killed grat Goliath it is easilie perceiued by coÌ„paring of his bokes with EcolaÌ„padius zwin glius how far vnable he was to defeÌ„de thys cause What mildenes of spirit ouer much care of christian quietnesse caused Bucere in wordes so far as the trueth could any thing yelde to agre with you al men that read his bokes with iudgement may iudge Zwinglius workes who so readeth theÌ„ as he was a man of in comparable eloquence and lerneing are able to coÌ„found all the rabble of the papistes and al his aduersaries that speake againste him But nowe come you into your ruffe againe with your doctours of thousaÌ„d yeres yet maie we proue some of theÌ„ to haue ben scarselie v. hundred yeres other some of small Authoritie and the best smally serueing for your purpose AmoÌ„gest theÌ„ all the most auncieÌ„t is S. Andrewe the apostle you saie whom you alledge not out of the scripture for we haue nothinge of his writeinge there but out of your holy legeÌ„da auria as I suppose or else I praie you whens shall this thing haue his authoritie of the porteous perchanÌ„ce which techeth vs to locke for saluacioÌ„ by the merites of Thomas Beket by setting vp a caÌ„dle or building a chapel in the name of S. Margarete It appeareth that you would faine haue the mattier good wheÌ„ you flie to your popeish portous Thus woulde you craftilie deceine the people Let Paul answere your porteouse maÌ„ which saieth he doth dailie sacrifice Christ on the aulâ—…re of the crosse We lerne in the Epistle of Paule to the Heb. that it is the propre peculiar office of Christ to offer him selfe that with his owne offering he hath made his holy for euer by his own offering once don therfore was he made prieste after the order of Melchisedech without successour Wher for they that go about to sacrifice Christe do rob him of his priesthod For Christ onely was called vnto that office for he ouelie was called as Aaron was and no maÌ„ maye take vnto him that office vnlesse he be caled as Aaron was Not with standinge that we maie please al and offeÌ„d no maÌ„ if it be so possible take the wordes of S. Andre spirituallie as no doubt he was spiritual would speake theÌ„ none otherwaies but spiritually and thaÌ„ make thei nothing against vs. He sacrificed not on the aultare of stone but vpoÌ„ the aultare of the crosse And for the maintenaunce of thys sacrifice he hym selfe was also sacrificed on the crosse What dyd he sacrifice The vnspotted lambe Where he alludeth to the olde figure as is saied whose flesh and bloud beinge spiritually receyued feadeth al the faythfull people Thus maist thou answere gentle reader euen vnto the best of the doctours vnderstandeinge them spirituallye And that they shoulde be so vnderstanded appeareth by the firste wordes that you bring out of Chrisostome we offer sayeth he but for the remembraunce of hys death Again this sacrifice is a resemblanÌ„ce of the other Agayne alludeinge to the olde figure he sayeth We do offer one lambe or else should ther be many Christes Then sheweth he who is the byshop that offereth the sacrifice Not Chrisostom nor Andrewe â–ª but Christe And thys whiche they do is the remembraunce of that whiche is done alredie These olde writtes had muche more libertie to speake such wordes because at that tyme ther wer no suche errours hard of as you do defend nowe by your popeishe prerogatiue But whan you answere that Christe bydeâ—h you pristes sacrifice him because he sayeth Hoc facite I dare saye you finne in wylfull blindenesse And that boeth for that you leaâ—e out thefâ—â—t and principall parte of the sentence whiche moste declareth the purpose of Christ in the remembraunce of me and also because you knowe well inowghe what significacion Hoc facite muste haue boeth in thys place and all other I knowe well that you english bishopes be not so sleÌ„derly learned as the Sorbouistes or doctors of Parise whiche in their determinations do bringe incum faciam vitulam Take the whole seÌ„teÌ„ce together therfore and make of it what you can Hoc facite in mei memoriam do thys in the remembraunce of me Donec veniat tyll he come maketh cleare against you that saye he is heare al redie let Damascene dote as longe as he lusteth If you wreast this playne text do this in the remembraunce of me vntill I come what scripture can be salfe from your gloses Yet by your doctoures by whom you caÌ„ glose forth al thinges I wyl not greatly contende with you as I dyd proteste in the begining First and principally because our fayeth maye be grounded vpon no maÌ„s saings but vpon the worde of God onely whiche is able to teach to reproue and to enstructe a man to euery good worcke Secondly because this contencion shal neuer haue an ende so long as you maye haue authoritie to glose euerie worde of the doctours accordinge to your owne pleasure Thirdely because ther hath ben no â—…ning so lewed but it hath ben proued and is at this daye allowed by the authorite of the doctours Fourthli because the scripture must be the toâ—chston and iâ—dge of all other thynges wordes sayinges and writeynges and may be Iudged by non other Sixtli because we our selues shalbe Iudged and examined whether we haue kept that whyche Christe coÌ„maunded vs and not that which doctours haue written Seuenthly and finally because in the worde of god lyeth al truth and we haue an especiall commaundement frome the father to here Christe the authoure therof the spirite comeynge down from heauen with his open testimonie Thys is my dearly beloued soÌ„ne in whom I delyte heare hym where the doctours contrarie wyfe as they are men and this scripture must nedes be true Omnis homo mendax euerie man is a lyar so do they trie them selues as men contendeynge one with an other eche one coÌ„trarie to his felowe Yea and the selfe same man retracteynge and recanteynge that that he had wrytten before that we may learne to trust in no man nor to put fleshe our arme for feare of the great curse but to stycke vnto the euerlastinge worde of God as a lantern vnto our fete wherof ther shall not one Iote or tytle perishe though the heauen and the earth do melt awaye In thys we shall finde sufficient fode for our soules if we can paciently rest and fead therin Wherfore for this tyme all your doctours set aparte and your dyuell sayeth neglected because your hope is so muche in man and you are not ashamed so often to brinde in the deuil sayeth I praye you here the complaynt of God by his prophetes vpoÌ„ the Idolatours of al ages and do not thinke much to herkeÌ„ what God sayeth of you of this time which caÌ„ non other wayes mayntain your pompe but with the coÌ„tumely of your creatour the plain denial of the only sacrifice of his son
the olde testameÌ„t where the Idoles of the heatheÌ„ ar named in the singular 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet for to settâ— forth the vnitie of the godhead alwaie with this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the plural nuÌ„bre is adioined a verbe of the singuler as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And also in the hygh name of God which the Iewes had in so high estimacioÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which doth sigâ—ifie vnto vs that onely euerlasteing powre wherbi al thinges haue their being is manifestli opeÌ„ed the vnitie indiâ—…sible Of this spirit is it writeÌ„ thus He that hath not the spirite of Christe is none of hys And agayne Who so ener are led by the spirit of God they are â–ª the childreÌ„ of God So â–ª that as we can not be wythout God or Christe su can we not be wythout this spirite proceadeinge from them boeth as Christ him selfe witnesseth saieinge The conforter euen the holye goste whome my father shal sende in my name Againe WhaÌ„ the holy â–ª goste shall come whom I shal send from my father Of this spirite dyd the prophetes speake muche vnder the name of water and fire as Esaie I shall poure forth my spirit vpoÌ„ the thirstie miâ—floudes vpon the drie land I shal poure forth my spirit vpon thy sede and my blesseing vpon thy buddes and the same shal saye I am the lordes Lyke vnto these are there other places as in Esaie xii Eze. xxxvi Psal C. xlvi lxiii This spirit together wyth the father and the sonne this Trinitie and Vnitie that can not be diuided do we belieue and teach not by a blynde saiynge of any doctoure as you do but by the worde of God and the worke of his spirite whiche is able to leade vs into all truth neuer faileth his church builded vpon the rock Christe agaynste the which the gates of hel can not preuaile For by this spirit thus workyng faieth in Christ and loue to God and maâ— is knowne the true church as Iohn sayeth By thys do we knowe that we dwell in hym and he in vs because he hath geuen vs of hys spirite And Paule saieth generally to alâ— the faithful Do you not knowe that you are the church of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you If any man do defile the teÌ„ple of God him wyl God destroye Thys church of God is holy which you are wher he doeth not meane of the Popes Churche though it wer builded of v. M. proude cardinales and bishopesse much les of our english church built vpoÌ„ the blind ignoraÌ„ce sinful lyueing but of x. oâ— xi horned Miters for three or foure of you woulde all were well so it were not longe of theâ—… but of that onely Churche whyche doeth alwayes knowe heare and folowe the voice of Christe theâ—â— heade and shepeherde and wyll not harkeâ— to the voyce of any straâ—nger Who though they be but. ii or iii. gathered together in the name of Christe beinge alwayes dispersed abrode by the Idole shepherde yet is Christ in the middes of them and shal at the length gather them all in one that ther maye be one shepherde and one folde Thys church is washed this church is sanctified and made holie This churche is iustified by the name of the Lorde Iesu and by the spirite of oure God sayeth Paule Christe so loued thys churche that he spent him selfe for hyr to make hyr holye clenâ—ed throughe the fountaine of water by hys worde that he myght make hir vnto hym selfe a gloriouse churche haueinge no spot blemish or wrinckle or any such thynge But you wyl doubt still O byshopes whether of vs be thys church Whether you gloriouse in the worlde or we despiced Firste therfore marke the fouÌ„dacioÌ„s of this church for ther can no man laie anye other then that is al redye layed the Lorde Iesu Christe ⧠The fyrst foundacion Whome the fayeth hath set as the chosen stoâ— for the fouÌ„dacioÌ„ of the tru church Sion ⧠The seconde foundacion Christe is the heade of thys churche ⧠The threde foundacion And heade shepeherde of thys folde For the fyrste all men iudge that you al ledgeinge so muche mans lawaâ—es establisinge and buildinge your fayeth wyth mans â—â—raâ—y settinge your cousciences vpon your doctours who are but fleshe and bloude do not so greately regarde Christe as we do whyche wyl haue hym oure onely foundacion and wyll admitte nothinge but that is spoken by hys spirite in his scriptures This fayle you in your fyrst foundacion Secondelye if Christe be heade and maister who dyd come humble meke and pore rideinge vpon an asse not hauinge an house where to â—aye hys heade dispisinge al worldly an outwarde glorie when the people would haue made him a kinge why do you ride on mules trapped wyth goulde Why haue you suche castelles holdes parckes and palaices Why wyll you be Lordes worldelie and take to you suche outwarde glorie Christe sayed that hys kyngedome was not of thys worlde and why wyl you beare suche rule heare Yea Christe forbade you to be called maister and why wyll you be called Lorde On the contrarie parte we haue the worde of Christ our heade for vs. Who sayeth Ther is no seruaunt greater then his Lorde and maister If they haue persecuted me they wil persecute you If they haue kept my word they wil kepe yours If the world do hate you knowe that it dyd hate me before it dyd heate you If you were of the worlde the worlde woulde loue that which is his owne But because you are not of the worlde but I haue chosen you forthe of the worlde therfore the worlde hateth you Yet do I leue you peace and my peace do I geue vnto you but not as the worlde geueth do I geue it vnto you â–ª Yea more ouer they shall curse and excommunicate you whyche was your olde practise o prealates and not onely that but the time shal come that who so euer sleath you shall thincke that he doeth high sacrifice vnto God And thys shall they do because they neither knowe my father nor peâ— me Tyrdlye If Christe be the heade shepeherde and dyd for your exemple saye that the learneynge whyche he taught was not hys but his fathers that sent him howe daâ—e you be so boulde to grownde so many thynges on your doctours Christe coÌ„maundeth you to feade hys flocke but you â—…ea them Christ coÌ„maundeth you to edifie but you distroye Christe byddeth you go into all the world to preach his word to al the worlde and to preach hys worde to al creatures but you saie naye none shal haue it but geÌ„tlemeÌ„ the other pore knaues shal haue a sophistrie boke of your gloses I praie you whoÌ„e make you the heade shepeherde in this and al your doeinges Not Christe but your doctours and Idle braines
not onlie the Apostles were scaterid among the heathen but also Ioseph of Arimathia a capitain that buried Christ did fle as our olde cronicles do report bi the prouideÌ„c of god brought the faith into this realme of Englande then called Bretan This persecutioÌ„ of the true churche whiche was the flocke dispiced was stil encreased by the bisshopes of the Iewes criynge that the disciples of Christe were disceyuers teaching a newe faieth errours and herisies goynge aboute to withdrawe from the lawe of Moyses as aperithe throughout the boke of the Actes of the Apostles And this endured xlii yeres vntil the Iewes were coÌ„pellid to forsake their owne contrey being vanquishide and ouercome and by the greate and iust punishemeÌ„t of god distroyed by Titus and vespasianus The disciples also being scatered thorow the heathen but fewe in numbre and as yt were a sede for haruest apointyd did so preache the onely and euerlastynge god and his sone Christe sent in the fleshe to gyne light vnto the world that Idoles began to decay so that the priestes of the Idoles aÌ„d the work men and makers of al suche Idoles yea and their owne brethern the Iewes did in al places moue and sterre persecution Thus was this pore churche beynge but here and there an hanfull to gether caried before kynges Emperowres scourged imprisoned stoned beheaded but in all this did they ouer come through their head Christ who gaue theÌ„ suche spirite and wysedom that no man coulde resist So that the more christiaÌ„ men wer put to deathe by fore and cruell tormentes the more boldli and maÌ„fulli did newe souldiours arise in their stedes Nowe when the helly powre can not preuayle by this way of open tyranny agaynst Christes true churche then dothe the deuille send forthe the disciples and shcolars of the preistes of these Idols whiche were the subtyle philosophers and especially the Grekes of Athens who bringgynge forth reasones of Aristotle and suche other did subtilly dispute agaynste the resurrection In so muche that in his time Paule sayd we do preache Christ crucified to the Iewes an occasion of falling and to the grekes folishnes The Romaines also were at that tyme bothe enstructed withe the Grekes sciences and puffed vp so proudely wyth their great conquestesâ— that they accompted all other menne barbarouse and foleyshe in regarde of them selues So that thei smalli regarded this weake and wearish company of Christ and his scholares that the saying of Christe myght be true the worlde loueth his own and though the sound of their voice wente thorowe the world and they did continually growe and encrease yet did the world persecute them for the space of iii. hundred yeares And at that time wer they most cruelly handled bi Maxentius the tirant Then god stirred vp Constantine who shewed greate fauoure to christian men suffered them frely to preache gaue them leue to builde churches and at the later ende of his life was christened in Nicomedia Now persecution of the church began to cease and than streight began the name of christen men and Christes churche to be coÌ„mune to many but so many heresies sectes and dissentions did arise vp by subtelite of the deuill and by this crafte stopped the truthe in suche sorte that the true church was but in fewe Euen then the chief of your doctours menne suerly whom I neuer do dispise but when you do bringe them as witnesses agaynst the truthe the best lerned I sai of al your doetours partli blinded by the greke philosophy wherin they were noselled euen from their infancie and partly driuen therunto by the subtill arguments of the crafti heretickes Arius Macedonius Nestorius Eurites and suche other were coÌ„pelled to write many suche thinges as they did afterwarde retracte and recante as their own workes do sufficiently witnes testifyinge of them selues that they were faâ—e to take suche weapons in hande some time as had but smal grounde in holie scripture But to go forthe withe our purpose thus was the church of Christ in the time of Constantinus euen in the dispite of the wicked groune vp into estimation and made so generall of so small beginning that al the children of god might openly beholde that the folyshenes of god is wiser then men and the weakenes of god is stronger then men But such is the estate condicion of men agayne by the prouidence of God that nothinge sholde longe continewe in prosperite And if at any tyme it chaunce so to doe we waxe ouer proude and so forget who is the geuer therof Yet did the churche florish so long as the bishopes did preache the gospell of Christe in pouertie so longe as the bishope of Rome was not lord ouer the empier but a feder of Christes flocke so long as al other bishopes were no lordes but pastours and herde men watching carefully vp on their folde not de sirynge dominion rule and worldlye gouernaunce neyther sekyng theyr owne honoure and gayne But teachinge their britherne the kingdome of God Suche good bisshoppes were Athanasius and Epiphanius Such good bisshopes were the membres of the true church for yet wer they not so proud to name them selues God makers but ministers of God seruantes apointed to bestow his treasures And as they wer begotten children of the churche of Christ by the worde of truthe so did thei liue and growe vp by the same word and by no mans doctrine Thus continued they in christian pouertie to the yere of our Lorde ccccc xix When Iustinius the Emperour of Constantinople did call them forth agayne beinge longe disquietid and sore oppressed by the continuall warres of all realmes and prouinces and boeth he and Iustinianus hys sisters sonne dyd shewe vnto theÌ„ greate beâ—euolence and fauour He gaue them greate giftes and appointed them salares and wages TheÌ„ was Agapitus byshop of Rome sent to the emperour by Theodocius to bring al thinges vn to a christian vnitie This Agapitus was so holy a man that as he entred the gates of CoÌ„staÌ„tinople a certayn blind man receiued hys sight Then folowed Gregorius magnus after whome we reade of no true preachinge of the worde of god by any bishoppes And therfore dyd the bishopes and their scholars from that daye forward growe into a Sâ—nagoge of sathaÌ„ firste gounded in pride and ambicion as appeareth by their owne histories Bonifacius the thirde optaiueinge of Phocas to be byshoppe of all bishopes and to be the spirituall heade of the churche puttinge Christ from his office whom onely al christiaÌ„ meÌ„ must acknolege the spiritual head of his church though all Kinges and gouernours be by god appointed the ciuile heades of the bodye politicke This dyd he growe vp by little and little he I saye and hys successours euen to the highest estate of Antichrist banisheinge Christe hys worde and his fourme of liueinge seting him selfe in the hertes and consciences of men the uerie true churche of God nameing hym selfe an
vp the great heape of your baggage which you cal the substaunce of your religion And therfore do you nowe fyght wyth fyre faggot for the conseruation of the same that it maye conserue you in your lordly dignities Thus hath your worldly witted fathers euen from the begynnynge fought wyth the sayntes of God whose bloud cryeth froÌ„ vnder the aultare and asketh vengeaunce shal be hearde ryght spedily Marke good bishops whom â–ª you haue alwaye murthered euen froÌ„ the begynnyng Whiche of the Prophetes of the olde testament did escape chiefe priestes and byshops And syth the comyng of Christ your murthers are innumerable I wyll not nor caÌ„ not recken them Dyd not Christe hym selfe dye by the conspiracie of Annas Cayphas and other bishops because he rebuked the worlde of blyndenes Al such as you haue murtherd sence that tyme haue cleare testimonies of theyr innocencie by some of your owne scribes and wryters Had not Husse whoÌ„ yon accompt the Arche heretike foure seales of the noble men of Morania to wytnesse his innocent lyfe and godly learnynge to your cursed cruel counsayle at coÌ„staunce Doeth not Pope Piê° otherwyse called Eneas Silnius Pogius the Florentyne Platina Sabellicus and other your owne men reporte well of hym But to come home boeth to your owne tyme countrey Who doth not bewaile the tiranny that you shewed vnto that innocent lambe Bylnaye who beinge demaunded in derision by a proude papist when he went to his death why he wroughte no miracles beinge so holy as he was accompted answered wyth mylde voice countenaunce God onely sayed he worketh miracles and wonders and he it is that hath wrought thys one wonder in our eyes that I being wrongfully accused falsly belyed opprobriously and spytefully haÌ„dled imprisoned buffetted and condempned to the fyre yet hitherto haue I not once opened my mouth with one euyl worde agaynst any of you This passeth the worke of nature is therefore the manifest miracle of god who wyl by my suffering death be glorified and haue his trueth enhaunced What report haue you gotteÌ„ for the murthering of Hunne in the lowlars towre You had neither felonie nor treason to laye to his charge yet most vilanously dyd the chauncelour of London murther that honest man for his owne childes crisome I wyl say nothing of the priest that was found hanging in your porters warde And fiue hundreth mo wherof some haue by your tirannouse handlyng for sworne the truth forsakeÌ„ theyr maisters Some for feare of your tiraÌ„ny haue renne out of their wittes some haue forsaken their couÌ„treis chosyng rather to â—…ue like banished men then to suffre your cruell and babilonical bondage I coulde reken many whose life is yet in the eyes of the worlde and the cause of their death vtterly vnknowne vnlesse it were for speakynge agaynste your popishe madnesse Wherfore dyed Barnes Therome Garret in the late storme of your capitayne of Norfolke steared for his kinswoman They were neither declared felons nor â—…aytours They dyd not stryue wyth you agaynst the god of bread But this was their death so far as I could learne because they preached man to be iustified by fayth in the bloud of Christ onely by none of your popishe inuentions OhtiraÌ„ny intollerable You haue to long blynded our gouernours made them your butchars and tormentours What should I speake of the last persecution wheÌ„ you caused to be proclamed that no boke of christian religion should be brought into this Realme froÌ„ beyonde the sea Howe many dyd you then murther woulde haue done mo had not the Kinge by his power plucked out of your clawes one whom you had with small equitie examined and wyth lesse iustice coÌ„demned What iustice did you shewe in that you dyd so shamefully racke Anne Askue after she was condemned But she shewinge more constancie then hath bene communely seene in a woman shal nowe after the death of hir body worke you shame to all your posteritie Was Lassels wyth the other his felowes martyrs coÌ„fessinge the liuinge God and his sonne Christ the only sauiour worthily burned with fire as you did rashly determine and iudge condemned and destroied in body and soule What were they whoremongers Idolatours adulterers theues extorsiouers or maÌ„quellers Vpon suche cometh the wrath of God suche haue no parte in the kingdome of God But you suffre to lyue you shewe no power agaynst them No you are not any thynge terrible vnto suche for they dwell at your noses they eate at your tables and are your darlinges But who that speaketh any thinge agaynste your popishe Idols brainsicke inuentions haue he neuer so faythful an hert to God and be he neuer so trustie to his prince yet must he be an heretike a traytour a lowlar and all together This doeth the worlde espie at the length talketh of you I woulde this talke mighte make you leaue your euyll doinges and to learne at the least to do some parte of your dutie before the wrath of God fal vpon you But I do feare me al wordes are but wynde with you Onely vexation and chastisement wyll giue you vnderstandinge For lo here you saye ful finely and like a popishe prelate that woulde haue all thinge broughte to the olde blyndenes and ignoraunce and to suche captiuitie and bondage that no man shoulde talke of his fayeth but vnder my Lordes licence though Peter commaunded the contrary You saye that of fayth there is so muche talke tattelinge to vse your owne termes that true beliefe is gone Surely if you call thys true beliefe the Romishe beliefe of pardones pilgrimages when we myght haue no talke of â—ure fayth but were coÌ„maunded in payne of cursinge and burninge to beleueâ—… as the churche of Rome beleueth like as you can knowe none other true churche nor none other good men but suche as folowe that church I graunt your beliefe is fore wasted I trust shall right shortly coÌ„sume like stubble with the fyre of Goddes worde and true workes of mercie peace and louing kindneâ—… shall springe furth wheÌ„ men knowynge thaâ— your Pope holy workes are but the madnes of idle braynes shal worship the liuing God in spirite and trueth But lo you wyll haue here the carte to go before the horsse and wyl haue vs to do these workes before we knowe them saying that doing is the way to knowledge where coÌ„trary wise al wel doing must needes springe of knowledge as the onely thinge that maketh our deedes good And because you bishops are so slowe in preaching good workes that God requireth the people muste needes be stacke in doinge them For you should be the salt of the earth But seinge that you be become vnsauourie howe caÌ„ you season other You preach your owne inuentions the preceptes and coÌ„maundementes of men and them must we needes knowe and confesse or els must we be brent But it is
An ansvver to the deuillish detection of Stephane Gardiner Bishoppe of Wynchester published to the intent that such as be desirous of the truth should not be seduced by hys errours nor the blind obstinate excused by ignorance Compiled by A. G. Iudicum vi ¶ Oh let theÌ„ perish from the erth and from vnder the heauen all the Idoles that haue not made the heaueÌ„ the erthe destroye you theyr groues and altares If they be goddes let them reueng them selues ¶ Anno. 1547. the. 24 of Ianuary ¶ In the viii leafe i. page and xiiii line for staine mne reade same mine To the Reader DEarely beloued bought wyth the same bloude and therfore parte takers of the same kyngedome because the Lorde oure God is the God of knowledge and wyll haue suche seruauntes as by knowledge in trueth wythout fleshely fantasies either of fained goddes or any fonde worship of mans madde brayne who alwaies from the beginneinge hath renne after vanities wyll be radie to geue answere of their faieth in him the God of lyfe and of the hope conceiued by his onely worde it becometh all his â—o labour for knowledge that they maye walke vpright in the waie of their Lorde and by no halting ignoraunce to slide furth of the same and so to prouoke his worthi displeasure And as he is the God of loue peace vnitie and concorde and will haue vs al tied together with the bonde of loue and made therby in hym all one bodie so doeth it become vs wyth open hertes wythout all doublenesse one to enstructe an other to the edifiynge of oure brethern that in sure grownded fayth we maye loue together and so enioye the hope of our vocacion Therfore though mi talent bee verie smal and no principall gifte either of eloquence or learninge but onely a loue of the trueth geuen vnto me yet seinge the worlde is so blinded with Idolatrie and so beewitched with popishe sophistrie and euen nowe the spirittes and powers of darcknes worcke the chiefe mysterie of iniquitie and wickednesse to set vp and maintaine the moste weake Idole that euer was in the worlde in the steade of the most mightie and euerliuinge God I coulde thincke it no lesse theÌ„ my most bounden dutie openly to beare wittnesse vnto the truthe And where as the wordes of truth haue bene slandrously and spitfully named the saieinges of the deuil by the spiritual crafte of a souldiour of SathaÌ„ which by painted wordes woulde transform him self into an angel of lyght Whose boke is spred euerie where and receiued in manie places more reuerentlie then the blessed bible the holie worde of God Yet no maÌ„ hath so farre as I know once opened his mouth or taken penne in hand to make answere to this blasphemouse messenger of the proude Senacherib neglectinge the liueinge God for the littel I dole that he maketh God or no God at hys pleasure who suffreth Mise to eate him and the wicked to deuoure him Lette all other men do as they shall thyncke good wyth silence to let suche thynges slip Truly if I coulde saye nothinge thereunto but onely naye denienge Idolatrie and renouncynge all supersticion therin maintained I iudge it my parte to publishe my faith rather then by my silence to seame to consent to suche diuillishe doctrine So also do I esteme it the dutie of the faithful in this perillous tyme plainely to professe the Lord the liueuinge God to be the onely God in heauen a boue and in the erth beneth leste bi our silence for sakinge hys cause here vpon erth we be forsaken in his heauenly palace For lyke as in herte we do beleue to oure rightuousnes so must we necessarily confesse to oure saluacion as Paule teachethe We must beware as Paule warnethe and the bishope taketh the same text first ofal that our senses be not corrupted from the simplicite and sing lenesse that is in Christe as the serpent begiled Eua. We knowe but one God We are maried vnto one We knowe but one Christ made man and none other creature for ourcause This thing as we beleue it in herte so muste we in mouth â—oâ—fesse the same if we wyll walke in the simplicitie and sing linesse that is in Christe as becometh christians For if the hert and mouth go together then is it sing lenesse otherwise it is doublenesse and dissembling But there is one other simplicitie as it hath bene compted as the worde hath bene abused which is verie folishnes This maye we cal the simplicitie that Antichriste woulde haue styl to reigne amonge vs and therefore his champion when he brought in the texte of Paulle lefte out the principall wordes Que est in christo Whyche is in Christe as their olde texte hath it And thorowe out hys whole boke he woulde driue vs to be simple That is to saye to folowe as we be led like blinde men that the proude papisticall prelates still leadeinge vs into the pitte of perdicion abuseing our wines and goodes maye saye in their connentes Let them alone let them offer still vnto Imeages a pice of bread or any thinge else of a good intent all is well done that is done of a good intent They maye worship a stocke or a stone let them folow their auncient fathers They are good simple soules They do as we and oure doctours teach theÌ„ If we let theÌ„ knowe al trueth they wilbe as wise as we and then they wyll smally regarde vs. Thys is their workeinge these are their wordes howe so euer they haue clokâ—d hertofore all the worde nowe seeth it Let vs beware therfore of this thir simplicitie and let vs no longer thynke that this their doctrine is'true that al should he well done that is done for a good intent and that it is well done in all thinges to beleue theyr doctours For this ignorante opinion that thei haue grounded in their hertes hath hitherto stopped the waie to all knowledge and nowe letteth faith to be grounded and causeth men to continew styll in their olde errowres wythout any desire to come out of blindnesse Consider therefore good reader a gaynste their blinde lessons that Saull was caste from hys kyngedome for his good intent euen because he intended to do sacrifice vnto the Lorde of the best and fatteste of the Amalechites And yet maye thys seme a gloriouse intent The bishoppes of the Iewes and the Idolatours of al ages folowed theyr good intent euen when they put Christ and all hys prophetes and Apostles to death The byshop of Norwich when he burned pore Bilney folowed his good intent our other byshopes also burneninge and murtheringe theyr bretherne in prisone and out of prisone folowed theyr good in tentes But God is the iudge of the inteÌ„tes and thoughtes of vs al and sercheth the verie raine and the holes of our hertes Yea the lord our god abhorreth and the prophetes reproue vs alwayes because we wyll do euerie man that semeth good in his owne
Christe Iesu our sauiour who onelye is the ende of all prophecies in whome they al are made perfecte with whome we shall enioye this perfecte peace so many as defire to knowe the liuinge God and whome he sent downe to saue the worlde Iesu Christ nowe sitting at his right hande to whome be glorie For euer and euer So be it Iohn iiii Episto i. Who so knoweth God heareth vs. Anâ— he that is not of God heareth not vs. And herby do we know the spirite of truthe and the spirite of errowre The Prologue GRace and peace from the Lorde the liueinge God who hath all our hertes in hys hande to moue and stere to what shall lyke hym beste who onely knoweth the hertes of men and therefore oneli is the iudge of the thoughtes and intentes of vs all what or whan so euer we speake or thinke whose daye and iudgment is without regarde what man which is but flesh and bloud and therefore ful of erroure and blindnesse shall dispute and determine and iudge I paciently loke for and a bide whan as all darnell drake and weede shall be caste into the hell fire and all the good graine shal be gathered into God his owne garner vnto whome we lyue all the tyme that we walke vpon the earth And wheÌ„ we die yet are we sure that we are his owne by the raunsome that his dearely beloued sone Christ our Lord and heade hath paied geueinge the holy gost into our hertes as a most suer wittnesse of the same teacheinge vs to crie Aba father whereby we knowe that though we die yet we die vnto hym to lyue euer after cowpled and ioyned in one kinde and nature vnto our heade Christe who as he is fully God and of equale powre wyth his father so shal he make vs like vnto hym when he shal appeare after our porcion and measure partakers of his godly nature like as he hath in hys world though but in a shadowe and cloude in regarde of the fulnesse that shalbe declared be gonne al redy to regenerate and begete vs a newe â–ª creature by the holy gost workinge by the worde of hys trueth that we nowe resembling the image of God whereunto we were made maye be continually occupyed in the workes of hys kingdome as be these Iustice peace â–ª and ioy in the same holy gost geuear of al goodnes For he that by these workes serueth Christe is acceptable to God and conmended of men Thys sâ—me â—â—e euer lasteinge God without begininge and without endinge he geue me grace to the fortheraunce of his glorie to make answere to that deuellishe detection the sophistrie of Sathan published by Stephane Gardiner bishope of Winchester for the maintenaunce of the popishe Idole the dombe God and poetical chaungling wher by not onely the true liuinge God is neglected his true honoure obscured and defaced the preachinge of hys worde almoste set at nought but also all kindes of poperie as images blessing kissinge shaueinge of crownes supersticioÌ„ of garmenets and such like are craftily by subtile pointes of the popes sophistri and wordes filthy framed for such merchaundise confirmed and established as thought al the whole heape of these triffes heaped vp together were the religion of a Christian man wher as to knowe God for our true God and whom hehath sent Iesu Christ and by this knowledge to be borne a new and to kepe our selfe immaculate and vnde filed from the worlde is the true and perfecte religioÌ„ demauÌ„ded of vs true christians The other is but countrefaite what so euer â—his sophistrie doeth name it because our maister christ who can not lie doeth saie ful plaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They worshipe me in vaine teacheinge the doctrine and preceptes of men c. And where he bringeth in this texte in the ende of his boke nothing so ful as our sauior Christ did speake it as he knoweth well inowgh if he haue so muche Greke as he braggeth abrode he addeth therunto his owne glose as though he coulde vtter the wordes of christ the sone of God much more wiselie by hys babling Yet am I coÌ„tent to let his own glose be his owne iudge in these matters His wordes bee these They worshippe me in vaine with the teachinge of such as remaine in the estate of men onely theÌ„ teach their owne for theÌ„ selues for al such teachinge is like the teachar that is to saye carnal Let eueri man that hath not his conscience al redie brenned wyth the hote proâ—e marke whether hys owne glose make against him and all the ceremonies that hys father the pope beinge I trowe but in the estate of a man and that a carnal maÌ„ hath made though Winchester go aboute craftily accordinge to the cannon lawe whereof he is sworne by solemne othe doctoure and teacher to make him more theÌ„ a man And marke againe good christen hertes what they win by theyr gloses and multiplied wordes wherby in fayth it were verie easy to confute them all euen by the testimonies of their owne doctours as Bucere Ecolampadius and Frith haue done perfectlie well if these men woulde suffer there bokes to come to lyght For these papistes do so mixte the trueth and salsehed together for without some ground of trueth noman woulde beleue them that the one piece of the tale standeth commonly with the trueth and the other vttereth their salshed And therfore speake they longe matter and are not content to saye plainely a spade but they muste necker it as they do in theyr mattens and saye spaâ—a aâ—ade As for me I haue learned to cal breade bread to speake althinges plainelie Therfore by the open scriptures wyll I make them answere to their questions For al the scripture inspired from God is profitable boeth to teache and to reproue to correcte and to instructe in rightuousnesse that the man of God maye be perfecte and fite for euerie good worcke So that if ther be any â–ª good worke â–ª to be taught or yll worck â—o be rebuked we must go to the scripture onely as to the toutchstone and onelye triall of al trueth For wyth scriptures did Christe driue awaie the deuil and not wyth holy water as you are reported to saie that the deuil greatly dreadeth it and so do ye still commaunde that it shalbe made a coniured water euerie sonnedayes in â–ª euery churche to driue furth deuilles But he thoughe he were boeth god and man alledgeth scriptures alwayes to confirme his saienges and commandeth his hearers to sherch the scriptures So doe Peter Paule Iames and Iohn Wheras Paul beinge brought vp at the fete of Gamaliell the greate lawier was redie inoughe to haue disputed out of the Thalmud of the tradicions of their fathers whiche he saieth he hath ernestely studied beinge ouâ— of the phariseies and interpretour of that law and such one as by the outward wordes of the lawe could not be found fantie Yet dyd he accoÌ„pte all thys
againe Haueinge no nede as other byshopes haue to offer for hys owne sinnes and then for the synnes of the people for he hath done that once whan he offerred him selfe Againe in the. ix Chap By hys owne bloude wente he in once into â—he holie place euerlasteinge redemption opâ—ained The whiche euerlasteinge redemption if we haue optained al redie in that he offerred hym selfe by spirite euerlasteinge as Paule sayeth without spot vnto God and so hath purified oure conscience from deade workes what neade we an other pope Byshope or prieste to offer hym agayne Hath he not sufficiently and aboundantly offered hym selfe for the sinnes of the whole world Howe can the priest then offer hym to take a waâ—e sinnes or profite quicke and deade For those selfe same sinnes wer taken away before by Christ or else shal they neuer be taken waie by the pâ—istes Therfore is this but vaine iug linge for money and for the maintenaunce of your dignities Againe Christe is gone into heauen that he maye appeare nowe in the sight of God for vs not that he may oft offer hym self what authorite than I pray you hath the priest oft to offer hym for than muste he oft haue suffered sith the world was made But now once at the later ende of the worlde for to driue awaye sinne dyd he appeare by the offeringe of hym self And where as all men once must die and after receyue iudgment so also Christe is once offerred vp that he maye take awaye the sinnes of manye Agayne in the. x. wee are made holie by the offeringe of the bodâ— of Christe once done What it is that yoâ— priestes do offer so ofte I shal tel you anoâ—… Euerie priest sayeth Paule standeth daie â–ª ly doinge sacrifice and offerringe the saâ—… oblacions often tymes which neuer can take awaye sinne Which wordes â—houghe thei 〈◊〉 spoken onely of the priestes of the olde lawe yet coÌ„parynge that which foloweth it shalbe proued true in you of the newe lawe For Christe after one offeringe offerred for sinnes â—â—tteth for euer at the right hande of god A gaine By one onely offerringe hath he made peâ—fecte for euer so many as are made holie Iâ— he haue made vs perfect by one only offeringe wherto serue the priestes â–ª that we maye conclude as Paulle doeth Where ther is remission of and forgeuenesse of sinnes be 〈◊〉 in the olde testament or the newe â—hâ—re remaineth no farther oblacion or offerringe for them Contrariwise as Paulle reasone the with them so maie we reasone with you if thys offeringe myght take a waye sinne or make theÌ„ perfecte that vse it woulde they not haue leste of the offerringe of it for them selfe their foundars and all suche as they vsed it for Because nowe they shoulde haue had no conscience of their sinnes which hade thus sacrified and bene once purged Therfore sayeth Paule in the sacrifices of the olde lawe whyche were not done wyth out bloude was onely the commemoracion and remembraunce yerely of sinnes And Christe hym selfe sayeth of thys oure sacrament Do thys in the remembraunce of me Lyke as in the passouer whyche was the figure of oure deliueraunce by Christe the vn spotted lambe yerely remembraunce was commaunded to be done Though by the open word of god who is able to chaunge what lyketh hym whose powre no man euer doubted of that had but the gifte of reasone the ceremonie of oure redemption which they had but in shadowe and we haue in trueth and therfore it ceased whan the bodye that is Christe did come and offer the true passeouer lambe thoughe I saye thys ceremonie of the Iewes be by these open wordes of God thus named Thys is the passouer of the Lorde yet was ther neuer any of the Iewes priestes so mad to saye that God chaunged any substaunce by thys worde is yet were they all baptised by Moyses as Paule witnesseth in the cloude â–ª and in the sea And they all did eate the same spiritual meate and drinke the same spirituall drinck for they dyd drinke of the spirituall drinke whiche folowed them The stone was Christe But we more grosse and carnall by much in all oure doeinges blowe inges and blâ—ssâ—iâ—ges then were â—he pharisies though Christe sâ—ke such worshipers as shall worshâ—e hym in spirite not contented wyâ—h the spirituall fode of the soule wherwiâ—â— onely he feadeth the soule because it is also a spirit and therfore taketh no fode but onely Christe and hys worde spiritually ministred whyche are spirite and life where as â—he fleshe profiteth nothinge â—oeth as we reade in the sixt of Iâ—hâ— and the manifeste example of the olde byshopes haueinge hym carnally present amonge them â–ª and as you will haue it Iudas and all the wicked do carnally and fleshely eate hym and yet do not abyde in hym but haue damnacioâ— contrarie to the sainge of Christ He that eateth my fleshe and dâ—…h my bloude hath euerlastinge life and I shall raise hym vp at the laâ—â—e daye And againe He that eateth mi fleshe and drincketh my â–ª bloude abydeth in me and I in hym And as Iohn sayth in hys firste Epistle God hath geuen vs euerlastinge lyfe and thys lyfe is in hys sonne He that hath the sonne hath life and he that hath not the soÌ„ne of God hath not lyfe All whiche scriptures â—oeth they that teach vs that Christe can no more nether neadeth againe in bodye to be offerred and sacrificed and therfore compell vs to graunt that these wordes thys is bodie which shalbe geuen for you were neuer ment so carnally that euerie prieste â—…blinge these wordes in a strange language with breathing and bloweing shoulde cause Christe to come downe from the right hand of the father to be chaunged into bread that he myght sacrifice hym newe againe to take awaye sinnes In lyke maner do those scriptures that teach all sacrifices to be perpetuall commemoracions and remembraunces of the spirituall eateinge of Christe amonge the fathers of the olde testameÌ„t and that Christ likwise wyll haue thys sacrament ministred in the remembraunce of hym in the newe testameÌ„t wher as the speache maye feme verie idle to saye make me in the remembrauÌ„ce of me althought it so were that it myght be so sayed without intolerable arrogancie as it can not in any wise whether you saie you make him by hys worde or no as shall appeare afterwarde Those scriptures also whyche teach that we haue life euerlasteinge so â—â—â—y of vs as eate hâ—s fleshe and drinke hys bloude yea that we shall neuer be hongrie or â—hirstie agayne so many of vs â–ª as once do taâ—e of thys bread comming from heauen Finally alscriotures that teach how and after what sort Christ is profitable vnto vs for they are the chiefe establyshementes of oure fayeth that were not present with him at suche time as he was budilie vpon the earth That is to saye that the flesh profiteth no thinge The wordes that I
To be shorte let any indifferent persone take in hande to iudge the life trade and learneinge of you byshopes and compare it wyth the doeinge of Christe and he shall fynde so muche diuersitie as betwen Christe and Antichrist To compare them also to Peter an Paule and other of the Apostles woulde sâ—ne declare the one parte to be naught they are so coÌ„trarie but they shalbe founde the folowers of Christe and therfore of the trwe churche and you the â–ª contrefaites yea the verie folowers of the Romeish Antichrist and therfore the sinnagoge of SathaÌ„ As for vs we wyll heare the voice of oure shepeherd onelie We will heare â–ª no straunger and therfore we haue no nede of any testimonie of man For the verie anointe inge teacheth vs to call Father father And the same spirite witnesseth vnto our spirit that wee are the chyldren of God For he that confirmeth vs to gether in Christe is God who hath also sealed vs and geueÌ„ the erneste of hys spirite in oure hertes And as Paule sayeth in the fyrste to the Ephesians to so manie as do beleue in the worde of truethe and the gospell of health you are sealed vp by the holy spirite a fore promised whyche is the ernest of oure heritage Therfore sayeth he agaâ—ne drawe no pâ—cke wyth the vnfayethful For what companye can ther be betwene the ryghteouse and the vnrighâ—â—ouse or whaâ— parâ—etakeing of the lyghte wyth darckenesse What concorde wyth Christe and Belial Or what parte can the fayethfull haue wyth the vnfathfull or howe can â—he churche of God agree wyth Idoles For you are the â—emple of the liueynge God as God sayede I wyll dwel in theÌ„ and walke in them and I wil be their God and they shall be my people c. And thys is the vniuersall churche scatered thorough out the worlde whiche we beleue not the churche of Rome Fraunce and Englande as Peter confessethe sayeinge I perseiâ—e in deed that wyth God there is no regarde of persones but in euerie nacion he thâ—t feareth hym and worketh ryghtuousenesse he is acceptableâ— vnto him This church sufferreth alwaye wyth hir heade Christe wherefore she shall also reigne wyth hym alwayes and be glorified This is eueÌ„ the felowship of sainctes that we do suffer together wyth oure heade and make perfite the afflictions whyche lacked vnto his bodye which is the church haueing one onli father in heauen one onely sauiour on erth one fayeth grounded on hys onely worde one baptisme of the spirite one hope of our calleing one heritage commune from Christe to all the whole feloshipe of sayntes and memberâ— of hys bodie Haueinge the remission and forgeuenesse of oure sinnes as the whole scripture witnesseth be leueinge stydfastely the riseinge agayne of the fleshe as is moste playnely taught and euerlasteâ—nge lyfe as Iohn witnesseth that God hath geuen euerlasteinge lyfe And thys lyfe is in his sonne He that hath the sonne hath lyfe The spirit is it that witnesseth these thinges for the spirite is trueth and he that beleueth in the sonne of God hath this testimonie wit in hym selfe and he that doeth not beleue maketh God a liar These thinges haue I written that al men myght knowe our fayth not to be grounded on man but on goddes holy worde and that we doubt in noparte of the olde fayeth but onely vpon your newe articles and gloses ⧠The resolusion of certen doubtes contained in Winchesters booke THus haue I put you out of doubt â–ª that we doubte in no article of the christiaÌ„ faith But I doubt that you bâ—e not yet out of doubte in those thinges that you doubt of in your detection amongest whych this is the greatest doubt You doubt you saye how the sonne of god whome you cal Iâ—…sus shoulde be contained in the woÌ„be of the virgine Vnto this your boubt I answere that as he was and is God so was â–ª he and is wythout begining and ende And the heauen yea the heauen of al heauens can not containe hym much lesse a littlle boxe to be shut therin but as he was verie man so was it true that the prophete dyd speake That a woman shoulde coÌ„passe a man And thys body that was borne of of the woman can you not proue to be scatterred throught out all corners of the erthe and to be in heauen also For so shoulde you make hym a spirite and no bodye yea all together God no crature for no creature can be in â—…o places theÌ„ one at one coÌ„trari to the chieffest article of our faith which is that he was incarnat became maÌ„ like vnto vs in al thynges synne onelye excepted and that in the same fleshe he dyed once rose againe and ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hande of God the father from when 〈◊〉 he shall come euen verie man as he asended hauinge all the propreties of an incorruptible bodye that is to saye beinge visible and local haueing quantitie and qualities as his fayethfull disciples and Apostles sawe and perceined hym to haue after his resurrection whyche proprites declared hym to diâ—â—er froÌ„ a spirite muche more from God as concerneinge the bodye wherin these qualitites be The godheade differeth and is knowne froÌ„ the bodye by that it is immense and can be coÌ„tayned in no place neither is it sensible nor can be perceiued by any of the senses Wher as contrariwyse the bodye is sensible and maye be boeth felt and sene and must nedes be alwayes contained in some one place other else is it no bodie And thought by miracle God haue caried any corporall bodie froÌ„ place to place coÌ„trarie to the cours of nature as he dyd Elias in the firely chariot Or as he caried Abacuke for the confort of daniell and as the spirite of God toke awaye Philip when he had christened the Ennuche of quene Candaces and set him at AzotuÌ„ And as by the spirite Peter was brought out of prisone taken from the foure quaternians of souldiours hys bodye lowsed forth of all the chaines and prisons sodaynelye yea the â—ate of Irone openeinge agaynste hym contrarie to the naturall order yet can no man proue by these or any lyke miracle that one bodye hath ben in ii places at once much les that any of these bodies maie be eueri where as you do maynetayne by miracle of Christ comeinge into the house when the Apostles had shette the dores and wyndowes for the feare of the Iewes that the natural bodye of Christe maye be in ten thousande boxes and aultres when you do not knowe whether the dores dyd open agaynst Christe as the Iron gate dyd agaynst Peter But you bringe in your sophistrie agaynste al reasone wyth out any scripture and therfore wythout any fayeth affirmeinge that ii bodies are in one place together occupi the same place at one time which neither faieth reasone nor any of the seÌ„ses that
god and his sonne Christ but euerlasting damnation For this is lyfe Euerlastinge to knowe the true God and whoÌ„ he hath sent Ihesu Christ TheÌ„ must it nedes be euerlasting death thus blasphemously to Iudge of them bothe He that beleuethe in me hathe Euerlastinge lyfe saithe Christ we do thus beleue on the sone of god therfore haue we this witnesse within our selues And seing we haue life euerlastynge and are made the chyldren of God by the testimony of the spirite we do seke no farther merite But this worde merite is one of our iugling termes wherewyth you blynde the people You promise merite for your matteÌ„s merite for your masse merite for your eatynge of fishe merite for al maner holines that you haunte Worshippinge of Images Creping to the crosse Setting vp of Candles and all our workes must be done for our merites so that the merites of Christe who onely hath deserued euerlasting life for vs is cleane for gotten and fordone Agayne you saye A good true christian beleuinge man knoweth this by faithe that god is inuiolable impassible incorruptible immortall and that our sauiour the seconde persone in trinitie verie god haueing the humayne nature now vnite to the godhed whiche beinge glorified can not any more suffer violence or corruptioÌ„ nor be violated or brought to mortalitie All thys is playne agaynst your owne doctrine for seinge that the bodie of bread is cleane gone and yet there remaineth a body that the mouse or ape catcheth in his mouthe or eâ—s they coulde not carie it awey What shal we conclude by your doctrine but that the mouse or ape runneth awaye wyth that bodie whiche by your enchauntment is conceiued into the place of the bread which blasphemously do name the body of Christ coÌ„secrated into the fourme of breade But you do answere that lyke as Christ wheÌ„ he was here in the fleshe dyd fyrst escape the handes of Herode when he slewe the chyldren and afterwarde the furious Iewes when they woulde haue precipitate hym transiens per medium illorum ibat Christe escapped thorowe the middest of them So doth he nowe saye you Your similitude is euyll applied For besydes that there is no comparison of Christe comynge in the fleshe for the wealth of the world vnto the bread thus altered for your pompe and pryde we knowe and Ioseph and Mary do wytnesse vnto vs that they knewe and perceyued by the benifite of theyr senses that thys same oure Sauioure Christe was in shape a very man And we knowe also by the testimonies of the scriptures that he continued here very man in fourme and shape beinge subiected vnto all our infirmities synne alwaye excepted for the space of xxx yeres and more and that then he suffered death and rose agayne his fleshe neyther being consumed nor putrified but styll remayneth fleshe incorruptible and immortal Where as in the fourme of bread wherein you say we see hym and eate him we perceyue neither incorruption nor immortalitie For it neuer continueth paste the date of one moneth if you incurre not the daunger of your fathers decrees and commonly not one quarter of an houre muche after the rate of the dayly newe created monstros of whoÌ„ Aristotle maketh meÌ„tion Who doubtles if he had harde of these monstrous gods made and marred all in an houre woulde haue wrytten wonders vnto his posteritie If the cakes were preserued from corruption and dyd continewe styl immortal as Christ his fleshe did then woulde your similitude in these two miracles serue you somewhat better But seing that your cakes do mould and corrupte and his fleshe escaped Herode and the handes of his enemies and coulde neuer see any corruption thys your similitude proueth that those cakes of yours can by no meanes be his naturall body These two miracles therfore as all his other were done to declare hym to be subiecte to no power of man but to worke all his workes so that no man can lette and hyndre ought that he hath determined to be done but you must wrest all that you can to cloke your Sophistrie wythall Nowe your affirmation of xv hundred yeres wythout any proufe but only because you say so hath ben answered by many learned men As â—adinius EcolaÌ„padius Zwin glius and other prouing by your doctours that the true fayth and spirituall vnderstandyng of thys mattier continued longe in the best sorte of them Howe be it surely I wyll graunt this much vnto you that this blinde grosse and carnall opinion of the carnall eatyng of Christe hath ben crept vp euer sence the deuyl was lowsed This thousaÌ„de yeres that thys enemy hath troubled the worlde wyth popishe pompe and pryde keepynge and lockyng vp the worde of God from vs God hath not destituted and forsaken but hath alwayes from tyme to time steared vp witnesses of his truth whom partly the popishe haue slayne but some God hath reserued and alwayes the good simple people haue had theyr eyes vnto the lyuynge God in heauen what so euer the priest dyd babble of thys his owne haÌ„dy worke Neither could those termes of your straite lawes really substaÌ„tially the chaunge of the bread so that â—here remayne onely accidentes wythout subiecte and consecration into the quantitie and qualitie of breade euer be vnderstande of the pore simple people For those termes do sprynge and haue their beginnyng of the schole learnyng and Sophistrie as all men of knowledge can testify with me and were neuer gyuen in coÌ„maundemeÌ„t to thys bloudy generation to be deliuered vnder payne of death It were but foly to striue with you concerning your doctours Howe they haue in ordre and course by litle and litle fallen from the trueth in thys and other thynges For it is no merueile though you caÌ„ expound your doctours to maynteyne your opinion seinge you dare be so bolde to cause Christes wordes to serue for your carnall purpose I entende not therfore to brynge in any proufe of doctours but only of the worde of God leauyng you to your doctours to trye them at leasure But thys one thynge I shal desire you To bringe some apparant proufe of your termes and I promise you it shall be answered Good men be neuer offended wyth the breakynge of the hoste beinge persuaded Christes body to be present in the sacrament really and materially whereunto wyth worshippinge they dyd lift vp their handes and nothinge doubted but God was impassible â—e vsed not to mistâ—uste God his immortalitie when they haue sene a sicke man receyue the sacrament a quarter of an houre before his naturall death as though in that maÌ„ the hoste consecrated wherin the body of Christ is preseÌ„t should wyth Gods iniury moulde or corrupte wast or consume Here is muche mattier offered but that I perceyue my selfe to tary somwhat to longe vpon your occasions Who shall trye theâ—e good men therfore but eueÌ„ the boke of wisedome where it is sayed Blessed be
needfull that you bishoppes whiche buyld your selues a newe churche cleane coutrarâ— both in life and learning vnto the church oâ— Christ shoulde haue al thinges newe chaunged both rites or ceremonies wordes thâ— thynges them selues and their names Anâ— yet in the. xiiij leafe you saye thus The true churche hath taughte playnelyâ— that the substaunce of bread is chaunged inâ—… to the substaunce of Christes naturall body Is it not the churche of Rome that you meane I am sure it is For vnto suche tyme as your holy father Bonifacius and Innocentius Byshoppes of Rome became the vniuersal heades and fathers and their stout chaÌ„pion Peter the LoÌ„barde and other worldly clerkes blynded wyth ambitiou and bewitched wyth schole learnyng and such like doctrine of the Deuyll Sophistrie and contentious babblynge thys chaunge of substaunces was neuer imagined But cleane coÌ„trary wyse The true churche euen from the begynnyng hath fed of the spirituall meate that folowed them that is hath had their coÌ„forte in Christe beinge the lambe all readie slayne before the begynnynge of the worlde The promysed seede of the woman who should breake the serpentes heade The seede in whom all nations of the earth shoulde be blessed They haue I say by their fayth eateÌ„ the same spiritual meate and druÌ„ckeÌ„ the same spiritual drynke and therfore haue ben fedde wyth thys onely fode of the soule and haue gotten the forgyuenes of their synnes and therefore lyfe euerlastyng by the same fayth in the death of Christe that we haue Who if he be a sufficient Sauiour in that he dyd come in the fleshe and thereby onely taketh away sinne you shal neuer driue vs to seeke him as a sauiour rauÌ„some for syn in your â—oÌ„iured bread vnseÌ„sible chauÌ„ge of substaÌ„ce This spiritual feadeinge of Christ crucifiede you maye learne in Augustine Chrisostome and all the olde doctours saueinge that some of theÌ„ in al thinges that they wyl magnifie do speake so at learge that they open many holes to subtile sophisters to establyshe their craftilie inuented sophismes of sacrifice and realitie And some of them slide from the spirite to the fleshe both in this and other mattiers ¶ A declaracion of the true churche what sorte of people haue bene the same church euen from the beginninge TO trie therfore thys true churche which hath coÌ„tinued in the doctrine not of the fleshe but of the spirite euen froÌ„ the the beginninge Who also did not knowe any other waye to heauen then Christe not eaten fleshe bloud and bones but hoped for and beleaued vpon to be the light of the heathen the glorie of Israell and the saluacion of the whole worlde That like as by fleshe and by man euen the firste man Adam all the worlde was loste and deade so by Christe takinge the flesh of man named the secound Adame all shoulde be saued and haue life Vnderstande that the true church hath alwayes had this belife of Christe Firste that he was to come and nowe that he is come in the fourme of maÌ„ in none other fourme of any other creature And thys church though it were alwaies a little flocke as Christ our heade calleth it yet was it neuer destitute either of thys spiritual knoweledge or yet of trwe teachers and maintainers of the same But God allwaies of his goodnes hath continually stirred vp his faithful witnesses of his trueth to the coÌ„deÌ„nacion of the world whiche canne go no farther then the fleshe leadeth Firste had we Adame who liued many yeres after Abel was slaine and taught hys posteritie of this sede promised by God For he perceiued by the death of thys innocent that â–ª a lambe should be slaine as Iohn sayth he was Nain euen from the beginuing of the worlde and dyd firmely belieue because of the promise made that by the sede of the womaÌ„ and none other creature the heade of the serpent should be broken After these we had Seth Enoch Mathusalem Noe and Sem. After them or rather in the time of Sem so sone as wickednes did beginne to springe againe God sent faithful Abraham taught him the sacrifice of his soÌ„ne Christ In whom taking the nature of man and so offred a sacrifice vnto his father lest we should seke any other sacrifice but Christ comeyng in the flesh and dieyng for vs in the same the true faith hath this only foundacion Than folowed Isac Iacobe and Iosephe Men taken forth of their own kinredes and â—ontries and but a fewe and smal numbre in regarde of the greate multitude that myght be laied against theÌ„ if any multitude might appres the truth yet did they spread leaue behinde them the true trade of the spirituall worship of God and full trust in him onely vnto the worldes foloweinge Than whan Ioseph was almost forgotteÌ„ not of the faith full but of the Egiptians God stirred vp Moyses and he teacheth plainely that the lorde shal raise vp a man euen like him and he that wyll not heare hym shall dye Thus teacheth he lyfe by the spiritual â–ª eating of Christe that is to saye by the hearinge of his worde and receiueinge hym into oure hertes by saieth acknoweledgeing that by the deathe of hys fleshe all fleshe liueth Yet for all the wonderfull worckes that this Moses wroughte for al the plain teacheinges that he taughte so that he was worthyly called the faithfull minister of the house of God onely Iosue and Caleb are alowed of God amonge the greate nombre of manye thousandes that Moyses led that it maye clearely appeare that many are called and fewe founde fayethfull witnesses of the trueth to his chosen churche which hangeth onely on the hande of the liueinge God not regardeing fleshe or any outward thing but onely the worcke of the spirite and the promise to be perfourmed bi Christ GOD and manne in all thynges After all these God sterred vp Gedeon the beater downe of Idolatrie and other such iudges vnto the time of Samuel Dauid and Elias who made hys complainte sayeinge Lorde they haue destroyed thine altares and slayne thy Prophetes and I am lefte alone and they seke my life In this mannes steade was Eliseus taken from the 〈◊〉 low to be an ernest witnesse After him folowed Esaias and streighte after him Hiereâ—…ias Than Daniell and after hym Zacharias Onias and the faythfull wittnesses of the Machabees Than Simion Zacharias and Iohn Baptiste who alwayes called vppon the liuing God and trusted vpon hym so that no manne can deny me but that thys your God impanate is your God onely whom our fathers knewe not at any time Worthy therfore is he to be stoned to death that teacheth anye suche newe God to the posterietie All these had the same spirituall meate and the same spirituall drincke for the refreshing of their soules that we nowe haue because they were of the true church whereof Christ is the heade of whom as of the first begotten all spirituall kinreddes haue theyr
sophistrie is betwene the words and the meaneinge wherein the deuell shifteth the mattier thus Where the wordes of scripture be plaine euident manifest and coÌ„firme the catholike truth ther the deuill diuiseth an other meaneing aduâ—…eth his scholers that the words be nothing without the meaning and therfore sayeth he we must vnderstand Christes wordes as he â—…eut theÌ„ therfore saith the deuil be ware of the words take hede to the meaning Christ saith the deuil saith this is my bodie But take hede sayth the deuill what Christ meÌ„t Thus far you bring in the wordes of the diuell you saie Nowe if you wyll geue me leaue to bring in your wordes folowing a litel after thei wil declare the meaning of these faithfull interpretours of Christes wordes whom you do slaunder by the name of sathaÌ„ the deuil for non other cause as I suppose but for that you lacke mattier scriptures and substaÌ„cical argumeÌ„tes Your wordes be these Who so hath the wordes of scripture per uersely taken is therwith infected and poisoned to his coÌ„fusion as the Arians and Sabel liaÌ„s and an infinite numbre of heretikes haue ben So that it must nedes be graÌ„ted that in the meaning of scriptur is the marow and kenel the swetenes the fode the hony of scripture without which the words be bitter shale and an hard bone without fode or sustinance This must nedes be coÌ„fessed of al men as an euident truth ¶ Hitherto you agre ful wel but nowe lo you braste fourth into your father lyke eloquence and say The deuil abuseth this by caâ—ellacioÌ„ and sophistrie to ouertourne the trueth in the most bessed sacrament of the aultare It is a more redy maner of sophistical solusioÌ„ thaÌ„ substaÌ„â—ical forme of artificicial coÌ„futacion to crie cauillation cauillacioÌ„ sophistrie sophistrie the deuil saeth it when you your selfe doo speake the same thynge Forther more you adde herunto these wordes It is in dede a tâ—ue lessoÌ„ that the verie word of God is the true meaning of scripture If you would speak plainli saie the coÌ„paring of scriptures whiche are the verie word of god vttereth the wil meaning pleasure of God vnto vs you shoulde make much for our purpose If you saye otherwyse that the worde is the meaning you make the letter to be the spirit the bitter shale to be the kernel it selfe for such is your owne similitude Yea If the verie word be the meaning so that we mai waigh no farther which thinge if you beâ—…ed in herte you would not sticke so much to your own interpretacioÌ„s I could driue you to much incoÌ„uenience But how whau the scriptures ar to be examined and the tru meaning as the kernel to be tried the old rule of al ages mai lead and teach sufficieÌ„tly That is that no one place of scripture be set or aledged coÌ„trarie to other But if suche one place bee alledged it ought to be declared and made playne by the coÌ„pareing of mo places more plaine by the sence and vnderstandinge agreable vnto the faythe gethered of other Reade the rule of Augustyne for that same purpose how scripture which coÌ„maundeth any absurditie is to be vnderstaÌ„ded TheÌ„ saye you But for the openynge of thys sophistrie it is to be coÌ„sidered that somtime in scripture the wordes be so placed and ordeyned as the meanynge is vttered and opened wyth the wordes at once and hath such lyght of the wordes as they appeare both to gether and wythout farther serche be strayte coâ—ueyed to our vnderstaÌ„dynge If these wordes This is my bodie this cuppe is the newe testament were so playne for your purpose that they neded no farther serche or interpretacion what neded it you to seeke these gloses The bodie is in the qualities accidentes quaÌ„tities dimeÌ„sions ann other pretie wordes whiche I am sure can not be founde among the wordes of god noz his sonne Christ really carnally naturally and other termes of traÌ„substaÌ„ciasioÌ„ bisides other wrasted gloses That the cup is not the newe testameÌ„t but the whole bodâ— flesh and bones as wel as it is in the bread and such like But by your straite slightes and subtile interpretasioÌ„s it may be perceyâ—ed that these wordâ— are such as folowe Somtime againe the wordes be suche and so placed that they bring not theyr meanyng straight wyth theÌ„ in the same lyght but more darkely and as it were hyd vnder the words Your scripture Humiliauit hespethe to fyll your boke more ouer you saye When we reade of Christ that he sayed hym selfe I am a waye I am a dore I am a vpne here should the meanynge be callid for and here should good men say these wordes must be taken as Christ ment them For the meaning is hyden and apeareth not straight wyth the wordes which be suche as in their coÌ„mune knowne sens be not spokeÌ„ of Christ but by a similitude and in an other meaning as the circuÌ„stances of the place do declare bâ— which circumstaunces the wordes varie froÌ„ theyr coÌ„mune significacion So likewise must we like good men call for the meanynge of these wordes Thys is my bodie This cuppe is the newe testament seynge we know perfectly that in the â—oÌ„mune seus and significatioÌ„ nether the bred is Christes bodie nor the cup the newe testament And seynge that we haue so iust occasion offered of the circumstances First let vs loke what Christ did intende at his last supper when he spake theâ—e wordes Truly his intent was to admonishe his disciples that all the olde sacrifices of the olde testamente which wer but shadowes shoulde in thys onely offeringe of hys bodie vpon the crosse haue an ende as he him selfe sayeth vnto theÌ„ before he goeth from supper The thynges that wer of me haue an end according to the psalme Sacrifice and oblatioÌ„ thou wouldest not but a bodie thou hast ordeyned me And also to arme them wyth coÌ„fortable wordes a gainst the daingers that were at hand boeth of hys betraynge by hym that did eat of the same dyshe wyth hym selfe and of hys death and departynge forth of the world as appeareth in all the Euaugelistes but especialli in Iohn the. xiii xiiii xv xvi xvii Chapi I besech al christen herts to marke the circumstaÌ„ces and iudge whither they do leade Christ saieth in the. xxi of Luke Wyth gret desyre haue I desiered to eate this passeouer wyth you before I suffer Christ ioyneth together this olde sacrifice of the passeouer and the geuyng of hys bodie in this only ceremonie Wherfor we may not part them in searchinge the meanynge of hys worke and wordes seinge that he hym selfe coupled theÌ„ to gether bothe in dede and speache We must therfore coÌ„sider and marke how and after what maner Christe and his disciples are named to eate the passeouer when they eate the lambe onely which was onely the signe or remeÌ„braunce of the
passouer In the passeouer they gaue thankes for theyr deliueraunce wheÌ„ the EgyptiaÌ„s and the kinges seede were slayne In this sacrameÌ„t thaÌ„kes are gyueÌ„ that the sonne of the high king is slayn for the saluatioÌ„ of the worlde The lambe and the feast itselfe are called the passeouer The one was but a signe the other was but the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the passing angell So lykewise this breade or sacrameÌ„t is callyd the bodie of Christ when it is but the remeÌ„braunce and thankes geuynge for the death which Christ suffered in hys bodie The cupe also he calleth the newe testameÌ„t in his bloude where the bloud of the lambe sprynkled vpoÌ„ the postes was but a shadow of the old testameÌ„t and a token to the angell of godes fauour And thys bloude of our sauiour Christ is a coÌ„firmacioÌ„ and establishemeÌ„t of his testameÌ„t as both the epistle to the galathians and the Hebrues do witnesse and the testameÌ„t so loÌ„g before promised was this I wylbe theyr God and they shall be my people Agayne In the boke of Exodi he coÌ„maundeth them to tel theyr chyldren of that greate benifite So now when they shal no leuger speake of theyr delyuerauÌ„ce forth of Egypt but of a far greater deliueraunce from all the infernall powres by hys death He coÌ„maundeth them to do thys in the remeÌ„braunce of hym Thus he goynge from the olde testameÌ„t to the newe from the olde passeouer in shadow to the bodie whyche is Christ our passeouer offâ—ed for vs as Paul sayeth vseth the same phrase in speakynge And after that he had eaten thys passeouer whiche he desiered so greatly he preached of hys betrayeing and departeynge saiynge The sonne of man must go as it it wryteÌ„ But woe vnto that man by whoÌ„ he is betrayed It had beÌ„ better for hym that he had neuer ben borne This text may somwhat make for the declaracion that Iudas though he were par takare of the same breade and cupe yet he did not eate the fleashe and bloude of Iesus Christ which he must neades haue done if the thynges had ben chaunged and therfore haue had euerlasteynge lyfe as it is sayd in Iohn the vi cha Who so eateth my fleash c so that he had ben happye that euer he was borne The most parte of the longâ— sermone that Iohn reherseth is concernynge hys departyng from his disciples where as after your doctryne he mygh haue coÌ„forted them wyth one worde sayeinge I wyl not depart froÌ„ you but wilbe inuiseble wyth you vnto the worldes ende in a litle cake But he sayth plainely that he must go from theÌ„ and that he will no more drincke of that fruite of the vine vnto he dryncke it newe agayne in the kingdome of his father wher he manifestly calleth it the fruite of the vine euen after the coÌ„secrasion as you cal it and that the verye same thing that you cal the bloude the bodi the fleshe and altogether Christ saieth thys is my bodie You marke no circuÌ„stauÌ„ces but adde her unto realli naturallie carnalli christ sayeth do thys in the remembraunce of me You saye Naie we will make a litle cake to be Christ God and man Christ saieth thys is the cup of the newe testament in â—…bloud You saye Naye we wil make ii sponeful of wyne whole Christ bodie bloud and bones Loke your Estatute of vi Articles Christe saith my litle children yet a litle while am I with you The papistes do saie we haue him heare stil Christ saieth you shal seke me but you can not come to me The papistes dâ— saye thei make hym and haue hym in there haÌ„ds ther maist thou seke him But I beleue thou canst not find him there for Christ did geue warneinge alitle before hys death that ther should arise false Christs and false prophetes to deceiue the elect if it wer possible with false miracles and wonders Thei shal 〈◊〉 â—o hear is Christ and ther is Christ But beleue them not saith Christ for lyke as the lightning cometh froÌ„ the east and appeareth vnto the weste so shal the comeinge agayne of the sonne of man Let not your herte be troubled beleue in God and beleue in me I go to prepare you a place and thoughe I go yet I wyll come agayne and take you vnto me The papistes saye beleue in the breade that we haue coÌ„scerated for it is boeth God and maÌ„ Christ shal not go awaye We wyl haue it so that euerie shauelinge shall maâ—e him a place in a rounde cake and breake one pice of him into the chalice and drinke it and rate the residue drie I am the waie the truth the life saieth Christ no man cometh to the father but bi me Yes marie â—aith the bishop of Winchester bringeing in the blind lessoÌ„s of Damascen concerninge the worshipeinge of Imageâ— by the intercessione of saintes come we to God And by the sacrament of the aâ—â—tare are we made partetakers of the god heade of Iesu Christe Christ goinge froÌ„ the erth saith for the câ—…forte of his disciples what soeuer ye aske in my name I wil do it But the papistes wyll haue vs asâ—e in the name of other and by the praier of saintes do they promise many verâ—… â–ª but wythout any worde of scripture and therfore ought we not to beleue them Christ promiseth none other coÌ„forter but the spirite of trueth whiche shall dwell with vs for euer The papistes promise comfortin al deade creatures Again Let not your hert be troubled sayth Christ nor be ye afraied thoughe I go I do leane my pease wyth you I geue you my peace Not as the world geueth do I geue it vnto you Well saye the papistes If thou saye that Christ is gone thou shalt haue little peace among us kepe the peace of Christ as wel as thou canst For we haue him wheÌ„ we luste bodielie reallie naturallye carnally present But O you papistes all your wordes ende in a lie For Christe saieth You haue hearde that I haue said vnto you I goe and come agayne to you And if you loued me suerli you woulde reioyce that I sayed I goe vnto my father You papistes I saye do ye not beleue that Christe died did ryse agayne ascended into heauen and ther sitteth at the ryght hand of the father bodilie really naturally carually that is to saye in plaine euglishe in bodye in substance as he was a natural man and verie flesh taken of the virgyne Marie If you did beleiue this thynge you woulde reioice that man is so highly exalted that oure kinde is so far aboue the angelles auaunced that we haue our bishoppe not in the erth but in the heaueÌ„s not offering ofte tymes for our sinnes which were imperfection but once for al makinge perfecte for euer so many as by hym wyll go vnto the father Agayne Christe sayeth I am the verie vyne and my father is the housbande man â–ª I am the vyne and
the name of hys sonne Christe and that we haue none other name vnder heauen wherby helth is promised to men your doctour wyll be healed by the prayers of our ladie Ther is muche other made stuffe in your doctour whyche I do passe wyth silence because al men maye iudge him what he is by that he hath spokeÌ„ alredie Yet this one thing maye not bee omitted He addeth more ouer that the bodie cometh not downe from heauen and yet the breade and wine be tranfourmed into the bodie and bloude of God Thus confoundeth he the natures callinge it the bloude of God He bringeth in newe and strainge schole learneinge of transubstaÌ„ciacion He maketh ii bodies of Christ One that cometh not downe froÌ„ heaueÌ„ and an other that is in thys transformacion vpon earth Thys is your great clarke and principal witnesse worthy to be set forth in al languages and his learneinge enlarged wyth your annotatioÌ„s and al the conning and wit you haue You are much more mete to be an interpretour of such one thaÌ„ to trouble your selfe wyth commentaries vpon scripture But aske hym how it is transformed and chaunged and he saieth the maner is inscrutable and can not be serched Yet will he not be ashamed as thought he knewe thynges that coulde not be knowne to teache howe ij wayes First as Christe was borne of the virgine marie TheÌ„ as the breade by eateing and the wine by drinkeinge are chaunged in to the bodye and bloude of him that eateth and drinketh naturallye so are these chaunged into the bodie of Christe a boue nature But neither of your similitudes agreth For these two worckes afore named are worckes of trueth and therfore do thy so appeare vnto the knowledge of man as they are done in dede Christe was borne of Marie the virgine verie maÌ„ accordeinge â–ª to the Prophecies that were spoken of hym before and was sene conuersaunte wyth meÌ„ the space of xxx yeares But your myracle did neuer appere one moment The meate is chaunged bi a natural course and order digested in the stomake and parte sent into the veynes parte sent forth other wayse But I can not perceyue what lyke similitude you can fetch herof to the thinges aboue nature wherfore you renne to your shote anchor This is my bodi No man denieth but thys is true You brynge the worde and we brynge the worde But the doubt is onely in the signification and meaneynge You saye that est is signifieth is chaunged is traÌ„sformed wheÌ„ both the form remaineth styll and you haue neuer one scripture that maketh for you but manie that maketh against you bysides the liuely feleynge of our fayeth which must haue God in higher estimacion then for to tye hym to any dyle creature Yea the whole course of the christen religion which acknowlegeth that â–ª Christe is ascended vp from the earthe to the heauens and there sytteth on the ryght hand of God the father to be our mediatour and meane whom he hath chosen ther to reygne tyll he come agayne to treade downe hys enimies vnder hys fete We can therfore receyue non so grosse foÌ„tence of the chaunge and traunsformacion of bred and wine into the bodie of Christ But according to the whole course of scripture we worshype our lorde God spred thorowe all ouer all and in all hys creatures Infinite in coÌ„prehensible whom the heauen of heuenes can not contayne and hys sonne Christ humblynge hym selfe vnto our vyle nature but nowe exalted farre aboue the Angelles And where we finde any thynge spoken or writteÌ„ not agreable with this doctrine of our faieth and christeÌ„ religioÌ„ if a man do say it though he take vnto hym the face of an aâ—gell by coÌ„terfayte holynesse we compt hym Anathema that is accursed bi the lessoÌ„ of Paul And al such scriptures as might serue for his purpose and mayntenaunce of hys errour we must confute with more opeÌ„ places and testimoneis of the same Now wher as you speake vnworthely of God his sacred maiestie and his sonne Christe haueynge not one lyke place of scripture wherby this worde est is doeth make a sodayne chaunge and transformation we haue boeth in the olde testameÌ„t and the newe veri many where est is is spoken of the thynge represented As. vii fat kyne are vii yeares vii good eares of corne are vii yeares This is the pasouer CircuÌ„cision is the couenant And he is Helias The stoâ— was christ I am the dore I am the verie vine You are one bread and one bodie so manie as be partakers of one breade We haue beleue the wordes this is my bodie as wel as you We striue onely a gainst youre gloses We graunte the omnipotencie and almighti powre of God that he might haue changed creatures in all these sentences But that he dyd so is oure controuersie and thys thinge are you not able to trye nor iustifie But you thinke it is inoughe to denie all thys at one worde and saye thys is not the figure or signe of Christes bodie no fie for shame but the verie bodie of our Lord glorified For oure Lord sayed this is not the figure of my bodye but my bodie And euen so and more plainelye Christe sayde I am the verie vine and not the figure of the vine But your doctoure as EcolaÌ„padius geueth warneinge in the begininge of hys boke is nothing substaÌ„ciall The texte that he bringeth out of Iohn maketh cleare againste him For no man can be saued vnlesse he eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke hys blonde Moises and the prophetes were saued therfore dyd they eate hys fleshe and drinke hys bloude And yet had they neuer Christ bodilie naturally and carnalli amongeste them It is not ment therfore of the carnall and bodilie eateinge but as Christe teacheth in the beginninge of the same sermon he is eaten by fayeth for so onely myght the olde fathers eate him And so doth Paul witnesse that the fathers dyd eate hym The fathers sayeth he dyd eate the same spirituall meate and drinke the same spirituall drinke They dyd all drynke of the same spirituall stone The stone was Christ Againe where Damascene bringeth in this texte he that eateth me lyueth for me it maye proue playne that the â—â—eshelie and carnall eateinge is not ment therby For theÌ„ the wicked haue life by Christ Streight after your doctour coÌ„eth to the point you would haue him to teach Idolatrie boeth wyth outwarde gesturs and in warde affections And vpon this do you discant in your annotacioÌ„s But to handle this mattier worthily would aske a whole boke I wil therfore bring in one onely text which Christe bringeth out of Deu. against the diuil The Lord thy God shalt thou worship him only shalt thou serue And wheÌ„ you can proue me y t this bread Images or ani other creature is god thaÌ„ wil I promise you to fal downe worship it But if I should
of moste weight importaunce Wherby is wrought the marueilous wisedome of God who onely wyl be accompted alwaies true vprighte and iuste in all his wordes and that all men should appeare as they are lyars If in any one man shoulde rest the fulnes of al trueth we woulde by our weakenesse verie proudely swere into his wordes thereupoÌ„ establish oure beliefe and make hym as it were an earthly God Paule therefore led by the spirite of God taketh his maister Gamaliell and the greate Rabines to no counsell in the settynge furth of the high misteries which God had reueiled vnto him No he woulde not confer with fleshe and bloude that is with any man notwithstanding he him selfe was wonderfully enstructed in the lawe and became irreprehensible therin beinge a pharisei that is to saye an interpreter and as your men are a doctoure hym selfe Notwythstandynge he bryngeth nothynge of Thalmud he teacheth not hynge by the traditious of their fathers but by Moyses by the prophetes and the open worde of God whereupon onely fayth can haue his foundation Fayth is of hearing sayth Paule and this is by the hearing of the worde of God and not of mans doctrine Though you therfore do cal this your doctrine of the real and carnal preseÌ„ce of Christ vnder the fourme of bread and wine the fouÌ„dation of our faith yet were they neuer set in our olde Crede beliefe nor nuÌ„bred among the. xii articles of our faith And Paule wheÌ„ he said I do only know Iesu Christ and him crucified which is the very fouÌ„dation of our faith wherby we might be saued though we lyued in wyldernesse or dyed vpon the seas without thys sacrament Yea though we be murdered in your presence and by your formentes put to death wythout the receyueinge of this Sacrament For our â—ayth standeth fully grounded vpon this worde Whâ— so euer confesseth Christe to be come in the fleshe he is borne of God and who so euer beleueth and is baptised the same is saued Adde you hereunto what newe foundations you please We feele in oure hertes beinge taughte by the open worde that no man can laye any other foundation but Iesu Christe By whose death we dye from confidence in all creatures and by whose rysynge from death we do ryse agayne and do seeke thinges that are aboue where Christe sitteth at the right hande of God ⧠Of contrarietie and coÌ„tradiction THe Deuyll hath an other piece of Sophistrie which is in conterfaite contradictions wherein he vseth for a preface and introduction a moste certeyne trueth whiche is that trueth agreeth wyth it selfe and hath no parte contrarie to an other Wherefore seinge the worde of God is an infallible trueth it hath no contrarieties in it selfe All the worlde muste assent hereunto But thus the Deuyll procedeth to his cauillations from thynges euidently true by little chaunge to thinges euideÌ„tly false HeaueÌ„ and earth haue a kinde of contradiction Christe is in heauen where saynt Stephane dyd se him Ergo he is not in the earth in the sacrament of the aultare Christe ascended into heauen Ergo he taryeth not here He sitteth at the righte hande of God Ergo he is not in the sacrament of the aultare He is the creatoure Omnia per ipsum sacta sunt All thinges be made by him Ergo he is not a creature made of breade He dwelleth not in the teÌ„ples made with mannes handes Ergo he is not in the box vpon the high aultare Your solution to these opeÌ„ scriptures and moste euident argumentes is at one worde and that is this They be taken for notable coÌ„tradictions and insoluble sophisines and in effecte in all these argumentes there is no contrarietie or contradiction in the thinges but onely a repugnaunce and impossibilitie to mans carnal capacitie But I beseche you good bishop is there no contrarietie in the thinges Is not heauen and earth cleane contrarie Haue you so captiuated your wittes and dulled your vnderstandinge that you caÌ„ not perceiue those two thinges to the coÌ„trarie God is the creatoure and maker of all therefore can he not be a creature made of breade He dwelleth not in the temples made with mannes handes for the heaueÌ„ of heauens can not contayne him therfore is he not enclosed in a litle box and hanged vp by a bande It is to muche shame for any priest bishoppe or christian man to thinke so vnreuerently of the secrete maiestie of God as that he mighte be bounde vnto a place enclosed in a cake or a litle boxe seinge boeth heauen and earth be full of his dreadfull maiestie and we what so euer we be do lyue be moued and haue our beinge of him He is infinite incomprehensible vnmeasurable higher then the high heauens lower then the deape botomles waters he measureth the wyde worlde wyth his spanne and coÌ„teyneth all enclosed in his fiste Wyth him the light dwelleth and the sunne beames are at his orderynge By hym is ruled lyghte and darkedesse lyfe and death and altogether Wherefore when thou canâ—t inclose in the box the rageyng seas when thou canst catche the moue in a corner aâ—d sparre her vp in a case when thou canst penne vp the sunne beinge but a creature in thy pix then wyl I graunte the to haue power ouer thinges infinite and incomprehensible In the meane tyme I muste take it impossible not onely by carnall capacitie but also by spiritual iudgement grounded vpon the worde of God by the gifte of reason wherby al men coÌ„sidering the worke of God in the cretion maye knowe their creatoure to exeell all creatures farre and that he can therefore be made by no creature neither of any creature muche lesse can he be enclosed in a box of an yâ—che and an halfe deape when the priest wyll â—…mble foure wordes in a corner and there lye tyed tyll he wax foystie vnlesse the prieste lose hym Oh abominable Idolatours howe muche doeth thys derogate to the maiestie of God And howe farre contrarie is thys to his godlie nature Nowe that it is contrarie to the humaine nature of Christe to be enclosed in bread and sparred in a litle box thus mape we more largely proue vnto you Christe in his humaine bodie forsaketh the worlde he goeth vnto the father He dyd keepe those that were his so longe as he was in the worlde And when he departed out of the worlde he desired his father to keepe them He coÌ„forted them when he went awaye sayinge that it was profitable for theÌ„ that he departed that the spirite of coÌ„fort might come He promised to come againe visibly and with glorie as he went and in the scriptures there is none other comynge of Christ taught vs but the coming first in humilite to take our flesh vpoÌ„ him afterward in glorie to iudge all fleshe whiche thynges are declared Math. xxvi Marke xvi Luke xxiiii Iohn xiii xvi xxii Actuum i. vii Rom. viii Ephe. i. ii Corhi
this is meÌ„t by the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in diuers places of Deutronomie The wordes are these Thou shalte come to the priest that shall be in those daies and say vnto hym I acknowledge this day before the Lorde my god that I am entred into the lande for the whiche he sweare to our fathers that he woulde giue it vnto vs. Here is a like memorie of God commaunded by Moyses Whereby as in thys sacrament is ment a reuerent thankes gyuyng and acknowledgyng for sâ— is the Hebrue word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 traÌ„slated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicum iâ— Whereby we may perceyue the worde blessing to agree with the other greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus we therfore haue by the healpe of the Hebrue tonge and the olde testament furth of the whiche two all rites and ceremonies and the trueth of al the principal places of the newe testament haue both their coÌ„firmation and declaration and by the circumstaÌ„ces of the places proued vnto you first that in this sacrament there muste be a general profession of oure sayth in the death of Christ outwardly and theÌ„ priuately euery one must in hert acknowledge giue thaÌ„kes And if the profite of his brethren do so require it or the ordre of the coÌ„gregaâ—ioÌ„ permit they muste with mouth celebrate and prayse this great benifite to the glorie of God and the conforte of the congregation Your first declaration that we must haue Christ present in this memorie by fayth maketh nothinge agaynst vs. For this is it that we do beleue and teach that vnto the eyes of our faith there is preseÌ„t in the sacrament the natural body of our sauiour Christ the same body that suffered And your similitude of the maried womaÌ„ that wyl make an Image of her husbaÌ„de for a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of him maketh much against you For this I dare saye that al the eloqueÌ„ce you haue â—aÌ„ not proue vn to a righte selêder witted woman that the Image thus made for a memorial is hir owne natural housbaÌ„de and so make hir do honor and reuerence vnto him at bed and at bourd as you woulde haue vs to do to this very Image as you cal it of Christ beinge departed in body froÌ„ his churche and leauing this most perfect Image of him selfe and as you say him selfe for a memorie Furthermore If you coulde proue vnto this womaÌ„ that this image were the natural body â—lesh bloud and bones of hir husband what neede she to loke for hym in any other place abseÌ„t whoÌ„ she hath thus really present at all tymes What shal we say Is hir husbande gone Nay verely hir husbande lyeth hid in and vnder the Image Lo whither your blynde similitudes do leade you But to proue his body to be in diuers places wythout any chaunge of place you had neede to aske better counsayle of your sophisters and then we shal answere you agayne For the texte folowinge Non dâ—…dicans corpus domini makynge no difference of the Lordes body which wordes be so translated in the Bible that you haue allowed by Act of parliament For the scriptures suche is oure miserie can be no farther good and profitable for vs but as yon wyll allowe it That is to saye the laste yere good for all men but thys yere good for gentlemen onely In the last proclamation you condemned three translations and saued one But in thys your boke you seme to be wery of that one for you fynde fautes therein and wyll not haue at reade at suche tymes as men meete together in the churche But God is the Iudge of your doinges You do not Iudge and knowe that God is as presently in his wordes and scriptures whiche you do burne as he is in the Sacramentes whiche are made and take theyr strength of the same worde Oh byshoppes If thys thynge that you do be for the pure â—eale of Goddes worde then take so muche paynes amongest you al as to set furth one traÌ„slatioÌ„ so true â–ª that no man may fynde any faut therwyth But you caÌ„ not heare on that side You haue burned fiue thousande but of your translation we fynde not one It is easy therefore to iudge what your purpose hath bene But to returne to the wordes Non diiudi caÌ„s etc. Your english text is making no differeÌ„ce of the Lordes body But your owne interpretation is not vnderstanding not coÌ„side ring But if you wyl adde thereunto the signification of the greke worde not iudging I wyl say al is true and agreeth very wel For who so euer doeth eate this bread and drinke this cup vnworthily eateth his owne iudgemeÌ„t making no differeÌ„ce not vnderstanding consideringe or iudgynge the Lordes body Where he that doeth eate it worthily doeth by his faith eate the very body of the Lorde so ofte as he eateth of this bread and drinketh of this cup and fedeth his soule by the reioycing in the death of the lorde For who soeuer seketh the spirituall fode he regardeth nothinge but the body of Christ offered for his sinnes though with his mouth bodily he receiue the bread the figure of the same If any haue â—…scoÌ„strued this texte do not charge vs therewyth But if we do take it wronge reproue vs by scripture No man doubteth but that he is giltie of the bloud of Christ which taketh Baptisme vnreuerently Yet dare we not saye that in the water is really presente the body and bloud of Christe He despiceth me saith Christ that despiceth you speaking of his Apostles Yet is it no good argument to say therefore that Christe is corporally in his Apostles But spiritually we must boeth beholde most thaÌ„kefully receiue our Christ in al his sacramentes in al his messengers The third text Spiritus viuificat caro noÌ„ prodest quicquaÌ„ In english the spirite giueth life the flesh profiteth nothyng maketh much agaynste you Yea thoughe you take it after your owne glose which is that this text is a general lesson for the true vnderstandyng of oure whole religion But thys glose shall we touche hereafter This texte The spirit gyueth lyfe the fleshe profiteth nothynge is boeth proued true and manifestly declared in the. xvi chapter folowinge where Christe sayeth I tel you truth that it is profitable for you that I departe for if I do not go awaye that confortynge spirite shall not come vnto you But if I go I wyll sende hym vnto you etc. Whereby it appeareth playnely agaynste your wordes that the presence of the bodie carnally is not profitable vnto vs nowe after his ascendynge into heauen because Christe sayeth it is profitable that in bodie he shoulde departe but you saye it is profitable to haue hym here in a cake notwythstandyng that he sayeth that onlesse he go his waye the spirite of conforte can not come The exemple of Peter and all the Apostles who were stronger by the confort of the spirite then by the presence
Christ Think not straing that the thing is writteÌ„ in the persone of God for al truth is of god Gâ—ie pacient eare therfore vnto our God sayth as we haue done toyour deuill sayth al thys while The coÌ„plaint of God against Idolatours HEare the worde of the Lorde thou proud Babilon Thou people of Sodome spirituall Egipt heare the word of the Lord For asmoche as the lord Iesu Christ is daily crucified daily slayn daily set forth in mocking sacrifice the bloud of the testameÌ„t is trodeÌ„ vnder fote and the arke of the couenaÌ„t is driuen awaye He that despiseth the lawe of Moyses sayth the Lorde is vnder ij or iij. witnesses condemned and howe muche more shall he be punished that treadeth vnder foâ—e the sonne of god despiseth his word and doeth vnhalow the bloude of the testament whereby he was saÌ„ctified and worketh coÌ„tumeliously against the spirite of grace It is God O you prynces of Sodom that geueth sentence in thys matter Before the hygh Iudge shall you be condemned you seed of Babilon because it hath pleased God to admonishe you fyrst bi Moyses and then by the prophetes and last of al by his own sonne to turne into the way of trueth But you contrarie wise do wyllingly folow the waye of wickednes And wheras the Lord sendeth daiely for the fruite of his viniâ—â—rd â–ª you entreate his seruants at your pleasure Some of them you do beate some other you slea and that more is you do neither reuerence nor forbeare his onely begotten sonne but rageynge like men in a furye you haue with one whole consent taken him slain him and cast him out of the vyneyarde which was his own enheritaunce Heare therfore theÌ„ wicked nacioÌ„ and know that he whom thou hast caste awaye in the corner stone where vpon whatso euer buylding is stablisshed it groweth vp to be a holi temple vnto the Lord and who so euer doeth fall vpon this stone he shalbe shakeÌ„ in pieces which thynge the Iewes stoÌ„blyng vpon his humiliti do shew vnto the world to haue â–ª ben truly spoken euen lyke as the ruâ—nâ— of the gentyls shall shortly declare vpon whom 〈…〉 uer thys stone shall fal for he shal most spedily be broken to powder that the whole world mai at leÌ„gh lerne how horible a thing it is to fall into the handes of the lyuynge God whose vengaunce is sore and greuouse against his enemies Lyke as his mercy is redie towarde the chyldren of mercy the Niniuites for an example who at the preachinge of Ionas onely dyd penaunce in ashes and sakclothe and so escaped the aduengeynge haÌ„d of the almighti But you that liue now in the later ende of the worlde beynge admonishede by a thousande oracles and warninges of the prophetes threateninge battail famine an pestilence do not chaunge your wycked purpose but suffer all the wordes of Chryst his prophetes and Apostles concernynge the wrath of God in the later dayes to be spokeÌ„ in vayn No man renueth his herte no man chaungeth his maners Ther is not one that doeth good no not one But the more that your wyckednese is opened by the scripturs the more that Moyses chasteneth your malice the more earnestly that my true messengers sayeth the Lord would drawe you froÌ„ your errours so much the more fyersly you resiste my spirite boastyng forth your powre wysdom and counsels so filled wyth your owne â—…es and subtyl inuencions that you resist all spiritual knowledge and nourishe euen agaynste your conscience these gros er rours and carnal blindnesse not much vnlike vnto Cayn your forefather whiche not beynge coÌ„tented with the dignitie of the firste birth neither yet restrained bi the word of chastimeÌ„t killed his brother Abel deseruyng no suche thing at his hande I praye you what did Pharao and the Egiptians when they were admonished by Moyses and Aaron but in resisteing the opeÌ„ wil of God heap vp his displeasure against theÌ„ Herode also and the wicked phariseis alwaies persecuteynge the Iust and ascribing the workes of the spirite to the powre of Belzebub or the deuyll with sinneing against coÌ„science brought ven geaunce vpon theyr heades So doeth the world saith the Lorde alwaies striue against the spirite And this is the onely sinne that coÌ„demneth the world that I send forth the ligh of the spirite to driue awaie the darkenesse of vyce errour and men loue darkenesse more theÌ„ lyght It is my vse sayeth the Lorde allwayes to send forth my worde before I iudg the worlde that they whych with brasen forheades and IroÌ„ neckes do obstinatly opprese the trueth â–ª shoulde haue nothynge to excuse theyr synne Thus dyd I send Noe and Loth before I destroyed the worlde wyth water and the. v. cyties wyth fier Thus haue I seÌ„t my prophetes also to gyue warneynge vnto Israell and Iuda of my wrath toward them And this same ordre do I obserue coÌ„tinually like as Iam the same god to dai to morewo and for euermore And now shortly I must go into IudgmeÌ„t Wherfore morne houle Oh you wicked vpon the miseries whyche shal chaunce vnto you you I say whych are the inueÌ„ters of new Idols and the dispisers of me your euerlasteing God For your god in whom your hope resteth shal perish And wheÌ„ you shal strech forth your handes vnto heaueÌ„ yet wil I not here you saith the Lord because you haue made you Idols wyth the same handes that you lyft vp towarde me Your Idoles therfore shall be turned into sparkes of fyre your selues into stubble ther shalbe none to quentche it Once I wyl awake and not alwayes suffer so greate reproch as to be dispiced where a dead Idole whiche hath neither sense moueynge lyfe nor breath shall be receyued and embraced It is I I saye that doeth gyue lyfe and breath to al creatures it is I that lend streÌ„gh and all the natural powres whyche you do mispeÌ„d in making of your Idoles vtterly for gettynge that I am the same that made your parent Adam vnto myne owne likenes I adourned and decked hym wyth no smal gyfts Reason and iudgemeÌ„t I gaue him and ordeyned hym gouernour ouer al other creatures You haue forgotten also that immediatly after this my great mercie shewed vnto youre said parent He despising the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of me hys creatour chose rather to be subiect vnto the most vile creature of al foloyng the Idole of his owne herte thaÌ„ to cleaue firmely to my worde Thys newfound God therfore doeth vnto thys daye dwell vnder my cursse and shal do for euer and shall crepe on his breaste sucking therth in steade of his breade Yet haue I not vtterly for saken this your rebelliouse kinde at diuers and sundrie tymes Firste I called againe to my mercie the same your forefather who by the remorsse of his coÌ„science fled my sight Againe after that man kinde was encreased and wickednesse dyd growe more and more in so much that if I
your handes For from the easte to the west my name is greate amonges the heathen And euerye where do they bren incense and offer vnto my name euen a pure offeringe For greate is my name amonge the heathen sayeth â–ª the Lorde of hostes and you haue poluted it in your wordes The phariseis to whom this was spoken thought them selues and theyr sacrifices so acceptable in the sight of God that they despised al other people as you do nowe And therfore this text serueth agaynst you boeth That enerie wher in euerie nacion and people as Peter was taught in the Act. the pure offeringe in spirite and trueth shalbe offereâ—… So that we maye truelie saie that Malachie doeth make agaynste you teacheing that aâ— al prophecies are general as the Iewes preistes were refused for their couetousnesse so shall you for yours And as he declared that their sacrifices ceremonies where vpoÌ„ they boasted bragged so much shoulde cease so are yours now at the same point He declared also that God should be honoured in spirite trueth thorowout all nacions euen as we haue an example of C xx M. in Niniue of diuers priuate persons in diuers coÌ„treyes as NaamaÌ„ in Siria the wydow of Serephtha Iethro the father inlawe of Moyses Hira of Tirus the quene of the south which though they were not of the outwarde Israell dyd neuerthelesse magnifie the name of the lord offer the caâ—ues of their lyps offering a pure offeringe of thaÌ„kes geueing offering theyr own bodies a liueinge sacrifice holie acceptable vnto God this is the pure offeringe that the prophet Malachie did speake of I will not striue with you about your doctours any more because I inteÌ„d to auoide the infinite conteÌ„cions whiche I perceyue doe a rise of them Notwithstandinge here is a iust occasioÌ„ offered as ther hath ben many times where Gregorie Nazianzeue calleth fasteynge in Christe a bulworke and defence against teÌ„tacioÌ„ As though christ which could not sinne neaded any such bulworke And yet so far as we know he was tempted when he was fasteynge The same Gregorie calleth fasteyngein vs apurgacion or cleanseynge What should we coÌ„teÌ„de about this mattier Lyke as it pleased God to gyue powre vnto Moyses to fast xl dayes twyse in the mountayne not for the a voydeinge of tentacion but for to set forthe the gloriouse lawe and wyll of the father then to be published And Elias beynge sent to anoynte a Kynge ouer Siria a Kynge and a prophet ouer Israell by whoÌ„ boeth thefe kingdoÌ„es shouldbe cleane tered chaunged did faste fortie dayes from all maner meate for the declareinge of the powre of God in his workes So did it please Christ of his owne powre to faste fortie dayes that the Iewes shoulde haue none occasion to thinke hym inferionre to those ij theyr greateste prophetes in the publisheynge of his gospell and glad tithinges vnto the worlde and his renewynge of all thinges Not to the entent that we should folowe him and therby haue purgacioÌ„ of oure synnes For besyde that it is impossible to folowe him without an especiall worke of the spirite either in that he fasted xl dayes or in that he was neuer hongrie this were a plain deniall of the benefite of his passion and the settinge vp of our owne worke which is vnperfect For what great mattier is it to eate meate but once eueri daye and drinke ij or iij many haue so liued in the olde tyme. And what holinesse is it to eate fish onely do not cormorâ—ntes and such as lyue by the sea syde lyue so lykewise Christ hath coÌ„maunded vs to folowe him in loue peace mercie and such lyke but in this example as a thinge imposseble we haue no such coÌ„maundement except we be drawn into wildernes by the spirit as Christ was or by any other worke of God we be destiâ—â—te of fode the coÌ„fort of creatures then Lo the example of Christe may strength vs and teach that not by bread onely do we liue but by euery worde that proceadeth out of the mouth of God Woulde God that true fasteynge and prayer were taught and vsed and popeish abuse abolished for trueth and falshode can not be coupled to gether But you bishopes must bear the blame for all these thynges if it be not amended shortly For you haue taken the charge of the flocke ⧠An answere to diuers questions IN the ende of your boke we loked for a substanciall rehersall of your stronge argumentes where with you haue coÌ„firmed this mattier that you haue taken in hande But we find a rable of confused questians nothinge partaynige to this purpose which we must touch or els you wyl saye that you are not answered And therfore do you craftely heape these to gether in the ende of your boke that in the wrappeynge vp of so many matters you may haue credite of the coÌ„mune people as a professed patrone of theyâ— vsed errours and cause vs to be despysed as the contemners of all these thinges that you do styfly mayntayne This is deuillishe sophistrie subtiltie of Sathan mindeinge nothinge but contencion debate strife when one stynge is stinged to shote forth an other Yea it is rather the moÌ„strouse poysoÌ„ful nature of Hidra that Hercules slewe wheÌ„ thou haddest striken of one heade to haue vij or moe ariseinge in his place When you caÌ„ not ouercome by argumentes in the matter we haue in hande then stricke you vp newe alarum to a newe fielde of contencion Thus shal we neuer haue don if we now a freshe take in hand to answer you Fyrste you demaunde which is the true fast which is the true prayer Then what place the preachinge of Godes word owght to haue in the church what place the doctriâ—e of men may haue in the worshype of God Agayn whether the sacrament ought to be ministered in boeth the kyndes or but in breade onelye For you wyll euer be inuentynge newe mat tiers to occupie mens mindes in contencion and to affraye simples soules from the scriptures And because you wyll maintayne all poperie thought you perceiue it is nothing you can fynde faute with nothynge that the popehath inuented But when you are demaunded of any of his trifles a lone you saie they are nothing And yet you wil haue thys large heape of nothinges to be the masse as you call it and whole heape of our religion and euerie one seuerallie to be necessarie to your estate Agayne by your boke we haue iust occasioÌ„ ministred were it not that we would gladly auoide coÌ„teÌ„cionto examin this moÌ„strouse geare to their worthinesse and to speake of al your nothinges dombe signes lieing shadowes that your father you haue heretofore inueÌ„ted But thaÌ„ should we neuer haue done for euerie one of these argumeÌ„tes would aske an whole boke lyke as the mattier of the sacrament hath done you haue so blinded the trueth in theÌ„ all
the vndefiled in the waye which walke in the lawe of the Lorde Blessed are they which serch his testimonies and ther shall you perceiue that the worde of God shoulde be the delyte of the life the fode of the soule the lyght â—o the foâ—e stepes the rode of the yonge man to breake his lustes the exercise of his lyfe the coÌ„forte in aduersite the bridle in prosperitie the medicine in sickenesse the onely fode in health the relefe in werinesse the banisment of vilanie sufferinge no shame to assalt the cause of reioyseinge in banisment and imprisoneinge in extreme age the releyfeinge of werinesse causeynge all quietnesse Yea in death the geuer of lyfe and in lyfe ioye euerlasteinge Is not this thinge worthie to be preached in the tyme of mattens and masse to be preached red and hearde inmattens masse and euensonge tyme to be learned of men women children plowemen yemen gentillmen fre men bound men and generally of al christen men Oh bishope recant for shame Now to discuse what place the doctrine of meÌ„ should haue in the worship of God marck that God sayeth That which I coÌ„maund the that onely do thou neither adde thou any thynge nor diminishe therfrom Marcke agayne howe Madaâ— and Abihu the chyldreÌ„ of Aaron dyd offre vnto the Lorde straunge fyre that was not commaunded them fyre came furth froÌ„ the Lorde deuoured them So straunge a thing it is to set vp a strauÌ„ge thinge of our owne braine Oze for touching the Arke of God was stryken to death notwythstandynge he dyd it of a good entent Howe thynke you then wyll God receyue your fonde doctrines and ceremonies Saule the firste kynge of the Israelites was thorowe a folishe intent of his owne put from his kyngdome Beinge commanÌ„dded to destroye the Amalechites wyth all theirs he saued the best and fayrest inteÌ„ding to do sacrifice therwyth vnto the Lorde But God asked hym by the prophet in this wise Wyl the Lorde haue holocastes offeringes and not rather obedience vnto the voice of the Lorde But thys place do you falsâ—y alledge for the obedience vnto men euen in like maner as you do wraste thys texte also In â—ayne do they worshyp me teachyng the doctrines and preceptes of men But we dare examine the maâ—tier by your owne gloses You are content to graunte that suche doctrines and preceptes of men as be taught of their owne braines wheÌ„ they were but in the state of men onely were but vayne worship And then talke you of Lycurgus and of Numa Pompilius but in the popes kyngdome al doctrine was good for he was aboue this state of a man as it should seme because you can fynde no faute wyth his doinges yea all you bishops and your priestes are more then meÌ„ also as may appeare by your boke for what so euer you saye we muste beleue you or els we dispise God Thus caÌ„ you alledge scriptures and can proue thys by a text of Paule Non spernit hominem sed Deâ—m He doeth not dispise man but God Whiche text is spoken of the precept of God wrytten in Leuiticus whiche forbyddeth the to defraude thy brother whiche Paule alledgeth a litle before and therfore warneth the Thessalonians not to set lyghte of that lawe the authour wherof was not any maÌ„ but God But you write of authoritie You may writh scriptures as ye luste As for your place to the Hebrues maketh for theÌ„ that preach the worde of God whose fayth we shoulde folowe and consider the ende of their conuersation If you wyl be tryed to be such ministers you must proue vnto vs your ministration in muche sufferaunce in afliction in necessitie in carefulnesse in strokes in imprisonment in seditioÌ„s in labours watchyng fastynges in purenesse in knowledge in gentlenesse of minde and liberalitie in the holy gost in loue not fayned and in the worde of trueth c. Dare you styll cal your selues ministers Then must you be the disposers of these misteries of God And so longe as you syt in the seate of Moyses preachyng the worde of God so far wyl we beleue you And so far as you are the folowers of Christe we wyll folowe you But if you bringe not his word we dare not saye Aâ—e vnto you nor receyue you into our â–ª houses No we do take you for the vncleane beastes that do not diuide the houffe Suche are the shepeheardes as Iheremie sayeth that are fed wyth the wynde whiche scatter the shepe caste them furth and do not visit the flocke The priest and the prophete are boeth defiled wherfore they do doeth folowe a slipperie waye in the darcke wherein they shalbe dryuen furth and fal in the same for I shall brynge the daye of their visitation vpon them sayeth the Lorde They are al like Sodomites in my sight the people lyke Gomorrha With wormewod and gaâ—â—e therfore wyll I feede theÌ„ For al pollution is coÌ„men vpon the earth sayeth the Lorde by the prophetes of Iherusalem men moste highly estemed in outwarde holinesse But thus sayth the Lorde of hostes Gyue none eare to the wordes of these prophetes that deceyue you For they speake the visioÌ„ of thir owne hertes not of the mouth of the Lorde Thus are we playnely taughte howe perilouse a thinge it is to folowe the doctrines of men be they neuer so highly aduaunced wyth titles of holynesse Yea we are by the mouth of God admonished aboue all thynges to beware of them that promise peace quietnesse folowinge but the shreudnesse of their owne hertes and folishe inuentions for it is a kynde of Idolatrie not to sticke vnto his worde as vnto the thynge onely sufficient Of suche prophetes therefore as brynge their owne inuentions doeth he saye I dyd not sende them they ranne I did not speake vnto them and they dyd prophecie If they had stande in my counsayle and published my wordes to my people they shoulde haue turned them from their wycked wayes and from their wycked inuentions I dyd heare howe they tolde lyes dreames in my name by the disceites of their herte causynge the people to forget my name for their dreames as is it come to passe thys daye Therefore sayeth the Lorde of hostes agaynst such prophetes He that hath a dreame let him tel his dreame and he that hath my worde let hym speake my worde truly What minglest thou chaffe wyth the â—heate Are not my wordes lyke fyre sayeth the Lorde and lyke the mall that breaketh the stone Therfore to you prophetes that steale my wordes euerie one froÌ„ his brother dreamynge furth your lyes deceyuyng my people wyth your lyes your miracles where as I dyd neuer sende you nor yet commaunde any suche thynge to my people as dyd not profite them You are the heauy burden that I can no loÌ„ger beare and therfore I wyl caste you awaye Agayne Ezechiell in the spirite of God doeth thus
doeth iustifie you can barke brale at hym biding him bring some opeÌ„ scripture wher it is written faith alone We maye iustly therfore if you wil geue vs leue aske you wherit is writen in scripture breade alone In the. xxiiij of Luk it is writteÌ„ that Christ dyd take the breade blessed and brake it and dyd gyue it to theÌ„ theyr eies were opened But â–ª whether we wyll vnderstande that Christ vsed herein his accustomed old maner of thankes geuynge as he dyd allwayes wheÌ„ he did take breade or such like creatures to teach hys to be alwayes thankefull as appeareth Iohn vi Luke ix Marke vi viij Math. xiiij and. xv or we wyll saye that he dyd also blesse the cup and not the breade alone you haue not one worde to confute vs. If you dare then put to your glose and exclusyue A lone in the seconde of the Actes where it is sayed that they dyd coÌ„tynewe in the doctrine of the Apostles breaking bread by euerye house besydes that you make the Apostles verie lewde so sone to be forgetful of theyr Masters example and speciall commaundement to deuide this brotherlye cup amonge theÌ„ you maye likewyse be demaunded because you take somuche lybertye sometyme to speake merylie whether you wyll adde your exclusyue alone vnto the wordes next folowynge which are these â–ª Inuicem sumebant cibum They dyd take meate to gether As though they should eate meate alone without drinke But surely you prelates do ryght well knowe howe vnmete and perilouse a thynge it is to eate breade wythout drynke and therefore haue ye graunted vs pore lewede people to haue thre draftes of your chalyce to washe dowâ—e your clammye God when he cleaueth to the roufe of our mouthes And though you do not blesse the wyne that you gyue vs no not so much as once blowe vpon it or wagge your holie fingers ouer it I yromise you I like it neuer the worsse For I knowe that God hath blessed it as hys good creature and I can not perceiue howe your blessinge shoulde amende it Whether you wyl or not therfore I receiue it as the sacrament and holye semblaunce of the bloude of the vnspotted lambe in the newe testameÌ„t that like as the fathers of the olde testament had the naturall bloude of their lambe and passeouer sprinkled on all their postes and dores so likewyse we of the newe testament seinge we can not haue the natural bloude of thys lambe of the newe testamente neither stande we nede of any suche carnall imaginacion to vs that are spirituall Yea some of the disciples of Christe would haue dronken the bloude that ran forth of hys syde if thys had ben so profitable We of the newe testament I say knowing that oure vnspoted lambe Christe Iesu hath deliuered vs out of the Egipt of sinne and the hellye Pharao do also knoweledge our deliueraunce by thys cup of the newe testameÌ„t in his bloude offered for the sinnes of the whole worlde accordinge to the sayeinge of Paule in hys Epistle to the CorhinihyaÌ„s The cup of thankes geueinge sayeth he where wyth we geue thankes is it not the partakinge of the bloude of Christe Thys cup sayteh Paule on hys maysters worde is the newe testameÌ„t in my bloud Do this so ofte as you drinke in the remembraunce of me For as oft as you shal eate of thys bread and drynke of thys cup you shall shewe the Lordes death tyl he come What so euer he be therfore that woulde stope thys well of Iacobbe and thys spirituall spring wytholdeing vs frome drinckeing of thys cup wherin we do spiritually receiue the bloud of the immaculate lambe that was slayne for vs he doeth not onelye breake the commaundement of Christe oure mayster and sauiour refuseinge the cup of brotherly loue whiche ought to be deuided amongeste all them that be of Christe but he doeth also stoppe the memorie of oure deliueraunce by Christe hynder vs frome the communion and partaking of hys bloude and extinguish and blotte forth so far as in them lyeth the remeÌ„braunce of hym that hath by his bloud bought vs. But nowe because you know that al you haue sayde hath but a feeble foundacion you ren styll to the cornor stone of your buildeinge and saye ⧠Vnto thys daye we be onely assertayned by tradicion of the churche in the true vnderstandeynge of the Euangelistes of oure order in the consecracion of the said sacrameÌ„te and the circumstaunce of the pronunciacion of Christes wordes wherby the same is wrought Al thought thys intricate sentence of yours of the order of consecracion and the circumstaunce of the pronunciacion myght minister iuste matier of an whole boke yet because I haue thys one marcke chieflye before myne eies to teache howe that you neither in thys nor in any other mattier wyll claâ—e to the in fallible certaintie and trueth of the scriptures but accompt your selues to be ascertayned by the onely tradicions of your doctours whome you call the churche I geue warneinge to all good men that they geue no credence to thys your deceiueable sophistrie For by these termes of tradicions of the churche continued so long time you maye bringe in popes pardons pilgrimages and what ye luste But howe can any good hert beleiue that you would truely minister your tradicions secretly taken at the handes of your fathers when we se you minister falsely the thinges that are taught in scripture CaÌ„ you bewitch vs to belieue that you wyl minister the tradicions that you haue learned in secrete for our profite when we se you corrupt the openscripturs with your gloses for your owne profite Drincke of this you al are the plaine wordes of our sauiour Christ the maister of al trueth And shall we belieue you in your vnwritten verities when you go about to gloses this such lyke places of scripture Naye it is an hundred tymes more likely that you woulde be falser in secrete thynges thaÌ„ in opeÌ„ Wher fore as you myght cal him a fole that would trust such one to tel his money in his absence as hath picked his pursse and done falsely before his face euen so myght you recken vs worsse theÌ„ mad if we haueinge experience of you seinge you takeÌ„ wyth the maner and reproued for the corrupting of y e opeÌ„ scriptur before our eies yea â—o taken that you caÌ„ not denie iâ— woulde beliue that which hath these M. yeres lien in your roten mawes in the fleshly mire of mans inueÌ„cions should nowe be holsome for vs seing that your fathers the Popes haue so ming led all their tradicions wyth the open blasphemies agaynste God and all godlynesse whiche is the verie doctrine of Antichrist and the phariseies that folowed them haue thriste all thynges so ful of their leuen of Hypocrisie and you theyr successours haue strayned them to suche vngodly purpose and maintayned them with suche crueltye ⧠The ceremoneis wherof