AN EXPOsition of certayne words of S. Paule to the Romaynes entiteled by an old wryter Hugo A TREATISE OF the Workes of three dayes Also an other Worke of the truth of Christes naturall body By Richarde Coortesse Doctor of Diuinitie and Bishop of Chichester ⸪ ¶ Imprinted by Wylliam Brome 1577. ¶ To the Christian Reader HAVING INTELlygence of a certayne worke done out of laten into English by the learned Father the lord Bishop of Chichâ—ster at the request of a learned vertuous Ladye And also vnderstanding of an other treatise touching the truth of Christ his naturall body made by him both of them secretly going among some good men who were greatlye delighted with the reading of the same We labored by almeanes possible to obtayne the coppy of the sayd â—oâ—ke as well for the singâ—â—â—â—r commendation that went of the excelieÌ„cie of the matter as also for the worthinesse of the person who had trauailed therein whose iudgement we know to be such as could make best choysy of arguments and learning so profound as might most clearckly bewtify the same And perusing the sayd worke exactly as we found it both in substaunce also in handling aunswerable to the reports geuen abroade thereof so we thought it very meete that the same should be published to the commodity of many which now being shutte vp in certayne mens kéeping did profyte but a few In the said worke there is notably set forth the maiestie the power might of the eternall and euerlasting GOD the whole discourse whereof séemeth to bee grounded vpon the words of S. Paule in his Epistle to the Romaynes the first Chapter That the inuisible thinges of God are from the beginning of the world knowen by the visible things made of god his euerlasting power also and diuinitie So it conteineth very delightfull also much profytable matter to the Christian and Godly reader in these dayes The other treatise intreating of the true presence of the most sacred blessed and natural bodie of our sauiour Christ is a Jewell so precieus of so great estimation and value with each true Christian that we thincke al men will more desyre to reade the worke then to heare the commendation thereof Now touching the person the fruites of whose study and paynes we haue oftentimes heretofore and doe now also reape to our great comforte we thought good both for truth sake which euerye man is bound in coÌ„science to mayntein also for confutation of such bad slaunderous spéeches as by some lewde and euel disposed people are spred at tables Alehouses and such other odde places agaynst so graue wyse learned vertuous a pastour also to set downe such good vertues to the view of the world as we of our assured and proper knoweledge haue experienced to be in him And for that the glory of God is chiefly and principally to be set forth by extirpation of strange and irronious opynyons and by planting of true religion through dilligeÌ„t preaching and teaching of the word of god F 〈…〉 st ouer and besids his ordinary preaching vpon Sondayes and Holidayes he hath gone thrée times through this whole Diocesse of Châ—chester which is almost fourescore myles in length preaching himself at the greatest townes and many learned Preachers with him in other places And this last Sommer was accepted of the substaunce both of gentlemen preachers and people of the whole shire excéeding well and in such sorte as the like hath not bene seene in the memory of man to any of the calling in this countrey Notwithstanding that there waÌ„ted not some though not many which priuily both by fayre meanes foule laboured the contrary And whereas it was a rare thing before his time to heare a learned SermoÌ„ in Sussex now the pulpittes in moste places sounde contynually with the voyce of learned and Godly Preachers he him selfe as Duxgregis geuing good example vnto the rest in so graue learned manner that the people with ardent zeale wonderfull reioycing in great number take farre and long iorneyes to bée pertakers of his good and godly lessons We are assured and the most irreligious and backwarde persones that are acquaynted with his proceedinges cannot but confesse excepte they will willingly speake agaynst their owne Consetences that the â—ooting out of bad and vnlearned Curattes and the planting of zealous and learned Preachers hath bene occasion to him of great expenses charge And so within these sixe yeres he hath brought into this Diocesse and preferred or ben the meanes of the preferring of twenty Preachers which be well able to preache in anye learned Audience in this realme And by the dilligent preaching and other excercisyng of himself and these in the scriptures hath trayned vp a. xl more in such sort that they be sufficiente ynough to preach to any ordinary Audyence and almoste euery minister by hearing of these and such trauayle in the Scriptures as they haue bene by the sayd pastour and other his officers put vnto be growne so rype in the Scriptures that they can and doe so painfully diligently â–ª and competently instructe the simple sorte in the principles of Religion that euen children can now geue a better an accoumpt of the true fayth theÌ„ in times past such as were reputed great clearks could haue done But because it is not ynough to deliuer vnto the people of GOD holsome and godly doctrine but also to confirme the same by example of good and vertuous life how well he hath trauayled in both the suppressinge of Macheuils Papistes Libertines Atheists and suche other erronious persons the maynteyning of pore fatherlesse children against the oppressor y proâ—ecting of widdowes from the vyolent the releasing of strangers for the Gospels sake the punishing of Fornicators adulterers the withstanding of robbers and Pyrates the restrayning of such as vnnaturally carry away grayne victuals and other the commodities of the Realme to foster such as be knowen enemies to GOD and doubted to this gouernment and the méeting with sâ—moniacall practises are a sufficient testimony For the which good déedes such is the malice of Sathan and â—is â—â—â—s most bitter and bad spéeches are throwne out against hym yea and certayne hyred and suborned to go from Noble man to Noble man from Justiciaris to Justiciaris from common table to common table and to be briefe from place and person to place and person to carrye such tales surmises as the enformer knoweth to be false and the reporter is méere ignorant of But the scholler is not aboue hys master and the worlde is such that dissembling Pharises godlesse Saduces Epicures and such other offenders and fauourers of offenders in the premisses will euer hate those that serue God and their prince dutifully And surely we for our partes haue oftentimes wondered at his constancie and pacience that wheras we see others so ouercome with importunity of slauÌ„derous and infamous reportes great enemies when he heareth any lowde and opprobrious
let vs runne ouer againe from the beginning the foresaide braunches and let vs search in euery one howe eyther the power of the maker is plainely knewne by the number of things made or hys wisedome by the beauty or hys mercie by the profitablenesse And bycause the number was the first in parting it ought to be the first in searching Therfore marke well what I shall say ⧠The first branche WHen there was nothyng to make somthing how great power was it yea what sence can perceaue what power it is so of nothing to make something yea some one thing although verie little if then it be such power of nothing to make some verye little thing that it cannot be taken by anye sence what power is it to be thought to be to make so many things Howe manye Number the starres of the skie the sande of the sea the dust of the earth the droppes of water the feathers of birdes the seales of fyshes the heires of beasts the grasses of fields the leaues or fruites of trées and thousandes thousandes moe that cannot be reckened Things that cannot be numbred be like things vnlyke things or both together which be lyke things Things of one kinde As man and man Lion and Lion Egle and Egle Babion and Babion euerye of these and other such in their kinde be like Which be vnlyke things such as be indued with diuers qualities as a man and a Lion a Lion an Egle an Egle and a Babian these be one vnlyke to another Which be of both sortes All things vewed together Nowe marke howe there be innumerable in things like things vnlyke and things of both sortes Man is one kind but there is not one onely man for who can sette downe the iust number of men Lyon is one kind but there is not one only Lyon for who can set down the iust number of Lions And so there be infynite kinds of things in other things without number and in euery kinde infynite lyke things And altogether infynite without number But peraduenture some will say that he that made so manye things made them little things but coulde not make many and great together Let him consyder what it is to measure the hugenes of the mountaynes the courses of the waters the spaces of the feyldes the heyght of heauen the depth of the sea Thou marueylest that thou canst not doe it But thou shalte doe better to espye that occasion is ministred vnto thée to prayse GOD in that thou canst not do it To those that consyder of the number of the creatures we haue giuen a kind of tast Nowe will we go about to set forth the beautie of the same Although the beautie of the creatures resteth in many and diuers pointes yet there be some chiefely in the which all the beautie of the same doeth stande Sight mouing shape and quality The which if a man were able fully to search out he should fynde with all them the meruaylous light of God his wisdome And woulde God I coulde as plainely spie them and as fully set them downe as I doe earnestlie loue them for it delighteth me greatly bicause it is excéeding sweete and pleasant often to deale about those things for both the sence is taught by reason and the minde delighted with swéetenes and the affection stirred vp with further desire insomuch that amazed and meruayling we crye oute with good King Dauid How maruaylous are thy workes O Lorde in thy wisdome hast thou made all things thou hast delyghted me with thy handye workes of thy hands and in the works of thy handes wyll I reioyce An vnwise man doth not knowe this and a foole doth not consider of it For the whole world which is knowne by sence is as it were a booke written with the fynger of God That is to say made by the power of God And euery y creatures be as it were certaine letters founde out not by the skill of man but ordeyned by the iudgement of God to make knowne and as it were after a certaine maner to signify the inuysible wisdome of god And as an vnlearned man sée a booke open he looketh vpon the letters but knoweth not what they meane So a foolishe man and carnall doth not vnderstande the things that be of God but in these séene creatures he beholdeth the outwarde shape but doth not perceyue the wisedome of God in them But he that is of the spirite and can giue true iudgement of all things in that that is outward doth beholde the beautie of the worke and inwardlye spyeth how marueylously the wisedome of the maker is And therefore there is none but he meruayleth at GOD hys works For the foolish and vnwise man doth wonder at only the outward shape but the wise man by that which he séeth outwardlye doeth picke out the déepe knowledge of God his wisedome as if in one and the selfe same wryting one man praise the colour and proportion of the letters and an other the sence and meaning Therfore it is very good continually to beholde and looke vppon the workes of God but so him which cannot tourne the beautie of bodily thinges to an heauenlye vse for therefore the worde of God doth so often moue vs to think vpon the wonderfull workes of God that by the outward things which we sée we may come to the knowledge of inward truth Wherevpon King Dauid doeth tell it often as a great matter that he hath so done and promyseth styll so to doe saying I haue remembered thy dayes of olde and haue mused vpon the workes of thy handes and will be exercised in thy wisedomes Herevpon also the Prophete Esay doth say to certayne which not knowing their Creator doe giue vnto the creatures the honor due to god Who hath measured the waters in his fyst and compassed the Heauens with his spanne and comprehended the dust of the earth with his fyngers or hath weyghed the Mountaynes in hys skayles and the hilles in ballances He that sitteth vpon the circle of the earth and before whom the inhabitants therof be as Grashoppers he that stretcheth out the heauens as a Curtaine spreadeth thē out as a Tent to dwell in And agayne King Dauid sayeth in another place reproouing the worshipping of Images All the Gods of the gentyls be Deuils but the Lorde hath made the heauens Why then doe you thinke that the workes of God be so plainly aduouched to maintaine the true goohead and that it is saide the Lorde made the heauens but bicause the creature well cōsidered doth teach a man to know his Creator Let vs also therfore note the wonderfull workes of God by the bewtyfulnesse of the things made let vs seeke out that bewtiful most bewtiful of al bewtifull things which is so merueylous vnspeakable that al bewty in respect of it is nothing And if it were any thing in déede yet in no poynt to be cōpared to it And bicause we haue sayd before
father is of none the sonne is of the father alone But loue procéedeth from the father and the sonne together Because we haue auouched before that the maker of all thinges is absolutely and truely one we must therfore confesse that these thrée be one substantially Therefore because he that is begotten cannot be the same of whom he was begotten neyther he that proceedeth from the begetter and the begotten can be eyther the begetter or the begotten the inexpugnable ground of truth doth compell vs to acknowledge in the Godhead both the trinity of the person and the vnity of the substance Therfore to thrée in one Godhead is commoÌ„ both equal eternity and eternall equallity For that cannot be diuers in euery one which one Godhead maketh common to euery one Then threée be one because in thrée persons there is one substaunce but the thrée persons be not one person For euen as the distinction of ech person doth not deuide the vnity of the Godhead so the vnity of the Godhead doeth not confound the distinction of the persons ⧠The. xxj branch BUt I thinke good a little more dilligently to weigh this former spéech That the father loueth his wisedome For men be wont to loue their knowledge for the profyte not the profyte for the knowledge As the knowledge of husbandry of weauing of paynting c. where the knowledge is reckued altogether vnprofytable except the profyte followeth of it If it were so about the wisedome of God then should the worke be better then the workman Therfore we must bold that wisedome is euer to be loued for the selfe Now if it sometimes falleth out that the worke is preferred before wisdom it groweth not of the iudgement of the truth but of the errour of man for wisdome is lyfe and the lous of wisedome is the blessednesse of life Wherefore when it is sayde that the father of wisedome delighteth himselfe in wisedome God forbid that it should be thought that we beléeue that God loueth his wisedome for the workes sake which he made by it Nay rather he loued none of his workes but for his wisdomes sake And therfore he sayd this is my beloued sonne in whome I haue set my delight and not in the earth or in the heauen or the Sunne or the Moone or the Starres or the Aunpeis or in any of the most excellent creatures For although these things he after their manner delightfull yet they cannot delight but in him and for him For so much more doe I loue them as they come â—â—rer to his likenesse Not therefore God loueth his wisedome for his works but his workes for his wisedome For in that is euery thing bewtifull and true and is wholy his desire â—ight vnuisible and life immortall whose â—ight is so much desyred that it maye delight the eyes of god Simple and perfect not redundant and yet full Sole but not solitary One â— conteyning al thinges ⧠The. xxij branch BEcause we beléeue thrée persons in one Godhead â–ª it is to be â—ought out whether that which agreeth to any of these agréeth to the other It was saide that the father loueth the sonne Let vs nowe consyder whether it maye likewise be saide that the loue of the father and the sonne loueth the sonne That the sonne loueth hymselfe that the father loueth hymselfe that the sonne loueth the father that the loue of the father the sonne loueth the father that the loue of the father and the sonne loueth it selfe that the father loueth his loue his sonnes that the sonne loueth his loue the fathers And to make an ende whether it be one and the same loue with the which euerye one loueth himselfe and that with the which euery one loueth another But this will be more easie if we call to rememberaunce the thinges that be spoken of before For in the former treatise it is proued that GOD is the fyrst cause and originall of all good things neyther can there be anye Nobler good then that which is the Fountaine and beginning of all So that it followeth that God is the chiefe good Therefore God is blessed alone and properly and principally And how can he be blessed which loueth not the same which he is Whosoeuer therefore is blessed bothe loueth the selfe and the substaunce If then the father and the Sonne be one and be one God sithence that true blessednesse is in God alone It is vnpossible but the both ech one should loue the selfe and eche one should loue another For it were no true blessednesse nay rather it were the chiefe vnhappinesse if they should parte themselues by contrarie will and could not be parted one from another for the same substance As therefore the father and the sonne and the loue of the father and the sonne by nature and substance be one so also by will and loue they must néedes be one Ech one loueth the selfe with one loue bicause they be one Neyther is it any other thing that eche one loueth in an other but that which eche one loueth in the selfe bicause it is no other thing that eche one is but the same that the other is That which the Father loueth in the sonne the same the sonne loueth in him selfe and that which the loue of the father the sonne loueth in the sonne the verie same the sonne loueth in himself Agayne that which the sonne loueth in the father the verie same loueth the father in himselfe And that which the loue of the father and the sonne loue in the father that the father loueth in himselfe Also that which the father and the sonne loue in their loue that the loue of the father and the sonne loueth in the selfe Last of all that that she father loueth in himselfe the very same doth he loue in the same in his loue And y which the sonne loueth in himselfe the very same doth he loue in the father and in his loue And that which the loue of the father and of the sonne loueth in it self the verie same doth it loue in the sonne and in the father ⧠The. xxiij branch MArke whether the voyce of the Father doth confyrme this Thys is sayeth he my beloued sonne in whom I haue together delighted my selfe He did not saye alone I haue together delighted my selfe neyther did he saye alene he hath together delighted me neyther did he say both I together haue delighted my selfe and he together hath delighted me But he saide I together haue delighted my selfe in him That is to say that which lyketh me in my seife is in him without him no iote of it for that that I am he is and because I am nothing but that which he is I cannot lyke my selfe without him Then this is my beloued sonne in whome I haue together liked my selfe Whatsoeuer pleseth me the same in him and for him pleaseth me He is the wisedome by the which I made all things and in
first daye is feare the seconde is truth and the thirde loue The day of feare is the daye of power and the day of the father The daye of wisedome is the daye of truth and the day of the sonne The daye of loue is the day of mercie and the daye of the holye ghost Surely the daye of the father and the daye of the sonne and the day of the holye ghost is all one in brightnesse of the Godhead but in lightening our minds the father hath one daye the sonne an other and the holy ghost the thirde Not that in any respect we ought to beleeue that the trinity which in substance cannot be seuered in working maye be seuered but that the distinction of the persons maye be vnderstoode by the difference of the workes When the consyderation of the Almightie power of God doth stirre our hartes to prayse God it is the day of the father But when the wisdome of God doth light our harts with the séene knowledge of the truth it is the day of the son And when the mercy of God consydered doth fyre our hartes with loue it is the day of the holy ghosâ— Power doth terrify Wisedome doth lighten Mercy doth glad In the day of power we die by feare In the daye of wysedome we be buryed from the noyse of thys worlde by the contemplation of truth In the day of mercie we rise agayne by the loue and desyre of eternall ioy For therefore Christ died the sixt day laye in the graue the seuenth daye and rose agayne the eyght daye that in semblable maner first power in that day by feare should outwardly kil vs from carnall desyres and then wisedome the next daye shoulde inwardly burie vs in the graue of contemplation And last of all mercie in that day should cause vs quickned to arise agayne by Fayth and by the desyre of the loue of god For that the sixt day is the day of labour the seuenth day the day of rest and the eyght daye the daye of rysing againe ⧠A Prayer SHyne we beséech thée O almighty and mercifull God of our Lorde Jesus Christ that father of glory vpon our minds and hearts with the beames of thy heauenly grace and geue vs the spirite of wisedome and vnderstanding thorough the knowledge of thee that the eyes of our heartes being lighted we may knowe what is the hope of the calling and howe riche is the glory of the heritage of thy sayntes and that excellent greatnesse of thy power towardes vs which beléeue according to the might of the force of thy strength which thou shewed in Christ wheÌ„ thou diddest raise him from the dead and diddest set him at thy right hand in heauen farre aboue all Empyre power aucthoryty and dominion and euery name that is named not onely in this world but also in the world to come Graunt this moste mercifull father for thy best beloued sonnes sake our onely aduocate and sauioure Christ Jesus So be it ⧠Whether the naturall aud glorifyed body of Christ is in all or manye places at one and the same time NIcâ—pherus doeth write that Vtiches and Dioschorus the greate enemyes of the councell of Calcedon went to Alamordaruâ— a King of the Saracenes a little before conuerted to the fayth and babtized to infect him with their herisyes But the good King well instructed and strongly propt vp with the grace of God contynued a zelous and constant professour of Christ At the last when by no meanes he could rid himselfe of the crafty and importune souldyours of Sathan he fayned that he must needes goe speake with certayne straungers soone after retourning to Vtiches and Dioschorus tould them that he had receaued strange newes that Michaell the Archaungell was dead Vtiches and Dioschorus cryed out and sayd they were lyes For it was vnpossible that an Angell should dye Then sayd the King what mad men be yee that confesse that Christ was crucified and dead and yet denye that he was a man. The same in déede though not in euery respect falleth out with them which graunt that Christ hath a natural body but deny that the same body is comprised in one place Vtiches denied that Christ was a maÌ„ but he doeth not denye that he was crucifyed and dead These doe denye that Christes body is bounded or in one place but they doe not deny that it is a naturall body I doe not therefore sée how they can shifte their selues of the â—utikian heresy or the confounding of the two natures in Christ which take away place and circumscription from the naturall body of Christ In worde they say that the two natures in Christ be distincte and that the seueral properties of ech of the natures be distinct but in déede they confound them all in traÌ„sferring the whole force of the Godhead into the body Truth it is that the glorifyed body is moresubtill and nimble then the not glorifyed body as S. Augustine doeth wel say But yet a body and a body bouÌ„ded with the boundes of place Aristotle doth say and very truely that euerybody muste needes be as it were hedged about with a place the same S. Austen writeth to Dardanus take away spaces of places froÌ„ bodyes and they shal be no where and because they shall be no where they shall not be at all But if the nature of the body of Christ be weighed by it selfe it is so as you say Notwithstanding if you looke to the power of God by that and from that it may haue force to be euery where For who can set any bounde to the power of God which made the heauens the earths the seas of nothing The aunswere is easie no manne calleth in question the strength and power of God but we inquire what his will is our question is not whether God coulde haue the naturall body of Christ to be in euery place at one time but whether God woulde haue it so Wherefore that I maye be frée from al quarels and slaunders euen at the dore of my spéeche I doe openly and plainely protest that we doe not thrust or binde the bodye of Christ into any straight prison of the Firmament but that we beléeue and confesse that the same is in the most large and noble Countrie of the lyuing farre aboue all the heauens subiect to the sences Also that we do not part the manhood froÌ„ the Godheade or the Godheade from the Manhood but that we doe most certainly beléeue that these two natures be euer knitte and lincked together in one parson of Christ perfyte God and perfyte man Thirdly that we doe not in any respect diminishe that great and infinite power of the great and mightye God but that we do honour him as god almightie and eternall And yet we are loth to be reckned in the number of those which the Poet Horase doeth speake Whilst Fooles doth auoyde one faulte they fall into another I meane that I would neither speake
that his godhead and manhood be plucked asunder because we auouch that the naturall body of Christ is in heauen at the right hand of God the Father and yet his godhead to be euery where did not his godhead then fill heauen and earth when his naturall body was in a corner of the earth wheÌ„ it lay in the graue And may not nowe the Godhead fill the whole world and his naturall body be onely in heauen and the two natures not seuered Away then away with quarrels and let truth preuayle and tryumphe by the which the two natures of christ tyed togeather with the merueylous bonde of the vnion be distinguished but not seperated And truely to continue in the same resemblance of saint Basill the fyre doth not chaunge all the properties of the Iron for the Iron fyred and hotte is heauy falleth downward is a solidde and thicke body This is S. Basils meaning that these forces of the fyre be transferred into the Iron of the which the nature of the yroÌ„ is capable not those which ouer throwe the nature of the yron And in like manner that those forces and proprieties of the godhead be transferred into the body of Christ of the which the nature of the body is capable not those which ouerthrow the nature of the body For we must â—uer haue recourse to that worthy shying of S. Austen he gaue immortallity to his body but he tooke not awaye the nature of the body neyther is the godhead of the man so to be mainteined that the truth of the body be destroyed But why do I stand vpon this poynt why doth my spéech so long waÌ„der why doe I not open the spring of this controuersy For al this conteÌ„tion floweth froÌ„ the question aboute the presence of the naturall body of Christ being in the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ For if that matter be once ordered and adiudged the other will soone be ended But that is a matter of great importaunce of the greatest in the worlde it oughte not to be handled but warely and reuerently most warely and most reuerently Your good name shal be rent with the bad spéeches not only of the enemies but of the enuious I refer that to god The matter is very hard The questyon to too darke discoursed in Sermons Jossed in disputations varyed of through all Christendome and as it should séeme of passing great difficulty God will helpe out with that whose both helpe we most humbly pray and busines most faythfully do out of whose most blessed and most certayne most true wordes all the reste of our spéeche shall grow It is written in the .26 Chapter of the Gospell after S. Mathewe in this wise when Jesus had taken bread and blest he did breake and gaue to the Disciples and sayd take ye eate ye this is my body And taking the Cup after he had geuen thanks he gaue to them saying drink all ye of this For this is my blood of the new Testament which is shed for many for the forgeuenesse of sinnes And in the .14 after S. Marke when Jesus had taken the bread and geuen thanks he did breake and gaue to them and sayd Take yée eate yée this is my body and when he had taken the Cuppe and geuen thanks he gaue to them and sayd Drinke ye all of this and he sayde to them this is my blood of the newe testament which is shead for many And in the .22 after S. Luke when he had taken bread and geuen thankes he brake and gaue to them saying This is my body which is geuen for you doe you this in remembraunce of me Likewise also the cuppe after he had supped saying This cuppe is the new testameÌ„t in my blood which is shed for many Lastly saint Paule to the Corinthians the .xj. Chapter and the fyrst Epistle The Lorde tooke breade and when he had giuen thankes he brake and said Take ye eate ye this is my body which is broken for you do ye this in remembrance of me Likewise also the cup after he had supped saying this cup is the newe testament in my bloude Doe ye thys as often as you shall drinke in remembraunce of me For as oft as you shall eate this bread and drinke of this cup you shall shewe the Lordes death vntill his comming I haue set downe the whole words of the holye ghost done out of greeke into Englishe worde by worde That so good a foundation being layde the rest that foloweth myght be the more fyrmly builded thervpon Let vs nowe view and waigh all these things Christ toke the same bread in his hande which was vpon the table Christ gaue to his Disciples the same breade and whiles he was giuing the breade to his disciples he speaketh as before whiles his Disciples eate this breade whiles they did broose it with their téeth and swallowed it into their stomaks where was christ was be not at the table did he not speak to theÌ„ did he not both eate drink with them was he not séene hearde and touched In which place was the bodye of Christ In the mouth and stomack of his disciples or at the table where they both sawe Christ and heard Christ if you say in both places Then this followeth That eyther Christ had two bodies or else that there was two christs both which aunsweres be very vngodly and absurde But you wil say the words be plaine for Christ saide plainely and distinctly This is my body This is my bloude Neyther is it lyke that Christ woulde speake doubtfully in the last talke that he had with his disciples I graunt the words be plaine after the maner of misteries in the which things subiect to the sense doe represent and shewe things which be taken onely of a godly minde and by a religious fayth I graunt that Christ gaue his bodye and that his Disciples toke it and eate it not after a naturall and grosse maner but after a supernaturall that is he heauenly and spirituall What then doe you denie that the breade is the bodye of Christ That the wine is the bloud of Christ not I truely But I saye that they be so in truth of religion sacrament and mistery and not by chaunging of nature element or substaunce For Christ doth call the breade his body but he doth not say that it is chaunged into his bodye Then you call it breade and the holye writer of this holy Storie doth himselfe call it breade the wordes be these He toke breade he gaue thankes he brake he gaue doth he not meane by this circumstance of wordes to make the matter plaine I praye you what toke he bread What brake he the same bread What gaue he the same bread For that that he toke that he brake and that that he brake that he gaue to hys Disciples and that that he gaue to his disciples that did his disciples eate But bicause it is a mistery