AN EPISTLE or godlie admonition of a learned Minister of the Gospel of our Sauiour CHRIST Sent to the Pastoures of the Flemish Church in Antwerp who name themselues of the Confession of Auspurge exhorting them to concord with the other Ministers of the Gospell Translated out of French by Geffray Fenton Here may the christian Reader lerne to know what is the true participatiō of the body of CHRIST what is the lauful vse of the holy Supper PRINTED AT LONdon by Henry Bynneman ANNO. 1569. CVM PRIVILEGIO To the right worshipfull Iohn Byron Esquier Geffray Fenton wisheth a happy new yeare with a gladsome continuance of many IN obseruing sir this last yere your order condition of doing I founde the custome and course of your vertues nothing inferiour to the cōmon opinion of the same Wherof as I proued peculiarly in my self by many means times but most by a ciuile cōuersation of your companie during the best part of the sommer so I accōpt my selfe no lesse vnworthy of such benefite passed than vnmete eftsoones to vse or participate with the like if such det be not discharged by some thankefull argument of good will compounded with matter of myne own indeuor according to the qualitie of my talēt And albeit I haue at tymes heretofore protested vnto you simply my seruiceable vnfained zeale wherof I hope you doubt not yet me thinkes with the nature of a barren soyle yelding no fruite the same might seeme no lesse vnprofitable vnto you than imperfecte in my selfe if it be not approued with some absolute and vnfayned shewe and that in the publyke eye of the worlde in whiche respect I haue presumed to lay afore you this little Translation a worke neyther improper for the purpose of good doctrine nor impertinent to the profession of a true Christian and for the mater it discouereth a a most perfect Methode or plot to discerne the principall pointes of our Religion with certein speciall places of Scripture toward the ende to induce the church to vnitie and the people to imbrace the league of charitie left vs by Christ as well in the example of himselfe enduryng sundry sortes of villanous reproches as in the president of his Apostles and Prophetes who suffered with greate pacience the barbarous disposition of the enimies to their religion This as I culled out amongst other as a worke resembling your owne vertues so in the often reading it I doute not you shall finde a happie confirmation of iudgement in good things the same as the Apostle sayeth being one chiefe and principall frute of knowledge and therfore moste necessarie that we acquaint our myndes with godly exercises and meditations of Religion praying you lastly to let it receyue youre protection to the ende our countrey and Christian neighboures by youre meane the rather may plentifully participate in the benefite of the same wherin also I accompt my trauaile sufficiently aunswered if this become thankfull to you in sort of an earnest peny or first offer of my good will reseruing notwithstanding to giue a better shewe hereafter as tyme with quiet leysure shall assist me And so God giue you a good new yeare and confirme vs all in his holy feare At my lodging the tenth of Decembre 1569. Your sure frende Geffray Fenton A prayer of the Author for the concorde of doctrine and vnitie in wils in diuine things apperteyning to the aduauncement of the Gospell of CHRIST O Eternall and mercifull Lord who as thou art God of peace loue and concord so dissētions quarels and debates are hatefull vnto thée We sée how with good right thou chastisest oure malice and rebellion ageinst thée by the diuersitie of opinions and strange iudgements raigning at this day amongst men specially in the cause of religion In the beginning Lord thou hast created man to thyne own image and likenesse to the ende that he and his posteritie mighte be one thing with thée hauing one only opinion led according to thy holy worde and manifestation and one wil affected to embrace that which thou deman dest whereupon might folow workes conformable to thy diuine and holy lawe But the serpent enemie of all peace and on the cōtrarie a louer of dissention and discord taught oure first Fathers the lesson of infidelitie distrust presumption and arrogant curiositie Alas our good God and creator that we feele and make dayly experience of miserable effects of that lesson printed by Sathan in our harts for euery one of vs striues to be a god vppon earth euery one pretends to be able by the touche of his owne iudgement to discerne whiche is good or euill what is agreable or inconuenient to thy diuine Maiestie yea euery one thinkes to be the maister that ought to instruct his neighbour Take pitie of vs O Lorde and deface in oure hartes this peruerse lesson full of ambition pride make vs vnderstand in good earnest that thou art hée only to whom belongeth to discerne betwene the good and euill and betwene the truthe and dreames and that it is thou lord who by thy eternall worde Iesus Christe giuest lighte manifestation knowledge of thy secretes to those that feare thée thou art he alone who by thy holy spirit doest direct teach thy disciples which make them of thy schole and worde Withoute thée Lorde wée are lost and confounded without thy truthe wée are liers without thy doctrine we bée falsefiers without thy instruction we bée presumptuous proud Alas wée euen wée miserable creatures to giue oure selues an estimation in the world forsake thy eternall worde whiche is the trée of euerlasting life and go deuouring the frute of knowledge gyuen by Sathan From thence Lorde it comes that our knowledge and wisdome is accompanied with pride and arrogant contention not giuing place one to an other whereby wée shewe that oure wisdome and knowledge is not from aboue for by the same wée faine to searche thy glorie and to blisse and prayse thée as our GOD and Father and in the meane while to mainteyne our opinions wée accurse men fashioned to thyne owne Image and likenesse in suche sorte that out of one only mouth procéedes bothe cursse and blissing a thing whiche might séeme both impossible and incredible if dayly experience did not discouer theyr manifest and absolute effectes For howe is it possible that a fountayne should caste out of one vent or spoute water that is pleasaunt and withall bitter and salte Who can beléeue that a Figge trée can bring forth Olyues or a Vine yeld Figs Truly Lorde such contrarieties are not so contrarie in naturall things as is manifested in things spiritual wherin we deale For how should men beléeue our wordes saying we loue God when by our workes we discouer a certeyne hate ▪ to our neyghbours We saye we search no other thing than the aduauncement of the kingdome of Christ and yet wée afflict and persecute the very members of Christ We crie with open throate
interpretation of these words the vine and that are you handlyng the branches coulde we say for all that that Iesus Chryst would comunicate his substance into a grape and that the Apostles should be transnatured into braunches sure who were of such opinion discouered sufficiently his ignorance and infirmitie 27 Notwithstanding you others my brethren make your principall piller vppon suche manner of speakings and all to make the poore ignorant people beleue that Chryste hath made promise to giue himselfe with the bread bycause that hauing taken bread and breaking it he said this is my body which woordes simply vnderstanded are as much as to say my body which is broken offered deliuered and sacrifised for you is bread or like too this bread whiche you breake eate and digest for the nouriture of your body In like sort I being the heuenly bread shal be broken for you to the end you may haue spiritual eternal life therfore do celebrate this that is to say this breaking and receite of bread in remembrance of me 28 To make cōclusion of this matter I vnderstand that our redéemer Iesus is Comparison betwene the first and second Adam the frute of lyfe who hauing put himself on the trée of the Crosse hath defaced the sinne and transgression whiche the frute of the trée defended brought to vs And euen as Adam hauyng eaten of suche a frute did make hymself enimie of God in contrary manner when wée participate with Iesus Christ crucified we are receiued into the good fauour and loue of oure Heauenly Father and that by the onely bountie merite and intercession of the self hée who on the trée of the crosse did constitute hymselfe the frute of lyfe for vs beyng assured that the participation of that precious Frute is not done either by water wine bread or any other creature whatsoeuer but by the woorke and operation indicible of the holy spirit who hauing called the chosen and predestinate of God doeth teache them their Meane to receiue Chryst Election Vocation Penance sinnes and abhominable transgressions by meane of the presentation of the holie Lawe hée sheweth vnto them theyr damnation sentence of eternall death the whiche they féele so in their heartes that by experience they may well assure them selues that the ire and wrathe of God hath bin so manifested to them that they haue swallowed pangs of death and The true preparation to knowe Chryst is to know the necessitie wee haue of hym séene before their eyes the throate of hell confounde and deuoure them there they fynd the frute of the trée of knowledge of good and euill they sorrowe and wéepe with a penaunce most bitter the miserable bankets or repasts whiche they haue taken of such a meate and fruite not only in the person of their father Adam but also with their proper mouth 29 After that by such means the holy spirit hath abased the arrogācie of man his pride and presumption and shewed him by experiēce the diffinitiue sentence arest irreuocable of the eternal ageinst sinners he beginneth to comfort and giue him good hope shewing him as a far off The faithefull feele the presence of Christ in their hart the Trée of lyfe and the viuifying fruite hanging vpon it the whiche by little and little degrée and degrée fayth and fayth and vertue and vertue makes him eate swallow and digest the heauenly bread Iesus Chryst yea with such experience féeling that no meat in the world of how great nouriture soeuer it be is so sensible in the bodie as the frute of life Iesus Chryst is in the soules of the faythfull with such manifestation by good woorkes outwardly that others may see knowe with what meate they be fed 30 For when we eate of euery other The life of a christiā sheweth that he hath Christ in him meate the body of him that eateth proueth only the presence of the meate But in suche as eate Chryst the true frute of the trée of life is discerned suche an example in their persons such ioy and pacience in afflictions such care to mortifie the old Adam such a renūciation of the things of the world with affection to the lyfe eternall that their neighbours and freendes acompanying them may sée that they eat other meate than the deuourers of ceremonies do 31 When they haue truely essentially and really participated of the bodie and bloud of Chryste by faith as is sayd of Iesus Chryste all entier true God and true man they assure them selues of suche a coniunction with him that they haue no néede to goe to searche hym eyther in the armorie of Préests or betwene the hands of men too receiue him either with the bread or with the water as being fully assured that Iesus Christ dwelleth in them and that they be flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones 32 And yet for all this they forbeare not to aproch to the holy table of the Lord to celebrate the holy Supper with theyr brethren and chyldren of the same heauenly father Neither go they thither to receiue Chryste of newe in bread or in wyne by grace or merite but their first cause of going thither is to certifie to al the church that they are of the number of those that receiue Iesus Christ for their only redéemer sauior for their eternal sacrificator their chief king lord souerain prophet doctor to teach them in al truth 33 Secondly they take the holy supper as a gage assurāce of the good wil of the heuenly father towards thē the same being so constant firme that it wil neuer change For euen as God hath promised by othe that the sacrificator shal be eternal euen so shall be the sacrificature and sacrifice for expiation of our sinnes 34 Thirdly they receiue in the Supper the seale of ratification cōfirmation of grace with recōciliation prononoūced by the preaching of the gospell to the end that by such mean faith might be augmented in them seing that God is not only cōtented to giue them y◠word of reconciliation to assign his promises with the bloud of his proper sonne but hath also signed and sealed his Gospell of reconciliation with seales declaring in a wonderfull maner the very things conteined in the letters patentes and promis of the gospel happy newes 35 Fourthly the faithful see in the holy Supper as in a table and liuely portrait the communion and participation which they haue inwardly in their hartes with Iesus Christ knowing also that al the noriture spiritual vigor which they see in thē comes of the presence of hym whom they consider and beholde figured represented in the holy and sacred Ceremonie of the Supper by meane of which consideration they render thanks to the Lorde Sacrifice of thanks giuing in the holy Supper for the fayth hope mortification constancie whiche they féele to be communicated to them by the power and benignitie of
nede of interpretatiō but rather of proofe and examination wherein let euery man sounde and proue his heart whether these woordes be with hym or ageynst him Thou shalte not sée the Oxe or shéepe of Deut. 22. thy brother strayed out of the way hide thée from them but thou shalt bring them ageyn to thy brother And if thy brother be not thy neyghboure and thou knowe hym not then shalt thou leade them within thy house and suffer them to remain with thée vntill thy brother demaund them and then thou shalt restore them to hym thou shalt doo in lyke manner to his Asse to his garments and al the lost things of thy brother which he hath lost and thou founde neither must thou hyde them thou shalt not sée the Asse or Ox of thy brother falne in the way and hide thée from them but thou shalte helpe to lift them vp with him If the Lord commaunde that our charitie be shewed in the lifting vp of beasts let vs consider with stronger reason that his maiestie woulde that we haue care of the soules of our brethren neighbors whom if we sée strayed from the way of truth let vs labour to reduce them if they be falne into the pit of error let vs offer them our hands rather than to pronounce sentence of condemnatiō and pursue them euen vnto death Texts of the diuine worde exhorting vs to loue oure enimies and pray for such as persecute vs. Thou shalt not walke as a detractour amongest Leui. 19. the people thou shalte not dresse thy selfe ageynst the bloud of thy neyghbor for I am the Lord Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart correct thy neighbour and suffer no synne vpon him Thou shalt not reuenge nor kéepe malice ageynst the children of thy people but thou shalt loue thy neighbor as thy self for Iam the Lord. You haue heard that it hath bin said thou Math. 5. shalt loue thy neyghbour and hate thy enimie But I say vntoo you Loue youre enimies blisse those which curse you do good to suche as hate you and pray for those that runne vppon you to persecute you to the ende you be the children of your father that is in heauen for hée maketh his Sun shyne vppon the good and euill and sendes rayne vppon the iust and iniust For if yée loue those that loue you what reward haue you therefore The Paganes doe not they the like also And if you imbrace onely youre brethren what do you more Do not the pagans also the like Be you perfect as youre father is perfect that is in heauen Do not render to any euill for euil procure Rom. 12. honest things afore all men And if it may be at least as muche as is in you haue peace with al men Do not reuenge welbeloued but giue place to anger for it is writen To me belongeth vengeance sayth the Lord and I will giue it if then thy enimy bée hungrie giue him too eate if hée haue thirst giue him to drinke for in this doing thou shalte assemble coales of fier vpon his head Be not ouercome with euill but surmount the euill by the good Owe nothing to any man if not that you Rom. 13. loue one an other for who loueth an other hath accomplished the lawe whiche sayth Thou shalt not cōmit adultery thou shalt not kil thou shalt beare no false witnesse thou shalt not couet c. And if there be any other commaundement it is in effect comprehended in this word Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Truly if we had this stone of foundation of brotherly charitie in the buildings of oure life trafficks and contracts with oure neighbours all the partes of this spirituall house which God hath giuen vs incharge should be wel ordred and couched After the Lord hadde washed their féete Iohn 13. and taken ageine his garment and that he was set ageine at the table hée sayed vntoo them Know you what I haue done vntoo you you cal me Lord and maister and you say wel for so I am if then I that am Lord and maister haue washed youre féete you ought also to wash one an others féet For I haue gyuen you example that euen as I haue done you may also do Why haue not wée remembraunce of this holy ceremonie when wée celebrate the Supper of Chryste séeing that hée himselfe hathe prepared the harts of his disciples with this admonition afore he shewed or did institute the sacrament of their coniunction with him giuing them to vnderstande that he is not worthy to receiue Iesus Chryst which doth not applye his hart too washe the féete of his brethren I speake truth in Chryste I lye not my conscience bearing me witnesse by the holy Rom. 9. spirit that I haue greate sorow and continuall torment in my heart for I did desire to be separated with Christ for my brethrē which be my parents according to the flesh When we shal féele our hearts so wel touched with the spirit of god as S. Paul was let vs set vpon hardly to correct the errours and opinions of others and so long as wée are fleshely and guided rather by stomacke than spirituall zele let vs employ our tyme to pray to God for the ignorant Let vs be then as chosen vessels of God Coloss ◠holy and welbeloued clad in the intrails of mercy humilitie gētlenesse and of a mynd of pacience supporting one an other and pardoning one an other if we haue quarel as Iesus Christ hath pardoned you euen so forgiue you others and besides all this bée attired with charitie the very bond of perfection And let the peace of God gouerne in your harts whereunto you are all called in one body and bée gracious The word of God dwell frutefully in you in all wisdom teaching and warning one an other in Psalmes songs and spiritual praises with grace singyng with youre hart to the Lorde whereby we shall sée how farre from these rules of charitie be they that in place to edifie the Church of Chryste doe rather procure hir confusion with their Debates and questiōs FINIS
him that dwelleth in them And by this mean their faith being augmented they participate more more with Iesus Christ once receiued 36 Finally they lerne in the holy supper the vnitie and charitie whiche wée Confirmation and augmentatiō of Christ receiued in the Supper ought to haue one with an other And seing wée protest in the receite of the holie Sacrament to be one bodie one church membres of one soueraine heade Iesus Christ it is good reson also that we lerne to imitate the Sympathia and mutuall compassion whiche wée sée dayly in oure humaine bodies whereof if one of oure armes bée hurte the other serueth and comforteth it the féet refusing theyr proper office to march and go are content to The holy Supper representes vnto vs a brotherly charitie of one to another kéepe themselues in bed to the ende the arme being hurt may bée in rest the stomacke is satisfied with a slender repaste to the end to ease that part that is distressed in effect euery one of the outward inward membres do so accōmodate their office and function to the ease and comfort of the hurte place that in them may be noted a wonderful harmonie league of one part with an other the same also being lyuely represented and expresly recommēded vnto vs in the celebration of the holy Supper of the Lorde to the ende that euery one of vs may with most diligent care laboure to preserue the vnitie of the body of Christ and supporting one an other may learne to couer the faults of our brethrē pardon their wrongs not to rebuke and exaggerate too muche their ignorances but rather to interpret them to the best and to teache them with charitie Let vs learne in the celebration of the holy sacramēt to make vs partakers of the afflictions and persecutions of our brethren whome we confesse in the receit of the supper too bée the members of Chryst with vs. 37 Behold here in effect my dere brethren one parte of the spirituall frutes that the children of God receiue in the receite of the Supper of oure Lorde truly admynystred and simply vnderstanded knowing right well that Christe had no other meaning in the institution of those sacraments than to manyfest by visible wordes as Saint Augustine sayeth the good wil of God towards men that is to purge washe and make them cleane by the water of his grace and by the bloud of his propre son to conioyn knit incorporate them with him euen as the meat is made one thing with our flesh in such sort that euē as in the exterior preaching of the gospel the Lord doth offer and present to all the world the benefit of reconciliation by Christ in like maner the sacraments be as a table or opē shop wherin the benignitie mercy charitie of our God be exposed to euery one offered and represented liuely in the tables And miserable shal they be who not serching the lyfe liuely refection and true washing within do embrace the corruptible and deceiuable elements and double miserable shal they be who naming themselues Doctors of the truthe and pastors of the troupe of God would féede the soules of their shéepe with meates that wil perish and corrupt 38 But now to return to our purpose begon I tooke occasion my dere beloued The occasion of the writing of this sermō brethren to write you these few lines as séeing the smal frute of my request on your behalf whē I spake to Monsieur Mathias Yllyricus who was sayd to be the Superintendent of your churche with whō I persuaded very modestly to shew vnto you and consider himselfe the infancie of this church persecuted thretned on euery side assayled with many enimies and battred with diuersitie of opinions with aduise besides that the tyme was more proper to preache and teach to the people the faythe and hope whiche wée ought to vse to mortifie oure wicked affections with a regarde of care to enterteine the league of charitie one with an other thā to impart with the simple and ignorant sort suche debates and questions as wée haue raysed vppon the matter of oure confessions Séeyng withal that such dissentiōs are rather pronounced of a iolitie of the hart to preferre our eloquence and procure to our selues a peculiar estimation amongest men than of purpose necessary for the edificatiō of our pietie which albeit he séemed to like of with a disposition to admit and performe my requests yet contrarily I see he is eyther the author or instigatour of a confession of faith which you haue set a broach in this churche of Antwerpe in which confession I can not only fynd any one point of the three mentioned in my conference with him but also it séemes to certen that you haue raised this confession expresly to trouble this poore afflicted churche The Lorde of his goodnesse giue you true knowledge and repentance of that whiche you do for touching the chiefe point of oure Religion that is to say Faith I fynde not in your confession many texts nor places which kindle the heart of man to imbrace the doctrine of Iesus Christe A thyng whiche I coulde easily appointe with my fynger if I woulde as vainely employ my time in confutation as I sée a number do at this day in disputation onely I thanke GOD that by other meanes hée hath taught me the doctrine of his truth for if at my firste arriuall I had encountred your confession of faith to lerne me to be a christian I coulde not haue much profited in a lesson of fayth so full of questions debates and dissentions 39 Deare brethren if you will with iudgement reade ouer that whiche your author hath written in youre name you shall fynde that neither Scotus nor any other Sophisters of the Papists haue so muche endarkned the doctrine of Iesus Chryst nor clad it with so many questions as certeine of you haue done wherof for example let vs suruey briefly foure certeine points and that more to reueale the slender edification that their readers may hope for of suche lessons than to encomber our selues with the confutation of such vanities Reade the Articles of the confession of faythe of Yllyric the better to vnderstande the articles folowing 40 Touching that whiche you say of our inheritaunce of the originall synne and frée will lost the world it selfe dooth declare well inough at this day that euerie one hath gotten a good lump of the inheritance of the corruption of Adam and the originall sinne as they call it neither doe your wrytings dispence or discharge you of your parte thereof And I beléeue as you say that men now a dayes haue not any Frée wyll séeyng it maye bée further beléeued that there bée a greate manye that haue slender sense and well woorse vnderstanding as béeing altogether ruled and caried ouer by their affections 41 Touching the matter of the incarnation of the sonne of GOD and redemption of man
let vs rather remembre and reteyne that which the Prophet sayeth that God loueth not the wicked nor their wickednesse neither shall the vngodly dwell with him 67 Phillip Melancthon author of the confession of Auspurge in the apologie of the same confession doth teach that the participation of the body of Chryst is receiued of the faithfull by the meditation of his benefits then to receiue Chryst it is not nedefull too gnawe hym or breake him with our téeth Besides the wicked which haue no meditation nor godly recordation of the benefites of Chryste although they chaw the bread yet can they not receiue Chryste by the saying of the same Author to whome your doctrine is contrarie in this poynt 68 Martine Luther hath bin estemed a good interpreter vnderstander of the cōfession of Auspurge and yet he saith that the very iuyce and mary of the holy Supper is to receiue an assuraunce of the remission of oure sinnes by the sacrifice of Chryst Those then that say that the vnfaithfull and vnworthy receiue the bodye of Chryst which is the iuyce and marow of the sacrament be contrary to the said doctor and by consequent to the confession of Auspurge the which you do in your Article 69 The Duke of Wittenburgh wylleth and meaneth that his cōfession agrée with that of Auspurge and yet the article of the Supper in his confession is interpreted by the words of Ezechiell saying this Quarey or tyle is the towne of Ezech. 4. Ierusalem c. That is to say doth signifie or meane the town of Ierusalem c. Who then will not receiue this place in the interpretation of the Supper disagréeth with the confession of the said prince and by consequent with that of Auspurge amongst whom is Kemnitius who reiects wholly this place in the matter of the sacraments 70 Touching this woord vnworthy and who ought to be called so you be not of accorde for Heshussius your companion with large arguments goeth aboute to proue that the faithful cānot any way be called vnworthy Kemnitius in the cōtrary mainteineth that the place of S. Paule treating of the vnworthynesse of suche as receiue the Supper ought to be vnderstanded and interpreted by the other place of the Gospell where the Centuriō saith that he is not worthy that Iesus Chryst enter intoo his house as the aūcient doctors haue interpreted it Which of these shall we beléeue séeing they bée of contrary opinyon and yet bothe the one and other folowers of the cōfession of Auspurge 71 The .xiij. Article of the confession of Auspurge teacheth that the lauful vse of the Sacrament demaundeth necessaryly Fayth without whiche vse the Sacrament is no Sacramēt Those then which haue not faythe in the administration of your Supper haue not also neither sacrament nor body of Christ and therfore the Communion that the vnworthy doe make resistes your owne confession 72 The .xxj. article of the confession of Auspurge sayth that for the difference of ceremonies traditions of men a man oughte not to accuse the other churches and much lesse condemne them of error nor call them aduersaries who are of a contrary opinion And yet you my brethren call the other Ministers of thys churche aduersaries enimies and people cut off from your companie bicause they do not blysse at the aulter the bread afore they do distribute it with obseruation of other ceremonies that are of custome in your Supper 73 Touching this word with when you say the bodye of Chryste is receiued with the breade you are not of accorde for certeine of your confession affirm that Christ is enclosed within the bread others vppon the bread others as the fire within the hoat water others as the fire with in the burning iron others as the grange or house within the letters or wordes of contract in effect who woulde recite all the similituds and interpretations which they of the confession of Auspurge haue made vpon the wordes of the supper and all to maynteine the doctrine of the presence of Chryst linked with the exterior elements should finde the discourse long and the matter of small purpose In the ende Iohn Alasco superintendent of the Church of London being in the Church of Franckefort and seing such dissentions tending rather too dissolue the vnitie of the Churche than to redresse it is of opinion that that woorde of the confession of Auspurge where Chryste is receiued with the bread signifieth that when the faythefull eate the breade in the Supper with their corporall mouth their spirite with the mouth of Faith receiues Iesus Chryste whiche is on the ryghte hande of GOD. And suche interpretation of this woorde with was receiued of the Senate of the towne of Franckefort as a declaration agréeing with the confession of Auspurge whereby the poore straungers whiche are withdrawne thither lyued in peace and quyet vntill by reason of other quarels this Question was eftsoones renued by whyche meane they became in effecte the cause of the dissipation of so flourishing a Church There bée also amongest you that saye that the bodie of Chryste is presente in the Supper as Iesus crucified was present to the eyes of the Galathians and as the daye of Chryste was present too Abraham and yet are they receiued intoo the companye of those whiche maynteyne the Confession of Auspurge And bycause Heshusius being at the vniuersitie of Hidelbergh made himself enimie to this interpretation troubled the church with debates and questions it is sayd he was banished from the sayd vniuersitie like as diuers haue already put in writing many things belongyng to this dissention and others which we haue mentioned 74 Beholde brethren one chiefe occasion muche hindring many men to embrace the true religion and to bring thē selues into youre assemblie as seing amongest you so great diuersitie of opinions And for youre partes touching the matter of the Sacramentes you pursue them so eigerly so sharply and with such animositie and stomacke that the very blynde themselues discerne in you more desire to obteine victorie than zeale of God to instruct youre ignorant brother For when we haue a direct wil towards our neyghboure with a liuely touche of compassion of his ignorance and haue a christian desire to manyfest vnto him the truth we do not procéede by iniuries excomunications nor condemnations the same being in déede the very effectes and motions of a contentious and arrogant spirite with a minde full of felonie But of the contrary we vse swéete and softe woordes of inducemēt with persuasions of modestie as knowing assuredly that man is a kynde of creature so fierce of stomacke as hée is not to be qualified otherwise than by gentle admonishment and specially in the case and question of his religion which hauing hir true foundation in the bottom of his hart it is impossible to plant persuasions of Religion afore we haue ouercome and gained that place with gentle allurements and then with frute to plant there the