beleef good christeÌ„ men taugh by the spyrite of god haue not receyued for it can not be maynteyued of Christes wordes who spake playnely This is my body makynge demonstratioÌ„ of the bread when he sayd This is my body by the myghte of whiche wordes of Christe that was demonstrate by the demonstratioÌ„ this which was the bread was altered and chaunged into his body wherby the substaunce of bread was conuerted in to the substaunce of his moste preciouse body wherin was declared Christes meruelouse power wherof Theophilus speaketh in this wyse Our lorde condescendynge to oure infirmitie altered not the fourme of bread and wyne but coÌ„serueth them turneth the bread and wyue into y e truth of his fleshe and bloude and this is the true vnderstaÌ„dyng of Christes speach whiche and yf we vnderstande so as the breade shuld remayne then folowe many absurdyties and chiefely that Chryste hath taken the nature of bread as he toke the nature of man and so ioyned it to his substaunce And then as we haue God verely incarnate for our redemption so shulde we haue God impanate and then shuld we haue in Christe besydes the diuine essence two other substauÌ„ces absque 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and be compelled to fayne to the truthe that christen eares abhorre to the subuersion of the same as we haue seen amonge other come to passe Wherfore as the truthe whiche the churche hath and dothe playnly and syncerely teache is moost certeyne and sure grounded vppon the playne wordes of oure Sauyoure Christe in the moost blessed sacrament so euery christen man shulde receyue it and beleue it fyrmely without wauerynge or diuisyng any addition to the same Let men forsake theyr carnal erthlye senses and the wycked kynred of malicious seducers get the out thense good reader and resorte to the company of true faythful men and knowledge with them the reuelation in the moste blessed Sacrament of the presence of the naturall bodye and bloude of oure sauyour Iesu Christ whiche caro et sanguis can not declare but onlye Pater noster qui est in coelis who hath declared it and taughte it oure mother the churche ANother point of the deuelish sophistrie is betwene y e wordes and meanyng wherein the deuyl shyfteth y e matter thus Where the wordes of scrypture be playne euydente manyfeste and confyrme the catholique truth there the deuyll deuyseth an other meanynge and aduertiseth his scholers that the wordes be nothynge withoute the meanynge and therfore sayth he we must vnderstande Chrystes wordes as he ment them and therfore saith the deuyl beware of the wordes and take hede of the meanyng Christ sayth the deuyl sayd This is my body but take hede sayth sathan what Christ ment O abhominable Sathan full falsely doest thou meane O good christen faythful man marke thou this sophistrye For it is in dede a true lesson that the very worde of god is the true meanynge of scripture and who hath that true meanyng which is not taughe by maÌ„s wyt and deuyse of vnderstanding but by declaration from god reueled to the churche he hath goddes wordes to hys comforte and consolation and who hath the wordes of scripture peruersely taken is therwith infected and poysened to his coÌ„fusion as the Arrians Sabellyans and an infinite numbre of heretikes haue ben So as it must nedes be grauÌ„ted that in the meaning of scripture is the marie the carnel the swetnes y e fode the hony of scripture without whiche the wordes be a bytter shale and an harde bone without foode or sustenaunce This must nedes be confessed of all men as an euident truthe whiche the deuyll abuseth by cauyllacion and sophistrie to ouerturne the truthe in the moost blessed sacrament of thaulter For openynge of which sophistrie it is to be consydered that somtyme in scripture the wordes be so placed and ordered as the meanyng is vttered and opened with the wordes at ones and hath such lyght of the wordes as they appere bothe togyther and without further serche be streyght coÌ„ueyed to our vnderstandynge Somtyme agayne the wordes be such or so vsed and placed as they brynge not theyr meanynge streyght with them in the same lyght but more darkely and as it were hydden vnder the wordes Nowe in the fyrste sorte of wordes whiche brynge theyr sense with them yf we shuld in them cal for a meanyng And when we rede Humiliauit semetipsum dominus noste lesus Christus factus obediens vsque ad mortem Our lorde Iesus Christe hath humbled hym selfe beynge obedyent to the deth we shulde call for a meanyng and saye we muste vnderstande these wordes as sayncte Paule mente them Can we meane any thynge by callynge soo for a meanynge but to calle the certayne meanynge quam aenigma sit loeÌ„m Heliam esse intellectu opus ad intelligendum inquit Qui habet aures ad audiendù audiat Ita inducens eos vt interrogent ac discant Whiche wordes in latin be in englysh this sentence And yf ye wyll receyue it he is Helias whiche shulde haue coÌ„me If ye wyll sayth Theoph. receyue it that is to saye iudge it ryghtly and not with an enuiouse mynde he is Helias whom the prophet Malachie sayd shulde come For saincte IohnÌ„ that came before Christ and Helias haue ben bothe allotted to one office The one to go before y e fyrst comyng of christ and the other before the laste commynge And then shewynge howe this was a darke speache y t IohnÌ„ was Helias conteyned a secrete vnderstandynge in it and requyred therfore another sense to be perceyued sayd He that hath eares of hearynge let hym heare so inducyng them to aske learne Thus saith Theophilacte by whome we be learned of the circumstance to note the meanyng if it be hydden and so not onely the wordes to be noted in theyr common sense but the meanyng to be asked and learned which lesson neglected as the deuyll medleth with such as marketh it not engendreth in y e knowledge of truth a greate perplexite wherof the deuyl taketh opportunite to inueigle them and somtyme preacheth somtyme writeth to the vnlearned on this wyse Christes wordes be true when he sayde This is my body but as he mente them For so he sayde he was a waye he was a vyne he was a doore but he was not a naturall vyne he was no such way as men walke in no such doore as men coÌ„monly entre into but only a resemblaunce of all these bycause he is our waye to heauen oure doore to entre in to lyfe our vynestocke in whome we as braunches be nouryshed kepte in lyfe And so lyke wyse ê™ the deuyll when Christe saith This is my body he meaneth that it is onely a resemblaunce a figure a tokeÌ„ a signe of his body which semeth a stronge argumeÌ„t to suche as haue not theyr senses exercised as s Paule saith to discerne good euyll that is to saye truthe from
his ascention that is to saye to speake to vs and companie with vs as he dyd with his apostelles and disciples or to be felte of vs as he was of saynte Thomas to the satisfaction of oure bodely senses whiche absence of Christe in conuersation repugneth not to y e truth of our catholyke faith whiche is that christ presenteth and exhibiteth vnto vs his natural body and bloud in the sacrament of thaulter For the diuersyte in the maner of beynges present taketh away the coÌ„trarietâ— that shulde seme in the matter Now as touchyng the myscoÌ„struynge wronge takynge and somtyme false bearing in hand of that the good holy fathers of Christes churche haue written of the most blessed sacrament oâ— thaulter First I shall saye this that howe so euer the same holy doctours do agre in the most certeyne truth of our beleef moche labour hath ben taken to pâ—ke out wordes and sentences and disâ—eueryng them out of theyr places by cyrcuÌ„stauÌ„ce wherof they had theyr true vnderstandynge to make them sound to such as wold haue it so to the coÌ„firmatioÌ„ of their vntrue and false doctrine in this most blessed sacrament And lyke as suche as labour to coÌ„found the truth be the chyldren of darkenes So in the scriptures and doctours also they resorte to serche the truth iÌ„ obscure darke places where they maye haue opportunite to iuggle and deceiue the symple reader For where the doctors speake playnly against theyr falsehead they fare as though they knewe not y t place or had not redde it and then resorte to an other place not so open and playne and there fall to coÌ„iectures and constructions of theyr owne and labour in exposition of those obscure places as thoughe they could there more certeynly declare the mynde of the doctours to conferme theyr lyes then the doctours theÌ„ self do in another place of theyr owne workes where they playnly openly manifestly and without ambiguite declare them selfe to agre with the truth And where as the truth grounded in scriptures and opened more clerely by holy writers hath ben in Christes churche â–ª after discussion and triall sette forth in a holsome fashion and coÌ„uenient ordre of wordes whiche wordes the true meanyng and vnderstandyng purged from all ambiguities whiche mans busy witte hath also in holy wordes engendred to thintent as we beleue one truth we myghte also in wordes speache vniformely agree in the same truthe Suche as labour to breake this godly agremeÌ„t in harte and tonge they neuer ceasse tyll by speache they maye brynge the truth agayne in a corner and with pretence they meane well speake symply without obseruation euen as they haue redde forsoth in that holye man for example in dede a holy martyr saint Cipriane for hym they alledge Whiche sainte Cyprians speche as it was by hym deuoutly vttered not disagreyng from the truth so is it by these men maliciously brought forth wherby to interrupte the consente truely agreed on bothe in the speache and vnderstandyng I wyll somwhat speake of this one speach of saynte CypriaÌ„ particularly wherby thou mayest esteme good reader the deuyls sophystrie in handelyng of y e reste We beleue truely as the catholyke church teacheth that there remayneth no substaunce of bread in the sacrament of thaulter but y e onely substaunce of the body and bloud of our sauiour Christe And yet sainte Cyprian speakynge deuoutly of the food and nourriture whiche good Christen men receyue in the communion of this mooste holy Sacrament whereby the body and soule be conioyned with Christe vseth the worde Panis and calleth y e blessed sacramente sacramentaleÌ„ panem whiche wordes be not perfitely expressed in englysh if in traÌ„slatioÌ„ it were termed sacrameÌ„tal bread as malicious fayned simplicitie pretendeth but rather sacrameÌ„tal fode for Panis in latyn is a general word signifieth not only bread wherew t meÌ„ be fed but also al other nourriture wherw t man is susteined which the word bread doth not in englysh but soundeth to vs a name of special nourriture foode made of corne Now if any man shall vnder pretence of symple playne speache cal always that breade in english which he findeth in laten called panis he myghte of well wheresoeuer he founde sella in latyn call it in englysh a saddell and then in translatinge some places oute of latyn into englyshe he shuld somtime set sodenly on horsebacke in englysh him that he redde in latyn sitting in a seat on y e grouÌ„d Herin the ignoraunt that perceiue not this wyll saye I vse sophistrye but I open the deuyls sophistrye herein wherwith he doth abuse the people in speache and entangle them so in it as they for want of other knowlege can not wade out therfore alloweth him that wheÌ„ he readeth in saint Cypryan y e sacramente of the aulter called sacrameÌ„talem panem calleth it in englisshe sacramentall bread And here he spurneth and wyll ye make me beleue sayth he that panis signifieth not breade then for confirmacion adde this Say we not in oure Pater noster PaneÌ„ nostruÌ„ quotidianem da nobis hodie whiche is translate in englisshe Gyue vs to day our dayly breade And in dede if I wolde replye throughly herevnto I muste saye more then it were necessarie now to entreate yet I may not passe it all ouer For I muste saye that panis in our Pater noster signified not only bread but all foode bothe for the body soule and is so well knowen by the exposition that in thenglysh when it is translate bread we may easely conceyue by a parte the reste and by signification of some parte the hole But where as there is an extour spredde by the deuyll abrode against Christes myracle in consecration of his moost preciouse body in the sacrament of the aulter â–ª whiche errour is that there shulde after y e consecracioÌ„ remaine bread in this time of errour to translate in euery place the word panis that signifieth in some place foode into the english worde bread can that be without a maliciouse purpose to aduaunce the deuilles enterprise with his sophistrie cloked vnder pretence of plaines After whiche sorte of outwarde simplicite wherwith to cloke malice Some when they shulde speake of the blessed sacrament with the catholike churche confesse the truth therin plainly openly then they say they will speake as saint Paule spake his wordes they wyl vse whiche were writteÌ„ by the holy ghost and for so muche they say true and herewith they wyll aske disdainefully whyther any man wyll correcte saynte Pauls teachinge as though there were any suche sacrilege intended against gods scripture where in dede this is onely desyred and necessary in Christes church that one shulde vnderstand another al coÌ„ceiue one true meaning of S. Paul whose moste holy true wordes diuers as s Peter sayth haue for y e hardnes of theÌ„ peruerslye vnderstanded them for the exchewynge whereof it
of hym whyche thynges thapostle speaketh not of anye spirituall or inuisible man for a spirite hath neither flesshe nor bones but it is spoken of suche an habitude disposicion and composition as man in his owne nature hathe whiche consysteth of flesshe and senewes beynge nourished of the cuppe which is Christes bloude and encreased of the breade whyche is his bodye This sayth Ireneus And Tertulian as foloweth Videamus nunc de propria christiani nominis forma quanta huic substantiae friuolae ac sordidae apud deum praerogatiua sit etsi sufficeret illi ê™ nulla omnino anima salutem possit adipiscinisi dum est in carne crediderit adeò caro salutis est cardo de qua cum anima deo alligatur ipsa est quae efficit vt anima alligari possit Sed caro abluitur ut anima emaculetur Caro inungitur ut anima consecretur Caro signatur ut anima muniatur Caro manus impositioÌ„e adumbratur ut anima spiritu illuminetur Caro corpore sanguine christi uescitur ut anima de deo saginetur These wordes be writteÌ„ in a worke made by this author for confirmation of the article of oure belefe for resurrection of the fleshe whereby to refel such as denied the same and in englysh they haue this sense Let vs nowe saith Tertulian consider the platforme of a christen mans state and se what preeminence is gyuen by god to the brykle vyle substauÌ„ce of the flesshe althoughe to it this prefermeÌ„t myght suffice y t no soule can attaine euerlasting lyfe onles it beleue whiles it is in the fleshe so euident is it that the flesshe is as it were the groundeselpece of mannes saluacion In whiche when the soule is knytte to god it is the flesh that bringeth to passe that it maye so be knytte yea also the flesh is wasshed that the soule may be clensed of her spottes The flesh is annoynted that the soule may be halowed The fleshe is marked that the soule maye be defended The fleshe by imposition of the mynisters handes is shadowed that the soule may be illuminate with the spirite The fleshe is fedde with the body and blood of Christ that the soule may be made fatte of god In these wordes be conteyned many good thynges declarynge the vse of the visible sacramentes in the begynnynge of the churche such as in these dayes some â—este and rayle at commenly besides the intollerable presumption agaynst the most blessed sacrament wherof how this man speaketh it is euident how so euer the deuyll vsed Frith as a mynystre to depraue him in this behalfe And yet this nourriture that mans flesshe hath by christes precious body is after an other maner as sainte Augustine saith then our coÌ„men nourriture is for non digeritur in carnis nostre substantiam sed ipse nos in corporat sibi Christes body is not digested into the substaunce of our flesshe but it incorporateth vs vnto it And note y e word digested appropriate to other common meates This most preciouse foode conserueth our substaunce as Damascene sayth maye therfore be called supersubstantialis but it is by incorporation of vs into it wherof here what Saint Cyprian saith that holy martir who expounding the Pater noster and declaringe the fourth petition in it PaneÌ„ nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodiè vnderstandeth it to conteyne a desyre of the holy communion in the blessed sacrament and saythe Ideo panem nostrum id est christuÌ„ dari nobis quotidiè petimê° ut qui in christo manemus uiuimus à sanctificatione corpore eius non recedamus Therfore we aske our daylye breade that is to saye Christe to be gyuen vnto vs that we which abyde and liue in Christ go not backewarde from the state of holynes and communion of the bodye Here Saynte Cypryan calleth the sacrament Chryste as he is in deede there present really and shewethe therewith an effecte of this holy communion that beynge so partakers of his most precyouse naturall body we maye be preserued in the continuaunce of our sanctificacion and not depart froÌ„ the felowshyp of Christes mysticall body the churche whiche churche Christ vniteth to him not onely spiritually by faith and charitie but also corporally by eating of his precious body drinkinge of his bloude declarynge that he loueth his churche as his flesshe as Saynte Paule writeth to the Ephesians where admonishinge the husbaÌ„des to loue their wiues as their owne bodies he sayeth No maÌ„ euer hated his owne flesh but nourisheth it as Christe dothe his churche for we be membres of his bodye of his flesshe and of his bones To whiche purpose Cirillus vpon the .xv. of Saynte Iohn writeth against an heretike as foloweth Non inquit negamus recta nos fide charitateque syncera Christo spiritualiter coniuÌ„gi sed nullam nobis coniuÌ„ctionis rationem secundum carnem cum illo esse id profectò pernegamus idque a diuinis scripturus omnino alienum ducimus Quis enim dubitauit Christum etiam sic uitem esse nos palmites qui vitam inde nobis acquirimus Audi Paulum dicentem quia omnes vnum corpus sumus in Christo Quia si multi sumus vnum tamen in eo sumus omnes enim vno pane participamus An fortasse putas ignotaÌ„ nobis misticae benedictioÌ„is virtuteÌ„ esse quae cum in nobis fiat nonne corporali ter quoque facit communicatione carnis Christi ChristuÌ„ in nobis habitare cur enim meÌ„bra fidelium meÌ„bra suÌ„t christi Nescitis inquit quoniaÌ„ meÌ„bravâ—Ì„a meÌ„bra suÌ„t christi meÌ„bra igitur Christi meretricis faciam membra Absit Saluator etiam qui manducat carnem meam bibit sanguinem meum in me manet ego in eo We deny not saith Cyril against the heretique but we be spirituallye ioyned to christ by faith and sincere charitie but that we shulde haue no maner of coniunction in our flesshe with christ that we vtterlye denye and thinke it vtterlye discrepant from goddes holy scriptures For who doubteth but christ is so the vyne tree and we so the braunches as we get thence our lyfe Here what S. Paule saith we be al one body with Christe For though we be many we be one in hym All we participate in one foode Thinketh this heretique that we know not the strength and vertue of the mystical benedictioÌ„ so this autor expresseth the holy sacrameÌ„t of thaulter calling it the misticall benedictioÌ„ which when it is made in vs doth it not make Christ by coÌ„municacion of his flesh to dwel corporally in vs Whye be the meÌ„bres of faithfull mens bodyes called the membres of Christ knowe ye not saith S. Paule that your meÌ„bres be the members of Christ And shal I make the membres of christ partes of the hores bodye God forbydde And oure sauyour also saith He that eateth my flesh drinketh my
thauthor is notable and of a great auncientye that is to say viii.c. and xvi yeres and he writeth in the greake tonge for a furder testimonye vnder title De orthodoxa fide of y e right catholique faith whiche hath nowe bene troubled in this the hyghest mysterye And herein they can not tel what they meane nor what they wolde haue they begyn to speake of an other meanynge in the vnderstandynge of Christes playne wordes when he sayde This is my body whych be the foundation of our fayth in their right catholique vnderstandynge as the churche hath taught and good chrysten men beleued hitherto THe deuyll hath another peece of sophistrye whiche is in coūterfette contradictions wherein he vseth for a preface and introduction a most certayne truth which is that truthe agreeth in it selfe and hath no parte contrarye to another Wherfore seing the worde of god is an infallyble truth it hath no cōtrarieties in it selfe All the worlde muste assent herevnto But thus y e deuyll procedeth to his cauyllaciō ab euidenter ueris per breuissimas mutationes ad euidenter falsa From thinges euydently true by lyttle chaunginges to thinges euidently fals Heauē and earth haue a kind of contradictiō Christ is in heauen where saint Steuen sawe hym Ergo he is not in earth in the sacramente of the aulter Christe ascended into heauen ▪ Ergo he tarieth not here He syttethe on the right hand of the father Ergo he is not in the sacrament of thaulter He is the creature for Omnia per ipsum facta sunt All thinges be made by hym Ergo he is not a creature made of breade He dwelleth not in temples made with mans hande Ergo he is not in the boxe vpon the high aulter Christ shall descende from heauen to iudge the quycke and the deade Ergo he cōtinueth there and is not in the sacrament of the aulter And these be taken for notable contradictions and insoluble sophismes and in effecte in all these argumentes there is no contrarite or contradiction in y e thinges but only a repugnaūce and impossibilitie to mans carnall capacite And therefore here is occasion to admonish men by the wordes of the prophet Nisi credideritis nō intelligetis yf ye beleue not ye shall not vnderstande In this hygh mysterye where god worketh his secrete speciall worke myraculously it is suffycient to know it is wroughte thoughe I can not tell howe it is wroughte ne howe it agreth with other of his workes and yet it agreeth But in this sophistrye the deuell maketh a man forget goddes omnipotencye excedynge our capacite and causeth vs to measure goddes doinges by our naturall imbecillite Because we can not be in two places at ones distaunte one from an other we iudge the same repugnaunt in god but christes beyng in heauen whiche saint Steuen truely confessed was nothinge contrarye to saynte Paules true affirmatiō that christ was sene after thascention to hym in earth It repugneth not to christes power to syt on the right hand of the father in heauen and yet fede the infinite number of his people with the same his moost precyouse body in erth It is no repugnaūce to goddes goodnes being creator of al therw t in the fourme of bread to fede vs his creatures In which we say not god is become the creature of bread as y e deuyl inspyreth his mēbres to report blasphemouslye but that christ familiarlye and of a merueilouse entier loue towardes vs consecrateth him selfe in those formes of breade and wyne to be so eaten and drunken of vs. God fylleth heauen and earth is not comprehēsible to be conteined in temples made with mans hand ne man can lymitte goddes dwellynge place God hath power ouer man but man hath no power ouer God And therefore Salomons godly temple was no habitation to restrayne goddes presence from other places And yet scripture telleth vs howe our sauyoure chryste god and man hath taught in tempels taried in temples made with mannes hande and that he dwelleth with good men and also in tēples made with mans hande for the assembly of good menne where good men truste to be releiued w t common prayer and refresshed w t the mooste precyouse foode of hys bodye and bloude he presenteth and exhibiteth hym selfe to be receiued and eaten and there is present and tarieth in the hoste consecrate not by mans ordinaunce as the deuyll inuyously and spytefullye speaketh it but by his owne institution to be a continuall and daylye foode wherwith beinge nouryshed we maye strongely walke tyll we come to the mounte of god where is euerlastynge lyfe And thys beynge of Christe in the most blessed sacrament repugneth nothinge to the continuinge of Christ in heauē tyll the daye of iudgemente whose most preciouse humaine body now glorified and vnited to the diuinitie is not diuisible by time or place ne by multiplication of tyme or place can be multiplied in number but remaineth in the same number and in variacion of tyme ▪ or alteration of place kepeth styll thappellacion to be called the same And notynge this well to be true althoughe we can not discusse it by oure reason we shall easely auoide the deuylles sophystrye in thys behalfe wherevnto we maye be somewhat induced by consideration of y t god worketh otherwise in vs who by his gifte of imaginaciō and thinkinge in our soule may represent our selfe althoughe not in oure grosse bodye whiche is corporall yet in our mynde I saye we may represent our selfe in dyuerse places at ones and one distante farre from another The philosophers that sayde Anima was tota in toto and tota in qualibet parte the hole in the hole and the hole in euery parte they coulde not se how it was and neuertheles toke it so to be and yet what a contradiccion is it to call the parte the hole And furder do not the wordes spoken of men to a multitude passe holye to euerye one of the hearers eares indifferētly that stand with in the compasse of hearyng And if y e matter be intelligible to thē al do not eche one heare and vnderstand one as moche as another beynge the speache but one and not diminished by the participation of the multitude These similitudes do nothing atteine to expresse the high mysterye of the most blessed sacrament and in many thinges vnlike and specially in this that in al these similitudes be no corporal thinges spoken of and in the sacrament is presēt christes very body but these similitudes only serue to declare y t in these lower workes of god whiche we may call Posteria eius there be many thinges excedyng our capacities to discusse thē how they be y t we know very certainly to be yet because they be common quotidian maruaile not at thē much lesse doubt of them such fondnes hath mans curiositie as was noted by this