thysis be able to blynde any man after that redeth it except some such as wyllyngly lyste to wynke or 〈◊〉 he put out theyeyen wyll hold theyr heddes to hym them selfe ¶ Now to the entent ye may the bet ter perceyue marke whyther myne exposycyon agre with the texte and whyther I leue any thyng vnto wched I shall fyrst gyue you the wor des of the texte it selfe in englysshe all to gyther and than expoune it you piece by pyece after And yet hadde it not bene euyll to begyn somwhat before at Chrystes dyscyples goynge in to the shyppe in the euenynge and Chrystes owne walkynge after vppon the see and after y e on the morow the people comyng after to seke hym in other shippes which piece maistee Masker left out and word not medle with bycause it hath an hard allegory declared by holy doctours whyche she we that the shyppe in whiche the discyples went 〈◊〉 the chyrch which was but one and the other diuerse shyppes that came after betokened the dyuerse chyrches of herety kes And yet in that one shyppe that sygnyfyed the chyrch there were as appered after both good badde to gyther But lette this piece passe for this onys I wyll begyn y e texte but there as mayster Masker begynneth hymselfe So good chrysten readers these be the wordes The. iiii chapyter ¶ Ueryly veryly I saye to you you seke me not bycause ye haue sene my racles but bycause ye haue eatyn of the loues and are fylled worke you not the meate that perisheth but that 〈◊〉 into euerlastyng lyfe which the sone of man shall gyue you for hym hath good y e father sealed They sayde therfore vnto hym what shall we do that we maye worke the workes of god Iesus answered sayde vnto them This is the worke of god that ye byleue in hym whom he hath sent Than they said vnto hym what token she west thou therfore that we may se and byleue the what workest thou Our fathers haue eaten maÌ„na in the deserte as it is wryten he gaue them brede from heuyn to eate Than sayd Iesus to them veryly veryly I say to you Moyses hath not gyuen you the brede from the heuyn but my father gyueth you the very brede froÌ„ the heuyn For the very brede is that that is desceÌ„ded from heuyn and gyueth lyfe to the worlde Than sayde they to hym lorde gyue vs all waye this brede ThaÌ„sayd Iesus to them I am the brede of life he that cometh to me shall not hungre and he that byleueth in me shal neuer thyrst But I haue sayd vnto you that ye haue bothe sene me and haue not byleued All that my father gyueth me shall come to me and he that cometh to me I shall not caste hym out For I am 〈◊〉 froÌ„ heuyn not to do myne owne wyll but the wyll of hym that hath sent me This is veryly the wyll of hym that hath sent me that is to wytte the father that all that he hath gyuen me I shold not lese any thyng therof but sholde reyse it agayne in the last daye This is veryly the wyll of my father that hath sent me that euery man that seeth the sone and by leueth in hym shold haue euerlasting lyfe shall reyse hym agayne in the last day The Iewes murmured ther fore of that that he had sayde I am the lyuely brede that am descended from heuyn And they sayde Is not this man the sone of Ioseph whose father and mother we haue knowen Now sayth he therfore I am descended from heuyn Iesus therfor answered sayd vnto theym murmure not amonge your selfe There can no man come to me but if the father that sent me draw hym and I shall reyse hym agayne in the last day It is wry ten in the prophetes And they shal be all taught of god Euery man that hath herd of the father and hath lerned cometh to me not bycause any man hath seue the father but he that is of god hath sene the father Ueryly veryly I tell you he that byleueth in me hath lyfe euerlastynge I am the brede of the lyfe your fathers haue eateÌ„ manna in the desert and be dede This is the brede descendynge from the heuyn that yf any maÌ„ eate therof he sholde not dye I am the lyuynge brede that am descended from the heuyn If a man eate of thys brede he shall lyue for euer the brede whiche I shall gyue is my fleshe whyche I shall geue for the lyfe of the worlde The Iewes therfore stroue amonge them selfe sayeng how can this man geue vs his fleshe to eate Than sayd Iesus to them Ueryly veryly I saye to you but yf ye eate the fleshe of the sone of man and drynke his bloude ye shall not haue lyfe in you He that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude hath lyfe euerlastyng and I shall reyse hym in the last daye My flesshe is veryly meate and my bloud is veryly drynke He that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude dwel leth in me I in hym As the lyuyng father sent me I also lyue for the father And he that eateth me he shall also lyue for me This is the brede y t hath descended from heuyn not as your fathers haue eaten manna and are dede He that eateth this brede shall lyue for euer These thynges sayd he in the synagoge teachyng in CapharnauÌ„ Many therfore of hys dyscyples herynge sayde This is a hard sayeng and who may here hym Iesus therfore knowyng in hym self that his disciples murmured at this sayd vnto them doth this offend you yf ye shall than se the sone of man ascendynge vppe where he was before The spyryte it is that gyueth lyfe the flesh auayleth nothyng The wordes which I haue spokeÌ„ to you be 〈◊〉 lyfe But there be some of you y t byleue not For Iesus knew from y e begynnyng who shold be y t byleuers who shold bytraye 〈◊〉 and he sayd Therfore I haue sayd vnto you y t no man can come to me but yf it be gyueÌ„ him of my father From y t time many of his discyples went backe now walked no more with hym ThaÌ„ sayd Iesus to the. xii wyll you go your wayes to Than answered vnto hym Symon Peter lord to whom shal we go Thou hast the wordes of euerlastyng lyfe we byleue haue knoweÌ„ that thou art Chryst the sone of god Iesus answered vnto hym Haue not I chosen you xii one of you is a deuyll He sayd y t by Iudas I 〈◊〉 y e sone of Symon For he it was that shold betray hym beyng one of ye. xii The exposycyon of the sayd texte The. v. chapyter WHo so rede coÌ„syder well good crysten reders the doctryne and y e doynge of our sauyour Crist shall by sundry places of holy scrypture ê‘ceyue y t of his heuynfy wysedome his 〈◊〉 vsage was in ma ny great thynge y t he purposed to do byfore the
eating if they eate it with faith that thynge agayne and agayne he declareth them to dreue them to faith by the desyre of eternall lyfe fayth fyrst onys had they shold be than the more easy to be tawght For the prophete Esay sayth But yf ye byleue ye shall not vnderstaude Therfore it was of necessyte requysyte that they sholde fyrst fasten the rotes of fayth in theyr mynde and than aske suche thynges as were metely for a man to aske But they before they wolde byleue wolde out of season aske theyr importune questyons fyrste And for thys cause our sauyour declared not vnto them how it myght be done but exhorteth them to seke the thynge by fayth So vnto the tother syde to his dyscyples that byleued he gaue the peces of the brede sayeng Take you and eate this is my body And in like wyse he gaue them the cuppe about sayenge drynke you of this all thys is the cuppe of my bloude whyche shall be shed for many for remyssyon of synnes Here thou seest that to theÌ„ that asked wythout fayth he opened not the maner of thys mystery or sacrament But to theÌ„ that byleued he expouned it though they asked not Therfore let theym heare thys those folke I saye that of arrogaunce and pryde wyll not byleue the faythe of Chryste ¶ Here ye se good readers that saynt Cyrill playnely declareth you that our saliyour wolde not teache theym at that tyme the maner of the eatynge bycause of theyr infydesyte for all theyr askynge but after ward he tolde and taught it hys faythfull dyscypses at hys faste 〈◊〉 and mauÌ„dye whan he toke them the bred and bode them eate it and tolde them that the same was hys body and the cuppe and bode them drynke therof and shewed theym that that was his bloud And thus you se well by saynt Cyrill that mayster Masker here whych by hys exposycyd wold make vs wene that our sauyour in all hys worde here to the iewes ment onely to tell them of y e geuyng of hys flesh to the deth that he ment nothyng of the geuynge of hys fleshe to eate in the blessed facrament doth in all hys exposycyon but play with false dyce to deceyue you ¶ Now as for that saint Crrif here calleth it by the name of brede that is I trow the thynge that can nothynge trouble you For I haue shewed you before by the wordes of that greate holy doctour Theophylactus that it is called bred bycause it was bred and bycause of the forme of brede y e remayneth yet is no brede in dede but is the very blessed body of Crist his very flesshe and hys bloude As you se also by saynt Cyrill here whi che of thys blessed sacrameÌ„t so often reherseth and inculketh the myracle exhortynge all folke that no man be moued to mystruste it though the thynge be meruelouse nor aske as y e Iewes dyd how such a wunderfull wurke can be wrought but mekely byleue it syth he is god that sayth it therfore as he sayth it so do wt not but he 〈◊〉 do it as he doth other lyke thynges and dyd ere he were born in to thys world of whyche thynges saint Cyrill hath here rebersed some As the turnynge of the water into bloude as he turneth in the sacrameÌ„t the wyne into bloud and the turnyng of Aarons rod into a serpeÌ„t and that into such a serpent as deuowred vp all the serpentes of the Egypcyane wytches Lyke as our sauyour in the blessed sacrament turneth the brede into hys owne body y t holy holesome serpent that deuowreth all the poysened serpentes of hell and was therfore figured by the brasyn serpent that Moyses dyd sette vp in the maner of a crosse in the desert the byhol dyng wherof deuowred destroyed the venym of all the poysen serpent that had stongen any man there The. xvii chapyter ANd all be it that I she we you good chrysteÌ„ readers saint Cyrilles wordes and hys exposycyon vpon the place bycause maister Masker shall not make men wene y u I make all the mater of myn owne hed yet semeth me that our sauyour declareth thys mater wyth playne wordes bym selfe For what can be playner wordes than are hys owne whan that vppon theyr wunderynge and theyr murmuryng question how can he gyue vs his flesshe to eate he said vnto theÌ„ Ueryly veryly I say to you but yf you eate the flesh of y t sone of man drink his bloud ye shall not haue lyfe in you He y t eateth my flesh drynketh my bloude hath lyfe euer lastynge and I shall rayse hym vppe agayne in the laste daye For my flesshe is veryly meate and my bloud is veryly drynke He that eateth my flesh and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym ¶ In these wordes ye se good readers howe playnely that our lorde sheweth theym bothe the profyte of the receyuynge and the peryll of the refusynge and also bothe that he not onely speketh of his very body and bloud whyche thyng mayster Masker agreeth but ouer that also that he more playnely and more precysely sayth that they shold veryly eate it and drynke it whyche thyng mayster Masker denyeth and yet is that the thynge that our sauyour in these wor des most specyally laboreth to make theym byleue For that he spake of hys very flessh they perceyued well inough But that he wold haue them verily eate it that they thoughte such a maner thynge that they neyther wolde do nor could byseue bycause they myssetoke the maner thereof wenynge that they sholde eate it in dede peces cutte out as the bochers cutte the bestes in the shammellys ¶ And Cryst therfore wold at thys tyme for theyr arrogaunt infydelyte as saynte Cyrill hath told you no thynge declare them of the maner of hys geuynge it to be veryly eaten not in the proper forme of flesshe as they flesshely imagyned but in the forme of bred in the blessed sacrameÌ„t bycause as Theophilactus declared you men sholde not abhorre to eate it But leuynge that vntaught tyll the tyme of hys maundy souper where as saynte Cyrill hath also she wed you he taught it his faithfull dyscyples at the instytucyon of that blessed sacrament he laboreth as I say in these wordê here most speciall wyth as playne wordes as can be de 〈◊〉 to tell them and make them by leue that they shall veryly eate hys flesshe Whyche thyng for any thyng that he could say to them they were so hard harted that they wolde not byleue hym ¶ And yet is mayster Masker here mych more obdurate now and mych more faythlesse to than all they were than For bothe he hauyng herd what Criste sayd to those 〈◊〉 than also what he taught his faythfull dyscyples at hys maundy after and what all holy doctours and sayntes haue sayde theron and byleued euer synnys yet wyll he with a few fond heretykes take a folysshe fro
warde waye and byleue the contrary or at the leste wyse saye that he byleueth y e contrary But in good sayth y t they veryly byleue as they say that can I not byleue except that of y e scrypture and the chrysten fayth these folke by leue nothyng at all And so vpon my fayth I fere me that you shall se it proue at laste as appereth by somof them that so begynne all redy and haue in some places put forth suche poysen in wrytynge ¶ But surely though neyther any man had euer wryten vppon these wordes of Cryste nor our sauyour bym selfe neuer spoken word therof after that euer had in wrytyng comeÌ„ into meÌ„nys hands yet are these wordes here spokeÌ„ so playne so ful that they must nedes make any man that were wyllyng to byleue hym clerly perceyue and knowe that in one maner or other he wolde gyue vs hys awne very flesshe verely to be recey ued and eaten For whan the Iewys sayd how can he geue vs his flesshe to eate He answered them with no sophims but with a very playn open tale tolde them they sholde neyther dystruste that he could on hys parte geue them his flesshe to eate nor yet refuse vppon theyr parte to eate it if euer they wolde be saued As though he wold say Maruayle you and mys truste you my word and aske how I can geue you mine own flesh to eate I wyll not tell you how I can geue it nor in what forme or fasshyon ye shall eate it but this I wyll tell you neyther in tropis allegories nor parables but euyn for a very playne trouth y e eate ye shall my very flessh in dede yf euer ye purpose to be saued ye and drynke my very bloude to For but yf you be content to eate and wyth a trewe fayth to eate the flessh of the sone of man and drynke hys bloude ye shall not haue lyfe in you But who so wyth a trewe well wurkynge fayth eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude he hath euerlastynge lyfe Not onely bycause he ys as sure to haue it whan the tyme shall come as though he had it all redy by reasoÌ„ of the promyse that Chryste here ma keth where he sayth And I shall re suscitate and rayse hym 〈◊〉 at the last day but also for that the very body of Cryste that he receyueth is very lyfe euerlastyng of it selfe and such a lyfe as to them that well wyll receyue it in trew fayth and purpose of good lyuynge it is the thynge that is able to gyue lyfe quyknesse euer lastynge For as the godhed is of his owne nature 〈◊〉 lyfe so is the flesshe ioyned in vnyte of person to the godhed by that immedyate coÌ„iunccyon and vnyte made bothe euer lastyng lyuely in it selfe and also euerlasting lyfe to the geuyng of life euerlastyngly to all other that well and wurthely receyue hym and wyll perseuer and abyde wyth hym For though euery maÌ„ here naturally dye for the whyle yet shall Chryst as he promyseth here reyse resuscytate hym agayne to euerlastynge lyfe in the laste daye The. xviii chapyter ANd to shew more and more that he meneth playnely of very eatynge and very drynkynge he sayth my flesshe is veryly meate my bloude is veryly drynke 〈◊〉 these wordes sayth saynt Cyril thus Chryste here declareth the dyfference agayne bytwene the mystycall benedyccyon that ys to wytte the blessed sacrament and manna and bytwene the water flowynge out of the stone and the coÌ„munioÌ„ of the holy bloude And thys he repeteth agayne to the entent they sholde no more merueyle of y e myracle of manna but that they sholde rather receyue hym whyche is the heuynly brede and the gyuer of eternall lyfe your father 's sayd oure sauyour dyd eate maÌ„na in the desert and they be deade But thys brede is descended from heuyn that a man sholde eate therof and not dye For the meate of manna brought not eter nall lyfe but a short remedy agaynst hunger And therfore manna was not the very meate that is to wytte manna was not the brede from heuen but the holy body of Chryst that ys the meate that noryssheth to immortalyte and eternall lyfe ye sayth some man but they dranke water out of the stone But what wanne they by that for deade they be and therfore that was not y t very drynke but the very drynke ys the drynke of Chryste by whyche death ys vtterly turned vppe and destroyed For it ys not the bloude of hym that ys onely man but the bloude of that man whych beynge toyned to the naturall lyfe that ys to wytte the godhed ys made also lyfe hym selfe Therfore we be the body and the meÌ„bres of Chryste For by thys blessed sacrament we receyue the very sone of god hym selfe ¶ Here you se good readers that saynte Cyrillus playnely declareth here y t these wordes of Chryst My 〈◊〉 is veryly meate c. are spoken and ment of hys holy flesshe in the blessed sacrament of whyche mayster Masker in all hys exposycyon and in all his hole wyse wurke telieth vs playnely the contrary But saynte Cyrillus is here open and playne bothe for that poynte for the hole mater For who can more playnly declare any thyng thaÌ„ y t holy doctour declareth in these wordê y t in the blessed sacrameÌ„t is veryly eaten and dronken the very blessed body holy bloude of Chryst. And yet doth not saynt Cyrillus say it more opeÌ„ly than 〈◊〉 our sauyour in hys 〈◊〉 wordes hymselfe ¶ And now ferther to shewe that it must nedys be so that he whyche eateth hys flesshe drynketh his bloud muste nedes be resuscytate reysed agayne in body to euerlastynge lyfe our sauyour addeth therunto saith He that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym Uppon whyche wordes also thus sayth holy saynt Cyrill ¶ Lyke as yl a man vnto molteÌ„ wex put other wex it can not be but that he shall thorow out mengle the tone wyth the tother so yf a man receyue the flesshe and the bloude of our lord worthely and as he 〈◊〉 it can not be but that he shall be so ioyned wyth Chryst as Chryst shal be wyth hym he wyth Chryst. ¶ Thus may you good readers se how veryly a man eateth in the sacra ment the 〈◊〉 body of Cryst and by that eatynge how eche of them is in other And than yf he so perseuer how can it be that that body shall haue euerlastynge deth in whych there is 〈◊〉 euerlastynge lyfe For as ye haue herd the body of Chryste is by the coÌ„iunccyon wyth his godhed made euerlastynge lyfe ¶ But this is ment as I saye and all the holy doctours do declare the same of them that receyue the sacrament not onely sacramentally but also effectually That is to wyt of them that not onely receyue the body of our sauyour by the sacrament into theyr bodyes
as the Chomystycall papystes saye ben inuisyble wyth all 〈◊〉 dymencyoned body vnder the forme of bredetranssubstancyated into it And after a lyke Chomistycall mystery the wyne transsubstancyated to into hys blonde so that they sholde eate his flesh and drynke his blonde after theyr owne carnall 〈◊〉 andynge but yet in another forme to put away all grudge of stomake Or syth saynt 〈◊〉 yt he had thus vnderstode hys maysters mynde and toke vpon hym to wryte hys maysters wordee wold leue this sermon vnto the worlde to be redde he my 〈◊〉 now haue delyuered vs and them from this dowte But Chryst wolde not so satysfye theyr questyon but answered veryly veryly I say vnto you excepte ye eate the flesshe of the sone of man and drynke his bloude ye shall not haue that lyfe in your selues He that eateth my flessh and drynketh my blonde hath lyfe euerlastynge and I shall steve hym vp in the laste daye For my flesshe is very meate my bloude the very drynke He sayth not here that brede shal be transsubstancyated or conuerted into his body nor yet the wyne into his bloude ¶ 〈◊〉 good chrysten readers thys man here in a folysshe iestynge and mych blasphemouse raysyng maner agaynst the conuersyon of the brede and wyne into the blessed body and bloude of Chryste in the hlessed sacrament in conclusyon as for a clere confutacyon of me of saynt Thomas bothe vppon whyche holy doctour and saynt he foly shely iesteth by name he argueth as youse that 〈◊〉 Chryst had entended to haue geuen them his flesshe and his bloude in the sacrament than myght he haue decla red it more openly with mo wordes and more playnly And than mayster Masker deuiseth Chryst the wordes that he wold haue had hym say yf he had so ment And therin the blasphemouse beste deuyseth that he wolde haue had our sauyour say y t he wold play as iuglers do and slyly conuay hym selfe into a singyng lofe that our sauyour so doth he sayth is myne opinion wherin the man is shameles shamefully bylyeth me For I saye as the catholyke fayth is that he not conuayeth but conuerteth the brede into his owne body and chaungeth it therin to and neyther conuayeth as he speketh his body into the brede for than were the brede and his bles sed body bothe together styll which false opinion is Luthers heresy and that knoweth this man well inough and therefore sheweth hym selfe shamelesse in layenge that opinion to me nor also conuerteth not his blessed body into brede for that were yet mych worse For thā remaineth there nothynge ellys but brede styll that is ye wote well mayster Maskers owne heresy for whiche he wryteth agaynste me and therfore is he dowble shamelesse as you se to say any suche thynge of me ¶ But in conclusion theffecte of all his fonde argumēt is that euynthere in that place to breke stryfe to soyle all theyr dowte our lorde myghte wolde haue done at the selfe cōmunicaciō or els at y e lest wyse 〈◊〉 at y e tyme of his wrytyng myght and wold haue told thē playnly that they shold ete it noti forme of flesh but in forme of bred But neyther our sauyour than tolde them so nor theuangrelyste hath tolde vs so in the reportynge of his wordes spoken to them ergo it must nestes be that Chryste ment not so ¶ This is mayster Maskers argu ment whiche he lyketh so specyally that afterwarde in another place he harpeth vppon the same strynge agayne But surely yf the man be in scrypture any thynge exercysed than hath he a very poore remembraunce And whrthet be be scryptured or not he hath a very bare barayne wytte whan he can wene that this argumēt were aught ¶ For fyrste as for the scrypture can he fynde no mo places than one in whych our sauyour wolde not tell out playnely all at onys ¶ Coulde Chryst of the sacrament of Baptysme haue tolde no more to Nichodemus yf he had wolde Coulde he to the Iewes that asked hym a token haue told them no more of his deth sepulture and resurreccyon but the fygure of the prophete Ionas thre dayes swalowed in to y t whalys bely ¶ Whan his dyscyples asked hym 〈◊〉 the restytucyon of the kyngdome of Israell and mysse toke his kyngdome for a worldely kyngdome dyd he forth with declare theym all that euer he coulde haue tolde theym or all y t euer he tolde them therof at any other tyme after nay nor theuangelyste in the rehersynge neyther ¶ 〈◊〉 this mā eyther neuer redde or ellys forgotten that all be it our sauyour came to be knowē for Cryst somtyme declared hym so him self yet at some other tymes he forbode his dysciples to be a knowen therof So that as for y e scripturys excepte he haue eyther lytell redde or lytell remēbered of them wold haue made mayster Masker to forbere thys folysshe argument for shame ¶ But now what wyt hath this mā that can argue thus whan he sholde yf he had wytte well perceyue his argumēt answered by the lyke made agaynste hym selfe vppon the very selfe same place ¶ For mayster masker sayth here that our lorde ment nothynge ellys but to tell them of the geuyng of his flesh to y e deth for y e life of the world and to make them byleue that Now aske I therfore mayster Masker whyther Chryste coulde not haue tolde them by more playne wordes than he dyd there yf it had so ben his pleasure that he sholde dye for the synne of the world and in what wyse also If mayster Masker answere me no I am sure euery wyse man wyll tell hym yes For he spake there not halfe so playnely of the geuynge of his body to be slayne as he dyd of geuynge it to be eaten For as for his deth not so myche as onys named it but onely sayeth And the brede that I shall geue you is myne owne flesshe whyche I shall geue for the lyfe of the worde In whyche wordes he not onys nameth deth But of the eatyng he spe keth so expressely by and by and so spake before all of eatynge mych more afterwarde to that he gaue them lytle occasyon to thynke that he ment of his deth any worde there at all but of the eatynge onely ¶ And some greate holy doctours also construe those whole wordes And the brede that I shall gyue is my flesshe which I shall gyue for the lyfe of the worlde to be spo ken onely of the gyuynge of hys bles sed body in the sacramēt and neyther the fyrste parte nor the seconde to be spoken of his deth But that in the fyrste parte Chryste sheweth what he wolde gyue them to eate that is to wytte his owne flesshe and in the seconde parte he shewed them why he wolde geue the worlde hys flesshe to eate and what commodyle they shold haue by the eatynge of it sayenge y t he wolde
well that yf theyr visours hadde ben of theyr facys shame wolde not haue suffred theym to sette forthe a fote ¶ And mayster 〈◊〉 vnder his 〈◊〉 face forceth not myche to shyfte a false caste amonge wyth a payre of false dyce ¶ And therfore syth thys man by wythdrawynge his name from hys booke hath done on a visour of dyssimulacyon dyssimulynge his person to voide the shame of his fashed and speketh to mych to be called mayster 〈◊〉 whyche name he were els well worthy for hys false dyce I shall in this dyspicyon bytwene hym and me be 〈◊〉 for thys onys syth by some name muste I call hym for lacke of hys other name to call hym mayster 〈◊〉 And thus finishynge 〈◊〉 preface we shall begynne the mater The fyrst booke The. i. chapyter MAyster 〈◊〉 hath in thys hys poysened treatice agaynst Crystes hole some so 〈◊〉 xxxii leuys In y e first xiiii wherof he expowneth vs the later parte of the syxte chapyter of saynt 〈◊〉 And incidently by the way the man maketh as though he answered the reasons whiche I made in my letter agaynste the pestylent treatice that fryth made fyrst agaynst the blessed sacramēt And in the same xiiii leuys also he bryngeth forth two thynges for specyall notable wherin he sayth I haue openly cōtraryed myn 〈◊〉 wrytynge ¶ I wyll good reader peruse the re manaūt of hys booke after this fyrst part answered In whyche conteynyng these thre thynges that I haue 〈◊〉 you the fyrst hath he so han desed y t all were there not as there are in dede dyuerse false 〈◊〉 interfaced therin yet it were for the mater of very sleyght effecte For in his exposiciō he nothyng toucheth nor cometh nere to the thyng wherin the poynt of all the mater standeth ¶ The secund point hath he so well treated in hys argumentacyon that the reasons whyche I laye agaynste Frith mayster Masker fyrst falsely reherseth and after so folyshely soyleth that he leueth thē more stronger agaynst hym whan he hath done 〈◊〉 he fownde them whan he bygan ¶ And as for the thyrde poynt concernynge hys notable notys of suche thynges as he sayeth to myne ouersyghte them he so garnessheth setteth out so semely to the show that I wolde no man sholde euer after this daye truste any worde that I shall wryte but yf ye se mayster 〈◊〉 pfaynesy proued therin eyther so folyshe as no man shold trust his wyt or so false that no man shold trust his trouth Let vs therfore now come to the fyrste point that is to wytte hys exposicyon The. ii chapyter THe whole summe of his 〈◊〉 is that our sauyour 〈◊〉 those wordes takynge occasion of the myracle that he so late before had wrought among them in fedyng fyut thousand of thē with fyue barly louys and two fysshes dyd in those wordes vppon theyr new resort vnto hym whan they folowed hym to Capharnaum fyrst rebuke blame them bycause they soughte hym not for the miracles that they had sene hym wurke but bicause they had ben fedde by hym fylled theyr belyes and that therfore our sauyour exhorted them to labour rather to gete that meat that neuer sholde perysshe Op pon whiche exhortacyon whan the Iewes asked hym what they sholde do wherby they sholde wurke y e wur kes of god Chryst sayd vnto them that the wurke of god was to byleue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hym whom the father had 〈◊〉 ¶ Thā goeth he ferther she weth that vpon the wordes of the Iewis askyng our lord what tokē he shewed for whiche they shold byleue in hym syth theyr forefathers had gyuen thē the brede of Māna in deserte of whi che it was writen he gaue them bred from aboue our lorde shewed them that Moses gaue them not that bred from heuen but his owne father had geuen them the very brede that was descended from heuen and that oure lorde there by all the remanaunt of those wordes in the sayd syxte chapiter of sait Iohn̄ declareth that hym selfe is that very bred is to be 〈◊〉 by the fayth and the byliefe y t Chrystes 〈◊〉 and body was broken and his bloude shed for our synnes And so expowneth he forth all these wordes of Chryst applyeng them onely to the declaracyon of his passyon to be suffred for our redempcion and that our sauyour wold haue them by leue that point that the byliefe of y t point was ment by the eatynge and that that fayth and byliefe is y e 〈◊〉 of our soules ¶ The whole somme of his exposicyō is this in al his sayd xiiii 〈◊〉 I mene not that this is all that euer he sayth therin for I leue out his cir cumstaunces his garnysshynge his notes his argumentacions his contencyons with me his mokkes his tauntys agaynst all catholyke folke his many folde heresyes also with all whiche here and there he furnyssheth all the progresse of his paynted processe all whiche thynges I shall after touche by them selfe But the somme the substaunce and the ende wherto all the whole processe of his exposicyō cometh is this that I haue rehersed you The. iii. chapyter BUt now good chrysten readers all this exposicyō were it neuer so trew neuer so comely nor neuer so cunnyngly handeled yet were it as I tolde you before very farre from the purpose For this exposicyō myghte be good ynough yet myght Thryste in those wordes teache the thynge that we speke of 〈◊〉 that is to wytte besyde the teachyng them that hym selfe was the very brede y t was descended from heuyn to gyue lyfe to the world and that he sholde suffre deth for the synnes of y e world and that they shold byleue these thyn ges and so eate hym 〈◊〉 by fayth he myghte I saye teche in those wordes also that he wolde gyue vnto men his very body his very 〈◊〉 to eate and his very bloud to drinke and that he wolde that they shold byleue that lesson also And wrth y e spy rituall eatynge therof by farth receyue and eate also his very blessed body flesshe and bloude by the mouth not in his owne flesshely forme as y e flesshely Iewes mysse toke it but as hym selfe than ment it and parte there expowned it and by his institu 〈◊〉 dyd after more clerely declare it informe of brede and wyne in y e blessed sacrament of the aulter ¶ It is I trow good readers to no man almost vnknowen that the holy scrypture of god is in suche meruelous maner by the profound wysedome of his holy spyryte for y e more plentuouse profyte of his chyrche de uised indyghted and wryten that it hath not onely that one sense trewe which we call the litterall sence that is to wytte that sence whiche for the fyrst lessō therof god wold we shold perceiue and lerne but also diuerse other sensys spirytuall pertaynynge to the profyte of our maners and instrucciōs in sūdry vertues by meane of 〈◊〉 openyng
or meÌ„t of y e geuyng of his body to be eaten in the blessed sacrament is an imaginacioÌ„ of myn own hed 〈◊〉 mayster Masher argueth speketh 〈◊〉 way of mayster More his fayth as though it were no mannes essys but myne ¶ But to the entent good readers that ye may cleresy perceiue maystes Mashers malycyouse fafsed therin I shall in dyuers places of thys exposycyon concernyng specyally this poynt of Chrystes spekyng and menynge of the gyuynge of his owne very body in the blessed sacrament 〈◊〉 you the namye of some of those whom I folow therin some of theyr wordes to by whych ye shal le that I deceyue you not as maister Masher doth that thorow all his exposycyon flytteth all fro the poynte and dysimuleth all y e wordes of those olde holy men y e expowned it in suche wyse as he wolde we sholde wene that no good man euer dyd ¶ Vppon these wordes therfore of our sauyour And the brede that I shall gyue you is my flesshe that I shall geue for the lyfe of the worlde thus sayth Theophysactus ¶ Consyder that that brede that we eate in the sacrament is not onely a fygure of the fleshe of our forde but it is also the fleshe of our lord it self For he sayd not y e brede that I shall geue is a fygure of my flesshe but he sayd it is my flesshe For the same breade by secrete wordes thorow the mysticall benedyccpon by the cummyng also of the holy sppryte therevnto is transfourmed and chaunged into the flesshe of our lorde And lest that any man sholde be trowbeled in his mynde wenynge that it were not to be byleued y t brede sholde be flesh this is well knowen that whyle our lorde washed in his fleshe of brede receyued his noryshynge that brede whyche he than eate was than chaunged into hys body was made suche as his holy flesshe was and dyd susteyne and increace his flesshe after y e comen maner of men And therfore now also is the brede chaunged into the flesshe of our forde And how is it than wyll some man say that it appereth not to vs flesshe but brede That hath Chryste prouyded to the entent we shold not 〈◊〉 from the eatynge of it For yf it were geueÌ„ vs in lykenesse of flesshe we sholde be dysplesauntly dysposed towarde the receyuyng of our howsle But now by the goodnesse of god condescendynge to our infyrmytye this sacramentall meat appereth vnto vs such as we haue at other tymes bene accustomed wyth These are not my wordes so good christen reader but the word of that oldÌ„ holy cunnyng doctour Theophilactus whyche was also no satyn man but a greke bycause mayster Masher speketh so mych of papyst as though y e catholike fayth wherby the catholike chyrch byleueth y t in the blessed sacrament is the very blessed body of Crist were a thing but made imagyned by some pope of rome ¶ Now yf mayster Masker wyll say y t myne exposicion is in this poynt false here you se good readers that myne exposicyon is not myne but the exposicioÌ„ of Theophilactê° And the fore let hym leue dauÌ„cynge with me dauÌ„ce another white with hym ¶ But marke well two thinge now good reader iÌ„ these wordê one y t this good holy doctours calleth y e blessed sacrameÌ„t brede as saint Paule doth and oure sauyour hym selfe also in these wordes of his in this syxte chapyter of saynt IohnÌ„ and so doth also euery doctour of the chyrche almost Vppon whyche callynge of it brede frere Luther and Melancton theyr felowes take theyr holde to saye and affirme that it is very brede styll as vell after the consecracyon as afore And frere Duskyn with zuynglius George Joye Johan Fryth Tin dale turne forth ferther to the deuyll and not onely say that it is very bred styll but also that it is no thynge els ¶ But now consyder therfore as I say that Theophilactê° here calleth it brede as well as they sayenge the brede that we receiue in the misteries or sacrament is not onely a certayne fygure of the fleshe of our lorde but it is also the fleshe of our lord it self But than expresseth he plainely that though he calleth it brede he meneth not that it is very materyall brede styll as it was but that the brede ys transformed gone and changed into the very fleshe of Chryste And he setteth it out also with an ensample of the brede that is eaten and turned in to the flesshe of the man whom it nurysseth whyche euery man well woteth that any wytte hath that it is no lenger brede than ¶ And therfore Theophilactus cal leth it brede bycause it was brede as in the scrypture the serpeÌ„t in to which Aarons rodde was turned is called a rodde styll whyle it was no rodde but a serpent For there is it thus wri ten The rodde of Aron dyd deuour the roddes of the magycianis And as the scrypture calleth the serpent there a oodde so calleth it the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 brede And as Theophilactê° calleth here the blessed sacrament by the name of brede and yet declareth that it is no brede euyn so do all holy doctours that call it by that name of brede bothe mene indide and also do clerely declare that though they call it brede they know well it is no brede but in lykenesse and forme of brede vnder the sacramentall signe y e very blessed body of Cryst flesh bloude bonys and all neyther wythout the soule nor the godhed neyther ¶ Marke also good reader y e Theo phylactus sayth The brede whyche we eate in the misteryes or sacrameÌ„t is not onely a fygure of the flesshe of our lorde but it is also the flesshe of our lorde it selfe ¶ In these wordes good readers marke wel that he sayth it is a figure and yet for all that the very fleshe of Chryste ¶ Thys thynge I specyally desyre you to note bycause that by the markynge of thys one poynt ye maye voyde almoste all the crafte wyth whiche mayster Masker Fryth and Tyndale and all these heretykes la bour to deceyue you in the wrytynge of all the olde holy doctours ¶ For where so euer any of theÌ„ call the blessed sacrament a fygure there wolde these felowes make vs wene that he ment it were nothynge ellys But here you se that Theophylactus saith it is a figure as it is in dede but he telleth vs that it is also as in dede it is the very flesshe of oure lorde ¶ And therfore marke well these ii poynts in this one place y t whaÌ„ these heretikes proue that the blessed sacra meÌ„t is called bred they proue nothing agaynst vs. For they that call it brede declare yet that in dede it is not brede but the body of Chryste And whan they proue that it is called a fygure they proue no thynge agaynste vs. For they that saye it is a fygure saye it is
but also by trew fayth and trew repentauÌ„ce and purpose of good lyuyng receyue hys holy 〈◊〉 ther with into theyr soules be made therby very lyuely membres of that thyng that the blssed sacrament signifyeth betokeneth y t is to wyt of the mystycall body of Cryst the chyrche and congregacyon of sayntes ¶ For as you haue herd by Theophilactê° before this blessed sacrameÌ„t is not onely the very flesh of Cryst but is also a figure And that is it in diuerse wyse as I shall ferther declare you in my boke agaynst Frithis answere to my pystle With whyche boke were hys onys come in prente whyche is allredy sent ouer to be 〈◊〉 ted I shall god wyllyng well make 〈◊〉 his englysshe bretherne se perceyue his foly y t lyst not wyllyngly to coÌ„tynue folys and wynke ¶ But as I was about to say they that receyue our lord by the sacrameÌ„t onely not by fayth purpose of amendemeÌ„t though they receyue hym yet they receyue hym not though they eate hym they eate hym not For though his blessed body be receyued in to theyr bodyes yet hys holy spirit is not receyued into theyr soules therfore he 〈◊〉 not in them nor they in hym but they eate drynke theyr iugemeÌ„t receyue hym to theyr dampnacyoÌ„ for that they receyue hym without faith dew reueuereÌ„ce therfore do not as saith sait Poule discerne y e body of our lorde ¶ And therfore sayth saint Austayn as Prosper reherseth iÌ„ lib. 〈◊〉 psperi He receyueth the meat of lyfe he drynketh y t draught of eternyte y t dwelleth iÌ„ Cryst in whoÌ„ Cryst dwel leth For he y t discordeth from Cryst neyther eateth y t fleshe of Cryst nor 〈◊〉 his bloud though he receyue euery daye indyfferentely the sacrament of that great thynge to the iudgement and dampnacyon of hys presumpcyon ¶ This text of saynt Austayne alledged Fryth for hys purpose in a cer tayne communycacyon wyllyng to proue therby that the very body of Cryste was not alwaye veryly receyued and eaten in the sacrament as y t chyrch sayth For here sayd Fryth saynt Austayne sayth playne y t euyll men though they receyue the sacrament eate not the body of Cryst ¶ But here Fryth eyther had not ler ned or ellys had forgoten that saynt Austayne ment of the effectuall receyuynge by whych a man not onely receyueth Chrystes blessed body into hys own sacramentally but also vir tually and effectually so receyueth ther wyth the spyryte of god into hys soule that he is incorporate therby with our sauyour in suche wyse that he is made a lyuely member of his mystycall body that is the 〈◊〉 of sayntes by receyuyng it wurthyly whiche euyll folke do not that receyue it to theyr dampnacyon ¶ For that saynt Austayne ment not to deny that y e blessed body of Cryst is veryly receyued and eaten in the blessed sacrameÌ„t both of euyll folke and good it appereth playne by that that in mo places thaÌ„ one he speketh of the traytour Iudas For all be it that in some places he putteth it in dowte and question whyther Iudas receyued the sacrament amonge the apostles at Chrystes maundy or els that y e morcell that he receyued were not it yet-in dyuers places he affermeth that he dyd And in those places be affermeth playnely that in the sacrameÌ„t he receyued Chrystes blessed body as euyll and as false as the traytour was as in his fyfth boke de baptismo he clerely declareth in these wordes ¶ Lyke as Iudas to whom our lord gaue the morsel not by receyuynge any euyll thynge but by euyll receyuynge of a good thyng gaue the deuyll a place to entre into hym selfe so euery man y t vnworthyly receyueth the sacrament of Cryst maketh not y e sacrament euyll bycause he is euyll nor maketh not therby that he receyueth nothyng bycause he receyueth it not to his saluacyoÌ„ For it was neuer the lesse the body of our lorde and the bloud of our lord euyn vnto them of whom the apostle sayd he that eateth it drynketh it vnworthily he eateth drynketh dampnacyoÌ„ to hym selfe ¶ Here sa it Austayn good readers expressely declareth y t not onely good folke but euil folke also receiue eat in y e sacrameÌ„t y e very body bloud of Cryst though the tone to saluacyon the tother to daÌ„pnacyoÌ„ And therfore you se y t saint Austayn here playnely reproueth Fryth ¶ And that ye may playnely se also that saint Austayn in callynge y e blessed sacrameÌ„t the body of Cryst meneth not to call it onely a fygure or a memoriall besyde his other playne wordê in many sundry places he writeth in a pistle vnto Eleusiê° Gloriê° Felix declaryng the great excellent goodnes y t Cryst shewed to the false traytour Iudas he writeth I saye y t Cryst gaue vnto Iudas at his laste souper y e pryce of our redeÌ„pcyoÌ„ And what was the pryce of our redeÌ„pcioÌ„ but his owne very blessed body ¶ How be yt Frith was on euery syde deceyued in the perceyuynge of saynt Austayns mynd which mysse happed hym as I suppose for lacke of redynge any ferther in saynt Austayns wurkes than those placys y t he founde falsely drawen out into frere Duyskyns boke ¶ For saynt Austayne in very many placê playnely declareth that euery man good and badde both receyueth and eateth in the sacrament the very body and bloude of Cryste And also those wordes in whych he sayth that euyll folke eate it not he meaneth y t they eate it not so as they receyue the effecte therof that is to wytte to be by the receyuynge and eatyng therof incorporate spyrytually with hym as a lyuely member of hys mystycall body the socyete of sayntes so that he may dwell in Chryste and Chryst in hym but lacketh y t spyrytuall effecte of hys eatynge bycause he is euyll eateth not Chrystes flesshe in suche maner as he sholde do that is to wyt worthyly in trew fayth and purpose of clene and innocent lyfe as saynte Austayne in his boke de blasphemia spiritus sancti declareth wel in these wordes ¶ Thys also that Cryst sayth he that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in hym How shall we vnderstande it Maye we vnderstande those folke therin to of whom thapostle sayth y t they eate drynke theyr iugement whan they eate the same flesshe and drynke the same bloude Dyd Iudas the traytour and wicked seller of his mayster though he fyrst wyth the other apostles as saynt Luke theuangelyste very clerely declareth dyd eate and drynke the same sacrament of hys flesshe and his bloude made with his awne handes dyd he abyde yet in Cryst Cryst in hym Finally many men whyche with a fayned harte eate that flesihe and drynke that bloud or ellys whan they haue eaten and dron ken it bycome apostataas after do they dwell in Cryst Cryst in
them But there is vndowtedly a certayne maner of eatynge that flesshe and drynkynge that bloude in whyche maner he that eateth it and drynketh it dwelleth in Cryste and Cryste in hym And therfore not who so euer eate the flesshe of Cryste and drynke hys bloude dwelleth in Cryste and Cryste in hym but he that eateth it and drynketh it after a certayne maner whyche maner Cryste saw whan he spake the wordes ¶ Here you se good readers that saint Austayn she weth that Iudas in the sacramēt receyued dyd eate y t body of Cryst and declareth also the very whole thyng that he meneth cō cernyng the vnderstandyng of this word of Crist He y t 〈◊〉 my flesh and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym that is to wyt they y u eate it in a certeyn maner by which he meneth they y t eat it wel in y t state of grace as he playnely declareth bothe in hys exposycyon vppon saint Iohn̄s gospel and many sundry pla ces bysyde ¶ And those that receyue hym other wyse with a fayned hart and in purpose of deadely synne they folo we Iudas and shortely shew them self For suche as they were wont to be such wyll they be styll or yet rather mych wurse if they were before veri nought And therfore sayth saynt Au stayn y t a mā to eate y e flesh of Crist is to dwell in Cryst to haue Cryst dwellyng in hym For he y t dwelleth not ī Crist wel declareth y t though he haue receyued eatē his flesh into his body by the sacramēt yet hath he not receyued eatē his spirit as I sayde into hys soule and therfore hath not receyued and eaten his fiesshe effectually but without theffecte of the spyryte and lyfe whiche is the thyng wherby the flesshe geuyth the lyfe and wythout whiche as our sauyour saith his flesh auayleth vs nothyng And so for lacke of the spyrytuall eatynge the flesshely eater of his flesh though he receyue the sacrament receyueth not theffecte of the sacramēt the thynge that the sacrament sygnyfyeth that is the partycypacyon of y e mystycall body of Chryste that is to wytte the chyrche and congregacyon of all sayntes whyche chyrch and cō gregacyon is gathered togyther as many mēbres into one body Cryste as the brede whyche our lorde in the sacramēt chaungeth into hys blessed body is one lose made of many gray nes of whete and the wyne whyche he chaungeth into his bloude is one cuppe of wine made of many grapes as thapostle declareth ¶ And veryly to be a quycke lyuely member of that body doth no man attayne that receyueth the sacrament without fayth and purpose of good lyfe but waxeth a more weke membre a more lame more astonied and more losely hangynge theron than he dyd before and by suche often receyuynge so rotteth more and more that finally it falleth quyte of and is cast out into the dunghyll of hell and shal neuer be resuscytate reysed agayne to be made a membre of that body in glory ¶ But as saynt Austayne sayth yf a man after the receyuynge of the sacrament do dwell siyll in god that is to wytte abyde and perseuer in trew fayth and good wurkes than is it a good synge and token that he hath effectually eaten the flessh of Cryst in the blessed sacrament And therupon muste it nedes good crysten reader folow y t he that receyueth the blessed sacramēt well eateth therin y e flesh of Cryst not onely veryly whyche euery man doth good bad but also which onely the good foske do effec tually so dwelleth in Cryste and Cryste in hym perseuerauntly that man or woman without dowt it must nedes be that they can neuer euerlastyngly dye but Cryst dwellyng in them shall conserue theyr soules and resuscytate agayn theyr bodyes that so dwell in hym into euerlastynge lyfe The. xix chapyter 〈◊〉 the surety and vnfallyble profe wherof our sauiour said forth with vpō his worde afore remē bred forther vnto the Jewes as the lyuynge father sent me so also do I lyue for my father And he that eateth me shall lyue also for me ¶ The father of heuyn beynge the orygynall substaunce of lyfe before all begynnyng begate hys coeternall sone and gaue vnto hym his owne whole substaūce therfore his own whole lyfe as to hym whome he begate one equale god wyth hym selfe in nothynge dyfferent but in onely persone ¶ The father I saye gaue all hys owne whole lyfe to his sone and yet none therof from hym self And ther fore sayth our sauyour Cryste that hym selfe lyueth for or by his father And so y t man saith he that eateth me shall lyue thorow me For syth that by the very eatyng of hys very blessed body the eater but yf hym selfe be the let is ioyned wyth the flesshe of Chryst as holy saynt Cyrill hath declared and therby with that holy spyryt of hys also whyche from that holy flesshe is vnseparable and so ioyned vnto the very substaunce of lyfe that is lyfe and geueth lyfe to he can not but lyue thorow Chryste ¶ 〈◊〉 this our sauyour fynally for conclusyon telleth them that this brede also is come frō heuyn sayeng Thys is the brede that is descended from heuyn Not meanynge that his flesshe was fyrst in heuē and so sent downe from thense as some heretyhes haue ere this holden an opynyō but that hys body was in the blessed virgyn hys mother by the heuynly obumbracyon of the holy goste And also syth hys godhed and hys manhed were ioyned and knytte togyther in very vnite of person our sauyour vsed that maner of spekynge by the tone that he vsed by the tother And therfore as he sayde vnto Nichodemus the sone of man descēded from heuyn so sayth he here of hys flessh this is the brede that is descended frō heuyn ¶ And bycause that the Iewys had in the begynnynge of this cōmunicacyon bosted vnto hym the brede of manna bryngynge forth for y e preyse therof the wordes of the prophete Thou hast geuyn them brede from heuyn Our lord here shewed theym that thys brede that he wolde geue them to eate that is to wyt his owne very flesshe as hym self very playnely declared them is of an other ma ner descēded down frō heuen thā the manna whose descendynge from heuyn they in the begynnynge bosted so And therfore he sayd Thys is the brede that is descended from heuyn not as your fathers dyd eate manna are dede He that eateth thys bred shall lyue for euer As though he wold say This is another maner of brede otherwyse come from heuyn than manna was that ye boste of so For that bred was gyuen you but for the sustenaunce of the lyfe in thys worlde but this brede y t is myne own body conceyued by the holy goost in vnyte of person ioyned wyth my godhed as verily as it is ioyned with myne
harte so sure but that with hys good hope he shall all waye couple some feare as a brydyll abytte to refrayne and pull hym backe leste he fall to myschyefe and folow Iudas in falshed waxe a deuyll as Cryst called hym Whyche name our sauyour gaue him not without good cause For y t deuyllys seruaūt sayth saynt Cyril is a deuyll to For lyke wyse as he y t is by godly vertues ioyned vnto god is one spyryt wyth god so he that is with deuylysshe vyces ioyned wyth the deuyll is one spyryte wyth hym ¶ And therfore good readers he y t in suche plyght receyueth the blessed sacrament wythout purpose of amen dement or wythout the fayth and by lyefe that the very flesshe bloude of Chryste is in it he receyueth as saynt Austayne sayth notwythstandyng his noughtynesse y e very fleshe and bloude of Cryst the very pryce of our redempciō But he receyueth them to hys harme as Iudas dyd eateth and drynketh hys owne iugement dampnacyon as sayth saynt Poule bycause he discerneth not our lordes body But who so doth on the tother syde whych I besech god we may all do caste out the deuyll hys wurkes by the sacrament of penaūce and than in the memory all remembraūce of Chrystes passyon receyue that blessed sacrament wyth tre we fayth and deuocyon wyth all honour and wurshyppe as to the reuerence of Crystes blessed person present in it apperteyneth they that so receyue the blessed sacrament verily receyue and eate the blessed body of Cryst that not onely sacramētally but also effectually not onely the fygure but the thynge also not onely his blessed fleshe in to theyr bodyes but also his holy spyryte into theyr soules by par tycypacyon wherof he is incorporate in them they in hym be made lyuely membres of his mysticall body the congregaciō of all sayntes of which theyr soules shall yf they perseuer attayne y e fruit fruicyō clene pure onys purged after thys transytory lyfe and theyr flesh also shall Cryst resuscytate vnto the same glory as hym selfe hath promysed Of whych hys gracyous promyse hys hyghe grace and goodnesse so vouche saue to make vs all perteners thorow the merytes of hys bytter passyō Amē ¶ And thus ende I good readers my fyrst boke conteynyng thexposycyon of those wordes in the syxte cha pyter of saynte Iohn̄ wherby you may bothe perceyue by these myndes of holy sayntes whose wordes I bryng forth the trewth of our fayth concernynge the blessed body bloud of Chryst veryly eaten in the blessed sacrament and may also perceyue and controlle the wyly false folyshe exposycyon of mayster Masker to the contrary suche as haue hys boke and they be not a fewe And yet that all men may se that I neyther blame hym for nought nor bylye hym I shall in my secunde boke she we yous as I promysed some part of hys fawte both in falshed and in foly his own wordes therwyth Here endethe the fyrste boke The secunde boke The. i. chapyter I haue good reders ī my fyrst boke here before perused you thexposicyon of all that part of y e syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ which mayster Masker hath expowned you before And in the begynnyng of thys exposicyō I haue not brought you forth the worde of any of the olde expositours bycause y t as I suppose myne 〈◊〉 wyll not mych 〈◊〉 tende wyth me for so farre But afterwarde concernyng those wordes in which our sauyour expressely speketh of the geuyng of his very flesh bloud to be veryly eaten drōken there haue I brought you forth such authorytees of olde holy doctours sayntes y t ye may well se bothe that I fayne you not the mater but expowne it you ryght also ye se therby clerely that mayster Masker expowneth it wrong For though a man may dyuersly expoune one texte and bothe well yet whan one expowneth it in one trewe maner of a false purpose to exclude another trouth that is in that wrytynge by the spyryte of god 〈◊〉 and immedyately ment his exposvcyon is false all though euery worde were trewe as mayster Mas kers is not ¶ And therfore syth you se myne ex posycion proued you by excellēt holy men and by theyr playne wordes ye perceyue that the wordes of our sauyour hym self do proue agaynst all these 〈◊〉 the catholyke fayth of Crystes catholyke chyrche very faythfull and tre we concernyng the very flesshe of Cryste veryly eaten in the blessed sacrament of whyche eatynge mayster Masker wold with his exposycyon make men so madde as to wene y t Cryst spake nothynge at all now I say by thys exposycyō of myne ye se his exposycyō auoyded clerely for nought and all the mater clere vpon our parte though no man wrote one worde more ¶ And yet wyll I for all that for y t ferther declaracyon of mayster Mas kers handelynge she we you some peices of thexposycyō in specyall by whych ye maye clerely se what credence may be geuē to the man eyther for honesty or lernynge vertue 〈◊〉 or trouth The. ii chapyter IN the begynnynge of the second lefe of hys boke these are mayster Maskers wordes ¶ Consyder what thys meate is whyche he bad thē here prepare and seke fore sayenge worke take paynes and seke for that meate c. and thou 〈◊〉 se it no nother meate than the bylyefe in chryst Wherfore he concludeth that thys meate so often mencyoned is fayth Of the whyche meat sayth the prophete the iufte lyueth Fayth in hym is therfore the meate whiche chryst prepareth and dresseth so purely powderynge and spycyng it wyth spyrytual allegoryes in all thys chapyter folowynge to geue vs euerlasiynge lyfe thorow it ¶ I wyll not laye these wordes to hys charge as heresye but I wylbe bolde by hys lycence to note in them a lytle lacke of wytte and some good store of foly For though a man may well and wyth good reasō call fayth a meate of mannys soule yet is it great foly to saye that the meate that Chryst speketh of here ys as mayster Masker sayth it is none other meate but fayth ¶ For mayster Masker maye playnely se and is not I suppose so poore blynde but that he seeth well in dede that the meate whych Cryst speketh of here is our sauyour Cryste hym selfe Whyche thynge he so playnely speketh that no man can mysse to per ceyue it whan he saith I am my self the brede of lyfe And whan he sayth I am the lyuely brede that am descen ded frō heuyn he that eateth of this brede shall lyue for euer And whā he sayth also That y e meat shold be hys owne fleshe whyche promyse he performed after at his maundye whych thynge he tolde them playne in these wordes And the brede which I shall geue you is my flesshe And he that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude hath euerlastyng lyfe and I shall
geue it men to eate for the lyfe that men sholde haue by the eatynge of it And therfore he pursueth forth bothe vpon the eatynge therof and vppon the lyfe that they shall lacke that wyll not eate it and of the lyfe that they shall haue that wyll eate it So that as I saye Chryste spake and ment after the mynde of some holy cunnynge men but of the eatynge onely but by all good men of the eatyng specyally and without any maner questyon of the eatynge moste playnely as of whiche he speketh by name expressely And of hys deth yf he there spake of it as diuers holy doctours thynke he dyd yet he spake it so couertly y t he rather ment it than sayd it as the thynge wherof he nothynge named but onely the ge uynge to eate So that where as mayster Masker argueth y t Chryste nothynge ment of geuynge of hys flesshe to be eaten in the sacrament but onely of his flessh to be crucified bycause that yf he hadde ment of his flesshe to be eatyn in the sacrament he coulde and wolde haue tolde them playnely so ye se now good readers very playne proued by the self same place that syth mayster Masker can not saye nay but that of his body to be geuyn by deth Chryst could haue spoken myche more playnely than he dyd in that place as well as he could haue spoken more playnely of the geuynge of hys body to be eaten in the blessed sacrament mayster Mas kers owne argument yf it were aught as it is nought vtterly destroyeth all his owne exposycyon whole And therfore ye maye se that the man is a wyse man and well ouer seen in arguynge The. ii chapyter IN the. xi lefe he hath an other argument towarde whiche he maketh a blynde induccyon byfore And bycause ye shall se that I wyll not go about to begyle you I wyll reherse you his induccyon fyrst and than his argumēt after These arre his wordes Whan the Iewes wolde not vnderstande thys spyrytuall sayenge of the eatynge of Chrystes flessh and drynkynge of his bloude so ofte and so playnely declared he gaue them a stronge tryppe and made them more blynde for they so deserued if suche are the secrete iudgementes of god addyng vnto all hys sayenges thus who so eate my flessh and drynke my bloude abydeth in me and I in hym These wordes were spoken vnto the 〈◊〉 into theyr farther obstynacyō but vnto the faythfull for theyr better instruccyon Now gather of thys the contrary and saye who so eateth not my flessh and drynketh not my bloude abydeth not in me nor I in hym ioyne thys to that foresayd sentence excepte ye eate the flesshe of the sone of man and drynke hys bloude ye haue no lyfe in you Lette it neuer fall 〈◊〉 thy mynd chrysten reader that fayth is the lyfe of the ryghtwyse and that Chryst is thye lyuynge brede whom thou eatest that is to saye in whom thou byleuest ¶ Here is mayster Masker fall to iuglynge so and as a iugser layeth forth hys trynclettes vpon the table and byddeth men loke on this loke on that and blo we in hys hande and than with certayne straunge wordes to make men muse whurseth his iuglynge stycke about his fyngers to make men loke vpon that whyle he playeth a false caste and conuayeth with y e tother hand some thynge slyly into his purse or his sleue or some where out of syght so fareth maister Masker here that maketh Christes holy worde serue hym for his iugling boxes and sayeth them forth vppon the borde afore vs and byddeth vs lo loke on this texte and than soke so vpon this and whan he hath she wed forth thus two or thre textes and byd vs loke vpon them he telleth vs not wherfore nor what we shall fynde in thē But bycause they be so playne agaynste hym he letteth them slynke awaye and than to blere our eyen and call our mynde fro the mater vp he taketh his iuglynge stycke the cōmendacyon of fayth and whyrleth that about hys fyngers and sayeth Let it neuer fall fro thy mynde chrysten reader that sayth is the lyfe of the ryghtuouse and that Chryst is thys lyuynge brede whom thou eatest that is to saye in whom thou byleueft ¶ What are these wordes good chry sien reader to the purpose All thys wyll I pray you remember to But I wyll pray you remēber there with all where about this iugeler goth y t wolde with bryddynge vs loke vppe here vppon fayth iugle awaye one great poynt of farth from vs and make vs take no hede of Chrystes wordes playnely spoken here of the very eatyng of his holy flesshe And therfore let vs remēber fayth as be byddeth But let vs remember well therwith specially this piece therof y t this iugler with byddynge vs remēbre wold fayne haue vs forgette ¶ But now after thys induccyon forth he cometh with his wyse argu ment in this wyse For yf our popystes take eatyng and drynkyng here bodyly as to eate the naturall body of Chryste vnder the forme of brede and to drynke his bloud vnder the forme of wyne than must all yonge chyldren that neuer came at goddes borde departed and al lay men that neuer dranke his bloude be dampned If our sauyour Chryste whyche is the waye to trouth and the trouth it selfe and the very trewe lyfe also coulde and wold say false and breke his promyse by whyche he promysed his chyrche to be therwith hym selfe vnto the worldes ende and to sende it also the spyrite of trouth that shold teche it and sede it into al trouth than wolde there of trouth bothe of these wordes of Chryste and these other wordes of his also But yf a man be borne agayne of the water and the holy goost he can not se the kyngdom of god and of many other wordes of his mo many greate dowtes aryse ryght harde and inexplycable But now am I very sure sith trouth can not be but trew Chrystes promyse shall euer stande and be kepte ther fore shall his chyrche euer more by y e meane of his holy spyryte which maketh men of one maner and mynde in the howse of his chyrche so fall in a concorde and agrement togyther vppon the trew sense and so be led into euery necessary trewth that by misse takynge of any parte of scrypture it shall neuer be suffred to fall into any dampnable errour Whiche thynge what pratynge so euer mayster masker make I haue so often so surely proued for the comen knowen catholyke chyrch of good and badde bothe agaynst Willy ā T indale y t neyther he nor all these heretikes among thē all shall neuer be able to voyde it ¶ Now as for his argument concernynge laye men of age it were alytell more stronge yf the blessed body of our lorde were in the blessed sacramēt vnder forme of brede with out his bloude whiche whyle it ys not nor theyr
receyuynge is not the sacryfyce nor oblacyon which to the integrite therof requyreth bothe the formys that the thynge sholde agre with the fygure the fygure I saye of the brede and wyne that was offered by Melchysedech mayster Maskers argument is of a feble force Of whyche thynge bycause I purpose onys to touche god wyllyng in answerynge to doctour Barons treatyse specyally made of that mater I wyll holde here mayster Mas ker for this tyme with no longe tale therof But to th entent ye may shortely se how lytell wytte is in his wise argument with whych vppon Chrystes general wordes but yf you eate the flesshe of y e sone of man drynke his bloude ye shall not haue lyfe in you he argueth vniuersally of all men and women chyldrenthat dye and neuer eate his flesshe or neuer drynke his bloude shal be dampned by the selfe same forme of arguyng vppon these generall wordes But yf a man be borne of water and the spyryte he shall neuer se the kyngedome of god Mayster Masker may argue generally that who so dye byfore he be baptysed by water and the spyrite shal be dampned And therup pon conclude that many martyres be dampned for lacke of baptysynge in water for all theyr baptysynge in theyr owne bloude And thus you se good readers how substancyall his argumentis The. iii. chapyter IN the. xii lefe to proue y t Cryst ment nothynge to geue his body to be eaten mayster masker vppon these wordes that the dyscyples whiche were offended with his wordes sayde This is an harde worde who maye here hym bryngeth in an other wise argument vnder colour of expownynge y e texte in this wyse These wordes dyd not onely offende them that hated Chryst but also some of his dyscyples They were offended sayth the texte and not meruayled as More tryfleth out of trouth These wordes good reader of offendynge and meruaylynge I shall answere anone in a more conuenyent place whyche dyscyples sayd Thys is an harde sayenge who may here hym These dyscyples stoke no lesse in Chrystes visyble flesshe and in the barke of his wordes than doth now More byleuynge hym to haue spoken of his naturall body to be eaten wyth theyr teth ¶ Here mayster masker maketh as though the catholyke faith in the bles sed sacrament were but my fayth But lyke wyse as I do coÌ„fesse that his heresye is not onely his but that he hath felowes in the same falsed not onely fryth and Tyndale but Wicliffe also and zuinglius frere Huyskyn to bysyde a lewde sorte of wreched heretykes moo so must he confesse yf he wyll say trew that my fayth is not onely my fayth but that I haue felowes in the same fayth not onely the comen hole multytude of all good chrysten cuntrees this fyftenne hundred yere but specyally by name those holy saiÌ„ts whose wordes I haue rehersed you before vppon this same mater as Theophylactus saynt Bede saynte Hyrineus and saynt Hilary and saynte Austayne saynte Cyryll and saynt Chrisostome the playne wordes of euery one of all whome I haue here all redy brought you forth agaynste mayster Masker prouynge them selfe felowes of myne in my fayth all redy now in this answere of this fyrste parte of his And yet kepe I for mayster Masker mater inough bysyde of holy sayntes autho rytees as well the same sayntes as other to fyll vp the messys at the seconde course And where he bringeth forth for hym in his seconde parte Austayne Tertullyan and saynte Chrysostom For in all this his fyrst course he bryngeth forth neuer one those thre dysshes I warraunt you shall whan I come to them but barely furnysshe hys borde ¶ But where mayster masker saith that More stycketh in the vysyble fleshe of Chryst to beaten as those dyscyples and those Iewes dyd he is holde to saye what hym lyste bycause he goth inuysyble For ellys how coulde he for shame say that we y t are of the catholyke chyrth thynke that Chryste geueth vs his visyble flesshe to eate as those dyscyples those Iewys thought whan euery man 〈◊〉 woteth that those dyscyples and those Iewes thought that they sholde receyue hys flesshe visyble cutte out as saynt Austayne declareth in visyble dede piecys and euery man as well knoweth mayster Masker to that we thynke that we do and so in dede we do receyue and eate his flesshe inuisyble not in dede pyeces but his quycke blessed body whole vnder the visible forme of brede And therfore you se good readers what trouth is in this man ¶ But now goth he forth and commeth to hys wyse wurshypfull argument and sayth whyche offence Chryste seynge sayed doth thye offende you what than wyll you saye yf you se the sone of man ascende thyther where he was before If it offende you to eate my flessh whyle I am herre it shall myche more offende you to eate it whan it shal be gone out of your syght ascended into heuyn there syttynge on the ryght hande of my father vn tyll I come agayne as I went that is to iudgement ¶ The exposycyon of these wordê of Chryste I haue good readers shewed you before accordyng to the myndes of holy doctours and saynts that by those wordes of his ascencyoÌ„ he gaue them warnynge before that be wolde by his ascendyng vp to heuyn make them a playne profe that thei were deceiued whaÌ„ they thought it could not be that he was descended downe from heuyn and by his ascen dyng vp with his body hole vnminyshed make them a playne profe y t they were deceiued whan they thought he wold in pyeces cut out and so geue his fleshe to them as he sholde gyue it from hym selfe therby lese it hym selfe For hys whole body ascendynge shold well proue y t though his apostles had euery one eatyn it yet had he it styll whole hym selfe y t they sholde therby not dowt afterward but that as eche of them had it and dyd eate it and yet hym selfe had it styll and all at onys in xiii dyuerse places in erth and hym selfe ascended after whole therwith into heuin so sholde euer after all good chrysten folke receyue it whole here in erthe and hym selfe neuer the lesse haue it whole styll wyth hym in heuyn ¶ Thys beynge good chrysten readers y e mynde of our sauiour in those wordes as by the holy doctours and sayntes well doth appere of old now cometh this new dronkeÌ„ doctour maister masker and with a wyse exposycyon of hys owne brayne wolde make vs wene that those wordes with whiche as the olde doctours testyfye Chryste confermed the sacrament in declarynge his power by whyche he wurketh that wonderfull miracle in the sacrament our sauiour had hym selfe spoken agaynste his myracles in the sacrament For thus lo doth maister Masker make Cryst expowne his owne wordes and say If it offende yon to eate my 〈◊〉 whyle I am here it shall mych more offende you to eate it
whan my body shal be gone out of your syght ascended into be upn there syttynge on the ryght hande of my father vntyll I come agayne agayne 〈◊〉 I went ¶ There were good readers two causes for whiche those Iewes and those dyscyples were offended at the herynge of Cryste whan he sayde they shold eate his fleshe One was the straungenesse and the impossybylyte that they thought was therin y t tother was the lothsomnes that they had therto Now yf mayster Masker mene here for the impossybylyte by reason of the dyfference of his pre sence and his absence I can not se why they sholde be more offended after his ascencyon than before For yf it be possyble for hym to make his body to be in many dyuerse places at onys in erth than it is as possyble for hym to make it at onys in those two dyuerse places erth and heuyn For the meruayle standeth not in the farre dystaunce of the two places a sunder but in the dyuersyte of y e two places hauyng in them both one body be they neuer so nere togyther And as for the dyfference of his presence here in erth and his absence hense by his ascensyon into heuyn mayster Masker is more than madde to put that for a dyfference as a cause after thascensyon to make theym more offended to here of the eatynge of hys body For yf he make as he can and doth his body to be as well here in erthe as in heuyn than is hys body no more absent from hense thaÌ„ from thense as for the veryte of hys presence in the place though it be more absent in consyderacyon to vs that se not his body here but in y e forme of brede But the blessed 〈◊〉 se that one blessed body of his in heuyn and here in the blessed sacrameÌ„t both at onys And thus you se that mayster Maskers argument hathe no pyth or strenght yf he mene for impossybylyte ¶ Nowe yf mayster Masker here mene that after Chrystes ascensyon into hyuyn it sholde be a thynge that sholde of reason more offende the Iewes to eate hys flesshe than at y e tyme whyle he was here as a thyng that wolde be than a mych more loth some mete what deuyll reason hath mayster Masker to 〈◊〉 that madde mynde with all to thynke that hys gloryfyed flessh shold be more lothsome to receiue than yf it were vngloryfyed ¶ And yet either he meneth thus or els he lacketh the waye to fynde the wordes with which he wold expresse his mynde For these are the wordes that he maketh Chryste to saye If it offende you to ente my flessh whyle I am here it shall mych more offende you to eate it whan my body shal be gone out of your syghte You se now that he sayth it shal more offende you to eate it whan it is gone out of your syght into heuyn Now yf he hadde ment in the tother maner for thimpossibylyte he wolde haue sayd except he can not speke that it sholde more offende theym to here it tolde them that they sholde than eate his flessh whaÌ„ his flessh were so far absent from them than to here it told them that they sholde eate it whyle it were present wyth them and not say it sholde than more offende theym to eate it For they shall not be offended with the eatynge yf they eate it not And therfore yf he can tell how to speke and expresse his owne mynde he meneth here whyle he sayth it shal more offend you to eate it he meneth I saye that they sholde of reason thynke his flesshe than more lothely to eate after his gloriouse ascencyon than it was ere he dyed Thus it appereth that mayster Masker ment And veryly yf he so mene he hath a madde menynge And yf he mene not so than hath he a madde maner of spekynge And yet hysyde that hys menynge is as madde that waye as the tother ¶ For as I haue shewed you the thyng is no more impossible to Crist to geue them his body to eate after his ascensyon than byfore and therfore is maister Masker a fole to say that it sholde more offende them to here that they sholde eate it after his ascencyon than before For by theyr eatynge he sholde not lese it but both men may haue his body here in erth with them and y e angelys may haue it in heuyn with them and hym selfe may haue it both in erth and in heuyn with hym and all thys at onys ¶ Wherin leste mayster Masker myghte make some wene that I do as he 〈◊〉 I do and as in dede may ster Masker doth hym selfe that is to wyt mocke in this mater and lye ye shal good readers here what holy saynt Chrysostome sayth Helyas lefte vnto Heliseus his man tell as a very greate enherytaunce And in very dede a great enheritauÌ„ce it was and more precyouse than any golde And Heliseus was a dowble Hely there was than helyas aboue and helyas beneth I knowe wel that you thynke he was a iuste and a bles sed man and you wold fayne eche of you be in his case what wyll you say than yf I shew you a certayne other thynge that all we that are seasoned with the holy sacramentes haue receyued that farre excelleth helyas mantell For helias in dede lefte hys dyscyple his mantell But the sone of god ascendyng vp hath lefte vntovs hys flesshe And as for helias leuyng hys mantell to his dyscyple lefte it of from hym selfe But our sauyour Chryst hath bothe lefte it styll with vs and yet in hys ascensyon hath ta ken it wyth hym selfe to Lette neuer therfore our hartes fall for fere nor let vs not lament and by wayle nor drede the dyffycultees of the troubelouse tymes For he that neither hath refused to shede his bloud for vs all and hath also bysyde that geuen vn to vs all his fleshe to eate the same bloude agayne to drynke he wyll refuse nothynge that maye serue for our saluacyon ¶ How say you now good chrysten readers doth not saynt Chrysostom with these wordê afferme you playnely the substauÌ„ce of that that I say as playnely destroye all that mayster masker sayth in his heretycall ex posycion of these wordes of Chryst whych he constre weth so as he wold therby make a repugnaunce bytwen the beynge of Chrystes blessed body in y e blessed sacrament and the beyng of his body by his ascension in heuyn For though mayster masker saye they canne not stande together but is vtterly repugnaunt that his body sholde be here in erthe before domysdaye bycause that vntyll domysdaye it shal be styll in heuyn yet sayth saynt Chrysostome playnely that mayster Masker in his exposycyon lyeth For he sayth that Chryste blessed body is bothe in heuyn also in erth in the blessed sacrameÌ„t in dede ¶ And therfore let mayster Masker leue his iestynge with me go ieste and rayle agaynste saynte Chrysostome
For he confuteth you mayster Masker you se well a lytell more clerer than I. And than whyther of them twayne ye shal byleue and take for the more credyble man mayster Masker or holy saynt Chrysostom euery mannye owne wytte that any wyt hath wyll well serue hym to se. The. iiii chapyter BUt mayster Masker to shewe you a ferther declaracyon of his wytte forth with vpon his wyse and wurshypfull exposycyon of those wordes of Chryst he repeteth that fonde argument agayne that Chryst ment not of eatynge his flesshe in the sacrament bycause that yf he hadde ment it he coulde and wolde haue de clared his menynge more playnely And in that mater thus maister Mas ker sayth Here myght Chryste haue 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 the trouth of the eatynge of hys fieshe in forme of brede had thys ben his menynge For he 〈◊〉 them neuer in any perplexite or dowt but sought all the wayes by symylytudes and famylyare examples to teche them playnely he neuer spake them so harde a parable but where he perceyued theyr feble ignoraunce anone he helpt them and declared it them ye and somtymes he preuented theyr askynge wyth his owne declaracyon And thynke ye not that he dyd not so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 veryly For he came to teache vs and not to leue vs in any dowt and ignoraunce especyally the chyefe poynt of our saluacyon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 standeth in the bylyefe in hys deth for our synnys Wherfore to put them out of all dowt as concernyng this eatyng of his flessh and drynkyng of his bloud that sholde geue euerlastynge lyfe where they 〈◊〉 it for his very body to be eaten with theyr tethe he sayed It is the 〈◊〉 that geueth this lyfe My flesshe profyteth nothynge at all to be eaten as 〈◊〉 meane so 〈◊〉 It is spyrytuall meate that I here speke of It is my spyryt that draweth the har tes of men to me by fayth and so refresheth them gostesy ye be therfore carnal to thynke that I speke of my flesshe to be eaten bodyly For so it profyteth yow nothynge at all How longe wyll you be wyth out vnderstandyng It is my spyryte I tell you that geueth lyfe My flesshe profyteth you nothynge to eate it but to byleue that it shal be crucyfyed suffre for the redempcyon of the worlde it profyteth And when ye thus byleue than eate 〈◊〉 my flesshe and drynke my bloude that is ye byleue in me to suffre for your synnes The veryte hath spoken these wor des My flesshe profyteth nothyng at all it canne not therfore be false For bothe the Iewes and hys dyscyples murmured and dysputed of his flessh how it sholde be eaten and not of the offerynge therof for our synnes as Chryst ment Thys therfore is the fure anker to holde vs by agaynst all the obieccions of the 〈◊〉 for the eatynge of Chrystes body as they say in forme of brede Chryst sayd My flesh profyteth nothyng menyng to eate it bodely Thys is the key that solueth all theyr argumentes openeth the waye to shew 〈◊〉 all theyr false and abomy nable 〈◊〉 lyes vppon Chrystes wordes and vttereth theyr sleyght ingesynge ouer the brede to mayntayne 〈◊〉 kyngdome therwyth And thus when Chryste had declared it and taught them that it was not the bodyly eatynge of hys materyall body but the eatynge wyth the spyryte of faythe he added sayenge The wordes whyche I here speke vnto you 〈◊〉 spyryte and lyfe that is to saye thys mater that I here haue spoken of with so many wordes must be spyrytually vnderstanden to geue ye this lyfe euerlastynge wherfore the cause why ye vnderstand me not is that ye byleue not Here is lo the conclusyon of all hys sermon ¶ Many a fonde processe haue I redde good chrysten readers but neuer redde I neyther a more folysshe nor a more false than this is For the effecte and the purpose of al this pro cesse is that Chryst in all his wordes spoken in thys syxte chapiter of saint IohnÌ„ ment nothynge of the eatyng of his blessed body in the blessed sacrament but onely of an alle gorycal eatynge of his body by whyche he ment onely that they sholde byleue that he sholde be crucyfyed 〈◊〉 shedde his bloude and dye for redempcyon of the worlde ¶ Now that our saniour bysyde al such allegories other spirituall vnderstaÌ„dings playnely ment of y e very eatyng of his blessed body in the bles sed sacrament you haue good reders all redy sene by so many holy doctours and sayntes whose playn wor des I haue rehersed you that no maÌ„ can dowte but that in the whole conclusyon of his argument and his exposycyon mayster 〈◊〉 hath a shamefull fall except any maÌ„ dowt whyther mayster Masker be better to be byleued alone or those holy doc tours amonge them all ¶ But now thys false conclusyon of hys how febly and how folyshely he defendeth y t is euyn a very great pleasure to se. ¶ In this processe hath he ii poynts The fyrste is that Chryste coulde wolde haue made it open and playne in thys place by clere and euydent worde yf he had ment of the eatynge of his flesshe in the sacrament The second is that by these wordê It is the spyryte that geueth lyfe my fleshe profyteth nothynge at all The wordes that I haue spoken to you be spyryte and lyfe Chryste doth playn and clerely declare both that he ment not the eatynge of his flesshe in the sa crament and also that he ment onely the bylyefe that he sholde dye for the synne of the worlde ¶ Now touchynge his fyrste folysh poynt I haue confuted it all redy shewed you some samples where Chryste coulde at some tyme haue declared the mater mych more openly than he dyd and that in great maters of our fayth For I thynke the sacrament of baptysme is a pryncypall poynt of our fayth And yet Chryste taught not Nichodemus all that he coulde haue tolde hym therin as I sayd before ¶ And longeth it nothyng to y e fayth to byleue the remyssyon of mortall sinnes I suppose yes And yet could Chryste yf he had wolde haue decla red more clerely those worde of his who so blaspheme the sone of man it shal be forgeuen hym But he that blasphemeth the holy gooste it shall neyther be forgeueÌ„ him in this world nor in the world to come ¶ No good chrysten man thynketh other but that it is a pryncypall artycle of the chrysten fayth to byleue y t Chryst is one equale god with his father And yet Chryste albe it that by all places sette togyther he hath declared it clere inough in conclusion to them that wyll not be wylfull contencyouse yet dyd he not in euery place where he spake therof declare the mater so clerely as he could haue done yf he than hadde wolde whiche appereth by that that in some other places he declared it more clerely af ter And yet in all the places of the
he reherseth as hym selfe maketh theym new These were good readÌ„er my worde And ouer this the very cyrcuÌ„stauÌ„ces of the places in the gospell in whych our sauiour speketh of that sacrameÌ„t may wel make open the dyfference of his spech in this mater of all those other that as he spake all those but iÌ„ an allegory so spake he this plainly menyng y t he spake of his very body his very bloud beside al 〈◊〉 For neyther whan our lorde sayde he was a very vyne nor whan he sayde he was the dore there was none that herde hym that any thynge meruayled therof And why for bycause they perceyued well that he ment not that he was a materyall vyne in dede nor a materyall dore neyther But whan he sayd that his flesh was very mete and his blood was very drynke and that they shold not haue lyfe in them but yf they dyd eate his flesshe and drynke his blood than were they all moste all in suche a wonder therof that they could not abyde And wher fore but bycause they preceyued wel by his wordes and his maner of cyrcumstaunces vsed in the spekynge of them that Chryste spake of his very flesshe and his very blood in ded For ellys the straungenesse of the wordes wold haue made them to haue taken it as well for an allegorye as eyther his wordes of the vyne or of the dore And than wolde they haue no more merueyled at the tone than they dyd at the tother But now where as at the vyne and the dore they merueyled nothynge yet at the eatynge of his flesshe and drynkynge of his blood they so sore merueyled and were so sore moued and thought the mater so harde the wonder so great that they asked how coulde that be and went almoste all theyr waye wherby we maye well se that he spake these wordes in suche wyse as the herers perceyued that he ment it not in a parable nor an allegorye but spake of hys very flesshe and hys very bloude in dede ¶ Lo good readers here I speke of Chrystes very flesshe and his very bloud as the trouth is in dede But here I saye not as mayster masker sayth I saye that Christ ment of his flesshe and his bloude in suche wyse as the Iewes thought that forsoke hym therfore whych thought as you haue herde that they sholde eate hys flleshe in the selfe fleshely forme and also pyecemele in lothly dede go bettes without eyther lyfe or spiryt ¶ And nowe that you haue sene hys trouth in rehersynge you shal se a shewof his sharpe sotle wit in the soy lynge wherin fyrst after his iuglyng fashyon to carye y e reder wyth wonderynge fro markynge well the mater thus he begynneth wyth a great grauyte geuynge all the worde war nynge to be ware of me To chrysten reader here haste thou not a taste but a great tunne full of Moris myschyefe and pernycyouse peruertynge of goddes holy worde And as thou seest hym here falsely and 〈◊〉 destroye the pure sense of goddes worde so doth he in all other places of hys bokes ¶ To good readers now haue you a great hygh tragycall warnynge with not a litle taste but a great tuÌ„ne full at onys of my myscheuouse pernycyouse false pestylent peruertynge and destroyeng of y e pure sense of goddes holy wordes in this one place whych he wyll shall staÌ„de for a playnte prose that I do the same in all other places ¶ Now good readers alde it that yt myght mysse happe me by ouersyght to mysse handle this one place and yet iÌ„ some other to write wel ynough yet am I content to take the condÌ„ycy on at mayster Maskers hand that if myne hadelyng of this one place be such an heyghnouse handlyng as ma heth it suche a pernycyouse pestilent not onely ê‘uersyon but also destruccyon of the pure sense of goddes holy worde neuer make examynacyon of any other worde of myne farther For I than forthwyth confesse euen here that I haue in al other places wryten wronge euery whyt But now on the tother syde though you shold happe to fynde that in this place I haue somwhat ouer sene my selfe in mysse takynge of some one worde for an other without thecfecte of the mater chaunged than wyll I requyre you to take my fawte for no greater than it is in dede nor mysse truste all my wrytynge for that one worde in this one place mysse taken without thempayrynge of the mater For suche a maner mysse takynge of a worde is not the dystroyeng of the pure sense of goddes holy worde And therfore if you fynde my fawte good readers no ferther than suche ye wyll I dowte not of your equyte bud mayster Masker leue his iniquite and chaunge his hygh tragicall ter mes and turne his great tunne full of pernyciouse pestilent false peruer tynge poysen into a lytell taste of holesome inough though some what smale and rough rochell wyne And therfore lette vs nowe se wherin he layeth this greate hygh hepe of myscheuouse peruertynge To thus good readers he sayth Fyrste where More sayth they merneyled at Chry stes sayenge my of is very meate 〈◊〉 that is not so Neyther is there any suche worde in the texte excepte More wyll exponne murmurabant id est mitabantur They murmured that is to saye they meruayled as he expowneth oportet id est expedit et conuenit he must dye or it behoueth hym to dye that is to saye it was expedient and of good congru ence that he sholde dye c. This poete maye make a man to sygnifye an asse and blacke whyte to blete the symple eyes ¶ Now good readers I wote well that you consider that the cause wher fore I spake of the meruaylyng that they had whych herde Chryst speke of the eatynge of his flesshe was by cause that none of those that herde hym at other tymes call hym selfe a vyne or a dore meruayled any thyng therat so that by the great difference of the behauour of y e herers it might well appere that there was greate dyfference in the spekynge and that the tother two were well perceyued to be spoken onely by waye of allegorye and the thyrde to be spoken of his very flesshe in dede where as Fryth helde opinion y t thys was none otherwyse spoken but onely by way of an allegorye as the tother twayne were ¶ Now good readers yf you reade my wordes agayne in euery place of them where I write they meruey led it wolde lyke you to put out that worde they merueysed and set in this worde they murmured in the stede therof ye shall frnde no chaunge made in the mater by that chaunge made in the wordes But you shal se myne argument shal stand as strong with that worde They murmured as with this worde they merueyled For whan at the herynge of Chryste wordes spekynge of the eatynge of his flesshe the euangelyste sheweth that many of the herers
and some meruailed not that bycause I sayd the fyrste and he proueth the secund therfore I am quyte caste and caught in myne owne trappe This man is a wyly shrewe in argument I promyse you The. vii chapyter BUt now that I haue good readers so fayre escaped my trappe I truste with the helpe of some holy saynt to cach mayster Masker in his owne trappe that his maystershyppe hath made for me ¶ Ye wote well good readers that the trappe whiche he made for me were these two wyly capcyouse questyons of his with whych he thought to cache me that is to wytte fyrste whyther the dyscyples and apostles hard and vnderstode our sauyour in all thre places and than vpon myne answere ye or yes his other questyō ferther whyther they meruayled or murmured Unto whyche whyle I haue answered no now by the trappys of his questyons he rekeneth me dreuyn to be caught in myne owne bycause I sayd that many merueyled as though many other might not bycause the apostles dyd ¶ Now before I shewe you howe hym selfe is taken in his own trappe ye shall here his owne gloryouse wor des with which he bosteth y t he hath taken me wolde make men wene it were so 〈◊〉 these are his wordes Here may you se whether thys olde holy vpholder of the popys chyrche is brought euyn to be taken in hys owne trappe For the dyscyples and his 〈◊〉 neyther murmured nor meruayled nor yet were not offended wyth this theyr mayster Chrystes worde 〈◊〉 and maner of speche For they were well acquainted wyth such phrases answered theyr mayster Cryst when he asked theym wyll ye go hence fro me to Lorde sayd they to whome shall we go 〈◊〉 thou 〈◊〉 the wordes of euevlastyng lyfe we byleue y t thou art Chryste the sone of the lyuynge god Lo maysters more they neyther merueyled nor murmured And why For bycause as ye saye they vnderstode it in an allegorye sence and petceyued well that he ment not of hys materyall body to be eaten wyth theyr teth but he ment it of hym selfe to be byleued to be very god and very man hauynge flesshe and bloude as they had and yet was he the sone of the lyuynge god Thye bylyefe gathered they of all hys spyrytuall sayenges as hym selfe expouneth hys owne wordes sayenge My flesshe profyteth nothynge meanynge to be eaten but it is the spyryte that geueth this lyfe And the wordes that I speke vnto you are spyryte and lyfe So that who so byleue my flesshe to be crucyfyed and broken and my bloude to be shede for hys synnes he eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloud and hath lyfe euerlastyng And thys is the lyfe wherwyth the ryghtuouse lyueth euen by fayth Abacuk 2. ¶ Lo good reader here haue I reher sed you his wordes whole to th ende And yet bycause you shall se that I wyll not hyde from you any pyece of hys that may make for any strength of his mater I shal reherse you fer ther his other wordes wryten in his 13. lefe whyche I wolde haue touched before sauynge that I thought to reserue it for hym to strength with all thys place of his where it myght do hym best seruyce where he wold proue agaynst me to trappe me with that the cause why the dyscyples and apostles merueyled not nor murmured not nor were not offended was bycause they vnderstode Chrystes wordes to be spoken not of very eatynge of hys flesshe but onely of the bylyefe of his passyon by waye of a parable or an allegorye as he spake those other worde whan he sayed I am y e dore whan he sayd I am the vyne The worde lo of M. Masker with which he setteth forth the profe of this point in his 13 lefe be these in the ende of all his exposycyon vpon the syxt chapyter of saynt Iohn̄ Here is lo the conclusyon of all thye sermon Chryst very god and man had set hys flesshe byfore them to be reteyed with fayth that it sholde be broken and suffre for theyr synne But they coulde not eate it spi rytually bycause they byleued not in hym wherfore many of hys dyscyples fyll from hym and walked no more wyth hym And than he sayd to the. xii wyll ye go away to And Symon Peter answered Lorde to whome shall we go Thou haste the wordes of euerlastynge lyfe and we byleue and are sute that thou arte Chryste the sone of the lyuynge god Here it is manyfest what Peter and his felowes vnderstode by this eatynge and drynkynge of Chryste For they were perfytely taught that it stode all in the bylyefe in Chryst as theyr answere here testyfy eth If this mater had stode vppon so depe a myracle as our papystes fayne wythout any word of god not comprehended vnder any of theyr comen senses that they shold eate hys body vnder forme of brede as longe depe thycke and 〈◊〉 brode as it hangeth vppon the crosse they beynge yet but feble of fayth not confermed with the holy goost 〈◊〉 here nedes haue wondered stonied and staggered and haue ben more inquisytyue in and of so strange a mater than they were But they neyther dowted nor merueyled nor murmured nor nothynge offended wyth wyth ma ner of speche as were the other that slypte awaye but they answered fermely Thou hast the wordes of euerlastynge lyfe and we byleue c. Now to the exposycyon of the wordes of our lordes sowper ¶ Lo good readers ye wyll I trow nowe bere me recorde that I dele playnly with mayster Maskar here and hyde nothynge of his a syde that maye do hym any substancyall seruyce towarde the profe of hys purpose And I warraunt you yt shal be long ere you fynde hym or any of all that secte deale in suche playne ma ner wyth me ¶ But nowe good Christen reader reade al these whole wordes of hys in both y e places as often as you lyst and consyder theym well and than shal you perceyue in conclusyon y t he proueth hys purpose by none other thynge in all this worde than onely by his owne wordes expownynge al way the wordes of Chryste as may ster Maskar lyste hym self And vppon that that hym selfe sayeth that the cause wherfore the disciples and apostses 〈◊〉 not not murmured not at these wordes of Christ The brede y t I shall geue you is my flesh c. was bycause they per ceyued that Chryste spake yt in a pa table as I say of his other wordes I am the dore and I am the very vyne vppon these wordes of mayster Maskere owne mayster Maskar concludeth for his purpose the selfe same thynge that he fyrste pre supposeth the thyng that he shold not presuppose but preue that is to wyt that Chryst spake yt but by way of a parable ¶ But agaynste mayster Maskar and his presumptuouse presuppo synge the mater appereth playne For as I haue byfore sayde our sauyour whan he sayd I am the
do but answere the thynges that Fryth layed forthe agaynst the catholyque fayth the selfe same kynde of arguynge I saye mayster Maskar vseth hym selfe and so dothe yonge father Fryth hys felow in folye to ¶ But than agayne whan they argue thus These places maye be so vnderstanden by an allegorye onely as those other places be ergo they be to be so vnderstāden in dede I haue proued alredy that his entēt is false and that they maye not be vnderstanden in an allegory onely as the tother be but the playne and open diffe rence betwene the places appere vp pon the cyrcumstaunces of the texte This haue I proued agaynst Frith alredye and that in suche wyse as your selfe hath sene here that mayster Maskar can not auoyde yt but in goynge about to defende Frythes foly hathe wyth his two solucyons of myne one argument ofter than twyse ouer throwen him self made myne argument more than twyse so stronge ¶ But yet good readers bycause I say that those wordes of Crist The brede y t I shal geue you is my flesh which I shal geue for the lyfe of the world and my flesh is verily meat and my blood veryly drynke and But if you eate the fleshe of the son of man and drynke hys bloode you shal not haue life in you and so forth al such wordis as our sauyour spake hym selfe mencyoned in the syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn and those wordes of our sauyour at hys maun dye wryten wyth all the tother thre euangelystes Thys is my bodye that shall be broken for you be playn and expresse wordes for the catholyque fayth and mayster maskar sayth that the be not wordes playne and expresse but expowneth them all another waye therfore to breke the stryfe therin betwene him and me I haue brought you forth for my parte in myne exposycyon the playne expresse wordes of dyuerse olde holy sayntes by whych you may playne expressely se that they al sayd as I saye ¶ And mayster maskar also can not hym selfe say naye but that agaynst other heretyques before his dayes and myne dyuerse whole generall counsayles of chrystendome haue playnely and expressely determyned the same to be trew that I saye ¶ And all the countreys chrystened can also testyfye that god hathe hym self by manyfold opē miracles playn expressely declared for the blessid sa crament that this is the trewe fayth which mayster Maskar here oppugneth and that god hath by those myra cles expowned his own wordes hym self to be playne expressely spoken for our part ¶ And therfore nowe good christen reders yf mayster mas kar wil make any more stickyng with vs not graūt Christes wordes for playn expresse accordynge to hys promyse reche receyue y e trew faith hold it faste to ye may playne ex pressely tel him there shal neuer trew man trust his false promyse after ¶ Now touchyng the fyfth poynte where he saith that he findeth xx pla ces in scripture mo to prouyng that Christes body is not here in erth remember this wel good reder agaynst he bryna them forth For in his second part whē we come to the tale ye shal fynd his mo than twēty farre fewer than fyftene of al y t shal wel serue hym ye shall fynd fewer than one ¶ Then where he concludeth in the laste poynt vpon these fyue poyntes afore whyche fyue howe well they proue good chrysten readers you se that I must geue hym leue to byleue myne vn wryten vanyties veryties he wold saye at seysour yf the thyn ges that he calleth vn wrytē verities were ī dede vn writē inuēted also by me thā he might be y e bolder to cast hē myne vn writen vanities as he cal leth thē before myn vn writē dremis to But on y e tother syde syth you se your selfe that I haue shewed you theym writem in holy saintes bokes and that a thousand yere before that I was borne your self seeth it wri ten in the playne scrypture to proued playn expresse for our part against hym by tholde exposycyon of all the holy doctours and sayntes and by y e determinacyons of dyuerse generall counsayles of Christes whole catho lyque chyrche and proued playn for our parte also by so many playn opē myracles mayster maskar must nedes be more then madde to cal nowe suche wryten vetyties myne vn wry ten vanytes or myne vn wryten dremys either except he proue both all those thynges to be but an inuencyon of myne and ouer that all those wri tynges to be yet vn writen and that holy doctrine both of holy saintes and of holy scripture vanities also that all the whyle that al those holy folke 〈◊〉 awurke ther with they neyther wrote nor studyed nor dyd nothynge but dreme ¶ Now whyle mayster More must therfore vppon suche consyderaciōs geue maister Masker seue to byleue thys vnwryten vanyte whiche is in all the. iiii euangesystes an expresse wryten verite whyle I must I say therfore vppon suche folysh false cō 〈◊〉 geue hym seue to byleue the tre we fayth at leysour yf he had put it in my choyce I wold haue ben soth to geue hym any senger seysour therin for he hath ben to longe out of ryght bylyefe all redy But syth he sayeth I muste I maye not choyse wherof I am as helpe me god very sory For excepte he take hym selfe that leysour bytyme seuynge the busynesse that be dayly taketh in wrytyng of pestylēt bokes to the cōtrary he shal eis not faile to byleue y e trew fayth at a longe leysour ouer late y t is to wytte whan he lyeth wrechedly in hell where he shall not wryte for lacke of lyght and burnynge vp of his paper but shall haue euerlastyng laysour from all other worke to byleue there that he wolde not byleue here and lye styll euer burne there in euerlastynge fyre for his formar vngracyouse obstinate infydelyte out of whyche 〈◊〉 I be 〈◊〉 god geue hym the grace to crepe and gete out by tyme. And thus you se good readers what a goodly piece mayster masker hath made you which pleased him I warraunt you very well whan he wrote it But it wyl not I wene please him now very well whan he shall after this myne answere rede it The. xii chapyter BUt now goth he ferther against me with a specyall goodly piece wherin thus he sayth Here mayst thou se chrysten reader wherfore More wolde so fayne make the byleue that 〈◊〉 lest aught vnwryten of necessyte to be byleued euyn to stablysshe the popes kyngdome whych standeth of Morys vnwryten vanytees as of the presence of Chrystes body and makynge therof in the brede of putgatory of inuocacyon of sayntes wurshyppyng of stonys and flockys pylgrymages halowynge of vowes and 〈◊〉 and crepynge to the crosse c. If ye wyll byleue what so euer More can fayne wythout the scryptures than can thys poete
my bryngynge in the selfe same sample he maketh that argument for me And therfore now whaÌ„ vppon those facys in the glasse he maketh and faceth hym selfe that lye vppon me and than scoffeth that I face out the trouth with lyes and thaÌ„ proueth neuer one he doth but shew what prety wordes he coulde speke and how properly he coulde scoffe yf the mater wolde serue hym ¶ And yet I pray you good readers consyder well the wordes of that argumeÌ„t that he maketh in myne name we se many faces in many glasses therfore may one body be in many places Now spake not I you wote well of many faces sene in many glassys as he bothe falsely folysshely reherseth me but of one face sene at onys in many glassys For that is lyke to the mater For like as all those glasses whyle onely one man loketh in them he seeth but hys owne one face in all those places so be as saynt Chrysostom declareth all the hostes of the blessed sacrameÌ„t beynge in so farre dystaunt seuerall places a sondre all one very body of our blessed sauyour hym selfe and all one hoste one sacryfyce and one oblacyon ¶ And as properly as mayster mas ker scoffeth at that sample and symy sytude of the glasse I wolde not haue mysse lyked myne owne wytte therin yf thinuencyoÌ„ therof had ben myne owne For I fynde not many samples so mete for the mater to the capacite of good and vnlerned folke as it is For as for the poynt of which mayster Masker maketh all the dyf ficultye that one substaunce beynge but a creature myghte be in many places at onys euery man that is lerned seeth a sample that satisfyeth hym shortely For he seeth and perceyueth by good reasoÌ„ that the soule is vndiuisyble and is in euery parte of the body and in euery parte it is whole And yet is euery member a seuerall place And so is the blessed substaunce of the spyrytuall body of Chrystes flesshe his bonys whole in euery parte of the sacrament ¶ But thys sample of the soule can not euery man vnserned coÌ„ceyue and imagyne ryghte but of the glasse bath for his capacite a more me tely symisitude that y t in one poynt also doth more resemble the mater For the soule forsaketh euery member y t is clene deuided from the body But the blessed body of our sauyour abydeth styll whole in euery parte of the blessed sacrament though it be broken into neuer so many places as the image and forme of the face avydeth whole styll to hym that byholdeth it in euery parte of the broken glasse And thus good readers as for thys sample and symylytude of the face in the glasse mayster Masker maye for his folyshe facynge yt out be myche ashamed yf he haue any shame whan so euer he loketh on his owne face in the glasse ¶ And for conclusyon thys beynge of the body of Chryste in dyuers pla ces at ones syth the olde holy doctours and sayntes sawe and perceyued that the soule of euery man why che is a very substaunce and peraduenture yet of lesse spirituall power than the flesshe and bones of our sauyour Chryste be now and yet very flesshe for all that and very bonys also styll they rekened not that the beynge therof in dyuers places at ones wolde after theyr dayes begyn to be taken for so straunge and harde a thynge as these heretykes make yt nowe And therfore they made nothyng so great a mater of that poynt but the thynge that they thought men wolde moste meruayse of was the conuersyon and turnyng of the brede and the wyne into Chrystes very flesshe and bloud And therfore to make that poynte well open and to make it synke into mennys brestes those olde holy doctours and sayntes as I sayde in these wordes whyche maister maskar mocketh vsed many mo good samples of thynges done by nature ¶ But than were they no myracles sayth mayster Masker And what than good master Masker Myghte they not'serue to proue y t god myght do as mych by myracle as nature by her comen course Those wordes so were by maister masker you se wel very well and wysely put in The. xxiii chapyter 〈◊〉 this towarde the perceyuyng and bylyefe of that point of conuersyon of the brede and the wyne into the very flesshe and bloud of Christe I sayd that those holy doctours and sayntes vsed ensamples of other myracles done by god and wryten in holy scrypture ¶ Now at thys word mayster masker asketh me Ende versus where one I 〈◊〉 your you haue herd all redy good readers in the. xv chapyter of the fyrste boke the wordes of that holy doctour saynt Cyryll in whyche for the credence of that poynt that is to wytte the chaungynge of the brede and the wyne into Chrystes flesshe and hys bloud he bryngeth the myracles that god wrought in the olde lawe as the chauÌ„gyng of the water into bloude and the chaungyng of Moses rodde into a serpent and dyuers other chauÌ„ ges and myghty myracles mo ¶ Yow haue herde also before how saynt Chrysostome agaynste them y e wolde dowte how Chryste coulde geue them hys flesshe to eate layeth forth the myracle of the multiplyeng of fyue louys so sodaynly to xii basketes full more than the fuffycyent fedynge of fyue thousand folke ¶ Here be lo some verses yet mayster Masker mo than one miracle perdye that those holy doctours and sayntes haue vsed in this mater of the blessed sacrament And yet suche other mo shall I brynge you at another leysour ere I haue done wyth your second course that it shall greue you to se them And surely where properly you scoffe at me wyth my many facys in one hode I haue here in thys fyrste parte all redy brought you for the trew sayth of the catholyke chyrche agaynste your false heresye wherwith you wolde face our sauyout out of y e blessed sacrament I haue brought agaynst you to your face saint 〈◊〉 and Theophilactê° saynt Austayne and saynt Hylary saynt Hyreneus saynt Cyryll and saynte Chrysostome so many suche good facys into this one hode that al the shamefullyes y t your shamelesse face can make shall neuer agaynste these facys be able to face out the trouth And thus ende I good readers my fourth boke Here endeth the fourth booke The fyfth booke and the laste of the fyrste parte The fyrste chapyter Now come I good chrysten readers to the last poynte that I spake of the two contradyccyons of myn owne that mayster Masker hath hyghly layed vnto my charge whose wordes I shall good reders fyrst reherse you whole to these they be god saue them At laste note chrysten reader that mayster More in the thyrde boke of hys confutacyon of Tyndale the 249. syde to proue saynt 〈◊〉 gospell vnperfyte in suffycyent for leuyng out of so necessary a poynt of our fayth as he calleth the last souper of Chryste hys maundye sayth that Iohn spake
yt that in the booke that the bretherne that are here haue sent ouer to prent Tyndale and hys felowes to bydylde the worlde wyth all purpose to make many chaunges and amende and aduaunce hys parte vnderpropyng yt wyth they re own proper lyes yet shal y e meanes be metely well founden to controll they re falshed I truste and to take awaye theyr clokes and lyue hys foly bare And than shall men playnely se that of one whome the bretherne boste for so wyse there neuer dyed in Englange byfore any false heretyque so folyshe ¶ But now as touchynge this new come ouer boke whyche the maker hath entitled The super of the lord though the man haue named yt the souper of our sauyour Chryste yet hathe the man made yt the souper of the deuyll ¶ The specyall effecte of all hys whole purpose is to fede vs wyth the moste poysoned heresye that laboreth to kyll the catholyque christen fayth concernynge the blessed sacra ment of the autare all be yt by the waye he putteth forthe dyuerse other heresye besyde ¶ Thys vsauerye souper of his withoute any corne of salte and spyced all wyth poyson he dyuydeth as yt were into two courses that ys to wytte into the treatynge and 〈◊〉 of two specyall thynges spe cyfyed in the gospell of Chryste wherby chrysten people playnely perceyue that in the blessed sacramēt of th aulter is the very blessed bodye of Chryste his very fieshe and hys bloude ¶ In the fyrste parte whych I call here his fyrst course occupyenge the tone halfe of his boke he treateth the wordes of Chryste spoken in the syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ why che wordes our sauyour speketh of the eatyng of his flesh and drynkyng of hys bloude ¶ In his secunde parte whyche I call hys secund course he treateth y e maundye of Chryste wyth hys apostles vpon shere thursday wherin our sauyour actually dyd instytute y t blessed sacrament therin veryly gaue his awne very fleshe and blood to his twelne apostles hym selfe ¶ I shal therfore diuyde this worke of myne into two partes in lyke wise of whyche twayne this shall be the fyrste wherin I shall detect make euery man perceyue thys mannys euyll coquery in hys fyrste course concernynge the treatynge of Chrystes wordes in the syxt chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ ¶ And all be yt y t I shall afterward send you forth my secunde parte also agaynst his secunde course yet shall I so handle thys mannes myscheuouse heresye in this fyrst part that though I neuer wrote worde more herafter of the mater yet to the perceyuynge of the trouth and deteccyon of his falsed this fyrst part might suffyse for all the whole mater ¶ In hys fyrste parte he forste expowneth the later parte of his syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ and by hys declaracyon laboreth to drawe men from the perceyuynge of the trouth and setteth forth also both his pryncypall heresye and ouer that dyuerse other ¶ Also in the same parte he argueth agaynste all men in generall that expowne any of those wordes of Crist there spoken to be ment by Chryste of the very eatynge of hys fleshe as the catholyque chyrch byleueth in the blessed sacrament ¶ In that fyrste parte also he argueth agaynste me by name in specyall and pretendeth to soyle such argumentes as I made in my letter agaynste the poysoned treatyse that John Fryth had before made in that mater agaynst the blessed sacrament ¶ In that parte also the man bryngeth in two placys all in great which he hath pyked out by longe leysoure amonge all my bokes in eyther of whyche two places he sheweth that I haue notably contraryed myn own wrytynge that I haue wryten my self in other places before sheweth also the places where ¶ I shall therfore good readers in thys fyrste parte of myne gyue you fyue bokes and some of them very shorte ¶ In the fyrst wyll I geue you the exposycion of the selfe same wordes of Chryste mencyoned in the syxte chapyter of saynt John by whyche who so conferre them and consyder them togyther shall I trust perceiue well the fashed of his exposycyon not be deceiued therby And for myne exposycyon ye shall not geue me the thanke For I haue but pyked it out here and there out of the wrytynges of dyuers olde holy menne ¶ The seconde shall shew you for a sample some of the fawtes both in folies and errours that the man hath made vs in his exposycyon ¶ The thyrde shal answere soyle hys wyse reasons wyth whyche he wolde make all men folys that haue expowned that place before cōtrary to hys here sye now that is to wytte all the olde holy doctours and saynte frome thapostses dayes vnto oure owne tyme. ¶ In y e fourth shall ye se what wyt and what sernyng he sheweth in soysynge of myne argumentes made be fore in that mater agaynst his felow Iohn̄ Fryth ¶ The fyfth shall declare you the dylygence that the man hath done in sekyng out my neglygence leuynge some places in my wrytynge repugnaūt contrary the tone place to the tother And of such place ye shall as I sayd se hym with dylygent serche of thre yere at laste brynge you forth twayne And there shall you se good chrysten reders that in those twayn my neglygence shall for all his dylygence proue hym twyse a fole ¶ But in the treatyng of this mater with hym I shall lacke somwhat of the commodyte that the man hath in dysputynge wyth me For he hath a greate pleasure of tetymes nowe in one maner now in another now to talke of me and nowe to speke to me by name wyth thus sayth More and 〈◊〉 mayster More and sometyme maysier Mocke and let More mocke on and lye to and many such goodly garnyshynge mo But he wyll be for hys owne parte sure that I shall not dyspute wyth hym by name and therfore he kepeth it awaye ¶ And therfore what foly and what falsed be founden in his boke he forceth very lytell For shame he thynketh he can none take therby whyle folke knowe not hys name ¶ Wherin he fareth myche lyke to some bestely body y t wolde not care to sytte downe wyth hys face to the walwarde and ease hym selfe in the open strete and though all the towne at onys tote in his tayle take it for no shame at all bycause they se not hys face ¶ And veryly as we se somtyme that suche as walke in visours haue mych the lesse fere and shame bothe what they do and what they saye bycause they thynke theym selfe vnknowen so do these folke oftentymes lytell force what they wryte that vse to putte out theyr bookes and set not theyr names vnto theym They thynke theym selfe vnsene whyle 〈◊〉 name is vnknowen and therfore they fere not the shame of theyr foly As some haue I sene 〈◊〉 thys full boldely come daunce in a maske whose dauncynge bycame thē so
of misteries and lyftynge vppe of the soule into y e lyuely lyght and inward hygh sighte of god And all those manyfold senses diuers in the waye and all tendynge to one ende maye be conuenient and trew and all by one spyrxte prouyded and in to diuerse spyrites by the same one spyrite inspyred for spyrituall profite to be by many meanes multyplyed and encreaced in 〈◊〉 chyrche ¶ But neuer hath any good māben accustumed to playe the pageaunt y t mayster Maskar playeth vs here with a spyrytuall exposicyon of allegoryes or parables to take awaye y t very fyrste sense that god wolde we shold lerne of the letter and bycause of some allegories turne all y e playn worde for y e first right vnderstāding into a secundary sense of allegoryes ¶ Of this maner 〈◊〉 of scrip ture I make mencyon in my letter agaynst Frythes false handesynge of this same place of saynt Iohan. And there I shewed in what wyse y t false heretikes y e Arrianys vsed by y e same meanys to take y e godhed from Cry stes persone as fryth and these felowes by the selfe same maner of ex pownynge the scrypture do take awaye Chrystes manhed from Chry stes blessed sacrament ¶ In that pistle I shewed also that I wold in allegoricall exposycyons fynde no faute but be well content with them so that men mysse vse thē not to the takynge away of the trew litterall sense bysyde ¶ This thynge I there shewed good readers in the self same pystle that mayster Masker maketh here as though he could wold answere And yet as though he had neuer herd my wordes but slepte while he redde them he playeth here the selfe same pageaunt hym selfe whyle with his allegorycall exposycyō of spyrytuall eatynge of Chrystes godhed and of his body by byliefe of his passyon he goth about to take awaye from vs y e very lytterall trewth of the very eatynge and bodely receyuynge of Chrystes owne very flesshe bloud ¶ Now wyll I not say any maner blame at all to any man that wyll exspowne all the whole processe of Genesis by allegories and teche vs certeyne conuenyent vertues vnderstāden by the four floodes of paradys and tell vs that paradyse is grace out of whyche all the flodys of all vertues flowe and water the erth callynge the erth mankynd that was made therof beynge barayne frutelesse but yf it be watered with y e floodes of vertue and so forth in some suche maner expowne vs all the remanaunt Or lo that thus doth doth in my mynde ryght well But mary yf he wolde do it in the maner with the mynde that mayster Masker expowneth vs Christes wordes all in allegoryes here and wold teche vs suche a spyrytuall sense to make vs byleue that those wordes were to be none other wyse vnderstādē bysyde but that there were no such floodes flowynge forth of paradyse nor no suche paradyse at all I wold wene verely that he were a very heretyke ¶ I fynde no fawte also with them that expowne the story of Sampson tayenge the foxes togyther by y e taylys and settynge a fyre in them and sendynge them so in to the felde of y e Phylistyes to burne vp the corne in those I saye that expowne that story by the deuyll sendyng his heretykes in to the corne felde of god the catholyke chyrche of Chryste wyth y e fyre of false wordes to desiroye y e corne bothe of 〈◊〉 we farth and good wutkys tayed togyder by the tayles in token that all theyr here sies be theyr hedes neuer so farre a sūder yet are theyr tayles tayed togyther in that y e all tende towarde one ende that is to wytte to the destruccion of all manee grace and goodnes that the tayeng of the fyre and theyr tayles togyther signiifeth also y t for theyr foxly false hed finally in the ende the hote fyre of hell shal be so fast tayed ī all theyr tayles wrabelynge there together y e neuer shall they gete y e fyre fro theyr taylys nor fro the bandes of hell be seuered or breke asundre with this al legorye of those good men that thus expowne y t story I fynd no faute at all But on the tother syde if any mā wold expowne it so by that spirituall allegorye agaynst these heretykes y t 〈◊〉 word therwith enforce hym selfe to take away the sytterall sense and say the text signifyed nothyng 〈◊〉 and that there was no suche thynge done indede hym word I 〈◊〉 for an hereiyke to ¶ And in 〈◊〉 wyse good readers yf mayster Masker here dyd onely expowne all those wordes of Chryste as thynges spoken of spyrytuall eatyng by waye of allegory that waye word I well allow for so doth not onely suche as he is but also good faythfull folke to But now whā he draweth all Christe wordes to those allegoryes of a false wyly purpose to make men wene so sayth hym self for his part y t they signifye none other thyng this is the poynt y e proueth mayster Masker an 〈◊〉 ¶ And therfore as I sayd all his ex policyō is 〈◊〉 of fro the purpose approcheth not to the poynt For the questyō is not whither those wordes may be well veryfyed expowned of spyrituall eatyng by way of an allegory but whyther it may bysyde al y e be trewly expowned of the very bodyly eatyng of Cryste blessed body indede For 〈◊〉 it so may than 〈◊〉 there no mā of so siēdre wytte but he may well se y e all mayster Maskers allegorycall exposicyon of his onely spirituall eatyng 〈◊〉 fro the pue pose quite dare not cōe 〈◊〉 y e point ¶ Wherfore to th entēt y e ye may 〈◊〉 rely se y e in this exposicyō of his 〈◊〉 holy as he wold haue it seme he doth but clerely mokke sauynge that it is myche worse thanne mockynge to make men fall fro the fayth I shall geue you of the same wordes of Chryst wrytē in the syxt chapyter of saynt Johan another exposycyon my selfe in which I shall bysyde all suche spyrytuall exposicyons as this man vseth therin by waye of 〈◊〉 or parables declare you y e very lytterall sense of those wordes My flesshe is veryly meate my bloude veryly drynke So that ye maye se therby y t our sauyour veryly spake ment not onely suche a spyrytuall ratyng as mayster Masker sayth he onely ment but also the very bodyly eatyng drinkyng of his very fleshe and bloude in dede whiche exposicyō of myne yf it be in that poynt trewe than must it nedes folow ye se wel that his exposicyon is farre fro the purpose For all though there were not one false word therin yet were it in dyssemblynge of the trouth very lewd̄ and falsely handelyd ¶ And now that myne exposycyon shal be trewindede that shall you ere I seue you so clerely perceyue and see that I trust there shall neuer any suche heretyke as
dye for your synnys And syth he sayd not thus mayster Maskers own argument hath cutte of his cable rope lost his anchore runne his shyppe hym self agaynst a rocke For he sayth that yf he had ment it he wold haue tolde them playne the tale to put them out of all dowte ¶ And here you se now good reders by mo meanys than one as wel by y e exposycyons of olde holy doctours sayntes as by the wyse argument of mayster masker hym self to what wyse wurshypfull ende thys ryall brage of his is come to passe in whiche he triumpheth ouer the catholike chyrch the blessed sacramēt where he bosteth thus Thys therfore is the sure anker to holde vs by agaynst all the obieccions of the papystes for the eatynge of Chrystes body as they say in forme of brede Chryst sayd My flesh profyteth nothyng menyng to eate it bodely Thys is the key that solueth all theyr argumentes openeth the waye to shew vs all theyr false and abomynable blasphemouse lyes vppon Chrystes wordes and vttereth theyr sleyght ingelynge ouer the brede to mayntayne Antichrystes kyngdome therwyth And thus when Chryste had declared it and taught them that it was not the bodyly eatynge of hys materyall body but the eatynge wyth the spyryte of faythe he added sayenge The wordes whyche I here speke vnto you are spyryte and lyfe that is to saye thys mater that I here haue spoken of with so many wordes must be spyrytually vnderstanden to geue ye this lyfe euerlastynge wherfore the cause why ye vnderstand me not is that ye byleue me not Here is lo the conclusyon of all hys sermon ¶ Syth your selfe haue sene good readers that in this mater and in this whole exposycyon there are agaynst mayster masker not onely the catholyke chyrche of our tyme but also all the olde holy doctours and sayntes which with one voyce expoune these wordes of Chryste to be spoken and ment of that eatynge of Chrystes flesshe by whyche it is eaten in the blessed sacrament agaynste whiche poynt mayster masker here rageth in this his furyouse boste raylynge vp pon them all that so teche or byleue vnder his spygstuff name of papystes I wold wytte of mayster masker whyther saynt 〈◊〉 saynt Austayn and saynt Ambrose saynt 〈◊〉 and saint 〈◊〉 Theophilactus saynt Cyrill and saynt Chry sostome were all papystes or not If he answere ye and saye the were than shall he make no man that wise is asshamed of the name of papyste as odyouse as he wolde make it yf he graunte vs that suche good godly men such holy doctours sayntes were papystes ¶ Now yf he answere me nay and say that they were no papystes than he maketh it playne and open vnto you good reders that he playeth but the part of a folyssh rayler aiester and doth but deceyue and mocke all his owne fratexnyte whan by raylynge agaynste papystes whom he wold haue taken for folke of a false fayth he dyssembleth the trouth that his here sye is not onely dampned by them that he calleth papystes but by them also whom he cōfesscth for no papistes and whom he cannot but cō fesse for old holy doctours saintes nor cannot so blynd you but that you playnely perceyue by theyr own wor des which I haue rehersed you and yet shal hereafter more playnely per ceyue by mo holy doctours saynts of the same sort by mo playne wor des also of y e same y t they do all with one voyce expoune these wordes of Chryst mencyoned in the syxte chapi ter of saynt Iohn to be spokē ment of y t eatyng of his flesh by which we eate it in the blessed sacrament ¶ And thus haue I good reders answered you all mayster Maskers ar gumentes by whych he reproueth in generall vnder the name of papyste all those that is to wytte all the olde holy doctours and sayntes that contrary to hys heresye expowne the sayde wordes of Chryste to be ment of the very eatynge of hys flesshe and not onely of the byleuynge of his deth for our synne And now wyll I come to his subtyll dysputacyōs that he maketh against me by name in specyall to soyle such thynges as I in my letter wrote agaynst Iohn Fryth Here endeth the thyrde booke The fourth boke IN the syxte lefe thus he sayth Here maketh M. More this argumēt agaynst the 〈◊〉 man Bycause the Iewes merueyled at this 〈◊〉 my fleshe is very meate my bloude drynke and not at this I am the dore and the very vyne therfore this text sayth he my flesshe 〈◊〉 must be vnderstanden after the lytterall sence that is to wyt euen as the carnall Iewes vnderstode it murmurynge at it veynge offended goynge theyr wayes from Cryst for theyr so carnal vnderstandynge therof and the tother textes I am the dore c. must be vnderstanden in an allegorye a spyrytual sence bycause his hearers merueyled no thynge at the maner of speche ¶ I haue good readers byfore this argument that he speketh of another argument in that pystle of myne agaynst fryth whyche all though it went before and was redde before this yet bycause it wolde not well be soyled maister Masker was content to dyssemble it But I shall afterward anone lay it afore hym agayne and sette hym to it with a festue that he shall not saye but he sawe it ¶ But now as for this argument of myne that he maketh the fyrste I mysse fortuned to make so feble that he taketh euyn a pleasure to playe with it and therfore he soyleth it and soyleth it agayne that 〈◊〉 wysely ye may be faste and sure and so shall you saye your selfe whan you se all But yet though he wynne hym selfe worshyp in the soylynge yt was no great wysedome to lese his worshyp in the rehersynge wyth false beryng in hande that I saye that those wordes of Cryste muste be vnderstanden after that lyterall sense that the carnall Iewys toke therin that mur mured and went theyr way therfore For they toke yt of hys fseshe to be eaten in the self same fleshely forme and as holy saynte Austayne sayeth that they shold haue eaten his fleshe deade withoute lyfe or spyryte as befe or motten is cutte out in bochers shoppys And I am very sure that mayster Maskar hathe no such word in my letter wherof he maye take hold to say that I say that Chrystes worde shold be taken so But this is no newe fashyon of these folkes to reherse other mennes argumentes in suche maner as theym selfe lyste to make them and thē they make them such as them selfe may most easely soyle theym whych whyle mayster Masker hathe done wyth myne yet hath he lytle auauntage therby But to th entent that all thynge shall be the more open byfore your yien I shall reherse you fyrste the thynge that he wolde be content you sawe not ytis to wit myne own worde as I wrote theym whyche
wherwith he wolde make me be taken in myne owne trappe And therfore fyrste for argument sake I denye that thapostles them selfe vnderstode Chryste worde Now wyll now mayster Masker proue me y t they dyd Mary sayth he for they were well acqnaynted wyth suche phrases And answered theyr mayster Chryst whan he asked theym wyll you go hense fro me to Lorde sayd they to whom shall we go thou hast the wordes of euerlastynge lyfe we byleue that thou arte Chryste the sone of the lyuynge god ¶ Now good reader I thynke there be some textes in scrypture that may ster Masker vnderstandeth not no more than other pore men But yet yf he wyll not agre that but say that he vnderstandeth yet yf we wolde put y e case that there were some such one texte he wold I thynke admytte the case for possible Let vs than put him hardely none other but euyn the same wordes of Chryste that we be now in hande wythall For no man vnderstandeth any word wurse than he vnderstandeth those euyn yet whyle he wryteth on them If hym selfe had ben than of that flocke and had sene all other thynges in Chryst that his apostles saw and had byleued in hym and had not mysse trusted Chryste but ben redy to do what he wolde byd hym do and byleue what he wolde byd hym byleue but had yet as for those wordes of eaiynge Chrystes flesshe thought them hard to perceyue what Chryste ment by theym but though he fully vnderstode them not as he thought yet he dowted not but that good they were that god spake and that Chryst if he taryed hys tyme wold tell hym ferther of the mater at more leysour yf now whan other went theyr waye Chryst wolde haue sayde vnto hym wylte thou mayster Masker go thy waye fro me to whyther wold than mayster Masker haue letted to saye euyn the selfe same wordes that the apostles sayd with other lyke whyther sholde I go fro the good lorde Thou haste the wordes of euerlastynge lyfe I byleue and knowe that thou arte Chryst the sone of the lyuyng god and art able to do what thou wylte and thy wordes be holy and godly whyther I vnderstande them or no and thou mayst make me perceyue them better at thy ferther pleasure wold mayster masker haue ben contented to saye thus or ellys wolde he haue sayd Nay by my fay good lorde thou shalte tell me this tale a litel more playnly y t I may bet ter perceyue it by by or els wyll I go to the deuyll with yender good felowes and lette theym dwell wyth the that wyll ¶ Now yf mayster Masker wolde as I wene he wolde but yf he were starke madde haue sayde the same hym selfe that saynt Peter sayde or be content at the lest that saynt Peter sholde saye it for hym though hym selfe hadde not well and clerely perceyued what Chryste ment by those wordes Now can he nowe proue by the same wordes of theyrs that thapostles vnderstode hys wor des than ¶ Thus you se good readers that of his two questyons the fyrst haue I so answered that it is come to no thynge yf I wolde stycke wyth hym styll at hys answere tyll he haue better proued me than he hath yet that thapostles in the syxte chapyter of saynt Iohn̄ dyd vnderstand Cristes wordes And now therfore tyll he haue better handeled his fyrst que styon he can agaynste me neuer vse his secunde wherby he bosteth that I coulde make none answere but suche as sholde take my self in myne own trappe From whych syth I am clene ascaped all redy by the answerynge of his fyrste questyō you may good readers se that mayster Masker goth as wylyly to worke to take me as a man myghte sende a chylde about wyth salt in hys hand and byd hym go cache a byrde by layenge a lytell salt on her tayle whan y e byrd is flowen comforte hym than to go cache another and tell hym he hadde caught y t and it had taryed a lytell The. vi chapyter BUt yet to se now how craftely he could betrappe me if I wold let hym alone Let vs graunte hym for hys lordly pleasure that the dyscyples and apostles vnderstode Christes wordes well in all thre pla ces not onely whan he sayd he was the dore and whan he sayde he was the vyne but also whan he sayde my flesshe is veryly meate What now Mary than sayth mayster Masker If More answere ye or yes than do I aske hym ferther whyther Chrystes dyscyples and apostles thus 〈◊〉 and vnderstandynge hys wordes in al the thre chapyters wōdered merueyled as More sayth or murmured as hath the texte at theyr may sters speche what thynke you More muste answere here here maye you se why ther thie olde holy vpholder of the 〈◊〉 chyrche is brought euyn to be taken in hys own trappe For the dyscyples and hys apostles neyther murmured nor metuayled nor yet were not offended wyth this theyr mayster Chrystes wordes and maner of spekynge ¶ In what trappe of myne owne or his eyther hath mayster Masker caught me here Mine argumēt was ye 〈◊〉 well y t at the herynge Cryst saye I am the dore I am the very vyne no man meruayled at the maner of spekynge bycause that euery man perceyued his wordes for allegoryes parables But in the thyrd place where he sayde My flesshe ys veryly meate And the brede that I shall geue you is my flesshe And ex cepte you eate the flesshe of the sone of man and drynke his bloude you shall not haue lyfe in you so many meruayled bycause they perceyued well it was not a parable but that he spake of very eatynge of his flesshe in dede that of all his herers very few could abyde it but murmured sayd how can he gyue vs his flesshe to eate And his own dyscyples sayd Thys worde is harde who maye here hym and went almost all theyr way Now whan theffecte of myne argument is that in this poynt many meruayled at the thynge as a thynge playnely spoken and not a parable but a playne tale that men sholde veryly eate his flesshe and that no man meruayled at the tother two maner of spekynge bycause they perceyued them for parables what maketh it agaynste me that in the thyrde place there were some that meruayled not nor murmured not syth that though some dyd not yet many dyd bothe meruailed murmured went theyr war that farre the moste part and saue the apostles almost euerichone And veryly the tother dyscyples as saynt Chrysostome sayth those that than were present agaynst mayster maskers sayeng went theyr wayes all the maynye ¶ Where is now good readers thys trappe of myne owne makynge that I am fallen in hath mayster Masker caste me downe so depe with prouynge me that some meruayled not where I sayd many dyd Be these two proposicions so sore repugnaunt and so playne contradyctory Many meruayled
chrysten are bounden to obaye his preceptes But yet that we sholde be not onely by loue but also in very dede turned in to y t flesh of his that thyng is done by the meate that his lyberalyte hath gyuen vs. For whyle he lon ged to declare and expresse hys loue that he bore towarde vs he hath by his owne body mengled hym selfe wyth vs and hath made hym selfe one wyth vs that the body sholde be vned with the hedde For that is the greateste thynge that louers longe for that is to wytte to be if it were possyble made both one And that thynge lygnyfyed Iob of hio seruaūtes of whom he was most hartely beloued which to expresse the vehemēt loue that they bare towarde hym sayde who coulde gyue vs the gyfte that we myghte haue oure bodyes euyn fulfylled with hys flesshe whyche thynge Chryst hath done for vs in dede bothe to th entent to bynd vs in the more feruent loue towarde hym and also to declare the feruent loue and desyre that hym selfe bare towarde vs. And therfore hath he not onely suffered hym selfe to be sene or loked vppon by them that desyre and longe for hym but also to be touched and eaten and the very teth to be infyxed into his flesshe and all folke to be fulfylled in the desyre of hym Frō goddes borde therfore let vs ryse like lions that blew out fyre at the mouth suche as the denyll maye be aferde to beholde vs let vs consyder Chryst our hed what a loue he hath shewed vs. The fathers and the mothers oftentymes put out theyr chyldren to other folke to nurse But I may our sauyour say nuryshe fede my chyldren with myne owne flesshe I geue them here myne own selfe so fauour I them all And suche greate hope I geue theym all agayne the tyme that shall come For he that in suche wyse gyueth vs hym selfe in this lyfe here mych more wyll he gyue vs hym selfe in the lyfe that is to come I longed sayd our lorde to be your brother And for your sakes I haue communycated and made comen vnto you my flesh and my bloud The thynges by whyche I was ioyned with you those thynges haue I exhybyted agayne and geuen to you y t is to saye the very fleshe and bloude by which I was made natural man with you that same haue I in the sacrament ex hybyted geuen agayne vnto you Thys bloud causeth y e kinges image to floure in vs. This bloude wyl not suffre the bewty and the noblynes of of the soule whych it euer watereth nuryssheth to wyther or fade fall The bloud that is made in vs of our other comen meate is not by and by bloude but before it be bloude it ys somwhat ellys But this bloude of Chryst out of hande watereth y e soule with a certayne meruelouse myght and strength seasoneth it by and by This mystycall or sacramētall bloud that is to saye thys bloud of Christ in the sacrament dryueth the deuyls farre of and bryngeth to vs not angellys onely but the lorde of all angellys to The deuyls whan they by holde and se the bloud of Chryst with in vs they fle larre from vs and the angellys runne as faste towarde vs. ¶ And yet saynt Chrysostome ceaceth not wyth all thys but goth forth with a lenger processe declaryng the great benefyte of this bloud both by the shedyng on the crosse and by the receyuyng in the sacrament whyche whole processe I shall peraduenture hereafter in some other place reherse ¶ But for this mater good chrysten readers thus mych dothe more then suffyse For by lesse than this ye may more than playnely perceyue that thys olde holy doctour saynt Chryso stom manyfestely declareth sheweth that our sauyour in those wordes that he spake to the Iewes mencyoned in the syxte chapyter of saynte Iohst veryly spake and ment of the very eatynge of his flesshe whyche thynge he promysed there and which promyse he performed after at hys maundy whan he there instituted the blessed sacrament The. x. chapyter ANd nowe good readers to fynyshe at laste this mater of may ster Maskers agaynste my secunde argument whyche he calleth my fyrste bycause my fyrste is suche as he is lothe to loke vppon I retorne ones agayne to mayster maskers two sore captyouse questyons and lykewise as he hath asked theym of me and I haue as you se so well auoyded his gynnys and his grinnes and all his trymtrams that he hathe not yet trayned me into no trappe of myne owne as you se him solēpnely boste so wyll I now be bolde to aske of hym fyrst whyther saynt Chri sostome here ye and saynt Austayne to and saynte Cyrille saynte Bede saynte Nyreneus and saynt Nilary were of the mynde that thapostles vnderstode theyr mayster Chry stes wordes whan he sayd And the brede that I shall gyue you is my fleshe c. And my flesh is very meate c. And I tell you very trouth except you eate the flesh of y t sone of man c. ¶ If mayster masker answer me to thys questyon naye or no than shall he make me bolde to answere y e same to hym For than shall he not fere me wyth his owne sayenge that the gospell sayth contrary in the syxte chapyter of saynte 〈◊〉 yf he graunte and confesse hym selfe that all those holy doctours saye therin agaynste his owne sayenge whyche amonge them all vnderstode that gospell as well as hym selfe alone ye though he take Fryth and frere Nuyskyn to hym to And therfore yf he answere naye or no than is he quyte ouerthrowen as you se and his secunde questyon quyte gone to for than can he neuer come to it ¶ Now on the tother syde yf he answere me ye or yes than se good readers wherto mayster Masker bryngeth hym self euyn to be taken in his owne trappe For than he marreth all hys mater For syth you se clerely good readers that all these holy doctours and sayntes openly do declare by theyr playne worde which your selfe haue here all redy herde that Chryste in those worde veryly spake and ment of the very eatynge of his very flesshe in dede it muste nedes folow agaynste mayster Maskers mynde in the earys the hartes of al such as byleue better al those holy doctours than hym that this is the ryght vnderstandynge of Chrystes wordes and that thapostles yf they vnderstode his wordes vnderstode them after the same fashyon that is to wyt that he spake ment of y e very eatyng of his very flesh in ded And so serueth hym his secunde questyon of nought For the cause why they meruaysed not in any murmurynge maner was bycause they byleued it well at theyr maysters word whych mayster masker doth not and y e cause why therwere not by by curyouse inquisitiue was asyou haue herd saīt Chrysostome declare ' bycause they were meke and obedyent and not so