Melchisedech had offered that is to wete breade and wyne that is to saye his bodye and bloud Augustine Augustine also in the sixtenth chaptur of the ninetienth booke againste Fausins thus saieth Oh in how great an errour thei ierre swerne whiche thynke that because the signes and sacramentes are chaunged therfore the thynges selfes are dyuerse and not all one And in the one and tweÌ„tieth chapitur of the twentieth booke of the same weorke The fleashe and bloud of this sacrifice before the comming of Christe was promised by Hostes and sacrifices of likenesses at the tyme of Christes passion it was geueÌ„ in verai trueth and euer sens the ascâ—ndyng of Christe into heauen it is celebrated by the Sacramente of his memoriall The same Austen in the twentye sixthe traiâ—tise vpon Ihon sayeth Those Sacramentes wer diuerse and not al one in the signe but in the thyng that is signifyed thei are eguall and euen all one Thesame Austen a litell after Thesame meate than sayeth he the same drinke but that was to suche as vnderstood and beleued it but to them that vnderstood it not that same was than onely Manna and that same was than onely bare Water and nothing els but to the beleuing and feithfull it was euen the veraisame that it nowe is For at that tyme was Christ yet to come but now he is come To come and comed alreadie are distincte wordes but Christe is bothe than and nowe all one And Bertram Bertram one of the wryters in these later tymes thus wryteth Yet neuerthelesse that our aunciente fathers of the olde lawe did eate the selfe same spirituall meate that we dooe and dranke the selfe same spirituall drinke that we now dooe Sainct Paule dooeth earnestly affirme But thou wilte peraduenture aske this question whiche selfe same meate and drinke Ueraily the veraiself same which the people of the beleuing sort doe at this day eate drinke in the Churche or coÌ„gregacion For it is not leefull in any wyse to vnderstande that thei should bee diuerse or distincte meates and drinkes seyng that one and the selfe same Christe it is whiche did bothe than fede with his fleashe and geue drinke of his bloude to the people in the wildernesse and baptised in the cloud and in the sea dooeth now at this present in the Churche and congregacion of the beleuing sorte fede the people with the bread of his bodie geueth theÌ„ drinke of the water of his bloud And thesame Bertram not many lines â—nsuing saieth in this wyse A wondrefull matier truely and a thyng aboue the reache of mannes capacitee reason or estimacion He had not yet taken the nature of man vpoÌ„ him he hadde not yet tasted death for the saluacion of the worlde he had not yet redemed vs with his bloude yet the olde fathers in the wyldernesse didde through spirituall meate and drinke inuisible eate his bodye and drinke his bloud as the Apostle Paul witnesseth where he cryeth The selfe same spirituall meate c. And thesame Bertram anon after saieth in this manier For the selfe same Christe whiche at this daye doeth in the feithfull congregacion through his almightifull power spirituallye turne breade and wyne into the fleashe of his body and into the liquour of his own bloud the self same Christ did at that time inuisibly weorke Manna that was geuen from heauen to bee his bodye and the water powred doune from heauen to bee his owne bloud We se ferthermore that in the sacrament of baptisme is geuen the holye ghoste and the remission of sinnes The thirde argument against transubstaâ—ciacion and yet can we not saye that the holye ghoste the remission of sinnes lye secretly hid in the waters Yea and in baptisme we putte on Christ vpon vs and yet dooeth no man saye that the water suffreth anye transubstanciacion But the aduersaries allege Christ to bee after one sorte in the Sacrament of his supper Another obâ—ccioÌ„ and after another waye in baptisme whiche poynt I wyll not denie so that thei graunte hym to bee in baptisme too As touching the manier of Christes beeyng in the SacrameÌ„tes my plain mynde is that Christ in baptisme is geuen to vs as a mediatour and a reconciler and to speake in a more apte time a regeneratour that is to saye as oâ—e that begeatteth vs of newe and in the Sacramente of his supper he is distributed vnto vs as a meate and a foode The fourth argumâ—nte Moreouer these transubstancioners doe with their transubstanciation crepe verai nere to the trope and manier of speakyng of the Heretiques of Marcions secte For thei saie It semeth bread looketh lyke breade and yet is none whiche selfe same thynge Marcion the Heretique did saie of the fleashe and body of Christe that it was not a body and fleashe in verai true dede but did onely appere to be a body and fleashe and yet was none The fifthe aâ—gument against transubstanciacioâ— Christ is no iugler neither doth he mocke or daly with our senses But whan he was arise again from death to life he proued declared his resurreccion by our seÌ„ses Fele my body saied he loke wel vpoÌ„ it For a spirite hath not any fleashe bones his Apostles might haue saied We fele it we se it it appereth fleashe it is like a body but yet it is not fleash in dede And so Christes profe had ben nothing worth with the whiche he would haue it tryed that his body was not a fantasticall bodye but a verai body in dede And that he had resumed takeÌ„ again his verai owne body not any other manier body he declared by a plain profe shewed to the yie by printes holes of the nailles by yâ— open hole in his side The which argument profe of Christes making should be of no strength at al nor effect if ther wer yet a place left for such iugling castes as the aduersaries wold haue here in this matier of yâ— sacrameÌ„t The fathers also old writers dooe hold that Christ was very maÌ„ The sixthe argumente because he had the properties accideÌ„tes of mans nature as for exaÌ„ple because he huÌ„gred slept wouÌ„dred was sory wept suffred which argumentes wer nothing worth at al if suche accidentes be not sufficient profes that where suche accideÌ„tes be there is al so a substauÌ„ce to whoÌ„ thesame be accideÌ„tes as if a maÌ„ caÌ„not argue thê° thesame forme or fashioÌ„ which was woÌ„t to be in bread doth yet remain thesame tast the same colour ergo it is bread For the Heretiques will not dâ—nie but grauÌ„t that Christ was hungry that he slept that he woÌ„dred that he wept and that he suffred but wheÌ„ you will therupon coÌ„clude that he was verai maÌ„ thei wil denie your argumeÌ„t For thei wil saie that these properties might be fouÌ„d in Christ though a substauÌ„ce to which thei should
in our body Sanctificacion begynneth of the â—â—ll and not of the bodye and what effecte shall it weorke there Thei will aunswere that Christes bodye entreth into our bodyes to the ende that a man maie be made holy thereby But it is mete and conueniente that holynesse take his beginnyng fyrst of the minde or solle and not of the bodye The .xxxv. argumente against transubstanciacion Thei will ferther saie that a certain strength and efficacie is thereby empriented in the bodye throughe whiche efficacie the mynde is the better and the bodye also is confyrmed and made strong But if ye talke or mene of vertue An obieccioÌ„ it is nothyng necessarie that it be brought to passe or wroughtby the meane of transubstancion ThauÌ„swere seeyng it maye be brought to passe euen aswell without it And the olde writers whan thei did setie foorthe and teache the nature and propertie of the sacramentâ— thei sayed The .xxxvi. argumente that an vnbloudy sacrifice was here sacrificed whiche thing wyll be founde ferre wyde An vnblody sacrifice yf we holde that the verai true and corporal bloud of Christ is conteyned in the Sacramente Neither dooeth that pointe satisfie this matier that thei affirme the sacrifice to bee vnbloudy in that that Christe is not killed in it An obieccioÌ„ neither is his bloud violently shedde or poured out For though these thynges bee not doen yet the sacramente is not ministred after their grosse and bluntishe opinion without bloud ThauÌ„swere Wherfore it is playne that the old writers ment that onely a memoriall or remeÌ„braunce of the true sacrifice is conteined in this sacramente and that there is here a spirituall receiuynge of the true sacrifice whiche spirituall receiuyng is comprehended and vnderstanded by feith onely Beside this The .xxxvii. argumente they bee woont to saye that the body and bloud of Christe bee vnuisible and not seen but to the yie but with whitenesse moisture and suche other accidentes of bread and wyne leste we shoulde seme to eate rawe fleashe and to drynke bloud But I would not thynke these men to saie that we doe not eate rawe fleashe whether we eate rawe fleash in the Sacrament how soeuer thei painte and colour the matier yf their transubstancioâ— bee a true a perfeict chauÌ„ge in dede of the bread into fleashe and of the wyne into bloud For it is neither declared of theim neither shewed in the scriptures howe that same fleashe is boyled or rosted And yet it was wryten in the olde testamente of the lambe of passeouer which was a figure of this sacramente that no rawe thynge shoulde bee eaten of that lambe We se also that in this matier of thankes geuâ—ng Christe did ordeyne and sette vp a sacramente It is mete that in the sacrameÌ„tes all thinges be taken sacramentally whereby it commeth to passe that all thynges therein muste bee vnderstanded and taken sacramentally Neither should ther bee in Sacramentes any thyng more eyther graunted or required then to the nature or propertie of a sacramente doeth apperteine The .xxxix. argumente Moreouer yf we would consider what Christe didde at that his last supper We should soone and easely perceiue the matier It is sayed that he gaue his body If we ferther aske this question What manier a body did he gâ—ue thei can shape no readie answere to escape with out a foile Some seme to saie that he gaue suche manier a bodye as he than had whiche vndoubtedlye was bothe passible that is to saye subiecte to hungre thurst colde and other tormentes and also mortall that is to saye subiect to death But suche manier a bodye with suche manier properties as Christe had at that tyme coulde not as these menne dreame bee fleashly and really conteyned in lytell cakes of breade But some others whiche thynke themselues men of a wyser sorte saie that Christe had in hymselfe a body bothe passible and mortall as is aforesaid but yet thei saye that in the breade he gaue his body gloryfied and spirituall But than dooeth that saying make againste these menne whiche we reade in the woordes of the Lord This is my body which is deliuered for you and this is my bloude whiche shall bee shed for you by whiche woordes he playnlye â—eweth and declareth hymselfe to mene the bodye whiche he had than at that presente and the bloude which he vsed at that honre For Christe had not these thynges glorifyed and vnpassible till after his resurreccion But leat vs suppose that the matier wer as thei holde Than dooe we thus argue The state and properties of a passible bodye and of a glorifyed bodye be contrary the one to the otherâ— so that they can not in one respecte bee in one bodye together and at one tyme wherefore it foloweth yf ye wyll haue bothe the sayed contraries of passible and glorifyed to bee in Christes bodye bothe at one selfe tyme that ye make Christes body a double bodye Experience also and the veraye hystories dooe â—ewe vs The xâ— argumeâ—te that this transubstanciation is not to bee graunted For it is wrytten in the hystories that Uictor the Byshoppe of Rome dyed of drynkynge poyson oute of the Chalice at his Masse And Henry the Emperour receiued poyson by eatyng the breade of the Sacramente If all thynges there bee chaunged by transubstanciacion and nothynge there leafte remaynynge but onelye the accidentes Howe coulde suche thynges as these haue been dooen Furthermore we knowe that all Sacramentes bee made and doe consiste of two partes The xâ—â— argumeâ—te that is to wete of matier and of fourme as the veray aduersaries selfes are wonte to terme it in theyr Schoole termes And by the matier thei mene the outwarde signes or elementes and stuffe that goeth to it Maâ—ier as the breade and wyne in this sacrament By the fourme Fourme thei mene that same that is added to the signes or elementes of bread and wyne by pronouncing of the wordes which make it a sacramente Nowe to our purpose that that is made of two partes ought not nor can so caste away the one part that nothyng but the onely accidentes of thesame shal remayne for than the nature propertie of the framing and ioyning together of the sayd matier and fourme in the sacramente should not be obserued and kept The matiâ—r of the sacrament caÌ„not bee caste awaye no more then the fourme Wherfore the conclusion foloweth that the substaunces of breade and wyne muste needes remayne styll in the sacramente And whiles thei thus ouer shoote themselfes for lacke of takyng hede the body of Christ is by them depriued and spoyled of his quantitie The traÌ„substaÌ„ciatoures depriue chrisâ—es body of his quaâ—titie of his situacion and placyng and of the distaunce and proporcionyng of the partes and membres of his bodye one from another so that all his whole bodye must by that meanes bee compelled and driuen to bee conteyned
and enclosed in a veray lytell piece of breade This Sacramente is not onely sayed to bee the Sacramente of the body of our sauiour Christe but also of the mistical body of Christ Wherefore Paule in thissame his former epistle to the Corinthians saied Ye bee the body of Christe and also We beeyng many are one lofe and one bodye all we that be partakers of one bread or lofe And Austen Ausâ—en in the tenth chapiter of the two and twentieth boke of hys woorcke entituled Quia ipsâ— id sunt vide liceâ— corpus christi De ciuâ—taâ—e deâ— saieth that Christian meÌ„ne dooe not offer sacrifice to the martyrs But the sacrifice is Christes bodye whyche bodye is not offred to the martyrs for martyrs them selues sayeth Austen are Christes bodye misticall Nowe therfore seynge that this sacrameÌ„te doth comprehende and conteyne indifferentlye bothe bodyes that is to wete Christes owne body The breade is not chaâ—ged into châ—istes body no more theÌ„ into the bodye mâ—stical and the body mistical tooe euen as they be not wont to holde that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged into the substaunce of the misticall bodye so it shall not be necessarie to require that the substaunce of the bread be chaunged or turned into the bodye of Christe seynge that thys sacramente is said to bee the sacramente of both these two bodies indifferently And of thys opinion it woulde folowe The .xliiii. argument that not onely the fayethfull and beleuynge sorte but also the infideles that lacke fayth may receiue Christes body whyche thynge I haue at large disproued in an other place wyth two sondry argumentes the one that seeynge Christes bodye canne not be deuided from hys spirite it would then folow that the vngodly or wicked lyuers dooe receyue the spirite of Christe also Secondarelye that where as the Infideles be as dead personnes as touchyng the inwarde man they vtterlye lacke the toole or instrument wherwith they shoulde receyue spirituall thynges â—â—sten None reâ—iue Christes bodye but suche as are of Christes bodye And Austens saiynge is playnelye that no folke eate Christes bodye sauynge suche as are of Christes body Ierome And Hierome in the two and twenty Chapter of hys fourth booke vpon Ieremy sayth And where the prophet bringeth in and sayth They shal not eat drinke c. it is to be vnderstand the bodie and bloud of our sauioure For in that place he spake of herityckes and the same Hierom also in the threskore sixt chapter vpon Esai And as longe as they be not holy both in bodie and in spirite they do nether eate Christes fleashe nor drynke Christes bloude And a numbre there be in the olde aunciâ—nte wryters of suche lyke places as these The .xlv. Argumente And where as they do ofte tymes in thys matter brynge forth manye myracles agaynste vs men must not be so quycke nor so lyght of credence as to beleue euerye thynge For myracles are not wounte to be brought forth but bycause they be straunge thynges and wonderfull by reason of whose seldom effect and vnwonted comminge to passe Goddes word maye be the more estemed and regarded For at such times when suche miracles chaunce menne be striken with a greate wonderynge And thereby men are easelye or quyckely perswaded to regarde and to beleue christes sayinges and doctryne But in thys sacramente there is nothynge chaunged as farre as our eye can iudge neyther is there anye suche chaunge made as myghte prouoke vs to anye wonderynge Wherfore these traÌ„substantiatours seme in vayne to seke anye healpe for their purpose by myracles It is in vaine for the transubstaÌ„tiatours to seke healpe of miracles for their traÌ„subtiatiatioÌ„ A true matter it is in dede that the vyrgin Marye dyd conceyue of the holye ghoste but she hyr selfe dyd perceyue and fele that so it was And in case any man haue at anye tyme bene conuerted to Christe they haue perceyued and felte that theyr mynde and theyr lyfe hathe chaunged frome theyr olde conuersation But in thys Sacramente there is not perceyued anye one of these miracles whyche they feygne Onelye they set out two wordes but not one of them all canne be proued eyther by anye reason or by experience or by scripture Ye maye see moreouer The .xlvi. argumente against traÌ„substantiation that loke what respecte or proportion there is betwene the breakynge of the breade and the deathe and passion of Christe Euen the same respecte and proportion there is betwene the breade and Christes bodye But the breakynge of the breade as these menne theim selues graunte also is a Sacramente and a sygne of Christes breakynge or sufferynge vpon the crosse and yet there is no suche transubstanciation of the same into Christes passion that the breakyng of the breade shoulde make the sayde passion or sufferynge of Christe to be really there present therfore shal not the breade neyther bee chaunged into Christes bodye to make hys bodye carnallye presente And so seynge that thys opynion hath nothynge in it but onelye pratlynge and babblynge aboute tryfles and bryngeth men as it were into a maze that they canne not gette oute of whan they are once in it auayleth nothynge at al nor helpeth to the furderauÌ„ce of deuotion or godlines But nowe as concernynge the auncient fathers wryters The .xlvii. argumente Ireneus it behoueth vs to see whether they were of the same opinion or no. Irenaeus agaynste the herytykes called Valentinians sayd that the earthlye breade whan it taketh hys name of Goddes worde is nowe no longer commune bread suche as menne coÌ„mâ—nely vse to eate but it is nowe made the sacramentes of thankes geuyng which in yâ— greke is called Eucharistia Eucharistia Whyche Eucharistia or sacramente of thankes geuing is made of two partes the one earthly and the other heauenlye c. Here fyrste and formoste he denieth not that the sacrament of thankes geuynge called Eucharistia as is aforesayde is bread excepte ye wyl make it or suppose it to be suche commune breade as men do communely vse to eate at theyr repastes And afterwarde he sayeth that the sayde sacramente doeth consyste of two thynges of whyche two thynges the one is earthlye and that is the breade the other is heauenlye as Christes bodye And lyke as the veritye is kept in the tone parte that is to wete as touching Christes bodye euen so muste the veritye be kepte in the other parte also that is to wete as touchyng the breade And he addeth by a similitude or comparison And so our bodyes sayth he receyuynge the sacramente of thankes geuynge are nowe no longer subiecte to corruption Tertullian Tertullian in the fyrste booke agaynste Marcion sayth that God dyd not caste awaye the breade beynge Goddes creature for as much as with that bread Christ represeÌ„ted hys body in the fourth boke agaynste the same Marcion he sayeth When Christ had taken bread and had deuided it
of a preaumble vnto the mattyer whyche maye stande in stede of certayne preceptes and rules for the better vnderstandynge of the fathers and aunciente writers in thys behalfe Whan soeuer they traict of this sacrameÌ„tal matter The fyfte rule how to vndeâ—sâ—and the doctors and speake somewhat hyghly vehemently thereof Firste it is to be considered that the holye scripture dothe with a certayne mutual relation and interchauÌ„geablenesse sometimes attribute to the things selues suche termes as are propre to the Sacramentes and signes onâ—lye and those thynges whychâ— are propre to the thinges selues they do contrariwyse attribute and assygne vnto the sacramentes and signes which dooe but represente the thynges An enterchaungâ—inge of names betwene the sacrameÌ„tes and thinges of the sacramentes And the same selfe waye and fashion do the aunciente fathers manye tymes vse so that a manne shall oftentymes se and reade them so to speake of the thinges sâ—lues as thoughe they spake but of the Sacramentes and signes and oftentimes contrarywise so to write and talke of the sacramentes and signes as if it were of the thinges selues whych the same represente and signifie And so maye it be very well bicause of the greate likenes and similitude whiche is betwene the sayde thinges and the sygnes by reason of Gods institution or ordinaunce in them The second rule for the vnderstanding of the doctours And Austen hathe geuen a plaine aduertisemente and lesson or rule as concerniâ—ge this matter written to Bonifatius that in the sacramentes the names are chaunged and confounded as we haue sayd before The fathers do alwayes call this a spirituall foode not a bodilye foode An other rule is that if ye diligently marke what wente before and what commâ—th after ye shall alwayes perceiueâ— that the fathers do witnes and testifye the foode of this sacrameÌ„t to be a spiritual foode and not the foode of the gutte or of the bealye or of the teethe The thirde rule how to vnderstand the doctors The thyrd rule is that if at any tyme thei do write that we do communicate carnally and fleashlye with Christe so that our verai bodyes also are fed with the hoste and sacramente of Eucharistia all this is in this wyse to be vnderstanded that we must coÌ„ceyue in our myndes that the sonne of God whan he was conceiued of the virgyn Marie and didde take the nature of man vpon him did euen than fâ—eashâ—ly and naturally communicate with vs. And ferthermore we dooe than abyde in hym and he againe abydeth in vs whan we beleue the woordes that he hath spoken and whan with a true feythe we receyue the sacramentes For in communicatyng and receyuyng his bodye after this sorte there is geuen and wrought in vs a new spiritie and our fâ—eashe and bodyes whiche before were of lyke nature with Christe and now made partakers all of lyke propretees and qualitees with him become apte to receiue his immortalitie and his resurreccion And whaÌ„ they obey serue yâ— spirite than are thei truly verely nourished vnto life euerlastyng And thus our bodyes by receyuyng of this sacramente are fed two mannier of wayes the one with the outwarde signe and figure and the other by this restoryng of vs to euerlastynge lyfe and so is Christe sayed to remayne and abyde in vs by meanes of this sacramente And as touchynge the fyrste kynde of communicatynge whiche we haue with Christ by his natiuitee and incarnatioÌ„ we haue a testimonie therof out of the Epistle of Paule to the Hebrewes in the seconde chapitur in these woordes For asmuche than as the childreÌ„ are partakers of fleashe and bloud he also hath lykewyse been partaker with the same Now that to this presente purpose it is ferther to bee considered that the word of consecrating doeth signifie nothing els with the fathers and old writers but to dedicate appoint that thing now to some holy vse and offyce whiche before was prophan and common of his owne nature And therfore we must not as often as we reade in the fathers this woorde or terme of consecration by an by imagyn in our braynes a transubstanciacion How the auncient fathers dooe take and vse the word or terme of coÌ„secâ—ating or consecracioÌ„ And yet yâ— there is a certain chaung a mutation in the consecration we dooe not denye that is to wete suche a chaunge for whiche these same thynges are now made sacramentes to signifie vnto vs effectually that as concerning our mynde or solle and oure feith the veray body and bloude of Christe is geuen and offred by the power of the holy ghoste It is ferther to bee knowen that as touchyng the thynges selues there is no difference betwene vs and the Caperâ—aites For they thought that they shoulde haue eaten the veraye bodye and the veraye fleashe of Christe and we dooe graunte no lesse to bee dooen in the sacrament of the Lordes supper The differeÌ„ce betwen vs and the Capernaites in receyuyng the sacramentes But the difference betwene the Capernaites and vs resteth in the mannier and fashion of eatynge it For the same that they thoughte shoulde be carnallye and fleashly dooen we teache to bee doen spiritually And the veray true body of Christ and his veray true bloud it is that is geuen For feith doeth not embrace nor receiue feigned thinges but thinges yâ— are true in dede Also whan it is red in the writynges of the fathers the body of Christ to be coÌ„preheÌ„ded coÌ„teined in these misteries there is nothing els to be takeÌ„ or vnderstaÌ„d by these wordes but that it is limited noted shewed represented or signified by them And whan thou hearest any of the fathers saying that there is nowe no breade nor wine anye longer remayning in the sacrament The sixth rule thou must not vnderstaÌ„d this so to be without any farther addition or circuÌ„staunce but in respecte of thy selfe whan thou doest deuoutlye and godlye receyue it For thou for thy parte at that time muste not thinke any longer on the breade or on the wine but thy minde â—ence must wholy and onely cleaâ—e and sticke to the thynges whyche are there represented and signified by the sacrament And therefore it is saide by the prieste or ministe Lyfte vp your hertes to the entente that thou shouldest lifte vp thy minde and thy herte from these visible thinges vnto the thinges inuisible whiche are there offred and geuen vnto the. Yea and the holy scriptures dooe not abhorre frome this kinde of figuratiue speakinge neither but do admitâ—e and vse the same For Paul saith We haue no strife nor wrastlinge against fleshe and bloude Who neuertheles would not haue denied but that the bodye and fleashe doth noye burden encumber the soule that the same body fleshe oughte to be bridled and kepte vnder For the same Paule in an other place writeth in thys maner The fleashe desyereth contrarye to the spirite Neither was Paule
Yea and in case a maÌ„ vieu rightly as he should dooe the processe that foloweth it rather calleth vs backe to the simple and playne vnderstandynge of the wordes as they lye For thus goeth the texte forthe Whiche is deliuered for you And manifest it is that the very true and selfe body of Christe it was that was deliuered for vs. Thirdly suche thynges as by nature and kynde are distincte thynges and as the Logicians in theyr terme call it disparata that is to saye so disseuered that their natures disagree and haue some contrarietie one to the other as for example a manne a horse and a stone al suche thynges I say are of suche rate that it cannot by any meanes be truely sayd that the one is the other For it cannot in any manner of speakyng be truely sayed that a man is a stone or a stone is a man And that breade and Christes body are of this rate that is to saye are thynges of two distincte and contrarie natures no man nedeth to doubte Wherfore it shall neuer be true to saye of breade that it is Chistes body And therefore whan the lorde pronouÌ„ced these wordes This is my body it must of necessitie be that the substaunce of bread was gone Another reason also that is made is this In saying This is my body Christ did not without a due coÌ„sideracion vse this word is whiche is in graÌ„mer a verbe substantiue that is to saye it playnly signifieth being it is of the present teÌ„se that is to say it signifieth yâ— tyme that is no we presente For els he might euen aswell haue sayed This signifyeth or betokeneth my body or this reprâ—seÌ„teth my body or this is a figure of my body or this is a signe and tokeÌ„ of my body or he might haue sayed This breade is my body c. all whiche maniers and phrases of speakynge forasmuche as he did eschewe the saying is to be playnlye taken as he pronounced it withoute any ferther addiâ—ion circumstaunce or menyng Furthermore if the substauÌ„ce of bread saye they shoulde remayne still than shoulde two soondrie substaunces yea the same corporal substaunces of quaÌ„titie be together in one thyng shold enterchauÌ„geably entâ—r and pâ—rce the one through the othâ—r whiche inconuenience is taken awaye by puttynge and aduouching of transubstanciacion Agayn There should be no small peryll towarde lâ—ast the people should fall into ydolatrie For wheras the body of Christ is to be adoured and worshipped in case ther should any bread there remayne thaÌ„ shold the breade also be adoured and wurshipped which to do wâ—re ydolatrie Agayne It semeth to be a thynge not well standyng with the dignitie of Christes bodye that it shoulde in this wyse be coupled or mengled either with bread or with wyne They also take an argument out of the forme the nature and the ordre of doing sacrifice For if the body of Christe be offred vp by the mynister it is necessary that he haue it there and that he there presente it vnto the sight of God excepte we will saye that he offereth no more but a thyng onely signifyed and betokened or a thing represented vnder a shadowe After all this they roare with an open mouthe that auncient fathers are altogether on theyr syde the fathers are cited for transubstanciacioÌ„ And afore al others they cite Irenaeus Irâ—neus who in his .v. booke sayeth thus Whan the cup beyng mingled and the bread beeyng broken dooeth receiue of the woord of God there is made the Sacramente of Christes bloud and body And afore in his fourth boke he sayed in a manier the selfe same thing Tertullianus Tertullia also sayeth in the fowerth booke that Christe of the breade taken into his handes and distributed vnto his disciples made his owne bodye And Origines Origines vpon Matthew in the twenty sixt chapitur saieth This bread which God the soonne confesseth to bee his owne body c. Cyprian in his Sermon of the Lordes supper Cyprianus saieth This common bread beeyng chaâ—nged into fleashe bloud procureth lyfe And eftsons in the same Sermon This breade whiche the Lorde gaue vnto his disciples beeyng not in fourme and similitude but in nature chauÌ„ged by the almightifulnesse of the worâ—e became fleashe Ambrose in his fowerth booke of the sacramentes Ambrosius Breade it is before the wordes of Consecracion but as soone as consecracion is come to it it is of breade made the fleashe of Christe And many thynges mo of lyke sorte he hath in his litell traictises of the Sacramentes Chrisostomus also in the sixtienth Homelie of the Sacramente of Eucharistie Chrisostomus whiche Homelie is to be found in the sixth tome of his weorkes as thei bee nowe sette foorth affâ—rmâ—th this Sacrament to beelyke vnto a piece of waxe put into the fyer where no part of the substaunce of waxe remaineth but is all together made lyke to the nature of fyer And euen so â—aieth he by this substaunce of Christes bodye the breade and the wyne is coÌ„sumed clene awaye Augustine also in the prologue of the twentye .iii. Psalme saieth Augustine that Christe bore and held vp hymselfe in his owâ—e handes whan he did at his last supper institute and ordein this Sacrament And in the .xc. and eight Psalme expouninge the wordes worship ye the stooâ—e of his feete he auoucheth that the â—eash of Christe is to be worshipped in the Sacramente Whiche wer not a thyng of ceÌ„gruence if thâ—re wer bread still remainyng in the Sacramente Also in the third booke of the Trâ—niâ—ie he affirmeth that there can not any Sacrament bee made but by vertue of the spirite weorkyng together with the woorde Hilarius also in hâ—s sixth boke of the Trinitie â—ilarius affirmeth Christ to bee in vs after the veritie of nature and not onely through the agrâ—eablenesse of will and aduoucheth vs at the Lordes bourd truely and veraily to â—â—ceyue the woorde beeyng become fâ—â—ashe Leo Bishoppe of Rome in his twoo twentieth Epistle to the Clergie and people of Constantinople wryâ—eth in this manier Leo. Râ—ceyuyng sayeth he the vertue and strength of heauenly meate leat vs passe and bee turned into the fleash of hym who became our fleash Thei aduouche furthermore that Damascenus is ful and whole on their syde Theophilactus also is brought in of them Throphilactus who dooeth in moste plain termes make mencion of transubstanciacion Now as for Aâ—selmus and hugo de Sancto Victore who haue been wryters of a later tyme there is no doubte but that thei bothe are aduouchers of transubstanciation wherefore thei allege aswel the auncient fathers as the newe to make all on their syde Thei cite ferthermore general councels The councel Ephesine that is to wete the councell that was holden at Ephesus againste the Heretique Nestorius where Cyrellus Cirillus an auncient father of the churche was present and chiefe president of
the councell And the same Cyrillus hath many thynges concernyng this matier And emong all other thinges he chiefly affirmeth that we beyng made partakers of the holy bodye and of the precious bloud of Christe dooe not nowe receiue common fleashe nor the fleashe as it wer of a sanctified man but fleashe that dooeth veraily sanctifie and make holy and that is nowe become the verai propre fleashe of the verai soonne selfe Thei allege morouer the councell of Vercels holden vnder Leo Bishop of Rome the nynth of that name The councel of Uercels where the Archedeacon Berengarius was condemned of whose recantacion it is also mencioned in the decrees in the title de consecratione that is of consecracion in the second distinccion and in the fowerth of the sentences Besides this thei bring in for theÌ„ the Romain councel Lateranense The couÌ„cell laâ—eraneâ—se holden vnder Innocentius Bishoppe of Rome the third of yâ— name who maketh plaine meÌ„tion of traÌ„substaÌ„ciacioÌ„ in the Decretalles in the title de Trinitate in the chapitur that begynneth thus Firmiter c. and also in the title de celebratione Missarum that is of the celebracioÌ„ of Masses in the chapitur thus beginning Cum Martha c. The councell also holden at Constance The couÌ„cell of ConstaÌ„ce wher Wiâ—â—lief was coÌ„demned because he denyed this transubstanciacion Thei cite in lyke manier for theyr parte as theâ— affirme the consente of the whole churche wherwith Duns was so throughely moued and persuaded in the fowerth of the sentences Duâ—s that a though transubstancion could not by any scriptures or argumentes bee firmely and euidently proued yet he gaue ouer and graunted it because he would not bee against the consent of the churche And hereto they frame a wonderous great and large argumente gathered of the almightifull power of God for that he is able to dooe muche greater and higher thingâ—s then this Thei bring in also many soondry miracles that haue at times ben shewed for testimonie of this truth as for exampâ—e that this Sacramâ—nte in the handes of Gregorie bishop of Rome did at his prayers turne into a fyngâ—r of fleashe and that there hath at sometymes in this Sacrament appered a litel preatiechild and aâ—so that this Sacramente beeyng for the nonce pricked with sharpe thinges hath at tymes dropped bloud Thei ferther talke many thinges of Christes bodâ— glorified which body the Apostle Paulâ— in this his former Epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s calleth a spirituall bodye wherby thei would fain shewe and declare that Christe might verai well do suche a thyng as to deliuer vnto vs his bobye couered and as it wer hidden with sensible accidentes Thei yet ferther allege and brynge in for their purpose that it is not put in the greke simply and onely This is my bodye but this article the is put thereto so that it is sayed in Greke not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alone but thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if ye should saie in Englishe the bodye of me And the Grekes dooe euer coÌ„monly vse to adde suche articles whan they will properly and effectually signifie or expresse the thyng that thei speake of whiche phrase of speakyng by articles the Latin men haue not but our Englishe toung and the moste parte of other toungues haue them Thei go yet ferther and allege that Christ made promise vnto his Apostles saying I Wil be with you vntill the ende or consummacion of the worlde Whiche wordes saye thei are not to bee referred to his godhead onelye for the Apostles theimselfes knewe that point well enough and doubted nothyng of it but because thei wer sad and heauie for his bodily departure therefore he comforteth theÌ„ saying that he will bee present with them afterwarde euen in his body too Besides the premisses in case transubstanciacion should bee taken awaye and breade there remayne than forasmuche as the sayde breade cannot bee the bodye of Christe there should bee leaft onely a significacioÌ„ and in this case the Sacramentes of the newe law should not haue in them anye thynge that were not to bee founde in the Sacramentes of the olde Lawe For the olde Sacramentes did conteyne a significacion of Christe too Yea and if a man haue respect to the outewarde lykenesse or semblaunce the sayd olde Sacramentes wente muche more nerer to the liuelye signifying or fyguryng of Christe then dooeth breade and wyne For their brute beastes were kylled and the bloud of thesame wasâ—hed foorth whereas in bread and wine there dooeth no manier suche thing happen And forasmuche as Christe promised in Peter that the feith of the Churche should not faile and forasmuche as the said Churche is the moste derely beloued spouse of Christe it semeth to them a wonderous case howe he hath of so longe continuaunce leafte the Churche in this Idolatrie and hath not in so longe whyle reueled and shewed the trueth of the matier agaynst so great an abusion Thei argue fâ—rthermore in this manier If the substaunces of breade and wyne beeyng conserued still remainyng the trueth of the thynges can not bee there present as it is afore concluded than shall there bee nothyng more found ne had in the Sacrament theÌ„ in other common meates and repastes For in them al so the feithfull shall well vnderstande the significacion of breade and wyne And thus the dignitie of the Sacramentes perishe and come to nothyng Finally thei allege that the worde of God ought to haue his ful strength and power inuiolably conserued kept whiche if it bee taken away than doeth not transubstanciacion remaine Ambrose in his treactise of the sacramentes Ambâ—ose affirmeth the woord of God to bee a woord of suche operacion and weorkyng that the bread and wyne both remayne still thesame that they bee and yet bee chaunged into another thyng Which wordes one Algerius a writer of late time enterpreteth and expouneth in the seuenth chapitur of the first booke of his weorke that he wrote of this sacramente saying that the bread the wyne remaine stil as touching their accidentes and are chaunged into an other thyng or into a bettâ—r thyng as touchyng their substaunce But now it behoueth vs to see by what argumentes and reasons on the contrarie parte Reasons agaynst traâ—subsâ—anciacion this sentence is clerely defeacted and vtterly made void Firste and formoste the holye scripture purporteth that here is breade The fyrst aâ—gumente Ergo it is not true that the substaunce therof is chaunged into another thyng The Euangelistes auouche and affirme that Christe toke breade and brake it Paul doeth â—iue sâ—ndâ—â—e times cal it bâ—ead and gaue it to his disciplesâ— and Paule dooeth fiue soondrie tymes make expressemencioÌ„ of it callyng it euery where by the name of breade First he saieth i. Corin. x. Is not the breade whiche we breake a Communion or participacion of Christes body And in thesame place All we are one breade and one body which
his maiestie and glorie but yet we put hym here in the SacrameÌ„t inuisible And than as concernyng suche thynges as bee obiected of Sainctes and Martirs folowinge Christe thei saye that it is al true as touching Christ so fâ—rrefoorth as he is visible in heauen in his glorie maiestie But this aunswer standeth vpon a weake rotten foundacion for it supposeth that the bodye of Christe beyng but one bodie maie bee in many places at one tyme whiche thing the auncient fathers writers denie It presupposeth also that Christe is with vs as touchyng his bodye and fleashe whereas Christe sayed that as touchyng those thynges in that behalfe he would sende another in his stede meanyng the holy ghoste Neither can thei by their reason auoyde but that Christe had two bodyes The .xxvii. argumente For at the Supper when he had taken breade in his handes if thesame breade had by transubstanciation ben chaunged into the substance of Christes body than should it folow and bee true that himselfe should with his owne bodye haue borne and caried his owne bodye How Christ beareth him elâ—e in his owne hades and how he eateth himselfe and so should ye nedes grauÌ„t that one and the selfesame body it was that did beare and holde it in his handes and that was borne and holden in his handes and yet can it not by any reason or possibilitie be true that one and thesame bodye is bothe the doer and the sufferer in respect of one thyng An obieccioÌ„ of the aduersaries and bothe at one tyme. And thus we see into what â—nconueniencies thei cast themselfes The aâ—sweâ— Thei bee woont to bryng for their parte the woordes of Austen vpon the Psalmes whiche wordes of Austen are that Christe bore himselfe in his owne handes But if that place bee well considered whiche is vpon the threescore and thirtenth psalme It is there writen that he bare hymself in his own handes quodam modo that is to saye after a certaine manier or after a sorte or fashion so much do we graunt For he bore and helde in his handes the Sacrament of his bodie but he did not beare ne hold his verai true bodye proprie et reasiter that is to saye properly and really And here might one bryng in agayne these menne also that by their reason forasmuche as Christe receiued the SacrameÌ„t and communion with his Apostles it should folowe that Christ didde eate hymselfe â—n obieccioÌ„ But herunto this was wount to be their auÌ„swer â—he answer These thinges are exercises of our feith But we saie vnto them againe that we haue ferre other manier seÌ„teÌ„ces of the scripture wherin our feith may exercise it sâ—lfe The true exeâ—cises of ouâ— feith rather then in such thinges as are of mannes fantasticall deuise and inuencion We beleue that the soone of god was incarnate of a virgin that he was borne of a virgin that he suffered for vs that he died that he was raised vp from death to life again that he ascended vp into heauen with many thinges more of suche lyke sorte in which our feith dooeth sufficiently and aboundauntly exercise it selfe And forasmuche as this chaunge from substauÌ„ce to substaunce can not with our senses be altered vnto The .xxviii. argumente neither mannes reason can vnderstande it neither experience dooeth teache it how shall it be perceiued I knowe that ye will saye that it maie be vnderstaÌ„ded coÌ„preheÌ„ded or conceiued by feith But in case the matier must go by feithe that same feithe cannot bee had without gods word iÌ„ gods word ye haue not one iot for you Morouer wheras Christe made this sacrament of twoo partes The .xix. argumente that is to wete his bodie for one parte and his bloud for the other parte it doeth by thesame thyng appere plainly enough that the matier muste not bee taken or vnderstanded by this kynde of transubstanciation For in the realâ— and carnall bodye of Christ these twoo partes be not deuided or soondred the one from the other An obieccioÌ„ But a poore shifte thei haue and a stertyng hole thei saye that there is as muche conteyned in any one of these two partes as ther is in yâ— other parte In dede we heare theim thus affirme this to holde but the wordes of scripture doe not teache any such matier Another obieccioÌ„ but onely at the bread there is mencion made of the body onely at the cup there is bloud perticulerly meÌ„cioned specified but thei haue yet a ferther aunswere to obiâ—ct against vs which is as touchyng the bread that by the strength and vertue of the wordes The answer there is a transubstanciacion of bread into Christes body or iÌ„to Christes fleashe merlye and really and of it selfe and then that bothe the bloud and the soule the deitie or godheade of Christ do folow after euen as a shadow is wonte to go with the body in the Sunshyne Per coâ—comitanciam And than also concerning the cup thei saye that by the strength and vertue of the wordes there is first of all and properlye a mere transubstanciacion chaunge of the wine into bloud but afterwardes the body foloweth withall Against coâ—comitaunce that the schoole men speake of to be of traÌ„substanciacion and is there also and the solle and the deitee or godhead euen by thesame reason and waye as the bloude and solle and godheade didde folowe with the transubstanciacion of the bread into Christes body as is afore sayed Whiche the schoolemenne in their terme dooe saye to bee dooen per concomitantiam Per concomitanciam as yf ye should saie in Englishe by a necessitee of folowyng after so that euen lyke as a bodye cannot goe into the Sunshine but that the shadow of thesame body must nedes folowe and goe withall so canne not the bodye saie thei bee but the bloud goeth withal nor the bloud be but that the fleash bodye goeth wtall And thus by this their subtill and fine sophisticall manier of speakyng thâ—i make Christ not so wyse nor prouident as he might or should haue been in that that he deliuered and gaue in twoo soondrie partes no more then is in either of thesame partes seuerally conteined And oute of their owne feynyng and imaginacioÌ„ it sprang that afterwardes thei deuided the sacrameÌ„t by ministring vnto the laye people the one parte of the Sacramente onely thei perswaded the same and made them beleâ—e that thei receiued as muche in that one parte as if thei had receiued both partes of the Sacrament according to Christes institucion It maie also ferther be saied against theim that by this their inuencion and imaginacion thei open a wyndoore and dooe minister occasion to many opinions of straunge feyned doctrine For there is none opinion nor no pointe of doctrine whereunto thei maie not tye and linke an infinite sorte of thinges with their terme
amonge hys disciples he made that breade hys bodye by sayinge Thys is my bodye That is to saye the fygure of my bodye but it shoulde not be a figure of hys bodye vnlesse the body hadde bene a verye true body in dede Origen Origen vpon the boke of Numeri in the .xvi. homilie we are said that we do not onely drinke Christes bloud whan it is ministred vnto vs in the ordinarye geuing of the Sacramentes but also whan we receiue his woordes Which self same thing also Hierome wrote in one place vpon the third chapitur of Ecclesiastes The same Origen also vpon the .xxvi. Chapitur of Matthew hath these wordes Panis iste quem deus verbum Corpus suum esse fatetur verbum est nutritorium animarum that is to saie this breade whiche god the woorde whiche is Christe dooeth plainelye affirme and saie bee his bodye is a woorde good and holsome to nourishe oure soules The same Origen also in the seuenthe homelie vpoÌ„ the booke of Moses entitled Leuiticus thus speaketh For euen in the ghospels also there is a litteral sense which killeth and not in the olde testameÌ„t onely For if ye folow the litteral sence in this sentence vnles ye eate my fleash c. And in thesame boke in the nynth homely doe not thou staigh nor dwel in the bloude of the fleashe but learne rather the bloude of the woorde and heare himselfe sayinge vnto thee that this is my bloode whiche is shed forthe for you The same Origen agayn vpon the fiftienth chapitur of Matthewe The breade that is halowed passeth into the bealie as touchyng his material parte and is cast forth into the draught c. And within a fewe woordes after he saieth thus Neither is it the matter or substaunce of the breade but it is goddes woorde spoken vpon the said breade whiche profiteth those that eate the same not vnworthely The same Origen in another place agaynst Celsus in the eight booke Celsus whan we haue geuen thankes for the benefites of God bestowed vpon vs we eate the breade whyche was offred Ciprian Cyprian in the syxte Epistle of the fyrste booke to Magnê° hath these wordes The lorde hauyng bread made of manye graynes of wheate ioyned togyther dothe call it hys bodye and hauynge wyne whyche was troden and pressed oute of manye clusters of grapes he calleth it hys bloud And the same Ciprian where he declareth and expouneth the Lordes prayer calleth the Lordes bodye breade And in hys sermon of the Lordes supper he sayeth that we dooe not whette or sharpen oure tethe but sayeth that wee breake or eate the breade onelye wyth a pure faith The same CipriaÌ„ in a sermon which he entitleth de chrismate that is of the Chrisme sayeth plainely that Sacramentes haue the names of those thynges whyche thynges they sygnifye Whychâ— two poyntes of callynge it breade and of eatynge it with sincere fayth onely it semeth that Austen dyd borow and take of hym the laste thynge Austen hath in hys epistle to Boniface and the other thing whan he sayd Quid paras dentem aut vetrem Crede et manducasti That is to saye why dost thou make readye thy toth or thy bealye beleue thou and thou hast eaten it And these wordes are in the fyue and twentye treasyse vpon Iohn But the same CipriaÌ„ in hys thyrde epistle of the seconde boke to Cecilius sayth that the bloude of Christe is shewed or sette forthe in the wyne And agaynste those menne whyche were called Aquarii he holdeth that the bloude of Christe can not appeare to be presente in the cuppe or chalyce if the wyne cease to be there whyche thynge shoulde so come to passe by the transubstantiation whyche these men do put And in hys sermon vpon the Lordes supperâ— he wryteth that the sygnes be chaunged into Christes body but yet in suche wyse that he taketh hys similitude of Christ him selfe in whom the humanitie or humaine nature appeared the godheade was not to be sene but was inuisible By whyche similitude ye see that he meaneth that lyke as two natures remayned in Christe so also in thys Sacramente two natures be reserued Also Ciprian in the thyrde epistle of the second boke hath these wordes After such sorte as neyther floure or meale alone or water alone can be Christes body vnlesse both thynges be ioygned coupled to gyther and made into one whole masse or lumpte by knyttynge it togyther into one breade or lofe wyth the whyche selfe same breade beynge nowe putte to the vse of a Sacrament our people is playnelye shewed and declared to be a people ioygned togyther in one Athanasius also declarynge these wordes of Christ. Athanasius If any man speake a worde agaynst the sonne of man it shall be forgeuen hym but he whiche speaketh agaynst the holy ghost shal neuer haue it pardened or for geueÌ„ him in thys world nor in the world to come wryteth in thys maner And howe greate a body should it be to bryng to passe that al the world shoulde eate and fede thereof But he bryngeth in afterwardes that the matter shuld be vnderstaÌ„ded spiritually and that Christe in that place therefore made mention and spake of his ascension againste the Capernaites Basilius Basilius in his boke entitled liturgia calleth the bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corpus Christi the exaumple or paterne or counterpaine of Christes body And this he sayeth to bee after the wordes of conâ—ecracion are once paste Dioâ—isius Dionisius in his weorke entitled de hierarchia Eclesiastica in the thyrd chapitur saythe The bishop openeth the bread which was couered and vndeuided and cutteth it in pieces Ambrose Ambrose declaryng the first epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s saieth Sith the entente of the matter is that this thing bee dooen for a memorial and remembraunce of Christe and of Christes death we in eatinng and drinkyng the Sacramente dooe signifye the fleashe and bloude of Christe which wer offred on the Crosse. And the same man about the same place saieth that we drynke of Christes mysticall cuppe for a figure of Christes bloud And in the fourthe chapitur of the fourth boke entitled de sacramentis that is to saie of the sacramentes where he putteth the chaunge of the signes he treateth also of our chaungynge into Christe and yet is there not anye transubstanciacion sayed to bee in suche as receiue the Sacrament And the same man in the same fowerth booke of the Sacramentes and the fourth chapitur saieth leat vs therefore make this by good reason how that thing whiche is nowe bread may be Christes body by consecracion of certain woordes pronounced ouer it And not many lines after he saieth If so great a strength and vertue bee in the woordes of the lorde that thynges begynne to be that thei were not afore how much more than can he weorke and bryng to passe that those thinges maye still remayne the same that they were before
and yet maye be chaunged into an other thynge too Hierome vpon Mathewe sayeth playnlye Hierome that the bodye and bloude of Christe is represented by the breade and by the wyne Chrisostome vpon the second epistle to the Corhinthians sayeth Châ—isostom that not onely that thyng is Christes bodye whych is sette before the Christians at the lordes table but also that the pore folcke are hys bodye to whome we are bounde to shewe and to minister the worckes of charitye For euen the same Christe whyche sayde thys is my bodye sayde also by his worde that he was in nede and necessitie whan poore folcke lacked and that he had kyndenes and benefyte shewed to hym selfe whan they receyued our almesdedes The same Chrisostome in the eleuenth homelie vpon Mathewe in the worcke whyche is intituled Imperfectum sayeth thus It is not christes bodye and christes bloude whyche is contayned in the holye vesels Sed misterium corporis et sanguinis Christi that is to say But it is the mistery of Christes body bloude The same Chrisostome in the .xxvii. homelie vpon the eleuenth chapitur of the second epistle to the Corinthyans For as christe bothe in the breade and also in the cuppe sayde Do ye thys in remembraunce of me as often as ye shal eate of thys bread and drynke of thys cuppe c. The same vpon the .xxii. psalme Thou hast prepared an eatynge table in my syght that he might shew forth daily to vs in the sacrameÌ„t bread and wyne accordynge to the order or fashyon vsed of Melchisedek for a similitude of christes body blud Emisenus And Emisenus whome they cite or alledge oute of the canon lawe in the title De consecratione and in the seconde distinction where he semeth to putte a chaunge of the symboles or sygnes and matter of the Sacramente euen the same manne maketh mention of oure chaungynge into christe Austen Austen hathe manye testimonies of thys mattier fyrst vpon the .lxxxix. psalme Ye shal not eate this body which you see with your eye neither shal ye drinke the same very blud whych the Iewes wil shede forth vpon the crosse But the thinge which I speake vnto you is a mysterie and an highe secrete poynte whiche if it be spirituallye vnderstanded shall quicken you to life Also in the thyrde booke de trinitate Panis ad hoc factus in sacramento accipiendo consumitur that is to saye the breade whyche was made for this purpose is coÌ„sumed awaye whan the sacrament is receyued Neither is there anye tytle or reason why Fysher late bishope of Rochester shuld so haue gone aboute to racke thys sentence and to apply it to the shewe breades of the olde lawe whyche were called Panes prepositionis For we haue before this declared and by diuerse reasons proued that hys declaration doth not ne canne bee agreable to serue for that matter Firste bicause that if thou folowe the easye and plaine sence of the wordes and that sence of the letter whiche offereth it selfe and commeth to thy minde at the fyrste syght or readinge thou shalte see plainelye that Austen there speaketh of Eucharistia whyche is thys Sacramente of thankes geuynge as is afore sayde And it is a worde muche vsed to signyfye the Sacramente of Christes bodye c. And Erasmus in the worckes of Austen whiche he corrected and sette forthe of newe when he commeth to the wordes aboue cited â—â—asmus hath for a note in the margente of the booke directlye agaynste the sayde clause sette thys worde Eucharistia to signifye that the sayde clause is mente of thys Sacramente of Christes bodye and bloude Moreouer the sayde Austen a little after in the same Chapitur and whyle he yet treateth vppon the same matter dothe so plainly make mention of Eucharistia that the verye aduersarie canne not denye it nor saye againste it And he hadde wrytten of the same Eucharistia before in the fourthe chapitur of the selfe same boke whan he beganne to treate of the same matter Ye maye adde to thys also that the word SacrameÌ„t is of purpose expreslie mente and playnelye named in these wordes of Austen whych we haue now in haÌ„d For if he woulde thys worde Sacramente to be taken coÌ„munely it myght euen as well in euery behalfe haue bene applyed to those other thynges which Austen in that place had rehearsed before as for example to the brasen serpente and to the stone that was erected vp by Iacob as it myghte be applied or referred to the loues of propositioÌ„ or the shewe breades afore mentioned But Austen whan he spake and treated of those other thynges dyd not make any expresse mention of thys worde Sacramente whyche worde afterward in thys clause he woulde in no wise leaue oute bicause he woulde vs to vnderstande hym directlye to speake of Eucharistia Fynallye to coÌ„clude the very wordes of Austen are these The bread whiche was made for this purpose is cousumed in receyuynge of the sacramente or whan the Sacramente is receyued whyche thynge doeth in no wyse agree nor can not be applyed to the shewe breades of the olde Testamente For the lawes of the shewe bread were not made to any such vse or ende that they shoulde be eaten but that they beynge sette vpon a table shoulde remayne there before the Lorde and so continue from tyme to tyme in that place for the whyche cause they were called in the Hebrue tonge Panim Paâ—im Afterwardes by a lyttle chaunce as ye woulde say and of an other occation it came to passe that they were eaten for thys cause doubtelesse to auoyde leste they shoulde putrefye before the Lorde And for that cause were they chaunged weakelye And whan they were once offered dedicated to God he would haue thys honoure geuen to theim that they shoulde be eaten of the priestes But the breade of oure sacramente of Eucharistia is made verily for this onely purpose and ende that it shoulde be eaten and spente in receyuinge of the sacramente And to the argumentes that I haue alreadie made I adde and ioygne thys one more also whiche is of more force For saynte Austen speaketh by the presente tense and sayeth it is spente and not it was spente whych oughte to haue bene sayde if he hadde spoken of the fygure and ceremonye of the olde Testamente In the ninteenth chapitur of hys boke entitled De side that is to saye of fayeth to one Peter he callethe it the Sacramente of bread and wyne He doeth enstrucâ—e the sayd Peter in the feithe of the memorie of Christ of his death eueÌ„ at large but yet of this transubstanciacion the whiche these men doe now at this daie so earnestly harpe vpon and labour to bring in he speaketh not so muche as one worde In the twentieth booke against Faustus and the one twentieth chapitur he declareth that the fleashe and bloude of Christ was promised to vs in the olde testament vnder the
similitude of the sacrifices and geuen to vs in dede vpon the crosse and in the sacramentes to bee celebrated vnder a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce or memorial of hym And in the fyue and twentieth chapitur of the one and twentieth booke de ciuitate dei he plainely affirmeth that the wicked and vngodlye sorte dooe not eate the veray thing of the sacrament that is to saye the body of Christe For that man sayeth he oughte not to be thought to eate the bodye of Christe whiche is not in the bodye of Christe and in whome Christe dooeth not dwell nor he in Christe And in the twentieth treactise vpon Ihon he hath euen the like saying And in the thirtieth treactise he sayeth that the bodye of Christe is in one certain place in heauen but the veritie of it to be sprede abroade in euerie place Whiche thing he sayth for this consideracion because the truth is a spiritual thing and is continually euermore with the feithfull And they that dooe receiue the communion wheresoeuer they bee dooe confesse Christ and beleue that he had a true bodye and not a counterfaicte or a phantastical body as the Heritikes dyd suppose In the booke againste Adimantius one of the Manychies secte in the twelfth chapitur he writeth in this manner The Lorde dyd not doubte to saye this is my body whereas yet he gaue them but the signe of his body Neither is it of any force yf one woulde saye he gaue them bothe the signe and the thyng For Austen had no respecte hereunto but his mynde was to declare that it was a figurate speache and lyke to the other which he allegethe out of the Deuterenomi Bloud is the soule or life The Lorde sayeth he therfore dyd not doubte because we are some what bolde in vsyng some tropes that is to saye such maniers of speakyng as sometimes the scripture doth vse In the thyrde booke de doctrina Christiana that is to saye of christian doctrine and the sixth chapitur he doeth teache vs that this saying in the sixthe of Iohn is figurate Except ye eate the fleashe of the sonne of man c. For saieth he here semeth an haynous thyng to bee commaunded For it is a thing more horrible and odious to eate the fleashe of man Here is partly touched the place that is in the seconde booke against the aduersitie of the lawe and prophetes in the ninthe chapitur than to kylle hym and to drincke his bloud than to shede it Therefore saieth he it is a figure geuing vs enstruction that we swetelye and profitablye haue in memorie that the fleashe of Christe was crucifyed wounded for vs. In his epistle to Boniface he declareth moste playnly that the Sacramentes beare the name of those thynges wherof thei beâ— sacramentes And he expresseth by name that the sacramente of the body of Christe is the bodye of Christe after a sorte and he sayeth a litell after that the Sacramente of the bloud of Christe is the bloude of Christe And al this dyd Austen write that he might proue baptisme to be the sacrament of feith and that therefore it maye bee sayed that it is feith that childreÌ„ baptised haue feith because thei receiue that a sacrament And leste any man should saye yâ— they be signes of a thing which present in veray substaunce as these men terme it leat vs diligently weygh the similitudes that are brought in of this father auncient doctour whoÌ„ we haue now alleged Which is sayth Austen much lyke for an exaumple as whan Easter tyme is nere at hande we thus saie Tomorowe shall be the Lordes passioÌ„ or the next day after to morow shal yâ— lordes passioÌ„ be And on the sunday beyng Eastur daye we saye Christ hath this daye arisen agayne froÌ„ death to lyfe Wheras yet these thinges be not now preseÌ„t but wer doen long agon And so AusteÌ„ after these wordes affirmeth that the baptisme of the litel chyldreÌ„ is feyth which feith neuerthelesse the chyldreÌ„ haue not presently Yea ferthermore the same Austen as it appereth in the second distinction in the chapitur that beginneth interrogo uos that is I aske of you sayeth that it is an offense of equal and of lyke negligence to suffre the word of god which is preached to skyp out of our myndes and to leat parte of the sacramentes fall vnto the yearth But yf we graunte this transubstanciacion thaÌ„ wer this thinge not so agreable For it semeth a ferre more vnmete thing that the veray body of Christ should fal vnto the yearth or to be troden on thaÌ„ to heare any part of holy scripture negligeÌ„tly ferthermore vpoÌ„ the third psalme he saith that Christ had Iudas with him at this feaste whan he deliuered yâ— figure of his body They be woÌ„t to saye the the body of Christe couered vnder the accâ—eÌ„dtes in this sacrament is a fygure or signe of himselfe euen as he hanged on the crosse a dead bodye without life bloud And the the bloud which is hidden vnder the accideÌ„tes of wyne is the figure and signe of his bloudeshedde on the aulter of the crosse But what is he that cannot see and perceiue all this same to bee these mennes fond and vaine imaginacions For the signe and figure ought to bee more sensible and more easie to perceiue and to be better knowen then the thyng whiche is signifyed by it And therefore the master of the sentences defineth a sacramente after Austens opinion in this maner A Sacramente saieth he is a visible signe of an vnuisible grace But the bodye of Christe hidden vnder the accidentes as these mennes doctrine teacheth is as vnknowen as that whiche did hange on the crosse Yea and if a man maye saye the trueth more vnknowen too and more obscure or darke to perceiue than is that whiche is signifyed whiche thinges are muche ageynste the nature bothe of a signe and of a figure For the bodye of Christ as it hanged on the crosse is more easie to bee knowen and comprehended in a mannes mynde then as it is of these men placed in the sacramente Leo bishop of Rome Leo the Bysshoppe of Rome in his Epistle to the cleargi and people of Constantinople wryteth that this distribution is mystycall and that it is a spirituall norishment and heauenly vertue that we here receiue to the ende that we maye be altered and transefourmed or chaunged into the fleashe of Christe who for our sakes tooke oure fleashe vpon hym Cirillus in the fowerth booke and the fowertenthe chapitur vpon Ihon saieth thus Cirillus And so to his disciples whiche did beleue he gaue pieces of bread saying take yeâ— c. the same doctoure in his Epistle to one Calosiâ—ius sayeth Therefore it became him after a sort to be ioyned to our bodyes by hys holye fleashe and preciouse bloude the whyche we receyue in thelyuelye blessynge in breade and wyne And now wyl we bryng forth Theodorâ—tus who was byshop of Cyre
stone set for to be the ruine fall and also the arisynge agayne of manye in Israell In the Deuteronomie it is written The bloud is the soule Where as it is but that thing wherby the soule is conserued and signified Iudas the brother of Iosephe speakynge of Iosephe and speakynge that he myghte not be slayne sayd He is our owne fleshe By the whyche phrase of speakynge the natural knyttyng togyther and necessitie of bloud and kynred was signifyed Saynte Paule sayeth that we beynge manye are one breade c. whyche sayinge it canne not be chosen nor auoyded but that it muste â—e vnderstanded to bee fyguratelye spoken And Christe breathed forthe vpon hys disciples and sayde Take ye the holye Ghoste c. Yet was not hys breathynge transubstanciated into the holye ghoste Geneâ— vi In the boke of Genesis it is sayd My Spirite shall not styll dwell in man bicause he is fleshe and in the fyrste Chapitur of Iohn The worde became fleshe c. in whyche place is the plain figure of Sinecdoch For the whole maÌ„ is vnderstanded vnder the name of flesh And our lord Iesus haÌ„ging on the crosse said to Mary his mother Woman behold thy sonne And to his disciple IhoÌ„ Behold thy mother Yet were neyther of theim traÌ„substanciated but remained styl the selfe same persons that they were afore but there was constituted betwene them a newe ordre and degree a newe referrynge and respecte Of Christe it is saide in the scriptures that he is oure peace where as he is only the cause of our peace Also in an other place My wordes are spirite and life where as they did but betoken the same or else were cause of them to the beleuers Iohn Baptiste sayde of Christ. Behold the lambe of god and yet was not his nature chaunged into the nature of a Lambe It is reade here and there in manie places of the holie scriptures that the Lordes wordes are iudgemente and trueth and ryghtuousâ—nes where as these thinges are but signified expressed in the saide wordes of the Lorde And this similitude or comparison doeth passinge wel serue and agre to the sacramentes whych are said to words visible In the Apocalipes it is reade I am α and ω Alpha Omega whereby is mente the firste begynnynge and the laste ende of all thynges And Paule speakynge of hys owne gospell which he preached sayeth The power of God it is to saluation vnto euery one that beleueth Where as it is but onely whereby the power of God declareth it selfe for the sauinge of men And of the preachinge of the crosse he sayeth that vnto the wicked sorte it is folishenes that is to saye it signifieth vnto suche maner of menne but a folishe thynge but to the Godly sort he saith it is the power and wysedome of God for bicause it sheweth and declareth the saide power and wisedome of God vnto the godlye And of the lawe of Moses God sayd that it did put deathe and lyfe blessinge and curssinge vnto the people of the Hebrewes which is none other but by the signification and notifiynge of the lawe the promises and threatenynges of God whiche were in them expressed In the boke of Genesis Gene. xlâ— the seuen kyne and the seuen yeares of corne are saide to be seuen yeres and that is no more but in signifiynge the same Ahias the Prophete a Silonite gaue vnto Hieroboam ten pieces of a cut or torne cloke iii. Kiâ— xi and sayde that he gaue to Hieroboam the kyngedome of ten of the tribes of Israell Also in this same very epistle to the Corinthians and the same eleuenth chapitur whyche we nowe traicte of S. Paule wrote that a woman shoulde haue a power on hyr heade by the whyche worde power he signifieth a coueringe by the whiche couerynge is signified the power and superioritie of the man ouer the woman And in the seconde epistle to the same Corinthians it is coÌ„tayned that God made Christe to be sinne whiche was nothinge els but to the likenes of synne and representation of our fleshe Yea and the ghoste that was offred vp for synne was called sinne And the prestes were saydâ— to â—ate the synnes of the people whyche mente nothinge els but eating the hostes that were slayne and offred vp for the sinnes of the people In the prophet Ezechiel it is written I wil poure forthe cleane water vpon you by the waâ—er he signifieth the holy ghostâ— whych selfe same thing we reade of Christ whan he sayth Who so drinketh of this water c. In whiche place the Euangeliste mencioneth that Christe spake of the holye ghoste whyche they shoulde afterwarde receiue Of the Lambe we heare that it was called Pascha thoughe some there be that attempte the same to denye But the playne words of the Hebrue doth declare it where it is sayd The sacrifice is Pascha that is the passeouer By the sacrifice there can not be vnderstanded anye other thinge but either the slaine hoste that was offred vp or els that same veray acte of sacrifisynge the sayde host So we haue the body of Christ expressed bothe by breade and wine and also by the acte as well of eatynge as of drynkinge And the said Lambe was not the passinge ouer of the Aungel but onely a monumente and token or signification of hym so passing ouer Christ sought a place wher he might eat the passeouer with his Apostles and by the word of passeouer he vnderstode those meates those consecrate or hallowed thynges which dyd betoken and signifie the passe ouer S. Paule also said Christe our passe ouer hath bene offered vp c. And in the same place he called Christe hymselfe our solemnitie oure passage or passeouer whych thinges can not be taken nor vnderstanded but as figuratelye spoken And the sayde lambe was not the passinge ouer of the aungell whyche was theÌ„ to be done or in doyng but whiche was done in old tyme many hundred yeres afore the remembraunce whereof was represented by these same externall signes Here also in thys sacrament we haue the bodye of Christ that heretofore suffered not that is nowe at thys present deliuered vnto the crosse or whose bloud is now at thys day shedde forth but a great while ago And in case these meÌ„ wold straightly expoune the words of Christ wheÌ„ he saith This is my bodye whyche is betrayed for you They coulde not chose but saye that the breade shoulde be crucified or at leaste wyse Christe couered vnder the accidentes of the bread in the sacramente as their exposition and determination is For Christe shewinge forthe that yâ— he theÌ„ had in hys handes sayd that the same it was that shoulde be betrayed and deliuered and shedde forthe for them That if they saye that in dede the same it was that was betraied and deliuered but not after the same manier nor in the same fourme or shape than do they seke interpretacions and expositions
the heauenly thynges are visible But the thynges selues that are inuisible to be honoured in them The same Austen in the fifthe Chapitur of the tenth booke de ciuitaâ—e dei sayeth thus therfore the visyble sacrifice is a sacrament that is to say an holy signe or token of a sacrifice inuisible Hierome in the fowerth booke vpon Matthew and the sixth and twentieth chapitur wryteth in this wise To the entente that as in the prefiguracion of hym Melchisedech the priest and ministerie of the moste high God did whan he offred vp bread and wyne so Christ himself should represente the veritee and trueth of his body and bloud Bartram Bartram also wryteth in this manner by laying applying the testimonies of the holy scriptures and the sayinges of the fathers together it is most euidentlye proued and declared that the breade whiche is called the bodye of Christe and the cuppe whiche is called the bloud of Christe is a figure because it is a mysterie hath a further thyng hyd vnder it Tertulliaâ— And Tertullian agaynste the heretique Marcion in his fowerth booke the breade which he had taken in handes had distributed to his disciples he made it his bodye saying This is my body that is to saye a figure of my body Cypâ—ian Cyprian in his secound booke and third epistle we see in the water the pâ—ople to bee vnderstanded and in the wyne the bloud of Christ to bee vndâ—rstanded Ambrose in his booke whiche he made and entitled de his qui initiantur misterâ—is that is to â—aye of them that are entred to the ordre of the holy mysteries saieth in this manier Ambrose before the blissyng with the holy wordes another kynd is named but after the consecracion the body of Christ is signified The same Ambrose in the fifthe Chapitur of his fowerth booke entiled de sacramentis that is to saye of the Sacramentes Make and doe vnto vs that this our oblation maye bee reasonablye and acceptablye which is the figure of the body and bloud of our lorde Iesus Christe And the same Ambrose agayne vpon the eleuenth Chapitur of the former epistle of Paule to the Corinthians Wee beynge mindeful hereof in â—ating and drynkynge signifie the fleashe and bloude of Christe whiche were offered vp for vs and wythin a fâ—we lynes againe In the fourme and signe of whom wee receyue the misticall cuppe of hys bloud to the safegarde and defence of our soules Barnarde in hys Sermon whyche he made vpon the Lordes supper Barnarde speaketh in thys wyse Into hym herefore the Lorde drawynge nere vnto hys passion vouchsafed of his grace and fauour to clothe and couer hys disciples to the ende that his inuisible grace might be geuen and deliuered by some visible signe Chrisostome in the fyrste epistle to the Corinthians and the tenth chapitur Chrisostom For what do I call the coÌ„munion that we are all but one veray bodye What doth the breade signifieâ— the bodye of Christe What become they or what are they made that receyue itâ— the bodye of Christe Basilius in hys boke entitled Liturgia Basilius calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the sample or paterne or couÌ„terpaine of a thynge thys doth he cal it after the consecration And Austen in the thyrde booke Detrinitate and the fourth chapitur Austen The Apostle sayth he might by signifiynge haue preached and sette forthe the Lord Iesus Christe dyuerse and sondrye waies as one way by hys tonge and wordes or otherwise by hys epistles and writinges or els another waye by the Sacramente of hys bodye and bloude The same Austen in the boke that he writeth agaynste Adimanus hathe these wordes The Lord doubted not to say This is my body whan he gaue but the sygne of hys bodye And likewyse the same Austen vppon the thyrd psalme He admitted Iudas to hys mauÌ„dye in the which he gaue coÌ„mauÌ„ded vnto his disciples a figure of his body The same maÌ„ against Maximinus in the .iii. boke .xxii. chap. sayeth thus In the sacramentes it is diligentelye considered and regarded not that they were but what they shâ—we and signifie For the sacramentes are signes of thynges and are in veraye dede one thynge and yet signifie an other thyng By these places thou perceiuest seest yâ— the fathers and auÌ„cient wryters do not abhorre to put a signification of the body of Christ in this sacrameÌ„t but do playnly put that there is a significatioÌ„ of Christes body in the sacrameÌ„t Ferthermore we haue alredi shewed out of the holy scriptures The solutioÌ„ and confutation of the fourth reason that was first recited for traÌ„substaÌ„tiatioÌ„ that there are many suche maners of speakinge as to saye that thys or that thinge is suche a thyng or such a thing whaÌ„ the menyng is that this or yâ— thing signifieth such a thing or such a thiÌ„g Wher fore thys argument is playn blanke is brought to nought Therefore whaÌ„ they obiect yâ— Christ dyd not say that it did eyther signifie or represent hys body we make answere that yet neuertheles euen out of the scriptures it may so be taken that haue we proued lately inough before Neither do we as they thynke reason or argue after thys maner sort Thyskind maner of speking is so takeÌ„ in other places therfore it ought so to be taken here But we only make answere to theÌ„ who when they should proue their transubstanciatioÌ„ they brynge for their purpose thys texte Thys is my body which is the verie place that all the doubt and controuersie is of and of whose sence mening al the doubt is They obiecte agaynst vs the naked and symple texte and grate still therupon where as by other plaâ—â—s of the scriptures it is manifeste that their reason is nothynge firme nor substantial for so much as thys kinde of speakinge is oftentimes to be taken otherwise in the scriptures Many moo and other reasons we haue to proue our seÌ„tence and opinion of the sacramentes neyther dooe we brynge thys for anye of our argumentes but we do by thys reâ—son onely answere vnto them whan they laye such a phrase of speaking in our lappes and we â—aie that very often it doth signifie otherwise therefore we say that it is but a weake a feble coÌ„clusion or argumeÌ„t that they make by that reasoÌ„ The coÌ„futacioÌ„ of the sixte reason that was made for trâ—subsâ—anciation in the beginning of this worcke The reason afterward coÌ„cerning worshypping of it that if there were breade lefte remayning in the sacrameÌ„t theÌ„ the same bread should be worshiped in yâ— sacrameÌ„t But I wonder muche howe they be come thus so dainely so reuerent obseruers of the true worshyppinge seynge that in other matters both wood and pictures and images be worshipped among theÌ„ and prayed vnto But peraduenture they will saye they worship not the stockes or pictures but the thinges
figura corporis mâ—i that is to wete sayeth Tertullyan the signe of my bodye The obiection out of Origen aunswered vnto They brought in agaynst vs Origen also because he wrote that Christe graunted the breade to bee his bodye And that dooe not we denye but all oure controuersie dooeth consiste in the manier how it is Christes bodye And as touchyng this poynte Origen hymself sheweth playnly in other places of his weorkes that there be figures here and that this bread is called the word nutritiue of the solle and geueth a ferther lesson concernyng thesame that we muste not set our myndes to cleue and sticke to the bloude of the fleashe but to the bloud of the worde Cyprian answered vnto Ciprian semeth to speake more hardelye when he sayed that this breade is chaunged not in his shape or outwarde apparaunce but in his nature But we muste haue a regard and consideracion what he wrote to Caecisius Whiche was that the Lordes bloude was shewed foorth with the wyne and that if wine ceassed to bee in the cuppe it coulde not seme that Christes bloud was in the cup. And as touchyng that he writeth in this place of chaungeyng the wyne into bloud we graunted also that a chaunge there is but we affirme it to bee a sacramentall mutacion or chaunging none other And thus takyng it we graunt that it is not the shape of the bread or the fourme or the accidentes of the breade that haue suche office here as to be Sacramentes but we saye that the nature and the veraye substaunce of the breade and of the wyne is chaunged into the sacrameÌ„tes of Christes body and bloud And And as the veray substaunce of the bread and not the shape of the breade dooeth nourishe so Christes body dooeth bothe nourishe our soule and bringeth couÌ„forte and strengthe to our bodye And as the very substaunce of the breade is made of many graynes so the mystical bodye whiche it representeth hath many members or partes ioyned and vnited together Wherfore as well we as oure aduersaries dooe graunte that it is not the shape that is to saye the outwarde apparence and sight of the bread and the outwarde fashion of it that is chaunged but that it is the veray substaunce therof whiche is chauÌ„ged Now our aduersaries will haue that the chanÌ„ge is made by the castyng awaye of the breades nature but we doe holde that there is but onely a sacramentall chaunge And Cyprian himselfe maketh playnly agaynste our aduersaries For they dooe not saie that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged but they saye that the substaunce of the breade is vtterly gone so that they take the bread cleane awaye We saye that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged and so chaunged that it becometh Christes bodye that is to saye the sacrament of Christes body which it was not before A man maye also besides all this saye that this latine woorde natura is not euermore in the good auctoures of the latine tongue taken for substancia that is to saye substaunce but sometymes it is taken for one of these woordes vis the strength or vertue ingenium the nature or disposicion or propriâ—tas the propretee c. Whereof Cicero saieth in his booke entitled Desomnio scipionis The propre nature and strength of the solle is sayeth he that it is moued of it selfe And in an epistle to one Lentulus he writeth thus The nature the religion of thy prouince to be suche c. In whyche place the worde nature is taken for the fasshion and the disposicion or inclinacyon c. And euen in lyke manier is it to bee taken whan it is saied the nature of herbes or the nature of stones and so others like And thys sygnification of the worde nature dooeth veraie well agree with the saieyng of Ciprian afore cited The obâ—â—â—on oute of Ambrose answered â—nto They bring foorth Ambrose agaynste vs also and specyallye in his Bookes entitled de sacramentis Whyche bookes Ambrose dyd not make as som men thynke Fysher late bishoppe of Rochester dooeth inueighe in maner rage agaynst al suche as so thinke And he sayeth that we ought in any wyse to geue credite vnto Austen who auoucheth that Ambrose wrote the sayed bookes and was Auctour of theim and he testyfyeth in plaine woordes that Ambrose wrote these said bookes of the sacramentes And for proufe of the mattyer he allegeth the prologue of AusteÌ„ vpon hys bookes entitled de doctrina Christiana which prologue of Austen I haue often tymes reade But yet cold I neuer ther fynd that that fysher wrytteth vnlesse paraduenture he meane of that that Austen wroote in his boke of Retractacyons whan he maketh mencion of his bookes de doctrina Christiana and ther in dede he saith suche a thyng but not in the prologe of hys work de doctrine Christiana as fysher citeth it Morouer thys pointe I doe verai wel know that Austen wrytynge agaynste one Iulianus a pelagion dooeth allege Ambrose concernyng the Sacramente of rege neracyon or of philosophye But he mencyoneth not any woorde of these bookes of the misteries or of the sacrameÌ„tes And the wordes that AusteÌ„ alâ—egeth in that place are not in these bookes of the sacramentes But I passe not for thys Suppose that Ambrose were the autour and wryter of them they dooe not vtterly dissente or disagree from oure myndes in this mattier For many thynges he speaketh of sygnyfyeng and that these sacramentes bee called or sayd to bee Christes bodye whyche thynges we dooe not denye And in case he dooe at any tyme speake or make mencion of chauÌ„ging or turnyng thaÌ„ is it all together to be vnderstaÌ„ded of a sacramental chaungeyng Morouer he himselfe must be wel loked vpon weyghed what he writeth in other places Fyrst de officiis in the fourth booke and fowertie eight chapitur he hath these wordes here ensuyng In the one that is to saye in the old lawe is the shadowe and in the one is the ymage but in the other that is to saye in the newe lawe is the veritee in the law is the shadowe in the ghospell is the trueth and trueth there is in heauenly thynges In the olde lawe there was offred a lambe there was offred a calfe nowe in the newe lawe is Christe offered but he is offered as a man and as one that receiueth his passion but he himselfe offrethe himself as a priest that he maye putte awaye our synnes here as if wer in an Image or similitude there in veritee where he maketh intercessyon as an Aduocate for vs before hys father And vpon the fyrste epistle to the Corynthyens as we haue before alleged the same Ambrose thus sayeth In eatynge and drinkynge we dooe represente or sygnyfye the fleashe and bloude of Chryste whyche thynges bee offred And whan he speaketh of the bloud he saieth that we receiue the misticall cuppe in tipum â—ius that is to saye for a sygne of he
same bloud Also the same ambrose in his fourth boke of the sacramentes and the fourth chapytur putteth plainly our chaungeynge into Christe whyche selfe same pointe we haue noted marked oftentimes in others of the olde fathers and wryters Now remayneth that we see concerning Chrisostome what is to bee saied Chrisostom aunswered vâ—to They brought in for their purpose hys similitude of waxe whyche waxe beeyng put to the fyer is distroyed as touchyng his substaunce so that nothyng of the waxe remayneth or eskapeth So thynke thou saieth Chrysostome that the mysteryes are coÌ„sumed of the substaunce of Christes bodye Our aduersaryes saye What thing can be spoken more plainly to declare that the substaunce of the bread is gon but here I thinke it no labour loste but a profytable excercyse to examin dyligently some places oâ— Chrysostomes weorkes that ye maye vnderstande plainly how wel the thynges be marked which we spake of before as touchyng such phrases founde in olde wryters In the .lxxxiii. homelye vpon Matth. he wrytteth thus Many men say that they wisshe and wolde fayn see the fourme and shape and likenes of Christ yea and that they would veraye fayne beholde his garmentes and shooes but he deliuereth himselfe to thee not onely that thou mayest see hym but also that thou maist touche hym Doe not we here vnderstande how he appliâ—th that to the thyng of the sacrament which belongeth or pertayneth to the sygnes as for example Chrystes bodye maye bee touched and maye bee seen whiche thing to bee true of the signes onelye what it is that doeth not receiue and see Again in the same homelie or exhortacioÌ„ Christ reduceth and bringeth vs with him selfe into one masse or lumpe and that not onely by fayth but also he maketh vs in veray dede his bodye Whiche same selfe thinge also he wrote in the sixtieth and sixtieth one Homelie vnto the people of Antioche affyrmyng that we not onelye by faithe and charitee but in veray dede are made and are ioyned and anexed to Christes body And if it so be that our substauÌ„ce is not turned into Christes substaunce and yet that we bee so nyghe to Christe why muste the substaunce of the breade bee chaunged whan it muste bee made Christes body But a doubt mighte here arise as though Chrisostome made against vs in that we holde that this receyuynge is by feythe where he sayeth that we be ioyned and turned or chaunged in to Christe not onely through feyth but also in veraye dede But here is to bee marked that althoughe we holde Christes bodye to be eaten and his bloud to be drounke through feith in receyuing of this sacrament yet vpon this receyuyng by feyth there doeth foorthe with folowe not a feyned ioygning but a true and an effectuall couplyng betwene vs and Christe through the whiche ioygning of vs to Christe not onelye oure mynde and solle is vnited and knitte vnto Christe and made one with hym but also oure body and our flesh hath therby a certayne restoryng and renewyng so that we are therby truly and verayly made the members of the Lorde and we receyue Christe whiche is our head of whom we draw and take our spirite aâ—d our life continually And this it is that Chrisostome ment whan he said that we be truely and veraily ioigned to Christ. And thus muche more maie yet be said herein that Chrisostome in the selfe same homelie and sermon vpon Mathew saieth that thâ—se be the signes or tokâ—ns of Iesu Christ with the whiche signes we stoppe the heretikes mouthes whan they demaunde of vs after what sort or facion Christ did suffer For if he had not had veraie true fleshe in deede and also if he had not truly and vâ—rily suffred passion in dede thaÌ„ were these signes or tokens but vayne thynges He sayeth also in thesame homelye that our tongue is made blouddye in the receyuing of the Sacramentes And leste one myghte make some cauillacion and saie that this bloude muste bee vnderstande to bee inuisible bloud that is to saâ—e suche bloud as cannot bee sene with ourâ— yies with the which bloude beyng conteyned in the wyne or in the accidentes of the wyne as themselues doe terme it oure toungue is made blouddie the same fathâ—r Chrisostome in the sixtieth homelie to the menne of Antioche sayeth that oure toungue is made redde with this bloud of the sacrament In the which wordes who doth not se that he speaketh by the figure Hiper boâ—e which is whan a man for the more vehemeÌ„t and more earnest expressing of a thing will speake more then the trueth is or maye withoute playne myracle as for exaumple if one shoulde saye that al the world heard a thyng spokeÌ„ whan his meaning is that a veray great noumber heard it this manier of speakyng is called hiper bole and in his homelye made in Eucherius he sayeth that in the cuppe there is bloud taken out euen from the lordes syde Whiche thyng can not be beleued in the verai same fourme that it is spoken Chrisostome himselfe declareth his owne hyperblicall speakynges forasmuche as Christes side is not nowe at this daye open neither any bloud takeÌ„ out therefrom He wrytethe morouer in thesame Homelie after this manier Doest thou see any bread or wyne And hymselfe in this wyse maketh the auâ—swere to the question Nay god forbyd Surely yf he should aske the sences of a manne suche a question they woulde aunswere yf thei could speake that it wer not true that Chrisostome sayeth For after the iudgemente of oure senses there is present bothe bread and wyne too But he speaketh truly whan he sayeth afterwardes non ita cogites that is thinke no suche thinge in thy mynde that there is breade there For as touchyng our mynde or thynkynge all suche thinges must awaye Thesame Chrisostome wryteth in this mannier Ne putes te ex homine accipere corpus Christi sed a seraphin qui astet et forcipe tradat tibi Carbonem ignitum That is to saye think not thy self to receyue the bodye of Christ at a mortall mannes hand but of an Aungel of the ordre of Seraphin who standeth by and deliuereth thee an hoate fierye coale with a payre of tonguesâ— c. here in this place I dooe not suppose that these men wolde haue that the minister or the pastour whiche ministreth the Sacramentes vnto vs is transubstanciated into an Aungell And thesame Chrisostome writeth afterwardes Accurramus ad exugendum sanguinem qui ex latere domini profâ—uit That is to saye leat vs renne to sucke out the bloude whiche floweth oute of the Lordes syde The veray schoolemenne themselues dare not speake so large as this For they wryte that the bread and the wyne are turned into the substaunce of the bodye and bloude of Christe but yet not so that anye thynge is added to the veraye true substaunce of Christes body or abated from the substaunce of the same And in the lx and one homelie
institutyon and ordinaunce by pronouncyng of certain holy wordes out of the sciptures and by the strength and efficacye of the holy ghostes workyng For these godly thynges dooe not nowe any more come hurlyng or stumblyng into oure myndes after the vulgare or commen sorte But wyth an effectuall and a veray earneste enforcemente of the holy ghoste And by the strength and vertue of the same holy ghost our hartes myndes be persuaded and moued to the conceauyng and enbracyng of the thinges of the sacramentes throughe feith Nowe as touchynge Austens saying who in the nyntie eighte psalme vpon the texte Adorate scabellum pedem eius that is wurshyp ye the foote stoole of hys feete seketh about what footestole the same should bee and at lengthe fyndeth that it is sayed in the scriptures Terra est scabellum pedum eius that is to say the yearthe is hys foote stoole butte howe sayeth he shall we wurshyp the yearthe It is not wryten in the scryptures Thou shalt wurshyp the lorde thy god him alone shalt thou serue and is it not commaunded sayeth Austen that we shall not wurshyp any of the thynges whiche are in the heauens aboue or vpon the yearth beneath or in the waters or vnderneathe the yearth But after al thys he bryngeth in that a certain yearth there is whyche bothe maie and oughte of good right to bee wurshypped For saieth he the soonne of god tooke vpon hym mannes nature that is to saie â—leashe of a virgyn and fleashe is called yearth in the holy scryptures because oure bodye was taken of the yearth And that the fleashe of Christe is to bee wurshypped dooeth of thys mattyer plainly appere because that whan he geueth the same to bee eaten no man dooeth eate it before he hath first wurshipped it These woordes of Austen can make no thynge againste vs. For we make no denyall at all but that the fleashe of Chryste is to be wurshipped because of the ioygninge and couplyng that it hath wyth hys other nature of hys Godhed But nowe at thys present our contencion is whether the said fleshe of Christ lyeth hidden in the sacramente vnder the accydentes of the breade and not whether the fleashe of Chryste bee to bee wurshipped or no. But they saie If Christes fleashe were not there in the sacramente and breade still remayninge or conteyned in the sacramente than shoulde there bee Idolatrie comitted But we thus aunswer agayn that they also renne into as greate a daungier of Idolatrie as we For they also on there parte shoulde remoue and take awaye the accidentes leste the same accidentes might happen to be wurshipped and they shoulde chaunge the substaunce of the veraye cuppe or chalice too and make a transubstanciacion of it for feare leste it woulde bee wurshypped of some ignoraunte persones and Idolatrie coÌ„myted therunto But in a sacramente we putte a dyfference betwene the outwarde signes and the thynges that are sygnyfied by theim and to these sygnes we geue and shewe honour and reuerence that is to wete that thei bee reuerently handled and after a comely facion and that they bee not cast away For they bee holy thinges and deputed and appointed ones to god But as touching the thinges signifyed and represented by the out warde sygnes that is to wete the bodye and bloud of Christe we dooe quickely and without any sticking graunte that they shoulde bee wurshipped For Austen sayeth in thys place There is none offence dooen in wurshyppyng of Chrystes fleashe But there is an offense committed in not wurshyppinge of it But yet dooeth Austen foorth with warne vs that we shulde nottary or fixe our mindes vpon the fleashe of Christ but that we should lyft vp oure myndes to hys godly nature and to hys deitee to the whyche deyte Christes fleashe is ioygned and knitte wyth suche a knotte as can not bee vnlooced for els sayeth he Caro non prodest quicquam sed spiritus est qui viuificat that is the fleshe dooeth nothynge proffyt nor auaile But it is the spyryte that quickneth and geueth lyfe where marke that thys saynge of Christe whyche is wrytten in the sixth chapytur of Iohns ghospell is vnderstanded and taken of Austen concernynge Chrystes fleashe and not after a carnall and fleashely vnderstandynge of the same as some men wolde haâ—e it But nowe for wurshyppynge of it I wyl here bryefly touche and in fewe wordes repeate the same Whyche before thys time I spake whan I declared this epistle whyche was that adoracion or wurshypping consisteth in Inuocatyon or callyng vpon as whan we praie to God and in confessyng or acknowelaygeyng whyche confessing is of two sortes the one with the hert and the other with the mouth and in thankes geuing Al these thiÌ„ges bee dewe both to god and to Chryste where and whan soeuer he declareth hymselfe vnto vs. And this is doone three manier of wayes fyrst by reason of goddes woorde inwardly considered when some vehement thynkynge vpon God and Christe cometh into oure myndes by the strength and power of the holy ghoste And than dooeth wurshyppynge folowe streygth waye For eyther we confesse and knoweledge his maiestie to bee moste excellent c. or els we call vpon him to helpe vs or els we thanke hym for hys goodenesse shewed vnto mankynde And these thynges dooe sometymes declare themselfes vnto vs by externall and outward woordes that is to wete as often as we ourselues reade the holie scryptures or els whan we heare godly sermoÌ„s For in this case we be many times prouoked to calle vpon God or to dooe other thynges whiche perteyne to the nature of godly wurshyppiÌ„g To bee shorte Chryste and god sometymes dooeth declare hymselfe by outewarde sygnes as he dyd in the Mounte of Synai vnto Moses and to the prophet Isai in lykenesse of a kinge sitting in his regall throne Exod. xix In the arke of promyse and in the Sacramentes Isay. vi And here also is adoracion or wurshipping vsed But like as Austen gaue warnynge or exhorted vs that we shoulde notte sette oure myndes and stayghe onelye vpon the fleashe but that we shoulde goe for warde lifting vpon our myndes to his deite or godhead So doe I now here geue warnyng that whan we receiue the sacramente we should not stoppe or tarie in the outward signes with our wurshipping but that we shuld in spirite and in truth wurship Christe that sitteth in heauen at the right hande of the father Which thing because some vnlearned people dooe not vnderstande by reason of this false opinion of transubstanciacion beeing now confirmed and rooted in mens myndes therfore I would thynke it not vnprofitable if we did refreine our selues from outwarde wurshipping of it as froÌ„ prostration or kneelyng vntyl suche tyme as the rude sorte and ignoraunt people were better enstructed taught therin Inward wurshippyng maye bee vsed without daungier nether were the outwarde worshyppyng ill in his owne true naturall vse For many menne dooe godlye
here on yearthe But to say that he so doeth wer false and to require that he should so dooe wer a teÌ„ptyng of hym not ferre differing from blasphemie But to returne to thys matier that we now haue in hande it maye ferther bee sayed that in Baptisme also is required the same power of god For it is not a weorke of nature that water should bee made the fountaine of our regeneracionâ— or newe birth in Christe But here some persones can not euen veray wel heate that baptisme should bee after thys sorte coÌ„pared with the sacramente of Eucharistia For although they can not saye nay but that Chriâ—â—e is present in baptisme also and is there geuen vnto vs. for it is wryten ye as many as are baptised haue dooen christe on vpon you yet is Chryste saye they after a more excellent â—orte in the sacramente of Eucharistia â— then he is in the sacramente of baptisme therefore the breade is transubstanciated and yet is it not necessarie that the watâ—r in baptisme shoulde bee transubâ—ianciated To whom we aunswer that it is not muche to bee passed on in whether of bothe sacramentes Christe bee after a more excellent sorte conteined then in the other so that he bee graunted to bee present in theym bothe And as he maye bee in the one wythout any transubstanciacion of the elementes that is to saye of the naturalle thynges that the sacâ—amente is made of euen so maye he bee in the other too That if ye wyll nedes striue about the dignitee of the sayd two sacramentes whether of them is the more excellent than maye the excellencie of baptisme bee proued by argumentes tyght effectuall and pitthye For fyrst it is a greatter matier to bee generate and borne then it is to bee nourished Secondely baptisme was honoured and notified wyth a noumbre of miracles at once for the heauens opened at the baptisyng of Christe the voyce of the father was hearde and the holy ghoste was seen in the lykenesse of a doue whyche thynges did not happen at the iâ—stitutyng and ordeinyng of the sacramente of â—ucharistia And yet dooe not we speake all thys to the derogacion of thys sacramente for it is a sacramente of most hyghe dignitee and a sacramente moste woorthie and mete to bee chiefly had in honour and reuerence but all thys is spoken to thys oâ—ely ende and purpose that we maye make a full aunswer vnto the obiectioÌ„ yâ— was brought against vs of the power of god We haue also declared alreadie afore out of S. Austen in the thyrd booke of the Trinitee the tenth chapitur that â—â— of wyne should so growe multiplie by hys steightes of iugleyng that all the wholle cuppe should bee full to the veray brymme yea and renne ouer too Yea and whan an other bigger cuppe was brought vnto hym that would hold more in it thys Marcus would so haÌ„dle the matier that the bigger cuppe should bee full too wythoute puttyng of any more liquour vnto it then was afore What man would saye that thys felowes was euer the more approued or confirmed by these miracles If we will come to the stories of the Gentiles we reade that there hath riuers and streames of bloud renne along vpon the grounde Certain miracles wrought by Ethnites Gentiles and that Iuppiters thumbe hath spinned out with bloud Liuius telleth that in Rome our time it did â—aine flesh Quintus Curtius reporteth that at the citee of Tyrus whan it was besieged of Alexander the great a lofe of breade did openly in the syght of them all sweat out and droppe bloud whan one of Alexanders soldyars cutte the lofe And Apollonius Thyraneus is reported that whaÌ„ he was at the parliamente before Domitianus the Emperour he vanished away sodeynly and could no more bee found Thus there bee miracles and woondres infinite which the Gentiles myght in this case bryng in to confirme theyr worshyppyng of Idolles And therefore all suche miracles as these men affirme to make for the confirmyng and establishyng the supersticion of transubstanciacion we vtterly reiecte and dissallow Neither is it muche to bee regarded that they bring in for this purpose of a miracle showed of Gregorie byshop of Rome For it is wryten in hys life that the lordes breade or if ye wyll so calle it the sacramente of Eucharistia was turned into a finger of fleashe Whyche thyng if it wer so dooen for either of the two causes whiche as aboue sayd we dooe receiue there is no great earnest strife to bee made for the matier Albeeit that same life of Gregorie is a matier of no great weyght or force to bee passed on For if we wyll beleue Uincentius the said life of Gregorius was wryten an hundred yeres after he was dead of our Ihon of Rome a deacon and sent to a certan Emperour beeyng a Germain But putte the case that it was so in ded If our aduersaries wyll therof conclude by the shewyng of the finger of fleashe that the fleashe of Christe dooeth corporally and bodyly lye hidden vnder the accideÌ„tes of the breade than myght a bodye by this kynde of miracles conclude that vnder the sacramentall similitudes and signes there is bothe coles and ashes conteined because that thys holy breade was ones turned into these thinges in Cyprians tyme as hymself wryteth I beleue also that the sleightes and illusions of vyle lewd felowes are not vnknowen whyche they haue often tymes vsed to deuise and inuente miracles In an other argumente they layed veray sore to our charge the dignitee and excellencie of Christes bodye glorified whyche from the tyme of hys resurrection foorth ward is called hys bodye spiritual whiche dignitee and excellencie of Christes bodye glorified we dooe in no wyse denye Yet wyll we putte you in remembraunce of that that Austen hath in an epistle to one CoÌ„seÌ„tius where AusteÌ„ affirmeth that Christes bodye glorified is not after suche sorte a spiritual bodye that it passeth into the nature of a spirite For a certain kynde of bodye there is whyche of S. Paule in the fifteenth chapitur of hys former epistle to the Corinthians is called Corpus animale Corpus animale as if ye should saye in englyshe a bodye enâ—ewed wyth a solle whyche the translatours of the bible dooe for the more plainer vnderstandyng of the vnlearned calle a naturall bodye and yet in the self same place of Paule it is sayed of Adam that he was made a lyuyng solle and suche a man is in the secound chapitur of the same epistle called Animalis homo and it is translated in englishe a natural man But the sayd place of S. Paule whereâ— suche a bodye endewed with a solle is called Corpus animale is not so to bee vnderstanded as though tâ—e bodye dooeth passe and chaunge into the nature of the solle And agayn the same austen in the twentieth chapitur of the thyrteenth booke de ciâ—itâ—te dei that is to saye of the citee of god wryteth in