Yea and in case a maÌ„ vieu rightly as he should dooe the processe that foloweth it rather calleth vs backe to the simple and playne vnderstandynge of the wordes as they lye For thus goeth the texte forthe Whiche is deliuered for you And manifest it is that the very true and selfe body of Christe it was that was deliuered for vs. Thirdly suche thynges as by nature and kynde are distincte thynges and as the Logicians in theyr terme call it disparata that is to saye so disseuered that their natures disagree and haue some contrarietie one to the other as for example a manne a horse and a stone al suche thynges I say are of suche rate that it cannot by any meanes be truely sayd that the one is the other For it cannot in any manner of speakyng be truely sayed that a man is a stone or a stone is a man And that breade and Christes body are of this rate that is to saye are thynges of two distincte and contrarie natures no man nedeth to doubte Wherfore it shall neuer be true to saye of breade that it is Chistes body And therefore whan the lorde pronouÌ„ced these wordes This is my body it must of necessitie be that the substaunce of bread was gone Another reason also that is made is this In saying This is my body Christ did not without a due coÌ„sideracion vse this word is whiche is in graÌ„mer a verbe substantiue that is to saye it playnly signifieth being it is of the present teÌ„se that is to say it signifieth yâ— tyme that is no we presente For els he might euen aswell haue sayed This signifyeth or betokeneth my body or this reprâ—seÌ„teth my body or this is a figure of my body or this is a signe and tokeÌ„ of my body or he might haue sayed This breade is my body c. all whiche maniers and phrases of speakynge forasmuche as he did eschewe the saying is to be playnlye taken as he pronounced it withoute any ferther addiâ—ion circumstaunce or menyng Furthermore if the substauÌ„ce of bread saye they shoulde remayne still than shoulde two soondrie substaunces yea the same corporal substaunces of quaÌ„titie be together in one thyng shold enterchauÌ„geably entâ—r and pâ—rce the one through the othâ—r whiche inconuenience is taken awaye by puttynge and aduouching of transubstanciacion Agayn There should be no small peryll towarde lâ—ast the people should fall into ydolatrie For wheras the body of Christ is to be adoured and worshipped in case ther should any bread there remayne thaÌ„ shold the breade also be adoured and wurshipped which to do wâ—re ydolatrie Agayne It semeth to be a thynge not well standyng with the dignitie of Christes bodye that it shoulde in this wyse be coupled or mengled either with bread or with wyne They also take an argument out of the forme the nature and the ordre of doing sacrifice For if the body of Christe be offred vp by the mynister it is necessary that he haue it there and that he there presente it vnto the sight of God excepte we will saye that he offereth no more but a thyng onely signifyed and betokened or a thing represented vnder a shadowe After all this they roare with an open mouthe that auncient fathers are altogether on theyr syde the fathers are cited for transubstanciacioÌ„ And afore al others they cite Irenaeus Irâ—neus who in his .v. booke sayeth thus Whan the cup beyng mingled and the bread beeyng broken dooeth receiue of the woord of God there is made the Sacramente of Christes bloud and body And afore in his fourth boke he sayed in a manier the selfe same thing Tertullianus Tertullia also sayeth in the fowerth booke that Christe of the breade taken into his handes and distributed vnto his disciples made his owne bodye And Origines Origines vpon Matthew in the twenty sixt chapitur saieth This bread which God the soonne confesseth to bee his owne body c. Cyprian in his Sermon of the Lordes supper Cyprianus saieth This common bread beeyng chaâ—nged into fleashe bloud procureth lyfe And eftsons in the same Sermon This breade whiche the Lorde gaue vnto his disciples beeyng not in fourme and similitude but in nature chauÌ„ged by the almightifulnesse of the worâ—e became fleashe Ambrose in his fowerth booke of the sacramentes Ambrosius Breade it is before the wordes of Consecracion but as soone as consecracion is come to it it is of breade made the fleashe of Christe And many thynges mo of lyke sorte he hath in his litell traictises of the Sacramentes Chrisostomus also in the sixtienth Homelie of the Sacramente of Eucharistie Chrisostomus whiche Homelie is to be found in the sixth tome of his weorkes as thei bee nowe sette foorth affâ—rmâ—th this Sacrament to beelyke vnto a piece of waxe put into the fyer where no part of the substaunce of waxe remaineth but is all together made lyke to the nature of fyer And euen so â—aieth he by this substaunce of Christes bodye the breade and the wyne is coÌ„sumed clene awaye Augustine also in the prologue of the twentye .iii. Psalme saieth Augustine that Christe bore and held vp hymselfe in his owâ—e handes whan he did at his last supper institute and ordein this Sacrament And in the .xc. and eight Psalme expouninge the wordes worship ye the stooâ—e of his feete he auoucheth that the â—eash of Christe is to be worshipped in the Sacramente Whiche wer not a thyng of ceÌ„gruence if thâ—re wer bread still remainyng in the Sacramente Also in the third booke of the Trâ—niâ—ie he affirmeth that there can not any Sacrament bee made but by vertue of the spirite weorkyng together with the woorde Hilarius also in hâ—s sixth boke of the Trinitie â—ilarius affirmeth Christ to bee in vs after the veritie of nature and not onely through the agrâ—eablenesse of will and aduoucheth vs at the Lordes bourd truely and veraily to â—â—ceyue the woorde beeyng become fâ—â—ashe Leo Bishoppe of Rome in his twoo twentieth Epistle to the Clergie and people of Constantinople wryâ—eth in this manier Leo. Râ—ceyuyng sayeth he the vertue and strength of heauenly meate leat vs passe and bee turned into the fleash of hym who became our fleash Thei aduouche furthermore that Damascenus is ful and whole on their syde Theophilactus also is brought in of them Throphilactus who dooeth in moste plain termes make mencion of transubstanciacion Now as for Aâ—selmus and hugo de Sancto Victore who haue been wryters of a later tyme there is no doubte but that thei bothe are aduouchers of transubstanciation wherefore thei allege aswel the auncient fathers as the newe to make all on their syde Thei cite ferthermore general councels The councel Ephesine that is to wete the councell that was holden at Ephesus againste the Heretique Nestorius where Cyrellus Cirillus an auncient father of the churche was present and chiefe president of
amonge hys disciples he made that breade hys bodye by sayinge Thys is my bodye That is to saye the fygure of my bodye but it shoulde not be a figure of hys bodye vnlesse the body hadde bene a verye true body in dede Origen Origen vpon the boke of Numeri in the .xvi. homilie we are said that we do not onely drinke Christes bloud whan it is ministred vnto vs in the ordinarye geuing of the Sacramentes but also whan we receiue his woordes Which self same thing also Hierome wrote in one place vpon the third chapitur of Ecclesiastes The same Origen also vpon the .xxvi. Chapitur of Matthew hath these wordes Panis iste quem deus verbum Corpus suum esse fatetur verbum est nutritorium animarum that is to saie this breade whiche god the woorde whiche is Christe dooeth plainelye affirme and saie bee his bodye is a woorde good and holsome to nourishe oure soules The same Origen also in the seuenthe homelie vpoÌ„ the booke of Moses entitled Leuiticus thus speaketh For euen in the ghospels also there is a litteral sense which killeth and not in the olde testameÌ„t onely For if ye folow the litteral sence in this sentence vnles ye eate my fleash c. And in thesame boke in the nynth homely doe not thou staigh nor dwel in the bloude of the fleashe but learne rather the bloude of the woorde and heare himselfe sayinge vnto thee that this is my bloode whiche is shed forthe for you The same Origen agayn vpon the fiftienth chapitur of Matthewe The breade that is halowed passeth into the bealie as touchyng his material parte and is cast forth into the draught c. And within a fewe woordes after he saieth thus Neither is it the matter or substaunce of the breade but it is goddes woorde spoken vpon the said breade whiche profiteth those that eate the same not vnworthely The same Origen in another place agaynst Celsus in the eight booke Celsus whan we haue geuen thankes for the benefites of God bestowed vpon vs we eate the breade whyche was offred Ciprian Cyprian in the syxte Epistle of the fyrste booke to Magnê° hath these wordes The lorde hauyng bread made of manye graynes of wheate ioyned togyther dothe call it hys bodye and hauynge wyne whyche was troden and pressed oute of manye clusters of grapes he calleth it hys bloud And the same Ciprian where he declareth and expouneth the Lordes prayer calleth the Lordes bodye breade And in hys sermon of the Lordes supper he sayeth that we dooe not whette or sharpen oure tethe but sayeth that wee breake or eate the breade onelye wyth a pure faith The same CipriaÌ„ in a sermon which he entitleth de chrismate that is of the Chrisme sayeth plainely that Sacramentes haue the names of those thynges whyche thynges they sygnifye Whychâ— two poyntes of callynge it breade and of eatynge it with sincere fayth onely it semeth that Austen dyd borow and take of hym the laste thynge Austen hath in hys epistle to Boniface and the other thing whan he sayd Quid paras dentem aut vetrem Crede et manducasti That is to saye why dost thou make readye thy toth or thy bealye beleue thou and thou hast eaten it And these wordes are in the fyue and twentye treasyse vpon Iohn But the same CipriaÌ„ in hys thyrde epistle of the seconde boke to Cecilius sayth that the bloude of Christe is shewed or sette forthe in the wyne And agaynste those menne whyche were called Aquarii he holdeth that the bloude of Christe can not appeare to be presente in the cuppe or chalyce if the wyne cease to be there whyche thynge shoulde so come to passe by the transubstantiation whyche these men do put And in hys sermon vpon the Lordes supperâ— he wryteth that the sygnes be chaunged into Christes body but yet in suche wyse that he taketh hys similitude of Christ him selfe in whom the humanitie or humaine nature appeared the godheade was not to be sene but was inuisible By whyche similitude ye see that he meaneth that lyke as two natures remayned in Christe so also in thys Sacramente two natures be reserued Also Ciprian in the thyrde epistle of the second boke hath these wordes After such sorte as neyther floure or meale alone or water alone can be Christes body vnlesse both thynges be ioygned coupled to gyther and made into one whole masse or lumpte by knyttynge it togyther into one breade or lofe wyth the whyche selfe same breade beynge nowe putte to the vse of a Sacrament our people is playnelye shewed and declared to be a people ioygned togyther in one Athanasius also declarynge these wordes of Christ. Athanasius If any man speake a worde agaynst the sonne of man it shall be forgeuen hym but he whiche speaketh agaynst the holy ghost shal neuer haue it pardened or for geueÌ„ him in thys world nor in the world to come wryteth in thys maner And howe greate a body should it be to bryng to passe that al the world shoulde eate and fede thereof But he bryngeth in afterwardes that the matter shuld be vnderstaÌ„ded spiritually and that Christe in that place therefore made mention and spake of his ascension againste the Capernaites Basilius Basilius in his boke entitled liturgia calleth the bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corpus Christi the exaumple or paterne or counterpaine of Christes body And this he sayeth to bee after the wordes of conâ—ecracion are once paste Dioâ—isius Dionisius in his weorke entitled de hierarchia Eclesiastica in the thyrd chapitur saythe The bishop openeth the bread which was couered and vndeuided and cutteth it in pieces Ambrose Ambrose declaryng the first epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s saieth Sith the entente of the matter is that this thing bee dooen for a memorial and remembraunce of Christe and of Christes death we in eatinng and drinkyng the Sacramente dooe signifye the fleashe and bloude of Christe which wer offred on the Crosse. And the same man about the same place saieth that we drynke of Christes mysticall cuppe for a figure of Christes bloud And in the fourthe chapitur of the fourth boke entitled de sacramentis that is to saie of the sacramentes where he putteth the chaunge of the signes he treateth also of our chaungynge into Christe and yet is there not anye transubstanciacion sayed to bee in suche as receiue the Sacrament And the same man in the same fowerth booke of the Sacramentes and the fourth chapitur saieth leat vs therefore make this by good reason how that thing whiche is nowe bread may be Christes body by consecracion of certain woordes pronounced ouer it And not many lines after he saieth If so great a strength and vertue bee in the woordes of the lorde that thynges begynne to be that thei were not afore how much more than can he weorke and bryng to passe that those thinges maye still remayne the same that they were before
of the texte and sterting holes and do not take the proposition or the clause playnelie as the wordes sound without any ferther addicion or circumstauÌ„ce And the selfe same thynge also ye maye see in the wordes is betraighed or deliuered and is shedde forth The which wordes if while we pronounce the wordes in the conâ—ecration and halowing they betakeÌ„ as they soâ—ne the body of Christe shall be signified that euen now it is deliuered vnto the crosse and hys bloude is euen nowe at thys presente shedde forthe or els immediatlye to be shedde forthe But nowe they wyll haue these wordes to be referred to the tymes pasâ—e so that we muste vnderstand the body to be already deliuered the bloud already to be shed a great while ago so to do is haÌ„dle the matier with tropes and figuratiue speakinges whaÌ„ one tyme is taken for another and one tyme referred to an other or vsed for another Nowe where Paule sayd that they were gyltye of the body bloud of the lord which eat it vnworthely also that such persons dooe eat iudgement vnto them selues bicause they make no difference of the Lordes bodye all this is no matter at all For Ambrose maketh answere as touching the fyrst while he enterpreteth that same very place of scripture and there he thus sayeth They shall be punished for the Lordes deathe bycause he was put to deathe for such as accoumpt and reken his benifite in vaine Ambrose dothe expoune such to be guiltye of the Lordes deathâ— as we haue heard and yet â—s not transubstaÌ„tiation thereunto required And suche as take it vnworthelye are iustelye affirmed not to put such difference as they oughte that is they are iudged not to haue the lordes body in due price and estimation For so great a coniunction there is betwne the signes and the things that are signified that the despisyngâ— or vnreuerente vsinge of the one redoundeth to the other The vnreueâ—ent vsinge of the sacrament redouÌ„â—eth to the bodi of Christe which is the thing of the Sacrameâ—te After the same maner spake Paule whan he sayde A man prayinge or preachynge wyth hys heade couered dothe open vilanye vnto Christe Where Paule playnely determined that it redounded to Chriâ—t and touched Christes honoure that was done about the heade of a man bycause it was a sygne and token of Christe It is further to be considered that Paule wrote vnto the Corinthians whyche were a people not altogyther destitute of fayeth but they were infected wyth certaine infirmities and as for such kinde of people we haue not sayde that they receyue onelye the sygnes and not to haue the body of Christe but it is of infideles EpicuriaÌ„s that thynke there is no god and of suche as are cutte of frome the congregation of suche it is I saye that we pronounce that they receyue the sygnes onelye Wherfore it myght well be sayd to the CorinthiaÌ„s not only as coÌ„cernyng the signes but also as touching the thyng of the Sacrament that they were guiltie of the bodye and bloud of the lorde and that they didde not putte a difference betwene the Lordes bodye for asmuche as thei receiued the thynges with feith and did not expresse the same feith in theyr liuyng And here this thyng also is diligently to be marked that Paule whan he traicteth of the sacramentall accion or dooing that is to wete of eatynge and drynkynge of the sacrament at the veray receyuyng of it he so speaketh of it that he calleth it breade saying Who so eateth this breade c but afterwarde whan he goeth about to shewe the fault of ill receiuing it how great and grieuous it is than doeth he so make mencion of it that he calleth it the lordes bodye Ferthermore if the matier bee well examined and iustely rekoned it shall bee found that in all his traiâ—â—yng of this Sacramente the Apostle hath oftener expressed the name of bread then he hath mencioned the Lordes body For ye maye well fynd that fiue tymes he made expresse mencion of breade but of the Lordes bodye no more but fower tymes But now is it to bee seene and considered what occasions thei bee that dooe so earnestly moue vs to take this clause and sayinge of Chrâ—ste This is my body as a thing figurately spoken Fyrst and formoste we dooe consider that Christ himselfe was presente at the supper so that it was a thyng nedelesse for hym to shewe his bodye to the Apostles For thei sawe hym there presente with theyr yies Secondly how coulde it possibly bee doen that hymselfe should really and corporally or bodylye eate his owne selfe And that he did coÌ„municate with his Apostles is not onely affâ—rmed by the old fathers and auncient wryters but also Christ hymselfe doeth saye it as thou haste in the ghospell of Matthewe wher Christ sayeth After this tyme I shall not drynke of this fruite of the vinetree Ferthermore we haue a regard that here it is treated of the memoryal and remembraunce of his death and passion wherein is well to be notifyed that there is a figuratiue speakyng in the woordes And as for these transubstanciatours we se that thei dooe chaunge the tymes so that that whiche is spoken by the future tense that is to saye for the tyme to come or by the presentense that is to saye for the tyme that is nowâ— present of the delyueryng of the Lordes bodye and of the sheddyng foorth of his bloud that same dooe thei expoune by the preter tense that is to saye for the time past After all this we ferther consider that they can not lacke tropes in the consecratyng of the sacrament for this woorde Est is they take for conuertitur is chaunged or transubstanciatur is transubstanciated or chaunged insubstaunce or els forfyt is made And forasmuche as Christ did institute it as a sacrament and for a sacrament it is conuenient that the signes be taken accordinge to their significacions and betokenynges of the thyng and that they bee taken as figuratly spoken accordyng to the nature of a sacrament whiche is that it be a signe We haue also a respecte to the ascension of Christe into heauen and to the veritee and trueth of his humayne nature whiche he toke here vpon hym and also to that that is conteyned in S. Iohns ghospell whan it is sayed to the Capernaites My woordes are spirite and lyfe the fleashe profiteth nothyng as in dede true it is if it bee carnally and fleashly eaten the spirite it is that geueth lyfe And agayne we consider Paule who in this place to the Corinthians doeth in moste playne woordes put the terme of Breade where neuerthelesse these men will nedes haue that there is a trope and a figure thoughe they so greatlye abhorre that in the other place of oures there shoulde bee anye trope We heare also Paule hymselfe witnessing that the auncient fathers of the olde testament had the veray selfe same sacramentes that we nowe haue For
the heauenly thynges are visible But the thynges selues that are inuisible to be honoured in them The same Austen in the fifthe Chapitur of the tenth booke de ciuitaâ—e dei sayeth thus therfore the visyble sacrifice is a sacrament that is to say an holy signe or token of a sacrifice inuisible Hierome in the fowerth booke vpon Matthew and the sixth and twentieth chapitur wryteth in this wise To the entente that as in the prefiguracion of hym Melchisedech the priest and ministerie of the moste high God did whan he offred vp bread and wyne so Christ himself should represente the veritee and trueth of his body and bloud Bartram Bartram also wryteth in this manner by laying applying the testimonies of the holy scriptures and the sayinges of the fathers together it is most euidentlye proued and declared that the breade whiche is called the bodye of Christe and the cuppe whiche is called the bloud of Christe is a figure because it is a mysterie hath a further thyng hyd vnder it Tertulliaâ— And Tertullian agaynste the heretique Marcion in his fowerth booke the breade which he had taken in handes had distributed to his disciples he made it his bodye saying This is my body that is to saye a figure of my body Cypâ—ian Cyprian in his secound booke and third epistle we see in the water the pâ—ople to bee vnderstanded and in the wyne the bloud of Christ to bee vndâ—rstanded Ambrose in his booke whiche he made and entitled de his qui initiantur misterâ—is that is to â—aye of them that are entred to the ordre of the holy mysteries saieth in this manier Ambrose before the blissyng with the holy wordes another kynd is named but after the consecracion the body of Christ is signified The same Ambrose in the fifthe Chapitur of his fowerth booke entiled de sacramentis that is to saye of the Sacramentes Make and doe vnto vs that this our oblation maye bee reasonablye and acceptablye which is the figure of the body and bloud of our lorde Iesus Christe And the same Ambrose agayne vpon the eleuenth Chapitur of the former epistle of Paule to the Corinthians Wee beynge mindeful hereof in â—ating and drynkynge signifie the fleashe and bloude of Christe whiche were offered vp for vs and wythin a fâ—we lynes againe In the fourme and signe of whom wee receyue the misticall cuppe of hys bloud to the safegarde and defence of our soules Barnarde in hys Sermon whyche he made vpon the Lordes supper Barnarde speaketh in thys wyse Into hym herefore the Lorde drawynge nere vnto hys passion vouchsafed of his grace and fauour to clothe and couer hys disciples to the ende that his inuisible grace might be geuen and deliuered by some visible signe Chrisostome in the fyrste epistle to the Corinthians and the tenth chapitur Chrisostom For what do I call the coÌ„munion that we are all but one veray bodye What doth the breade signifieâ— the bodye of Christe What become they or what are they made that receyue itâ— the bodye of Christe Basilius in hys boke entitled Liturgia Basilius calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the sample or paterne or couÌ„terpaine of a thynge thys doth he cal it after the consecration And Austen in the thyrde booke Detrinitate and the fourth chapitur Austen The Apostle sayth he might by signifiynge haue preached and sette forthe the Lord Iesus Christe dyuerse and sondrye waies as one way by hys tonge and wordes or otherwise by hys epistles and writinges or els another waye by the Sacramente of hys bodye and bloude The same Austen in the boke that he writeth agaynste Adimanus hathe these wordes The Lord doubted not to say This is my body whan he gaue but the sygne of hys bodye And likewyse the same Austen vppon the thyrd psalme He admitted Iudas to hys mauÌ„dye in the which he gaue coÌ„mauÌ„ded vnto his disciples a figure of his body The same maÌ„ against Maximinus in the .iii. boke .xxii. chap. sayeth thus In the sacramentes it is diligentelye considered and regarded not that they were but what they shâ—we and signifie For the sacramentes are signes of thynges and are in veraye dede one thynge and yet signifie an other thyng By these places thou perceiuest seest yâ— the fathers and auÌ„cient wryters do not abhorre to put a signification of the body of Christ in this sacrameÌ„t but do playnly put that there is a significatioÌ„ of Christes body in the sacrameÌ„t Ferthermore we haue alredi shewed out of the holy scriptures The solutioÌ„ and confutation of the fourth reason that was first recited for traÌ„substaÌ„tiatioÌ„ that there are many suche maners of speakinge as to saye that thys or that thinge is suche a thyng or such a thing whaÌ„ the menyng is that this or yâ— thing signifieth such a thing or such a thiÌ„g Wher fore thys argument is playn blanke is brought to nought Therefore whaÌ„ they obiect yâ— Christ dyd not say that it did eyther signifie or represent hys body we make answere that yet neuertheles euen out of the scriptures it may so be taken that haue we proued lately inough before Neither do we as they thynke reason or argue after thys maner sort Thyskind maner of speking is so takeÌ„ in other places therfore it ought so to be taken here But we only make answere to theÌ„ who when they should proue their transubstanciatioÌ„ they brynge for their purpose thys texte Thys is my body which is the verie place that all the doubt and controuersie is of and of whose sence mening al the doubt is They obiecte agaynst vs the naked and symple texte and grate still therupon where as by other plaâ—â—s of the scriptures it is manifeste that their reason is nothynge firme nor substantial for so much as thys kinde of speakinge is oftentimes to be taken otherwise in the scriptures Many moo and other reasons we haue to proue our seÌ„tence and opinion of the sacramentes neyther dooe we brynge thys for anye of our argumentes but we do by thys reâ—son onely answere vnto them whan they laye such a phrase of speaking in our lappes and we â—aie that very often it doth signifie otherwise therefore we say that it is but a weake a feble coÌ„clusion or argumeÌ„t that they make by that reasoÌ„ The coÌ„futacioÌ„ of the sixte reason that was made for trâ—subsâ—anciation in the beginning of this worcke The reason afterward coÌ„cerning worshypping of it that if there were breade lefte remayning in the sacrameÌ„t theÌ„ the same bread should be worshiped in yâ— sacrameÌ„t But I wonder muche howe they be come thus so dainely so reuerent obseruers of the true worshyppinge seynge that in other matters both wood and pictures and images be worshipped among theÌ„ and prayed vnto But peraduenture they will saye they worship not the stockes or pictures but the thinges
call the sayed reliques the fountaynes and welles of the giftes of God And he is so bold there as to saye that we are bound to worshyp the Sainctes with feith whiche is a pointe vntollerable forsomuche as feyth is due onelye to God and to his wordes He hath also a sermon concerninge purgatorie in which his opinion is that Traianus the Emperour of Rome who had liued bothe an Idolater also a persecutour of Martyrs was deliuâ—red from the punishment of hell at the prayers and intercession of Gregorie And that one Falconilla a woman beyng in hir lyfe tyme altogether geuen to the wurshipping of Idolles was at the praiers of an other certayne man deliuered from damnacion after that she was now allreadye deade and had lyen faste holden and kept in the peynes of hell He ferthâ—r bryngeth in a fable of one Macarius howe that he talked with a dead mannes skulle of whome he heard that duryng the tyme whyle Masse was in saying the solles of the deade whiche endure tormentes are eased released of theyr peynes that same whole Sermon dooeth he poudre with suche lyke feygned tales as these Now as touching the exposition of scriptures the self same Damascen whan he wryteth of the resurreccion he laboureth to proue it by a place in the booke of Genesis Gen. ix where it is red that the lord saied to Noe. Fleashe with the bloude shalte thou not eate for I shall requyre your solles at the handes of the beastes He wyll require them saieth Damascene at the resurrectioÌ„ For the beastes dooe not dye for mannes sake Wherein he appereth to be ignoraunt of the law that was made of god in the boke of Exodus and in the boke of Deuteronomye where it is commaunded that the Oxe whiche renneth at menne with his hornes and sleagheth anye bodye shall bee stoned to death The same Damascene also in his booke De Virginitate that is saye of virginitie writeth in this manier If Adam had not synned man and womanâ—e should not haue been coupled to gether in Matrimonie to bryâ—g foorth issue And because he seeth the sentence and determinacion of God to bee agaynste hym in these woordes Grow ye and be ye multiplyed he sayeth that it was perhaps possible that menne shoulde haue multiplyed and gotten issue oute of some other parte of the bodye There is not one of the schoole diuines that would thus haue sayd Thesame Damascene also wresteth and raketh Basilius Damascene wresâ—eth basilius For because he seeth Basilius to affirme that the breade the wyne are as it wer the countrepaynes or paternes of Christes body he expouneth Basilius to mene that same before the consecratyon Whiche is a pointe without all ryme or reason For the breade and the wyne before consecracyon haue nothynge at all in them more then other common meates haue And in case the bread and wyne shoulde in suche wyse sygnyfye the bodye and bloude of Chryste than shoulde they bee nowe alreadye Sacramentes before the pronouncing of the Lordes woordes Besydes this in the Masse of the Greke Churche they dooe after the consecracion in moste open and playne woordes praye that the breade maye be made the bodye and bloude of Christe And namely in the masse of Basilius the matyer so renneth that the sayd woordes are sette after the consecracyon Yea and in our Canon also that was vsed in the olde masse yf it bee well loked vpon it is named bread after the consecracion But now are hys argumentes to be consydered and examined The fyrste of them is grounded vpon the power of god for seeynge that god was of power to create bothe heauen and yearth by hys woorde and by the same woorde to brynge foorthe plantes and trees beastes foules and fysshes why shoulde he not bee of power to make hys owne bodye of breade But thys kynde of argumente is of the weakeste and febleste sorte that can beâ— Neyther dooe we now traicte or despute of the power of god For we dooe not denye that god is hable to turne breade into fleashe But all oure varyaunce is whether he wyll so dooe or not Another argumenâ—e of hys is taken framed out of Chrystes manier of speaking For saieth Damascene it was not sayed of the lorde Thys is the fygure or sygnes of my bodye but is called the veray bodye of the lorde But vnto thys argumente we haue alreadye made aunswere afore And in case thys man whan he denyeth the sacramente to bee a fygure of the lordes bodye dooeth vnderstande it absolutelye and euen as the woordes soune wythout any ferther addycyon or interpretacion he hath in manier all the auncyente fathers and olde wryters agaynste hym who euerye one of them dooe heere in thys matyer acknowlege a fygure But in case he vnderstande it to bee not a figure onely that is to saie a vaine a voyd signe We our selfes also dooe wyllingly graunte so muche vnto him Albeit he dooeth here there in hys wrytynges entre lace certain wordes in whiche he maie appere not to haue been of so grosse an opinioÌ„ concernyng the sacramente as he maketh for For in one place he hath these wordes The bread of the coÌ„munioÌ„ is not simple bare breade onely but it hath a godly vertu ioygned vnto it Whiche poynte we shal wythout any great stickyng admitte forasmuche as we saye not that the breade is in thys case common breade or mere breade but that it is now a breade halowed and turned into the nature of a sacramente And godly vertue maye for thys cause bee sayed to bee ioygned vnto it because that the holy ghoste dooeth vse thesame as an instrumente towardes our saluation Besides the premisses he maketh a comparison betwene thys sacramente and baptisme in whyche coÌ„parison he sayeth that god hath customably vsed to coÌ„descende vnto our vsage and to our familiar facions that we are acquainted withall and because that men are woont to bee washed wyth water and to bee enoynâ—ted wyth oyle therefore god hath ioygned and geuen hys grace vnto these thynges and hys spirite vnto baptisme And in lyke manier forasmuche as it is the custome and vsage of men to eate breade and to drynke wyne he gaue and ioygned hys godhed vnto these thynges But now after the transubstaÌ„tiacyons god should not haue ioygned hys godly power or hys godhed vnto these thynges but he shuld clene haue put away these other natures of breade and wyne And the reason and circumstaunce of the sayed comâ—parison dooeth require that lyke as the ioygnyng of baptesme wyth grace and wyth the holy ghoste doeth not put awaye nor destruye the nature of the water euen so the thynges of thys sacramentes should not destruye or cast awaye the beeyng and the true nature of the signes Damascene sayeth morouer that god did so condescende vnto our custome vsage that by meane of suche thynges as are familiarly vsed emoÌ„g vs and are within the ordre and
A discourse or traictise of Petur Martyr Uermilla FloreÌ„tine the publyque reader of diuinitee in the Uniuersitee of Oxford wherin he openly declared his whole and determinate iudgemente concernynge the Sacrament of the Lordes supper in the sayde Uniuersitee The Right honble Charles Viscount Bruce of Ampthill Son and Heir Apparent of Thomas Earl of Ailesbury and Baron Bruce of Whorleton 1712 ¶ To the right honourable Sir Wylliam Parre knight Lord Parre Erle of Essex Marquesse of Northampton Lorde great Chamberlaine of Englande and Knight of the moste noble ordre of yÌ„â— Garter Nicolas Udall wisheth grace and peace in Christ with helthe honour and longe prosperitee PErusyng of late righte honourable and my synguler good Lorde a certayne discourse of the righte excellente Clerke Petur Martyr wryten in Latin concerning the Sacramente of the bodye and bloud of Christ whiche is of the Grâ—kes called Euchaâ—istia because it pertayneth to the remembraunce of his moste tendre goodnesse in redemyng the worlde and to rendreyng of perpetuall thankes vnto hym therfore I confesse I was with the sayde treatise woondrefully rauished For first and formost wheras by reason of innumerable abuses detestable erroures and foule abominacions through the crafty conueighauÌ„ce of the purpurate whore of Babylon by litel litell conueyghed into the Churche there is no poynet concerninge oure religion so ferre entrieked or darkned as the mistâ—rie of this â—acrament this wryter throughe his singuler gifte of grace his right profounde learnynge and his highe iudgemente aswell in the scriptures as also in the doctours and in the generall councell wadeth so depein searchyng and boultyng out the trueth of this matâ—er that he maketh it so clere so plaine and so euâ—dent to all mennes yâ—es whiche either can or wyl see that neither there can now be any ferther doubtyng of the veritee and trueth of thys sacramente What it is nor any more bee saied for the right institucion and ordre therof how it should be vsed Wherfore me thought I could not better employ or bestow my trauaill then in translatynge this tractise into the Englyshe tounge to thentente that so profytable a thinge might not bee hiddden from the people which hauynge bothe an earnest zele to enbrace the trueth and a readye wille to folowe the kynges maiestees moste godly procedynges are muche hindred and kept backe from their desire partelye through ignoraunce because thei are not duely enstructed taught thâ—rin and partely through the malice of the moste peruerse Papistycall leaueners of Chystes doctryne whiche to mainteyne theyr owne lucâ—e and glorye ceasse not as Antechrystes owne trustie knyghtes to weorke as muche as in theym lyeth that the symple people maye styll continue in blyndenesse and errour But all prayse all thankes all laude and glorye be vnto oure moste louynge heauenly father and to hys onelye begotten sonne Iesus Chryste oure lord with the holy ghoste proceding from theim both who haue iâ— these oure dayes so opened the yies of the worlde that not onely the iugleyng sleyghtes of the Romysh Babylon be so throughly espyed that they can no longer deceiue and hir moste cruell tyrannye so vanquyshed that she maye nowe no longer reygne in Chrysten peoples consciences as she hath by goddes sufferaunce for oure synfulnesse many longe yeres dooen Neither is it possible that the excedynge mercye and fauour of god towardes this royalme of Englande maie more euidently appere then it is by these two tokens folowinge declared the one that it hath pleased him by his moste puissaunt and mightefull arme to deliuer vs oute of the bondage of this Romishe Egipte ferre passinge the yoke seruitude whyche the children of Isarel suffred vnder Pharao and the other that of his espiciall grace he hath vouchesalued to open the yies of oure hertes that we maye see the trueth and to giue vnto thys royalme the righte knowelege concernynge thys moste holy sacramente whiche the subtille and craftie illusyon of Sathan by the instrumente of the saide purpurate whoore of Babylon had made of a moste pure fountayne of water springinge vp into euerlastinge life a foule stynking puddle of idolatrie and supersticyon to endelesse damnacyon of a most precious and heauen iewel a most vile and deyulyshe abominacyon of a moste comfortable medycyne a most deadly present poyson Blissed therfore be the name of the lord our god for euer euer who of his infynite mercy botomlesse goodnesse hath cast his most fauourable yie vpoÌ„ this royalme of EnglaÌ„d illumining the hertes of the same most gladly and cherefully to enbrace his ghospell and giuing vs to ouâ—e Kinge suche a Godlye Iosyas as in his tender yeares of childehoode neither forgeateth ne ceasseth with the moste feythfull aduise and trustie assistence of his moste noble sapient Counsaylours to trauayle aswell that the woorde of God maye bee syncerely and purelye set foorthe and taughte vnto all his moste derely beloued subiectes as also that this sacramente of the Lordes body and bloude maye bee reduced to the right vse accordyng to the first institucion therof in the primatiue Churche And forasmuch as the whole processe of this discourse is bothe consonaunt vnto the worde of God that it cannot be doubted of but that it is true and also so iustely agreynge with the kinges Maiestees moste godly procedinges that the people maye by readyng or hearyng herof be throughly satisfied and perswaded vniuersally to enbrace and folow the other I thinke it as I haue said a weorke right expedient and necessary to be hadde in the Englishe toungue aswell for the instruction of suche as can reade as also for the helpe of some good persones curates whiche though they haue a good zele forwardnes to set forth the kiÌ„ges maiesties most christian procedynges yet for defaulte of sufficiente learnyng the more is the pietee are not of themselues hable neither throughly to enstructe their flocke of all the trueth nor to satisfy the ignoraunt in suche doubtfull cases or questions as maye haplye aryse aboute this matier nor finally to stoppe the mouthes of sedicious Papistes or of suche as are malicious and indurate enemies againste the pure doctrine of Christes ghospell And althoughe in treactynge of suche hygh matiers it can not bee auoided but that by reason of some schoole termes or argumentes there must nedes bee many thynges that maye seme to passe the capacitee and vnderstanding of the vnlettred sorte yet is not suche a notable good weorke as this discourse of Petur Martyr or as his disputacions vpon the same matier therfore to bee suppressed or kepte as it wer hidden vnder the bushel For yf no booke should bee sette foorth but suche as euery bodye yea euen of the vnlearned and grosse multitude mighte bee hable to vnderstande whan they heare it or reade it than what should Chauncer Goore Lidgate and others doe abrode whom some euen of the learned sorte doe in some places scarcely take than were it vayne to set foorthe Chronicles or
opinioÌ„ that auoucheth transubstanciacion the ninthe the tenthe and the leuenth distinctions of his fourth boke And in a briefe summe to speake it thus in effect sayeth the booke Whyle the minister thereunto deputed and ordeined pronounceth the wordes of the Lordes institucion ouer matier and stuffe due and conueniente for the purpose that is to wete ouer bread wyne so that he haue an intencioÌ„ as they terme it so to do the substaunce of breade and wyne is conuerted and chauÌ„ged into the substauÌ„ce of the body and bloud of Christ and is in suche wise chaunged that the accidentes of the substaunce aswell that it is turned into as also that it is turned out of doe still remayne without a subiâ—cte whiche accidentes neuerthelesse manye wryters haue determined to rest in the body of Christ that the breade is tuâ—ned into But in dede that supposicioÌ„ is for this reason a false supposicion because that Christes body doeth not recraue any suche accidentes Some others haue laboured to constitute and appoynte the ayer as the naturall fundamente and subiecte of the saied accidentes which thing lykewise because it can not be proued al those for the moste part that are maynteyners and defendours of this sentence dooe agree that they are but as byhangers and dooe remayne withoute a subiecte Than ferther they wyll these accidentes whiche are seen felt tasted to signifie vnto vs the very true bodye of Christe whiche they conteyne within them couered and hidden From this they procede ferther and affirme this body of Christ the lyeth hyd vnder the sayed accidentes to be a signe aswell of the verye selfe body of Christ that haÌ„ged on the crosse as also of his body misticall that is to saye of the congregation and felowshyp of the electe sorte and predestinate Wherupon the Mayâ—â—er of the sentences affirmeth some thynge here to be that is onely a signe and that same doeth he put to be the likenesses and matiers visible and some other thyng agayne that is bothe the thynge and the signe too that is to wete the body of Christ that is hidden vnder the accidentes For the sayde bodye if it bee referred to the visible lykenesses of breade and wyne is the thyng selfâ— and in case ye haue respect to his body misticall it is a signe Another thynge also there is sayeth he whiche a man can by no mâ—anes saye to be a signe but to be the thyng onely that is to weete the body misticall because it is so signifyed that it is a thing present and no more a signe of any other or ferther thing to come The rest of the wordes whiche are sette before or after in the executing of these misteries he affirmeth to bee not of anye nâ—ceâ—sitie of the Sacramente but to be onelye thankes geuynge and prayers enterlaced And yf ye demaunde of them how sâ— great a body maye possibly be conteyned in suche a litle piece of breade they aunswere that it is noâ— by the waye of quantitie nor yet as other thinges that doe fyll vp a roome or a place or as they terme it definitiâ—ely that is to saye by circumscription of place but by the waye of substaunce and sacramentally as they cal it Neither doe they take it for thinges contrarie to reason that in this Sacrament two distincte bodyes should be conteyned in one selfe place For they are constreined to take that for one of theyr posions and conclusions For emiddes the accidentes of the breade there is a thing of quaÌ„titeâ— yea and the same of quantitee corporal Agayne they thynke it nothing agaiâ—st reasoÌ„ that one self body be verely in dinerse soÌ„dry places at once And graunt they do that a man of full groweth and statuâ—e as Christe was on the crosse and as he shall come to iudge the world is in veray true dede though inuisibly conteyned not onely in a litell cake of breade but also in the very least piece therof Many thynges mothere might yet be here brought in coÌ„cernyng this sentence but thus muche I thynke to be sufficiente for our discoursyng at this time Who so requireth any ferther to knowe of this mattier maye seke it in the Maister of the sentences in the places aboue cited with his expositours innumerable Now the Argumentes that they bringe for this conuersion or transubstanciacion The Argumentes for traâ—substanciacioÌ„ are these Fyrst formost The holy scripture doth enforce it For in the sixt of Iohn the lord promised that he wold geue his flâ—she not onely for the lyfe of the worlde but also to be eaten and added these wordes thereto Except a manne eate my fleashe and drinke my bloud he shal not haue life He moreouer affirmed hymselfe to bee the bread from heauen yea and the liuely breade whiche the father hadde geuen in which place he promised in playn wordes that he wolde geue hymselfe to be eatâ—n after the lykenesse of bread and the thyng that he promised he did truely and vprightly perfourme as the Euangelistes do beare witnesse that it was done at his last supper And that the thing which is geuen to eate is the lordes body Paule doeth playnly shew whaÌ„ he saieth Whoso eateth and drinketh it vnworthilye shall be guiltie of the bodye and bloude of the Lorde And agayne He eateth and drinketh iudgemente agaynste himselfe in that he maketh not a difference of the Lordes bodye But all the strength and pith of this argumente they auouche to consist in these wordes in which it is sayd This is my body which wordes they wil iÌ„ any wyse to be cleare to haue no nede of any ferther exposicion or declaracion And to vs say they for the reuerence that we oughe to the word of God it is behouable to beleue the wordes For the Euangeliste Mathew Marke and Luke doe with a full consent agree vpon those wordes yea and the Apostle Paule also in his former Epistle to the Corinthians And onlesse it were a mattier of great weyght and importaunce and so to be taken as it souneth without any ferther or other circuÌ„staunce the Apostles wold neuer with so greate concorde haue agreed among themselues That if it were a thing lawful with tropes that is to say with figurate maners of speakynges to defeact or auoyde it than shal nothyng saye they be safe ne sure for the Heretiques but that they wyl corrupte it with counterfaicte exposicions Secondarily such proposâ—cioÌ„s as these This is my body ought so to be taken that the former part of the clause the later part doe represent specifie one selfe thyng and that the whole proposicion or clause be as in the schoole terme it is called Identica that is to saye of suche sorte that one and thesame thynge is ment and signifyed by bothe partes of it except there be some thyng founde commyng eyther before or after in the processe of it that muste driue vs to some trope or allegorie whereas in this place is founde no suche thyng
coÌ„municate of one bread i. Cor. xi In another place As ofteÌ„ as ye shal eate this bread ye shal shewe the Lordes death vntill he come Also whosoeuer shal eate this bread and drinke this cuppe of the Lorde vnworthilye shall be guiltie of the bodye and bloud of the Lorde Lastly Leat a maÌ„ examine himselfe and so leat him eate of that breade and drinke of that cuppe Forasmuche as these wordes and saiynges of Paule are clere and open therfore if an Aungel from heauen shall preache other doctrine accursed bee he In dede I could here haue brought in that is often and in soondrie places of Scripture mencioned of breakyng bread To breake breade a coÌ„mon phâ—ase of the Hebrues but yet because I se that suche phrase of speakyng maye be taken in another sence as it wer spoken of the vulgar and common foode of people as for example in the fiftie ninth chapitur of the prophet Esai Breake thy bread vnto the houngry and in the fowerth chapitur of the Lamentacions of Hieremie Their litel babes craued breade there was none to breake it vnto theÌ„ therfore I leaue out all suche places will allege for this purpose none but strong reasons and substanciall Forasmuche therfore as the places of Paule aboue cited are plain and euident thei ought to bee taken accordyng to the playn woordes without any ferther gloses A sophistical obieccioÌ„ or addicions But some make a sophisticall cauillacion that it is called by the name of breade because of the natures whiche are chaunged and to vse thesame phrase of speaking that suche sophisters dooe thei affirme thesame to be a denominacion a termino a quo that is froÌ„ the point that it came fro that is to saye it hath the name of breade because it was once breade and now chaunged from breade or out of breade And for confirmacion herof thei allege other lyke places out of Scripture As whan the Serpent that was made of Aarons rodde deuoured the Serpentes of Pharao his Magians or wisemen whiche thei also had made of their roddes it is sayed in the Scriptures that Aarons rodde deuoured the Serpentes of the Magiaâ—s Also man is in diuerse and many places of Scripture called yearth because that mans body was fyrst made therof Also the woman was called of Adam a bone of his bones and fleashe of his fleashe because God fourmed and shaped hir therout Aâ— auÌ„swere to the obieccioÌ„ afore goyng But these and all other lyke obieccions are made in vaine For in the holy scriptures is conteyned open and playne mencion of these conuersions so that the necessitie of the storie and of the woordes enforceth driueth vs to suche tropes that is to saye to suche phrases of speakyng and therfore we admitte and receiue them But nowe leat these felowes likewise on their part first declare and proue out of the holy scriptures suche a conuersioÌ„ or chauÌ„ge to bee made that is to wete of breade and wyne into the body and bloud of Christ and than will we grauÌ„t and yelde vnto them the abouesaid tropes also which is that it is called breade not because it is breade still but because it was breade afore And to thesame effect and purpose it is that thei ferther allege If a maÌ„ had geuen me wyne which wyne did immediately weaxe soure I hauyng in my punchâ—on or vessel thesame beyng now turned into vineagre might verai well saie This is your wine not for that it is wyne at this present but because it had been wyne to fore But there of the conuersion of wyne into vine agre the sense of tastyng dooeth iudge whiche thyng in the sacramente doeth not happen where neither any of the fiue senses nor any reason Aâ—other sophisâ—ical obieccion nor yet the holye Scripture enforceth vs to confesse or graunt any suche coÌ„uersion or chauÌ„ge to bee made They obiect also another place out of the second chapitur of S. Ihons ghospell Whan the maister of the feast had tasted the water that was now made wyne c. Wherby thei well declare proue the wyne newely made of Christ by miracle to kepe yet styl the name of water But the Euangeliste did not saye water and there leaue The auÌ„swer but he sayed water now made wyne But in al the holy scripturâ—s they shall not fynde anye suche declaracion concernyng the Sacrament that the breade is saied to be conuerted or chaunged into the body of Christe Thei take also their refuge sometimes vnto the sixth chapitur of Ihon Another obieccioÌ„ so that thei affirme the Apostle in the places aboue cited to name it breade not wheaten breade nor any other common breade but the Lordes body whiche in the sixth chapitur of Ihon is called by the name of bread where Christ saied I am the bread of life The answer But agaynst theÌ„ it maketh that Paule saieth The bread whiche we breake is it not a participacion of Christys bodye The mâ—teriall bâ—eade of the Sacrament Whiche cannot conueniently agree with Christes body that it should bee broken forasmuche as it is written a bone of hym shall ye not breake But these so fewe and high witted men althoughe thei haue fouÌ„d in the sixth chapitur of Ihon that Christe called himselfe breade yet where will thei finde I beseche you that he hath at any tyme called hymselfe wyne For in this supper the one parte of the Sacrament is called wyne although by a strauÌ„ge manier of speaking as appereth in those woordes in the gospell expressed I wyl not from hensefoorth drinke of this fruiâ—te of the vynetree c And it is a thyng out of doubt to all men lyuyng that oâ—te of the vine trees is produced brought foorth not accidentes but the substaunce of wine Morouer by this reason it should be vtterlye madâ— frustrate voyd that is with a great general agreemente spoken of the aunciente fathers which is A confirmâ—cion of the auâ—swer afore goyng that by these outwarde and materiall tokens of this Sacrament is signified and represented the misticall bodye of Christeâ— by lyke reason as breade is made of the mele of many cornes of wheat and wyne is made of the iuice of many grapes together whiche thinges in the accidentes haue no suche veritee For the accidentes of wheate or grapes doâ— not yelde bread or wine but the substaunce of them Now dooe we not a litle meruayle at suche manier of men who if at any tyme thei heare vs bryng in for oure parte any suche lyke places as for exaumple The soÌ„ne was Christ The lambe or the hoste is the passeouer Circumcision is the couenaunte with other like placâ—s by and by they crye with an open mouthe that suche manier allegories serue nothyng for this place and now thâ—imselfâ—s dooe on euery syde bring bothe tropes and allegories euen by whole heapes Another obieccioÌ„ Thei ferther allege that breade is here taken for euery
appertaine I meane mannes nature wer not there present in hym Thei saie vnto the fourth argumeÌ„t coÌ„cerning Marcion that he might take occasioÌ„ of his errour out of the ghospel In obieccioÌ„ of the aduersaries wher it is writeÌ„ of Christ that he walked vpoÌ„ water aswell as it had ben vpon land neuer weat his fote he was lifted vp into heauen escaped froÌ„ the Iewes handes that thei could not se him yet ought not those places â—saie thei to bee blotted out of the ghospell for the daungerous vnderstanding of the saied Marcionites To whoÌ„ we make auÌ„swer The auÌ„sweâ— that it is described in the gospels that Christ did worke these kinde of myracles once or twyse no more but ye holde that these miracles bee wrought coÌ„tinually wtout any intermission And the thinges yâ— are writteÌ„ in the holy scriptures we haue not imagined nor inueÌ„ted of our own heade and therfore ought we not to be blamed or accused as geuers of that or any other lyke occasion But in suche as we inuente of oure owne brayne in suche thynges as we expounde after our owne fansie and suche thynges sette foorth to bee holden for a doctrine not hauing Goddes woorde expressely for vs then had we nede to bee well aware leste we open a gappe and minister occasion to Heretiques The seuenth argument against transubstanciacion Morouer by this meane of transubstanciacion the nature or propertie of a SacrameÌ„te is clene destroied for Austen writynge vpon Iohn saieth thus of it The woorde of God commeth and is to the elemente and so becommeth it a Sacramente It is the nature of a Sacramente to bee made of these two thynges But after these mennes myndes the elâ—mental thynges as breade and wyne be gone and than ought Austen not to haue saied The wordes come to the elemente but he should rather haue sayed the woordes take awaye the elemente The eighte argumente And when thei put awaye the natures of the elementesâ— the analogie that is to saye proporcioÌ„ and reason of their significacion is cleane destroied and commeth to nothyng What proporcion aâ—d reason there is of the signes and the thinges in this Sacramente Bread dooeth therefore signifie the bodye of Christe because it fedeth and maketh strong and is a great sustenaunce to mannes life which propertee and operacion we can not attribute or applye the accidentes of breadeâ— as to witnesse of it or to the taste of it Again in that that many cornes or graynes bee put together and so breade made of them there maye bee a significacion in it to represent or signifie a bodie mystical and suche significacion can not bee conteyned in the whytenesse or the taste or the other accidentes of breade Wherupon it was that Paule sayed we beeyng many folke are one lofe or one bread and one bodye because we bee partakers of one loffe or breade In baptisme water is called lauachre or founteine of regeneracion or as ye might saie of a second byrth The propoâ—â—cion of the outwarde signes to the thing in baptisme and because the substaunce of the water dooeth still remayne it agreeth verai well which thyng would not so well agree with the accidentes of water Now where Christ saied This is my bodye The nynthe argumente the aduersaries takyng away the substaunce of bread and wyne dooe muche abuse the latine verbe substantife Est and muche contrarie to the propre significacion that would haue est to signifie transubstanciatur is chaunged in substaunce or to stand for conuertitur whiche is in Englishe it is coÌ„uerted or for transmutatur it is chauÌ„ged for whiles thei are in pronouncing those woordes of the Lorde This is my body the breade is not yet all this whyle Christes bodye Wherefore if thei should take est in his true and propre significacioÌ„ they should speake that thyng whiche is false and not true Which consideracion haue moued and driuen some of â—he schoole men to hold and affirme that the verbe est should bee takeÌ„ for one of these verbes fieri to be made mutari to bee chaunged or conuerti to bee turned Morouer The tenthe argumente this power and strength and efficacie to chaunge the substaunce of breade in to fleashe thei attribute to those fewe woordes of the Lorde so that as often as the saied woordes be repeted or rehearsed so often is thesame chaunge of transubstanciacion made And yet haue thei not any one woorde in all the holye Scriptures of any suche thyng to bee dooen or that it maie so bee dooen That if any other maÌ„ should pronounce thesame woordes whiche Paule Matthewe Marke or Luke doe recite yet would thei not thinke that ther wer any consecracion made For thei bynde al the strength and force of the matâ—er to the wordes of their Canon that is to saie of their rule of their massyng But this we doe certainly knowe that the Sacrament is than had whan we do those thinges which Christ did and commaunded to bee dooen But Christ didde not onely speake the saied wordes but he also gaue thaÌ„kes he brake bread he did eate bread and gaue bread vnto others to eate And where we bryng in nowe manye circumstaunces that wer dooen al these pointes euery one of them doe concurre and renne together to make the veritee of the Sacramente neyther oughte any one pointe or iot of the premisses to bee omitted or leafte vndoen I leat passe here to saye that thei knowe not whether the consecracion is accomplished and made perfeicte with the woordes of Christe or by prayers TheuleueÌ„th argumente Morouer thei put theimselfes forth to a great daungier For an euell prieste and suche an one as wer a deceiptefull merchaunte might passe ouer those woordes of consecracion and recite neuer a one of theim or might chaunge theim or els might turne them a coÌ„trarie waye The twelft argumente Farthermore wher these woordes require that the Minister whiche should consecrate must haue as thei bee woont to speake or to call it a certaine intencioÌ„ or purpose to make the body of Christ of it he might yet haue his mynde rennyng vpoÌ„ some other matiers and thynke nothyng at all vpon any consecracion whiles his mynde wâ—r so wandering He mighte also perchaunce bee of the mynde that he would not haue any suche consecracion to bee made or to come to passe Thâ—i dooe also by puttyng this transubstanciacion The .xiiii argumeâ—te against traâ—â—substanciacion fall into many vnreasonable inconueniences and suche as thei can by no meanes wynde out of For they hold that one same selfe body maye be in infinite and innumerable places to gethers and all at one tyme. But to helpe saue all thyng vprighte The euasâ—oÌ„ of the sâ—raâ—substanâ—iacioâ—ers thei allege for themselues that this maketh nothynge agaynste them nor is any disauauntage vnto theÌ„ For saie thei though Christes bodye bee there yet it is not there per modum quanti that is
to saye after the maner of bodyes hauing their â—ull quantitee of bignesse and stature And this must nedes be a woonderous matier howe thei can holde and mainteine that a bodye it is and a body hauing a quantitee and bygnesse and that it is veraily and really there presente and yet not after the manier of bodies hauing quantitee And forasmuche as thei putte and holde it as a doctrine that Christes bodye is there veraily and really present and corporally presente and carnally presente as their teâ—mes be but not presâ—nt locally that is to saie occupiing suche ful roome and place as other bodies of quantitee do what is he that can not perceiue and vnderstand that all those gloses are thinges imagined inuented onely for to bee euasions and stertynge holes from good argumentes and reasons that are to the contratie Thei make an obieccion An obieccioÌ„ of the aduersaâ—iâ—s that this is not a thyng so vnpossible For yâ— humaine mortal body of s. Ambrose A miracle of S. Ambrose bodye â—â— god doeth create in the bealies of the eaters and drinkers of those holy cakes either fleagme or some other natural humour suche as maie be turned into bloud wherewith the parties maie bee fed and nourished in their bodyes The fifteÌ„th argumente If it should so chaunce that this Sacramente should be burned as in the time whan Hesichius liued Hesychius it was as himself writynge commentaries vpon the third booke of Moses called Leuiticus witnesseth and the selfe same thing hath Origenes also writing vpon the same booke Origenes than will theâ—e vndoubtedly some ashes beâ— left of the burnyng of it and so should a certain substaunce be produced and made of accidentes whiche haue no substaunce theimselfes The sexteÌ„th argâ—mente It maie also chauÌ„ce that wormes or some kind of vermin maie be egendred of this consecrated bread and thaÌ„ also thei will saie that suche substaunce was proâ—uâ—ed or brought forth and made of accidentes How beit some of theÌ„ as thei be bold and aduentâ—rous dooe feigne and deuise that the former substaunce of bread which was therin before the consecracion doeth in suche caâ—eâ— returne again by miracle and so maie the saied vermyn saie thei happen to come of it But if it belefull in this sort to multiply to feigne miracles thaÌ„ euery man that lusteth maie easily become a profunde clerke in scripture For he will haue a miracle in store for â—uery strong argument that shall be made against hym so that he will haue an euasion stertyng hole from al suche reasâ—ns as sâ—all bee brought against hym The .xvii. argumente Besides this thei are not oâ—ely busie with miracles but also thâ—i dele with captious and deceiptâ—ful subtilties of sophistrie as namely Duns Duns beeyng driuen to a narowe streight to aunswere concerning the pronouncyng of those wordes This is my body to tell what thyng it is that is mente and limited or specified by this worde this wherunto this word this is in that saying referred or what it dooeth importe at last after muche a dooe he aunswereth The wordes of DuÌ„s are these Aliquod siÌ„gulare iÌ„diuiduum generalâ— oris substantiae quod cum praedicaro idem râ—ferr aut pro eodem vt loquuntur supponit neq differunt inter se quae significantur per subiectâ—Ì„ praedicatuÌ„ nisiper varâ— as concipiendi rationes that it is a particular thing or porcion of a substaunce that coÌ„teineth in it a certain generalitie of a good large exteÌ„t and that the thyng that is imported by this woorde this is the verai same thyng in effect and in menyng that foloweth after so that the thing signified imported and limited by this woord this and these wordes my bodye are saieth Duns all one thyng and haue no manier of difference betwene them sauyng that the woordes are placed the one before the other and so in that behalfe are soondrily conceiued in our reason c. But see I praie you into what thynges howe ferre thei ieoperde and yet for all that thei can not so escape For they haue not tolde yet what is limited and imported by the word this when it is saied This is my body Fisher late Bishop of Rochester wrote that in this and suche lyke proposicions or sentences whan one thyng is turned and chaunged into another thyng it is not vnconuenâ—ente or any thyng agaynst reason Fisher Bisshop of Rochester that by the woorde this there bee limited signifyed and imported the thyng that it was before the chaunge And after that sorte he admitteth this clause This is my bodye that by the woorde this there is signified and imported the breade that it was before the consecracion and that thesame bread is chaunged into Christes body whyle the residue of the woordes that is to wete is my body are in pronouncing But â—han saie I agayn that the proposicioÌ„ or sentence this is my body is not sette foorth in his due fourme that it ought to be For in that case it ought to haue ben sayed â—his is made my body or this is chaunged into my body For els it is not saie I a right nor an apt manier of speakyng to saie this is my body seeyng that by their owne confession and grauntyng it is not his bodye vntyll the residâ—e of the woordes bee all spoken and perfeictlye pronounced euen to the last syllable Some men holde that Christes bodye is reallye ioyned with the signes and the materiall stuffe of the Sacramente The .xviii. arâ—umenâ—eâ— agaâ—â—â—â— traÌ„subsâ—anciacion that is to wete with the substaunces of bread and wyne remayning still in the Sacramente And that sorte of men dooe thus argue againste transubstanciacion â— What excellencie saye thei or priuilege hath the accidentes of breade that is to saye the whitenesse the roundenesse or the taste c. that thei can bee ioyned with Christes dodye and the substaunce and nature of breade maie not so Or what dignitee and priuilege haue the accidentes of the bread which same priuelege maie not or ought notâ— euen aswell be attributed and graunted to the substaunce and nature of the breadeâ— And if it so be that the accidentes maie remaine still why than maie not also the substaunce of bread remaine aswell Yea many of the olde fathers and writers dooe suppose that the breade dooeth remaine in dede yea and they dooe thereof take a similitude to shewe that bothe the natures that is to were the nature of man and the nature of god dooe verailye truely remaine in Christe and so remaine that the one passeth not into the other The myndes and verdites of whiche aunciente wryters wâ— shall here â—nsuynge bring in as shall apperteine â—che in their due places Thei fal also into another inconuenience The. xix argumeâ—te what thing it is that is broken iÌ„ the Sacrament in which is neither rime nor reason as the prouerâ—e saith For whan they
his maiestie and glorie but yet we put hym here in the SacrameÌ„t inuisible And than as concernyng suche thynges as bee obiected of Sainctes and Martirs folowinge Christe thei saye that it is al true as touching Christ so fâ—rrefoorth as he is visible in heauen in his glorie maiestie But this aunswer standeth vpon a weake rotten foundacion for it supposeth that the bodye of Christe beyng but one bodie maie bee in many places at one tyme whiche thing the auncient fathers writers denie It presupposeth also that Christe is with vs as touchyng his bodye and fleashe whereas Christe sayed that as touchyng those thynges in that behalfe he would sende another in his stede meanyng the holy ghoste Neither can thei by their reason auoyde but that Christe had two bodyes The .xxvii. argumente For at the Supper when he had taken breade in his handes if thesame breade had by transubstanciation ben chaunged into the substance of Christes body than should it folow and bee true that himselfe should with his owne bodye haue borne and caried his owne bodye How Christ beareth him elâ—e in his owne hades and how he eateth himselfe and so should ye nedes grauÌ„t that one and the selfesame body it was that did beare and holde it in his handes and that was borne and holden in his handes and yet can it not by any reason or possibilitie be true that one and thesame bodye is bothe the doer and the sufferer in respect of one thyng An obieccioÌ„ of the aduersaries and bothe at one tyme. And thus we see into what â—nconueniencies thei cast themselfes The aâ—sweâ— Thei bee woont to bryng for their parte the woordes of Austen vpon the Psalmes whiche wordes of Austen are that Christe bore himselfe in his owne handes But if that place bee well considered whiche is vpon the threescore and thirtenth psalme It is there writen that he bare hymself in his own handes quodam modo that is to saye after a certaine manier or after a sorte or fashion so much do we graunt For he bore and helde in his handes the Sacrament of his bodie but he did not beare ne hold his verai true bodye proprie et reasiter that is to saye properly and really And here might one bryng in agayne these menne also that by their reason forasmuche as Christe receiued the SacrameÌ„t and communion with his Apostles it should folowe that Christ didde eate hymselfe â—n obieccioÌ„ But herunto this was wount to be their auÌ„swer â—he answer These thinges are exercises of our feith But we saie vnto them againe that we haue ferre other manier seÌ„teÌ„ces of the scripture wherin our feith may exercise it sâ—lfe The true exeâ—cises of ouâ— feith rather then in such thinges as are of mannes fantasticall deuise and inuencion We beleue that the soone of god was incarnate of a virgin that he was borne of a virgin that he suffered for vs that he died that he was raised vp from death to life again that he ascended vp into heauen with many thinges more of suche lyke sorte in which our feith dooeth sufficiently and aboundauntly exercise it selfe And forasmuche as this chaunge from substauÌ„ce to substaunce can not with our senses be altered vnto The .xxviii. argumente neither mannes reason can vnderstande it neither experience dooeth teache it how shall it be perceiued I knowe that ye will saye that it maie be vnderstaÌ„ded coÌ„preheÌ„ded or conceiued by feith But in case the matier must go by feithe that same feithe cannot bee had without gods word iÌ„ gods word ye haue not one iot for you Morouer wheras Christe made this sacrament of twoo partes The .xix. argumente that is to wete his bodie for one parte and his bloud for the other parte it doeth by thesame thyng appere plainly enough that the matier muste not bee taken or vnderstanded by this kynde of transubstanciation For in the realâ— and carnall bodye of Christ these twoo partes be not deuided or soondred the one from the other An obieccioÌ„ But a poore shifte thei haue and a stertyng hole thei saye that there is as muche conteyned in any one of these two partes as ther is in yâ— other parte In dede we heare theim thus affirme this to holde but the wordes of scripture doe not teache any such matier Another obieccioÌ„ but onely at the bread there is mencion made of the body onely at the cup there is bloud perticulerly meÌ„cioned specified but thei haue yet a ferther aunswere to obiâ—ct against vs which is as touchyng the bread that by the strength and vertue of the wordes The answer there is a transubstanciacion of bread into Christes body or iÌ„to Christes fleashe merlye and really and of it selfe and then that bothe the bloud and the soule the deitie or godheade of Christ do folow after euen as a shadow is wonte to go with the body in the Sunshyne Per coâ—comitanciam And than also concerning the cup thei saye that by the strength and vertue of the wordes there is first of all and properlye a mere transubstanciacion chaunge of the wine into bloud but afterwardes the body foloweth withall Against coâ—comitaunce that the schoole men speake of to be of traÌ„substanciacion and is there also and the solle and the deitee or godhead euen by thesame reason and waye as the bloude and solle and godheade didde folowe with the transubstanciacion of the bread into Christes body as is afore sayed Whiche the schoolemenne in their terme dooe saye to bee dooen per concomitantiam Per concomitanciam as yf ye should saie in Englishe by a necessitee of folowyng after so that euen lyke as a bodye cannot goe into the Sunshine but that the shadow of thesame body must nedes folowe and goe withall so canne not the bodye saie thei bee but the bloud goeth withal nor the bloud be but that the fleash bodye goeth wtall And thus by this their subtill and fine sophisticall manier of speakyng thâ—i make Christ not so wyse nor prouident as he might or should haue been in that that he deliuered and gaue in twoo soondrie partes no more then is in either of thesame partes seuerally conteined And oute of their owne feynyng and imaginacioÌ„ it sprang that afterwardes thei deuided the sacrameÌ„t by ministring vnto the laye people the one parte of the Sacramente onely thei perswaded the same and made them beleâ—e that thei receiued as muche in that one parte as if thei had receiued both partes of the Sacrament according to Christes institucion It maie also ferther be saied against theim that by this their inuencion and imaginacion thei open a wyndoore and dooe minister occasion to many opinions of straunge feyned doctrine For there is none opinion nor no pointe of doctrine whereunto thei maie not tye and linke an infinite sorte of thinges with their terme
in our body Sanctificacion begynneth of the â—â—ll and not of the bodye and what effecte shall it weorke there Thei will aunswere that Christes bodye entreth into our bodyes to the ende that a man maie be made holy thereby But it is mete and conueniente that holynesse take his beginnyng fyrst of the minde or solle and not of the bodye The .xxxv. argumente against transubstanciacion Thei will ferther saie that a certain strength and efficacie is thereby empriented in the bodye throughe whiche efficacie the mynde is the better and the bodye also is confyrmed and made strong But if ye talke or mene of vertue An obieccioÌ„ it is nothyng necessarie that it be brought to passe or wroughtby the meane of transubstancion ThauÌ„swere seeyng it maye be brought to passe euen aswell without it And the olde writers whan thei did setie foorthe and teache the nature and propertie of the sacramentâ— thei sayed The .xxxvi. argumente that an vnbloudy sacrifice was here sacrificed whiche thing wyll be founde ferre wyde An vnblody sacrifice yf we holde that the verai true and corporal bloud of Christ is conteyned in the Sacramente Neither dooeth that pointe satisfie this matier that thei affirme the sacrifice to bee vnbloudy in that that Christe is not killed in it An obieccioÌ„ neither is his bloud violently shedde or poured out For though these thynges bee not doen yet the sacramente is not ministred after their grosse and bluntishe opinion without bloud ThauÌ„swere Wherfore it is playne that the old writers ment that onely a memoriall or remeÌ„braunce of the true sacrifice is conteined in this sacramente and that there is here a spirituall receiuynge of the true sacrifice whiche spirituall receiuyng is comprehended and vnderstanded by feith onely Beside this The .xxxvii. argumente they bee woont to saye that the body and bloud of Christe bee vnuisible and not seen but to the yie but with whitenesse moisture and suche other accidentes of bread and wyne leste we shoulde seme to eate rawe fleashe and to drynke bloud But I would not thynke these men to saie that we doe not eate rawe fleashe whether we eate rawe fleash in the Sacrament how soeuer thei painte and colour the matier yf their transubstancioâ— bee a true a perfeict chauÌ„ge in dede of the bread into fleashe and of the wyne into bloud For it is neither declared of theim neither shewed in the scriptures howe that same fleashe is boyled or rosted And yet it was wryten in the olde testamente of the lambe of passeouer which was a figure of this sacramente that no rawe thynge shoulde bee eaten of that lambe We se also that in this matier of thankes geuâ—ng Christe did ordeyne and sette vp a sacramente It is mete that in the sacrameÌ„tes all thinges be taken sacramentally whereby it commeth to passe that all thynges therein muste bee vnderstanded and taken sacramentally Neither should ther bee in Sacramentes any thyng more eyther graunted or required then to the nature or propertie of a sacramente doeth apperteine The .xxxix. argumente Moreouer yf we would consider what Christe didde at that his last supper We should soone and easely perceiue the matier It is sayed that he gaue his body If we ferther aske this question What manier a body did he gâ—ue thei can shape no readie answere to escape with out a foile Some seme to saie that he gaue suche manier a bodye as he than had whiche vndoubtedlye was bothe passible that is to saye subiecte to hungre thurst colde and other tormentes and also mortall that is to saye subiect to death But suche manier a bodye with suche manier properties as Christe had at that tyme coulde not as these menne dreame bee fleashly and really conteyned in lytell cakes of breade But some others whiche thynke themselues men of a wyser sorte saie that Christe had in hymselfe a body bothe passible and mortall as is aforesaid but yet thei saye that in the breade he gaue his body gloryfied and spirituall But than dooeth that saying make againste these menne whiche we reade in the woordes of the Lord This is my body which is deliuered for you and this is my bloude whiche shall bee shed for you by whiche woordes he playnlye â—eweth and declareth hymselfe to mene the bodye whiche he had than at that presente and the bloude which he vsed at that honre For Christe had not these thynges glorifyed and vnpassible till after his resurreccion But leat vs suppose that the matier wer as thei holde Than dooe we thus argue The state and properties of a passible bodye and of a glorifyed bodye be contrary the one to the otherâ— so that they can not in one respecte bee in one bodye together and at one tyme wherefore it foloweth yf ye wyll haue bothe the sayed contraries of passible and glorifyed to bee in Christes bodye bothe at one selfe tyme that ye make Christes body a double bodye Experience also and the veraye hystories dooe â—ewe vs The xâ— argumeâ—te that this transubstanciation is not to bee graunted For it is wrytten in the hystories that Uictor the Byshoppe of Rome dyed of drynkynge poyson oute of the Chalice at his Masse And Henry the Emperour receiued poyson by eatyng the breade of the Sacramente If all thynges there bee chaunged by transubstanciacion and nothynge there leafte remaynynge but onelye the accidentes Howe coulde suche thynges as these haue been dooen Furthermore we knowe that all Sacramentes bee made and doe consiste of two partes The xâ—â— argumeâ—te that is to wete of matier and of fourme as the veray aduersaries selfes are wonte to terme it in theyr Schoole termes And by the matier thei mene the outwarde signes or elementes and stuffe that goeth to it Maâ—ier as the breade and wyne in this sacrament By the fourme Fourme thei mene that same that is added to the signes or elementes of bread and wyne by pronouncing of the wordes which make it a sacramente Nowe to our purpose that that is made of two partes ought not nor can so caste away the one part that nothyng but the onely accidentes of thesame shal remayne for than the nature propertie of the framing and ioyning together of the sayd matier and fourme in the sacramente should not be obserued and kept The matiâ—r of the sacrament caÌ„not bee caste awaye no more then the fourme Wherfore the conclusion foloweth that the substaunces of breade and wyne muste needes remayne styll in the sacramente And whiles thei thus ouer shoote themselfes for lacke of takyng hede the body of Christ is by them depriued and spoyled of his quantitie The traÌ„substaÌ„ciatoures depriue chrisâ—es body of his quaâ—titie of his situacion and placyng and of the distaunce and proporcionyng of the partes and membres of his bodye one from another so that all his whole bodye must by that meanes bee compelled and driuen to bee conteyned
and lyued in Cyrilles tyme was in the counsell kept at Ephesus and CalceÌ„donie and was estemed for a man of excellent learnyng and a man of wonderfull eloquence And where as in the counsell holden at Ephesus there be fell a variaunce betwixte Iohn the Patriarke of Antioche and Cyrill the Byshop of Alexandria Thys Theodoritus semed to leaue to the Patriarke of Antioche but that variaunce was taken vp and pacified and set at an ende euen in that counsell And then afterwarde at the counsell of Calcedonie the sayde Theodoritus was acknowledged and demed aÌ„ maâ— singulerly well learned and an holy membre of Christes churche Yea and in the bookes whyche he wrote Nestorius an heritike he dothe of sette purpose resiste Nestorius and writeth agaynste him by name The boke was printed at Rome And the Papistes for as much as they haue espied that he is moste playnelye agaynste transubstanciation they haue excused him two waies Fyrste that the churche had not as yet in his time determined this matter as thoughe we did searche what the Pope with hys Cardinals haue decreed either at Constaunce or in the counsell where Beringatius was condempned and not rather what was bothe preached and taught also beleued in the olde church Secondelye they excuse Theodoritus and saye that in writing against the heritikes whan he traicted of mysteries he leaned some what to muche the other waye agaynste transubstantiation to thys intent and purpose that hys aduersaries mighte the better and the more effectuallye be confuted But howe triflynge an excuse thys is it maye very well appeare of the whole sequell of thys wryters processe in hys wrytynge where as one maye â—â—e not the scape of a word or twaine but the whole argumente and pythe of the mattier to be fette and to be taken oute of the nature of a Sacramente so that if ye mengle transubstanciation therewyth all the matter canne be broughte to no conclusion on hys parte but contrarywyse the heritykes should wynne the whole victorye They alledge furthermore that he speaketh sumetime verye honourablye and reuerentelye of the sacramente in thys same boke But if ye loke it all thorowoute he neuer speaketh so honourablye or so reuerentelye of it that he is anye thyng agaynste thys sentenâ—e whiche we do here holde Hys boke is a disputation agaynst suche persons as denye that Christe had a true bodye and do saye that hys bodye in the tyme of hys ascention was all togyther chaunged into a diuine nature Firste he bringeth in for his purpose the prophecy of the aunciente Patriarke Iacob out of the .xlix. Chapter of Genesis to the ende that he might therby make him selfe awaye to bringe his argumentes oute of the sacramentes And his wordes ben these But for the better and more plainer declaration of the matter I the translatour haue thought necessarie to admonish the good christian reader to vnderstand to note yâ— the purpose of Theodoritus is to proue that the body of Christ as it is nowe in heauen raignynge in the glorye of hys father is hys verye true and naturall bodye and the same bodye whyche he hadde whan he was conuersaunte here on earth in hys manhoode and that the same bodye remaynethe euen styll and euer shall do in the same his verye true nature of manhoode that it than hadde and is not chaunged into the nature and substaunce of hys godheade For euen at those dayes some heritiques did beginne to deuise and to write of Christe that after hys resurrection and ascention hys manhoode was now chaunged into his godhead and was no longer a natural bodye so that he was not now both god man sayde they but God onelye for as muche as by rysynge frome deathe to lyfe and by ascending into heauen he hadde ouercomed al corruptebilitie and hadde cast of all earthlinesse of hys natural body and of his manhoode And the wordes are written in Theodoritus in maner and forme of a dialoge betwene a good Christian maÌ„ beyng of right opinioÌ„s in matters of religioÌ„ whoÌ„ we shal here at thys tyme cal by the name of Orthodoxus as the auctoure doeth and a Compaigâ—ion of hys beynge as it were an Heritique or miscreaunte whome wee shall here for thys presente call by the name of Aduersaries to the trueth and thus do they talke togyther Theodoritus as hereafter foloweth he washed hys stole in wyne and hys garmente in the bloude of the grape Ortho. Doest thou know that God called bread his own body Ad. Yea I know it very wel Ortho. Dost thou know also that in an other place againe he called his body wheat corne Aduer Yea I knowe that too euen verye well For I haue heard that he sayde The houre is come that the sonne of man muste be glorified And except the wheate corne being caste downe into the earth do there dye it remayneth it self alone but if it dye it bringeth forth muche frute Orthod Trulye in the very geuing and deliuerynge of the mysteries he called the breade hys body and the cup he called hys bloud Aduer In dede so did he name it Orthod But euen a body after nature too that is to saye hys owne bodye his bloude might it haue bene so called Aduer It is a playne matter to graunte Orthod Yea and trulye our sauiour hym selfe chaunged the names and gaue to hys bodye the name of the sygne and to the sygne the name of hys bodye And in the same maner whan he hadde called him selfe a vyne he called the verye sygne by the name of hys bloude Aduersa In dede that worde hath thou spoken verye truly And I woulde fayne learne the cause too whye he so chaunged the names Ortho. That is an open marke to knowe vnto all suche as are entred to be partakers of oure holy sacramentes For his wyll was that suche as wer partakers of the heauenly mysteriesâ— should not haue respect to the nature of the thynges whiche thei see but that by the chaungyng of the names thei should beleue the alteracion whiche is made through grace For the same Christe whiche called his naturall bodye a wheate corne and breade also named hymself a vyne the selfe same Christ honoured the visible â—ignes with the name of his bodye aâ—d bloude not chaungyng the nature of the thynges but geuyng grace vnto the nature of them Aduers In dede the mysâ—icall thynges wer mystically spoken And now hath it been of thee clerely expouned and opened that is not knowen to all folkes Orthodoâ— Forasmuche therfore as he openly protesteth the Lordes bodye to be called of the Patriarche Iacob in the olde testamente both a stoole and a garmente and we are now entred into a talke of the heauenly mysteries Tell me plainly and truely whereof thynkest thou that same most holy meate to be a signe and a figure whether of the verai godhead of Christe our Lorde or els rather of his body and bloud Aduer Truly of these same verai
thynges that they haue taken the names of Ortho. of his bodye and bloude is it than that thou saiest Aduer yea euen so doe I saye Ortho. Thou hast saied euen truely For the Lorde whan he tooke the figure in his hande sayed not This is my godheade but this is my body And again This is my bloâ—d And in another place But the breade whiche I shall geue is my fleashe whiche I wyll geue for the life of the world Aduer In dede al this is veray true For they be the lordes wordes Ortho. And certes if it be all true than the Lorde had veraily a body Aduer But I saye that he is without a body Ortho. But thou confessest alreadie and canste not denye that a body he had Now the wordes of thesame Theodoritus out of his second dialogue Aduer Truelye it behoueth vs to vse all meanes wayes possible that we maye atteygne to the veritee and trueth of thynges but moste speciallye in the doctrines and opinions of diuinitie now propouned and put forthe at this presente to talke of Ortho. Tell me than those same mystical signes whiche are offred vnto god by the holye ministers of what thinges are thei the signes Aduer Of the Lordes bodye and bloud Ortho. Of his veraye true and reall body or not real Aduersari Of his true and reall bodye Orthodoxus Ueraye well saied For anye counterpaine muste needes bee the true counterpaine of the thyng that it shall resemble For the peinctures doe counterfayct and resemble nature and dooe peincte the ymages and lykenesses of suche thynges as are naturall and visible thinges in dede Auersari Ye true it is that thou sayest Ortho. Nowe than if those holy and godly mysteris bee paternes of a body that is a true body in dede than is the bodye euen nowe at this present the veraie bodye of oure Lorde And yet is not his bodye chaunged into the nature of his Godheade but it is replete fylled with the glorie of his Godhead Adue Thou hast in veraye good seasoÌ„ moued this present talke of these heaâ—â—nly mysteries For out of thesame will I shewe vnto thâ—e the chaungyng of the Lordes bodye iâ—to another nature Aunswer thou therfore vnto my questions that I shall put forth vnto thee Orthod I wyll aunswere vnto theim Aduersari That same gifte that is offred vp what dooest thou call it before the inuocation that the prieste or minister maketh Ortho. It behoueth not vs herein to speake opeÌ„ly in playn termes For it is veray lykely that some there be here present whiche are not as yet entred and â—nstructed in the profession of Christianitie Aduersa Well than leat thine aunswere bee mysticall and couerâ—ly sette foorth as it weâ— in a riddle Orthodoxus Than I saye it is an eatable thynge made of suche kynde of sede or graine Aduersa And the other figure by what name dooe we call it Ortho. This name is a common name also signifying a kynde of cuppe to drynke of Aduersari And after the halowyng of it by what name dooest thou calle these thynges Orthodoxus The bodye of Christe and the bloude of Christe Aduersari And dooest thou beleue thy selfe to receiue the body and bloud of Christe Orthodox Yea truely I beleue it Aduersari Than lyke as the â—ignes of the Lordes bodye and bloude are in dede one kynde of thynges before the inuocacion of the Priest or Minister and after the inuocacion thesame signes are chaunged and are made another kynde of thynges euen so the Lordes bodye too is after his assumption into heauen chaunged into the substaunce of his mere godhead Orthodoxus Loe thou arte nowâ— caught in thesame nette whiche thou haddeste sette to catche me in Note here that the signes doe not leue ne cast awaye nor lese theyr own pâ—oper nature For those same mystical signes doe not depart away out of theyr owne proper nature after the halo winge of theÌ„ For thei remaine styl in theyr former substauÌ„ce and their former shape and their former kinde and are euen as well seen and felt as thei wer afore But the thinges that are dooen are vnderstanded and are beleued and are wurshipped euen as thoughe thei wer in veray dede the thynges that are beleued Therfore compare nowe the ymage or firste paterne with the counterpayne and thou shalt see the similitude For the figure muste of necessitie bee agreable and aunswerable to the truith For the self same bodye hath verayly his owne former kynde his owne former shape his owne former circumscription that is to saye occupying of a rome and place accordyng to his quantitee if it wer so requisite and to speake plainly without any subtilties euen the very same corporall and bodely substaunce that it had before But from the tyme of his resurrection foorthwarde it became immortall and had ouercomed all corruptibilitee and was iudged worthie to bee placed in the seate of glorie whiche is on the right hande of God and wurshipped it is of all creatures as beyng the veray naturall bodye of our Lorde Aduer Yet neuerthelesse that same mysticall signe that we treate of dooeth chaunge the former name that it was called by For it is not afterwarde called by thesame name that it was called by afore but it is called the bodye c. The trueth therfore and the thing selfe of whiche this is the counterpayne oughte no more to be called God and no more to be called a body Ortho. Thou semest now to me a man that knoweth litell For it is not called the bodye onely but also the breade of life For so dyd the lorde himselfe call it It is in the Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to sai geuing lyfe which in the latin he calleth â— iâ—ificâ—â— that maketh aliue oâ— that maketh liue lye Yea and thissame body we call a diuine or heauenly body and a body that geueth lyfe and our maisters body and the lordes bodye teachynge that it is not a common body of any man indifferently without any choyce but the body of our Lorde Iesus Christe beeyng both God and man for Iesus Christe yesterday and this daye is one the same without any chaunge now and for euer and euer c. Chrisostome in his epistle to one Cesarius a manne than hadde geuen hym selfe to a solitarie lyfe Chrisostome wrytten in the tyme of his seconde banishemente ageynste Appollinarius and others whiche made no distinction betwixt the godhead and the humanitee or manhood in Christ and his Epistle is to bee had in the Library at Florence al though it be not printed Christ saieth he is both god and man God for his impassibilitee and man for his passion one sonne and one Lorde the veray self same without doubte that hath one power one dominion of the two natures ioyned together although thei be not consubstancial that is to saye of one substaunce but so ioyned together that euerie of them beyng seuerall without menglyng doeth still kepe a
stone set for to be the ruine fall and also the arisynge agayne of manye in Israell In the Deuteronomie it is written The bloud is the soule Where as it is but that thing wherby the soule is conserued and signified Iudas the brother of Iosephe speakynge of Iosephe and speakynge that he myghte not be slayne sayd He is our owne fleshe By the whyche phrase of speakynge the natural knyttyng togyther and necessitie of bloud and kynred was signifyed Saynte Paule sayeth that we beynge manye are one breade c. whyche sayinge it canne not be chosen nor auoyded but that it muste â—e vnderstanded to bee fyguratelye spoken And Christe breathed forthe vpon hys disciples and sayde Take ye the holye Ghoste c. Yet was not hys breathynge transubstanciated into the holye ghoste Geneâ— vi In the boke of Genesis it is sayd My Spirite shall not styll dwell in man bicause he is fleshe and in the fyrste Chapitur of Iohn The worde became fleshe c. in whyche place is the plain figure of Sinecdoch For the whole maÌ„ is vnderstanded vnder the name of flesh And our lord Iesus haÌ„ging on the crosse said to Mary his mother Woman behold thy sonne And to his disciple IhoÌ„ Behold thy mother Yet were neyther of theim traÌ„substanciated but remained styl the selfe same persons that they were afore but there was constituted betwene them a newe ordre and degree a newe referrynge and respecte Of Christe it is saide in the scriptures that he is oure peace where as he is only the cause of our peace Also in an other place My wordes are spirite and life where as they did but betoken the same or else were cause of them to the beleuers Iohn Baptiste sayde of Christ. Behold the lambe of god and yet was not his nature chaunged into the nature of a Lambe It is reade here and there in manie places of the holie scriptures that the Lordes wordes are iudgemente and trueth and ryghtuousâ—nes where as these thinges are but signified expressed in the saide wordes of the Lorde And this similitude or comparison doeth passinge wel serue and agre to the sacramentes whych are said to words visible In the Apocalipes it is reade I am α and ω Alpha Omega whereby is mente the firste begynnynge and the laste ende of all thynges And Paule speakynge of hys owne gospell which he preached sayeth The power of God it is to saluation vnto euery one that beleueth Where as it is but onely whereby the power of God declareth it selfe for the sauinge of men And of the preachinge of the crosse he sayeth that vnto the wicked sorte it is folishenes that is to saye it signifieth vnto suche maner of menne but a folishe thynge but to the Godly sort he saith it is the power and wysedome of God for bicause it sheweth and declareth the saide power and wisedome of God vnto the godlye And of the lawe of Moses God sayd that it did put deathe and lyfe blessinge and curssinge vnto the people of the Hebrewes which is none other but by the signification and notifiynge of the lawe the promises and threatenynges of God whiche were in them expressed In the boke of Genesis Gene. xlâ— the seuen kyne and the seuen yeares of corne are saide to be seuen yeres and that is no more but in signifiynge the same Ahias the Prophete a Silonite gaue vnto Hieroboam ten pieces of a cut or torne cloke iii. Kiâ— xi and sayde that he gaue to Hieroboam the kyngedome of ten of the tribes of Israell Also in this same very epistle to the Corinthians and the same eleuenth chapitur whyche we nowe traicte of S. Paule wrote that a woman shoulde haue a power on hyr heade by the whyche worde power he signifieth a coueringe by the whiche couerynge is signified the power and superioritie of the man ouer the woman And in the seconde epistle to the same Corinthians it is coÌ„tayned that God made Christe to be sinne whiche was nothinge els but to the likenes of synne and representation of our fleshe Yea and the ghoste that was offred vp for synne was called sinne And the prestes were saydâ— to â—ate the synnes of the people whyche mente nothinge els but eating the hostes that were slayne and offred vp for the sinnes of the people In the prophet Ezechiel it is written I wil poure forthe cleane water vpon you by the waâ—er he signifieth the holy ghostâ— whych selfe same thing we reade of Christ whan he sayth Who so drinketh of this water c. In whiche place the Euangeliste mencioneth that Christe spake of the holye ghoste whyche they shoulde afterwarde receiue Of the Lambe we heare that it was called Pascha thoughe some there be that attempte the same to denye But the playne words of the Hebrue doth declare it where it is sayd The sacrifice is Pascha that is the passeouer By the sacrifice there can not be vnderstanded anye other thinge but either the slaine hoste that was offred vp or els that same veray acte of sacrifisynge the sayde host So we haue the body of Christ expressed bothe by breade and wine and also by the acte as well of eatynge as of drynkinge And the said Lambe was not the passinge ouer of the Aungel but onely a monumente and token or signification of hym so passing ouer Christ sought a place wher he might eat the passeouer with his Apostles and by the word of passeouer he vnderstode those meates those consecrate or hallowed thynges which dyd betoken and signifie the passe ouer S. Paule also said Christe our passe ouer hath bene offered vp c. And in the same place he called Christe hymselfe our solemnitie oure passage or passeouer whych thinges can not be taken nor vnderstanded but as figuratelye spoken And the sayde lambe was not the passinge ouer of the aungell whyche was theÌ„ to be done or in doyng but whiche was done in old tyme many hundred yeres afore the remembraunce whereof was represented by these same externall signes Here also in thys sacrament we haue the bodye of Christ that heretofore suffered not that is nowe at thys present deliuered vnto the crosse or whose bloud is now at thys day shedde forth but a great while ago And in case these meÌ„ wold straightly expoune the words of Christ wheÌ„ he saith This is my bodye whyche is betrayed for you They coulde not chose but saye that the breade shoulde be crucified or at leaste wyse Christe couered vnder the accidentes of the bread in the sacramente as their exposition and determination is For Christe shewinge forthe that yâ— he theÌ„ had in hys handes sayd that the same it was that shoulde be betrayed and deliuered and shedde forthe for them That if they saye that in dede the same it was that was betraied and deliuered but not after the same manier nor in the same fourme or shape than do they seke interpretacions and expositions
as Austen recordeth he thoughte it not enoughe that thei had spirituall meate and drinke but he also added cundem that is to saye the veray same And agayne because thou shouldest not doubte but that Paule meÌ„te that theyr sacrameÌ„tes and ours are al one he expressed baptisme by name whiche baptisme he sayeth the fathers atteigned and had in the sea and in the cloude Wherof it is euident that the saied fathers of the olde lawe had theyr sacramentes not onely emonge themselues but also that thei had the veraye same that we haue We see also that other sayinges of the scripture beeyng veraye nere and muche lyke vnto this saying that we traicte of are euen of these our aduersaries taken as woordes figurately spoken For it is thus expressed The breade whiche we breake is the Communion or partakynge of Christes bodye And this cuppe is the newe testamente c. which woordes we haue now somwhat often rehearsed Besides all this it dooeth not properly agree nor accorde to the bodye of Christ for to bee eaten And of the premisses it is open at ful and manifest what ought to bee sayed to the secound argumeÌ„t or reasoÌ„ of the transubstanciatours in whiche thei obiected against vs that a sentence or clause in scripture ought not to be taken after any trope or figure except there were some thyng conteyned either afore or comyng after in the same sentence whiche did aduise and iustly moue vs that it wer so to bee dooen And thei went ferther with vs also allegynge that wher Christ saieth this is my body that shal be geuen vp for you we did take the latter part of this sentence in the bare and propre sence of the wordes wtout any chaunge or alteracion which thyng is manifestlye false for so muche as we there chauÌ„ge the tymes and do not admitte or take it to be the same bodye whiche was betrayed and geuen vppe to death for vs. For that bodye was not alonelye visible but also passible Neyther can there be in one and the same substaunce or subiecte at one and the same tyme the properties and qualities of a bodye corruptible together with the gyftes and properties of a bodye glorifyed so that one and thesame body at one instauÌ„t tyme should bee bothe passible and not passible And besydes this we haue nowe alreadye showed what other places caused vs to admitte the figures afore spoken of and declared that is to wete Synecdoche and Metonimia where the thynge instituted is takeÌ„ for the auctoure that is to saye for hym that dyd institute it Nowe will we make aunswere to the argumeÌ„t which is the thyrde ceason alleged in the beginnyng of this booke for the establishyng of transubstanciacion An answer to the third argumente that was made for transubstaÌ„ciacion and the argumente is concernyng thynges of dyuerse and contrary natures whiche are called of the Logicians in the schoole terme disparata as is afore sayed whiche are so vnlyke saye they and so disseuered one from another that the one of them can not be sayed nor verifyed of the other Whereunto we aunswere that suche thynges as of themselues are in suche sorte dyuerse vnlyke and disseuered or contrary of nature and kinde the one to the other yet yf they bee well ioigned together wel applyed and proporcioned the one to the other for the better signifying and expressinge of a thynge they maye nowe in suche case bee so ioygned together that they will make a good proposicion and a perfecte sentence Whiche thing we see to haue been dooen not onely of Christe where he sayeth The seed is the worde of God in another place I am a vine tre but also of Paule where he saieth that we all are one breade in another place the breade whiche we breake is the partakyng and coÌ„munion of the body of Christ and agayn this cup is the new testameÌ„t in my blud Nor we do not muche passe on that that some saie that Mathew Mark did in plain expresse wordes say this is my bloud of the new testameÌ„t c. for we deny not but yâ— these Euangelistes did so write but in the meane tyme we stifly hold saye that the wordes which Luke and Paule haue writen are to bee receaued and allowed too aswell as the others And those woordes of Luke and Paule we affirme as we haue saied of the other sentences that thei are made of wordes so ferre disagreyng and disseuered in theyr natures that they maye after the sayd schoole terme of the LogiciaÌ„s be but wel called disparata but yet in the way of signifying and for the better expressing of the mattier that is ment and entended by theim they bee veraye aptly ioygned and knitte together and do veraye well accorde In another argument it was sayed that when Christe spake these wordes An answere to yâ— fourth argumente that was alleged for transubstanciacion This is my body he sayed not this signifieth or represeÌ„teth my body this bread is a figur or signe of my body c. To this we answer lay again for vs that likewise Christ neuer sayed that his body laye lurkyng and hidden vnder those accidentes without a subiecte as the transubstanciacioners doe imagyn nor Christ did neuer saye that the substance and matier of the bread dooeth cease to bee there in the sacrament or that it was chaunged and turned by any kinde of transubstanciation into the substaunce of his body and theÌ„ ferther I do muche meruaile how men can obiecte those thynges in this wyse against vs seyng that these exposicions that it be taken in that sence are moste playnelye conteyned and expressed in the fathers and auncient writers of the churche For they haue veray often in their bookes and writynges these mannier of speakynges the body and bloud of Christ to be represented to be signifyed to bee poynted to bee betokeneded and to bee shewed And the signes of breade and wyne they doe calle by these termes the seale the figure the pype or paterne and the counterpaine of the true and veray thyng it selfe Neither is ther any cause why any man maye cauill and obiecte that the fathers did referre and applye in these signes or figures to the death of Christe and â—ot to the body of Christe For the fathers dooe moste playnlye in theyr bookes wryte and saye that the bodye and bloude of Christe is signifyed betokened in the sacramente And that we haue the signes and figures geuen vs of the verai bodye and bloude of Christe For the ferther proufe whereof and that thou maieste well knowe it to bee true we shall of dyuers and sundrye places of theyr wrytynge treacte and bryng in a fewe here ensuyng Austine in his traâ—ctyse whiche he made of catechysynge and enstructinge the rude and ignoraunte Austeâ— sayeth As touchyng the sacrament that he hath receyued saieth Austen he must be enstructed and taught that the seales and signes of
of a preaumble vnto the mattyer whyche maye stande in stede of certayne preceptes and rules for the better vnderstandynge of the fathers and aunciente writers in thys behalfe Whan soeuer they traict of this sacrameÌ„tal matter The fyfte rule how to vndeâ—sâ—and the doctors and speake somewhat hyghly vehemently thereof Firste it is to be considered that the holye scripture dothe with a certayne mutual relation and interchauÌ„geablenesse sometimes attribute to the things selues suche termes as are propre to the Sacramentes and signes onâ—lye and those thynges whychâ— are propre to the thinges selues they do contrariwyse attribute and assygne vnto the sacramentes and signes which dooe but represente the thynges An enterchaungâ—inge of names betwene the sacrameÌ„tes and thinges of the sacramentes And the same selfe waye and fashion do the aunciente fathers manye tymes vse so that a manne shall oftentymes se and reade them so to speake of the thinges sâ—lues as thoughe they spake but of the Sacramentes and signes and oftentimes contrarywise so to write and talke of the sacramentes and signes as if it were of the thinges selues whych the same represente and signifie And so maye it be very well bicause of the greate likenes and similitude whiche is betwene the sayde thinges and the sygnes by reason of Gods institution or ordinaunce in them The second rule for the vnderstanding of the doctours And Austen hathe geuen a plaine aduertisemente and lesson or rule as concerniâ—ge this matter written to Bonifatius that in the sacramentes the names are chaunged and confounded as we haue sayd before The fathers do alwayes call this a spirituall foode not a bodilye foode An other rule is that if ye diligently marke what wente before and what commâ—th after ye shall alwayes perceiueâ— that the fathers do witnes and testifye the foode of this sacrameÌ„t to be a spiritual foode and not the foode of the gutte or of the bealye or of the teethe The thirde rule how to vnderstand the doctors The thyrd rule is that if at any tyme thei do write that we do communicate carnally and fleashlye with Christe so that our verai bodyes also are fed with the hoste and sacramente of Eucharistia all this is in this wyse to be vnderstanded that we must coÌ„ceyue in our myndes that the sonne of God whan he was conceiued of the virgyn Marie and didde take the nature of man vpon him did euen than fâ—eashâ—ly and naturally communicate with vs. And ferthermore we dooe than abyde in hym and he againe abydeth in vs whan we beleue the woordes that he hath spoken and whan with a true feythe we receyue the sacramentes For in communicatyng and receyuyng his bodye after this sorte there is geuen and wrought in vs a new spiritie and our fâ—eashe and bodyes whiche before were of lyke nature with Christe and now made partakers all of lyke propretees and qualitees with him become apte to receiue his immortalitie and his resurreccion And whaÌ„ they obey serue yâ— spirite than are thei truly verely nourished vnto life euerlastyng And thus our bodyes by receyuyng of this sacramente are fed two mannier of wayes the one with the outwarde signe and figure and the other by this restoryng of vs to euerlastynge lyfe and so is Christe sayed to remayne and abyde in vs by meanes of this sacramente And as touchynge the fyrste kynde of communicatynge whiche we haue with Christ by his natiuitee and incarnatioÌ„ we haue a testimonie therof out of the Epistle of Paule to the Hebrewes in the seconde chapitur in these woordes For asmuche than as the childreÌ„ are partakers of fleashe and bloud he also hath lykewyse been partaker with the same Now that to this presente purpose it is ferther to bee considered that the word of consecrating doeth signifie nothing els with the fathers and old writers but to dedicate appoint that thing now to some holy vse and offyce whiche before was prophan and common of his owne nature And therfore we must not as often as we reade in the fathers this woorde or terme of consecration by an by imagyn in our braynes a transubstanciacion How the auncient fathers dooe take and vse the word or terme of coÌ„secâ—ating or consecracioÌ„ And yet yâ— there is a certain chaung a mutation in the consecration we dooe not denye that is to wete suche a chaunge for whiche these same thynges are now made sacramentes to signifie vnto vs effectually that as concerning our mynde or solle and oure feith the veray body and bloude of Christe is geuen and offred by the power of the holy ghoste It is ferther to bee knowen that as touchyng the thynges selues there is no difference betwene vs and the Caperâ—aites For they thought that they shoulde haue eaten the veraye bodye and the veraye fleashe of Christe and we dooe graunte no lesse to bee dooen in the sacrament of the Lordes supper The differeÌ„ce betwen vs and the Capernaites in receyuyng the sacramentes But the difference betwene the Capernaites and vs resteth in the mannier and fashion of eatynge it For the same that they thoughte shoulde be carnallye and fleashly dooen we teache to bee doen spiritually And the veray true body of Christ and his veray true bloud it is that is geuen For feith doeth not embrace nor receiue feigned thinges but thinges yâ— are true in dede Also whan it is red in the writynges of the fathers the body of Christ to be coÌ„preheÌ„ded coÌ„teined in these misteries there is nothing els to be takeÌ„ or vnderstaÌ„d by these wordes but that it is limited noted shewed represented or signified by them And whan thou hearest any of the fathers saying that there is nowe no breade nor wine anye longer remayning in the sacrament The sixth rule thou must not vnderstaÌ„d this so to be without any farther addition or circuÌ„staunce but in respecte of thy selfe whan thou doest deuoutlye and godlye receyue it For thou for thy parte at that time muste not thinke any longer on the breade or on the wine but thy minde â—ence must wholy and onely cleaâ—e and sticke to the thynges whyche are there represented and signified by the sacrament And therefore it is saide by the prieste or ministe Lyfte vp your hertes to the entente that thou shouldest lifte vp thy minde and thy herte from these visible thinges vnto the thinges inuisible whiche are there offred and geuen vnto the. Yea and the holy scriptures dooe not abhorre frome this kinde of figuratiue speakinge neither but do admitâ—e and vse the same For Paul saith We haue no strife nor wrastlinge against fleshe and bloude Who neuertheles would not haue denied but that the bodye and fleashe doth noye burden encumber the soule that the same body fleshe oughte to be bridled and kepte vnder For the same Paule in an other place writeth in thys maner The fleashe desyereth contrarye to the spirite Neither was Paule
saieth that the bread is not a signe of Christes body this he sayeth vpon Mathewes Ghospell which thyng is well spoken if he mene that yâ— bread is not an emptye figure or a vain figure void of al streÌ„gth efficacy Neither do we saie that the bred is suche a signe or figure And we do nothiÌ„g doubt but yâ— this was his interpretacioÌ„ mening in dede for because that vpoÌ„ Markes gospel he saith that the bread is not a figure not onely For els if he shoulde vtterly denye that the bread is a signe or a figure of Christes bodi he should be contrary to the rest of the fathers and olde writers whom we haue alredy plainly declared to graunte and putte bothe a sygne and a fygure to bee heere in this sacramente He saieth also that the bread is transformed conuerted and chaunged from the elemente and matier that it was afore into an other Whiche maniers of speaking if he vnderstande and mene Sacramentally we dooe not abhorre from them For the breade and wyne become sacramentes they passe bee chaunged into elementes that is to saye matyers of heauenly thynges and they putte on as it were a newe garmente and shape to bee nowe the sygnes and tokens of an higher matier But saye they thys Theophylactus wryteth that the fleashe and the bloude for thys cause bee not seen leste oure stomackes shoulde stande agaynste the receyuynge of it But if thou what soeuer thou bee wilt so eagrely and so sore bynde vpon these woordes we for oure parte laye agaynst the agayne the wordes that the same Theophylactus wryteth vpon Markes ghospell whyche are that the kyndes or symylitudes of breade and wyne bee turned into the vertue or strength of the lordes bodye and bloud That if thou wilt allege that the sayd Theophylactus dooeth in all other places not saye into the vertue c. But into Christes boddye and bloud The kindes and similitudes of breade and wine coÌ„uerted into the vertue of Christes body bloude we aunswere that the interpretacion of these wordes is that these sygnes take vnto them the vertue of the thynges whyche they signyfye by reason of the whyche vertue the sacramentes bee of no lesse effecte then if the vâ—raithyng self wer there present And as I haue sayed the yrkesomnes and abhorrynge of it is taken away yf we putte that the chaunge is made not into the thinge but in to the vertue of the thing Hys other sentence semeth to bee somewhat more violeÌ„te and of some more force vehemencyeâ— whych he wroote vpon the sixth chapytur of Ihons ghospell where he thus sayeth As the breade that Chryste did eate whyles he lyued here in yearthe was chaunged into his fleashe by a naturall transubstanciation or chaungeyng after the common rate of foode and nourishement in mannes bodye so is this breade chaunged into Christes body here in the Sacramente Yet this similitude and comparison we graunte also to bee true yf it bee generally taken For in this sacrament also we dooe not denye but there is a chaunge Sacramentall that is to saye suche as in a Sacrament is required That if thou saye thou wylte nedes take this similitude euen plainly as it is made and as it souneth whiche is that the breade bee as verayly chaunged in the Sacramente of Eucharistia as breade was turned into Christes fleshe at suche tymes as he eate it whiles he here lyued than wyll there folowe an inconuenience cleane contrary to thyne owne sentence and determination For it wyll folowe that the accidentes of the signes cannot remayne or be reserued still in the Sacramente of Eucharistia For in thee foode and sustenaunce that Christe tooke frome time to tyme whiles he liued the acâ—identes did not remayne Besydes the premisses I wyll here allege for our purpose the woordes of the same selfe expositour vpon the sixth chapitur of Iohns gospell vpon these woordes he that eateth my fleashe and drynketh my bloude abideth in me and I in hym c. Upon whiche woordes Theophylactus expounyng them in the persone of Christ saith that this thyng is dooen whiles the partie is quodammodo that is to saye in a manier mingled and ioygned vnto me and is chaunged ouer into me Where thou seest agayne that Theophilactus holdeth as the reste of the fathers and wryters dooe holde that there is so great a chaungeyng of vs into Christe that he wryteth vs to bee chaunged ouer and dooe passe into Christe And thus muche I saye at this present for aunswere of that that was broughte in and allegedde agaynste vs out of Theophylactus Of the later wryters they bryng Anselmus and Hugo Anselmus and Hugo aunswered vnto and Rycharde whiche were in the tyme of Uictor But foraâ—muche as in the tyme of these menne the doctrine of transubstanciacion was now already perforce thrust into the lappe of the churche and the people compelled to receyue it the sayde wryters in suche woorkes as they made didde accordyng to the tyme so that the newe inuencion of suche ougâ—te not to haue place to the preiudice of the mooste aunciente opynyon of the churche and of the determinacion of the olde auncient fathers Iohn Damascene auÌ„swered vnto But one maÌ„ emong all others they seme to haue most highe in price and this is Iohn Damascene who in the fourthe booke and fowerteenthe chapitur of his worke of the right feith Hath verai largely wryteÌ„ of this matier But I fynd that this Damascene liueth vnder the Greke Emperour Leo Isanricus so that betwene the tyme of Gregorius Magnus bishop of Rome and thissame Ihon Damascene it was a full nye hundred and twentie yeares space at the leaste The time of Damascene whan he liâ—ed And wheras now alreadye in the tyme of Gregorie many poinctes of supersticion and manye thynges of maÌ„nes inuencioÌ„ wer come by heapes into the Churche the matier did euery daye from that tyme forward renue still headlong to wurse wurse By reason wherof it is no meruaile at al if this Damascene stumbled vpon many pointes that wer both vntru and also ful of supersticion The iugemeÌ„t of Damascene in diuerse Articles of docâ—trine And as for his iudgement how good and how great it was as well in arcticles and pointes of doctrine as also in expounyng of the holy scriptures we haue a sample good enough For he is a wonderous great fauourer of Images and susteyned both great and sore daungiers mo then one for vpholdynge and maynteining of them yea and in this selfsame fourth booke he wrote a seuerall chapitur of a sette purpose concernyng the same matier of Images where his mynde sentence is that Images not onelye are to bee made but also to be honoured and wurshypped Besides this he so highly estemed the reliques of sainctes and holy men whiche are now in rest that he appointed vnto them also a certayne chapitur for the nonce in whiche he feared not to
course of nature we shoulde bee placed and sette in those thynges whiche are aboue nature In whyche place he toucheth also of our chaungeyng into Christe But it is here to bee noted that he affirmeth the outward signes and matier of the sacramentes to bee thynges accordynge to nature that is to saye naturall thynges and thynges of their own natures That yf ye putte thesame to bee accidentes onelye and withoute a subiecte or accidentes that haue the bodye of Christe hidden vnder them than are thei not any longer to bee taken for thynges of theyr owne nature or for thynges within the ordre and course of nature And Damascen vseth suche playne termes in the matier that he affirmeth the nature of bread to be chaunged ouer to bee taken to another thynge and to be made Christes body which wordes chaunge yf they bee taken and vnderstanded of a Sacramentall chaunge they make nothynge at all agaynste vs. And where he also sayeth that these chaunges happen aboue nature we admitte and graunte that too For it is not of any naturall propretee belongynge vnto common breade that a sacrament shoulde bee made thereof no more then the fountayne of oure regeneracion or newe birth to bee made naturallye of water That yf ye demaunde of Damascene the manier howe this chaungeynge of the breade into Christes body commeth to passe he aunswereth that it is not a lyghte mattier euen for vs to expresse the mannier howe breade in oure naturall foode and susteinaunce is chaunged into oure fleashe But as touchynge this similitude and comparison howe it maye bee taken we haue sayed sufficiently afore whan we spake of Theophylactus If ye take this similitude generallye and applye it to a Sacramentall chaunge it is veraye well but if ye will haue the comparison specially made of suche a mutacion or chaungeynge as there is of the foode that we take in oure bodyes whan it is turned into our fleashe than shall ye make not onelye the nature of breade to geue place and to departe awaye but also the accidentes therof to dooe thesame Damascene after all this affirmeth the breade so to bee made Christes bodye and the wyne and water in suche wyse to bee made his bloude that the same are nowe not twoo thynges but one If he referre this terme to bee one thynge and not twayne to the cuppe and the breade as though he should saye that these twoo are one Sacramente We wyll make no greate a dooe in the mattier for in this accion or dooyng as in one Sacramente Christe is offred vnto vs for a foode And yet in takynge bothe partes of this Sacramente the Churche is not a fearde to speake of theym as thoughe they were twoo and to saye that there bee Sacramentes here And in the collectes whiche they were woont to saye in theyr olde Masse they did after the communion manye tymes saye these woordes The Sacramentes whiche we haue receyued c. But an yf they affirme them in suche wyse to bee one that after the consecracion the breade and Christes bodye bee nowe one thyng and notte twayne for the transubstanciation that is incedente vnto it than wyll we sette agaynste this the sentence and determinacion of Ireneus in whiche he wryteth the Sacramente of Eucharistia to consiste of twoo thynges the one yearthelye and the other heauenlye We also sette agaynste theym Gelasius sometyme Byshop of Rome who speakyng of the vnioÌ„ of the humayne nature and diuine nature in Christe bothe the sayde natures remayning wholle and vndefyled argueth and proueth it to bee true by the conioning and couplyng of the bread with Christes bodye in this sacramente bothe natures remaynynge whole and perfect He affirmeth moreouer that this Sacrament is not cast downe in the draught Neyther can it in veray dede otherwyse bee spoken of the transubstanciatours For wheras they put and holde that in this sacrament of Eucharistia there is nothynge but the accidentes of breade and of wyne and the nature of Christes bodye there doeth no parte of these thynges belong to any draught But against the premisses I wyll now bryng in and obiecte a most manifest place of Origen vpon Mathew in the fiftenth chaptur wher he expouneth and declareth these woordes of the EuaÌ„gelist That that entreth iÌ„to the mouth defileth not a man And there dooeth Origen saye thus Origens mynde of the sacramente whether it goe into the draughte or not If it dooe not defyle a man than dooeth it not sanctifie hym and make hym holy neither But what shall we saye of the Lordes breade Is it true that it neyther maketh a man holye nor defileth hym he aunswereth that lyke as if any thing seme vnpure it nothynge at all defyleth vs except through a corrupt conscience in vs Euen so also that that appereth and is called holy dooeth not sanctifye vs nor make vs holy vnlesse there bee righteousnesse wythin vs and perfectenesse of life For if of it owne nature it had the propretee to sanctifie to make holy than should there not haue been many sicke emoÌ„g the Corinthians and many haue died Where fore that that is materiall or grosse and corruptible in the lordes breade dooeth passe down into the bealie and is cast oâ—t into the draught and that that is by humble prayer by the lordes woorde is profitable vnto the solle accordyng to the porcion of euerie mannes feyth It is not than the materiall parte of the lordes breade that is profitable but the woord that is put thereto is the thynge that auayleth And to the entente that one shoulde not thynke hym to speake of any other meate he repeateth it agayne in a briefe summe and sayeth Thus muche haue we spoken of the mystycall and Sacramentall bodye of Christe Nowe leate not anye manne to impougne this that we haue sayed cauill and saye that Origen did nowe and than erre in diuerse opinions and articles For Hierome Epiphanius and the olde aunciente fathers whiche didde with all possible diligence searche and bryng foorth his erroures to lyghte dooe not in anye place make mencion that he was in anye wronge opinion of the Sacramente whiche thynge they woulde neuer haue leafte vnspoken yf he hadde in so greate a mattier gonne neuer so lytle oute of square And Origen in the place afore alleged moste manifestly and plainly addeth these woordes also that the wycked sorte dooe not eate Christes bodie because that Christes bodye is a thyng that geueth life and he that eateth it abydeth in Christe Wherfore agaynst thys Ihon Damascene beeyng but a newe wryter of late yeres a man not of so great a name to speake of leat Origene bee sette who is bothe a veray auncient wryter and also estemed of al men for a ryght famous Clerke After this there was obiected against vs out of the Counsayle of Ephesus that whiche Cyrillus wrote in the behalfe of the same counsayle to Nestarius byshop of Constantinople The counsell of
of the Latines and there they agreed as touchyng the discorde and controuersye that had been concernynge the holye Ghost And in the actes of the counsayle it is to be seen that after the Bisshoppes of the Easte parties and the Latines had agreed vpoÌ„ certain articles the Bishop of Rome than beyng would haue proceded ferther would haue driuen them to traicte of transubstanciation to receiue it as the Latines did beleue it But here the grekes stiffely with stode hym wold in no wyse traict of any suche matier Neither could they be moued nor induced by any argumentes to coÌ„sent therunto And whaÌ„ the letters or instrumentes of vnitie concord agrement betwene theÌ„ should be made publishedâ— the sayed Greke Byshops made a speciall prouiso that in no wyse ther should be any mencioÌ„ made of this matier of transubstanciation which was also obserued as appereth in the Bulle of Eugenius which begiÌ„neth Exultent caeli et letetur terra c. where in he reioyceth in the behalfe of Cristian nacions for this most happie chaunce that the churche of the grekes the churche of the Latines wer â—ome to a coÌ„cord vnytee agayn Wherof it foloweth that if the transubstanciacion had been a matyer of suche weyght effycacy the Romisshe churche woulde neuer haue come to a tonement and been coupled wyth the Churche of the Grekes not receyuing thesame For nowe of dayes they saye it is a veray pernicious and a detestable Hâ—resie not to admit transubstancioÌ„ Nor it is not to be thought nor supposed that the Latine churche would haue coupled her self with heretiques and been one with them By this also is the argumeÌ„t made voyde and of none effecte whiche they broughte of the vniuersal consent and agrement of the churche For it is not true which they affirme that all Christen churches did conspire and agree in this article of transubstanciacion For that same auncient churche which was in the tyme of the fathers as we haue shewed did neuer ymagine nor deuise any suche matier Also the Greke churche of the East parties was not in like opinion that we haue been in Besydes al this to their argumentacions they adde mooste hyghe prayses of the diuine and godly power To the Argument of â—he diuine power to induce the people to beleue so greate a myracle But this is an argumente moste weake and feble for the thynge whiche they ought chiefely to haue shewed they haue neuer yet hitherto truely proued whiche it is that god will dooe it and that the holye scriptures dooe promise suche a thyng vnto vs. For these woordes whiche they allege that is to wete This is my body thâ—se woordes I saye are the matier that is in controuersie maye haue another menyng wherefore the argumente is of no strength ne force And we shall declare the weakenesse of thesame by a certaine example The Lord said vnto Nicodeme Beholde a similitude of Nicodeme that no manne coulde â—ntre into tâ—e kyngdome of heauen excepte he wer borne of newe Than Nâ—codeme began to demaunde how can a maÌ„ whan he is old enâ—re agayne into his mothers woÌ„be It might haue been saied vnto hym Chryste hath euen now affyrmed that it shall so be whi dooest than doubte of the power of God by the whyche all thinges wer created By the same power of God maiest thou vndoubtedlye bee borne againe out of thy mothers wombe But the matyer was not so handeled But Chryste declared that all thys shoulde bee dooen by a spyrytuall regeneracyon For although he made mencion of the water whyche parteyneth to baptisme Yet did he most manyfestly teache that the regeneracion must be dooen by the spirite And euen so dooe we see it happen herein thys matier of the sacramente Chryst commaundeth vs to eate hys fleash and he takynge the breade in hys hande sayethe This is my bodye Now the transubstanciatours said It cannot bee that the bodye of Chryste shoulde bee to gether with the bread Wherefore it must nedes folow that the nature of the breade bee turned by transubstanciacyon into Chrystes body And that it is so transubstauncyated they wyll nedes parswade men by an argumente of the power of God Why the fathers speakinâ—g of this sacâ—amente dooe so magnifie the power of god because he is hable to doe it But in the meane whyle the transubstanciatours dooe thus obiecte agaynst vs We dooe not thys alowe say they for Chrysostome Ambrose Cyrillus whan they traict of thys mutacion the lykewyse remit vs to the power of god magnyfye the same power of god with wunderful high laudes praises But to thys we aunswer that the fathers speake veray wel for vndoubtedly it belongeth to the power of God so to chaunge breade and wyne that they bee made sacramentes whyche they wer not afore neyther is it the worke of nature that bread and wine should so mightely and so effectually signifie offre and represente the bodye and bloud of our lorde to bee comprehended wyth our myndes and wyth our feith Wherefore the holy ghoste dooeth here entremeole hymself the lordes institution and ordinaunce in this behaâ—fe is of great strength and vertue the wordes beeyng at the fyrst pronounced by the inspiracion of God and now repeated agayn by the ministre dooe weorke no smalle effecte Ye maye to the premisses putte our conuersion and chaungeyng into Christe whan we dooe receiue the communion all whiche thynges are ferre aboue the power strength of nature And now wher as the supernatural power of the lorde maye bee required to al these thynges these men applye the sayd power of God to transubstanciacion But thys is a muche lyke thyng as it we should make an argumente and should reason as the logicians termes bee ab vniuersiliore ad particularius that is to saie from the more general to the lesse general affirmatyuely that is by the waye of affirmyng a thyng to bee thus or thus whiche is the wourstkynde of argumente that can bee made as for exaÌ„â—le there can not bee a wourse arâ—umeÌ„te theÌ„ to saâ— Thissame is a tree ergo it is an applee tree For it maye bee a theritree or an oke tree or some other tree But contrarie wyse to saye this in an aple tree Ergo it is a tree is a veray good reason and a well framed argumente So to saye Goddes wyll is to dooe suche a thyng or suche a thyng ergo he can dooe it is a perfeicte good reason But theâ—e can not bee a lewder manier of arguyng then to saye God is of power to dooe suche a thyng ergo he wyl dooe it or dooeth it For God is of power euen now at this daye to heale all diseases and sicknesses of all men to make the dum to speake to restore sight vnto the blynde and to reuiue men that are dead as Christe reised Lazarus and as he wrought the thynges afore spokenâ— and many other miracles while he liued
of scripture that the same made for theÌ„ The Ebionites did take Christe to be a creature only Hebionitâ—s an other secte of heriques sayd that this saying god my god why hast thou leaft or forsaken me could be none otherwise vnderstanded for God sayed they dooeth neuer leaue ne forsake himselfe And of thys sentence written in the sixte of Iohn He that eateth my fleshe dryncketh my bloude shall not dye for euer Manye sayde that it folowed that those whych dyd once come lawfullye to the communion coulde not peryshe for euer The whyche erroure saynte Austen in hys boke entituled De ciuitate dei that is of the Cytye of God doeth clearelye reproue Also the wordes of the canticles whych are entitled Cantica canticorum â— if ye take theÌ„ as they sounde in wordes at the firste apprearaunce they are but songes or ballades of loue or maryage Songes We must not therfore alwayes alledge the plainenes of the words go no further Christ saith He that hath eares to hear let him hear and he that readeth let him vnderstand Neyther is it conueniente by and by to take the fyrste sence that sheweth or offreth it selfe without regardynge or considerynge and conferryng of other places wyth it Christe sayde to hys Apostles Beware of the leuen of the Phariseis The Apostles by and by thoughte that he hadde spoken of breade where as Christe spake of theyr doctrine He sayed also Lazarus our frende slepethe Here dyd the Apostles slepe also and sayde If he slepe he shall do well inoughe recouer agayne where as Christe spake of hys death The Lorde sayeth in an other place Destroye you thys temple and in three dayes I shall builde it vp agayne neyther dyd the Apostles vnderstande that he spake of hys bodye He that kepeth my commaundementes shall not dye for euer And here also dyd the Iewes thynke that he spake of the bodilye deathe Necodemus dyd grosselye vnderstande the newe generation byrthe that Christe spake of Neither was the Samaritane woman anye thing lesse deceyued aboute that matter whyche Christ promised hyr The Hebrues also were deceyued whan Christe sayde vnto them Abraham did se my dayes and did reioyce Let theim not therefore saye euermore vnto vs thys scripture is plaine This is my body for we answere theÌ„ that it is plaine as coÌ„cerning the significatioÌ„ of the wordes But the sence of the words is not plaine as apeareth in such other like seÌ„teÌ„ces as these Christe is a stone Christe is a lambe Ye are the bodies of Christe Wee though we be many ar one bread one body Al these be the wordes of god we may saye of theym that they be playne and that they be euident and yet none of theÌ„ al proueth transubstaÌ„tiatioÌ„ Wherefore there is no cause why the plainnes of the wordes shoulde so muche be alleged We muste of other places of scripture and of the circumstaunces wel consider what is in thys mattier mente aud intended We wyl therfore expoune this proposition somwhat depelye repetynge the matter from the bottome God was wyllynge to drawe man vnto hym wyth large and greate promises as that he woulde make him happye and blessed And bycause he knewe oure beleuynge herte he woulde that there shoulde be manye benifites of hys shewynge towardes mankind remayne and appeare in memorie whereby he might allure and drawe man vnto hym Wherefore he dyd not onelye giue all creatures vnto man but also in the tyme of the floude he deliuered our kinde whiche hadde full euyll deserued it from the destruction of the water To Abraham he declared hym selfe very fauorable and louinge To Isaac also to Iacob his sonnes sonne He prospered their stocke whan they were oppressed he deliuered them and gaue them a fruitefull contrye to dwell in and promoted them to the dignitie of kynges and priestes and yet were they continually men of a harde beliefe and did not perfectelye thincke that God owed them good wyll Wherefore for their infidelitie he cast them oute into diuers captiuities agayne manye sondrye tymes he deliuered them In conclusion to the entente that there shoulde be no place lefte of doubtinge of hys goodnesse he gaue them the greateste and highest benefite of al benefites that is to wete hys sonne takynge on him our fleshe that he shoulde dye on the crosse for oure healthe saluation the whiche benefite was suche and so greate that Paule to the Romaynes sayeth howe hath he not geueÌ„ vs al thinges with his soÌ„ne And than lefte thesame so greate and so hyghe a benefite should any more bee forgotten his wil and pleasure was that it should euermore nowe and than bee renewed in this sacrament of thankes geuyng to then tente that we should continually by faith thinke in our myndes that Christ was geueÌ„ by his father to death and that by the beleuyng thereof we shoulde eate his fleashe and drincke his bloud whiche thing to th enteÌ„t that it might the more effectually bee dooen the signes of bread and wyne were ioygned vnto it whiche should more earnestly moue vs then bare woordes alone had been wont to dooe Therfore whan he saith This is my body he vnderstoode none other thing than he promised in the sixthe of Iohn whan he sayed I am the bread of life he spake of himself as concernyng his body and fleashe deliuered to death or rather that should afterward be deliuered as plainly appereth by his woordes Neither ment he eny other thyng but that these thinges shoulde be vnto vs breade and meate wherwith our solles might be comforted and coÌ„firmed and by the mynde or solle the body also should be confyrmed and so consequentlye all the whole man Christ therfore at his last supper meÌ„t nor went about nothyng els but turned and sette the woordes of his former saying one in anothers place and lyke as afore he had sayde his bodye and fleashe to be bread so now placyng the wordes in the contrary ordre and shewyng forth the bread he saieth that the bread is his body And whyle he pronouÌ„ced these woordes This is my body it was eueÌ„ as much as if he should haue sayed My body receiued by feith shall be vnto you in stede of breade and shall bee lyke as it wer bread wherewith ye maie be spiritually fed and nourished Leat therfore the sence and plaine meaning be this I geue you breade to eate and in the meane tyme I propoune and set foorthe vnto you my body which shall bee nailed vpon the crosse that ye maye with feithefull remembraunce and with moste attentiue mynde spiritually eate thesame with youre selues and that as ye eate breade with your body so ye maye eate my fleashe with your solle What canne there bee either more easie or more clere and plaine to vnderstand then this interpretacion and exposicion or that maye better agree with the promise whiche oure Lorde Iesus Christ made vnto vs in the sixthe chapitur of Ihon
figura corporis mâ—i that is to wete sayeth Tertullyan the signe of my bodye The obiection out of Origen aunswered vnto They brought in agaynst vs Origen also because he wrote that Christe graunted the breade to bee his bodye And that dooe not we denye but all oure controuersie dooeth consiste in the manier how it is Christes bodye And as touchyng this poynte Origen hymself sheweth playnly in other places of his weorkes that there be figures here and that this bread is called the word nutritiue of the solle and geueth a ferther lesson concernyng thesame that we muste not set our myndes to cleue and sticke to the bloude of the fleashe but to the bloud of the worde Cyprian answered vnto Ciprian semeth to speake more hardelye when he sayed that this breade is chaunged not in his shape or outwarde apparaunce but in his nature But we muste haue a regard and consideracion what he wrote to Caecisius Whiche was that the Lordes bloude was shewed foorth with the wyne and that if wine ceassed to bee in the cuppe it coulde not seme that Christes bloud was in the cup. And as touchyng that he writeth in this place of chaungeyng the wyne into bloud we graunted also that a chaunge there is but we affirme it to bee a sacramentall mutacion or chaunging none other And thus takyng it we graunt that it is not the shape of the bread or the fourme or the accidentes of the breade that haue suche office here as to be Sacramentes but we saye that the nature and the veraye substaunce of the breade and of the wyne is chaunged into the sacrameÌ„tes of Christes body and bloud And And as the veray substaunce of the bread and not the shape of the breade dooeth nourishe so Christes body dooeth bothe nourishe our soule and bringeth couÌ„forte and strengthe to our bodye And as the very substaunce of the breade is made of many graynes so the mystical bodye whiche it representeth hath many members or partes ioyned and vnited together Wherfore as well we as oure aduersaries dooe graunte that it is not the shape that is to saye the outwarde apparence and sight of the bread and the outwarde fashion of it that is chaunged but that it is the veray substaunce therof whiche is chauÌ„ged Now our aduersaries will haue that the chanÌ„ge is made by the castyng awaye of the breades nature but we doe holde that there is but onely a sacramentall chaunge And Cyprian himselfe maketh playnly agaynste our aduersaries For they dooe not saie that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged but they saye that the substaunce of the breade is vtterly gone so that they take the bread cleane awaye We saye that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged and so chaunged that it becometh Christes bodye that is to saye the sacrament of Christes body which it was not before A man maye also besides all this saye that this latine woorde natura is not euermore in the good auctoures of the latine tongue taken for substancia that is to saye substaunce but sometymes it is taken for one of these woordes vis the strength or vertue ingenium the nature or disposicion or propriâ—tas the propretee c. Whereof Cicero saieth in his booke entitled Desomnio scipionis The propre nature and strength of the solle is sayeth he that it is moued of it selfe And in an epistle to one Lentulus he writeth thus The nature the religion of thy prouince to be suche c. In whyche place the worde nature is taken for the fasshion and the disposicion or inclinacyon c. And euen in lyke manier is it to bee taken whan it is saied the nature of herbes or the nature of stones and so others like And thys sygnification of the worde nature dooeth veraie well agree with the saieyng of Ciprian afore cited The obâ—â—â—on oute of Ambrose answered â—nto They bring foorth Ambrose agaynste vs also and specyallye in his Bookes entitled de sacramentis Whyche bookes Ambrose dyd not make as som men thynke Fysher late bishoppe of Rochester dooeth inueighe in maner rage agaynst al suche as so thinke And he sayeth that we ought in any wyse to geue credite vnto Austen who auoucheth that Ambrose wrote the sayed bookes and was Auctour of theim and he testyfyeth in plaine woordes that Ambrose wrote these said bookes of the sacramentes And for proufe of the mattyer he allegeth the prologue of AusteÌ„ vpon hys bookes entitled de doctrina Christiana which prologue of Austen I haue often tymes reade But yet cold I neuer ther fynd that that fysher wrytteth vnlesse paraduenture he meane of that that Austen wroote in his boke of Retractacyons whan he maketh mencion of his bookes de doctrina Christiana and ther in dede he saith suche a thyng but not in the prologe of hys work de doctrine Christiana as fysher citeth it Morouer thys pointe I doe verai wel know that Austen wrytynge agaynste one Iulianus a pelagion dooeth allege Ambrose concernyng the Sacramente of rege neracyon or of philosophye But he mencyoneth not any woorde of these bookes of the misteries or of the sacrameÌ„tes And the wordes that AusteÌ„ alâ—egeth in that place are not in these bookes of the sacramentes But I passe not for thys Suppose that Ambrose were the autour and wryter of them they dooe not vtterly dissente or disagree from oure myndes in this mattier For many thynges he speaketh of sygnyfyeng and that these sacramentes bee called or sayd to bee Christes bodye whyche thynges we dooe not denye And in case he dooe at any tyme speake or make mencion of chauÌ„ging or turnyng thaÌ„ is it all together to be vnderstaÌ„ded of a sacramental chaungeyng Morouer he himselfe must be wel loked vpon weyghed what he writeth in other places Fyrst de officiis in the fourth booke and fowertie eight chapitur he hath these wordes here ensuyng In the one that is to saye in the old lawe is the shadowe and in the one is the ymage but in the other that is to saye in the newe lawe is the veritee in the law is the shadowe in the ghospell is the trueth and trueth there is in heauenly thynges In the olde lawe there was offred a lambe there was offred a calfe nowe in the newe lawe is Christe offered but he is offered as a man and as one that receiueth his passion but he himselfe offrethe himself as a priest that he maye putte awaye our synnes here as if wer in an Image or similitude there in veritee where he maketh intercessyon as an Aduocate for vs before hys father And vpon the fyrste epistle to the Corynthyens as we haue before alleged the same Ambrose thus sayeth In eatynge and drinkynge we dooe represente or sygnyfye the fleashe and bloude of Chryste whyche thynges bee offred And whan he speaketh of the bloud he saieth that we receiue the misticall cuppe in tipum â—ius that is to saye for a sygne of he
same bloud Also the same ambrose in his fourth boke of the sacramentes and the fourth chapytur putteth plainly our chaungeynge into Christe whyche selfe same pointe we haue noted marked oftentimes in others of the olde fathers and wryters Now remayneth that we see concerning Chrisostome what is to bee saied Chrisostom aunswered vâ—to They brought in for their purpose hys similitude of waxe whyche waxe beeyng put to the fyer is distroyed as touchyng his substaunce so that nothyng of the waxe remayneth or eskapeth So thynke thou saieth Chrysostome that the mysteryes are coÌ„sumed of the substaunce of Christes bodye Our aduersaryes saye What thing can be spoken more plainly to declare that the substaunce of the bread is gon but here I thinke it no labour loste but a profytable excercyse to examin dyligently some places oâ— Chrysostomes weorkes that ye maye vnderstande plainly how wel the thynges be marked which we spake of before as touchyng such phrases founde in olde wryters In the .lxxxiii. homelye vpon Matth. he wrytteth thus Many men say that they wisshe and wolde fayn see the fourme and shape and likenes of Christ yea and that they would veraye fayne beholde his garmentes and shooes but he deliuereth himselfe to thee not onely that thou mayest see hym but also that thou maist touche hym Doe not we here vnderstande how he appliâ—th that to the thyng of the sacrament which belongeth or pertayneth to the sygnes as for example Chrystes bodye maye bee touched and maye bee seen whiche thing to bee true of the signes onelye what it is that doeth not receiue and see Again in the same homelie or exhortacioÌ„ Christ reduceth and bringeth vs with him selfe into one masse or lumpe and that not onely by fayth but also he maketh vs in veray dede his bodye Whiche same selfe thinge also he wrote in the sixtieth and sixtieth one Homelie vnto the people of Antioche affyrmyng that we not onelye by faithe and charitee but in veray dede are made and are ioyned and anexed to Christes body And if it so be that our substauÌ„ce is not turned into Christes substaunce and yet that we bee so nyghe to Christe why muste the substaunce of the breade bee chaunged whan it muste bee made Christes body But a doubt mighte here arise as though Chrisostome made against vs in that we holde that this receyuynge is by feythe where he sayeth that we be ioyned and turned or chaunged in to Christe not onely through feyth but also in veraye dede But here is to bee marked that althoughe we holde Christes bodye to be eaten and his bloud to be drounke through feith in receyuing of this sacrament yet vpon this receyuyng by feyth there doeth foorthe with folowe not a feyned ioygning but a true and an effectuall couplyng betwene vs and Christe through the whiche ioygning of vs to Christe not onelye oure mynde and solle is vnited and knitte vnto Christe and made one with hym but also oure body and our flesh hath therby a certayne restoryng and renewyng so that we are therby truly and verayly made the members of the Lorde and we receyue Christe whiche is our head of whom we draw and take our spirite aâ—d our life continually And this it is that Chrisostome ment whan he said that we be truely and veraily ioigned to Christ. And thus muche more maie yet be said herein that Chrisostome in the selfe same homelie and sermon vpon Mathew saieth that thâ—se be the signes or tokâ—ns of Iesu Christ with the whiche signes we stoppe the heretikes mouthes whan they demaunde of vs after what sort or facion Christ did suffer For if he had not had veraie true fleshe in deede and also if he had not truly and vâ—rily suffred passion in dede thaÌ„ were these signes or tokens but vayne thynges He sayeth also in thesame homelye that our tongue is made blouddye in the receyuing of the Sacramentes And leste one myghte make some cauillacion and saie that this bloude muste bee vnderstande to bee inuisible bloud that is to saâ—e suche bloud as cannot bee sene with ourâ— yies with the which bloude beyng conteyned in the wyne or in the accidentes of the wyne as themselues doe terme it oure toungue is made blouddie the same fathâ—r Chrisostome in the sixtieth homelie to the menne of Antioche sayeth that oure toungue is made redde with this bloud of the sacrament In the which wordes who doth not se that he speaketh by the figure Hiper boâ—e which is whan a man for the more vehemeÌ„t and more earnest expressing of a thing will speake more then the trueth is or maye withoute playne myracle as for exaumple if one shoulde saye that al the world heard a thyng spokeÌ„ whan his meaning is that a veray great noumber heard it this manier of speakyng is called hiper bole and in his homelye made in Eucherius he sayeth that in the cuppe there is bloud taken out euen from the lordes syde Whiche thyng can not be beleued in the verai same fourme that it is spoken Chrisostome himselfe declareth his owne hyperblicall speakynges forasmuche as Christes side is not nowe at this daye open neither any bloud takeÌ„ out therefrom He wrytethe morouer in thesame Homelie after this manier Doest thou see any bread or wyne And hymselfe in this wyse maketh the auâ—swere to the question Nay god forbyd Surely yf he should aske the sences of a manne suche a question they woulde aunswere yf thei could speake that it wer not true that Chrisostome sayeth For after the iudgemente of oure senses there is present bothe bread and wyne too But he speaketh truly whan he sayeth afterwardes non ita cogites that is thinke no suche thinge in thy mynde that there is breade there For as touchyng our mynde or thynkynge all suche thinges must awaye Thesame Chrisostome wryteth in this mannier Ne putes te ex homine accipere corpus Christi sed a seraphin qui astet et forcipe tradat tibi Carbonem ignitum That is to saye think not thy self to receyue the bodye of Christ at a mortall mannes hand but of an Aungel of the ordre of Seraphin who standeth by and deliuereth thee an hoate fierye coale with a payre of tonguesâ— c. here in this place I dooe not suppose that these men wolde haue that the minister or the pastour whiche ministreth the Sacramentes vnto vs is transubstanciated into an Aungell And thesame Chrisostome writeth afterwardes Accurramus ad exugendum sanguinem qui ex latere domini profâ—uit That is to saye leat vs renne to sucke out the bloude whiche floweth oute of the Lordes syde The veray schoolemenne themselues dare not speake so large as this For they wryte that the bread and the wyne are turned into the substaunce of the bodye and bloude of Christe but yet not so that anye thynge is added to the veraye true substaunce of Christes body or abated from the substaunce of the same And in the lx and one homelie
he might conclude that the sonne of God also is naturally ioyned to the father in very substaunce The prouing therfore of Hilarius coÌ„clusioÌ„ renneth thus If the sonne of God did truly verily take the nature or substaunce of man vpoÌ„ hym he agreeth with vs naturally in his fleshe we bee sayed to abide in him be cause he hath oure nature in hym And agayn for the other side when we receyue the meate which was instituted of Christe yf we dooe truely and veraily receyue his fleshe we are partakers with hym naturally and he doeth trulye and veraily abide in vs. And thus doeth Hilarius take and frame his argumente of the veritee and trueth of the sacramentes whiche veritee or to bee in the sacramentes we dooe not denye And this was a common custome emong the auncient wryters to fetche the grounde of theyr argumentes out of the Sacramentes as thinges most perfitly knoweÌ„ to al ChristeÌ„ meÌ„ And of al these thinges there is not one iote that is contrary to our sentence and determinacion For it is no part of Hilarius entente to proue that Christes fleashe lieth hidden vnder the accidentes of bread or in this sacrament but he maketh proufe onely and so concludeth that we bee truely and verayly ioyned vnto Christes fleshe whan we receyue the sacrament which thing we do not deny nor say agaynst But ye that make so muche a do for transubstanciacion marke me this poinct that the same self Hilarius a litle before these wordes whiche he writeth of Eucharistia doeth say the very same thinge of baptisme that through baptisme we be ioyned vnto Christ euery onâ— of vs to other not only by an vnion of consent agreyng to gether in minde will but also in an vnitie of nature substaunce Wherfore it the same thinge so be than are ye coÌ„pelled driuen of force to putte a traÌ„substanciacion in Baptisme too yf ye beeyng a transubstanciacion into the sacrament of Eucharistia for the respect aboue mencioned Chrisostome doeth not muche varie from this custome of framing his argumentes out of the sacramentes For in his eightie eighte Homelie vpon the ghospell of Mathew he sayeth as we alledged before that these bee the signes or Sacramentes of oure Lorde Iesus with the whiche wee do both brydle and stop the mouthes of Heretiques For they oftentimes saie howe did Christe suffer And we on oure side obiecte agaynst them again If Christ had not verai true natural fleash in dede thaÌ„ are these signes but vain thinges whych thing foloweth veray well For els the sacramentes shoulde signifye and represente vnto vs feigned thynges And thus the mouthes of the Manichees of the Marcionites and of suche other pernicious heretiques wer stopped of Chrisostome and suche others as he was As touchyng Leo byshope of Rome An auÌ„swere to Leo Bysshoppe of Rome there is no cause why to take muche caâ—e or peine to aunswer him For he in the sentence and determinacion of the sacramentes that is layd vnto vs doth both grauÌ„t a mystycal dystribucyon of it to mo then one and also dooeth putte a spirytuall nourishyng and an heauenly vertue and affyrmeth that we bee transfourmed and chaunged into Chrystes fleashe as he tooke our fleashe and nature vpon him They bryng Emisenus againste vs whose woordes bee reade in the tytle De consecratione that is to saye Emisenus aunswered vnto of consecration and in the second distinction But ther if thou looke well thou shalt finde these woordes Mente attingas et manu cordis accipias corpus Christiâ— that is to saye touche thou Chrystes bodye wyth thy mynde and take thou his bodye wyth the hande of thy herte In the whyche woordes it is plain that he dooeth affyrme and holde that we dooe eate Chrystes bodye spirytually when we receue the sacrament And he moreouer byndeth earnestly as the other olde wryters dooe vpon the chaungeyng of vs into Chryst whych chauÌ„geinge neuerthelesse is doen as we see without any transubstancyatynge of vs. I knowe that many men maye meruaile why we so often times dooe matche that same chaungeing whyche the olde wryters seme to speake of in the sygnes or sacramentes wyth the chaungyng of vs into Chryst whyche they all dooe graunte and constauntly affyrme And some men dooe imagin that there is another manier of ioygnynge betwene Chrystes bodye and the sacramente then there is betwene vs and Chrystes bodye and that therefore thys proporcion and comparisoÌ„ hath no place in this matier although the old wryters affirme avouche both chaunginges To suche persones we aunswer and saye that oure argumente is moste pithie and strong For the reason dooeth argue as the Logicyans termes be a maiore ad minus that is to saye from the more necessarye requisyte to the lesse and that regatiuely that is to saye in the waye of denyinge a thing to bee so or so For ther is a greater coniunction and couplyng together of Chryste vnto vs and to suche as dooe receyue the communion then there is of Chryste wyth these outwarde signes of the sacramente For somuche therfore as in vs to bee knitte vnto Christ and to bee made one wyth hym there is no transubstanciacion required muche lesse is there any suche transubstanciacion requyred in the sayd outward sygnes of the sacrameÌ„te And that we be more nere ioygned and knitte vnto Chryste then the outeward signes of the sacramente we are more nere ioyned â—o Chrisâ— theÌ„ the signes it is manifestli proued by this reason that the ioynyng of Christe with the sayde sygnes was first inuented deuised and wrought to none other ende but the we might be ioigned to Christ made one with hym as aforsaid Morouer yâ— wordes of holi scripture pronouÌ„ce before the receyuyng of the Sacramentâ— the holy spirite by which two thinges the signes be coÌ„secrated do much lesse appertaine belong to the sayde said signes then they do appertaine be long to man that receyueth yâ— signes And as touchyng Theophylactus we saie that he is but a newe wryter and a man that wrote but of late dayes Theophilactus aunswered vnto and paraduenture that chaunced to lyue in those daies whan many doubtes and disputacions be gonne to bee moued aboute thys transubstanciacyon that is to wete Nycolas the byshop of Rome at what tyme Ranfrancke and Berengarius were alyue Morouer Theophylactus was a man of no great iudgemente as it maie full well appere by hys declaracyon and exposicyon of the thyrde chapytur of the ghospell of Iohn towardes the later ende of the chapytur where he châ—cketh expressely by name the latin Churche concernynge the procedynge of the holy Ghoste because the latin Churche hade determined that the procedinge of the holy Ghoste is from the father and the soonne Therfore we wyll not thinke nor repute his aucthoritye to be of so greate weight that it ought to bee preiudicyall to the trueth Yet neuerthelesse leat vs ponder weighe his woordes he