sense vpō these woordes then in the first hearing they sownde to haue Yf I saie these creatures remain still in their nature and substances and be but figures of Chrystes bodie and blood then I saie that Chrystes woordes were not true For he saied that they were his bodie and bloode And by the opinion of the Aduersarie they be not so but bread and wine figures of Chrystes bodie and blood Forasmoche as my cheef pourpose ys to helpe and staie them in their faith that be vnlearned to whome quiddities in learning be raither trooblesom then pleasaunt or profitable I haue determined not to dispute with the Proclamer in anie quidditie or ells I wolde somwhat haue saied to him for The Proclamer to disgrace our faith plaieth with indiuidū vagum that yt liketh him to dallie and to aske where we finde that this woord hoc in english this poincteth not the bread but indiuiduum vagum For if yt shall be his phantasie to disgrace the trueth before the comon people by plaing with some quidditie that they can not vnderstand he maie so soen disgrace our faith in the holie and blessed Trinitie For if he lyst so to plaie he might moue matter of the distinction and relacion of the persons and by soche toieng bring the people to stagger in their faith in the blessed Trinitie as by this mockerie of the demonstracion he wolde make them fall from their faith of the blessed Sacrament Yt were conuenient that as the people should be taught simplie to beleue in God the Father God the Sonne and God the holie Gost and not to be troobled with the learned quiddities of the generacion of the Sonne of the spiracion as touching the holie Goste of the procession of the same from the Father and the Sonne and with the distinction and relacion of the persons so shoulde they be taught simplie to beleue as the scripturs doe teache and the holie fathers doe declare and expownde the same that the bodie and bloode of our Sauiour Chryst euen People are simplie to be taught not with Quiddities full Chryst God and man after the consecracion which as before ys declared ys doen by the secrett power of God by the worke of the holy Goste at the pronunciacion of Chrystes woordes by his sufficient mynister ys verilie reallie substanciallie and naturally present in the Sacrament and not to be troobled with demonstracions with accidentes with substances with placing of that bodie circumscriptiuelie definitiuelie by the maner of substance or by the maner of quantitie For these matters are for learned men to dispute not for good Chrystian vnlearned people to call in question of beleue In the schooles yt had ben a meit matter to dispute in the pulpitie yt was no matter to teache to edifie But yt liked him to talke of soche quiddities bicause by their obscuritie and darkenesse they being vnpleasaunt vnto the people shoulde the more myslike them and by that means haue the redier waie to deface the catholique faith and to sett vppe his heresie But I minding for that litle that in me ys to maintein that holie faith of Chryst my Sauiour that ys taught in his catholique Churche I will leaue these quiddities and simplie treact of the thing that we haue in hande And therfore nowe returning to Cyrill from whom I haue a litle digressed I saie with him that Chryst being trueth and saing This ys my bodie yt must nedes be as he saied and so simplie we must beleue the bodie and blood of Chryst according Cyrillus ibidem to his woorde to be present in the Sacrament Whiche thing as he saied here that Chryst manifestlie saied Thys ys my bodie So he manifestlie in the same epistle after a fewe lines doth open and Chryst turneth the bread into his owne verie flesh declare to be true wher he thus writeth Ne horreremus carnē et sanguinē apposita sacris altaribus cōdescendēs Deus nostris fragilitatibus instuit oblatis vim vitae cōuertēs ea in veritatē propriae carnis vt corpus vitae quasi quoddā semē viuificatiuū inueniatur in nobis That we shoulde not loath flesh and bloode sett vpon the holie aultars God condescending to our fragilities hath powred into the thinges offred the power of life conuerting or turning them into his verie owne flesh that the bodie of life maie be fownde in vs as a certain quickning seede For that I haue vpon this place of Cyrill saied somthing allreadie I will nowe no more but note vnto yowe howe manifestlie howe apertlie and howe plainlie he teacheth vs not onely that the bodie of Chryst ys in the Sacrament but also the meanes howe yt ys ther which ys that God turneth the bread sett vpon the holie aulanrs into his verie flesh After this he rendreth to vs two Two causes whie the substāce in the Sacr. being
the elder Fathers I will call a companie of them both that their doctrine maie be conferred with the elders before alleadged and so to be approued and also that by them we maie know the enacted trueth of the true vnderstanding of The Proclamer mocketh holie ād learned fathers Chrystes woordes in the lower house of Chrystes Parliament wherby the Aduersarles heresie maie be more manifestlie confuted and the faith of the good Chrystian more confirmed and staied And although yt liked the Proclamer in his high pride to solace himself with the mocking of the learning of Siluester Isidore Innocentius the thirde Gerson Durand Holkot S. Thomas Dunce Fisher and other and made their argumentes as foolishlie as he listed therbie to commende himself and his doctrine to soche as were light whiche yet was and ys discommendable to them that be graue sobre and wise yet in the ende ye shall see that these men shall confute him and ouerthrowe him in the iudgement of them whome gods grace hath not A lamentable time to see preachers in pulpittes mocke Sainctes in heauen forsaken For who ys he that ys wise and as the wiseman saieth hath his eies in his heade that seith not to moche arrogancie in that man that taketh vpon him in open audience to deride mocke and skorne holie auncient learned men of which some of them be Sainctes in heauen some of them liued with great fame of learning aboue a thousand yeares agon some eight or nine hundreth years agon some three hundreth years agon or ther aboute All which are but babes and punies in his seight But I will not intermedle this worke of the heigh and great matter of the Sacrament with soche vain toies of mockeries but they shall be reserued to some other more meit place as either to a Christenmasse skaffold and so a plaier by a plaier or ells to the Paruise in Oxforde a paruise toie by a paruise boie to be aunswered Wherfore conuerting my self to the matter I wil produce Damascen as the first and eldest of this companie of the lower house whiche I haue selected and chosen among all other to expownde vnto vs Chrystes woordes This Damascen although he be placed in the lower house as in consideracion that the aduersarie doeth not accept or regarde hys authoritie yet he liued more then eight hundreth yeares agon and therfore ys woorthie to be hearde Thus he writeth vpon the woordes of Chryst Propositionis panis vinum aqua per inuocationem aduentum sancti Spiritus supernaturaliter Damascen li. 4 ca. 14. transmutantur in corpus sanguinem Christi non sunt duo sed vnum idem The shewe bread the wine and the water by the innocacion and the coming of the holie Gost are supernaturallie transmuted into the bodie and bloode of Chryst and they be not twoo but one and the verie same And after a fewe woordes of exhortacion in the same matter he saieth thus of the same breade and wine Non est figura panis vinum corporis Bread and wine not a sigure of the bodie and blood of Chryste sanguinis Christi absit enim hoc credere sed ipsum corpus Domini deificatum ipso dicente Hoc est meum non mei corporis figura sed corpus non figura sanguinis sed sanguis Et ante hoc ipsis Iudaeis Quoniam nisi manducaueritis carnem filij hominis biberitis eius sanguinem non habebitis vitam in vobis Caro mea verè est cibus sanguis meus verè est potus Proinde omni cum timore conscientia pura indubitabili fide accedamus The bread and wine ys not a figure of the bodie and blood of Chryst God forbidde we shoulde beleue that but yt ys the verie bodie of our Lorde deified himself saing This ys not a figure of my bodie but my bodie not a figure of my bloode but my bloode And before this he saied to the Iewes that except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloode ye shall haue no life in yowe My flesh ys verilie meat and my bloode ys verilie drinke Therfore with all feare and pure conscience and vndoubted faith let vs come vnto yt In these fewe woordes of Damascen ye see foure thinges taught The transubstanciacion The presence of Chrystes verie bodie and bloode with a plain deniall of the aduersaries figure The applicacion of the sixt chap. of sainct Iohn to these woordes of Chryst And finallie an exhortacion for owre due coming to the receipt of the same bodie and blode Of transubstanciacōn we haue allreadie spoken and that by the authoritie also of this man amonge other Fathers wherfore I will not tarie vpon yt onely I wolde that the reader shoulde be aduertised that though the Aduersarie doe so moche exclame against the thing yet the learned Fathers according to the catholique faith of Chrystes Church doe plainlie and agreablie teache the same and therfore I wolde wish that by repeticion of the same yt maie remain in memorie wherbie as meit yt ys their authouritie declaring the trueth with great agreement and consent maie be regarded and esteemed and the arrogant falsheade of the Aduersarie teaching vntrueths and heresie maie be vtterlie condemned and forsaken and thus ouerpassing this matter as not principallie here sought I will come to that that ys here cheislie intended For the whiche I wish yt to be well noted that this Authour expownding the woordes of Chryst This ys my bodie the seking of the exposition of Figuratine expositions of the Sacr. slatlie denied whiche woordes ys our trauaill doeth plainlie by expresse woordes denie refuse and reiect the fonde exposition of the Aduersarie and teacheth that these woordes are to be vnderstanded in their propresense And therfore saieth that yt ys not a figure mening that yt ys not a bare figure of a thing absent in substance and onelie present in figure but yt ys saieth he the verie bodie And this ys not to be ouerpassed that to this exposition he addeth these woordes God forbidde that anie man shoulde so beleue whiche maner of woordes we vse in matters that be perilouse daungerouse and horrible and matters to godwarde wher the thing ys moche offending God and prouoking his heauie displeasure yre and indignaciō Wherbie maie be perceaued the great daunger that ys ensewing to them that so beleue and the great necessitie of the right beleif that ys to beleue that the Sacrament ys not a bare figure but the verie bodie of Chryst Thus once again to aduertise yowe ye see that wher the Aduersarie saieth This ys my bodie that ys saieth he a figure of my bodie This learned authour saieth God for bidde yowe should so beleue Yt ys not saieth he a figure of the bodie of Chryst but his bodie not a figure of the blood of Chryst but his blood in deed This exposition as yt ys dissonaunte and repugnaunte to the
doeth well aduertise vs of the office of faith that aught to be in vs which grownded vpon the woorde of God beleueth what yt teacheth though no one of our senses geue vs anie aide ther vnto And here ys Cranmers grosse sensuall heresie improued rebuked the grosse maner of Cranmer who saieth that faith teacheth nothing against the senseis and therfor for somoche as we see no flesh nor bloode nor tast none in the Sacrament ther ys none in the Sacrament But I will not nowe tarie to refell that grosse and sensuall erroure of the senseis forasmoche as I doe more at large speake of yt in an other place Therfor I will no more doe here but by conferring of the doctrine of this authour with the doctrine of the Fathers so by that waie improoue the doctrine of Cranmer Yt ys not saieth this authour seē with our eies nor tasted by our mouthes that the bread ys made flesh nor that the wine ys turned into bloode for yf yt shoulde so be yt shoulde nothing encreace our saluacion Cyrill ad Calosyr Chrystes owne verie flesh in the Sacrament but yt shoulde bring moch loathsomnesse And therfor yt ys so the flesh and blood of Chryst as yt maie be meit for our vse and sufficient also for our saluacion Agreablie to this ye haue heard declared oute of S. Cyrill Leest we should loath flesh and blood sett vpon the holie altars God condescending vnto our weaknesse powred into the offred thinges the power of life turning the same into the treuth of his owne flesh Here ye see Chrystes owne flesh taught to be in the sacrament but so as no sense perceaue the same least we shoulde loath yt if she shoulde see yt or tast ys as verie flesh Damascen also hath the like sainge and Theophilact in diuerse places but one of thē Theophil shall suffice for all Bycause we are weake and loath to eate rawe flesh speciallie the flesh of man therfor yt appeareth bread but yt ys flesh Note this last part of Theophilactes saing yt appeareth bread but yt ys flesh Are we not taught by this that faith teacheth vs one thing and the senseis teache vs an other thing Yt Faith teacheth one thing and senses an other appeareth bread What ys that Owre seight iudgeth yt to be breade owre tast iudgeth yt to be breade owre tast iudgeth yt to be breade and so furth of other senseis But yt ys flesh For owre faith grownded vpon the certen and infallible truthe of Chrystes woorde beleueth and knoweth yt bicause he saieth This ys my bodie to be his flesh Nowe our senseis teache yt to be that that yt ys not For they teach that yt ys bread wher faith teacheth that yt ys flesh in dede Vain therfor ys Cranmers sainge vain also be they that saie bicause they see not nor tast no flesh nor bloode they will beleue none to be ther. As they be sensuall men so they frame to themselues a sensuall faith But God make them once rightlie spirituall And nowe to our pourpose yowe haue seen a conference and a plain agreement betwixt this authour and other in these two poinctes Finallie he expowndeth the woordes of Chryst of the verie presence for saieth he the bread ys chaunged into that thing that Chryst maie trulie saie This ys my bodie And so the wine ys turned into that thing that he maie trulie saie by yt This ys my bloode These woordes with that that ys aboue saied prooue most sufficientlie that the woordes of Chryst are to be vnderstanded withoute figure metaphor or trope This being thus plain we will see what his felowe will doe who ys Nicolaus Methanensis Thus he writeth Quis ille qui conculcat filium Dei Nonne qui sanguinem Nicolaus Methan eius ingratus abrogat nec admittit veracis ab omniue mendacio alieni oris trrditionem mandatum nihili facit Hoc est corpus meum dicentis hic est sanguis meus nisi manducetis carnem filii hominis bibatis eius sanguinem non habetis vitam in vobis Quid haesitas Quid omnipotenti impotentiam attribuis Nonne ipse est qui ex nihilo omnia vt essent fecit Vnus trium personarum diuinitatis qui postremis incarnatus est panem in suum corpus transmutari iussit Quid requiris causam ordinem naturae panis transmutationis in Christi corpus aquae viniue in sanguinem cùm supra naturā rationem mentem cogitationem ex virgine sit natus Non credes itaque nec mortuorum resurrectionem nec in caelos eius assumptionem alia Christi miracula supra naturam mētem cogitationem eminentia Who ys he that treadeth vnder foote the Sonne he treadeth vnder foot the Sonne of God that beleueth not his bodie and blood to be in the Sacr. of God ys yt not he that as an ingrate and vnkinde man dothe abrogate his bloode and will not alowe yt and setteth nothing by the commaundement and tradicion of that true mouthe which ys all wide from all vntrueth saing This ys my bodie And this ys my bloode And except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloode ye haue no life in yowe What doest thowe doubte What doest thowe attribute impotencie to the omnipotent Ys yt not he that made all thinges of nothing one of the three persons in god head who in these last times was incarnated and commaunded the bread to be transmuted into his bodie What doest thow require the cause ād order of the transmutacion of the natuae of bread into Chrystes bodie and of the water and the wine into the bloode sithen that he aboue nature reasō vnderstanding and thought was born of a virgen Thowe wilt not then beleue neither the resurrection of the dead nor the assumption of him into heauen nor other miracles of Chryst being aboue the reach of nature vnderstanding and thought Thus farre he Ye haue nowe hearde an other wittnesse but not telling yowe an other tale diuerse from him that he ys coopled with or frō anie here before alleaged In the maner of the vtterance of his testimonie he doeth somwhat like vnto Chrisostome speake with wonder and admiraciō that men shoulde doubte of the presence of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament seing that Chrystes owne mouth hath spoken yt Wherin he wel declareth that this faith in this matter was so firme so sure and so stable that yt was a matter of wonder to him that anie man coulde not beleue yt that had ben brought vppe in Chryst in somoche that he reputeth the misbeleuers of this Sacrament of the nombre of those that treade Chryst vnder foote vpon whome as S. Paule saieth shal come heauie and greuouse punishmentes He teacheth vs as Gregorie Nissen Chrysostom and manie mo haue taught that the bread ys transmuted or chaunged into the bodie of Chryst In the setting furth wherof he vseth
vsed as yt ys declared the argument might seem to haue force but nowe yt ys to vain yt ys as good an argument as the heritique might make that denied the Sonne of God to be incarnate bycause the scripture saieth directlie against him Verbum caro factum est The woorde was made flesh that bycause Verbum signifieth a materiall woorde therfor he shall argue that yt doth none otherwise signifie ther and so as he thinketh ouerthrowe the faith of the incarnacion of the Sonne of God and maintein his heresie as this Aduersarie wolde ouerthrowe the faith of the presence of Chryst in the Sacrament and by this woorde bread maintein his heresie But as the one hath small force or strenght so hath the other Wherfor nowe leauing this note in this Authour as which mightilie destroieth one of the fundacions of the Aduersarie and confirmeth the catholique faith I will in fewe woordes touche the other note whiche ys for our incorporacion to Chryste by partaking of his bodie in the Sacrament whiche incorporacion he so plainly setteth furthe that yf his saing be considered verie fewe woordes shall nede to explain yt Note therfor that thus he saieth And where that first nature of our slesh was corrupted and was made voide of that heauenlie life be gaue vs his nature of slesh being like vnto owers the whiche did both lack sinne and shoulde geue life that we being made partakers of yt we shoulde be mixed with him Doest thowe not Reader see here that he saieth that Chryst hath geuen vs the nature of his flesh not the figure of his flesh but the nature of yt the substance of yt but to what pourpose hath he geuen vs his naturall flesh he declareth to this pourpose that we shoulde be partakers of yt Yf we procead and aske what commoditie or profitte haue we by the partaking of his What profitte we haue by partaking Chrystes flesh flesh He aunswereth by the partaking of his flesh we are mixed with him in soche sorte that we receauing his bodie and nowe being ioined to the same the great vertue and poower of that bodie turneth our bodies into his bodie So that nowe we are be come one bodie of Chryst Neither let the grosse Capharnait saie that yf all faithfulll and woorthie partakers of the Sacrament be one bodie of Chryst that then Chryst hath an huge great bodie but let him remembre that the naturall man hauing twentie children euery one of them ys his flesh and bloode and yet the Father ys neuer the greater So manie of the faith becoming the flesh of Chryst by partaking of the Sacrament yet the flesh of Chryst ys nothinge bigger of the person of Chryst And howe soeuer this Aduersarie listeth grosselie to dallie in soche diuine mysteries yet this ys the trueth as by this Authour ye haue perceaued yt clerelie to be testified and the like shall you see in him that foloweth who ys Sainct Dionise who expowndeth this text of Sainct Paule almost woorde by woorde in this maner Quoniam vnus panis per proprietatem vnum corpus mysticum vnitate fidei spei charitatis Dionysius Carthus cuius corporis caput est Christus multisumus videlicet omnes qui de vno pane de vno calice participamus id est de singulari vero corpore sanguine reficimur Sacramentum tantum dignè recipimus For we are one bread by propertie and one bodie mysticall by the vnitie of faith hope and charitie of the which bodie Chryst ys the head we being manie that ys to saie all we whiche do partake of one bread and one cuppe that ys all we whiche be refreshed of the singular and verie bodie and blooode of Chryst and worthilie receaue so great a Sacrament-Thus Dionyse In this exposition let this be diligentlie noted against the Aduersarie that the bread which all we receaue and by the whiche we are made all one bread and one bodie yt ys not materiall bread but the singular and verie bodie and bloode of our Sauiour Chryst and so did Sainct Paule meen yt as this Authour agreablie with all other before alleaged dothe testifie expownding and declaring the minde of Sainct Paule Wher then ys the great argument that the Sacrament shoulde be nothing Argument of the woorde bread ouerthrowē but bare bread Bycause Sainct Paule calleth yt breade What bread yt ys and what the cuppe conteineth not onely this Authour but also one many hondreth yeares elder then he doth declare Whiche auncient Authour shall ende the exposition of bothe these last textes and ioin them together Thus he saieth Calix benedictionis cui benedicimus Remigius in 1. Cor. nonne communicatio sanguinis Christi est Idcirco primùm calicem nominauit quia de pane posteaplus erat disputaturus Calix autem benedictionis dicitur qui benedicitur à sacerdotibus in altari Appellatur ipse calix communicatio quasi participatio quia onmes communicant ex illo partemque sumunt ex sanguine Domini quem continet in se Et panis quem frangimus in altari nonne participatio corporis Domim est vtique primùm consecratur benedicitur à sacerdotibus spiritu sancto deinde frangitur cùm iam licet pants videatur in veritate corpus Christi est Ex quo pane quicunque communicant corpus Christiedunt Quoniam vnus panis subaudis Christi vnum corpus Christi multi sumus qui comedimus illum panem The cuppe of blessing whiche we blesse ys yt Cuppe of blessing howe yt ys called not a communicacion of the bloode of Chryst Therfor did he first speake of the chalice bicause he wolde afterwarde more at large treacte of the bread Yt ys called the cuppe of blessing bicause yt ys blessed of the preistes on the aultar The same cuppe also ys called the cōmunicacion for that yt ys a participacion bicause all do communicate of yt and do partake of the bloode of our Lorde whiche the cuppe conteineth in yt self And the bread whiche we breake in the aultar ys yt not a partaking of the bodie of our Lorde Yt ys so for first yt ys consecrated of the holie Gost and of the preistes and afterwarde yt ys broken when nowe although yt seem to be breade yet in verie dede yt ys the bodie of Chryst of the whiche breade as manie as do cōmunicate do eat the bodie of Chryst yt ys one bread of Chryst and one bodie of Chryst and we being manie do eate the same bread Thus moche Remigius Who being aboute the yeare of our Lorde 511. liued before this our time aboute 1050. Whose confession yet of the veritie of the presence of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament ys as plain as yf yt had ben made in this our time What can be more plainlie spoken then to saie that the cuppe conteineth the bloode of Chryste Who can better opē the trueth then to saie although yt seem breade yet in verie deed
yt ys the bodie of Chryst and so moche he saieth therbie not onely declaring his owne faithe but also the faith of the Church he liued in Nowe reader when thowe seest so auncient and with all so euident testimonie of and for the trueth laie hande to yt and be not caried awaie with the vain woordes of this Proclamer And thus ending this text we will go to an other THE THIRTETH CHAPITER BEGINNETH THE exposition of this text Ye can not drinke of the cuppe of oure Lorde and of the cuppe of Deuells By S. Cyprian and Chrysost FOrasmoche as in the sixtenth chapiter of this booke Wher I began the exposition of this disputacion of Sainct Paule with the Corynthians the dependence of these scriptures the one of the other and also the minde of Sainct Paule ys opened what he here intendeth I will not trooble the Reader with that argument again in this place but remitte him thither Onelie this I wish him to obserue that Sainct Paule diswading the Corynthians from Idolathites vseth three means to doe the same One ys the declaracion of the greuouse punishment of the Iewes whiche S. Paule vseth three meanes to diswade the Corynthiās frō Idolathites they susteined for Idolatric Whiche being laied before their faces they might be moued to flye the like offence for feare of like pain The seconde ys vpon the communion of the bodie and bloode of Chryst that wher by the communion of that that they did communicate they were vnited to yt which they did communicate And vnited they coulde not be bothe to Chryst and to deuells Therfor forsomoche as by the communion of Chrystes bodie and bloode they were vnited to him they must forbeare the communion with deuells by Idolathites by which they shoulde be separated and diuided from Chryst again The thirde ys as Sainct Thoms saieth by the similitude of the legall sacrifice whiche Sainct Paule bringeth in as an argument of like to prooue this communion or participacion when he saieth Nonne qui edunt hostias participes sunt altaris Are not they whiche eate of the sacrifice partakers of the aultar To ioin the partes of the similitude together and to make yt fullie to Thomas Aqui. in dec prima Cor. appeare thus Sainct Thomas doth sett yt furth Are not they whiche eate of the sacrifices partakers of the aultar as they whiche eate of the flesh of Chryst are partakes of the bodie of Chryst Forasmoche as eche of these be so and Chryst and Baall can not dwell together neither can we serue two masters Therfor as a perfect conclusion he inferreth and saieth Non potestis calicem Domini bibere calicem daemoniorum Ye can not drinke of the cuppe of our Lorde and of the cuppe of Deuells Where note this conclusion depending vpon the premisses must include in yt tearmes of the same significacion that were in the premisses Forasmoche then as the premisses spake of the partaking of sacrifices yt must nedes be that Sainct Paule speaking here of the partaking of the table of our Lordre and of the table of deuells speaketh of the sacrifice of our Lorde and the the sacrifice of deuells That he teacheth the bread and wine to be a sacrifice yt shall be opened to yow after the exposition of the doctours although this ys sufficiētlie testified Sacrifice auouched by S. Paule before from the sixtenth chapiter vnto this place yet that yt maie well be perceaued of the Reader that my saing ys agreable to the holie Fathers and that this text was spoken of Sainct Paule as of the sacrifice of the bodie and bloode of our Lordre on the aultar the holie Fathers shall be brought furth as before they haue ben vpon the other scriptures by whose testimonie this matter shall be made clere And for that Sainct Cyprian rebuketh the same offence that Sainct Paule doth and vseth the same woordes that Sainct Paule doth wherby the true mening and vnderstanding maie the better be perceaued we shall first let his saing be hearde This yt ys Contra euangelij vigorem contra Domini ac Cyp ser 5. de lapsis Dei legem temeritate laxatur incautis communicatio irrita falsa pax periculosa dantibus nihtl accipientibus prosutura Non quaerunt sanitatis paenitentiam nec veram de satisfactione medicinam Paenitentia de peccatoribus exclusa est Grauissimi extremiue delicti memoria sublata est Operiuntur morientium vulnera plaga laetalis altis profundis viseeribus infixa dissimulato dolore contegitur A diaboli aris reuertentes ad sanctum Domini sordidis infectis nidore manibus accedunt Mortiferos idolorum cibos adhuc penè ructantes exhalantibus nunc etiam fcelus suum faucihus contagia funesta redolentibus Domini corpus inuadunt cùm occurat scriptura diuina clamet dicat Omnis mundus manducabit carnem anima quaecunque manducauerit ex carne salutaris Leuit. 7. sacrificij quod est Domini immundicia eius super ipsum peribit anima illa de populo Apostolus item testetur dicat Non potestis calicem Domini bibere 1. Cor 10. calicem ' daemoniorum Non potestis mensae Domini communicare meusae daemomorū Against the force of the Gospell against the lawe of our Lorde and God through the rashnesse of some communicacion ys frelie genen to the necligent being a false peace and of no force yet perilouse to the geuer and which shall nothing profitte the receauer They seke not the penance of Penance of health and the medicē of satisfactiō S. Gp. tearmes healthe neither the true medicen of satisfaction penance ys excluded from sinners the memorie of the extreame and most greu ouse offence ys taken awaie The woundes of them that be dieng be couered and the deadlie plague stricken into the depe bowells ys with a dissimuled sorowe hidden Returning from the aultars of the Deuell with filthie and infected handes with the sauoure they come to the holie thing of our Lorde Theie yet almost breathing owte the deadlie meates of idolls their chekes puffing oute euen yet their mischeuouse dede and smelling of the deadlie infection they violently come vpon the bodie of our Lorde When yet the scripture of God cometh against them and crieth and saieth Euery clean person shall eate the slesh But yf anie eate of the flesh of the holsome sacrifice which belongeth to our Lorde hauing his vncleannesse vpon him the Leuit 7. same soule shall perish from among his people The Apostle also witnesseth and saieth Ye can not drinke the cuppe of our Lorde and the cuppe of Deuells Ye can not communicate of the table of our Lorde and of the table of Deuells Thus moche Sainct 1. Cor. 10. Cyprian Who being moche offended with the necligence of soche preistes as did admitte them to the receipt of the holie Sacrament which had defiled them selfes with Idolathites before they
ys a memoriall of Chryst that ys absent and not present For saie they what neadeth a thinge present anie memoriall yt will cause yt self to be remembred The Sacrament then being a memoriall of Chryst argueth Chryst not to be present in the Sacrament but to be absent The other argument ys that S. Paule calleth the Sacrament not the bodie of Chryst but calleth yt bread For he saieth that as often as ye shall eate of this bread and saieth not as often as ye shall eate the bodie of Chryst in the Sacrament wherfor saie they the Sacrament ys but breade and not the bodie of Chryst As touching the first yt ys not true that Chryst did institute this Sacrament Solucions of the same argu as a memoriall of him self or of his bodie but of his passion and death suffred in his bodies which thing S. Paule here by expresse woordes doeth teache saing As often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cuppe ye shall declare or setfurth the death of our Lorde So that the eating and drinking of this Sacrament ys not for a remembrāce or a memoriall of the bodie of Chryste in yt self as the Aduersare falselie pretendeth but ys as ys saied a memorial of the passion and death suffred as ys saied in that bodie which passion and Receipt of the B. Sac. ys not a memoriall of Chrysts bodie but of his passion and death death be once doen actuallie ād neuer shall so be again in that gloriouse bodie but onely in mysterie Wherfor the passion and death whose memoriall ys celebrated in that solemne instituciō of Chrystes Sacrament ys and euer shall be absent and neuer present And so ys the Sacrament the memoriall of a thing absent and not present which thing ys the passion and death of Chryste As touching their second argument true yt ys that S. Paule calleth the Sacrament bread but will the Aduersarie therupon induce that S. Paule meneth materiall bread euen bakers bread Though he wolde so induce yet he neither doth nor can so prooue yt nor neuer shall Bread he calleth yt but Joan 6. S. Paulecalleth the Bl. Sacr. bread but he addeth withal the article this to signifie a speciall bread what bread euen soch as Chryst the institutour of the Sacrament called yt whē he saied Panis quē ego dabo caro mea est quam dabo pro mundi vita The bread that I will geue ys my flesh which I will geue for the life of the world Wherfor S. Paule did not barelie call yt bread but with an article saing This bread As who might saie As often as ye shall eate of this bread which ys no common bread but the bread of the flesh of Chryst which as he gaue yt for the life of the worlde So he did according to his promisse geue yt vs to eate in the Sacrament that we shoulde alwaies haue that his passion and death in minde Therfore so often as ye eate of this bread be ye mindefull of Chrystes passion and remembre his death suffred for yowr redemption Wherfor the wholl Chrystian church aswell the greke church as the latin immediatelie Woords of the Canōin the Masse after the consecracion as before ys declared doe saie this in effect Were therfor o Lorde being mindefull of the passion of thy Sonne our Lord Iesus Chryst doe offre vnto thee c. The wholl catholique Church by open profession of their duetie in the holie mynistracion declareth their obedience and the fulfilling of Chrystes commaundement in that they offring and receauing the blessed sacrifice of Chrystes bodie and bloode be mindefull of the passion and death suffred in that same bodie at the effusion of that preciouse blood Thus ye see howe they abuse this scripture For both S. Paules owne woordes and also the practise of the wholl Church doth declare that the holie Sacrament was instituted as a memoriall of Chrystes death and that yt ys not cōmon bread by S. Paules owne woords but yt ys as ys saied a speciall and singular bread noted with an article But that this trueth maie be proued and therby their falshead the more confuted I will also as I haue vpon other textes produce the expositions ād vnderstanding of holie Fathers and doctours that yt maie be fullie perceaued Hieron in 11. 1. Cor. how this scripture ys to be vnderstanded not by phantasie but by their sownde doctrines And first we will heare sainct Hierom vpon the same text who saieth thus Ideo hoc saluator tradididit Sacramentum vt per hoc semper commemoremus quia pro nobis est mortuus Nam ideo cùm accipimus à sacerdotibus commonemur quia corpus sanguis est Christi vt beneficiis eius non existimemur ingrati Therfor our sauiour deliuered this Sacrament that by this we shoulde allwaies remembre that he died for vs. For therfore also when we receaue yt What S. Paule calleth bread S. Hieron calleth yt the bodie of Chryste we are warned of the preistes that yt ys the bodie and blood of Chryst that we be not thought to be vnthankfull for his benefittes If this saing of S. Hierom be well noted those two thinges which I before taught shall be fownde to be taught of him also I taught according to sainct Paule that the Sacrament was instituted for the memoriall of Chrystes passion and death sainct Hierom saieth that Chryst therfore gaue furth the Sacrament that we should allwaies remembre that he died forvs so that yt ys the death of Chryst that ys to be remembred I saied that though sainct Paule in this text vseth this woord bread yet he meneth not materiall bread but the heauenly bread the bodie of Chryst so ys he vnderstanded of sainct Hierom. For he saieth that when we receaue the Sacrament we are admonished that yt ys the bodie and blood of Chryst So what sainct Paule in the text calleth bread that S. Hierom in the exposition calleth the bodie and bloode of Chryste Nowe who doubteth but the expositions of holie doctours be to explain that that semeth in the text not to be plain and so plainlie and clerely to open the trueth and the true meaning of the text Forsomoch then as sainct Hierom doeth so here we must nedes saie that by this woorde bread in this text of S. Paule ys vnderstand the blessed bread of Chrystes bodie To S. Hierom we shall ioin Thcophilact to declare howe this scripture was vnderstanded in the greke Church Thus he writeth Hoc facite quottes biberitis in meam commemorationem Per poculum isthuc inquit memoriam facis Dominicae passionis Theoph. in 11. 1. Cor. Quid tu ig tur solus bibis mebriaris tremendo isto calice omnibus ex aequo tradito This doe as often as ye shall drinke in the remembrance of me By this cuppe saieth he thowe makest a memoriall of our Lordes death why thē doest thow alone drinke ād arte dronkē seeing
yf ye be in saith doe ye yowr selues examine yowr selues Not as we dooe nowe comminge raither for the times sake then for anie earnest affectiō or desire of the minde Neither doe we come as full of compunction prepared to pourge oute our vices but our consideracion ys vpon that that all the people be assembled to gether that we also maie be in the solemnities But Paule doeth not so commaunde but he knewe one time in the whiche we shoulde come that ys the puritie or cleannesse of communicacion and conscience That we shoulde not come to the receipt of the holie Sacrament but when we be prepared and haue pourged oute oure vices by compunction and repentaunce he declareth by an apt similitude sainge Nam si sensibili nunquam communicamus mensa si febre laboramus malis humoribus abundamus neperderemur longè magis hanc tangere nephas est absurdis cupiditatibus impediti quae febribus grauiores sunt Cùm autem absurdas dico cupiditates etiam corporum dico pecuniarum irae succensionis omnes simpliciter absurdas Quae omnia accedentem exhaurire oportet it a purum illud attingerè sacrificium non pigrè disponi miserè cogi propter solemmtatē acccedere neque rursum compunctum praeparatum impediri eo quòd non sit solemnitas Solemnitas enim operum est demonstratio animae puritas vitae certitudo quae si habueris semper celebrarè poteris solemnitatem semper accedere Propterea inquit probet autem scipsum homo sic edat For if we be sicke of a feuer and doe abunde with humours we wolde neuer be partakers of the cōmondiett This wholl sentence impugneth luthers wicked assertiō lest we sholde be cast awaie moche more yt ys wicked to touche this table beinge entangled with odiouse lustes whiche be sorer then the feuers When I speake of naughtie and odiouse lustes or desires I speake also of the lustes and desires of owre bodies and of moneie and of wraithe and of anger and plainlie of all lustes that be naught All whiche he that cometh to receaue must ridde awaie and so receaue that pure sacrifice not to be flouthfullie disposed nor miserablie to be compelled to come for the solemnitie Neither again beinge penitent and prepared to be letted bicause ther ys no solemnitie Solemnitie ys an euident declaracion of good woorkes the puritie of soule the assurednesse of life Whiche thinges if thowe hauest tho we maist allwaies celebrate a Solemnitie and allwaies come to the recept of the Sacrament therfor he saieth let a man examine himself and so lett him eate Thus farre Chrysostome In these woordes the saing of Luther ys also as by S. Hierom detected to be deuelish and wicked Luther will haue no preparacion of a man to come to receaue the Sacrament But iudge thow reader whether we be not earnestlie admonished by Chrysostome to be prepared whether we be not willed to cast awaie all the lustes of the bodie of couetousnesse and soch other whether we shoulde not be penitent For saieth he all that will receaue must as a man labouring of a feuer and full of humours not receaue vntill he hath pourged himself But when he hath pourged himself then he maie eate of the meat that before he might not Manie goodlie occasions trulie be geuen for exhortacion to godlie receauing farre otherwise then Luther hath geuen which to auoide prolixitie I leaue to the consideracion of the reader wishing him yet to vnderstand what yt ys that Chrysostome moueth vs to receaue Yt ys saieth he purum illud sacrificium that pure sacrifice What ys or can be that pure sacrifice but the bodie of Chryste Wherfor by Chrysostome yt ys the bodie of Chryst that we receaue Chrys Ho. oportet haeresies c. But thow shalt heare himself speake yt in plain woords in an homely wher he saieth thus moch of this matter Deinde vbi multum disputauit de his qui indigné communicant mysteriis eosue repraehendisset grauiter demonstrasset quòd idem supplicium passuri essent quod ij qui Christum occiderant si sanguinē eius corpus absque probacione temerè accipiant rursum ad propositam materiā sermonē conuertit Then when Daunger of the vnwoorthie receauing of the bless Sacr. he hath disputed moch of those which vnwoorthilie receaue the mysteries and had greuouslie rebuked thē and had declared that they should suffre the same punishment that they did which had slain Chryst if thei receaue the bodie and blood of Chryst rashlie withoute anie examinaciō he turneth again his communicacion to the matter in hand Note this then well that by expresse and plain woordes Chrysostome saieth that we shall suffre the same pain that they which crucified Chryst if we rashlie without examinacion of our selues receaue the bodie and blood of Chryst Wherby he teacheth that we receaue the bodie of Chryst in the Sacramēt ād that which ys more ād ys the great proof of the reall ād substācial presence of Chrystes bodie ād blood in the blessed Sacr. that euell men receaue yt which argueth that presence ther to be by the assured power of God at the due pronunciaciō of his woord according to the catholike faith grownded vpon Gods holie woorde And not to depende vpon the vncertē Sacramentaries doctrine ys without all grownd or authoritie of scripturs vnadsured and sleight faith of the receauer according to the phantasticall doctrine of the Sacramentaries grownded and fownded vpon no one title of Gods woord but onelie vpon their own pleasures and phansies Let this Proclamer if he cā if he cā not let him praie aide of his likes and bring furth one scripture that teacheth this doctrine that faith onelie maketh Chryst present vnto vs in the Sacr. and that he ys not verilie and reallie present in the Sacr. as ys saied and he shall haue the victorie Yf he cā not let him for shame let him yelde let the trueth haue the victorie Better yt ys for him a litle here to be confownded then to suffre euerlasting confusion in the worlde to come But to return to our matter I wolde here ende but that I thinke yt moche pitie to kepe from the knowledge of the godlie reader so godlie a lesson as Chrysostome hath in this matter conteining both faithfull instruction and godlie exhortacion Thus he writeth Considera nunc quanta illi veteris sacrificii participes vitae frugalitate vtehantur Quid enim ii non faciebant omni tempore purisicabantur Hom. 3. in Epist ad Eph. Et tu ad salutarē hanc hostiam accessurus quam angeli ipsi cum tremore suscipiut rē tantam circūscribis tēporū ambitu Qua frōte teipsum sistes ad Christi tribunal praesentē qui impuris manibus ac labiis sic impudenter ipsius corpus ausus sis attingere Regem vtique non eligas exosculari siquidem os tuum olet grauiter
wicked assertion of the Sacramentaries who against all trueth that maie be learned in scriptures and the most auncient Fathers teache that neither Chrystes verie naturall flesh ys receaued in the Sacrament neither that Chryst ys naturallie in vs but onely spirituallie The contrarie wherof ys not onely by this Authour in plain woordes taught but also by Chrysostome and sainct Cyrill as before ys shewed That sainct Hilarie intended by his disputacion to confute the Arrians denieng Chryst to be naturallie in vs and also the holie Gost as yt maie be thought left the same to confute the Sacramentaris yt doeth verie well appeare by a conclusion that he maketh vpon the same disputacion thus sainge Haec idcireo à nobis commemorata sunt quia voluntatis tantùm inter Patrem Filium vnitatem haeretici mentientes vnitatis nostrae ad Deum vtebantur exemplo tanquam nobis ad Filium per filium ad Patrem obsequio tantùm ac voluntate religionis vnitis nulla per Sacramentum sanguinis naturalis communionis proprietas indulgeretur cùm per honorem nobis datum Dei filii per manentem in nobis carnaliter Dei filium in eo nobis corporaliter inseparabiliter vnitis mysterium verae ac naturalis vnitatis sit praedicandum These thinges are for this cause spoken of vs that heretiques vntruely saing the vnitie betwixt the Father and the Sonne to be onelie the vnitie of will vsed the example of our vnitie with God as though we being by obedience and will in religion onelie vnited to the Sonne and by the Sonne to the Father no proprietie of naturall communion shoulde be geuen by the Sacrament of the flesh and bloode sithen that both by the honour of the Sonne of God geuen to vs and by the Sonne of God carnallie abidng in vs and we being corporallie and inseparablie vnited in him the mysterie of the true and naturall vnitie ys to be declared Thus moch he By these woordes as S. Hilarie improoueth the Arrians saing that Chryst The Sacramentaries ioin with the Arrians in denieng natural vnion be twè Chryst and vs by the bless Sa ys not naturallie in vs so doeth he the Sacramentaries teaching the same And thus maie we see the sinceritie of them who doe maintein the pestilent doctrine of the Arrians And that that was confuted and reprooued as heresie twelue hondreth yeares agon ys nowe with a litle false skouring and colouring solde to the people for trueth The Proclamer hath promised that he wolde subscribe yf we coulde bringe furth but one that by plain woordes coulde teache the trueth of soche articles as he Proclamed Here nowe be two both right auncient and famouse The first saieth that ower flesh ys nourished withe the cuppe He saieth not as the Sacramentarie doeth with the cuppe of the Lorde but he speaketh as the catholique Churche doeth sainge With the cuppe whiche ys the bloode of oure Lorde Neither vseth he the hereticall phrase sainge that our flesh ys nourished with the Sacramentall bread but the phrase of Chrystes Churche sainge that our flesh ys nourished A plain saing for the Procla with the breade whiche ys the bodie of our Lorde calling them by expresse woordes the bodie and bloode of Chryste Ys not this a plain speache The other saieth that as trulie as the Father ys naturallie in the Sonne So trulie ys Chryst naturallie in vs by the receipt of his naturall flesh in the Sacrament Whiche speach ys also so plain that except men will not As God the Father ys naturallie in the Sōne so ys the Sōne by his naturall flesh receaued in the bless Sacr. naturalie in vs. see or will not heare or hearinge will not vnderstand they can not choose but see heare and vnderstand a merueillouse plain trueth Whiche trueth was so euident plain famouse and notoriouse in the time of these Fathers that they might vpon the same grownde and frame strong argumentes against great and famouse heresies as nowe ye perceaue these Fathers to haue doen. To conclude then seinge the one of these Fathers saieth that we be nourished with the flesh of Chryst by the receipt of the same in the blessed Sacrament And the other that by the same receipt Chryst ys naturallie in vs and we naturallie one with him we maie verie well saie with sainct Paule that we are membres of his bodie of his flesh and of his bones THE SIXTETH CHAP. TREACTETH VPON this text of sainct Paule to Hebrues He haue an Aultar c. IN the xiii chapter of S. Paules epistle to the Hebrues we finde this sainge We haue an Aultar of the which yt ys not laufull for them to eate that serue in the tabernacle Whiche saing I finde so expownded that by the Aultar ys vnderstanded the bodie of Chryst in the Sacrament So that the sense of those woordes maie be these We haue the bodie of Chryst in the Sacrament of the whiche yt ys not laufull for anie Iewe resting and abidinge in the lawe of Moyses to eate Isich in leuit li. 1. c. 4. That thus yt ys to be vnderstanded I haue wittnesses but I will not trooble the reader with manie but onelie produce a coople which bothe be grecians And they be Isichius and Theophilact the one of the higher house and the other of the lower Isichius saieth thus expownding a text of Leuitic Omnem sanguinem reliquum Vituli fundi circa basim altaris holocausti quod est in tabernaculo testimonii praecepit Altare holocaustomatis rursus Christi corpus intelligamus Sicut enim ipse Sacerdos sacrificium est sic altare est Quia autem intelligibile altare corpus Domini beatus Paulus intelligit ipso dicente cognosce Ait enim habemus Altare de quo edere non habent potestatem qui tabernaculo deseruiunt corpus videlicet Christi dicens De illo enim comedere Iudaeis fas non est He comaunded all the rest The aultar of the which the Jewes maie not eatc ys the bodie of Chryst of the blood of the calfe to be powred oute aboute the foote of the Aultar of the burnt sacrifice which ys in the Tabernacle of wittnesse Let vs again vnderstande the Aultar of the burnt Sacrifice to be the bodie of Chryste For as he ys the preist and the Sacrifice so ys he the Aultar also That sainct Paule also doeth vnderstand the intelligle Aultar the bodie of Chryst know by his owne saing For he saieth We haue an Aultar of the which yt ys not lauful for them to eate that doe serue in the Tabernacle that ys to saie the bodie of Chryst sainge that of yt yt ys not laufull for the Iewes to eate Thus moche Isichius I nede not here moch to saie to open the place for yt ys open enough of yt self and can not well be wrested but that in the literall sense yt must be Hoopers glose edere 1. credere vnderstanded of the
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
diuinis scripturis erudjtiss et non minus Lanfrancus Tritemius sanctitate quam scientia clarus a man in the dyuyne scryptures most excellentlie learned and no lesse in holynesse then in knoweledge notable Against the same also wrote Algerus and Guitmundns men not by my commēdacion onelie to be accepted but by the Iudgement of Erasmus also a man Algerus Guitmundus not onely knowen to the worlde but also specyallie famouse in thys Realme of Englonde who openyng to vs what these two men were sheweth therwtih the benefitt of God that cometh to hys churche by hys sufferāce of errours and heresyes to growe And enombryng dyuerse heresies cōceaued against the blessed Sacrament he saieth thus Et tamen horum omnium error in hoc profecit vt in tanti mysterij cognitionem magis ac magis tum erudita tum confirmata Sras in epistola ad Balthasarum Episc Hildesùm sit ecclesia Nulli tamē plus debet quà m Berēgario imo nō Berēgario sed Chrstisapiē tiae qui malitiā hominū vertit in bonūsponsaesuae Quos qualiū virorū calamos excitauit impudens error Berengarij Nuper exijt opus Guitmundi ex monacho Benedictino episcopi Auersensis Nunc prodit Algerus ex scholastico monachus eiusdem instituti Guitmundus acrior est ardētior plus habet spiritus Rethorici hic sedatior est ac religiosior vterque tum Dialectices tum reliquae philosophiae bellè peritus licet citra ostētationem vterque in canonicis scripturis ac priscis illis doctoribus Cypriano Hilario Ambrosio Hieronimo Augustino Basilio Chrisostomo quorum scripta plurimùm adhuc reserunt spiritus Apostolici studiosè versatus vterque tantum habet eloquentiae quantum requirere à theologo par est Certè dictionis argutiam collectionis acumen nusquam in eis desideres Agunt solidis rationibus nec vt nunc quidam faciunt bonam voluminis partem rixis Christ turneth the malice of Heretiques to the profett of his Church contentionibus occupant aut sophisticis ratiunculis rem tractant And yet the erroure of all these saieth Erasmus dyd prosytt in this that in the hnowledge of so great a mysterye the Churche shoulde be both more and more instructed and also confyrmed Yet ys she to none more bownde then to Berengarius yet not to Berēgarius but to the wysdō of Chryste who turneth the malice of men to the profett of his spouse ▪ what writing iea and of what men hath this impudent erroure of Berengarius stirred vppe Of late went oute Erasmus calleth the errour of Berēgarius impudent the woorke of Quitmundus somtyme a benedyctyne Monke and Bishoppe of Auergne nowe commeth furth the worke of Algerus of a scholer made a monke of the same ordre Guitmundus ys sharpe and vehement and hath more of the rethoricall spiritte the other milde and religiouse bothe of them well learned both in logike and philosophie although withoute ostētation both of them well studied both in the canonicall scriptures and in the olde doctors Cyprian Hillarie Ambrose Hierom Augustin Basill and Chrisostome whose writinges do yet declare moche of the Apostolicall spiritte Bothe of thē haue as moch eloquence as ys meet to be required of a diuine As for wittie speache and sharpenesse of collection ther ys no lacke in them in anie place They go to yt with substanciall reasons neither do they as some whiche occupie a good parte of ther bookes with braulinges and contenciōs and handle the matter with sophisticall disputacions reasons Thus moche Erasmus I haue the more willinglie transcribed thus moche of Erasmus bicause the Aduersaries haue had him in good price and regarded his sainges Yf this champion do the like let him diligentlie obserue that Erasmus calleth the erroure of Berengarius an impudenterroure Whiche so being forsomoch as this man ys drowned in the same and mainteineth the same maie we not Errour of the Proclamer impudent iustlie saie that he impudentlie mainteineth an impudent erroure Let him also note howe he commendeth these men and what Iudgement he hath of their learning bothe in liberall sciences in Scriptures and doctours whō he doth also no lesse extoll but that by their writinges God hath doen a great benefet to his Churche whiche so standing yt can not be but that the Scriptures and doctours be plain and euident for the proof of the veritie Yf their writing be a benefett then this chalengers doimgeys a detriment Petrus Waldo skoureth the estie heresie of Berēgarius of the reall presence of Christes bodie in the Sacrament whiche scriptures and doctours adduced by these learned men be mo then one or one score and yet this Proclamer crieth bring one doc c. After Berengarius rose one Petrus Waldo a citizen of Lions a man vnlearned yet as vulearned as he was when he had newlie skoured the rustie condemned heresie of Berēgarius in soch rude maner as yt was manie were so folish and so readie to fall from faith to heresie from life to death and damnacion from teaching of the learned to the teaching of the ignorarūt that thei chose raither to folowe the phantasie of this one rude man void of knowledge than to remain in the Substancial tried doctrine of a nombre of holie and most excellent learned men of Christes Churche Thus more pietie yt was a mombre folowed hym and became his disciples and were called Waldenses Waldenses Heretiques condēned Vnto whom becomminge an Aucthor and blinde guide according to Christes saing he led them so as both fell into the ditche This secte and heresie of this Waldo was not suffred to stand but as Guido saieth was condemned in a Councell holden at Rome And yet this Proclamer saieth ther was neuer man indged for an heretike that saied the Sacrament was a figure a token c. In the tyme of saincte Bernarde Satan wolde moue yet some more trooble to the Churche and therfor raised one Peter de Bruis whom he taught to Petrus Brusian his heresie sell theise lies to the people for trueths that though Christ in his last supper did in the Sacramēt geue hys bodie to his Apostles yet no preist doth so nowe by the power of his woorde as yt ys saied that they doe For neuer anione quoth he but Christ alone did geue his bodie in the Sacrament Although thys heresie geuing soche preeminence to Christ that by cause he saied thys ys my bodye teacheth that he in dede gaue to hys Apostles hys verye bodie ys woorthy of more fauour thē the heresie whiche thys Proclamer teacheth for not withstanding that our Sauiour Chryst saied Thys ys my bodie yet thys Aduersarie teacheth yt ys not yet passed not this heresie awaie in scylence but was wrytten against by dyuerse Among whyche Petrus Gluniacensis whose commendation ys so moche settfurth in dyuerse Epistles of saynct Bernarde that he nedeth not myne to commend hym wrote Petrus
scriptures haue Scripture ys full of hardnesse and diuerse senscis manie senses and in some places require Tropes and figures in some none in some place they beare one sense in some other place they wil not beare the same And the vnframed capacitie of the vnlearned can not therunto atteign shall yt not be better for them to learn the true vnderstanding of the scriptures by hearing then by reading to fall into misunderstanding Maruaill not Reader at this that I saie For the learned yf they be rassh fall into this daunger For the Arrians the Macedonians the Nestorians the Eutichians the Pelagians the Lutherans the Oecolampadians of the which secte this proclamer ys were learned men and yet folowing their owne arrogaunt phantasie fell in to the misunderstandind of the scriptures and by misunderstanding into heresie Moche sooner the vnlearned maye thus fall knowledge of misteries not common to all Hierō prafa in Ezech Yt hathe ben vsed emong most people of sundrie sortes not to make the knowledge of their high thinges common of all to be handeled The Iewes were forbidden to read Genesis and the Balletts of Salamon before they were thirtie yeares of age Among the Romans the Bookes of the Sibells were red but of certain selected and speciall choosen men Emong the Philosophers Morall philosophie and speciallie Metaphisick was not to be handeled of all men but of soche as were thought mete for that studie Howe moche more then ys the scripture of God with reuerence and fear to be handeled of the chrystians not that I wolde yt should not be knowen of all as yt aught to be knowen but that yt shoulde not be red of all and therbie through misunderstanding God to be dishonoured the scripture abused and not onelie they that read but other also by them deceaued And thus Reader I wish thee to perceaue the godlie meening of the Churche to see the shaunder of this proclamer against yt and with all to vnderstand that the scriptures be hard Whiche meenyng ys not to be imagined nowe to be in theise latter daies inuented as this Proclamer semeth to charge the Churche but the weightie consideracion of this matter that the people shoulde raither learn then read them selues was not onelie in the latin churche as it appeareth by sainct Hierom but also in the greke churche as yt appeareth by Chrysostom For he declaring the causes of the obscurities of the scriptures and alleaging this for the first saieth Primum quia voluit Deus alios esse doctores alios discipulos Si autem omnes omnia scirent doctor necessarius non erat ideò esset rerum ordo confusus Nam ad eos quidē Chrystomel 44. in Matth. Esay 40. Deutr. 32. quos voluit esse doctores sic Deus dicit per Esaiam prophetam Loquimini sacerdotes in cordibus populi Ad eos autem quos voluit discendo cognoscere mysteria veritatis sic dicit in Cantico Interroga patrem tuum dicet tibi presbyteros tuos annunciabunt tibi Et sicut sacerdotes ne si omnem veritatem manifestauerint in populo dabunt rationem in die Iudicij sicut dicit Dominus ad Ezechielem Ecce speculatorem te posui domni Israel si non dixeris impio vt à vijs suis prauis discedat ipse quidem in peccatis suis morietur animam autem eius de manu tua requiram sic populus nisi à sacerdotibus didicerit cognouerit veritatem dabit rationem in die Iudicij Sic enim dicit Sapientia ad populum Et extendebam sermones meos non audiebatis Ideò ego in vestra perditione ridebo Sicut enim paterfamilias cellarium aut vestiarium suū non habet cunctis expositum sed alios habet in domo qui dant alios autem qui accipiunt sic in domo Dei alij sunt qui docent alij qui discunt First bicause God wolde some shoulde why God wolde the scriptures to be obscure be teachers some learners Yf all men should knowe all thinges a teacher were not necessarie and therfor shoulde the ordre of thinges be confownded For vnto them whome he wolde shoulde be doctours or teachers God saieth thus by Esaye the Prophete Speake ye preistes in the heartes of the people But vnto them whom he wolde to haue knowledge of the misteries of trueth by learning of other he saieth thus in the Canticle Aske thy father and he shall tell thee thy elders and they shall shewe thee And euen as the preistes except they open all treuth to the people they shall make an accompte in the daie of Iugement as our Lorde saieth to Ezechiell Beholde I haue sett thee a watch man to the house of Israel Yf thow saie not to the wicked that he maie departe from his naughtie waies he shall die in his sinnes but I shall require his sowle at thy hande So also the people except they learn of the prestes and shall know the trueth they shall make an accompte in the daie of iudgement So saieth Sapience vnto The store-house of God not comon to all the people I did sette furth my wordes and ye did not heare Therfor shall I also laugh in your perdicion As the housholder dothe not make his store-house or his wardrobbe common to all men but he hath in his house some that deliuer some that receaue So in the howse of God ther be some that teache some that learn Thus moche Chrysostome Whose saieng I nede not to expownde yt ys so plain of yt self Ye perceaue that he teacheth yowe that God hath sette this ordre that the preistes shoulde be teachers and the people learners and that for this cause God hath willed the scriptures shoulde be obscure Whiche in the ende of his saing he cōmendeth vnto vs to be remembred by à goodlie Similitude that the housholder maketh not his storehouse and wardrobbe cōmon to Scripture the store-house of God all but certain do deliuer and other do receaue no more thē ys deliuered The Storehouse ys the scripture wher in for the feading and cloathing of mans sowle ys reposed great plentie of knowledge whiche yet God hath not made common to all men to take at their owne pleasures But he hath appointed officiers to be kepers of this store which be his preistes to geue yt furthe to the people in due tyme and in due maner and forme As all men haue not discrecion to vse plentie well but some will wast yt some will abuse yt and turne yt to other vses then yt was made or appointed for therfore they haue not accesse vnto yt So all men hauing not grace and discrecion to vse the plentie of Gods knowledge in the scriptures well they wast yt that ys they sett litle by yt they do but bable and talke of yt yt runneth aboute their lippes as the meate doth aboute the childes mouthe bosom and cloathes and ys wasted but yt
the misterie of our redemption by these and soche other like figures to the Fathers in their owē persons So did he the like by sundrie and manifolde figures in ceremonies and sacrifices of the lawe of Moises What was the wholl preisthood of Aron with all the sacrifices therto apperteining but a prefiguracion of the sacrifice doen by our Sauiour Christe vpon the Altar of the crosse Wherof sainct Paule being not ignorant doth at large treacte in his epistle to the Hebrues not onelie conferring and comparing the thing figurated to the figure but also therby prouing the excellencie wourthinesse value and force of Christes sacrifice confirmeth and establissheth the placing and continuance of the newe Testament so set furthe by the same newe sacrifice to endure for euer In the ninght chapiter he teacheth that the olde lawe had ordinaunces and seruinges of God and describeth the ordre of the tabernacle and the ordre also of thinges Hebr. 9. therin conteined in a brief maner of whiche he saieth he can not speake particularlie And after that he had in a like compendiouse sorte touched the maner of sacrifices doen as well in the first Tabernacle as in the second into the whiche the high preist alone entred once euery yeare and that not withoute blood whiche thinges were figures of better thinges to come as ther he saieth that the holie Goste by these thinges signified that the waie of holie thinges was not yet opened he descendeth to the thinges signified and figurated But Christ saieth he being an high preist of good things to come came by a greater and a more persect tabernacle not made with handes that ys to saie not of this buildinge neither by the bloode of goates and calues but by his owne blood he entred once into the holie place and fownde eternall redemption In the which saieng yt ys woorthie to be noted howe wounderfullie well he adapted the thinges figurated to the figures and therwith declareth the excellencie of them aboue theise In whiche applicacion this we maie learn that the high preist of the lawe figured Christe our high preist The tabernacle by which he entred into the holie place figured the tabernacle of Christes bodie by whiche he entred into the holie place The blood wherwith the preist entred figured the Chrysost in 9. ad Heb. blood of Christe The entring and sacrificing of the high preist once in the yeare figured the sacrificing of Christ and his entringe into the holy place of heauen once for all The cleinsing and purifieng of the people by vertue of the sacrifice of the high preist whiche as saincte Paule saieth purified the vnclean as touching the purifieng of the flesh figured the clensing and purifieng of the consciences of the beleuers from dead workes and all filthinesse of sinne For Lauit nos à peccatis nostris in sanguine suo he hath washed vs Apoca. 1. from our sinnes in his bloode saieth saincte Ihon As the death and blood shedding of kiddes and calues and soche other ād the sacrifices doen by thē did figure the passiō and bloodshedding of Christ ād the holie sacrifice offred by him for he was sacerdos victima both preist and sacrifice by the whiche the beleuing people in Chryst to come were instructed that the Sauiour of the woorlde shoulde die for the sinnes of the same So by figures also were they taught that he should rise again the third daie As by that figure which Chryst applieth to him self for that pourpose in the Gospell Sicut enim Ionas suit in ventre ceti tribus diebus tribus noctibus sic erit filius hominis in corde terrae c. As Ionas saieth he was three daies and three nightes in the whalls bellie So shal the Sonne of man be thre daies ād three Matth. 12 nightes in the heart of the earth Which figure liuelie declareth not onelie that Chryst shoulde be three nightes in the earth as Ionas was in the belly of the whall But that as Ionas the third daie cā oute of the whalls bellie aliue So Christ the third daie shoulde rise oute of the earth aliue Whiche thing to be verified and so doen in Chryst all the Euangelistes do testifie As his buryall and abode in the graue and his resurrection was figured by Ionas So was his Ascension by the takinge vppe of Elias in a chariett of fyre into heauen Elias went to heauen by the powre of God Chryst ascended into heauen by the power of his Godhead Tediousnes that should moche offende the Reader moueth me to staie to bring in anie mo figures of Chryste at this present to this pourpose Wherfore I will ceasse at this time any farder to procead therin and treact of the like matter by prophecies which ys the third waie by which God vsed in sundrie times and ages to reueill the misterie of our redemption THE ELEVENTH CHAPITER DECLARETH by the Prophetes of what line Messias shoulde come with his conception birth passion and deathe IN the shewing ād opening of the prophecies I wil obserue this ordre before vsed First to set furthe of what line Messias shall come Secondlie of his conception and birth Thirdlie of his passiō and death Fourthlie of his resurrectiō and last of his ascēsiō As cōcerning the first As God promised that the same Messias Sauiour of Prophecie of the line and stock of Christ. the worlde should be of the seede of Abrahā ād of the fruict of the bodie of Dauid So long after their times by his prophet Esaie did he manifestlie speak the same Egredietur virga de radice Iesse et flos de radice eius ascēdet Ther shal come a rodde oute of the kinred of Iesse ād a blossom or flowre shal flowrish oute of his roote Who ys the roote the rodde and the flower S. Ambrose expoūdeth Esay 11. saing Radix familia Iudaeorū virga Maria flos Mariae Christus est qui foetorē mun Ambr. de Benedict Patriach ca. 4. danae colluuionis aboleuit et odorē vitae aeternae infudit The roote ys the familie of the Iewes The rod ys Marie The flower of Marie ys Christ who hath takē awaie the stinke and hath powred in the odoure of euerlasting life That Christ ys that flower that the Prophete speaketh of the scriptures also that do ther immediatelie folowe do euidentlie proue Whiche to auoid prolixitie and in consideracion that I writte not to Iewes but to Christē mē I leaue to induce referring the Reader to the place of the Prophet which he maie easelie peruse supposing yt sufficiēt to shew how Gods woords ād his trueth ys constante vnifourme and permanente in all ages and howe agreable his woorde spoken by his prophete ys to his promissemade to Abraham and Dauid as before ys mencioned Nowe therfor let vs procead to weigh other prophecies howe they will Prophecie of the cōceptiō of Christ Esay 7. aunswer the figures And first the prophecie of the
beheld saieth he and lo a great multitude whiche no man coulde nombre of all nacions people and tounges stood Apoca. 7. before the seat and before the Lambe cloathed in long white garmentes and palmes in their handes And they cried with a Loude voice sainge Saluacion be asscribed vnto him that sitteth on the Seate of our lorde God and vnto the lambe which Lambe ys Chryste Of whome again he saieth by plain woordes I beheld and lo in the middest of the seate and of the foure beastes and in the middest of the elders Apocal 5. stoode a lambe as though he hadde ben killed And when he had taken the booke the foure beastes and the xxiiij elders fell down before the lābe and with instrumentes sang a newe songe saing Thow arte woorthie to take the booke and open the seales therof For thow was killed and hauest redemed vs with thy bloode But forasmoche as this parte of the figure namely the passion of Christe ys allreadie treacted of and of this ther ys no controuersie I shall diuert me to speake of the other parte of the figure which ys of the eatinge of the lambe Whiche figureth the eatinge of our Paschall lambe in the institucion of the newe passouer And of yt also nowe so frequented and vsed in the churche of the same Lambe our Sauiour Christe and that by his commandement whervpon standeth nowe the controuersie In this matter to make a comparison As the lambe killed was a figure of Christe verelie killed So the same lambe being verilie eaten ys a figure of Christ verilie eaten As the Lambe was eaten reallie and substanciallie So ys Christe eaten reallie and substanciallie That the eating of this lambe was a figure of the eating of Christ our lambe in his last Supper Christ himself doth wittnesse who speaking of the verie Paschall Lambe saied Desiderio desideraui hoc Pascha manducare vobiscum antequam patiar I haue Inwardlie desiderd to eate this Pasouer with yowe Luc. 22. before that I suffer This was not spoken of the olde pasouer whiche he had eaten with them before but of the newe whiche was figured by yt whiche he entred immediatelie to institute to answere the figure and to fullfill the Scripturs Therfore saincte Paule considering bothe the principall partes of the figure the lambe that he must be bothe offred in sacrifice and also eaten applieth them bothe vnto Christe and ioineth thē together sainge Pascha nostrū immolatus est Christus itaque epulemur Christe our pasouer ys offered vppe for vs behold here the sacrifice Therfore lett vs eate note here the eating of Christ For as the lambe that was offred for the passouer was also eaten So Christ as saincte Paule saieth was also offred vppe for our passouer therfor let vs eate The same lambe that was offred for the figure was eaten The same Christe that was offred to answer the figure was and ys eaten And for further probacion of his matter note that in good thinges the thing figured ys better then the thing that ys the figure And cōtrarie wyse August in Psal 77. Figures in good thinges not so god as the thinges figured Figures in euell thinges not so euell the figure in euell thinges ys better then the thing figured Or more proprelie and trulie to saie In euell thinges the thing figured ys woorse then the thing whiche ys the figure As for example first of this latter that we maie with the other procead King Pharao tirannouslie reigning ouer the children of Israell ys a figure of the Deuell tirannouslie reigninge ouer sinfull men and with holdinge them from the due seruice of God The seruitude that the childeren of Israell were in ys a figure of the seruitude of sinne that man was in The bretheren of Ioseph conspiring the sale of him were a figure of Iudas and the Iewes conspiring the like matter against Christe In the whiche as in other of like sorte ye maie note and preceaue that Pharo being the figure of the deuell and the seruitude of Egipte being the figure of the feruitude of sinne And the bretheren of Ioseph being the figure of Iudas and the Iewes the thinges figured are woorse then the figures For the Deuell the thing figured ys woorse then Pharao the figure The seruitude of sinne being the thing figured ys woorse then the seruitude of Egipte being the figure Iudas and the Iewes conspiring against our Sauiour Christe being the thinges figured are woorse then the bretheren of Ioseph being the figure So shall ye finde in all other figures of the olde lawe of thinges that be not good that the thing figured ys allwaies woorse then the thing that ys the figure But as for goodthinges the thing figured ys better then the thing that ys the figure As for example Abraham ys a figure of God the Father Isaac a figure of Christ Gods sonne God the Father and Christ his sonne the thinges figured are withoute comparison better then the thinges that be the figures The rodde of Aaron and the blossomme of the same are figures of the virgen Marie and Christ the blossome of the same The Brasen Serpent vpon the pole ys a figure of Christe vpon the crosse Ionas in the beallie of the whall a figure of Christe in the heart of the earth In euerie of these the thinges figured be better then the thing that ys the figure as by comparison Passouer of the Christians more excellent then the Passouer of the Jewes ye maie perceaue Nowe then to the pourpose As the Paschall Lambe beind offered was a figure of Christe offred So the lambe eaten ys a figure of Christ by ys eatē Wherfore as Christe offred being the thing figured ys better then the lambe offred being the figure So of consequence must the passeouer figured being eaten be better then the passouer the figure whiche was eaten Yf the passeouer which ys nowe eaten be but a peice of bread a bare signe or figure as the Sacramentaries do affirme then the Paschall lambe ys the sigure of a peice of bread which bread in special thinges hath no similitude to answer the figure as all thinges figured doo And so also shall not the thing figured in the newe Testament be better then the figure whiche ys in the olde testament whiche maie not be But that the Reader that hath ben seduced and drawen from the catholique faith conceaue no sinistre opinion of me and thinke that I go aboute to deceaue him with rules of mine owne inuencion as thinges feigned besides the Scriptures Let the same vnderstande that this rule that thinges figured be better then the figures as ys aboue declared ys not the dreame Argumēt of S Pauls epistle to the Hebr. of mine own head but a substanciall trueth grownded vpon the sure foundacion of Gods woorde I meen vpon the cheif argument of Saincte Paules epistle to the Hebrues For what dothe saincte Paule in that epistle trauaill to proue more than that
do against the Moone hearing and seing so manifest so plain and so cleare a sentence spoken and vttered withoute anie confuse or obscure tearmes breiflie knitte and compacte withoute anie long am bages hearing will not heare and seing will not see but wilfullie will be blinde and not vnderstande and yet malicioustie barke against the clear light whiche they can not extinguish As the dogges doo against the Moone whiche they can not vanquish But lett thē brak as long as they list Veritas Domini manet in aeternum The trueth of our Lorde abideth for euer To the whiche God geue them grace to turne But let the true Christian heare and marke what enacted and receaued Psalm 116 truth was in the parliament house of Christes Churche nowe opened and testified by the Auncient elder of the same whiche ys that Christe made the bread which he did take and distribute to his disciples his bodie Heretiques build tehir faith vpon reason and senses whiche was and ys the true Pascall Lambe figured by the olde Paschall lambe And by this let him cōforte him self in the true faith that the hath receaued ād cōfirme him self to be mightie against all the assauts of heresie how moche so euer their sainges shall delight or please reason or the knowe ledge of our senses wherpon they do so builde their faith that they wolde haue no poincte ne parte therof directlie repugnant to reason or Iudgment of sense as Cranmer or the Authour of that booke which ys sett furth in his name with moche boldenesse affirmeth Whose verie woordes for the triall I will asscribe Thus shall ye ther Cranmers sensuall sentence Li. 2. read But to conclude in fewe woordes the Papistes shal neuer be able to shewe one article of our faith so directlie contrarie to our senses that all our senses by daile experience shall affirme a thinge to be And yet our faith shall teache vs the contrarie therunto Thus he In whiche saing gentle Reader yowe maie perceaue that these sensuall men were so moche captiue to sensuall knowledge that not cōtent to haue faith a knowledge aboue or at leste equall with reason whiche in dede surmounteth Faith surmounteth reason or senses and passeth all reason wolde abase her to be an hand maiden to the knowledge of our senses as one that shoulde teach no article contrarie to them which yet teacheth all aboue the knowledge of senses and moche directlie contrarie As for example Owre senses by dailie experiēce teach vs that men do die And that some of their bodies being burned ther ys nothing lefte but Asshes blowē abroad Faith teacheth many thinges contrarie to the senses with the winde And some consumed of the foules of the aire Some of the fishes of the sea Some vtterly doo putrifie in the earth as thinges that shoulde neuer be the same flesh the same substance the same man again And yet faith teacheth vs directlie contrarie that ys that the thing which the senses Iudge to be dead whiche ys so diuided and separated from life that yt shall neuer liue the same thing in nombre again that in dede yt ys not dead but sleapeth and shall be the same in person again that yt was before The senses taught none other but that the woundes whiche Christe had in his bodie after the resurrection and specially the wounde of his side into the which he willed Thomas to pute his hande were verie fore and painfull and yet faith saieth directlie contrarie For a glorified bodie yt not passible Thus these men building ther faith vpon their senses when their senses perished their sensuall faith preished with all Wherfor cleaue not to soche a faith whiche neadeth to be mainteined with vntruthe and false sensuall knowledge But embrace that faith whiche ys grownded vpon Christ and lined oute and tried by the sure and streight piller of truthe the Catholique Churche But perchaunce the Aduersarie will saie that although the sentence of Obiection out of Tertull Tertullian for so moche as I haue brought in sowndeth plainlie to my pourpose yet yf I had brought in the wholle sentēce yt wolde haue ouerthrowē the same Wherfore I deale not sincerelie but vse crafte To this I saie that this that ys alleadged oute of Tertulliā ys his verie saing ād neadeth no dependence to make yt perfecte but ys of yt self a perfecte proposition and therfore hath yn yt self a trueth or falshood and maie then well be alleaged to confirme my pourpose And yet I haue not so omitted yt as though I wolde not see yt but I haue reserued yt to be handled wher we shall seke the exposition of his texte Hoc est corpus meum But that we maie perceaue in the meā while that Tertullian in his place minded no other wise then these his woordes alleaged pourporte I meen that Christs bodie ys made present in the Sacrament and in the same geuen and dipensed I shall bring himself to wittnesse in an other place wher he testifieth that the slesh that ys to saie the natural man eateth the bodie of Christ Caro inquit abluitur vt anima emaculetur Caro vngitur vt anima consecretur Caro signatur Note that the flesh eateth the bodie and blood of Chryst. vt anima muniatur Caro corpore sanguine vescitur vt anima de Deo saginetur The flesh saith Tertullian ys washed that the Soule maie be pourged The flesh ys enoynted that the soule maie be consecrated The flesh ys signed that the soule maie be defended The flesh eateth the bodie and bloode of Christe that the soule maie be made fatte or lustie in God Thus Tertullian In the whiche woordes he teacheth that as verilic as we be washed with verie water and enointed with verie oile and signed with the verie signe of the crosse and not with the figures of these So be we fedde with the verie bodie and blood of our Sauiour Christe and not with the figures of them Teflesh saieth he eateth the bodie and blood of Christ and not the spirit onlie Nowe then that yowe haue heard one of the one side of the parliamēt house yowe shall heare one of the other side Iyschius an aunciente author Disciple to the great learned father Gregorie Naziancen saieth thus Non oportet eos qui Pascha euangelicum celebrant quod nobis tradidit Ecclesia legale Pascha peragere quod bouem ouem legislator dicens significauit Jsychius in Le. lib. 6. cap. 22. quia haec praecepit Moises in die Paschae quod traditum est Iudaeis immolare They that doe celebrate the euangelicall Passouer whiche the Churche hath deliuered vs maie not celebrate the legall Passour whiche the lawegeuer commaunding hath declared to be an oxe and a shepe For Moises hath commaunded to offer these thinges in the daie of the passeouer that ys appointed to the Iewes And a litle after foloweth Non ergo oportere nos habentes in manibus
consummantes verum mysterium sequi figuras quae praedicta sunt demonstrant Neque enim est eiusdem temporis Sed aliud quidem pertinere ad figuram aliud autem ad veritatem qui vtraque sanciuit praecepit Propter quod Christus primùm celebrauit figuratum Pascha Pòst caenam autem intelligibilem tradit angustante eam tempore pro die horā immutauit vel magis etiam diem Sic enim ad vesperam quartae decimae diei caenae Iudaicae Paschalis festiuitatis celebratur Post hoc autē Christus propriam tradidit caenam The thin ges therfore which are afore saied doe declare that we hauing present and doinge the true misterie maie not folowe figures Neither ys yt apperteining to the same time But he that ordeined both cōmaunded one time to appertein to the figure an other time to the veritie Wherfore Crist also did first celebrate the figuratiue passeouer but after supper he deliuered the intelligible Supper and the time straicting the same he chaunged an howre for a daie or raither also the daie For so in the euening of the fourtenth daie the Supper of the Iewish Paschall solemnitie ys celebrated And after this Christe deliuered his owne Supper Thus farre Isychius In whose woordes yt maie be perceaued first what was the Iewish Paschall offring whiche was an oxe or à shepe whiche were a figure of Christ our Paschall oblation Secondlie he teacheth that we nowe hauing the true misterie maie not folowe figures In whiche wordes note gentle Reader that he saieth that we nowe haue the true misterie wherby we are taught that we haue in our Paschall solemnitie the verie or true presence of Christe For he putteh here this terme true misterie to answere the figuratiue presence in the figure Paschal lābe ād christ compared The figure hath but the shadowe of the thing but that that ys figured hath the thing yt self The Paschall Lambe of the Iewes eaten in their Passouer was a figure of Christ our Paschall lambe eaten in our Passouer Wher for as the Iewes had a verie earthlie lambe the figure in their supper So we haue the verie heauenlie Lambe Christ the truthe of that figure in our Supper Whiche thing this Authour in the woordes folowinge doth plainlie declre For saieth he one time serueth not for the figure and the thing figured Verie Christ in oure Passouer but ther ys one time for the figure an other time for the veritie Note then again that he calleth the thing figured the veritie what ys the veritie but the verie thing in dede that the figure did perfigurate The lambe the figure did perfigurate Christ Wherfore verie Christe ys in our passouer This ys not fallen from this Authour as a thing vnwittinglie spoken but proceading aduisedlie in the matter and applieng the thinge figurated and declaring the accomplishing of the thing by Christe he saieth Wherfore Christ also did first celebrate the figuratiue Passouer But after supper he deliuered the intelligible Supper What ys meāt by the intelligible Supper ye shall better perceaue by other places of this Authour wher he vseth this woorde whiche he doth almost in every leaf As in his same chapiter shewing wherof Aegipte ys a figure he saieth Etenim AEgyptus intelligiblis praesens mundus quia AEgyptus cōtenebratio inter Isych Ibid. pretatur The intelligible Aegipt ys this present worlde For Aegipt by interpretacion ys called a darkning Likewise vpon this text of Leuiticus wher Allmightie God saied to the children of Israel by Moyses When ye shall come into the land whiche I will geue vnto yowe and reape downe the haruest therof ye Iebitic 23. shall bring a sheife of the first fructs of your haruest vnto the preist who shall waue the sheife before the Lorde to be accepted for yowe First teaching who were figured by the sheiues he saieth Illi enim sunt Jsic li. 6. ca. 23. Matth. 9. messores et intelligibiles segetes ad quos Dominus dicebat Messis quidem multa operarij autē pauci etc. They be both the reapers and the intelligible sheiues to whom our lord said The haruest trulie ys great but the woorkmen or reapers are fewe And likewise opening who was figured by the preist that shoulde make their oblacion accepted of God for them he saieth Manipulum autem primitiarum intelligibilis sacerdos Christus corpus proprium offerebat The intelligible preist Chryst did offer his owne bodie a sheif of first fruicts Again in the same chapiter vpon this text And ye shall offer that daie when ye waue the sheife an he lambe withoute blemish of a yeare olde for a burnt offring vnto the Lorde he saieth Volens nos in die qua celebramus Domini resurrectionem et manipuli intelligibilem oblationem celebramus non obliuisci dominici sacrificij ex quo nobis est oblatio manipuli sed caedere agnum immaculatum anniculum in holocaustum Domino intelligibilem agnum Domini traditionem immolantes mysticè et offerentes ipsius autem vt sacrificium caedentes memoriamfecit Owre Lorde willing vs in the daie wherin we do celebrate the resurrection of him and do celebrate the intelligible oblacion of the sheif not to forgett our Lordes sacrifice of the which we haue the oblacion of the sheif but to offer vppe a lambe withoute spotte of one yeare olde for a burnt sacrifice to our Lorde mysticallie sacrificing and offring the intelligible lambe being the tradicion of our Lorde in the doing of this sacrifice he hath made his memoriall In an other place also wher almightie God saied A man that hath sinned Isich li. 7. ca. 5. through ignorance and hath doen against the lawe and knoweth himself giltie shall offer an vnspotted Ramme vnto the preist Rectè intelligibilis aries Christus huius peccatum in sacrificio pro eo oblatus diluit Euen verie wel Chryste the intelligible ramme being offred for him in sacrifice wipeth awaie the sinne of this man In all these places these woordes the intelligible Egypte the intelligible sheiues the intelligible preist the intelligible oblacion the intelligible lambe the intelligible Ramme what doe these ells signifie but the verie thinges shadowed and signified by the figures Wherby we maie conclude by this authour that the legall Supper and the lambe therin eaten were the figures of Chrystes Supper and the lambe therin eaten beinge the verie thinges in dede that ys Chrystes owne Supper and hys owne blessed bodie whiche ys the intelligible lambe that was and ys therin eaten And that this shall be so plain that the Aduersarie shall not against saie Leuit. 24. yt heare this Authour clerelie opening the matter Expownding howe Aaron and hys children were touched with the bloode of the Ramme Isich in Leuit li. 2. ca. 8. that was sacrificed for them and applieng yt to that that yt was a figure of he saieth Sed tamen primus sacerdos sanguine post eum filij eius secundùm
sore against mankinde For sinne we hearde Thowe arte earth and into earth thowe shalt retourn But for asmoche as Chryst woolde ouerthrowe by his flesh this cruell Tyranne therfore that was shadowed among the olde Fathers in a misterie and they being sanctified withe the flesh and blood of a shepe God so willing did escape the plague aÌ„d destructioÌ„ Wher for then thowe Iewe art thow troubled seing nowe the trueth long before prefigurated why I saie arte thowe troubled yf Chryste do saie Except ye cate the flesh of the sonne of man and drink his bloode ye shall haue no life in yowe seing yt behoueth thee beinge instructed in Moises lawes aÌ„d taught by the olde shaddowes to beleue to be most readie to vnderstaÌ„d these misteries Thowe haest knowen the shaddowe aÌ„d the figure Learn therfor the veritie of the thing My flesh saieth he ys verilie meat and my blood ys verilie drinke Thus farre Cyrill Whome ye haue hearde at lenght declaring the figuratiue Paschall laÌ„be and the benefit that the Iewes had by the same Likewise ye haue heard him declaring the true Paschall Lambe and the benefite that commeth to vs therbie And when he hath applied the figure to the thing figured whiche ys the trueth of the figure as a matter sufficieÌ„tlie taught ther to be beleued of the Iewes He falleth into a wonder at the incredulitie of theÌ„ and reprouinge them all in the person of one saieth Why arte thowe o Iewe troubled seing nowe the verie veritie long before this prefigurated Yt behoued thee being instructed by Moises Lawes and verie well taught by the olde shadowes to beleue to be most readie to vnderstande these misteries Yf Cyrill did so earnestlie reproue the Iewes for their incredulitie being taught but by Moyses and the figures howe wolde he reproue our men who well instructed not by Moyses but by Chryste not by shaddowes and figures but by the gospell of treuth and veritie not moued as the Iewes semed to be to beleue a straunge noueltie but an aunciente faithe receared of antiquitie Yf the Iewes I saie be woorthie of reproche who knowe not the true faithe whiche they neuer yet had by plain knowledge receaued False Christians worthilie reproued for saking their faith how moche more be our false Chrystians to be reproued which the faithe that they were brought vppe in that they once embraced and receaued that they earnestlie beleued nowe haue maliciouslie not onelie contemned but also Reuiled detested and abiected God that ys the verie light lighten their heartes that they maie see into howe depe damnacion they haue deiected and cast them selues by their forsaking of the catholique faith being nowe bare and void of all excuse forsomoche as they did once knowe the trueth whiche nowe deuelishlie they blaspheme Si non venissem locutus eis fuissem peccatum non haberent nuÌ„c autem excusationem non habent de peccato suo Yf I had not commed saied Chryst Joan 15. and spokeÌ„ to them they shoulde not haue had sinne but nowe they haue none excuse of their sinne God I saie therfore haue mercie vpon them whilest time of mercie for them endureth and geue them grace dailie with the Prophett Dauid to crie and saie Respice exaudi me Domine Deus meus Illumina oculos meos ne vnquam obdormiam in morte ne quando dicat inimicus meus praeualui aduersus eum Consider Psal 12. and heare me o Lorde my God lighten mine eies that I sheape not in death lest mine enemis saie I haue preuailed against him What a preie and Spoill ys yt to our gostlie enemie and howe moche dothe he reioice when he deceaueth one that hath ben in the true faith and beâ—ieueth him of the same and so driueth him from God No doubte he counteth yt a great Spoill and reioiceth moch at yt as the verse of the same psalme immediatelie folowing dothe saie Qui tribulant me exultabunt si motus fuero They that trouble me will reioice at yt yf I becast down Return therfor in time and cleaue hard to the streight and strong piller of trueth For if ye be cast downe ye shall fall verie lowe and sinke depe Chryste sending his Apostles to preache taught them thus Into what cittie soeuer ye shall come enquire who ys worthie in yt and ther abide Math. 10. till ye go thence and whosoeuer shall not receaue yowe nor will heare yowe preachinge when ye departe oute of that house or cittie shake of the dust of yowe feete Verilie I saie vnto yowe yt shall be easier for the lande of Sodom and Gomorre in the daie of Iudgement then for that citte Consider therfore and heauie hand of God vpon Sodom and gomorre which in soche terrible sorte being sonke and destroied with fire and Brimstone from heauen argueth a more terrible damnacion to ensewe and folowe and yet yt shall be more easie to them in the daie of Iudgement then to soche as will not receaue faith Howe moche more greuouse then shall yt be to them which forsake that faith that not onelie they them selues haue receaued but the wholl Churche of Chryst throughoute all Chrystendom whiche faithe although yt hath diuerse times ben impugned as nowe in theise daies yt ys Yet God be praised yt was neuer ouerthowen nor neuer shall be and will cleaue to an heresie whiche hath ben not onelie sundrie and diuerse times ympugned but ouerthrowen condemned cursed and extincted Surelie as their reproche ys moche in this worlde for their so doing So shall yt be moche more before the face of God and his electe in the daie of his terrible iudgement But I will retourn from whence I haue digressed and touche one note more of Cyrill and so passe to other After he had thus rebuked the Iewes for their hardnesse of beleue he saied Vmbram figuram nosti disce ergo ipsam rei veritatem Thow hauest knowen the Shaddow and the figure learn therfore the verie thinge Note here again as before in Chrysostom ys noted that the olde Paschall lambe was a figure and owre Paschall Lambe the verie thinge Then yt ys not a peice of bread a bare sign or figure of Chryst for then these sainges of the learned Fathers were not true whiche saie plainlie that yt ys the verie thinge And this Father when he had willed the Iewes to learn the verie thing he declared furthwith what the verie thing ys Caro mea verè est cibus sanguis meus verè est potus My flesh saieth Chryst ys verilie meat and my bloode ys verilie drinke This saieth Cyrill ys the verie thing of the figure the verie flesh and bloode of Christ whiche be verilie meat and verilie drinke Howe this texte and other apperteining to the same matter in the sixte of S. Iohn haue ben wrested and wried and violentliie drawen by the enemies of gods trueth from their natiue and true sense yt shall be shewed more at large in the second
eating the olde Paschall Lambe and the beginning of the newe testament with the newe Paschall Lambe Which Paschall Lambe how yt was and what yt was and how yt ys wrought ād made he leaueth yt not vndeclared He tooke bread saieth he mening Chryst and brake yt and gaue yt to his disciples saing Take eate This ys my bodie And that he might leaue no place to the enemies to misconstrue him and to wrest him to their pourpose he addeth the probacion of yt by the powre of God in other of hys workes which ys also a most plain declaracion of hys faith That as God by his woorde made heauen and earth and all thinges in Chryst turned the bread into his bodie and the wyne and water into his blood them conteined So by his woorde saing Thys ys my bodie yt ys euen so made in dede as yt ys saied For can not he saieth Damascen make the bread his bodie and the wine and water his bloode Which woordes being so plain nede no in terpretaciō For he affirmeth that God by hys woord and allmightie powre dothe make the bread his bodie and the wine and water his bloode And wher the Aduersarie hath against this saied that he doubteth not of the power of God but that he ys able to do yt yf he will or yf yt be his pleasure but we finde not saieth he in the scripture that his pleasure ys that the preist pronouncing the woordes shoulde by gods power consecrate the bodie of Chryste This ys their ignoraunt scruple But if they had leuing all arrogancie mekelie consulted with thys Damascē they shoulde haue fownd yt in the scripture that Gods pleasure ys that the bodie of Chryste shoulde be consecrated by the poower of God and by the preist as his mynister For God saieth Damascen Chryst commaunded his bodie to be cōsecrated saied at the beginning Let the earth bring furth grene herbe and vntill this time the earth being holpen with Godes commaundement doth bringe furth fruict God saied This ys my bodie this ys my bloode this doe ye in remembrance of me And by his allmightie commaundement yt ys so made Note then that when Chryst by his powre had of bread made his bodie for he saied yt was his bodie and his saing ys making Then he gaue commaundement to his mynistres saing Hoc facite This doo ye by the whiche allmightie commaundement saieth Damascen yt ys doen. But nowe when the scripture ys produced and laied before their face hauing no good will to accept the trueth they procead to questioning and aske howe How the question of the faithlesse aūswered proue ye that Chryst by these woordes commaunded the consecracion THE ONE AND TWENTETH CHAPITER CONcludeth this matter of the figure of the paschall lambe by Haymo and Cabasila THe nombre ys great that might be called oute of this lower house whiche for that yt wolde make thys rude worke to growe into to great a volume I will content my self and staie after I haue brought furth one coople mo and so leaue this figure The first of theise shall be Haymo for that he ys the elder being aboute the yeare of Chryst 734. and so aboue eight hundreth yeares agon before the time of Berengarius who was the first open and notable Aduersaire of this Sacrament that laboured to take awaie the reall presence of Chryste Therfor this learned Father maie wel be cōsulted with all who being before this controuersie was moued ys to be thought to speake vpprightlie ād not parciallie In his exposition therfore vpon S. Matthew he saieth thus Coenantibus Haymo in 26. Matt. autem eis accepit Iesus panem c. Expletis solemnijs veteris Paschae transit Dominus ad sacramenta noui Paschae demonstranda Postquam coenauit dedit eis panem et vinum in mysterio videlicet corporis et sanguinis sui Quia enim panis cor hominis confirmat vinum auget sanguinem in homine meritò idem panis in carnem Domini mutatur et idem vinum in sanguinem Domini transfertur non per figuram neque per vmbram sed per veritatem Credimus enim quia in veritate caro est Christi similiter et sanguis As they were eating at Supper Iesus tooke bread c. When the Solemnities of the olde Passouer Bread and wine chaūged into the bodie and blood of Chryst not in figure but in trueth were fullfilled our Lorde goeth to shewe furthe the Sacrament of the newe Passouer After he hadde Supped he gaue them bread and wine in mysterie of his bodie and bloode For bicause bread doth strenghten the hearte of man and wine encreaseth the bloode in man the same bread ys woorthilie chaunged into the flesh of our Lorde and that same wine transferred into the bloode of our Lorde not by figure nor by shaddowe but by the verie trueth For we beleue that in trueth yt ys the flesh of Cbryst and likewise his bloode Thus farre Haymo The two principall pointes here enquired this holie Father hath agreablie bothe to the elders of the higher house and also to them of the lower house declared First hys comparing of the olde Passeouer to the newe ys easie to be perceaued And then what the newe Passeouer ys he doth most plainlie manifest Yf he had left the matter of the newe Passeouer when he had said He deliuered bread and wine in mysterie of hys bodye and bloode then the Aduersaries wolde haue vsed their accustomed violence to haue drawen him by force to be a wittnesse of their syde I saie by force bicause this Authour not mening as they do as after yt shall appeare yet they wolde with great boast haue saied that he had mened as they doo Heretiques how they alleage the Fathers Which maner of doinge Reader ys their cōmō practise For wher they in their workes alleage the holie Fathers they alleadge thē in doubtful places wher they vse the common termes of Sacrament mysterie and soch other whiche when controuersie and contencion ys raised by wicked men maie Sacramētaries can not bring one Father teaching the Sacrament to be only a figure be drawen to either parte Albeit the Authours intended and ment but the onelie one true waie of Chrystes trueth and faith as this Authour nowe alleaged did But gentle reader yf thow perusest their bokes and findest that they bring anie allowed Authour saing by expresse woordes and plain sentence that the Sacrament ys but a figure or a sign or by plain deniall shall saie that Chrystes bodie ys not in the Sacrament reallie or in verie dede we shall yelde and geue them the victorie for certen I am that they can not But on our syde that ys on the parte of the catholique faithe of Chrystes Churche ye shall heare a nombre that by expresse woordes shall affirme the verie presence of Chrystes bodie of whiche nōbre ye haue allreadie heardsome And by like expresse woordes shall denie that yt
ys but a figure as this Authour dothe The contrarie wher of this Proclamer and other Sacramentaries are not ashamed to teache although they be if ther were anie shame in them ouercharged with nōbre of wittnesses so that they maie be ashamed of theyr heresie Thys Authour God be praysed when he had saied that Chryst gaue hys Apostles bread and wyne in mysterie of hys bodie and bloode leest thys mysterie shoulde be made a mysterie of nothing as the Sacramentaries make yt he declareth yt to be a mysterie of somwhat And saieth that the bread and wyne be chaunged into the bodie and blode of our lorde And yet that none of the common hereticall gloses shoulde take place he saieth Bread and wine chaunged not in figure but in trueth further by plain exclusion that they be chaunged in to Christes flesh and bloode neither by figure ner by shaddowe but by verie trueth Wolde to God that they that be yet deteined in this naughtie heresie wolde well note weigh and remembre this sainge and looke whether they haue anie soche plain manifest and expresse sentence of anie Authour Autenticall to maintein their heresie as this ys for the trueth And yet to knitte vppe the matter that this ys no singular opinion or whispered inuention but a sure and vndoubted faith commonlie and generallie receaued he concludeth not in his owne person but in the person of the beleuing Churche and saieth Credimus c. We beleue that yt ys in trueth and in verie dede the flesh of Chryst and likewise his bloode As this Authour hath testified not onelie his owne faithe but the faith of the Churche So wolde I that the Aduersarie shoulde regarde not hys Heretiques haue no faith but opinions priuate opinion whiche he calleth a faith and ys none in dede But the faith of the Churche whiche ys a sure faith in dede builded vpon a sure rocke Nowe to make vppe the coople we pourposed here to induce we will heare this Authours iocke felow in faith Cabasila one of the same lower house of Parliament but of the other side therof that ys of the greke churche a man of singular learninge Who expowndinge the Masse of the Grekes vsed in their churches declareth why Chryste willed his memorie to be had and the Masse to be doen in remembrance of him Thus he saieth Huius autem conseruundae memoriae homines multas rationes excogitarunt sepulchra Nicolaus Cabasila ca. 9. statuas columnas diesfestos celebres certamina quorum omnium vnum est institutum non sinere vt viri praeclari praestanti virtute obliuioni mandentur Tale est etiam quod dicit Seruator Alij quidem alia obliuionis quaerunt remedia vt recordentur eorum qui ipsos beneficio affecerunt vos autem in meam recordationem hoc facite Et quemadmodum ciuitates fortium virorum per quos victoriam assecuti sunt vel qui eis salutem attulerunt aut res eorum rectè gesserunt columnis inscribunt ita etiam in ijs donis nos mortem Domini asscribimus in qua vniuersa sita fuit aduersus malignum victoria Et per statuas quidem ciuitates solùm habent figuram corporis benefactorum Nos autem ab hac oblatione non habenius figuram corporis sed ipsum corpus eius qui se gessit fortissimè Hoc ipsum etiam antiquis constituit vt in figura facerent id quod nunc est in rerum veritate Id enim erat Bascha agni occisio quae memoriam reuocat caedis illius ouis sanguinis qui seruauit Hebraeis in Aegypto primogenita To conserue this memorie men haue deuised manie waies or means as Tumbes ymages pillers feastfull and Solemne daies exercises of all whiche ther ys one pourpose not to suffer that noble men of excellent vertue shoulde be forgotten Soche maner of thing yt ys that our Sauioure saieth Some seke other remedies against obliuion that they maie remembre them that haue doen them good But in the remembrance of me this doo ye And as cities do write in pillers the noble actes of mightie men by whom they haue gotten victorie or that haue saued them or haue doen their affaires or businesse wel Euē so also do we in these giftes imprinte the death of our Lord in the which was all the victorie against the wicked one had or gotten Now the cities haue by their images but the onelie figure of the bodie of their benefactours but we in this oblacion haue not the figure of the bodie but the bodie yt self of We haue the verie bodie in the Sacramēt not the figure him euen that same that ys nowe in veritie of thing For that was the Passeouer and the killing of the lambe which dothe call again the memorie of that shepe and bloode whiche saued the first born of the Hebrues Hither to Cabasila Of whom as we haue learned the faith of the greke churche as yt was in the time of the auncient Fathers Chrysostom Cyrill Isychius Damascen Euthymius and soche other as touching the presence of Chrystes blessed bodie in the Sacrament Euen so do we learn of him the same faith and none other newlie inuented but euen the same continued euer approued vnto his time in all the greke churche This authour allthough minding to sett furth a cause why the memoriall Monumentes and memories of holie ād woorthie men defaced of Chrystes death shoulde be reteined and kept emong vs by the bringing in examples of our elders whiche by diuerse means cōtinued the memorie of noble vertueouse or other wourthie men he doth therin geue good occasion to rebuke the insolencie of manie of this our time which defacing howses spoiling churches ouerthrowing monumentes disparsing the bones ād reliques of holie sainctes and soche other a great sorte like do most earnestlie labour to extinguish and clean put oute of all memorie the noble actes the holie dedes the godly liues of many vertueouse and wourthie men which to Gods honoure to their praise and to owre exāple of vertue shoulde and ought to haue remained Yet minding not to take euery soche occasiō I will leaue yt and folowe my matter here principallie entended As heretofore I haue doen So also wil I nowe both declare that the Paschall Lambe was a figure of Chryst and also that the veritie or verie thing by that lambe figured ys the bodie of Chryst reallie and substanciallie in the Sacrament As for the first this Authour saieth that God appoincted with the olde Olde lawe had the figure the newe lawe hath the thing in trueth fathers that they shoulde haue a figure of Chryst And that saieth he was the Passeouer and the killing of the lambe In which his sainge he nothing dissenteth but moche and whollie agreeth as well with the grekes as the latines before alleaged and declared As for the seconde parte that yt ys a figure of Chryste reallie in the Sacrament this Authour also
very plainlie teacheth Marke therfore wel his woordes thus he saieth Hoc ipsum antiquis constituit vt in figura facerent id quod nunc est in rerum veritate The same thing God appoincted the olde Fathers to doo in a figure which thing ys nowe in trueth or verie dede Note I praie yow that he appointeth the figure of Chryst to the Fathers of the lawe of Moyses to vs that be nowe in the lawe of Chryst he appointeth not the figure but the thing yt self euen verie Chrystes bodie But the serpent ys a wilie beast and sekinge some litle holle or crannie to slippe through and to slide awaie from this sentence that presseth him so sore will to delude the Simple graunt that we whiche be in the lawe of Chryst haue verilie Chryst euen that same that was born of the virgen Mary that was curcified that rose from death to life that ascended into heauen These be gaie gloriouse woordes But take heade reader ther ys a snake Crāmer his gloriouse woordes to cloake euell meening lib. 4. Iohn frith his heresie vnder these fair flowres Looke diligentlie vpon them and aske him howe we haue him that was born of the virgen c. And thowe shalt see him by and by betraie him self and runne to his olde and common shift and saie that he ys ther sacramentallie Which maner of being or presence as Iohn Frith our contrie man and many other masters of that heresie do teache ys as moche as ys the presence of the wine in the Iuie garlande at the tauern doore or the loue of the husbande in the ringe whiche he geueth to his wife Whiche maner of presence ys next doore to nothing for all their gloriouse woordes Yf ye porcead and vrge him saing that after this sorte he was in all the figures of the lawe that were figures of him But this Authour appointing that maner of presence to the lawe saieth that his presence with vs ys in verie dede whiche ys a maner of presence other and more then they vnder the lawe had Nowe he must to his cheifest refuge and saie that we haue him spirituallie heretiquet refuges in reasoning Here to mete with him again ye maie saie and that trulie as before ys saied and proued in the xix capiter of this booke that so the Iewes in the lawe receaued him and had him spirituallie in their Paschall lambe so that by this maner of presence ther ys no perrogatiue nor difference of our Sacrament and the presence of Chryst ther in aboue theirs nor from theirs The contrarie wherof all chatholique Fathers dooteache Nowe ys he commed to his last refuge that ys that the Iewes receaued him spirituallie as yet to come but we receaue him spirituallie as allready comed Yf this be all what neadeth this difference of speache that this Authour vseth saing God appointed the Fathers of the lawe to do that thing in a figure that we do nowe in verie dede Ys to doe a thinge in figure and to doe a thing in dede all one maner of doinge A verie babe will not graunt that Thus I suppose yt ys easie to be perceaued that the Aduersaries faith ys soche that when he hath spoken the best of yt yt will not nor can ioin with the faith of the learned men of Chrystes Parliament house But ys as farre distant from them and their faith as falshood from trueth Wherof ye shall haue yet better experience and further prooff by an other parte of this Authours sentence when yt ys noted to yowe and the aduersaries doctrine conferred with yt That other parte ys this Citties saieth he by the ymages of soche as haue doen them good haue onelie but their figures we haue by this oblacion not the figure of Christes bodie but the bodie yt self whiche most stoutlie handled yt self Note well this conference The citties had but the figures of soche wourthie men as had noblie doen for them We haue not the figure of Christ but the bodie yt self whiche wrought vs the great benefitt of our Redemption Remembre I praie yowe what the latin Authour before alleadged saied that this man being of the greke churche and conferred with him yt maie Not the figure but verie bodie of Christ ys yn the Sacrament appear what agreement in doctrine and faithe in this matter ther ys yn both the churches The latin Authour saied thus The bread ys chaunged into the flesh of our Lorde and the wine into his bloode not by a figure or in a shaddowe but in verie dede This greke Authour saieth that we haue not the figure of Christ but his verie bodie euen that whiche so mightilie fought for vs. See ye not a consonant agreement betwen these two do thiey not both teache the verie presence of Christes bodie in the Sacramēt and ther with by a plain negatiue denie the figure Maie not our Proclamer our newe Goliath well see and trulie saie that here be two plain sentences against him Let them be conferred and yt will planlie appeare These Authours saie that the Sacrament conteineth not a figure onelie Doctrine of the Sacramētaries conferred with the Fathers The Aduersarie saieth that yt hath no more but a figure These saie that the Sacrament conteineth the very bodie of Christe The Aduersarie saieth that yt ys Iewesh so to thinke and that they be grosse Capharnaites that saie that the bodie of Christ ys substanciallie in the Sacrament In this conference ye maie see the stowte repugnance of the Aduersarie against catholique writers In the same ye see the said writers by expresse woordes denie the doctrine of the Aduersarie that wher he saieth yt ys a figure they saie yt ys not a figure And here will I yoin an yssue withe the Proclamer that yf he cā bring any Issue ioined with the Proclamer touching the presēce Scripture anie catholique Councell or anie one approued doctour that by expresse and plain woordes doth denie the reall presēce of Chryste in the Sacrament as these writers doo denie his figure or figuratiue presence then will I geue ouer and subscribe to him But wher he vntrulie hath saied that he was sure that we coulde bring furthe no one approued Authour to testifie the reall presence of Christ in the Sacrament I will saie trulie that I am sure that neither he nor all the Aduersaries can bring anie one teaching by expresse woordes the contrarie Obiection Yf percase anie man will obiecte here to me that though these men denie the figure and teache that Chrystes verie bodie ys present in the Sacramēt yet they saie not so moche as your Aduersarie requireth that his bodie ys substanciallie and reallie present Answer The aunswer to this ys easie whiche the Aduersarie will graunte that yf the bodie of Chryst be in the Sacrament not by a figure but in verie dede then yt must nedes be ther reallie and substāciallie For the Aduersarie hathe Sacramentaries make two
for to kepe women the people as sainct HieroÌ„ saieth they should But bicause these high fuÌ„ctioÌ„s and the keping of womeÌ„ caÌ„ notioin together raither theÌ„ they will put awaie ther womeÌ„ they haue deuised to putte awaie the coÌ„secracion of the bodie of Chryst and the sacrifice also whiche they shoulde offer Of whiche matter for that yt ys impertinente to my pourpose I will not speake but ouerpasse yt and not medle withall Nowe haue ye here heard one wittnesse of the one side of the higher house of Parliament reporting the trueth of this matter We will heare one of the other side and of the lower house to reporte the same trueth who shall be Damascen Thus he saieth Hunc panem panes figurabant propositionis This Li. 4. c. 14. de orthodox sid bread mening the bodie of Chryst in the Sacrament did the Shew bread figure That he speake of the bodie of Chryst the learned reader shall sooen perceaue if he will peruse this place in Damascen wher he shall finde that after he moste plainly had affirmed the verie reall presence of Chrystes bodie in the SacrameÌ„t by the woordes of our Sauiour Chryst in the vj. of Iohn and in the other Euangelistes he cometh to exhortacion for the wourthie receauing of the same saing thus Proinde cum omni timore conscientia pura indubitabili fide accedamus veneremur ipsum omni puritate animi corporis Accedamus ei desiderio ardenti manus in modum crucis formantes crucifixi corpus suscipiamus Therfor let vs comme to yt with all feare Dam. ibi and pure conscience and with a sure faith and let vs woorshippe him whith all puritie of minde and bodie Let vs go to him whith burning desire fashioning our handes in maner of a crosse let vs receaue the body of him that was crucified And after a fewe scriptures alleaged he speaketh the woordes whiche I before recited that the Shewe bread did figure this bread Wherby yt ys euident that he meneth that he Shewe bread was a figure not of a figure but of Chryst him self who promised that the bread that he wolde geue shoulde be his flesh whiche flesh he wolde geue for the life of the woorlde Ioan. 6. THE THREE AND TWENTHETH CHAPIT ceadeth in the proof of the same by S. Augustine and Isychius ALthough the Authours alleaged might suffice for the declaracion and proof of this matter nowe entreacted of yet for the ful contentacion of the reader some mo shall be brought to make the thing more plain and the truthe more certen The first of these shall be sainct Augustin who saied thus Dicit cessisse pani pecus tanquam nesciens tunc in Domini mensa panes Propositionis poni solere et nunc Ad Casulanum epist. â—6 se de agni immaculati corpore partem accipere Dicit cessisse poculo sanguine non cogitans et nuncse accipere in poculo sanguineÌ„ Quanto ergo melius et congruentius vetera transisse et noua in Christo facta esse sic diceret vt cederet altare altari gladius gladio ignis igni panis pani pecus pecori sanguis sanguini Videmus in ijs omnibus carnalem vetustatem spiritali cedere nouitati He saieth that the beast hath geuen place to the breade as though he knewe not that euen then the Shew breades were wounte to be putte vpon the table of our lorde and that nowe he dothe take parte of the bodie of that vndefiled lambe He saied that bloode hathe geuen place to the cuppe not remembring that he also nowe doth receaue