much lesse and yet dyd ther remaine some in the other Other straÌ„g thinges this Marcus wrought wherbi he drewe many to his madnes The prophaue histories do tell vs of an hundred strange wonders wrought by the deuill Liâ—ius sayeth that bloude dyd flowe out of the thoumbe of the Image of Iupiter which stode in mount albino He saieth also that it rained fleshe at Rome Iulius sayeth that the erth did flowe wyth riuers of bloud Curâ—…s sayeth that whan Tire was beseged of Alexander the breade dyd swete bloude on the table The Sucerers of pharao did they not worke wonders in the sight of Moyses and Aaron But what neadeth vs to seeke for olde lyes and fained miraces Oure time and our abbayes haue ben fruitfull ynough of such ware In euery monasterie thou mightest reade an hundred suche painted and set vp to the shewe in goodly tables all for maintenauÌ„ce of these two mattiers whyche your man Damascen doeth so stowtely defende The prayeinge to Saintes and the rotten stockes and Images But al the sorte of you maye ful worthilie heare Why haue you forsaken me the fountayne of liuelyke water and digged you broken cisternes that can holde no water And because you haue loued lies an haue forgotten me and trusted in lyes I wyll descouer your shame Yet one other thynge ther is whyche canseth me not greately to fauour your doctour Damascene He reporteth the thing vntrulie wherof he is called to beare witnesse These he his wordes wher he alledgeth the saieing of Christe for your purpose Take ye and eate thys is my bodye whyche is broken for the forgeuenesse of synnes Like wise the cup of wyne and water after he had taken it he gaue it vnto theÌ„ saieing drink of this you al What dare not this Damascene do trowe you seinge that he dare of hys owne brayne put water into Christes cup alledgeinge for hys lie our mayster Christe Let them take hym for a witnesse whom it deliteth to heare Christe belied and hys holy sacramentes al tered and chaunged Theâ—… reasoneth thys doctour of yours in thys wise Is it not possible for God sayeth he which hath made althinges to make the bread his owne dodie and the wine together wyth the water hys owne bloude 〈◊〉 your doctour wyll make moe creatures to be chaunged then Christe named For nowe must water be the bloud of Christ for al that coÌ„eth into the chalice must be chaunged and euerye drope muste be the whole bodye and whole bloude for the one can not be without the other as you reason in your statute of vi articles Falsehode is verie frutfull and engendreth euer more newe erroures But you loke for an answere to this reasone which is clearely delated wyth so many examples What doeth your doctour coÌ„clude in so many his vaine wâ—rdes Forsoeth that it is possible for Christe to chaunge bread into hys owne bodie and wyne and water into hys bloude Yea he laboureth the mattier as sore as thought he feared that no man woulde beleue hym And thys is the thinge that you woulde so fayne haue vs graunt you Well go to were it not that we are ashamed to speake so vnreuerently lewdly and vylely of oure mayster Christe we woulde grauÌ„t you that it is possible for him to chang hym selfe into bread wine water stone dore â—…e and what you wyl And to satisfie your desyre we graunt you no lesse but that al this is possible But that Christ is chaunged into these creatures or that they are changed into christes bodie is not possible for you to proue You say Christes wordes be playne Thys is my bodie So are the wordes playn I am a dore a vyue I am the fountayn of lyueing water Christ was the stone But Christe in hys Godheade is vnchauÌ„geable and in hys manhode he coÌ„tinueth our bishope styll and is gone in sancta saÌ„ctorum the place of most holynesse where he sitteth on the ryght hand of God and wyl take vnto hym noâ— other nature no not the nature of angelles Againe the worde of God is pure and no drosse can be found therin Al the grosse blyndnesse therfore that you do admitte in makyng Christ thus chaungeable into hys creatures and makyng one Christ that is veri God and maÌ„ in heaueÌ„ and an other that is bread wine and water in erth shalbe fouÌ„d abhominable wheÌ„ it shalbe examined by his word You answer agayn by a similitude That lyke as the angell Gabriell maketh answer to the vyrgyn Marie when she axed how Christ should be borne of hir beynge a vyrgyn so dare you make answer that this is done and chauÌ„ged by the holye gost Your similitud is nothing worth nor in any poyut agreable For both the angel was the messeÌ„ger of god set down from heauen for the same purpose and the matter that he promised was prophecied to the worlde longe before But neither is your matter of thys chaunge named in any place of the scripture nor yet are you angels when you brynge not the worde of God with you except we shoulde call you such angelles as can chaunge them selues into the angeles of light And to declare your similitude to be no thynge fyt for your purpose the thynge that the angell promised was so performid that all men myght wyth theyr senses perceiue it to be truli performed It is but a liâ—al matter wyth you to â—elpe Christ as you haue done a lytâ—le before except you doe belie the holie gost also and saye that in hys name whych you are not taught by the spirite of God Due errour must neades drawe an other after it as it appeareth by you For after you haue tyed Christ to these creatures breade wyne and water you must haue the grace of the holye goste in like maner tyed to oile and water and streight after the godhead to bread and wine Me thinketh you be wours then the Pharises For they compted it blasphemie for Christe beinge a verie man to make hym selfe a God What thynke you they woulde saye if they heard you speake thus of breade and more vile creatures In hys praiers your doctour Damascene calleth the deade Images Sanctas et Diuinas Holye and godlie thought you helpe to cloke hym with more clenly termes as you are full craftie in your generacion And now sayeth he hath he ioyned hys godheade to breade and wine Nowe do I perceiue that the worshiping and high estimacion of Images is the beginninge middes and ende of all wickednes and blindnesse as the wiseman teacheth For after that Damascene hath taken vpon haÌ„de to defende the deade stockes to be holy and godly he careth not what he teacheth after warde Truely I woulde haue wished more shame in your foreheade theÌ„ to haue brought in such a doctour for your chiefe foundacion whose wordes you dare not for shame reporte truelie as they lye Agayne where we be taught to cal vpon the father in
hande of the father Then when you haue wroughte so wittilie and myghtely wyth Christe you take man in hande and woulde bewitche hym to beleue that that cake is no cake and that the breade is fleshe bloude and bones You tell hym his eyes be blynde His taste and senses deceyue hym His reason is nothynge worth in your mattiers For thoughe all the miracles of Christ dyd eueÌ„ apeare as he wrought them As if they were spirituall they so appeared vnto the soule of man and were felte spiritually as the forgyuenesse of synnes the healynge of soules and suche lyke so doubtles the miracles that Christe wrought bodilie dyd appeare in the bodies wherein he wroughte them But thys straunge miracle of yours muste clearely mocke and delude all oure senses and vnderstandynge and leade vs captyue to beleue that you can make God by his worde of a vyle piece of paste Yet surely in conscience I thynke it your selues do not beleue that there is so greate power in the wordes of God For if you dyd surely you coulde not be so bolde as to burne it For no fayle if it can make God it can destroye wycked men yea though they be byshoppes Moreouer you saye Two thynges are to be considered in the Sacramente of the aultare one that it is a Sacramente An other that it is the thynge it selfe of the Sacramente that is to saye Christes mooste precious bodye and bloude Vpon thys I demaunde what you do meane by thys terme Sacramente If you saye that a Sacramente is a signe or remembraunce of an holie thynge as all your owne Doctours haue defined a Sacramente then wyll we saye as the trueth is and as we haue taughte heretofore that this is the moste holie signe and blessed remeÌ„braunce of Christ our Sauiour which offered his bodie for our sinnes and coÌ„maunded vs to frequent and vse the same in the remembraunce of him who dyed once for vs and sitteth nowe at the right hande of God a perpetuall meane betwene God and man And heare is the ful profite vse and commoditie that any man can haue by thys Sacramente Yet this wyll not satisfie you vnlesse you haue vs so captiue that we wyl saye after you The Sacramente is the selfe same thinge that it signifieth Christ must be made in the remembraunce of Christ I demaunde of you in all other thynges be they holie or prophane where you caÌ„ fynde me one thinge that is both the signe and the thinge it selfe The holie Sacramente of Baptisme is not so The holy SacrameÌ„t of circumcision was not so The holy Sacrament of the Paschal lambe was neuer named so in the olde testamente Yet had they as playne wordes for them as you haue for yours For the circumcision is called the couenaunt and the lambe is called the passeoâ—er But you wil haue the Sacrament to be the thinge it selfe and the signe to be the Sauiour For this intent no fayle that you being but the signes and shadowes of true Bishoppes your two forked cappes and labelles the signes of muche holines and knowledge in both the testameÌ„tes your white raichet the signe of chastitie and purenes your precioâ—s shoes the signes of precious fnote steppes in preaching the Gospel may be accompted the verie thinges theÌ„ selues that be signified So shoulde we neither loke into heauen for our only Sauiour sitting at the righte hande of his father nor yet for true holines in you vpon earth being satisfied by your signes and shadowes your lyinge Poprie dombe and deceyueable ceremonies It foloweth in your text When we cal the Sacrament of the aultare God we vnderstande the substaunce of the Sacrament whiche is Christe God and man there present And according to that vnderstanding we attribute al goodly honour vnto it And in thys speache the worde SacrameÌ„t signifieth and giueth vnderstanding by a special significacion and by excellencie as learned men speake of it the thinge signified beinge there present that is to saye the bodie and bloude of our Sauiour Christe whiche can not be broken with hande caÌ„ not be torne wyth teeth or denoured of beastes or putrified Neither can the bodily senses herein beare any witnes to the contrarie for they can not atteyne that But when we vse the worde Sacramente or the worde hoste and applye the speach of it to suche a matter as may not be sayed of the naturall bodie of Christe then the speache is verified in those formes of breade and wyne vnder the which the most preciouse body and bloud of Christ is couered as when we saye the sacrament is broken or moulded or altered it is onely vnderstanded of the sayed forme of breade and wine being the outward accideÌ„tes as the qualities or dimeÌ„tioÌ„s which god ther preserueth not otherwise by outward miracle being theÌ„ susteined by his moste preciouse bodilie substance Then when they be naturally ioyned to the substance of bread whereof that God thus doeth not mans senses because those accidentes be sensile may Iudge for we se it so and those accidentes be perceptible by the bodelie syght and sense â–ª and withe the eie of the soule in faieth we se the presence of oure moste blessed sauiour Christ who ther is the onely substance of the sacrament so longe remayninge vnder those accidentes as the forme of bread and wyne vnder whiche by the omnipoteÌ„cie of his worde it pleaseth him to exhibite him selfe vnto vs doe remayne and contynewe In your first liues wherin is taught that the sacramente is god and man and therfore muste be worshiped withe all godly honour is intollerable blasphemie For neither haue you any scripture to proue it to be God nor yet that euer Christe or his dearely beloued apostles taught that it should haue al godly honour At his holy supper he coÌ„manÌ„ded theÌ„ al to eate this breade and drinke this cup deuiding it amonge theÌ„ To sette vp any newe God therefore not taughte in the scriptures is blasphemie â–ª and the settynge vp therof deserueth stoning to death by the law of Moyses And Paule byddeth that if an Angell come downe froÌ„ heaueÌ„ to preache any other Gospel then that whiche the Apostles haue preached we shoulde take hym as accursed And is not thys a newe Gospell to teach a Sacrament to be a God to teache that the bread which is a vile creature is very God and that it ought to be worshypped wyth all diuine honour worship The sacrameÌ„t that Christ made and ordeined to be a memoriall of his death redeÌ„ption by him to be made Christ him selfe is it not blasphemie A piece of past whiche was made but yesterday can it be made a sacrifice to take awaye synne wythout blasphemie If a man shoulde call the sacrameÌ„t of baptisme god and do al godly honour thereunto woulde you not say he were mad And yet is Baptisme the chiefe sacrameÌ„t both because it is the first sacrameÌ„t 〈◊〉 signe wherein the free mercie of God
that all such be put out from amonge my people And who so euer wilnot repēt this grosse errour beinge admonished be it knowen vnto them that they are not of my shepe For my shepe do heare my voice And being once raysed wyth my voice they wyll folowe no straunger but wil with open voice crie vnto the straunger and say Oh Idole shepeherde Al this haue I spokē because I your god am so opēly cōtemned and a weaks Idol embraced Gyue eare nowe and herken what I shal saye for my sonne whō I sent to be your sauiour and the onely sacrifice that can take awaye synne in my sight You make hym of none effect that so you maye establishe your owne glorious workes and sacrifices I was and am fully cōtented and satisfied wyth the offering of his body once done What neede is there then of your lyeinge sacrifice If his onely sacrifice be ynough as it is ynough more then ynough to satisfie for al what nedeth you to sacrifice and offer him vp again Wyl you or cā you kyl him againe For that which is sacrificed must needs be slayne and wythout bloude can there be no remission of sinnes I know your hertes bloudy bishops by the betrayinge of him whē he was in the earth amonge you nowe by the brennyng of his worde by the tirānous destroyinge of his flocke which wolde cal againe the memorie of his passiō which you haue extinguished wyth your sacrifice for the quycke the dead making it a cloke for your couetousnes and a buckler for the pompe and rigorous authoritie you chalendge ouer my litle flocke I appointed him priest according to the ordre of Melchisedech without successoure or felow I anointed him with the spiritual oile of my spirite that I mighte haue a bishop to offre vnto me sacrifice which should be pure and without spot whiche shoulde not neede many times to offer or to be offered but makinge al thynges perfecte by one onely offeringe of him selfe vnto me his father and by his bloude which all other sacrifices so oft iterated and repeted as thinges vnperfect dyd onelie signifie In this my dearly beloued sonne is my delyte He is the greate bishop whiche once for all hath entered into the place most holie And beinge founde lyke one of you in althings sinne only excepted he hath now penetrated and passed throughe into the heauens there to be your bishop for euer to offer hym selfe alwayes for you in my syghte by whom you maye come to the throne of my grace to haue healpe by tyme. If you wyl seeke any other bishoppe to offre for yo◠I tell you he is poluted and muste firste offre for hym selfe And because of the imperfection that is in hym he can not please me nor pacifie forhim selfe Yea you may also perceiue that his offeryng is vnperfecte or els should he not neede to reiterate it so oftē If you wil not be deceiued therfore sticke fast vnto the offering ofmy sōne once for all made for you And as I haue giuē him to the deth for your sakes so wyll I deny you nothinge that you aske in his name be you sure Hōse comethit that you be called christiās that Christ my sonne was for your sakes manifestly made man in the flesh was iustly declarede God by the spirite and shewed vnto the Angels and after receyued into glorie This must you beleue if you wyl be partakers of the same glorie That he was verie man as one of you are synne onely excepted conuersant vpon the earth in all humilitie care and miserie at my cōmaundemēt wherby for his obedience toward me he deserued to be ▪ crowned wyth a crown of glorie wherfore I sendynge the holye gost vnto you at his desyre whyche may teach you how you are become my chyldren by hym dyd take him vnto my selfe and raised him aboue al the heauēs euen to sitte at my ryght hand for euer Wher you shal seke him if you intende to find hime But neither here nor ther in ani corner of the earth He tolde you that he must departe from you And if you loke for my fauoure you muste not compt him a liar But wylt thou seke my sonne Lo he hath offered one offerynge for sinne and sytteth for euer at the ryght hande of me hys father lokynge for that whiche remayneth That is that hys enemies be made his fote stole And thus doeth my spirite witnes vnto you that in this my newe testamēt established in hys death your sinnes shoulde be done awaye so that I woulde no more remembre them Then if you beleue them to be forgyuen how can you offer for them any more It is a manifest token therfore that all you which wilbe styll sacrificeynge for your synnes do not beleue that they beforgeuē by the death of my sonne Christe You also whych wyll carnally and grosely eate hym and feade vpon hym as chaungeynge breade into hys fleshe can not worthly beleue vpon hym For he departeyngefrō the earth dyd cōmaund you to eate the bread of this supper which he louyngly called hys bodye for your weake remēbraunce and for the declaracion of the benefite which he then shewed vnto all the faythful beleuers in hys death and bloud shedeynge For the declaracion and remēbraunce I saye of this benefite he cōmaunded all his faythful folowers brotherly to deuide amonge them the bread and wyne so ofte as they woulde eate or drynke in the remembraunce of hym whom they shoulde not haue any longer presently conuersant amonge them For he was then commynge vnto me his father for your profyte And therfore byddeth he you do this thynge in the remēbraunce of hym wyll you then know what it is to do the worke that he commaundeth you or to worke the meate that ne neuer perisheth whiche meate he promised to geue vnto you and I haue sēt him downe and appointed hym for the same purpose If you wil knowe this worcke reade in the. vi of Iohn wher you shal learne that the worke of God is to belieue in hym whome he hath sent This is al that you can geue me This is all that I require at your handes I geue you therfore the breade of life if you can receiue it by faieth vnfainedlie That is to say trusteinge to my promise onely in the death of my sonne and to none other creature Yea my sonne is this breade of lyfe and he that cometh vnto hym shall not be hongry he that beleueth in hym shal not be thirsty And thys he tolde you was my wyll and pleasure that who so euer doeth see him and beliue in hym hath euerlasteynge lyfe For thys is the lyfe euerlasteynge to knowe me and to knowe my sonne whome I haue sent Iesu Christe By thys knoweledg do the Angelles and blessed spirites lyue reioyce and take their comfort Thys is the heauenlye fode Thys is the Manna that comethe frome heauen Therfore so muche haste
bicause the houre is at hande wheÌ„ the Masse and all mans inuentions shal melt like waxe before the brenning fyre of the word of god But what mattier maketh it whereof thys worde cometh seinge al the worlde seeth that your Masse is a Masse and heape of ceremonies and fonde gestures nothinge after the forme that Christ our maister did institute it Seinge therfore you haue both geuen it a newe name chaunged the thinge it selfe also men that do mislyke your doinges maye wythout blame gyue it the name that they fynde in scriptures to call Christes deede into remembraunce whiche you haue almoste extinguished We therefore do coÌ„munely call it the supper of the Lorde as Paule doeth because at his last supper Christ dyd ordeine this sacrameÌ„t for a memorie remembraunce But for the worde Cena it is inough for chyldren to daly as you do in the scholes And the text of Paule is playne inough It is the mattier that we coÌ„tende for not the termes Thys terme the supper of the Lorde doeth signifie vnto vs the worke that Christe dyd and the thing that shoulde be had in memorie Your masse you say signifieth but no maÌ„ caÌ„ tell by what propertie of laÌ„guage al these thynges The gloriouse presence of the bodie and bloud of Christ the whole circumstauÌ„ces vsed and ceremonies done the deuoute prayers that be spoken by the priest Wel it is a smal mattier for you that can chaunge thynges and creatures to chaunge wordes and names at your pleasure Polidore semeth to speake in differeÌ„tly for vs both in this mattier where he sayeth that in the Masse there was an offeringe and gathering for the poore whiche fauoureth some thynge of the Hebrue worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tributum collectum But the pore are dispised and therfore there remayneth only the songe that is called the Offertorie sayth he which was songe whiâ—se the money was in gathering Finally whether you prelates whiche cal your selues the church may say with Paule Ego accepi a domino quod et tradidi vobis Let al me iudge that haue knowledge to perceyue what is in your Masse and what the Lorde dyd at his supper when he coÌ„maunded vs to do this in the remeÌ„braunce of hym and that we shoulde al drinke thereof Yea that so ofte as we eate of this bread drinke of thys cup we shoulde shewe furth the death of the Lorde vnto that he come whiche is the onely thynge that we desyre to haue the death of Christe preached in thys sacrament for that is the only fode life of the soule where you wyll haue nothynge but blynde diguisinges wherwith neither the body nor soul caÌ„ be fed ⧠Of theues that steâ—e awaye the fode of the soule THey would steale awaye the precious fode of the body and bloude of Christ make it a bare drinking of breade and wine Iudge you that be of god how we would steale awaye the precious fode of the body bloud of Christ wheÌ„ we do coÌ„tinually teach that this is the only fode of the soule and the working of the meate that neuer perisheth to beleue hym whom the father hath sent And would haue therfore the coÌ„ming sufferyng of Christ preached vnto the people by this sacrameÌ„t that they mighte continually feede of his body brokeÌ„ for them for the only fode of their soules Yea rather you are the theues the whole worlde to witnes that robbe the shepe of the fode of their soules You rob the pore people of the testament of their father You rob vs lay leude meÌ„ of the one halfe of the sacrament You take froÌ„ vs the testament which only was strikeÌ„ and established in the bloud which was coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the olde testameÌ„t to be sprinckled vpoÌ„ al the people of the which we were al coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the new testament to drinke And bisides that in the ministering of this sacrameÌ„t you wyl preach nothing of the death of Christ vnto vs though it be the sacrament therof No you will not speake one worde of his death passion nor once name vnto vs his body broken and his bloude shed for our synnes that it mighte be the fode of our soules You cause vs to gape gase at dead dombe ceremonies whereby the soule that is spiritual caÌ„ not be fed Yea that is worste of al in the steede of this fode of Christ you do kyl the soule not only with famine for lacke of this fode but also wyth the moste present poyson of Idolatrie The vtter confusion and distruction of all that wyllyngly folowe it And where they wyll passe none of their owne suppers on the greatest fastinge daye without fleshe yet in this supper of the lorde they diuise a diete wythout deinties to haue nothynge present but breade and wyne In our owne suppers we do vse no superstitioÌ„ of meates nor daies because God hath created al his creatures to be takeÌ„ with thankes giuinge as his good creatures and hath made maÌ„ Lorde ouer dayes and times to vse theÌ„ to his necessitie to serue to his vse And though the Iewes were nourterid for a time with shadowes of daies meates like ordinauÌ„ces tyl Christ the body did come set vs at libertie froÌ„ al such boÌ„dage yet because we christiaÌ„s haue once professed to worshyp god in spirite truth we may not turne backe froÌ„ the same to folowe the grosse superstitioÌ„ that the Pope hath soweÌ„ thorowout his kyngdoÌ„ but labour to breake it to take it awaye for the wealth of our brethreÌ„ leste peraduenture they that be weake do stil thinke it an high honour vnto god great holines to eate fish vpoÌ„ certeine daies coÌ„mauÌ„ded by the Pope to be so fasted and coÌ„trariwise that the eating of fleshe on those daies is dishonour vnto him a crime deseruing sore punishment And thus by our streÌ„gth the weake be offeÌ„ded established in their errour EueÌ„ as thei did that dyd styll eate of the meate offered vnto the Idols amongest the Corhinthians though thei dyd know that nothing was poluted or vucleane of it selfe yet thei sitting at the table of the Idoles were the occasion that the weake brothers who fraimed their fayth after thexeÌ„ple of theÌ„ that had knowledge were established in their errour by seing theÌ„ sit at the meate of Idols For it was not the maner that any maÌ„ shoulde syt at the Idoles table but suche as would be partakers of the Idolatrie In this point dyd Peter offeÌ„de also wheÌ„ he disseÌ„bled in the eating of â—eat paul rebuked him therfore In our owne suppers therefore we eate flesh or fish indiffereÌ„tly as is offred vnto vs giue god thaÌ„kes for his creatures WheÌ„ we fast we absteine froÌ„ both And not regarding bodily things for the time we do occupy our selues in spiritual meditation in mournynge for our sinnes the sinnes of the people And wheÌ„
it nor to drynke there of but oure maister person or oure sir Iohn are worthy men for the purpose But oh blynde bishoppes we are not all so fonde to be illuded styll For many haue reade your bokes wrytten for thys purpose to maynteyne your pompe and to keepe vs as your vnderlynges and therfore wyll we no loÌ„ger suffer you to say that we lewde men will not haue it But we desyre and require you for the loue of God in his sonne Christ by whom we are made al one perfect and knigeli priesthod to offer vp our selues a lyueing sacrifice purified by the bloud of his vnspotted lambe whiche maketh perfecte all thinges in thys uewe testament which he coÌ„mauÌ„deth vs to deuide generalli willeth vs all to be partakers therof that you do set vp no doctrine of wyll holynesse agaynste the manifest worde of Christ the sonne of God who sayed Drinke of this you all For if you do it must neades be styl spoken of you that is sayed by the prophet Esaie They worship me in vayne teachinge the doctrynes preceptes of men Now leste any simple man shoulde be deceyued wyth your iuglinge wordes when you saye that good men might by the ordre of the churche coÌ„municate vndre boeth the kindes though they haue conteÌ„ted theÌ„ selues with the communion of one kinde and that it was neuer denied but that all states of meÌ„ might coÌ„municate in boeth the kyndes and that ther was â—euer lawe made to the contrarie neither any estate of men repelled aâ— vnworthye to receyue the one kynde as well as the other but that they haue of theyr selues forborne reerently I haue agaynst you not onely your canon lawe and popeishe decrees whych you haue so perfectly learned but your cruell statute of the syxt articles also wherein you made it death to defeÌ„de these open wordes of our Master Christ Drinke of this you all This is inough to cast you in this mattier For if it were lawfull for all christeÌ„ men to communicate in boeth kindes what crueltie cal you this to make it to be proclamed fourth tymes in the yere in euerye church and euery moneth in all sessions assises courtes lawe daies that who so mayntayneth it to be lawful shalbe iudged an herityke and as an heryteke suffer death by burnynge Is there any such charitie in you as Paule had in the settynge forth of his doctrin concernynge that a woman ought to be couered in the congregacion Or is the drinkinge of this cup a more wayghtie matter or more hurtfull to them that do it Christ commaundeth vs to do this and Paule doeth but reasone in the other accordeynge to the lawe of nature Why are you so shamelesse then Oh byshopes to kyll Christes shepe for doeinge theyr masters coÌ„maundement and mayntaynynge his wyll declared in his scriptures seynge that Paul is readie rather then there shoulde be any coutencion about it to call his doctryne backe agayne teachinge most plainely that the church of god ought not to mayntayne any suche doctryne of any man as may styre any contencion debate or stryfe ⧠The determinacioÌ„ of the doctoures of the greate vniuersitie of Paris against the ministracion of the sacrament in boeth the kyndes FVrther more to open vnto the simple as I haue promised what your popeishe diuinitie doeth determine in this cause in the yere of our Lord God a thousande v. hundreth fortie and. ij the. x. daye of march all the doctoures and bachilers of diuinitye of the vniuersitye of Paris gathered to gether into theyr schole called Sorbona haue by solemne oth professed this article of communion in one kynde to be truely and worthyly mayntayned and many suche lyke nolesse shamefull then wycked whyche are published in the newe statueâ— of that facultie with shame inough Theyr fonde foleish and wycked wordes be these in the. vij article The coÌ„munion vnder boeth kindes is not 〈…〉 vnto laye men vnto saluacion And it is rightly and iustly in olde tyme decreed by the church that they should communicate vndre one kynde onely the kynd of breade Whych they proue by these worthye reasones For theÌ„ were it dainger leste the bloud shoulde be spilt But wher the lutherians do demaunde whether the church be wyser theÌ„ Christ because it prouideth for this inconuenience wherof Christ was not ware in commaundeynge the wyne to be taken I do answere that Christ dyd forse the thinge but he kept it secrete to proue the wisdome of his churche Ther is also an other inconuenience For the bodie of the Lorde must be kept in Cibario to be gyuen to the sycke But if the wine shoulde be reserued also it woulde be made vinacre and so for the corruption it shoulde be no loÌ„ger bloud Yeâ— the lutherians would deride vs sayeinge doeth it not wel appeare that there is wyne styll And so this shoulde make agaynste the opinion of traunsubstantion and chaunge of substaunce Thyrdely this is also reasonable that the priestes should haue some priueledge to suppresse and holde downe the pride of the people Fourthly this doeth auayll to proue the opinion De concomitantia of what so euer the Lutherians do clatter that we shoulde folow obserue kepe the ordinauÌ„ces of Christ which he hath appoynted for our infirmitie Also ther shoulde be an other daynger if the bloude should be geuen to drinke for theÌ„ the taste therof myght engender a suspicion to the laye men ther remayned wyne styll wherof woulde arise many slaunders But if they do reason that the church hath no powre to dispense with the coÌ„maundementes of God I do answer that the worde Bi bite Drinke you must be takeÌ„ as a counsayle and no precepte Ther is yet one thinge that I dare scarsely alledge which is wel worthy to be deeply pondered For ther be some that drinke no wyne which maye not be depriued of those kyndes But I dyd defer to bringe this same because the Lutherians will deride vs and saye that ther is no wyne nowe but bloude This is the verie doctrine that your popish doctours were wont to teach preach in all plares But nowe that it hath pleased the Lorde to open the eyes of his people to eâ—pie the leude reasones of you so blynde guides so that you can no loÌ„ger hope to worke your wickednesse so openly the Deuyll steareth vp Stephane Subtile his felowes by deceyuable wordes to maintaine the same matters Fyrste you laye all the faulte in the laye men as surely we are much to blame doeth in thys and other thynges because we haue suffered you so longe sayeinge that the laye meÌ„ compelled by no lawe haue of their owne foleishenesse holinesse you saye â–ª for borne the one kynd Secondlie you establishe your purpose ful craftely with the ministeryng of one kinde to the disciples in Emaus And the breakynge of breade mencioned in the Actes Where vnto you adde this exclusiue Alone And yet when Ioye sayeth that fayth alone
speake are spirit and lyfe Wher vpon Peter saied Lord why ther sâ—hal we gooâ—thou hast the words of euerlasting life And these are the waters that Christe wyll geue after the whiche no man shall euer thurste But the water whiche I shall geue hâ—m saieth Christe shalbe made in hym a fountaine of water springeinge into lyâ—â—e euerlasteing Blessed be they that heare the worde of God and kepe it whiche was sharpely answered agaynste them which dyd so highlie aduaunce to knowe God in the fleshe Against whom also Paule sayth we know none after the fleshe etc. Moreouer saieth he though we haue knowne Christ after the fleshe yet nowe do we not knowe hym so any longer But he that is in Christe muste be a newe creature in the spirite accordeinge to the saieinge of Christe to him Nâ—codemus Excepte a man be borne a newe from aboue from heauen euen of the spirite the can not enter the kingdoÌ„e of heaneÌ„ That whych is borne of the fleshe is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Againe it is profitable that I go from you for it I go not the spirite of confort shal not come vnto you but if I go I wyl sende hym vnto you he shal leade you into al truthe Therefore should you reioyce because I saie that I go vnto my father Thys profite of the bodilie departeing to haue the confort of the spirite dyd appeare manifestelie in Petre and the other Apostles who deniynge and forsakeinge theyr maister whome they hade bodily present dyd nothing doubt to die for hym whan he was in bodie absent Besides that thys bodilie presens in euerie corner to take awaye sinne is preiudicial to the liuely fealeing of oure faith Firste for that he is verie man in al thinges haueing a naturall bodye as we haue sufficiently paiyng oure raâ—â—some to hys father vpon the crosse SecoÌ„dly it may cause vs to doubt whether we shall saye that he hath ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hand of the father and froÌ„ thence shal come to iudge the quicke and the deade other else saie with you that the prieste muste dayly offer hym a sacrifice here vpon earth for vs and that he muste kepe him heare styl in a boxe to ware mouldie and mustie and then chaunge hym for a newe Christe beinge infinitly created Who shall at the daye of dome starte forth of all these boxes at once into a newe shape I trowâ— to iudge all the eâ—â—h or elfe muste you â—…des confesse that they shall al be iudged and â—…ned where they lye in their boxes The scripture I saye the liuely sâ—aâ—eing of my fayeth grounded onely vpon the spirite of Christâ— and your owne madnesse that I haue reade in your owne bokes and no pride or arroganciâ— what so euer you saye I take god to recorde caâ—se me that I dare not so carnally and grossely vnderstaÌ„d the wordes of Christe as you do And I daâ—e maintaine 〈…〉 I haue many of your owne doc tours whose testimonie either in thys poynt or any other vnâ—es they bringe open scripture wâ—…h them I do not greately regarde but to your confution Yet haue I the better parte of them whiche do spiritually vnderstande and interprete thys scripture wyth me â–ª How be it I knowe we shall neuer make aâ— ende 〈◊〉 we bringe doctour vpon doctoure To answere therfore to thys text this is my bodye whyche is your onely shoâ—eaukere And to 〈…〉 aâ— your wode wordes tauÌ„tes that flowe frome your eloquet mouth as smoke doeth from a lake of brimstone But firste I wyll bringe forth the whole texte of Mathewe Marke and Luke And by the open worde of God I truste I shall declare the true sence and meaneing to him that wyth a spirituall eie shall iudge therof Christ in the xxvi of Mathewe when he was together wyth hys Apostles eateinge the passouer whyche was the most liue lyke figure in the olde lawe nowe makeing an ende in Christe the lambe wythout all spoâ—e and blemishe did ordeine this godly sacrament for the remembraunce of hym selfe to the worlde folowinge and that hys death myght be shewed and published vnto the worldes and like as in the passouer was cotinually mencioned and declared to the posteritie foloweinge the benifite of God in the deliueraunce from Egipt And as that ceremonie the eateinge of the lambe was called the passouer and he hym selfe called the lambe of god so like wise calleth he thys hight misterie and sacrament hys bodie and a newe testament in hys bloude That as truely as the Israelites were deliuered forth of Egipte the angel passing by not hurting the people of that house the dore posts wherof were sprinkled wyth the bloude of that lambe so verily shoulde Christe delyuer vs out of the Egipt of sinne and perfourme the thynge before figured For thys cause saieth Iohn beholde the lambe of God whych taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde And Christe sayeth Thys is my bodye whyche is gyuen for you And thys cup is the newe testament in my bloude whiche is shede for you By the which wordes it maye appeare that Christe dyd meane no chaunge of natures or traunssubstancion but onely that where the bloude of the lambe in the olde testament was sprenkled on the postes to saue frome the aduengeinge angell so many as shoulde be saued so lykewise thys bloude of Christ in the newe testament should be shede to saue vs so mani as haue our soules sprink led wyth the bloude of thys lambe Christe Iesâ— Therfore in lyke maner as the fathers of the olde lawe dranke of the spirituall ston that folowed them â–ª whiche was Christe euen so are we all commaunded to drinke of thys bloude none other wyse then the chyldren of Israell were commaunded that the bloude of the lambe shoulde be theire token in all the houses wher they were Ther was 〈◊〉 man so mad to saye that these wordes this cup is â—he newe testameÌ„t in my bloud dyd chaunge the substaunce of the cup into the newe testament And yet are thei christes owne wordes who can not lye If you therfore be driuen to your â–ª gloses tropes and figures in the wordes spoken of thys sacrament why should we be coÌ„demned to death because we can not vnderstande youre carnal gloses â–ª You must neades haue one glose to declare what is meÌ„t by the cup. Whether the wiâ—e the bloude or the cup it selfe either else a signe and sacrament of the newe testament or a performeinge of the same in the bloude of Christe as Luke teacheth you to speake and as Mathew and Marcke boeth do wittnesse This is my bloud of the newe testament whyche is shed for many to the remission of their sinnes Thus were the Apostles nothinge curiouse in wordes as they ought to haue bene if the wordes had made the cup or the wine God chaunging the substaunce therof so sone as they hadâ—â—eâ— spoken Thus you
owne grossenes Howe dare you for shame name this christes bodie that you do eate and saie that you eate it bodily May any thing be called a bodie but that may be perceyued bi some of our outwarde sences For by theÌ„ onely as by corporall instruments appointed of God to the same purpose maye we iudge what so euer is a bodie Seinge then our senses and bodilie instrumenâ—es perceiue no suche bodie the worcke beinge inwarde by the spirite what neade we to speake grossely and carnallie of the bodie or whaâ— profite can come by that strange doctringe Seinge then that Christe is not the meate of the soule that waye it is to muche shame thus to contrefaite a Christ in the breade good for nothinge But we beleueinge that Christe hath died for vs haue all the conforte that maye be continuallie refreshed wyth the body and bloude whyche are the onely foode of the soule For of thys spirituall eateinge the spirite encreaseth like as of the carnal eateing flesh onelie can be cherished and encreased For this worde must euer staÌ„d true That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that whiche is borne of the spirit is spirite And for this cause doeth Christe vnderstand a spiritual eateinge But howe I praye you That 〈…〉 maye be eaten carnally and bodily Then shal it be al one thinge to eate hym bodily 〈…〉 spiritually which euen by your sophistrie you must nedes iudge impossible If the eaâ—â—ng of Christ be spiritual â–ª why do you say that you eate hym bodilye If it be bodilie what other thyng can it confort butthe bodi Christ saiâ—h that except we eat his flesh that is beleue that he died and shed his bloud for vs we cannot haue lyfe in vs. Agayn if we 〈◊〉 his flesh that is beleue that it was slaine for vs and drinke his bloude that is beleue shed that his bloud is shed for vs than is Christ in vs and we in him But is Christ in any man corporally and bodilie Naye ve rily What neadeth it vs than to make any â—…o doubtes of cateinge hym bodily for thaÌ„ do we eate hys bodie when we beleue that it was slaine for vs. It is fayth therfore and â—…e other eateinge wher of Christ speaketh for man consisteth of two partes bodie and soule The bodie nether can nor dare by any meanes eate him because it is horrible and a gainste nature No thoughe it coulde and woulde eate hym it shoulde auaile hym no more then the bodilie kisse of Iudas and the handeling of the Iewes auailed them It remaineth therfore that the soule shal eate him which can be none other wayes but by liuely faieth in the bodie and bloude â–ª offerred for vs vnto hys father The soule hath no teth and therfore none other maner of eateinge Thus do we conclude that the soule beinge a spirite and the meate spirituall no maÌ„ ought to seke for to eate Christe in this sacrament bodilie really and carnally but onely spiritually as hys worde is spirite and lyfe But stil you wyl vse your eloquence and saye Thys is spoken by intollerable arroyancie deuillishe sophistrie carnall reasones deceitfull expositions croked argumentes contrefaite contradictions by the spirite of the deuell it is lies erroure and blindnesse Captiue your wittes vnto vs of the cleargie Christe speaketh still in the priest at the aultare and saieth This is my bodie And therfore it is his natural bodie Thys is it that you haue to saye Oh howe full of Christes holy worde and the conforte of the scriptures is thys blessed byshoppe These are the blesseinges that flowe from thê so sone as they wagge theire pope holye membres I wyll not raile againe to your worthynesse But as I haue begoue I wyll answere wyth scriptures The tonge is a worlde of wickednesse So is thetonge set in our membres that â–ª it defyleth the whole bodie and setteth on fire all that we haue of nature and is it selfe set onfire euen of hel Therwith do we blesse god and curse men made to hys owne Image Out of one mouth procedeth blesseinge and curseinge where it is contrarie by course of nature that one fountayne shoulde bringe fourth both swete and bitter water If any man be wyse and endued wythknowledge amonge you let him shewe hys worckes out of hys good conuersasion wyth mekenesse and wisedome But if you haue bitter enuie and striffe in y our herte reioyce not neither be ye lyars agaynst the trueth For such wise dome desceudeth not froÌ„ a boue but is erthly naturall and deuellishe For where enuie ann strife are ther is vnstablenesse and all maner of iuell workes But the wysdome that is from aboue is first pure than peaceable gentile and easye to be entreated Full of mercie and good fruites wythout iudgeing wythout simulacion Yea and the fruitte of rightuousnes is sownein peace to them that maintaine peace But to go forth with our purpose No arrogancie no deuellishe spirite or sophistrie can haue the whole course of scriptures thus to maintayne their cause To proue farther therfore that we be taught the spiritual worship onely and not the sâ—eshely and carnall that perisheth and consumeth by tyme marke the scriptures First howe Christ con maundeth to worcke the meate not that perisheth but that remaueth into lyfe euerlastinge whiche the sonne of man shal geue you Nowe Christ did geue vs none other meate wherbye we lyue for euer but thys gospell aâ—d glade tidinges that he freely hath sufferred death for vs. Againe this is the worke of God To beleue in him whom he hath sent Lo the plain wordes of christ Fayeth in him whom the father hath set worketh the meate that neuer perishe It is fayeth therfore in Christ crucified that maketh vs â–ª blessed and not to eate the bodie carnally bodilie and naturally For then should we haue two waies to lyfe The one by fayth and the other by this bodilie eateinge which no man I trowe wyll graunte Againe Christe sayeth that it is the true breade that cometh downe from heauen and geueth lyfe vnto the worlde So that Christ is the liuely fode as he is God and geueth lyfe vnto the world as he is God the sonne of God not as he is fleshe For if the bodily meate that we do eate be but a burthen vnto â—s tyll it be chaunged iâ—to spirite and altered from the grosse substaunce to nourish the liuely spirites and spirituall partes what do we so grossely thyncke that the flesh of christ swalowed into oure bealies shall do vs so muche good â–ª Thys opinion is verie grosse Therfore sayeth Christe to the Capernites in the same blindenesse What if you shal see the soÌ„ne of man go vp where he was before It is the spirite that geueth lyfe the fleshe profiteh nothing The wordes that I speake vnto you are spirite and lyfe Thus doeth he call from the earth to heauen from the fleshe to the spirite lyke
of hys benifites That this blesseinge is nothynge but a thankes geueinge to God the father and no suche coÌ„secracion as you do mataine Mathewe and Luke maye satisfie you Whoe haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is geueinge thankes Wheras Mark hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And agayne when he spake of the cuâ— he hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to blesse and to geue thankes are all one Wherfore suche cousecracion as you make when you saye God consecrateth hym selfe can not be grounded here But you blinde the people wyth your darcke termes to blinde vs styl captiues vn der your tirannie The worde of thys heauenly supper maye clearely driue awaie al dreames if they were deapely considered wythout your gloses Wherfore I wyll reherse them out of the euangelistes and the Apostle Paule the wonderfull opener of goddes secretes Firste Christe when the Apostles were eateinge dyd take the breade and when he had geuen thaÌ„kes he dyd breake it and gaue it to hys disciples and sayed Take eate this is my bodie And when he toke the cup also he did geue thankes and gaue it vnto them saieing drinke al of this This is my bloude whyche is of the newe testament whyche is shed for many in the remission of synnes I saye vnto yon I wyll not after thys tyme drinke of the fruite of the vyne vnto that daye that I shall drinke it newe wyth youâ—… the kyngedome of my father Agayne As they dyd eate sayeth Marke Iesus toke the breade gaue thankes brake it and sayed Take eate thos is my bodie And he toke the cup thanked and gaue it them and they dyd all drinke therof And he sayed vnto them thys is my bloude of the newe testament whyche shalbe shed for many Verely I saye vnto you that from heuse fourth I wyll not drinke of the fruite of the vine vnto the daye that I drinke it newe in the kingedome of God In Luke thus we reade I haue with great desier desired to eate this passouer with you be fore I suffer For I saye vnto you that heuse forth I wyll no more eate therof tyll it be fulfilled in the kingdome of God And he toke the cup gaue thaÌ„ges and saied Take thys and deuide it amonges you For I saye vnto you I wyll not drinke of the fruite of the vyne vnto the kingedome of God do come And he toke the breade and gaue thankes and brake it and gaue it vnto them and saiede This is my bodie whiche shalbe geueÌ„ for you This do ye in the remembraunce of me Lykewise the cup after they had supped and sayed Thys cup is the newe testament in my bloude whyche shalbe shed for you Here be al the wordes of the Euangelistes concerning the last supper of the Lord wherin you do not heare one word that the priest by reherseinge of these wordes shall make God either that Christe is materially and bodily tourned into a fourme of breade or that God doeth tourne hym selfe and consecrate hym as you cal it into the quantities of breade neither any other of those blaphemies that you defende so with tirany That the lewde man shoulde receiue it but in one kind vpon paine of death though you haue pertily excused the matier saieâ—…ge that wee â—ewde soles wyll not haue it Ah shall we suffer you thus to captiue vs still We are captiues in deede For we must ransome ful largely if we either speake writte or kept a-any boke of christian religion contrarie to your popeishe doctrine But as you tender the helth of your soules deare brethern who so euer shall reade thys speede you to the scriptures of God and make them iudges boeth of those mens gloses my writtinges Whan they woulde iuggle with this worde consecrate remeÌ„bre â–ª the wordes of the Euan gelist that he blessed or gaue thankes for all is one thinge as it is proued WhaÌ„ they wil saye no more but thys is my bodie and leue out the chiefe purpose and conforte set furth in thys supper that is whyche is geuen for you then saye We wyll eate heare the bodie that was geuen for vs vnto death which Mari Magdalen might not touche whiche is gone into heauen and as you saye your selfe is not come downe agayne But ther sitteth at the right hande of the father as the scripture recordeth and fayth beleueth from whence he shal come to iudge the quicke and the deade â–ª In whose remembraunce we must do thys sheweinge forth his death as Paule saieth tyll he come The whiche wordes vntyll he come and doeâ—…ge it in the remembraunce of Christe maye plainely declare what is ment by all to gether Besides this wheÌ„ it is named bread wine and the fruite of the grape after that Christ had blessed why shall one set Christe to the schole and tell hym he lieth But if he come into Englande a monge the popeishe prelates they wyll teache him to lerne it other wyse Heare is no sophistrie but eternal tiranie Marke therefore the ende intent purpose of these Christes wordes and doeinges and theÌ„ shal eueri thing be easie and plain vn to vs. Thys maye be shewed by these wordes in boeh the parâ—es of the misteries plainly added which was geuen for you Which shalbe shed for the remission of sinnes Bi the whyche wordes we can not denie but that Christe taught that he woulde die for vs. And where he addeth as the ende of altogether doe thys in the remeÌ„braunce of me this is the cup of the newe testameÌ„t in my bloud what other thing can we lerne but that this is the newe testameÌ„t and couenaunt of grace bitwen God and vs that he wil haue mercie vpon his for the bloud of his soÌ„ne â–ª And that we ought to kepe thys in perpetual remembraunce Nowe seâ—ge that these wordes do leade vs vnto these thinges hys deads must of good congruence worke thesame And therfore doeth the breake breade and geue it to be eaten commaundeinge the cuppe to be drunken Whyche deades dyd in maner represent before the eyes of the disciples the thynges that he had spoken euen in lyke maner as we se it generally vsed in all contractes and couenauntes of greate wayght and valewe which are made without warde signes as represeÌ„tations of the same to the eyes of all men and cleare testimonies for remembraunce of couenauntes to be performed Nowe where as they wyll not speke al the text but sticke in these iiii wordes oneli this is my bodie answere thou againe that thou beleuest it to be the verie bodie euen as thou beleuest the cuppe to be the newe testament But for as muche as the chaunge of any of these creaturs can not be taught â—i any scriptures thou canst in no case beleue it For thy faith asketh the word of god Wherfore saye thou I wyl stick to the worde of Christ that the
be deceiued wythout the helpe of reasone set in man to be their lady and masters and wyth hir helpe they maye iudge of all bodily and sensible creatures muche more are they able to iudge of breade their continuall obiect dayely offered vnto them wherin not one sense but the sigh taste smelle and feleinge doe wittnesse together reasone approueth and alloweth theyr iudgment and faythfully established in the worde of God affirmeth the same Christe hym selfe as we haue sayed calleth it â—reade and wynne Paul to the Corth â–ª calleth it breade that we breake and sayeth that weaâ—e one bread and one bodie so many as are pertakers of the same breade Againe in the. xi So ofte as we â—ate thâ—s brâ—ode and drinke thys cup we shewe the death of the Lorde vnto he come Therfore who so â—ateth this bread drinketh this cup vnworthily is gilty of the bodye and bloude of the Lorde Let a man proue hym selfe therfore and so eaâ—e of this breade and drinke of thys cuppe Agayne in the Actes of the Apostles Thei coâ—…ed in the doctrine of thapostles In feloweshipe and breakynge of breade Againe he was knowne vnto them in breakeinge of breade Luke xxiiii dayely continuinge with one accorde in the teÌ„ple and brake bread froÌ„ house to house oure sences also do one after other beare witnesse hereunto We heare Christ and his apostles saye This is bread We smell tast and feale it to be breade We se it is breade and so coÌ„clude â—i reasone after thys sorâ—e The baker dyd bake it as breade before it was put to thys vse and in this vse it is nothyng chaunged froÌ„ the kind of bread for it musteth mouldeth and wil be eateÌ„ of â—…sse as other breade wyl Wherfore we be inge enstructed firste by liâ—… fayeth and thaÌ„ by our senses ruled by reasone dare boldelye conclude thys same to be breade If you myght leade captiue all these three â–ª then shoulde we folowe where you woulde haue vs as oure fathers haue done before As for the misteries and principles of our religion wherof you saye we stande greate neade to be taught â–ª you teache fâ—ll slender lie that is to saye onely wyth a sentence of doctour and a verse songe in the churche But we knowe that so many of them as be corporal and therfore sensuall it hath pleased God so to wrocke them that the verie senses maie perceiue them and therfore be as a testimonie of our fayeth beareinge witnesse of their trueth Nowe as for the misterie of the Trinitie and the vnitie of godhed you do know full well they are not in the numbre of sensible and bodilie thinges and therfore can in no wyse be offerred vnto the sâ—ses wherfore it is no good proffe to iudge them vnable to declare vnto our reasone what is breade and what is wine because the can not attain to that wherwyth they maye by no meanes meddle Or to thynke them not murtified in other thynges because thei witnesse heare agaynste you But you go aboutte to slander vs as thought we dyd not beleue We knowe by our fayeth grounded vpon the boke of Genesis and all other scriptures settinge forth the almyghtie powre of God teacheinge vs to belieue in God the father almyghtie maker of heauen an erth and in hys onely begotten sonne oure Lorde Iesus Christe who was coÌ„cerned by the holy gost and borne of the virgine Marie wherin resteth the chiefe poynte of religion and onely saluacion So sone as he came into the worlde ther were called to wittenesse three herdemen or shepeherdes and three wyse men out of the easte to se wyth theire eyes and testifie vnto other thys the cheife misterie of oure religion that Christe was come in the fleshe bisides the resorte of the men of Bethlehem to se theyr sauioure wyth theyr eyes and the plaine testimonie of Simion saieinge Now haue mine eies sene thy saueing helth More ouer Christ thus comeinge in the fleshe was bodily present in the syght and eyes of al the worlde the space of xxx yeres and what so euer miracle he wrought in the dodient appeared to the eyes and outwarde senses As when he chaunged water into wyne streigh waye it appeared wyne to all the outwarde senses Inlyke maner such as Christe healed bodeli were thei lame blind or lazar streigth waye they appeared whole And so conseqeÌ„tly in all the miracles that Christ wrought in sensible thinges bodilie they so appeared vnto oure senses Whan he raysed Lazar us froÌ„ death to lyffe it was not countertaite for he dyd eate and drinke in the sight of all men So lykewyse when Christe suffered moste paynefull death in the syght of the whole world vnder ponce Pilate he was crucified deade and buried that no eie or tonge shoud wittnesse the contrarie He desended into hel as Peter witnesseth in spirite which falleth not vnder the knowelege of our sences because the spirite goeth and cometh man knoweth not howe Than haue wee wittnesses that God raysed hym the thirde daye and shewed hym to all the people but firste to his wittnesses appoynted for the same purpose whyche dyd eate and drinke with hym after he was risen from death Moreouer that we should nothinge doubt of this misterie so darcke vnto reasone christ appered vnto them agayne and commaunded Thomas Didimus who was before in doubte to put hys fynger in hys syde to see hâ—s handes and the woundes of the nayles that thei al might knowe it to be his natural bodye thus risen frome death yea a bodye whyche hath fleshe and bones contrarie to your doctrine whyche wyll haue ve belieue in a bodie that hath neither fleshe nor 〈◊〉 quantitie nor qualitie that is as much to â—aie as no propretie of a bodie excepte it be borowed of the bread But we beieue according to the â—…e spirite that Iohn describeth that Iesu Christe is comen in the fleshe and hath died in the same accordinge to the saieinge of Paule and testimonies of al scripture in the which he is also raised againe and â—owe sitteth at the right hand of God the father froÌ„ whence he shal come to iudge the â–ª quicke and the deade Vnto whom al the propheres geue wittnesse that who so euer beleueth in hym shall haue remission of â—ynnes by hys name We beleue in the holy gost one God with the father and the sonne euen from the beginninge as appeaâ—eth by the firste creacion of the worlde Now that the euerlasteing Lord and euer liueinge God hath created al thinges by his worde oure Christe and sauiour wyth so vniforme powre of thys holie goste that nothinge coulde come forth to any shap or forme vntyll this spirite procedeing from them boeth dyd mone vpon the walte depe or vnformed waters Wherfore thys almyghtie powre of the trâ— and euer lasting God is in Hebrue called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plurallye for the diuersitie of persoÌ„es throughout
maiestie of God in compareinge hym to suche vile creatures As for that he did become verie man it was for this purpose to aduaunce thys his noble creature the whole kynde of man accordeinge to his promise euen a bone the angelles whome we shall iudge for they are all spirites and are sent forth to do seruice vnto them which are the heyres of saluacion Agayne he dyd not take the angelles but the seade of Abraham Therefore ought he in all pointes to be like hys bretherne If ther were any such worthynesse to be loked for vnto the creature of breade by the worde of God after thys life then lo we woulde graunte that he had assumpted thys fourme of breade wyth hym â–ª But oh thou man thou vile wretch and caytife to thy maker Was it not ynoughe was it not ynoughe I saye that Christ dyd come downe frome the bosome of the godheade the glorie of hys father to take the fourme af asernaunte refuseinge the fourme of angelles and dyd be come for a space inferiour vnto them verie man of the sede of Eua subiecte vnto al humane miserie sinne onely excepted humbled vnto the deathe euen the spitful death of the crosse That he nowe in his manhode exalted aboue all thynges heauenly erthelye and infernall shoulde sitte at the ryght hande of hys father aperpetuall mediatour and peace maker betwene vs an his father were not thys inoughe man for hys humblinge hym selfe vnto the vnlesse thou call hym downe into other vyle creatures bread and wyne make him assuÌ„pt a newe fourme of breade with a mernaylouse Metamorphosis a sodayne and insensible chaung to make ii sponeful of wine a God for to be worshiped wyth all godly honoure as your statut of the. vi articles of the faith of your Englishe churche doeth blaspheme to make a littell breade the whole naturall and real bodie fleshe bloude and bones and all as he hanged on the crosse or as he was borne of the vergine marie Truly truly I saye vnto the because he 〈…〉 omnipotent he wyll not be chaunged into any newe formes by the muÌ„bling and breathing of an whormoÌ„ger or sodomitical priest that you maye se your owne reasone of the omâ—ipoteÌ„cie to be cleare agaynst you whose omnipotente power yf you did once dred or feare his maiesty you durst neuer vtâ—er this blasphemie Nowe our whole coÌ„tention and strife is aboute the fayth gâ—…d vpon the worde of god All the world may iudge that we seke and requier none other thinge You haue but one scripture which is this Hoc est corpus meum The Arrieus whome you meÌ„cion very often had as much as that for their purpose that is to say this texte Pater maior me est They had as plain wordes in that text as you haue in yours They haue the Verbe est or is that you make of so greate strengthe But yet you are in your proceading vpon your text somwhat worse theÌ„ they For wher you say that this faith is groundid vpoÌ„ the worde of god whereby we beleue euerie worde that procedeth from the mouth of God as be these This is my bodie whiche is geuen for you And this cup is the newe testament in thy bloude whiche shalbe shed for many to the forgiuenes of their sinnes â–ª you say but right and we beleue no les But wheÌ„ you procede withe your sophistrie and philosophie of the bodie really and carnally substancially and naturally coÌ„secrated altered and changed iâ— to the forme of accidentes qualities and quâ—tities Then go you farder then did the Arians For herein you bring with you a rabble of termes fetchide forthe of the bottome of sophistry and philosuphy and this deuilishe gronde must we either beleue or els be brent It is for these termes for these your gloses that you do stryue mak your cruell lawes For you neuer despred nor procured Acte of parliameÌ„t that he whiche had not or vnderstode not the worde of god shuld be brent nor yet lose one farthynge But many times haue you bisshopes burned and do dayly bothe the newe testament the olde al that we haue lefte of the worde of lyfe together wyth the maynteners and professers of the same and all them that will not maintain your gloses That you bisshopes the bloude sheders of the newe testameÌ„t may follow the trade of your holy â—athers of the old law who did slea Christ hym felfe as you do his beloued membres But our liuinge god is the reuenger This Arius did drawe vnto his wycked opinion the emperoure â–ª Constantius the excelleÌ„t learned bisshope Eusebius and many other excellent bisshopes and learned men Then god stired vp Athanasius who coÌ„futed his errour with the hole course of scripture as many godly men haue done yours if you had grace to se it But lo then did Arius seke for false accusers to haue caused the Emperoure to haue put this good man to deathe but god did preserue hym in his innocentie and shewed his vengeaunce vpon Arius so that he died most shamfully his intralles and guttes fallinge from hym in to a preuie in the Sinode of Nece as Athanasius doth writ vpon the psalme QuicuÌ„que vult Beware you are admonisshed Where as you reasoÌ„ that your god must mould putrifie must be deuoured and corrupt to the open coÌ„fusion of your senses because your faith caÌ„ not other wise merite verily it is done to the confusioÌ„ of your fonde braines and madnes that will make so vile a creature as can not help it selfe your god honouringe wythe all godly honours the thing that is weaker and worse theÌ„ a worme or mouse that wasteth it Not onlie leauing the euerlasting and almyghti god your selfe who hath your breath in his hande to take it from you or lende it you so long as it lykethe hym but also teachinge other alwais that this cuÌ„iured â—ake is god And yet so sone as you put him to your mouth your breathe onely whiche can hurte no other creature chaungethe him into clammy past that cleaueth by the roâ—fe of your mouthes Haue you not learned that the thinge whiche goeth into the mouth doth neather make the man holie nor vnholie But god lokethe vpon the hertes the grounde of all holines For the beautie of this Kinges daughter is inwarde Can you not perceyue how shamful a chaunge you make frome the almightie to him that can do nothinge FroÌ„ him that sauethe al to hym that can not saue hym selfe Frome the strongest creator and maker of al to the weakest of al creatures From the hest to the worst Surely your senses be confounded and you may worthely be ashamed yea you your selues and your god shal be confounded and ashamed when the wrathe and vengeance of god shal come downe vpoÌ„ al Idols and Idolatours whiche is at hande be ye sure But you say that this must moulde and putrifie that your faithe may merite What shall it merite for this lewdly estemynge
the good man for he hath no Idoll I know there haue ben good men whiche haue hated all Idolatrie and the persecution of al ages can report the same The bokes also of theyr fayth so many as haue escaped your handes do yet testifie that they were sore offended wyth thys blynde chaunge of these dead ceremonies in the steede of the lyuely feaste of the Lorde where al men shoulde be fed wyth the body and bloud of Christ the sonne of God not turned into bread but lyuely workynge by the spirite in our soules And they do aâ—he thys question why you do breake his body in three and why you do put one piece into the chalice to the wyne seinge you dâ— teache that the wine alone is fleshe bones though you do put no grosser substaunce thereunto For because it is liquidum you can make it what you lust and dare entre some deale far ther then Christe did for he at the vttermost made it but bloude but you wyll make it bloud bones and fleshe say we shalbe breÌ„t if we do not beleue you and yet for all the stickinge to the bare letter you haue not one word through out the whole Bible wherby you maye clooke thys matter that the wyne shalbe the whole body fleshe bloud bones though ye crie The worde the word Faith fatyh These heritickes wyll not beleue the worde of God For your terme really preseÌ„t you shal vnderstande that after Bonifacius the thirde about the yere of our Lorde vi C. and. iij. obteyned of Phocas the false Emperour to be the heade of the churche by the craftie practise of the monkes Paschasius Humbertus Guimundus Algerus Rogerus Frauciscê° Anselmus and such other was realitie inueÌ„ted and termed to the sacrameÌ„t Before that time the spiritual eating only was magnified amonge the olde doctours But then beganne the churche of Rome to be gyueÌ„ ouer to al poÌ„pe wickednes and Idolatrie the mother church of al mischiefe The bishop his adhereÌ„tes of the Antichistes generation are now fully bent to lifte vp theÌ„ selues against euery thynge that is good and godly commaunding Images and other vile creatures to be worshypped But the Emperour Leo the. iiij gathered a counsayle at Bysantium of CCC bishoppes which decreed that only God ought to be worshypped and caused the Images to be breÌ„t and destroyed Then Damasâ—en becommeth their proctoure stubburnely resistynge the Emperour so longe tyll he had his ryghte hande cut of howe he gatte it agayne you must bringe some credible authoure or els we wyll not beleue you longe after when Idolatrie had gotten the vpper hande then dyd Petrus Lombardus maister of your sophisticall senteÌ„ces bringe vp your transmutation and transaccidentatioÌ„ About the yere of our Lorde M. Cxlvi gathered out of certeyne blynde wordes of the doctours afore his tyme. Then Pope Innocent the thyrde gaue it thys newe name that you maynteyne wyth fyre He called it Accidens sine subiecto Of the whiche Sophisme doctoure Duns doctoure Dorbell and doctoure Thomas de Aquino do dispute verie subtilely Theyr termes you may see more at large by the moste diligent confounder of theyr errours Ihou Bale in his boke named the misterie of iniquitie Then folowed the blynde rable of Scotistes and Thomistes and they haue broughte the worlde into thys contention that we nowe heare and are busyed wyth all Thus was thys high misterie of mannes saluation and moste comfortable sacrament cleane chaunged from the institution of Christe whiche was to be taken wyth thankesgyuynge in coÌ„mune amongest christian men that wyth open herte euerie man myght reioyce in the death of his Sauiour and gyue thankes for his redemption that thereby fayth myghte be established and brotherly loue nourished But nowe it is become a vayne gasyng and starynge vpon the sacrament in the steede of the Sauiour takyng the sacrament for hym that made it a sacrament Worshippyng the creature in the steede of the creatoure as we see nowe thys blynde swarme whiche for the lyuely preachynge of the death of Christ to be the life of the soule do cause mumbling al in a straunge tonge that the people might surely be kept from the consideration of the misterie And where Christ coÌ„maundeth vs to deuide it amongest vs and that we shoulde all dryâ—… of the â—â—ppe the popishe priest muste get him into a corner alone and there so many shall be part takers of the merites of his blowing blessyng and other coniuringe aâ—… wyll gyue hym any thynge They shall be prayed for in the middest of his Masse and shal haue their sinnes takeÌ„ away This winâ— they that wyll be the priestes benefactouâ—s The other shal see Christ really they saye but because he is dombe there and can not speake and the pristes lesson is no peny no Pater noster they maye knocke hande on breast and worship they wot not what lyfte vp their haÌ„des and stroke their heades lyke the Popes owne deare chyldreÌ„ but they shal haue no parte there neither of the sacrament whereof they are appoynted to be part takers by the opeÌ„ worde of Chiste eate and drinke of this you all nor yet of the remissioÌ„ of those synnes that the priest worâ—heth for â—nlesse they gyue some money Thys money it is that causeth it to fyght so sore agaynste Christes institution and to maynteyne your gaynful sacrifice and reall preseÌ„ce This money for the maynteinaunce of your dignities and Lordelyke porte hath caused you euer sith you were first poisoned therewyth to magnifie your owne handy worke But the God immortal wil aduenge his iniuries vpon al Idols and Idolatours Nowe to mistrust the immortalitie of the euerlastynge God as you laye vnto oure charge by whom all thynges endure were extreme blindnes And so likewise to compt your God which neuer had breath of lyfe immortall when the priest that hath made him and perchaunce eaten him the same day that he dyeth is mortall and goeth to the graue with his newe made God and many other meÌ„ as you say that dye wythin a quarter of an houre after they haue eaten him In whoÌ„ you make the doubte whether the hoste consecrate shall mouide corrupte or coÌ„sume lyinge in their bodies beinge deade for you are the first to my knowledge that euer moued that question To call this immortall I saye that neuer lyued lyeth in the grounde wyth the dead man maye well be called foâ—de Sophistrie But to toutche your wordes a little more You call thys the hoste wherein the body of Christ is preseÌ„t You begynne me thynketh to waxe ashamed to call this your hoste the bodie of Christ contrary to your playne text of scripture Thys is my bodie I must also laye thys vnto your charge Why you dare call hym hoste by a newe terme and not breade by the olde terme Some thynke it is because you take your owne wordes to be wyser then the wordes of Christe and his chosen Apostles And surely it is
begin ninge who commynge downe from oure heauenlye father dyd declare hym selfe to be the hed corner stone of the true church thoughe the byshoppes refused hym in their buildeinge And when he ascended vp agayn leading capteyue wyth hym captiuitie hyrselfe he gaue gyftes vnto menne makynge one sorte Apostles an other sorte Prophetes some other Euangelistes some Shepeherdes and â—eachers These onely be appointed to be the ministers of his church in the new testament that they shoulde all together in spirite and trueth boeth worship him and cause other to do the same for the spirite is the worcker of al diuiding to eueri one as pleaseth him The bodye of thys churche then is not one membre as of long tyme you haue named your selues onely to be the church but it is many membres as the Apostle witnesseth amonge the whyche membres I feare me you shall not bee worthy to be numbred onles you do amende your life so contrarie to Christ the heade of this churche For thys churche hath he begotten vnto hym selfe by his worde as the parent and onely mother therof that it should be without spot or wrinkle gloriouse holy and without blame and especially saithe Paul the bisshope muste be such a one that no man sholde find any faute with him Thus writethe he to his dearely beloued Timothe and Titus makinge it moste euident and playne vnto vs that you bishopes prestes teachinge for your gaine sake or els teachinge nothinge at all are not the true byshopes and members of the true churche but the hierlinges and hypocrites that haue no parte in the Kyngdom of God and his Christe who dyd come â–ª pore not hauinge wher to laie his heade and dyd chuse pore sheperdes to be his first witnesses and after them fishers toulers and tentmakers And the words that he spake to his disciples are far ouer harde for you byshopes to bear Who so doeth not saieth he for sake father mother goodes lyfe and al together for my sake and the Gospell can not be my disciple Moreouer wher as the bishops of the Iewes and chife priestes doe crie TeÌ„plum domini Templum domini As thoughe they them selues and none other were the true church Christe answereth that the sonne of man shalbe betraied to the chief priestes and they shall condemne hym vnto the death so that they were none of the trwe churche thoughe they were of the seéde of Leui to whome the gouernance â–ª of the churche was promised and performed In like maner you so longe as you persecute Christe hys members and burne his worde crie you holie church neuer so much you shalbe no more of the true churche then â–ª they were For ther is all one worcke and purpose in you boeth that is to saye to miantayne your pompe and estimacion your powre and your holynesse before the people But now is the time come that the thing which â–ª was most holy in the sight of the world as you your iewels haue bene shalbe abominable â–ª vnto God Yet one other thing nothinge pleasaunte to your lordlike stomakes He that wilbe the cheife in this church must be the seruante of al Like as the sonne of manne did come not that he shulde haue seruice done vnto hym but that he him selfe shuld serue and giue his soule for many As many therfore as we finde agreable withe this heade Christ as were the. xij Apostles and all the true disciples who continued together in the breaking of breade and praier acceptinge none of the possessions of this worlde as their owne but makinge all that was theirs commune to the necessitie of their brothers we esteme to be the true and faiethful membres of this church Paule also geueinge him selfe for the Gospell to be imprisoned stoned and slayne was of thys churche Stephane also stoned for the defence of GOD his glorie and Antipas the true and fayethfull witnesse of Christ slaine at Pergamis Ignatius the scholar of Iohn who suffred for the Gospel Ignatius I saié Who so ernestly desired the breade of God the heaueÌ„ly bread of life whiche is the flesh of Iesu Christ the sonne of the liuing God who was borne in the last ende of the world of the seede of Dauid and Abraham and desyred to drincke the bloude of hym that is wythout corruption and the life euerlasting All these I saye we knowe to be the lyuelye membres of Christes true churche but not these onelye whiche sufferred vnder the Romishe tirantes but theim also the whiche in al countreis and at al tymes haue witnessed and suffered for the trueth â–ª of God his word for all are created for hys glorye and God hath not at any tyme or in any place ben altogether without hys witnesses if the world woulde receiue theim He sente into oure naâ—ion Iosephe of Aramathia He stirred vp Gildas he enstructed the plowemen oâ— kent and other contries of whome we haue the monumentes After warde dyd he sende Robert Grosheade who boeth by worde and by writinge dyd rebuke the worlde of blynde iudgement Then came the greate clarke that wrate so mani godli bokes Iohn Wicklife of whose workes though Subincolepus the bishop of Prage did bren to the uombre of two hundred yet are ther manie of them reserued vn to thys daye by the prouision of God to the coÌ„fusion of the kingdome of Antichrist cleare testimonie that the worlde before vs hath not ben vtterly destituted of true know ledge thoughe frome tyme â–ª to tyme whan the lyghtte hath come into the worlde the kingdome of darckenes the children of pridâ— haue loued darkenesse better then light and therfore haue laboured to extinguishe it and haue prohibited these bright sterres to geuâ— lighte saue onelye to a fewe whome he had chosen and longe a fore appoynted euen to the weake abiectes and caste awaies in the sight of the world of the whyche sorte parte were slaine and part liued vnknowne to the worlde for this litle flocke euen from the beginninge hath not bene of the wife and stout worldely men and therefore sayeth Christ I thanke the father that thou haste hid these thynges frome the wyse and prudent and haste shewed the same to littleones smallye regarded And Esaie saieth I wyll destroie the wisedome of the wise and the vnderstaÌ„ding of the prudent wyl I caste awaye And agayne Where is the wise Where is the scribe and interpreter of the law wher is the disputer of this worlde Hath not the Lorde made folyshe the wisdome of this worlde For after that the worlde by hir wysedome could not know God in his wisdom it pleased god by the folishenesse of preachinge to make salfe them that beleue This preachinge of the liuing god whiche sent his sonne an euerlasting sacrifice for the lyfe of the worlde caused the sacrifices to waxe colde and that was it that caused the priestes of the Iewes to persecute the christians so sore that
erthly God that coulde not erre â—…deceiued yea offerring his shoes to be kiâ—… kinges and Emperours Thus I saye thys Romeish church changed frome pouertie to pride creepeinge vp like the Iuie by the rootes of the great trees be gan to ouer renne and subdue kingedoÌ„es and empieres yea to put downe kinges and Emperours For the mainteners of this diuellishe life and doctrine they had taÌ„ken such awaie and order that if we take theym and their adherentes that is to saye all theyr sworne doctours anointed byshoppes and shauen priestes for the true church we muste neades by theyr learning lyuinge and all their workes coÌ„demne Christ and his membres The true churche remayneth still pore persecuted and sore oppressed all the time of their tyrannie whiche coulde neuer beriefe Christe of hys witnesses for in al times and ages ther haue ben faitheful witnesses of the truthe though their names and doctrine haue alwaies bene obscured and sclaundered by these papistes who were allwaies bothe the Iudges and accusers the scribes and reporters of their doeynges This churche as it was alwaie ruled by the spirite of Christe so did it vnderstande the scripture spiritually by the spirite of god and worship him in spirite and truthe Like as amonge the fathers of the old testameÌ„t the ambitiouse scribes and phariseis and the fleashly minded bothe priestes and people did knowe non other holmesse by the circumcision of the fleshe and the bodily sacrifices where contrary wife Moyses and Dauid and the little chosen flocke led bi thâ— spirite of god did knowe circumcision of the fleashe to be nothingâ— wythout the circumcision of the hert and the sacrifices to be but shadowes of our Christe vpon whom all waies they did feade and sâ—tt their delyght knowyng him to be the vnspoted lambe and red heyfer offred for the finnes of the people euen so the hole popeyshe churche cleane coÌ„trarie to the doctrine of the spirite hathe fol lowed fleashely Imaginations of their own brayne in all their doctrine and sete up their own workes and sacrisices to take awai sinnes as did the old phariseis wherby it commethe to passe that al Idolatrie iâ—… stablished their own doctours and decres stroÌ„gly mainteined and the word of god â—…alli regarded The pore shepe of Christe fisshers and shepherdes plowemen and all vnder the degre of gentilmen are by your decrees banished froÌ„ the swete pastours and fode of theyâ— soules And yf it chaunce any of theÌ„ to break in to the pleasaunt bankes of Christe his doe trin and fead on the hilles of saluatioÌ„ the popysh bishops can smel hym xl myles froÌ„ theÌ„ and then shall the innocent lambe be burned and suffer death for the reding of this word for the whiche Christe his shepeherde and heade died for the establisheynge therof by the shâ—adynge of hys herte bloude Iudge nowe who is the true churche for Christe did not cheuse the wise nor the men of powre nor many menne of noble birth But the eternall wisdome of god chose that whiche was foleishe before the worlde that he might shame the wise And those that are weake in the worlde did he cheuse to shame the mighty and stroÌ„g powrs And those that are vile and dispised and of no reputacion ⧠The vtteringe of the popeyshe Sophismes BVt to returne to your wordes and to coÌ„sider how you of this popeish churche wolde captiue our wittes aboute this sacrameÌ„t thus you say and writ Ther is in the sacrament of the aulter non other substaunce but the substaunce of the bodie and bloude of our sauiour Christ and yet remaynethe the forme and accidentes of breade and wyne not altered by this miracle from knowelege of the senses wherewithe they were before knowne and also by god his sufferaunce subiectes to the passibilitie that they were in before Oh when will you waxâ— ashamed The mouse may eate yt as you say your selfe 〈◊〉 yet it must be the self same substaâ—nce of the body of Christ wer it not for shame to bable longe in this matter I wolde bringe in the scriptures that proue all them to haue euerlastinge lyfe that eate his fleshe and drincke his bloud But go to I wil stope your monthe withe your owne madnes Pope Victor the thyrd was poysoned in this sacrament and yet must it be the bodie of Christ which can bringe nothinge but helthe and life The Emperour HeÌ„ry the seuenth was poysoned by a Dominik frier named Barnardinus de monte policiano in receyuinge the sacrameÌ„t and yet may it be non other substaunce but the bodie and bloâ—de of our sauiour Christe God and man wher yf he had ben man they had poysoned hym firste but yf he had bene God he woulde first haue espied theyr poyson by cause he can not be deceyued and bycause he can not deceyue he would not haue poisoned the Emperour who mistrustid no thinge But let them passe they be the learnynge and practises of your churche You goo on still with the same Sophistrie of the forme and accidentes of bread and wyne Alwaye synginge one songe that with often rehersall you maye bringe it into credence If you preache this forme these accidentes 〈◊〉 this passibilitie to the pore people they may wel wonder at your high learnyng but thei can knowe litle what you meane These thinges I haue somwhat touchide and shall dâ— more here after You say that these accideÌ„tes are not altered vnto the senses but are subiect to the same passibilitie I pray you what sophistrie hath taught you that accidentes are become subiectes of passibilitie If euer you learned Logike or philosophi you know that the subiect to passibilitie must neades bee a substauÌ„ce Wherfor seyng you wil haue such passibilitie suche chaunges both corruptioÌ„ of the cake and generation oâ— anewe bodie you must coÌ„fesse some other substaÌ„ce in thes chauÌ„ges that sustaynethe the accidentes after the chaÌ„ge for the infallible rule of Logike is this Ther is no accident without his subiect periculiar substance And coÌ„sequeÌ„tly if you wil wade in these dark termes of sophistrie â–ª you shalbe coÌ„pelled to graunt an other substance which sustayneth the accideÌ„tes bysides the bodie and bloude of Christ And seyng that Godhath created none other substaÌ„ce which hath these peculiar qualities that we feele smel se and tast stil to remain but onli bread and wyne we must nedes by the properties bi god onli attributed to these creatures conclud against you that here be the two substaÌ„tes and creatures of breade and wyne vnto whome God did in theyr creation attribute and gyue these qualities these accidentes these selfe same properties the selfe same forme and shape that we se doth stil remayne vuchainged vnder your fingers and in your mouthes As for your holi entralies I know not what passibilitie thei suffer there In this place of your booke I muste pas ouer with scilence certayne of your wordes as are these The creatour of al
is declared and opened vnto vs and that in it no les theÌ„ in the other we do receiue the promises of God and his holie spirite to the confirmation of our faith and sure trust in him Moreouer oure Sauiour Christe sayeth thus of Baptisme Iohn baptised you in water but I wyl baptise you in the name of the holie goste And for a playne euidence and tokeÌ„ of the same he sent downe the holie gost in a visible fourme both vpon the Apostles and them that they baptised in his name If you had so muche in the scripture for the diuinitie of the other Sacramente I woulde not so greatly wonder if your fleshly iudgement did take it for a verie God But seinge that wyth these scriptures you esteme the one litle or nothinge at al and yet wythout these or any other lyke scriptures you maynteyne and defende yea and that with sworde fyre and faggot that the other is God and worthy of all godly honoure I can not but merueile and that greatly Yea and muche the more for that you hauynge the experience of the feyned miracles that haue bene wroughte for the establishynge of the fleshly presence of Christe in this Sacrament as I am sure you had by one Nicholas Geruis priest who pricked his fingar in the tyme of his masse that the bloude might seme to fall from the breade vpon the corpresse and aultare cloth as appeared at Paules crosse wythin the. v. yeres laste paste shoulde yet so blindly and tiraÌ„nously maynteine this deuelishe and most wicked errour I meane the deitie and godly honoure that you attribute to this signe or Sacrament If the whole course of your tale whiche I haue rehearsed be not altogether Sophistrie surely I neuer learned Sophistrie For when you come to tell vs what is broken what is moulded and what the mise do eate then say you that the Sacrament is the host the fourme of breade and wyne and the vtwarde accidentes as the qualities and dimeÌ„sions And this fourme these outwarde accidentes these qualities these dimensions are broken are moulded are altered and muste no more be God Thus you woulde blynde vs wyth your Sophistrie and make vs to beleue that it is God when you call it so and no God but accidentes qualities and dementions when you wyll haue it so Agayne notwythstandyng you do eate the same thynge that you do breake and breake the same thynge that you do eate yet when you eate it it muste be God and when you breake it it must be but accideÌ„tes no God Moreouer if it chaunce you to touche it wyth your teeth and swalowe it downe your throte make it suffre heate in your stomake and become passible otherwayes then is it onely the fourme the outwarde accidentes the qualities and dimeÌ„sioÌ„s and no God But you deceyue your selues with vayne wordes and therfore like as you do breake the outwarde thynges so do you eate and are fed with the same sophistical ware where of ye dreame Thys is muche like a man that dreameth aâ— the night longe that he hath eateÌ„ quaile raile and cur lewe and that he hath drokeÌ„ pleasaÌ„t wine his fyll and yet in the mornynge he is neuer the lesse huÌ„gery and thurstie because he had nothing but the fourmes shadowes outwarde accidences and qualities But the litle mouse is muche wyser then you make your selues For she can knowe the fourme of your cake from the cake it selfe Paynt it in fourme and qualities as craftelie as you can she neither wyl nor caÌ„ feede vpon any suche qualities or fourmes Neither is she so folishe to be mocked with any suche dreames I speake playne englishe nowe yea I can not nor wyl not vse any sophistrie And we al that be englishe men do earnestly desire you to tell vs in englishe what you do meane by those termes accidentes qualities and demensions which I do know you caÌ„ neuer do onles you do reigne in the bowelles of sophistrie For thei are the peculiar termes of that deuelishe arte Yet amongest so many your subtlie termes you haue one good sentence howe it escaped you I can not tell Wyth the eye of the soule you say in faith we see the presence of the moste precious bodie of our Sauiour Christ These your wordes are eueÌ„ the very words of our beliefe This is the thing only wholy that caÌ„ worke in this sacrameÌ„t For if it be the fode of the soule only as doubtles if is theÌ„ caÌ„ not the bodilie instrumeÌ„t meddle therwith It must be receiued by the powers of the soule only which are spiritual But no bodilie carnal thing caÌ„ be eateÌ„ of the spirite for the spirite must be borne nourrished of the spirite likeas the flesh is borne norished of bodilie thinges I coÌ„clude therfore that in the sacrameÌ„t we do not eate bodilie carnally really the bodi of christ but onli spiritually as you haue in this place said ful wel wyth the eies of our soul in faith for the soule hath none other instrument wherby it maye take fode of life but fayth the knoledge of god whiche fedeth euerlastingly as Christ saith This is the wil of him that sent me that euery one that seeth the son beleueth in hym shal haue euerlasting lyfe And I shall repsâ— hym at the laste daye God sende vs soule priestes that wyll teache vs this fode of the soule more diligeÌ„tly theÌ„ you bishoppes haue done For you haue alwaies tolde vs a craftie tale sayinge that Christe remayneth so longe vnder the accidentes as the fourme of breade and wyne doth remayne Lo this is it that you doubt vpon fearing to make such playâ—e answer wheÌ„ you bringe in these doubtes in the sixtene leafe of your boke If there remayne no substaunce but the substaunce of the body and bloud of Christ it muste needes be then that the same corrupteth or elles when goeth it awaye or where haue you scripture to declare the goinge awaye of Christ from the hoste Before you answere subtilly like a Sophister sayinge What if I and suche other prelates can not tell deludynge one question wyth an other as the maister of Sopistrie Iohannes de lapide teacheth to delude argumentes but nowe boldly like a bishop with out'any scripture onely because your father and mother churche of Rome doeth saye the same you affirme that Christe remayneth so longe as the fourme of the bread remaineth that is from the tyme it is made to the tyme it is deuoured ether by man or mouse or els â—oth by other misse fortuue or by mouleyng miscarie Oh foleishe blind guides To what filthy absurdities must ye of necessitie be driueÌ„ by this fond opinion that here is no substaÌ„ce but the substance of Christ and that this substance remayneth so longe onely as the forme of breade remayneth For this forme remaynethe euen when the mouse rennethe awaye withe it The forme of breade remayneth when it
passouer In the passeouer they gaue thankes for theyr deliueraunce wheÌ„ the EgyptiaÌ„s and the kinges seede were slayne In this sacrameÌ„t thaÌ„kes are gyueÌ„ that the sonne of the high king is slayn for the saluatioÌ„ of the worlde The lambe and the feast itselfe are called the passeouer The one was but a signe the other was but the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the passing angell So lykewise this breade or sacrameÌ„t is callyd the bodie of Christ when it is but the remeÌ„braunce and thankes geuynge for the death which Christ suffered in hys bodie The cupe also he calleth the newe testameÌ„t in his bloude where the bloud of the lambe sprynkled vpoÌ„ the postes was but a shadow of the old testameÌ„t and a token to the angell of godes fauour And thys bloude of our sauiour Christ is a coÌ„firmacioÌ„ and establishemeÌ„t of his testameÌ„t as both the epistle to the galathians and the Hebrues do witnesse and the testameÌ„t so loÌ„g before promised was this I wylbe theyr God and they shall be my people Agayne In the boke of Exodi he coÌ„maundeth them to tel theyr chyldren of that greate benifite So now when they shal no leuger speake of theyr delyuerauÌ„ce forth of Egypt but of a far greater deliueraunce from all the infernall powres by hys death He coÌ„maundeth them to do thys in the remeÌ„braunce of hym Thus he goynge from the olde testameÌ„t to the newe from the olde passeouer in shadow to the bodie whyche is Christ our passeouer offâ—ed for vs as Paul sayeth vseth the same phrase in speakynge And after that he had eaten thys passeouer whiche he desiered so greatly he preached of hys betrayeing and departeynge saiynge The sonne of man must go as it it wryteÌ„ But woe vnto that man by whoÌ„ he is betrayed It had beÌ„ better for hym that he had neuer ben borne This text may somwhat make for the declaracion that Iudas though he were par takare of the same breade and cupe yet he did not eate the fleashe and bloude of Iesus Christ which he must neades haue done if the thynges had ben chaunged and therfore haue had euerlasteynge lyfe as it is sayd in Iohn the vi cha Who so eateth my fleash c so that he had ben happye that euer he was borne The most parte of the longâ— sermone that Iohn reherseth is concernynge hys departyng from his disciples where as after your doctryne he mygh haue coÌ„forted them wyth one worde sayeinge I wyl not depart froÌ„ you but wilbe inuiseble wyth you vnto the worldes ende in a litle cake But he sayth plainely that he must go from theÌ„ and that he will no more drincke of that fruite of the vine vnto he dryncke it newe agayne in the kingdome of his father wher he manifestly calleth it the fruite of the vine euen after the coÌ„secrasion as you cal it and that the verye same thing that you cal the bloude the bodi the fleshe and altogether Christ saieth thys is my bodie You marke no circuÌ„stauÌ„ces but adde her unto realli naturallie carnalli christ sayeth do thys in the remembraunce of me You saye Naie we will make a litle cake to be Christ God and man Christ saieth thys is the cup of the newe testament in â—…bloud You saye Naye we wil make ii sponeful of wyne whole Christ bodie bloud and bones Loke your Estatute of vi Articles Christe saith my litle children yet a litle while am I with you The papistes do saie we haue him heare stil Christ saieth you shal seke me but you can not come to me The papistes dâ— saye thei make hym and haue hym in there haÌ„ds ther maist thou seke him But I beleue thou canst not find him there for Christ did geue warneinge alitle before hys death that ther should arise false Christs and false prophetes to deceiue the elect if it wer possible with false miracles and wonders Thei shal 〈◊〉 â—o hear is Christ and ther is Christ But beleue them not saith Christ for lyke as the lightning cometh froÌ„ the east and appeareth vnto the weste so shal the comeinge agayne of the sonne of man Let not your herte be troubled beleue in God and beleue in me I go to prepare you a place and thoughe I go yet I wyll come agayne and take you vnto me The papistes saye beleue in the breade that we haue coÌ„scerated for it is boeth God and maÌ„ Christ shal not go awaye We wyl haue it so that euerie shauelinge shall maâ—e him a place in a rounde cake and breake one pice of him into the chalice and drinke it and rate the residue drie I am the waie the truth the life saieth Christ no man cometh to the father but bi me Yes marie â—aith the bishop of Winchester bringeing in the blind lessoÌ„s of Damascen concerninge the worshipeinge of Imageâ— by the intercessione of saintes come we to God And by the sacrament of the aâ—â—tare are we made partetakers of the god heade of Iesu Christe Christ goinge froÌ„ the erth saith for the câ—…forte of his disciples what soeuer ye aske in my name I wil do it But the papistes wyll haue vs asâ—e in the name of other and by the praier of saintes do they promise many verâ—… â–ª but wythout any worde of scripture and therfore ought we not to beleue them Christ promiseth none other coÌ„forter but the spirite of trueth whiche shall dwell with vs for euer The papistes promise comfortin al deade creatures Again Let not your hert be troubled sayth Christ nor be ye afraied thoughe I go I do leane my pease wyth you I geue you my peace Not as the world geueth do I geue it vnto you Well saye the papistes If thou saye that Christ is gone thou shalt haue little peace among us kepe the peace of Christ as wel as thou canst For we haue him wheÌ„ we luste bodielie reallie naturallye carnally present But O you papistes all your wordes ende in a lie For Christe saieth You haue hearde that I haue said vnto you I goe and come agayne to you And if you loued me suerli you woulde reioyce that I sayed I goe vnto my father You papistes I saye do ye not beleue that Christe died did ryse agayne ascended into heauen and ther sitteth at the ryght hand of the father bodilie really naturally carually that is to saye in plaine euglishe in bodye in substance as he was a natural man and verie flesh taken of the virgyne Marie If you did beleiue this thynge you woulde reioice that man is so highly exalted that oure kinde is so far aboue the angelles auaunced that we haue our bishoppe not in the erth but in the heaueÌ„s not offering ofte tymes for our sinnes which were imperfection but once for al makinge perfecte for euer so many as by hym wyll go vnto the father Agayne Christe sayeth I am the verie vyne and my father is the housbande man â–ª I am the vyne and
in remembraunce in his absence That they had thys mattier in no admiration is an euidente argumente that they dyd take it for no suche straunge miracle aboue all miracles as you do make it for the circumstauÌ„ces as we haue largely spoken before and for the plainenesse of the wordes we merueyle why you wyll darcke them wyth your termes of reallie carnallie and suche other Why you â—yâ—de gloses sayinge Thys is in the fourme qualities quantities and accidentes of breade and do not saye playnely this breade is the bodie of Christ God and man This cuppe is the selfe same new testament that God dyd swere by him selfe he woulde perfourme vnto Abraham And euen lyke as the â—uppe is not the testament but the signe of the testament made before vnto the fathers and nowe perfourmed in the death of Christe the vnspotted lambe so thys breade whiche we see is not the fleshe of Christe gyuen for the lyfe of the worlde For then the worlde myghte haue bene saued and the synnes done awaye by the offeryng of the bread longe before Christ â—ad suffered For you do moste blasphemouslie teache that the offeringe of the same breade doeth take awaye synnes notwythstandynge that Christe hath by his owne onelie sufferynge fullie satisfied and taken them awaye But to your wordes agayne I thinke it much better to pretermitte further occasion of that myght be my prayse to expounde vnto you the scriptures Byshoppe Stephane You neede very litle to feare thys mattier For I neuer harde man prayse you nor but fewe of your felowes for expoundynge of the scriptures But for burnynge them I heare many men talke muche of you and saye it is no meâ—ueyle thoughe you hate them because you were broughte vp in the Popes lawe who in his moste highe holynesse treadeth the holie worde of God vnder his wicked feete In the bryngynge in of your greke authour where you taunte them that loue not your Popishe bablynge in the latine tonge that no man vnderstandeth sclaunderynge them that they loue not the latine tonge wherein no doubte they laboure more and are greater fartherers then you can or wyll be it myghte ryghte well haue bene passed ouer wyth silence if you had loued your owne honestie For you and all the Popishe Prelates in the worlde are not able to iustifie it that you shoulde thus babble before the people in a tonge they do not vnderstande if we moghte be hearde wyth indifferent iustice But you haue the worlde on your syde because you are of the worlde and the worlde loueth his owne And the lyghte is comen into the worlde but man loueth darckenesse more then the lyghte It muste needes be trewe that Christe oure maister sayeth to the Prelates before your tyme. The worlde can not hate you but me it hateth because I do wytuesse of it that the worckes of it be euyll ⧠The answeare to Doctoure Damascen whom Wynchester rehearseth in greke FOr the testimonie of Damascen whoÌ„ you brynge in as your chiefe wytnes thys I haue to saye Fyrste he is a suspected person beynge at the tyme when the Pompe of the Romayne byshoppe or Antichriste beganne to exalte hym selfe aboue euerie thynge that was god and godlie Secondly he maynteyned Idolatrie with suche contention that he deserued to haue his ryghte hande stryken of and hanged in the markette place as an open offender â—oeth in that crime and other whereof he was before the Emperoure Leo accused and condemned Thyrdelie you woulde mayuteyne his honestie by the wytnesse of an honeste man Ecolampadius But we discharge you of thys testimonie euen-by the testimonie of the same Ecolampadius in the begynnynge of his boke whiche he dyd wryte concernynge the wordes of the supper and reproued your blindenesse euen by your owne Doctours I am not mynded sayed thys greate Clerke Ecolampadius who translated your Doctoure Dasmascen to accuse and publyshe to theyr shame Thomas Aquinates neyther Alberte nor yet Dunsse nor any of the newe fellowes but Peter the patcher of the seÌ„tences whom they call theyr maister who also hath rubbed his erroure vpon other that patche vp other mennes wrytynges As Damascen and Gracian dyd Agayne a little after Peraduenture Damascen and other that folowed hym wryte in suche sorte but the reader that is wyse can be little moued thereby For he doeth by many argumentes declare hym selfe neyther to be sounde nor substantiall Agayne Lyke as Paule sayed When I was a chylde I dyd speake lyke a chylde sayth he When I had small knowledge and had all thynges in admiration wythout iudgemente I dyd wryte some thynges whiche nowe I do not onely not defende but I wyshe them abolyshed and burned if they be vnprofitablie published in any place and if I obteine my desire therein I wyll be glad and reioyce By lyke thys boke of Damascene whiche he had translated was one of them whiche he dyd not greatly allowe for it was not publyshed whylse Ecolampadius lyued but after his death within these sixe yeres Surely Augustine in that he made a boke of retractations wyllynge vs to receyue the wrytynges of no manne farther then they are agreable to the scriptures maye teache vs ryghte well that we maye refuse Damascene I wyll therefore aske none of your fellowes whether you be an honeste man But I wyll trye boeth Damascene and all your Doctours by the infallible testimonie of the worde of God And because you do defende hym wyth a miracle we put you out of doubte suche lyinge miracles openlie maynteynynge Idolatrie ' cause vs to gyue the lesse credite vnto hym For Christe sayeth that Antichriste shall come wyth wonders and lyinge signes in suche sorte that the verie electe if it were possible shall be deceyued Wherefore sayeth Christe if they saye lo here is Christe lo there is Christe beleue them not etc. Ireneus wrytynge agaynste heresies at the begynnynge of thys iuglynge aboute thys Sacramente in his tyme wytnesseth that there was one Marcus Magnus the scholar of Valentyne the heretike whyche puttynge mixed wyne into the chalice dyd fayne hym selfe to gyue thankes therewyth and caused the wyne to chaunge coloure sometyme redde and sometyme purple by longe multipliyng of his enchaunting wordes that grace from aboue myghte seme to droppe downe bloude into his chalice by his inuocation And therfore he did couet that they which were present should tast of that cup that the grace whiche was called downe by hys enchauntment might also drope vpon them Again he gaue â—uppes of mixed wine vnto women coÌ„maundeinge them to geue thankes in hys presens And when they had so done he toke a muche greater chalise than the other which he had geuen to the woman and poured out of the cupe wherin the Eucharistia and thaÌ„kes geueing of the womaÌ„ was made into the other greater cup and reherseing his charmes he caused the grater cup to be filled wyth the wine that was in the cup that was
the name of hys sonne Christe and that we haue none other name vnder heauen wherby helth is promised to men your doctour wyll be healed by the prayers of our ladie Ther is muche other made stuffe in your doctour whyche I do passe wyth silence because al men maye iudge him what he is by that he hath spokeÌ„ alredie Yet this one thing maye not bee omitted He addeth more ouer that the bodie cometh not downe from heauen and yet the breade and wine be tranfourmed into the bodie and bloude of God Thus confoundeth he the natures callinge it the bloude of God He bringeth in newe and strainge schole learneinge of transubstaÌ„ciacion He maketh ii bodies of Christ One that cometh not downe froÌ„ heaueÌ„ and an other that is in thys transformacion vpon earth Thys is your great clarke and principal witnesse worthy to be set forth in al languages and his learneinge enlarged wyth your annotatioÌ„s and al the conning and wit you haue You are much more mete to be an interpretour of such one thaÌ„ to trouble your selfe wyth commentaries vpon scripture But aske hym how it is transformed and chaunged and he saieth the maner is inscrutable and can not be serched Yet will he not be ashamed as thought he knewe thynges that coulde not be knowne to teache howe ij wayes First as Christe was borne of the virgine marie TheÌ„ as the breade by eateing and the wine by drinkeinge are chaunged in to the bodye and bloude of him that eateth and drinketh naturallye so are these chaunged into the bodie of Christe a boue nature But neither of your similitudes agreth For these two worckes afore named are worckes of trueth and therfore do thy so appeare vnto the knowledge of man as they are done in dede Christe was borne of Marie the virgine verie maÌ„ accordeinge â–ª to the Prophecies that were spoken of hym before and was sene conuersaunte wyth meÌ„ the space of xxx yeares But your myracle did neuer appere one moment The meate is chaunged bi a natural course and order digested in the stomake and parte sent into the veynes parte sent forth other wayse But I can not perceyue what lyke similitude you can fetch herof to the thinges aboue nature wherfore you renne to your shote anchor This is my bodi No man denieth but thys is true You brynge the worde and we brynge the worde But the doubt is onely in the signification and meaneynge You saye that est is signifieth is chaunged is traÌ„sformed wheÌ„ both the form remaineth styll and you haue neuer one scripture that maketh for you but manie that maketh against you bysides the liuely feleynge of our fayeth which must haue God in higher estimacion then for to tye hym to any dyle creature Yea the whole course of the christen religion which acknowlegeth that â–ª Christe is ascended vp from the earthe to the heauens and there sytteth on the ryght hand of God the father to be our mediatour and meane whom he hath chosen ther to reygne tyll he come agayne to treade downe hys enimies vnder hys fete We can therfore receyue non so grosse foÌ„tence of the chaunge and traunsformacion of bred and wine into the bodie of Christ But according to the whole course of scripture we worshype our lorde God spred thorowe all ouer all and in all hys creatures Infinite in coÌ„prehensible whom the heauen of heuenes can not contayne and hys sonne Christ humblynge hym selfe vnto our vyle nature but nowe exalted farre aboue the Angelles And where we finde any thynge spoken or writteÌ„ not agreable with this doctrine of our faieth and christeÌ„ religioÌ„ if a man do say it though he take vnto hym the face of an aâ—gell by coÌ„terfayte holynesse we compt hym Anathema that is accursed bi the lessoÌ„ of Paul And al such scriptures as might serue for his purpose and mayntenaunce of hys errour we must confute with more opeÌ„ places and testimoneis of the same Now wher as you speake vnworthely of God his sacred maiestie and his sonne Christe haueynge not one lyke place of scripture wherby this worde est is doeth make a sodayne chaunge and transformation we haue boeth in the olde testameÌ„t and the newe veri many where est is is spoken of the thynge represented As. vii fat kyne are vii yeares vii good eares of corne are vii yeares This is the pasouer CircuÌ„cision is the couenant And he is Helias The stoâ— was christ I am the dore I am the verie vine You are one bread and one bodie so manie as be partakers of one breade We haue beleue the wordes this is my bodie as wel as you We striue onely a gainst youre gloses We graunte the omnipotencie and almighti powre of God that he might haue changed creatures in all these sentences But that he dyd so is oure controuersie and thys thinge are you not able to trye nor iustifie But you thinke it is inoughe to denie all thys at one worde and saye thys is not the figure or signe of Christes bodie no fie for shame but the verie bodie of our Lord glorified For oure Lord sayed this is not the figure of my bodye but my bodie And euen so and more plainelye Christe sayde I am the verie vine and not the figure of the vine But your doctoure as EcolaÌ„padius geueth warneinge in the begininge of hys boke is nothing substaÌ„ciall The texte that he bringeth out of Iohn maketh cleare againste him For no man can be saued vnlesse he eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke hys blonde Moises and the prophetes were saued therfore dyd they eate hys fleshe and drinke hys bloude And yet had they neuer Christ bodilie naturally and carnalli amongeste them It is not ment therfore of the carnall and bodilie eateinge but as Christe teacheth in the beginninge of the same sermon he is eaten by fayeth for so onely myght the olde fathers eate him And so doth Paul witnesse that the fathers dyd eate hym The fathers sayeth he dyd eate the same spirituall meate and drinke the same spirituall drinke They dyd all drynke of the same spirituall stone The stone was Christ Againe where Damascene bringeth in this texte he that eateth me lyueth for me it maye proue playne that the â—â—eshelie and carnall eateinge is not ment therby For theÌ„ the wicked haue life by Christ Streight after your doctour coÌ„eth to the point you would haue him to teach Idolatrie boeth wyth outwarde gesturs and in warde affections And vpon this do you discant in your annotacioÌ„s But to handle this mattier worthily would aske a whole boke I wil therfore bring in one onely text which Christe bringeth out of Deu. against the diuil The Lord thy God shalt thou worship him only shalt thou serue And wheÌ„ you can proue me y t this bread Images or ani other creature is god thaÌ„ wil I promise you to fal downe worship it But if I should
do it before I knowe I shoulde commit Idolatrie Which thyng was ful wel considered of the olde counsayles for they did forbid kneleing vpon the same daies in these misteries Now your maÌ„ scrapeth together certayne figures out of the olde teastament to be the figures of thys figuâ—e And yet they serue little for your purpose The cole that Esai sawe the bread and wine of Melchizedeche the bread of proposicioÌ„ make verie litle for thys purpose but that you muste wreaste some what leste you be vtterly destituted of scriptures Let al men that dare for feare of your threatninges read the scriptures iudge the places Nowe concerneinge your vnbloudie sacrifice it is to be noted you wil haue hym eaten bodie bloud bones and sacrificed againe for sins and yet you saye it is no bloudie sacrifice I thinke no maÌ„ wil be so mad as once to take your parte herin notwithstandeinge the text of Malachie the prophet which you rehersse for your purpose but nothyng to the purpose From the easte to the west sayeth he my name is greate a monge the heathen and euerie where do they bren inseÌ„se and offer vnto my name euen a pure offeringe for great is my name among the heathen saieth the Lorde of hostes Al men maye easily perceiue how litle this maketh for your purpose It is harde shifte of scriptures when you brynge in suche places for your purpose as do rather make agaynst you then wyth yow as here after this shalbe declared to do That the bodie of Christ can not be chaâ—ged into our corruptioÌ„ euery man knoweth and beleueth and this is one reasone that moneth vs to saye that this bread which is receyued into our mouthes and so goeth into the stâ—â—alie and somtyme is vomited vp againe as we haue seue in speke folke somtyme goeth forth other wayes is nothynge the fygure set aparte but verie breade the substaunce nothinge chaunged Wher your doctour hath learned to caâ— it the remedie for all diseases and vpon what coÌ„sideratioÌ„ you terme it the armoure of defence from all adâ—â—yaunce the fyer that tryeth out golde the purgacion of all fylth and diseases I caÌ„ not tel I know no such tytles it hath by the scriptures though your doctour alledge the apostle for his purpose Notwithstâ—dyng make it what you wyll so you make it not God settynge it vp as an Idole to be worshyped I wyll neither coÌ„â—eÌ„d nor striue agaynst you But the lorde that made bothe heauen and the earthe he is the lorde besydes whoÌ„ ther is none other God â–ª He is the true God and sauiour and ther is none but he He is the cole that consumeth wickednes He is the fyre that purgeth and clenseth He is the lorde the lyuynge God As for the healeyng of all diseases I doubt not but the phisicians wyll answer you Your doctour dareth not brynge in the sentence of the Apostle truly as it is for fear least we shulde call it breade as the Apostle doeth But he sayeth who so euer eateth the bodie and bloude vnworthelye he eateth and drynketh condemnation to hym selfe And this semeth quite coÌ„trary to the text of Iohn which he cited but a lytle before he that eateth me shall lyue for doubtlesse Christe can not be eaten wythout profyte He beyng the foode of lyfe bryngeth lyfe to all them that once may fede of hys fleashe For thys cause sayeth Christe if any man be thyrsty let hym cum vnto me and drynke He that beleueth in me the flouds of lyuing water shall flowe forth of hys bealy But he that beleueth not is condemned all ready Thus do we either eate thys sacrament of Christes death wyth fayt he and theÌ„ haue we lyfe aboundantly or els nothyng regardyng the bodie and bloude wherof we shold be partakers spiritually in thys sacramente we offend in vnbelyfe or lacke of charitie Both the which thynges Paule laieth to the charge of the Corinthians and therfore biddeth he them Iudge them selues leste they be condemned wyth the worlde Agayne where your doctour sayeth that thys bread is the fyrste fruites of the bread to come coÌ„pare his laste wordes to the same and you shall se he speaketh lyke a doctour These be hys wordes though you cloke theÌ„ wyth your interpretacion They are called the examples of thynges to come Not that they are not the verye bodye and bloude of Christ in verie dede but bycause that by theÌ„ we be made nowe partakers of the Godhed of Christe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But then by the contemplacion of the minde by the onely vision If thys mans doctryne be true we haue not onely the fruites in this life but the veri fulnesse For we haue Christ bodilye and are also partakers of the God heade Yet in time to come we shall haue hym by the vision of the mynde onely as he affirmeth in hys last lines Oh how moch better were it to followe the open scriptures then blynde doctoures For the scriptures teach that now we do see â—…t in a darke shadow wheras after this life in the newe Ierusalem we shall se face to face Then shall we knowe as we be knowne â–ª we shall eate and drynke at hys table Yea no tonge caÌ„ tel no eie hath senâ— or eare heard neither hath it entred into the herte of man The glorie that God hath prepared for theÌ„ that loue hym Excuse your authour as wel as you can from the heresie of the Marcionistes he muste needes be in the daunger thereof so longe as he reasoneth that Christes bodie is a spirite For a spirite hath neither fleshe nor bones Agayne when your doctour taketh vpon hym to make gloses he descanteth vpon the wordes of the godly enstructed Basilius and when he calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the exemple your marchaunt sayeth that he spake this of the breade and wyne before the consecration I praye you who was euer so mad to say that it did signifie any thinge before it was taken to this holy vse but that it was commune breade as other is whiche we eate Then gyueth he warning like a doctour that heretikes shoulde haue no parte hereof leste the margarites be caste vnto hogges notwithstanding that Christ suffered Iudas to be parte taker thereof I knowe you are a great lawier bishoppe Stephane and haue bene muche vsed in the triynge of wytnesses I praye you what creâ—ite should suche a man haue that is founde fantie so many tymes in so small examination ⧠The foundation whereupon oure fayth is grounded BUt I do take our doctours and reade them wyth lyke iudgement as I do the Rabines of the Hebrues That is to say to be meÌ„ learned and highly endued with knowledge of secret thynges and therefore that they caÌ„ open deaply hid misteries But yet al men of iudgemeÌ„t may know that they haue their gyftes but vnto a certeyne measure and as they are meÌ„ so do they erre many tymes in the mattiers
this is meÌ„t by the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in diuers places of Deutronomie The wordes are these Thou shalte come to the priest that shall be in those daies and say vnto hym I acknowledge this day before the Lorde my god that I am entred into the lande for the whiche he sweare to our fathers that he woulde giue it vnto vs. Here is a like memorie of God commaunded by Moyses Whereby as in thys sacrament is ment a reuerent thankes gyuyng and acknowledgyng for sâ— is the Hebrue word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 traÌ„slated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicum iâ— Whereby we may perceyue the worde blessing to agree with the other greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus we therfore haue by the healpe of the Hebrue tonge and the olde testament furth of the whiche two all rites and ceremonies and the trueth of al the principal places of the newe testament haue both their coÌ„firmation and declaration and by the circumstaÌ„ces of the places proued vnto you first that in this sacrament there muste be a general profession of oure sayth in the death of Christ outwardly and theÌ„ priuately euery one must in hert acknowledge giue thaÌ„kes And if the profite of his brethren do so require it or the ordre of the coÌ„gregaâ—ioÌ„ permit they muste with mouth celebrate and prayse this great benifite to the glorie of God and the conforte of the congregation Your first declaration that we must haue Christ present in this memorie by fayth maketh nothinge agaynst vs. For this is it that we do beleue and teach that vnto the eyes of our faith there is preseÌ„t in the sacrament the natural body of our sauiour Christ the same body that suffered And your similitude of the maried womaÌ„ that wyl make an Image of her husbaÌ„de for a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of him maketh much against you For this I dare saye that al the eloqueÌ„ce you haue â—aÌ„ not proue vn to a righte selêder witted woman that the Image thus made for a memorial is hir owne natural housbaÌ„de and so make hir do honor and reuerence vnto him at bed and at bourd as you woulde haue vs to do to this very Image as you cal it of Christ beinge departed in body froÌ„ his churche and leauing this most perfect Image of him selfe and as you say him selfe for a memorie Furthermore If you coulde proue vnto this womaÌ„ that this image were the natural body â—lesh bloud and bones of hir husband what neede she to loke for hym in any other place abseÌ„t whoÌ„ she hath thus really present at all tymes What shal we say Is hir husbande gone Nay verely hir husbande lyeth hid in and vnder the Image Lo whither your blynde similitudes do leade you But to proue his body to be in diuers places wythout any chaunge of place you had neede to aske better counsayle of your sophisters and then we shal answere you agayne For the texte folowinge Non dâ—…dicans corpus domini makynge no difference of the Lordes body which wordes be so translated in the Bible that you haue allowed by Act of parliament For the scriptures suche is oure miserie can be no farther good and profitable for vs but as yon wyll allowe it That is to saye the laste yere good for all men but thys yere good for gentlemen onely In the last proclamation you condemned three translations and saued one But in thys your boke you seme to be wery of that one for you fynde fautes therein and wyll not haue at reade at suche tymes as men meete together in the churche But God is the Iudge of your doinges You do not Iudge and knowe that God is as presently in his wordes and scriptures whiche you do burne as he is in the Sacramentes whiche are made and take theyr strength of the same worde Oh byshoppes If thys thynge that you do be for the pure â—eale of Goddes worde then take so muche paynes amongest you al as to set furth one traÌ„slatioÌ„ so true â–ª that no man may fynde any faut therwyth But you caÌ„ not heare on that side You haue burned fiue thousande but of your translation we fynde not one It is easy therefore to iudge what your purpose hath bene But to returne to the wordes Non diiudi caÌ„s etc. Your english text is making no differeÌ„ce of the Lordes body But your owne interpretation is not vnderstanding not coÌ„side ring But if you wyl adde thereunto the signification of the greke worde not iudging I wyl say al is true and agreeth very wel For who so euer doeth eate this bread and drinke this cup vnworthily eateth his owne iudgemeÌ„t making no differeÌ„ce not vnderstanding consideringe or iudgynge the Lordes body Where he that doeth eate it worthily doeth by his faith eate the very body of the Lorde so ofte as he eateth of this bread and drinketh of this cup and fedeth his soule by the reioycing in the death of the lorde For who soeuer seketh the spirituall fode he regardeth nothinge but the body of Christ offered for his sinnes though with his mouth bodily he receiue the bread the figure of the same If any haue â—…scoÌ„strued this texte do not charge vs therewyth But if we do take it wronge reproue vs by scripture No man doubteth but that he is giltie of the bloud of Christ which taketh Baptisme vnreuerently Yet dare we not saye that in the water is really presente the body and bloud of Christe He despiceth me saith Christ that despiceth you speaking of his Apostles Yet is it no good argument to say therefore that Christe is corporally in his Apostles But spiritually we must boeth beholde most thaÌ„kefully receiue our Christ in al his sacramentes in al his messengers The third text Spiritus viuificat caro noÌ„ prodest quicquaÌ„ In english the spirite giueth life the flesh profiteth nothyng maketh much agaynste you Yea thoughe you take it after your owne glose which is that this text is a general lesson for the true vnderstandyng of oure whole religion But thys glose shall we touche hereafter This texte The spirit gyueth lyfe the fleshe profiteth nothynge is boeth proued true and manifestly declared in the. xvi chapter folowinge where Christe sayeth I tel you truth that it is profitable for you that I departe for if I do not go awaye that confortynge spirite shall not come vnto you But if I go I wyll sende hym vnto you etc. Whereby it appeareth playnely agaynste your wordes that the presence of the bodie carnally is not profitable vnto vs nowe after his ascendynge into heauen because Christe sayeth it is profitable that in bodie he shoulde departe but you saye it is profitable to haue hym here in a cake notwythstandyng that he sayeth that onlesse he go his waye the spirite of conforte can not come The exemple of Peter and all the Apostles who were stronger by the confort of the spirite then by the presence
thou of euerlasteinge lyfe as thou haste of the knoweledge and fealeinge of my grace and goodnesse why che chiefely and principally was openned vnto the worlde in the sendeinge of my sonne into the worlde to be made fleshe leste al flesh should haue perished for wickednesse Thys is the breade then that comethe from heauen wherof who so eateth shal not perishe but lyue for euer And thys breade is the flesh of my sonne as it was geuen for the lyfe of the worlde for so was it a verye heauenly gifte and heauely breade comeinge frome heauen Other wayes was it but an erthly thynge and nothinge profitable For the phariseis and all the wicked that do not compt thys onely thynge to knowe me the father and my onely sonne Christe geuen for the lyfe of the worlde to be the onely saluacion therof but secke more helpe of saluacion at any creature in heauen or earth be it man saincte or Angell be it workes sacramētes or any other thynge that man can imagyne as they can not vnlesse they compt some insufficiencie and lacke in me shall not haue any parte in my sonne Christe whome they haue in so small estimacion howe grossely so euer they imagine to eate hym No to them that this slenderly and vilely esteme the hilpeinge and saueing that I haue geuen him he is the sauour of death vnto death and the stumblynge stone But vnto them that wholely and onely do cleaue vnto him feadeinge on hys bodye thus offered for the life of the worlde and drinckeinge of his bloude geuen for the remission of synnes he is the breade of lyfe hys fleshe is verie meate and hys bloude verie drinke so that you haue alwayes in mynde that it is the spirite that geueth lyfe and that the fleshe profiteth nothynge And take it for a generall lesson to vnder stande the worde of godly doctrine that the wordes which I and my sonne do teache you are spirite and lyfe And to beleue them is to eate the meate of the soule to worcke the worcke of God and therfore to haue lyfe For the ryghtuouse lyueth by hys belyefe ▪ And Abraham dyd beliue wherfore it was compted vnto hym as ryghtuousenesse before circumsicion or any other out warde sacrament was geuen hym Yea thys Abrahame maye teache you that without the regarde of any creature yea contrarye to the workeinge of all creatures thou muste belieue and be made sure of my goodnesse that thou mayeste wyth ▪ an vpryght face vp towordes the heauens saie O Lorde I haue belieued in the I shall neuer be ashamed For thys is the nature of fayth to loke strayght vp vnto me your heauenly father and to receyue at my hande by the merite of my sonne all grace fauour and goodnes Wher if you declyne asyd and appoynt your selfe meanes aydes and helpes of any creature otherwise thē I haue cōmaunded you must be compted miscreāts mistrustinge my goodnes Here falleth the Iustice that you seke for by your workes and sacramentes and here ariseth the Iustice of fayeth which is onely acceptable in my sight For Israell in the olde tyme folow ynge theyr lawes of righteousnes by their workes sacramentes and ceremoneis coulde not come to ryghteousnesse And wherfore I praye you Because they did not followe ther vpon by faieth but onelie by workes of the lawe They stombled at the stomblinge stone as it is written Lo I will put in Sion a stombling stone and a stone to fall vpō who so beleueth in him shal not be ashamed Because they haue beleued they haue attained this righteousnes which is of faieth of whiche if they will follow and not forsake they shall neuer suffer shame This faith one lie in the seede promised and no signe or sacrament was it that refreshed your first father Adain Neither was ther any other signe geuen vnto Achas but that a virgine shoulde cōceiue a child whiche by an holy and pure byrth of the holy gofle myght take awaye and purifie the corrupt byrth of the olde Adaine and deliuer the house of Iuda from the bloudie Sennacherib Vnto the whyche signe you must alwayes loke for you shall haue none other signe of saluacion but the signe of Ionas the prophete All the Israelites drinckeinge of the same spirituall drincke and eateinge of the same spirituall meate that you do for it is all one fayeth that saueth you boeth euen as I am all one God and no chauncelinge dyd in their lambe vnspotted feade and take comfort of no signe or sacramēt but onely of the bloude of our vnspotted lambe whyche I had promised to sende into the worlde For by the strayght commaundementes and son drye charges whyche my seruant Moyses dyd geue them for the choseynge and eateynge of thys lambe they dyd perceiue a thynge far more spirituall then coulde be finished in so grosse a banket Much more thē the Apostles of my sonne beynge vsed to suche spirituall feadeinges myght perceiue what my sonne ment in abolisheinge of the olde ceremonies of the lambe and cōmaundynge a newe memorie to be made of hys bodie geuen for them and hys bloude shed for the remission of synnes and for to delyuer vs frome the helly Pharao They dyd knowe that thys worde of the promise whiche is geuen for you shoulde be fulfylled vpon the crosse and therfore ought not to be applyed vnto any sacramēt It is not the offering of ani signe or sacramēt that I regarde but the osferinge of my sonne vpon the crosse whiche you muste by your sacramentes shewe your selues to haue in perpetuall memorie as the onely lyfe whereby your soules can liue Lyke as they also had learned before of the Prophetes that the Messias whome I shoulde sende shoulde be striken for the synnes of the people and then shoulde be exalted and sende hys gyftes plentuouslye from aboue spoyleinge all hys enimies wyth triumphe Thys dyd my sonne beate in theyr eares But he neuer tolde them of any such chaunges of bread into his flesh such carnall consecracions as you do teach wherin you wyll haue that without any profite my son christ shold come downe frō my bosome into your breade and Chalice blowen and blessed by your inuencion and worke so great a miracle without eyther necessitie or profite Haue you not inough that you haue euerlastinge life by hym ▪ hathe not he humbled him selfe lowe inough that he hath become manne for your sakes and died for your sinnes What woulde you haue more of him would you that he shoulde take the forme of breade for your sakes what are you the better if he so did Yea how much the worse should you be This is one thinge you shoulde brynge the veritie of his bodie into suspicion for that it should go and come so like a spirite which is no small hinderaunce to the perfection of your kinde For mine intēt was whē I made my sonne man to haue iust occasiō therby to
as his auncient But let vs discusse no lenger how longe your poperie hath ben vsed but let vs trie by the touchston of God his holye word how trulye you popish prelates haue delâ— with Christes floke these thousande yeares that Sathan hath ben louse among you and how diligently you haue handeled led and fed them For no lenght of time may make wickednes good No no the abhominacion of thinges that be wicked doeth dayly encrease For the second day addeth â–ª some thing to the wickednesse of the first And so doeth errour beyng wicked dayly growe and encrease til it come to the highest abomination so that in coÌ„tinuaunce it vttereth it selfe most clearly For as tyme by the prouidence of God doeth first cloke couer and hyde all thinges good and bad so doeth the same opeÌ„ and disclose all thinges euen by the same prouidence and wisdome And for this cause hath God apointed the darke nyght and coÌ„fusion of thynges to go before boeth in the creacioÌ„ and ordre of his creatures that after â—at the tyme appoynted whan the bryght light measure and ordre of al thinges should appeare that his glorie might the more worthelye be extolled magnified and renowmed by the comparison of these thinges so farre contrarie This is it that SolomoÌ„ sayeth He hath alwayes made ij against ij and euerie thing is well done in his due tyme. First darkenes then light First night then daye First sinne theÌ„ grace First wrath theÌ„ mercie First blindnesse then knowledge Firste erreoure then trueth For what worthye cause coulde we haue had to renowne and prayse the grace and mercie of God if ther had ben no sinne felte or wrath deserued or feared And now contrarie wise what an inestimable richese of Godes goodnesse may we accompt wher we are deliuered from sinne shame wrath death and restored vnto grace fauour ioye confort lyfe We are brought from darkenesse vnto this marueilouse light frome blyndnesse vnto the cleare sight of the treasures of God laied vp in his son Christ ⧠Of the worde sacrament ABout the word sacrameÌ„t I inteÌ„de not long to trifle But to take your owne wordes and somthinge to examine them You do bring in an argument of your aduersaries made by the stronge places of reasoning called Definitiorei in english the definition of the thing that is to them that vnderstand not these termes grounded vpon the oracion or sentence that declareth what the thinge is A sacrament therfore is as well by the definition that your doctours haue made as that you your selfe do make a visible signe of an inuisible grace Vpon this definition foloweth a double argument First because it is a signe it is not the thinge signed or tokened And this reasone is proued true a relatiue oppositis if you haue learned so muche logike and by many fold examples As the ale pole the yuie bush beinge the signes of wyne ale within the tauerne house can not be the thing signed and tokened your 〈◊〉 foâ— ked myter signifiynge the. ij lawes can not be ij lawes Your white rachet signifiynge chastitie can not be chastitie it selfe Your glitteringe shoese signifiynge the preciouse fete of the preachers of the gospel are not the fete signed and tokened Your brode shauen crown signifiyng folishnesse is not the thing it selfe I trow onlesse you haue chaunged all the thinges into theyr signes shadowes You haue caused vs longe and woulde haue vs still to gape after signes and shadowes as the dogge doeth in Isopes fables and so lose the thinge it selfe which shoulde be oure fode and confort You tell vs that the signe token or shadowe is the thinge it selfe Shal we beleue you still Naye your definition telleth vs of two things to be in this sacrameÌ„t That is to say A visible signe and an inuisible grace What other thinge I praye you without contencion can thys visible sygne be but the breade whyche Christ taketh in hand and breaketh For other visible thynge ther is â–ª none That is to saye in playne englyshe that all men maye knowe what we speake and wryte ther is none other thingâ— open to the eies of man to be sene Thys breade thus broken therfore is the sygne or token that maye be sene of a grace that can not be sene That is to say of the forgeuenesse of synnes in thys bloude of the newe testament of Christe oure sauiour Thus frame I therfore the secounde reasone A thynge visible and inuisible can not be boeth one to be senne and not sene But this sacrament as you haue coÌ„fessed in your definicion is a thynge visible and maye be sene therfore can it not be the thynge inuisible therby represented Al that you haue spoken in thys cause byshoup Stephane is of your owne heade wythout either scripture or reasone ⧠Of the name breade VVHer you saie that we dallie with this worde breade and would in the meane tyme your selfe proue that it is no bread we dare because Paule calleth it bread take any christiaÌ„ herte to iudge who doeth more dallie and trifell Wil you reason in like maner of the cup and saie that because in the same place he calleth it this cup it is not the cup And a little after he calleth it that cuppe and that breade shall they nowe continue in theyr owne kynde styll What if he calle it breade wythout any addicion as he doeth in the same Chapiter Iesus the same nyght he was betrayed toke the breade And the Euangelistes do name it breade wythout any addicion shall it yet be breade You haue your â–ª excuse in redinesse It is not consecrated for so the. Well goe to foxes seeke your holes What is it in the breakeinge is it not then â–ª consecrated You can not for verie shame denie that Heare what Paule sayeth without addicion of this or that Panis queÌ„ frangimus nonne coÌ„municatio corporis Christi est The bread that we breake is it not the partakeinge of the bodye of Christe Wyll you nowe striue for the breade as you dyd for the Lorde scrape it out theÌ„ if you lust You are to much a wraÌ„ng lynge sophiste Wyl you heare no scriptures that you maye seke some starteynge holes we are one bread and one bodie saith Paule so many as are partakers of one breade Againe he was knowne vnto them in the breakeinge of breade They did continue in the doctrine of the Apostles in feloweshipe and breakeing of breade Dailie continuing with one accorde in the temple and brake breade frome house to house But lo nowe the wylie foxe stealeeth into agreate borough where he waloweth at wyll sayeynge that it beareth the name of breade because it was so before the chaung But if a man kepe hym frome takeynge ayre at thys chaunge he wylbe smothered and kylled in hys hole For thys chaunge is it that succoureth the foxes They are so wylye subtyle and chaungeable that they
doeth iustifie you can barke brale at hym biding him bring some opeÌ„ scripture wher it is written faith alone We maye iustly therfore if you wil geue vs leue aske you wherit is writen in scripture breade alone In the. xxiiij of Luk it is writteÌ„ that Christ dyd take the breade blessed and brake it and dyd gyue it to theÌ„ theyr eies were opened But â–ª whether we wyll vnderstande that Christ vsed herein his accustomed old maner of thankes geuynge as he dyd allwayes wheÌ„ he did take breade or such like creatures to teach hys to be alwayes thankefull as appeareth Iohn vi Luke ix Marke vi viij Math. xiiij and. xv or we wyll saye that he dyd also blesse the cup and not the breade alone you haue not one worde to confute vs. If you dare then put to your glose and exclusyue A lone in the seconde of the Actes where it is sayed that they dyd coÌ„tynewe in the doctrine of the Apostles breaking bread by euerye house besydes that you make the Apostles verie lewde so sone to be forgetful of theyr Masters example and speciall commaundement to deuide this brotherlye cup amonge theÌ„ you maye likewyse be demaunded because you take somuche lybertye sometyme to speake merylie whether you wyll adde your exclusyue alone vnto the wordes next folowynge which are these â–ª Inuicem sumebant cibum They dyd take meate to gether As though they should eate meate alone without drinke But surely you prelates do ryght well knowe howe vnmete and perilouse a thynge it is to eate breade wythout drynke and therefore haue ye graunted vs pore lewede people to haue thre draftes of your chalyce to washe dowâ—e your clammye God when he cleaueth to the roufe of our mouthes And though you do not blesse the wyne that you gyue vs no not so much as once blowe vpon it or wagge your holie fingers ouer it I yromise you I like it neuer the worsse For I knowe that God hath blessed it as hys good creature and I can not perceiue howe your blessinge shoulde amende it Whether you wyl or not therfore I receiue it as the sacrament and holye semblaunce of the bloude of the vnspotted lambe in the newe testameÌ„t that like as the fathers of the olde testament had the naturall bloude of their lambe and passeouer sprinkled on all their postes and dores so likewyse we of the newe testament seinge we can not haue the natural bloude of thys lambe of the newe testamente neither stande we nede of any suche carnall imaginacion to vs that are spirituall Yea some of the disciples of Christe would haue dronken the bloude that ran forth of hys syde if thys had ben so profitable We of the newe testament I say knowing that oure vnspoted lambe Christe Iesu hath deliuered vs out of the Egipt of sinne and the hellye Pharao do also knoweledge our deliueraunce by thys cup of the newe testameÌ„t in his bloude offered for the sinnes of the whole worlde accordinge to the sayeinge of Paule in hys Epistle to the CorhinihyaÌ„s The cup of thankes geueinge sayeth he where wyth we geue thankes is it not the partakinge of the bloude of Christe Thys cup sayteh Paule on hys maysters worde is the newe testameÌ„t in my bloud Do this so ofte as you drinke in the remembraunce of me For as oft as you shal eate of thys bread and drynke of thys cup you shall shewe the Lordes death tyl he come What so euer he be therfore that woulde stope thys well of Iacobbe and thys spirituall spring wytholdeing vs frome drinckeing of thys cup wherin we do spiritually receiue the bloud of the immaculate lambe that was slayne for vs he doeth not onelye breake the commaundement of Christe oure mayster and sauiour refuseinge the cup of brotherly loue whiche ought to be deuided amongeste all them that be of Christe but he doeth also stoppe the memorie of oure deliueraunce by Christe hynder vs frome the communion and partaking of hys bloude and extinguish and blotte forth so far as in them lyeth the remeÌ„braunce of hym that hath by his bloud bought vs. But nowe because you know that al you haue sayde hath but a feeble foundacion you ren styll to the cornor stone of your buildeinge and saye ⧠Vnto thys daye we be onely assertayned by tradicion of the churche in the true vnderstandeynge of the Euangelistes of oure order in the consecracion of the said sacrameÌ„te and the circumstaunce of the pronunciacion of Christes wordes wherby the same is wrought Al thought thys intricate sentence of yours of the order of consecracion and the circumstaunce of the pronunciacion myght minister iuste matier of an whole boke yet because I haue thys one marcke chieflye before myne eies to teache howe that you neither in thys nor in any other mattier wyll claâ—e to the in fallible certaintie and trueth of the scriptures but accompt your selues to be ascertayned by the onely tradicions of your doctours whome you call the churche I geue warneinge to all good men that they geue no credence to thys your deceiueable sophistrie For by these termes of tradicions of the churche continued so long time you maye bringe in popes pardons pilgrimages and what ye luste But howe can any good hert beleiue that you would truely minister your tradicions secretly taken at the handes of your fathers when we se you minister falsely the thinges that are taught in scripture CaÌ„ you bewitch vs to belieue that you wyl minister the tradicions that you haue learned in secrete for our profite when we se you corrupt the openscripturs with your gloses for your owne profite Drincke of this you al are the plaine wordes of our sauiour Christ the maister of al trueth And shall we belieue you in your vnwritten verities when you go about to gloses this such lyke places of scripture Naye it is an hundred tymes more likely that you woulde be falser in secrete thynges thaÌ„ in opeÌ„ Wher fore as you myght cal him a fole that would trust such one to tel his money in his absence as hath picked his pursse and done falsely before his face euen so myght you recken vs worsse theÌ„ mad if we haueinge experience of you seinge you takeÌ„ wyth the maner and reproued for the corrupting of y e opeÌ„ scriptur before our eies yea â—o taken that you caÌ„ not denie iâ— woulde beliue that which hath these M. yeres lien in your roten mawes in the fleshly mire of mans inueÌ„cions should nowe be holsome for vs seing that your fathers the Popes haue so ming led all their tradicions wyth the open blasphemies agaynste God and all godlynesse whiche is the verie doctrine of Antichrist and the phariseies that folowed them haue thriste all thynges so ful of their leuen of Hypocrisie and you theyr successours haue strayned them to suche vngodly purpose and maintayned them with suche crueltye ⧠The ceremoneis wherof
vp the great heape of your baggage which you cal the substaunce of your religion And therfore do you nowe fyght wyth fyre faggot for the conseruation of the same that it maye conserue you in your lordly dignities Thus hath your worldly witted fathers euen from the begynnynge fought wyth the sayntes of God whose bloud cryeth froÌ„ vnder the aultare and asketh vengeaunce shal be hearde ryght spedily Marke good bishops whom â–ª you haue alwaye murthered euen froÌ„ the begynnyng Whiche of the Prophetes of the olde testament did escape chiefe priestes and byshops And syth the comyng of Christ your murthers are innumerable I wyll not nor caÌ„ not recken them Dyd not Christe hym selfe dye by the conspiracie of Annas Cayphas and other bishops because he rebuked the worlde of blyndenes Al such as you haue murtherd sence that tyme haue cleare testimonies of theyr innocencie by some of your owne scribes and wryters Had not Husse whoÌ„ yon accompt the Arche heretike foure seales of the noble men of Morania to wytnesse his innocent lyfe and godly learnynge to your cursed cruel counsayle at coÌ„staunce Doeth not Pope Piê° otherwyse called Eneas Silnius Pogius the Florentyne Platina Sabellicus and other your owne men reporte well of hym But to come home boeth to your owne tyme countrey Who doth not bewaile the tiranny that you shewed vnto that innocent lambe Bylnaye who beinge demaunded in derision by a proude papist when he went to his death why he wroughte no miracles beinge so holy as he was accompted answered wyth mylde voice countenaunce God onely sayed he worketh miracles and wonders and he it is that hath wrought thys one wonder in our eyes that I being wrongfully accused falsly belyed opprobriously and spytefully haÌ„dled imprisoned buffetted and condempned to the fyre yet hitherto haue I not once opened my mouth with one euyl worde agaynst any of you This passeth the worke of nature is therefore the manifest miracle of god who wyl by my suffering death be glorified and haue his trueth enhaunced What report haue you gotteÌ„ for the murthering of Hunne in the lowlars towre You had neither felonie nor treason to laye to his charge yet most vilanously dyd the chauncelour of London murther that honest man for his owne childes crisome I wyl say nothing of the priest that was found hanging in your porters warde And fiue hundreth mo wherof some haue by your tirannouse handlyng for sworne the truth forsakeÌ„ theyr maisters Some for feare of your tiraÌ„ny haue renne out of their wittes some haue forsaken their couÌ„treis chosyng rather to â—…ue like banished men then to suffre your cruell and babilonical bondage I coulde reken many whose life is yet in the eyes of the worlde and the cause of their death vtterly vnknowne vnlesse it were for speakynge agaynste your popishe madnesse Wherfore dyed Barnes Therome Garret in the late storme of your capitayne of Norfolke steared for his kinswoman They were neither declared felons nor â—…aytours They dyd not stryue wyth you agaynst the god of bread But this was their death so far as I could learne because they preached man to be iustified by fayth in the bloud of Christ onely by none of your popishe inuentions OhtiraÌ„ny intollerable You haue to long blynded our gouernours made them your butchars and tormentours What should I speake of the last persecution wheÌ„ you caused to be proclamed that no boke of christian religion should be brought into this Realme froÌ„ beyonde the sea Howe many dyd you then murther woulde haue done mo had not the Kinge by his power plucked out of your clawes one whom you had with small equitie examined and wyth lesse iustice coÌ„demned What iustice did you shewe in that you dyd so shamefully racke Anne Askue after she was condemned But she shewinge more constancie then hath bene communely seene in a woman shal nowe after the death of hir body worke you shame to all your posteritie Was Lassels wyth the other his felowes martyrs coÌ„fessinge the liuinge God and his sonne Christ the only sauiour worthily burned with fire as you did rashly determine and iudge condemned and destroied in body and soule What were they whoremongers Idolatours adulterers theues extorsiouers or maÌ„quellers Vpon suche cometh the wrath of God suche haue no parte in the kingdome of God But you suffre to lyue you shewe no power agaynst them No you are not any thynge terrible vnto suche for they dwell at your noses they eate at your tables and are your darlinges But who that speaketh any thinge agaynste your popishe Idols brainsicke inuentions haue he neuer so faythful an hert to God and be he neuer so trustie to his prince yet must he be an heretike a traytour a lowlar and all together This doeth the worlde espie at the length talketh of you I woulde this talke mighte make you leaue your euyll doinges and to learne at the least to do some parte of your dutie before the wrath of God fal vpon you But I do feare me al wordes are but wynde with you Onely vexation and chastisement wyll giue you vnderstandinge For lo here you saye ful finely and like a popishe prelate that woulde haue all thinge broughte to the olde blyndenes and ignoraunce and to suche captiuitie and bondage that no man shoulde talke of his fayeth but vnder my Lordes licence though Peter commaunded the contrary You saye that of fayth there is so muche talke tattelinge to vse your owne termes that true beliefe is gone Surely if you call thys true beliefe the Romishe beliefe of pardones pilgrimages when we myght haue no talke of â—ure fayth but were coÌ„maunded in payne of cursinge and burninge to beleueâ—… as the churche of Rome beleueth like as you can knowe none other true churche nor none other good men but suche as folowe that church I graunt your beliefe is fore wasted I trust shall right shortly coÌ„sume like stubble with the fyre of Goddes worde and true workes of mercie peace and louing kindneâ—… shall springe furth wheÌ„ men knowynge thaâ— your Pope holy workes are but the madnes of idle braynes shal worship the liuing God in spirite and trueth But lo you wyll haue here the carte to go before the horsse and wyl haue vs to do these workes before we knowe them saying that doing is the way to knowledge where coÌ„trary wise al wel doing must needes springe of knowledge as the onely thinge that maketh our deedes good And because you bishops are so slowe in preaching good workes that God requireth the people muste needes be stacke in doinge them For you should be the salt of the earth But seinge that you be become vnsauourie howe caÌ„ you season other You preach your owne inuentions the preceptes and coÌ„maundementes of men and them must we needes knowe and confesse or els must we be brent But it is
a daungerous thynge to knowe the scriptures and especially for pore men and to talke of oure fayeth Thys doctrine of yours spoyleth vs of fayeth and bringeth vs into the Idlenes of workes Oh diuelishe sophistrie and the spirituall subtiltie stryuing agaynst all godlines Sathan him selfe coulde not diuise suche a reason to hinder our fayth and stop knowledge The Popes bishops only could do it But marke howe this sophistrie is coÌ„firmed and proued The Bishoppe for lacke of scriptures bringeth furth Cato an heatheÌ„ maÌ„ who dispised the greeke poetes because the youth of Rome waxed effeminate whiâ—se they set their delite in them thei rather reioyced in readinge of battayles then fightinge them selues But what is this to vs christen men whiche oughte to be readie to gyue answere of oure fayth to eâ—eâ—ie one that asketh vs which shoulde talke of the wyll of God towardes vs and his holy coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes when we lye downe and when we rise when we go by the waye and when we sit at the table compting our selues then to be most happie when we were moste delited therin daye and night as Dauid sayeth But this is straunge doctrine vnto you because you are none of Paules bishops For he gaue his bishops in commaundement to be iustant in the worde in tyme and out of tyme. No you are an englishe bishop thynkinge the worde of God to be good but at those times that you wyll appoynt and that to a fewe gentlemen to whom you durst not denie it And to busilie occupied marchauntes whom you do espie not so muche to regarde it as they haue done giuinge them this knot in the ende of your boke that 〈◊〉 they wax waÌ„ ton they shalbe put to silence as well as women and yomen are all readie Oh Stephane this is thy worke as the chiefest englishe captitaine that euer Antichrist had For thou workest thy workes as his enemie but thou arte his friende Thou wouldeste seeme an Angell but thou arte a fiende I beseche all good men therefore that as they tendre their soules health they wyl take heede to your swete poyson and flatterynge wordes also to your darke termes whiche you do bringe furth of other languages For by them chiefly haue we ben deceiued euer syth we haue mistrusted your fayre wordes and marked the mattier in our owne mother tonge and naturall language We haue by litle and litle euer more more espied your subtilties Before we had the Creede in Englishe we â—…lde not know that this presence of the bodie naturally and really that is to say in his verie nature as he was man and a sensible thing and substaunce was contrarie to three of the moste manifest article of our fayth Moreouer where you adde as a couclusion fully proued and persuaded vnto al good men that Christe is really present in the Sacrament 〈◊〉 the aultare to feede oure weake bodies soules wherby to make vs stronge to come to him and lyâ—e wythout ende surely I can not perceiue howe you can persuade this thynge to any good man that marketh the Articles of his fayeth concernyng the ascendyng of Christe and his sittynge at the ryghte hande of his father and his comynge thence to iudge the quicke the dead though you haue wyth your darke termes deluded and blynded many good simple soules whoÌ„ you woulde not suffre to haue and knowe their beliefe otherwise then in the latiâ—e toÌ„ge and so taken at your handes that you might mixt therwith your gloses so craftely handled and blynded with your sophistrie termes as really to be in the sacrament whiche you saye before is accidentes that the thynge it selfe and substaunce maye be really in accidentes And then shall it not onely be a spirituall meate to feede the soule but also a bodily fode to feede your bodies like fleshly Ca parnaites that wyll eate Christe as he was man walkyng vpoÌ„ earth to the fode of your bodies To make you stronge you saye to come vnto hym What strength is it wherby you come to him Bodily or spirituall Oh men voyed of the spirite You wyl feede the body to haue the strength of the spirite to come vn to Christ Where learned you any like lesson in the scriptures This is your well doinge and well speaking without knowledge Firste laboure for knowledge of the worde of God and leaue the subtiltie of your owne brayne and you shal boeth speake more wisely worke more godlie I warrant you Christ teacheth in the. vi of Iohn that to come vnto him is to beleue in him sayinge He that cometh vnto me shal not be hungrie and he that beleueth in me shal neuer be thirstie And a litle after he calleth this the eatinge of the breade of life the eatinge of hym selfe and his fleshe saynge I am the liuinge breade that came downe from heauen if any man eate of this breade he shal loue for euer And the breade whiche I shall gyue is my fleshe whiche I shall giue for the life of the world He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude hath euerlasting life And he that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude abideth in me and I in him Then answereth he to the blynde Caparnaites that woulde eate him really and bodilie as the meate of their bodies My wordes are spirite life the fleshe profiteth nothinge Wherefore I saied vnto you that no man can come vnto me except it be giuen him of my father And this power giuen of the father to receiue Christe is taughte in the firste of Iohn He came into his owne sayeth Iohn and his owne did not receiue him But so many as did receiue him he graunted them to be made the children of God They thinke you that did receiue him bodilie eate him really to vse your termes to feede their bodyes and soules to make them strong to come to him What neede such meÌ„ to make theÌ„ stronge to come to him when they haue him in their bealies and haue eaten him alreadie Leaue of all grosse imaginations of the fleshe that profiteth not and folowe the doctrine of the spirite and Iohn wyll teach you and declare playnelie who receiueth Christe and cometh vnto him For all muste needes be one thing to come to Christ and to receiue Christe Reade this that â—oloweth therefore whiche you mumble vp at euerie Masse in euerie corner and yet wyll you not suffre the people to vnderstande it Quotquot autem receperunt eum dedit eis vt liceret filios dei fieri videlicet hijs qui credidissent in nomen ipâ—ius Quinoâ— exsanguinibus neque ex voluntate carnis neque ex voluntate viri sed ex deo nati sunt So manie as receiue him he graunted theÌ„ to be made the children of God that is to saye so manie as beleue in his name Marke home diligentlie Iohn declareth him selfe of the receiuinge of Christe by fayth And further Which are not borne of bloude neither by the wil