creaturs and thynke not on that breade which the baker hath baked but on hym that called him selfe the breade of lyfe who is signified by the misticall breade Saynte Ambrose also â—pon the Sacrament writeth these wordes Thys bread that goeth into the bodye is not so scrupelouslye sought of vs but the breade of eternall lyfe whyche vpholdeth the substaunce of oure soule Saint Augustine also writeth on this â—n the .xxviii â—â—rmon vpon 〈◊〉 Lorddes â—ordes in â—uke wyse Vse you thys bread dayly or do you after the custome of the Grekes in the easte parte who receyue it at the yeares ende If you thinke these meÌ„ to be none of the church why do not your honourable Lordes burne theyr bookes as well as they dyd the Bible wyth other pore mens bokes wherein was nothynge els conteyned but that is also in these mennes bokes But to what purpose were it for me to spende muche tyme in reprouyng your honourable fathers doyngs seynge my lyfe tyme would not suffice to do it anye thynge to the purpose And to pull you backe agayne froÌ„ your detestable blindnes I thynke it impossible For Paule writyng to the Hebre. sayth It is not possible that they whych be once illuminate and haue tasted of the heauenlye gyfte and be made partakers of the holye Gooste and that haue also tasted of the good worde of God and of the powers of the worlde to come are slypped out agayne to be brought againe vnto peniteÌ„ce for that in asmuch as in them lyeth they haue crucisied the son of God anewe for theyr owne pleasure hauynge him in dirision Thys notwythstandynge the mercye of God is vpon all hys worckes and thynges not possible to maÌ„ are possible to God who knoweth the secretes of your herte whether you fell of weakenes thorowe the feare of death or of contempte If of weakenes as it is our partes to iudge then dispayre not For God hathe aboundaunce of mercye in store wherin you shal haue your part if you repente I woulde wyshe that youre scholemaisters and you myght be wonne by this my laboure But if your hertes be so stony that the truth can take no rote therin it shal suffice me if other the symple membres of Christ hauynge light may escape the stumblynge stockes that you haue layed in theyr waye For theyr sakes therfore chiefely and for you and suche other if it be possible that you maye be brought from your blyndenes I haue enterprised thys daungerouse labour And for that thys Article as it is fyrst so is it the chefe and principall wherof the most parte of the other do depende and hange I am the more earnest in the confutation therof knowynge for certentie that the consciences boeth of you and of your honourable scholmaisters are on my syde But feare to lose the Lordlyke lyuynges of thys worlde preuayleth agaynste vs boeth You say with the pharises Ne forte Romani But I doubt not the good mould shal brynge forth fruite by receyuyng the seed Knowynge that neither the God head can be made of any other substaunce nother the breade and wyne turned into Christes fleshe and bloude at all tymes when it shal please the prieste to play a masse mooste superstitiouslye breathynge out the wordes that oure Sauioure Christe spake to no suche purpose For as S. Augustine â—pon Iohn the .xxx treaâ—ise sayeth it maye be in one place onelye And as the same Augustine writeth to Dardanus We muste take good heede that we make not so diuine a thynge of thys bodye that we denie it to be a body For it foloweth not that all thynges whyche be in Christe shoulde be in all places at once as Christ is For then shoulde we also be in all places at once For the scripture doth truely record of vs that we lyue moue and be in hym It is manifest therfore that notwithstanding the wordes pronounced by the prieste the breade and wine remaine in their natural propertie euen after the consecration as you call it Shaxton ⧠The seconde Article THe sayed blessed Sacramente beynge once consecrated is remayneth styl the very body and bloud of our sauioure Christ althoughe it be reserued not preseÌ„tly distributed Crowley Thys Article is a braunche of the otheâ— and is not in credite wyth theÌ„ that haue the other in suspition Wherefore haueynge sufficientlye spoken of the other it shall not nede me to tarye longe vpon thys Neuertheles bicause I perceyue you go aboute to hange an other article vpon thys I shal by the healpe of God make hym so bare that your other shal take no holde therat Wher as you saye therfore that thys Sacramente beynge once consecrated remayneth styl the verye bodye and bloude of Christe I muste ashe you this questian Whether the bodye and bloude of oure sauioure Christe be corruptible and maie putrifie or not I am certayne of it you wyll saye no. Well then muste I aske you an other question If the Sacramente be longe kepte paste the tyme that breade and wyne wyll naturallye be swete wyll it not be mouldy râ—tten and sower I doubte not but you wyll saye yea For your holy father made a lawe that you shoulde shyfte the pyxe euerye moneth puttyng into it newe consecrated cakes and spende the olde the wine maye not be kept at al but preseÌ„tly spent wheÌ„ it is consecrated bycause it will sone be sower Is not all thys true I am sure you can not deny it Wel then wyl I coÌ„clude wyth this questioÌ„ If the substaunce of the sacrameÌ„te I meane the naturall substaunce maye be musty rotten and sower and the bodye and bloud of Christe whyche you saye is the onelye substaunce of the Sacramente can not by anye meanes putrifie I praye you tell me howe the bodye and bloud remayneth in the Sacrament beynge reserued and what thynge it is that doeth therin receyue putrifaction Perchaunce you wyll answere me as youre scholmaisters are wonte to answere when men saye they fele see and taste breade and wyne in the Sacrament The qualities say they do remain but the substaunce is chauÌ„ged into the bodye and bloude But when the Sacramente shall be corrupted I thynke your scholemaisters you wil saye that the substaâ—â—ce remaineth and the qualities be chaunged That is to saye the bodye and bloude of Christe whych as you say is the onelye substaunce of the Sacramente remayneth vncorrupted but the qualities that is to saye swetenes clearâ—es whytenes al other the qualities of breade and wyne do corrupte Would God youre greate maister Aristotle myghte heare you make thys answere I doubte not he woulde beare no more wyth you then he dyd wyth hys maister Plato in the opinioÌ„ of the eternitie of the worlde But you wyll saye perchaunce What shoulde we do wyth Aristotle in these matters Aristotle was a manne that builded altogyther vpon reason but in thys thynge we muste stycke to fayeth and let reason passe But wyth your patience
of natioÌ„s he reproueth the thoughtes of the people and the councels of princes but the councell of the Lorde abydeth for euer Psalme .xxxiii And amonge those forsayed syx articles I moste distent from other in the SacrameÌ„t of Christes blessed bodye and bloude For where as they say that vnder the accidentes whyche be there by a miracle wythout any substance is conteyned the naturall bodye and bloude of Christe our Sauioure I denye those fayned miracles saye that there doeth still remayne bread and wyne in their kynde and be consecrated by the inuisible workynge of the holye Goste to be a sacramente sygne or token of the blessed body of our Sauioure Christ torne on the crosse for oure redemption And as towchynge these wordes thys is my bodye that is geuen for you for as muche as they be a parte of the scripture euen oure sauioure Christes wordes of him that neuer made lie I beleue theÌ„ to be certayne and true in that sense that he spake theim and meante theim Thys is my sure fayeth wherfore I am herein far frome any peryle of herisie althoughe I wade no farther therin at al but euen prison my wit reason and vnderstanding into the obsequie seruice and obedience of Christe and fayth and say to my selfe thus For as muche as manye and excellentelye learned men varye wythin them selues in the interpretation of this sentence thys is my bodye â–ª et cetera therefore it muste nedes 〈…〉 and saye The thinges that we haue hearde and sene we muste â—eades speake Lamente your ouerthrow and wepe wyth Peter and he that made him stroÌ„ge againe shal strengthen you also Thus I leaue you to Christ Whom I mooste hertelye beseche to plucke out of your herte the doctrine that your .iiii. scholemaisters taughte you and plante in you agayne the doctrine of hys heauenlye father to youre saluation the establishinge of the consciences of them whome your fall dyd offende For whose sakes I haue taken in hande to confute youre Articles trustynge that God wyll so worcke in the heries of them and you boeth that you shall all reioyce wyth me for your deliueraunce from that deuilleishe doctrine that you saye you learned of those deuynes that were sent to you in the tyme of your laste imprisonment ⧠Hereafter foloweth the true copie of the Articles with the confutation of the same ¶ Shaxton ¶ The fyrste Article ALmyghtie God by the power of hys word pronouÌ„ced by the priest at masse in the coÌ„secration turneth the breade and wyne into the very natural bodye and bloude of our sauiour Iesus Christe So that after the consecration there remayneth no substaunce of breade and wyne but only the substaunce of Christ God and man Crowley Thys is sone spoken But to proue by the scriptures that it is true therein lieth all the difficultie of the matter Here I am sure your foure scholemaisters wyll saye That it is done is manifeste by the scriptures But howe it is done reason can not attayne to knowe Wherefore we muste agaynste reason beleue the wonderful worke of God aboue reason Yet am not I satisfied Neither can I beleue that they can proue by the scripturs that the breade and wyne are turned into the bodye and bloud of Christ Let your scholmaisters therefore or els do you theyr scholer shew me what scripture you haue for thys youre opinion I am certayne you haue none at al â–ª excepte it be one that you are wont to wrest for your purpose and that is thys The Lorde Iesus in the same night in the whyche he was betrayed toke breade gaue thankes and brake it sayinge Take ye eate ye thys is my bodye whyche is broken for you Hereupon I am sure you wil infer his conclution Ergo the breade is turned into hys bodye For the selfe same almyghtye God whyche by hys worde created al thinges of nought hath spokeÌ„ these wordes and is much more able to alter and chaunge the nature of thynges that be then he was to make the same thynges of nought Wherfore cetera Thus haue ye coÌ„firmed this parte TheÌ„ saye you of the wyne After the same maner also he toke the cup when supper was done and sayed Thys cup is the newe testament in my bloud Thys do as ofteÌ„ as ye drinke it in the remembraunce of me Here say you and your scholemaisters The same Christe whych is able to perfourme hys word hath sayed of the breade and wyne that they are hys bodye and bloude Ergo they muste nedes be hys very naturall body and bloud al substaunce of breade and wyne turned into the same I doubte not but ther is all that you and your scholemaisters woulde desyre me to conclude for your purpose To thys I wyth Goddes helpe wyl make suche answere that you and all other youre fauters shal be ashamed to wreste it so farre oute of tune here after For the fyrste parte you shal vnderstand that I haue taken the text wrytten by saynct Paul to the Corinthyans bycause this place of Paule is an exposition of the same matter wrytteÌ„ by the Euangelistes They writ that Christe toke breade and blessed gaue it to hys disciples But Paule wrytynge to a people that knewe not what thys blissing that the Iewes vsed shoulde meane he calleth that same blessynge thankes geuynge Declarynge therby hat the blyssynge that the Iewes vsed whyche our sauiour Christ also vsed in thys actioÌ„ was not altogyther such crossing gestures as our masse masters vse but coÌ„â—rarywyse voyd of al suche foleish toyes and replenished wyth all Godlye veneration and thankes geuynge Exemple of thyshane me in the stories of Abraham Isaas and Iacob wyth other the fathers or the olde Testamente Seynge therfore that Christ toke bread gaue thankes it muste nedes folowe that he gaue suche thankes as the fathers the patriarckes and Prophetes vsed to geue Neyther makyng sygne of the crosse nor of the galow tree for it had bene all one to make the sygne of the crosse then and to make the signe of the galow tre uow For as theues and all other perniciouse felowes be nowe hanged on the galowe tree so were they then on che crosse but wyth reuerente gesture of the bodye and vpryghte countenaunce towarde heauen he called on the name of hys father moste humbly besechynge hym to worcke inwardly in the hertes of hys Apostles the thynge that he entended to declare to theim by a visible signe And. S. Paule calleth thys blessyng a thankes geuynge bycause the fathers dyd alwayes vse in the beginnyng of this blessing to geue thankes to God for the greate merrye that he had allwayes shewed vnto them In token whereof they committed vnto hys mercye also theyr dearlye beloued children most humbly besechyng hym to shew lyke mercye vnto theim in prosperynge the succession of theyr enheritaunce that they by the assistent grace of God myght walke in the feare of the Lorde from generation to generation foreuer Thus dyd Christe
other I woulde fayne know of you what the sellers do gaine by thys Doubtlesse as I suppose more then al the rest For they obtaine thys worlds welth therby what so euer the other haue What they shall lose at the daye of the Lorde iudge you I trust not to be par tener wyth them in theyr gaynes But thys I wyl say to you If thys be such an applicatioÌ„ as you make it you are far vncharitable that haueynge a competente portion to lyne vpon do not continually occupie youre selfe therin seynge you be called thereunto Yea I thinke it no lesse theÌ„ your bouÌ„den dutye so to do seynge you be called to so hygh a ministration as to applye the merites of Christe to mens soules But to auoyde this greate trauaylle it shall be beste for you to saye as the pardoners dyd by theyr pardoÌ„s and as your purgatorye prieste saye No peâ—ye no Pater noster the money muste fyrste applye your sacrifices and then your sacrifices muste apply Goddes mercies Oh moste detestable and more theÌ„ blasphemouse doctrine Shall youre fonde inâ—â—â—tions applye the merites of Christe to the soule of maÌ„ Shal not the faith in Christ do thys thynge Shall wee loke to be made partakers wyth hym by other meanes then he hath appointed Wyl you villayne wret rhes take vpon you to make marchaundise of Christes merytes Ye blynde guydes heare the threatnings Esai .v. of the prophet Wo be to you that cal good ruyll and euyll good lyght darckenes and darckenes lyghte If it be good to truste in youre applycations then is oure sayeth in vayne If we maye receyue Christes merites wythout youre applications then are they vayne That we maye do so is marifeste by that many receyued them before youre applications were inuented And wher haue you any commaundemente in the scriptures thus to applye Christes merites at youre pleasure Wyll you apply the merytes of Christe to the membres of the deuyll What adulterer what ertorcioner what vsurer what whormonger what murtherer wyll not you saye masse for if you be hyered And do you not saye that the masses whyche you synge and sayeare the application of Christes merites to them that you say them for Oh adulterous generation Forget not Esay .v. the forsayed cursse of the prophete Wobe vnto you that cal good euyl and euyl good You saie it is good to purchase your chauntres trentalles and dirige masses for the healthe of our soules boeth whylse we be alyue here and wheÌ„ we be deade But to trust in the deathe of Christe onelye and to bestowe our ryches vpoÌ„ the lyuely Images of God the blynde lame and impotent creatures regardynge nothinge of your apylhe applications you saye is herisie Thorowe you are the people prouoked to anger and are become the chyldren of lies refusyng to here the lawe of God To them that se they saye se not And to them that serche out they Esai .x xx saye searche not oute for vs the thynges that be straight and good Speake to vs the thinges that please vs. Seeke oute erroures for vs. Alas for you mouste miserable men if it were better to be tyed to a milstone and cast into the sea then in offende one of the leaste lyttle ones that beleue in Christe what plages raÌ„ you hope to escape that haue and do daylye offende so manye Is not the whole multitude of the people brought to such pas by your vngodlye preachinges and whisperinges in eares that they hate euen to death al them that preach the pure worde of God voied of al the dregges of Dunsse learning and mans traditioÌ„s Preach to vâ— say they the doctrine that onre fathers folowed It was neuer mery in EnglaÌ„de sence the newe Testament and Christ was somuch spoken of Thys is youre doynge This is the fruit of your popeish preaching Repent you of thys O you Romeishe merchauntes for your citye shal fal the great destruction therof is at hande Shaxton The seuenth Article IT is not a thynge of necessitie that the Sacrament of the aultare should be ministered vnto the people vnder boeth the kyndes of breade wyne And it is nont abuse that the same be ministred to the people vnder the one kynde for as muche as in euerye of boeth the kyndes whole Christe boeth body and bloude is conseyned Crowley As the wordes of thys Article be placed they seme to teache that in some thynge ther is none abuse thoughe the thynge whoche ought of necessitie to be done be left vndone But I wyl not greatlye stryue wyth you in thys matter Idyd onely thynke it good by the way to touch it bicause you shuld know howe spttle diligence and learnynge is shewed in your Article As for the meanyng of youre article I take it to be none other but that the robbynge of the people of one parte of the communion is none abuse No mar uaile though you be of this opinion for you teache it to be none abuse to take the whole from them vsurping to your selfe the thing wherof by ryght ye ought not to be partakers And as it semeth by your negligeÌ„ce in the ministration therof it is agaynste youre wyll that you distribute that one parte once in the pere Yea a man caÌ„ gather none other by the externall sygnes but that the money you receyue at Ester is the onelye cause of your administratioÌ„ then For thys you will be sure of The money shal be payed before you wyll minister And then one mans â—â—â—ney is as good as an others Paye the some and theÌ„ ye are al welcome But he that hath nought to paye must eyther begge or tarye on other daye Yet can I alowe the order of the tauerns to be much better then thys For there a man shall eate his breade and drinke hys wyne and then cal for a rekenyng Yea he shal haue more for his farthynge theÌ„ you wyll geue hym for his .ii. pence And as you saye youre selfe the wyne is as good in the tauecue as when you gyue it to the people For you bestowe not so muche as one â—rossynge or whisperyng ouer it Marye I thynke you inyxe it wyth water to declare that ther ran boeth water and bloude out of our Sauioure Christes syde And as for the breade you saye is none but fleshe in the lykenes of breade And in the ministratioÌ„ therof you speake in a straunge tonge as iuglers do bycause men shoulde thynke the wordes to be the worckers of the feate I speake these wordes to declare your sacrament to be no communion but a Romyshe merchaundise Wherfore it shoulde be none abuse at all thoughe both the parts were takeÌ„ froÌ„ the people and you to But to witholde the one parte of the coÌ„munion of the body and bloude of Christ from the people I laye and wylby the ayde of God prour that it is no lesse abuse theÌ„ to teach that Christ shed not his bloud to theÌ„ Fyrste we muste knowe â–ª
whether it were necessarye for Christe to iâ—stitute the communion vnder boeth the kyndes or not If it were necessarye as I thynke you wyll not denye then is it also necessarye that al as manye as shall be admitted to that communion do also receyâ—e it vnder boeth kâ—ndes Othereâ—s were the one parte instituted in vayne For other vie is there none of thys sacrameÌ„t but to be receyued of the faythful beleuers to remembre the deathe of Christe thereby and to certifie theyr owne consciences of the part they haue with him in al hys deserninges of the couplinge togyther of al the fayethful meÌ„bres of Christes churche into one body by faith But if you be so shaÌ„les that you wyl deny that Christ did necessarilie instituted the coÌ„mmion in boeth the kyndes then wyll I saye vnto you that he could not otherwyse haue declared vnto vs the misterye of hys â—leshe and bloud theÌ„ by boeth the kyndes For what other thyng is the mistery of the flesh and bloud of Christ then that lyke as the body lyueth by breade and brothe receyâ—ed by the mouthe so doeth the soule lyue by the merites and deseâ—â—ynges of Christe in the fleshe receyued by faieth as by the mouth of the soule And thys is it that Christe speaketh of Iohn .vi. Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drynke his bloude you shal haue no life in you So that if he woulde by visible signes declare vnto vs that his fleshe bloude are the necessarie fode of oure foules no remedye he muste nedes do it by the necessary fode of oure bodyes Seynge therefore that the broth or lycoure is as necessarye for the sustinaunce of our bodyes as the breade is it could not be but necessary to institute this Sacrament or misterye in boeth Well now I am sure you wyll not denye the necessitie of institutynge the communion in boeth the kyndes But thus perhappes you wyll say wyth your scholmaisters that as the Apostels who onelye were presente at the institution therof were priestes so is it onelye necessarye that priestes receyue it in boeth the kyndes For the wordes of the supper beynge spoken to the Apostles must extend no farther then to theyr successours If al the Apostles were priestes then is it like that the ordre of knaue traitour priestes hath bene deriued euen frome the Apostles tyme. For there was one amonge them that was a knaâ—e a traitour And therupoÌ„yoâ—â— ground I am sure that a knaâ—e priest may celebrate receyue the sacrameÌ„t in both the kyndes bycause he is the successoure of one of the Apostles whyche was a knaue Buâ— nowe to the purpose That all the Apostles were priestes I deâ—â—â— For Iudas whoe was no membre of Christe coulde not be a prieste Here if you wyll saye that then manye of oure priestes at thys daye be no priestes bycause some of theym be membres of the deuyl I wyl not greatly stycke to grauÌ„t you thaâ— conclusion For if you speake of a prieste whyche is signified by thys worde Sacerdos I say the church of Christ knoweth none other priesthode but that whych â—s spoken of in the fyrste of the reuelations And of that ordre is none that is not the tru membre of Christe And suche one offereth hys owne membres an acceptable sacrifice to God And euery one that offereth this sacrifice is a prieste of thys ordre thoughe he be neyther shauen nor annoynted And such priestes were al the apostles Iudas only excepted they onelye are the apostâ—es successours that offer this sacrifice And therfore ought they aâ— â–ª they only to receiue both the kindes of the communion For amongest other theÌ„ these can ther be no communion of Christes bodye and bloude though they deuoure neuer so manye sacramentes to theyr owne condemnation But if you speake of a prieste which is signified by this word presbiter that is to say an elder I wyll say your priests for the most part are elderly inough and so old musty barters that they wil hold no newe wyne And so are they not the successoures of the Apostles vnlesse it were of the Apostle Iudas the traytoure for they were elders able to gouern the people with Godly doâ—trine and ensample of lyfe I coÌ„clude therefore that as manye of your priestes as are not the true membres of Christe are as good priestes as Iudas was apostle and do God as good seruise in sellynge hys Sacramentes as Iudas dyd in sellyng his sonne Wel let vs returne to the words of the supper to proue whether they wil birefe vs of the one parte or nâ— The wordes spoken of the breade are these Take ye eate ye thys is my bodye whych is broken for you And of the cup is sayed Dryuke euery one of you of thys for thys is my bloude in the new testament which shalbeshed for manye into remissioÌ„ of sinnes â–ª Now tel me if any of the true meÌ„bres of Christ may lefully be de feated of any of these parts If ye may wyth hold any part froÌ„ theÌ„ it must be the bread ra ther theÌ„ the wine For it is saied of the wine Drynke euery one of you of thys Euen as though he would haue said Take hede you be not defeated of thys parte There shall come bribours that shall withholde it froÌ„ a great nuÌ„bre of your successours saying that I spake these wordes to you onely to suche as shoulde beare the name of my ministers And therfore they heynge none of youre successours and yet boestynge them selues to be your onely successours shall vsurpe to them selues thys part of your communion But teach you in al the world that the wordes whych I speake vnto you I speake vnto as many as shal trulye professe my name Drynke you euery one of this Wherfore I conclude that it is a thynge of necessitie that the communion be ministered in boeth the kyndes to all the fayethfull membres of Christ And that if is the an abuse to minister it to anye of them vnder one kynde onelye But because I perceiue wheÌ„se this great erroure of yours springeth I shal somwhat speake therof For asmuch as saye you vnder eyther of boeth the partes is conteined whole Christ body and bloud it must nedes folow that it is none abuse to minister to the people vnder one kynde onely An assertion worthy a fleshly philosopher sauourynge more of Aristotle theÌ„ of Christ For if it were graunted that the sacramentall breade were turned into a lyueynge bodye then woulde Aristotle saye that there must nedes be bloud in the same or els some other humoure of the same nature to supply the office of bloude Hetherto Aristotle taketh youre parte But when you saye that in the bloude muste nedes be whole Christe boeth bodie and bloude there Aristotle leaueth you For he is not of the opinion that the whole ought to be presente wyth euerye part though he affyrme the partes to be necessarylye presente wyth the whole
But if you wyll hearken to hym in all hys assertions he wyll teache you that in euerie naturall bodie must nedes be a fourme quantie and qualitie to represeÌ„t it to oure eyes And that we must deserne and knowe the bodies one from an other by theyr quantities qualities fourme that they be of But I doubt not you wyl forsake Aristotle in thys point wherefore I shall desyre you to forsake hym in the other also I woulde wyshe you either to be an whole diuine other eis to giue ouer diuitie for all togyther and become a mere Philosopher For al mouÌ„grels are abhominable before God I could spend much time wyth you in thys matter but that I thynke it tyme loste to braule any longer with your beastiye reason But briefelye I shall conclude admonishynge the fayethfull reader to marke well the sure foundation of youre Article to be set vpon Aristotles grounde and yet contrarye to hys mynde And wyth howe small circumspection you wryt when you saye that the whole Christ is conteyned vnder eyther of boeth the kindes when you name nought els there but bodye bloude As though whole Christe were nought els Shaxton The eyght Article IT is no derogation to the vertue of the masse thoughe the prieste receyue the sacramente alone and none other receyue it wyth hym Crowley In dede it is no derogation to the vertue of the masse that the prieste onely receyueth the Sacramente Yea it is the onely vpholdinge strenghthynge defence of the masse when the prieste eateth and drinketh vp all hymselfe For if he shoulde distribute it to anye other and make theim partakers wyth hym it shoulde not then be a masse whyche name cometh from the market of Rome but a communion And if you wyll saye as I suppose your meanynge is in thys Article that it is no derogation to the vertue of the communion of the bodye bloud of Christ that the prieste receyueth it alone then must I nedes saye that it is so greate derogation to the vertue thereof that it is therby declared to be no communioÌ„ at al. For the whole strength and vertue therof is to signifie vnto vs the death of Christe our deliueraunce by the same and the wonderfull knittynge togyther of all the receyuers therof into one bodye by the faith in Christ the head of the same body And this vertue hath it not wheÌ„ it is receiued of the priest onely neyther can it haue For the distributinge of it amonge manye and the commune receyuynge of it are the thynges wherâ—n is declared vnto the receiuers that the body and bloud of Christ were not the priece of one mans sinnes onelye but of manye euen as manye as should certaynlye put theyr truste in hym and that the same bâ—leuers are thorow beliefe in hym become membres of one bodye euen as the breade whereof they be parteners is but one loffe or piese of bread made of manye grains of corne The receyuyng of the priest therefore is asmuch derogation to the coÌ„munion as the vse of one coÌ„trary can be to an other Neyther can blacke distayne whyte more then the masse distayneth the communion For to make that thynge priuate whiche of it owne nature is commune is to take the same thing cleane away and to putte the contrarye in hys place Shaxton The .ix. Article THe masse vsed in this reame of EnglaÌ„d is agreable to the institution of Christe And we haue in this church of Englande the very true sacrament whych is the verye true Sacramente whyche is the very true sacrament whych is the very body and bloude of oure Samoure Christe vnder the fourme of bread and wyne Crowley ¶ Who so compareth the wordes of the scriptures concernynge the moste sacret coÌ„â—â—â—ion instituted by Christe the nyght before he suffered wyth the bechynges dowkyngs crowchynges knelynges tossinges crossynges wynkynges starynges whisperynges galpyngs turnes and halfe turnes that are prescribed in the cannon of poure masse maye ealylye perceyue howe they agre Let vs therfore brieflye compare them that the trueth of your article maye appeare as it is Fyrst the Gospel sayeth that Christ toke breade not prepared for that purpose but of the same breade that they had de eaten wyth the pascall Lambe but youre cannon sayeth you muste haue wafers or els you can make no God Christe blessed after the maner of the fathers geuynges thankes to hys father for the preseruation of those lyttleons whom he had receyued but your caÌ„non sayeth here make one crosse and here an other here three crosses and here other three one wyth your thombe in your forheade an other vpon your crowne wyth the patell of the chalice wyth I wot not how many mo Christ distributed the bread to hys disciples whoe were then presente but youre cannon sayeth ye muste hoyce it ouer youre heade that the people maye honour it as God And when you haue played with it a while your cannot sayeth you muste eate all your selfe Christe toke the same cup and the same drincke that was communely vsed amonge the people of the countrye but your cannon sayth no remedy you must haue a cup made after the prescripte fasbion whyche muste nedes be hatlowed by the byshop And for the drynke you muste nedes haue wyne in a bottell whyche muste be red wyne if ther be any to be gotten that is not sower I thynke bycause that wyne loketh mostlyke bloude Christe coÌ„maunded all hys fayethful dearlynges whych were there presente to drinke of that coppe but your cannon byddeth the prieste drinke all hym selfe and to lycke the chalyce when he hathe done bycause there shoulde nothynge escape hys syppes Christ byddeth hys fayethful do that whyche they sawe hym do in a remeÌ„braunce of hys death but your cannon byddeth you say thus To the holye father we offer thys lyuely sacrifice for the redemption of the soules of thy churche Here maye you se christian readers how thys masse vsed in thys realme of England greeth with the institutioÌ„ of Christ Now let vs se whether in this church of EnglaÌ„de we haue the very true sacrameÌ„t or not I doubte not but we haue it But that it is the same which ye cal the bodie bloude of Christ I can not be perswaded bicause the body and bloude of Christe can be no Sacramente For as S. Augustine defineth a sacrameÌ„te â—d Marcelli â—um .ii. is a sygne referred to an holye thing If this therfore wherof you speake be the bodye of Christe as you saye it is then can it not be a sacramente that is the sygne of an holye thynge for it is the holye thynge it selfe So that you muste eyther denye it to be the bodye and bloude of Christe eyther els the sacrameÌ„t therof For onethyng can not be both sygne thynge signified bicause they be in that respect most coÌ„trary the one to the other But I knowe your holde in this matter You say not that the substaunce of the bread and
rage Twyg it sharply til that it doth swage Custome thys watche and praye God wil geue the his gift I dare well saye Hys promise wyll he surely fulfyll So thou aske thus sekest knockest styl Praye longe inough wythout this Thou teÌ„ptest God not doing that in the is And so prayinge cannest not obtayne But synnest greately labourest in vayne ⧠Probatum est is founde sure It shall heale the put it in vâ—e I Thought beste to write it in rime To remembre it the better in due tyme The ryme is base the medicine is good But to vse it ryght passeth flesh bloud So doeth it to thynke a good thought Desyre or do well can we nought To praye some while a man is content To the reste euen contrarywyse bent Yet by grace all maye be done Thoughe the fleshe rebelleth eft sone I haue learned saith Paule in whatsoeuer state I am in therwith to be coÌ„têt erly late I can be lowe I know also to excede In all thynges am I enstructe in dede Boeth to be satiate and eke to be hungry To suffer nede and also to haue plenty I can do all in hym that me conforteth So shal he do that duly to Christ resorteth To the wyllyng ther is nothyng to hard If good wyll be gone al is but marde Put good wyll to if and boldly begyn Thou hast half done coÌ„tinue thou shalt win Thine enterprice I put the out of doubte Hope in God he wil bring it well about I wyll ioyne hereto a larger declaration At more leasure in solute oration Read it frende but set affection a syde Wher it is couÌ„cellour ther is a leude guide Read it soberly and be no lenger blynde Blasyheme not God neither be to him vnâ—nd Say not it is impossible to liue chalte By Gods grace easilie do it thou maist Wythout whom we can do nothynge By whome to effecte we shall it well bringe The thing is harde but loue maketh it light None shal be crowned but he lawfully sight This crown is not traunsitory nor corruptible But euerlasting glorious immarcissible Which graunt vs God persoÌ„s thre The euer liuynge blessed trinitie AMEN ⧠To Nicolas Shaxton If Paule had knowê it to be Gods wyll To haue this medicine put in vre Thinke you it had passed his skill To vse the same in hys greate cure Me durste prescribe no remedie 1. Cor vil Agaynste fleshlye incontinence But onely chaste matrimonie Whyche kylleth all concupiscence Wherfore ech christian I exhorte To chose a make of honest minde To whose chaste bed they may resorte And do as nature doeth them bynde Finis Quod R. C. ⧠The true Coipe of a letter which the faithfull in suffolke made gaue it vnto Nicolas Shaxton when he had recaÌ„ted in London and came to Hadley to declare the same A Wonderfull dreade maie be vnto the coÌ„science of those which are in daunger of the threateninge that Christe speaketh in the Gospel of Luke the .xvii. chap. that sayth It is vnpossible that offences should not come but vnto hym by whom they come it were better for hym that a mylstone were haÌ„ged about his necke be caste into the sea theÌ„ that he shold ossend one of these littleons Oh Shaxton shaxtoÌ„ take hede to your self now although you haue in your recaÌ„tation saied you were not perfectly sene in the scripture Yet howe can you excuse your selfe but that you be the offêder of many a pore soule But now you saye ye are better learned thê you were before Well seyng that you haue bene so wel scholled sithence you went to LoÌ„don it may be well gathered that you were simply learned afore And yet to saye the trueth youre learninge is not greatly augmented sitheÌ„ce For these be the doctrines of men and not of the holy Gost that ye haue now set forth in your recaÌ„tatioÌ„ which ye wold that we shold earnestly beleue and folowe not one title of the lyuelye worde of God haue ye authorised your dreaming articles withal vnto the whiche blessed S. Paule woulde that we should gyue no credite althonghe you were an Angell of heauen and had spoken them Oh merciful Lord thou that hast all grace it is thou that canst maist illumine the coÌ„science of all menne So that they shall not deny the trueth We besech the O Lord eueÌ„ for the trueth sake graunte that thys loste shepe may come home agayne to thy graciouse folde not fearinge the worldly punishmentes of princes rulers but boldelye to coÌ„fesse with al the holy prophetes and Apostles thy eternal wysdome whiche thou hast coÌ„maunded thy son the bishop onely sauiour of our soules Iesu Christ to declare And that with thy sernaunte Peter he maye weepe bitterlye for that he hathe denied the which art our gratiouse God Oh ShaxtoÌ„ Shaxton praye to oure mercifull God that he may geue the hys grace againe For many by the are offended whose coÌ„science be so assured in Gods trueth that nother fyre nor hâ—â—er can plucke it oute of theyr hertes Although in scileÌ„ce they do mourne yet thinke not but those newe vessels whiche are filleâ— with new wine must nedes haue hys vente You know that if we should hold our peace the stones in the streate wyl speke to declare the glorye of oure eternal god Yea ye haue brought your self in such case that none wil trust you which is illuminate with christes veritie Oh Shaxton weye in your coÌ„scieÌ„ce And marke well to thend what glory to our Lord god thou shouldest haue offred if thou haddest staÌ„d strong in the vndoubted trueth of God ended thy life in that thou tokeste in haÌ„de thou stodest manfully to coÌ„deÌ„natioÌ„ Alas whi didest thou not perceiner thou saidest at thy departing froÌ„ vs wheÌ„ thou were seÌ„t for to London that either thou wouldest burne or els forsake Gods trueth In dede thou prophesiedest truly but it was more to preserue thy fleshe theÌ„ to honour the eternal god with thy deth thou fearedest theÌ„ the vn queÌ„chable fire that iseuerlasting Thou stoÌ„bleist at the stone wher other wyth a stroÌ„ge fayth weÌ„t ouer Thou forsokest this but we pray God that for it thou findest not death euerlastinge Thou laideste thy hande vnto Gods plough but thou lokedest backward Thou deniedest thy onelye sauioure before meÌ„ yea thou waste ashamed of him of his word Thou haste vtterly forsakeÌ„ the head-corner stone whiche thy fayeth should haue bent coupled wholy to it it is to be thought that sit hence your laste scholyng at London thou hast betrayed the innocent bloud Alas Shaxton remembre that our sauioure Christ in al the holy scriptures nor yet none of hys Apostles hathe promised vs in thys life to lyue wythoute anye trouble in thys worlde but for his wordes sake to be called a reprobat a seditious persoÌ„ an heritike one that goeth aboute to make insurrection these with such other names must hys elect suffer so to be called
blesse and brake it If I shoulde aske you what he brake I doubte not but you woulde answere that he brake breade and sayed take ye eateye thys is my body But if I should aske you what it was that he called hys bodye then I know your answer woulde be after youre olde maner that the same breade that he toke and brake was it that he called hys bodye But I wyl shew you a lyke thyng to proue whether you can learne to vnderstand this place of scripture by a simile Apelles toke pensell and paper and drewe theron sayed This is Venus Nowe aske I you whether thys that Apelles spake of were Venus in dede or hyr Image I doubte not you wyl saye not Venus but hyr Image Then tell me Was the pensell and paper hyr Image or the luniamentes that Apelles The lines you saye drawen on the paper and not the paper otherwise theÌ„ the glasse is the Image of a mans face whyche appeareth therin Euen so say I of these wordes of Christ Thys is my bodie He toke breade he brake it gaue it to his disciples said This is my bodye As who should say this breade brokeÌ„ geueÌ„ to you receiued of you is a cleare image of mi body which is by the wil of my father brokeÌ„ frely offred geueÌ„ to you by faieth receyued of you so that in like maner as this breade is receyued into the body and naturally nourisheth the same so doth it declare to you by that naturall propertie that my bodye eaten by fayeth that is by beleuynge and trustynge vpon saluation by my sufferynges in the bodye doeth nourish the soules of as manye as do so eate it In lyke maner toke he the cup after supper saying Thys cup is the new testament in my bloude Here maye you if you haue anye lytle glitteryng of the spiritual knowledge easilye perceyue that Paule knewe of no traunsubstantiation in thys misterie For he reporteth that he learned of the Lord all that he taught the Corhinthyans coÌ„cernynge thys misterye and yet he reporteth that Christ sayed of the cuppe Thys is the newe testamente in my bloude And thyuke you that if Paule were here he woulde say that he beleued the substaunce of the cup to be chaunged into the substaunce of the new testament I knowe well you do not thynke it For your opinion is that by the vertue of those wordes the wyne whiche is in the cup is turned into the verye bloude of Christe And yet do not the wordes appertayne any thynge at all to the wyne vnlesse you wyll admitte the fygure whereby the thynge that conteyueth is taken for the thyng conteined And so doynge you must saye that the wine is the newe Testament in Christes blander and not the bloud it self So that if you wyl nedes haue traunsubstaÌ„ciation it must be of the substaunce of wyne into the substaunce of the new testament That is the certentye wherby oure consciences are certified of the promise of God made to vs in the scripture Wyth thys transubstanciation we could beare if so be you would not denye that the substaunce of breade and wyne doeth stil remayne declarynge vnto vs sensibly by visible sygnes the thynge that is in the scripture taught vs by wordes For immediatly after Christe â–ª sayeth Do thys so ofte as ye shall drinke to the entente to remembre me therby That is to saye So ofte as you wil make youre selues partakers of one cup of wyne to the entente tu call to your remembraunce thereby the greate misterie of the participation you haue in me and al thinges that I haue or shal do for you do it after this forsayed fourme So that by thys are condempned as wel the priuate masses wherin one ministreth and receyueth al as the freshly transubstaneiation whereupon is grounded the sacrifice for the quicke and the dead as shall be declared more at large in the seuerall articies concernynge the same To perswade one that were wyllyng to learne thys were sufficiente But seyng that you your schomaisters are more readye to burn me al other that seke your soul health God geue you a better mynde then to accept our dortrine I am coÌ„strained to labour to drawe you by force of argumeÌ„ts none otherwyse then Hercuses drewe the froward Cerberus out of hell I wyll therefore make thys argument grounded on the definition of breade Breade is a confection made of manye graynes vnited or made into one bodye by the myxture of water and force of fyre hauynge in it the vertue to nourishe the sensible bodyes But thys confection remayneth after the consecration as you call it Ergo there remayneth breade That thys coÌ„fectioÌ„ remayneth I take wytnes of my Lorde of winchester in hys boke wrytten on thys matter And if you thinke hym not an Authour Autentyke make an experieÌ„ce vpon me Let me haue daylie a sufficiente weyghte measure of that consecrated breade wyne and shute me vp frome all other kynde of sustinaunce But thys one thyng I would desyre That the breade and wyne ye consecrate be free from all kyndes of poyson For thoughe I do knowe that God is able to preserue me frome all maner of poyson yet wyl I not neyther maye I tempte my Lorde â–ª God so far But if you do poyson me I shall gladlye suffer it for the trueth sake If all thys wyll not content you I praye you gyue eare to Gelasius who writeth on thys wyse Surely the Sacramentes of the In the ce cel holdeâ— Rome bodye and bloude of Christe be diuine thinges and therfore are we by them made par takers of the diuine nature and yet doeth it not sease to be the substaunce either of bread or wyne but they do remayne in the propertie of theyr nature And no doubt the Image and similitude of the bodye and bloude of Christe are celebrated in the action of the misteries What thynge woulde you haue more plainlye spoken But if you wyll not beleue S. Paule who calleth it breade and the cup of the Lorde euen after the consecration it is not lyke that ye wyll geue credite to Gelalius although in dede you and all such are wont to gene more credite to the iudgment of men that lyued not these manye hundred yeres bicause of theyr antiquitie then to the verye trueth which was before theÌ„al wherby al mens spirites should be tried Wherefore I would you shoulde not lacke testimonies of theÌ„ And to do you pleasurewithal I wil resite you i. or .ii. testimonies by the which you may perceiue that you haue erred in this your atticle and in yuur letter to the kinges highnes also wherin you say that this your opinion hath bene the vnifourme consent of the whole churche euen frome the Apostles tyme. Saynte Chrisostom whom I am sure you â—pon Math wyll not repute amonge theim whome you call heritykes sayeth So sone as the inner eyes se the bread they flye ouer the