taken as they bee vttered but that it is couered with some allegorical clowde As when in the sacramentâ—s we are sayde to bee borne anewe by water and too bâ—e fedde with the body of Christ whoe is so voide of reason that wresting these speeches vnto the carnal sense the meaning whereof is too bee construeâ— figuratiuely wil imagin that wee ought too bee borne in our bodies anewe as Nicodemus did or to bee feâ—de with Christes fleshe carnally as the Capernaites did Goe to what better imaginatâ—on do the vnlettered multitude conceaue in these dayes of the doctrine of theyr transubstantiation deliuered vnto them by theyr great Doctours For on this wise doe thâ—se famous Christe makers enstruct their auditorie That the bread which was bread before the consecraâ—ion altering the very substance of bread is no more bread nowe but turned into fleshe and that this also must be beleeued without all question that it is made the euerlasting sonne of God What can bee more absurde And howe comes this chaunge too passe I pray you forsooth because Christe sayde This is my body For this whole huge Chaos of confused Transubstantiation is accoÌ„plished with these iiii wordes by these Christ makers What and did the Lorde pronounce no more wordes but these foure only what if he spake in the Hebrwe tongue and expressed the whole action in two wordes only after the maner of that nation Zoth Guphi because the phrase of that language doth not for the most part expresse the Uerbe Est. But to admit he spake foure or fiue wordes what did hee adde thereunto no more besides or did hee speake nothing else bâ—fore or after too make the very meaning and purpose of his speaches more euident and manifest And why do these fellowes omitte the circumstances and not deliuer the whole Scripture withall why doe they chop of the one hâ—lfe of Christs proposition suppresse in silence the chiefe parâ— whereby the meaning of Christ might appeare more forciblyâ— For when Christe made mention of his body hee dyd not therefore make the bâ—eaâ—e his bodye tâ—â—t it might bee deuoured but 〈◊〉 a comâ—â—â—ndement to take bread first aâ—d to eaâ—â— Take yee sayth Chriâ—t and eate ye And foorâ—hwith making mention of his body dyd say This is my body yet not â—mply neuertâ—elesse but 〈…〉 That is geuen and broken for you To wit to signifie vnto them not the very substaunce of his naturall body simply but that the crucifiyng of his body and the shedding of his blood shoulde become our foode From hence bubbleth out al that welspring of error That where our Lorde and Sauiour had relation to the efficacie and power of his passion the same the Papistes doe apply too the only substance of the fleshe as though we were to bee fed with the very naturall fleshe of Christe and not rather with the passion of his fleshe But you wyll aske howe the passion of Christe feedeth which is not eaten forsooth in the same maner as the death of Christ doth nourishe vs so doeth his passion feede vs not after a fleshly but after a spiritual maner Not as it is chawed with the teeth but as it is receiued into the heart For theÌ„ doth the death of Christ feede vs when it refresheth vs then is he eaten when hee is receiued by faith and applied too â—ur infirmities Now he that is desirous to know with howe great force and efficacie the Lordes death worketh in feedyng and refreshing our soules shal neuer ve able to attaine the perseuerance thereof with more facilitie then by this sacrament if hee wyl but enter into due consideration of all the partes thereof For you come first to the Lords supper wherein you beholde what the Lorde tooke in his handes Iesus tooke bread and foorthwith geuing thankes brake the bread which hee tooke Why woulde he thus breake it forsooth to the ende hee might geue it and to whom did he geue it not the whole loafe to only one person perdie but gaue to euery one seuerally a seuerall morsell And to what ende did hee so distribute it that they shoulde holde it vp in theyr hands or reserue it in boxes Nâ— verily but that euery of them should eate and drink What with the mouth of the body or noâ— There is no question to bee made hereof For the matter being neuerthelâ—s of it selfe throughly maniâ—est yet this one thing may be for a sufficient proofe that the outward substaunce was the natural substaunce of bread and not of his â—ody sithens the very order of nature â—oeth vtterly abhorre that Man shoulde feede vppon mans fleshe I haue shewed you the outwarde Action of the Supper Open nowe the windowes of your soule that ye may perceiue what deeper myâ—terie lyeâ—h hidden wiâ—hin vnder these externall thinges and conceiue what the Lordes purpose wâ—s in this his Sâ—pper For there is in this Supper one thing obiect too the viewe of the eyes another thing shut vpp in a mystery Nowe what kinde of mysterie this is the Lordes owne words do sufficiently set downe in these wordes spoken to his Disciples Take yee sayth Christ eate ye This is my body which is geuen for you Doe this as often as ye shall do it in remembraÌ„ce of mee What can bee more euident then the interpretation of this supper if the circumstances of the words be scanned accordingly For who is so blinde that can not discerne the fâ—uits of the Lordes death and â—assion to bee plainly â—ignified heere for as much as in the very eating â—imself saithâ— this is my body that is geuen to be slaine for you Otherwise why would hee haue added withall Geuen too be slaine But that hee woulde set downe a playne testimonie of the death of his body rather then of any substaÌ„ce thereof to the viewe of the Disciples As if hee shoulde sâ—y the time â—s now at hande wherein my body muste bee geuen to be sâ—â—ine for you not for any mine â—ffence at all but for your sakes which death of mine shall procure euerlasâ—iâ—g life for you after like sort and maâ—er as this bread which I geue thus broken vnto you to eate doth passe into your bodies and geue nourishment thereâ—o Take ye therefore this bread which I geue to euery of you and eate and withall consider heerein not the naturall bread which feedeth your bodies outwardly but my body which being geuen to be slaine crucified for you shal inwardly and much more effectually refreshe you too eternall life For my Fleshe which I will geue to bee slaine for the life of the worlde is meate in deede and my blood is drinke in deede For your bodies do no so much â—iue by the nourishment of meate and driâ—k as your soules be fed within with the crucifiyng of my fleshe and the shedding of my blood without which you can haue no remission of sinnes no ioyfull resurrection
and louely societie of the Churche When as the Lordes meaning dyd reatch to a farre higher mystery in this institution of the Supper which may be made most euidently apparant by the very wordes and circumstances of the words of the Supper For when the Lorde did commaunde to take and eate he doeth not say this is my mysticall body that shal fructifie and encrease out of many members of the Church But this is my body that shal be geuen for you Whereupon if I might now argue in the schooles of Diuines I would on this wise proceede against mine aduersaries The thing that is properly signified in this Sacrament is the only fleshe of Christe geuen for vs. The power of the vnitie and societie of the Churche was not deliuered for vs. Ergo The vnion of the Church oâ—ght in no respect be called the substance of the Sacrament Therfore this doctrine of Lombarde is false vtterly to be abandoned wherein hee affirmeth that this visible forme is a sacrament of a double thing And albeit I wil not deny that this mystery of Ecclesiastical vnion christian conâ—unction is a matter of vnspeakable excellency to haue singulâ—r likenes relation to bread as S. Paul testifieth Yeâ— Paul â—eacheth no such doctrine to wit that the sacrament was instituted to that ende or that the â—lements of bread and wine were deliuered to bee eaten and druÌ„ken for this purpose namely to expresse this mysticall â—â—ion but that it shoulde allure vs to an otheâ— matâ—eâ— rather to wit to the very body of Christe which shoulde suffer for vs that is to say shoulde represent the passion of Christe which doth truely quicken vs make vs too fructifie and to growe vp Therefore the estate of this Sacrament doth require that the Sacrament it selfe and the thing of the Sacrament alsâ— be both of this naâ—â—re to comfort to nourish for otherwise howe can the thinâ— significant agree with the thing signified vnlesse â—he nourishment of the one bee answerable too the nourishment of the other Now this is without al question that nothing can nourishe vnlesse it bâ—â— first eaten Wherefore as there bee twoo thinges that â—oe nourishe so must there be two thinges that muste bâ—e eaten In the one whereof is the Sacrament of the body in the other the verye thing it selfe is deliuered namely the passion of his naturall body And as they both nourishe so they muste both bee eaten The bread feedeth the flesh of Christ crucifâ—ed feedeth but after an other maner The bread feedeth corporally the fleshe feedeth spiritually That one the naturall body this other the spiritual part of the soule the bread feedeth this present lyfe the fleshe feedeth vnto the euerlasting life to come For as the life of the bodie doth growe encrease by dayly bread and foode euen so the spirituall life is preserued by the passion of Christ. Which the Lord himselfe foreseeing before did vtter these woordes of himselfe not without great consideration My fleshe is meate indeede my blood is drinke in deed geuing vs to vnderstande that by blood hee did meane the blooddy Sacrifice of his owne flesh Therfore as there is two kinds of mans life To wit earthly and heauenly so haue they both theyr proper foode The earthly life is preserued with foode and bread the heauenly life is obteined with the death of Christ. And for this cause nothing câ—ulde haue beene more commodiously handled then that the Lorde shoulde deliuer the bread and wine for a memorial of his passion because of the agreable application of the mutuall resemblaunce And heereof aryseth al the substaunce of this Sacramentall Action whereby bread and wyne doe obteine too bee called by the name of the body and blood not because the thinges themselues doe alter theyr substances but after the vâ—uall phrase of speach which is commonly frequented in all languages almost chiefly aboue others in the mysticall Scriptures Namely that thinges significaÌ„t shoulde obteine too bee called by the thinges which they doe signifie Which being most manifestly to be approued by innumerable testimonies of the Scripture is aboue all other moste iustifiable in this one Sacrament chiefly where the name of the body is attributed too the bread but not the substaunce none otherwise in very deede then as by like phrase of wordes is set downe in the booke of Genesis where seuen eares of corne are called Seuen Yeeres Fleshe Heye Seede the Worde a Fielde the World the heauenly Father an Husbandman Christe named a Uine or a Lambe the Apostles called Salt of the earth Peter a Stone and Iohn the Euangelist not only called of Christes own mouth the sonne of the Uirgin but accepted of the mother of Christe as her sonne by the Lordes commaundement Yet wil no man be so mad for this cause to affirme that vnder the figure and forme of this Disciple he either became truely and naturally her sonne or the Uirgin his naturall mother for it is one thing to bee called a mother by name an other thing too bee a naâ—urall mother in deede After the same maner fareth it with the Sacramentes in the which must be considered not what they bee but what they be called and wherfore they be so called For euen amongest vs in our dayly and vsual speaâ—hes as also in the Scriptures chiefly many thinges are many times beautified or described by strange names where notwithstanding no alteration is made of substance but the reason and cause that mooued the holy ghost to name it so is noted After the same maner Christ doth call bread his body not meaning thereby to transubstantiate the substance of the one into the other neither was it to any purpose at all to haue done so but to expresse the power of his passion for this cause therefore hee tooke the bread and cup of wine and called them his body and blood which he would giue for the sins of the world Neither did he only cal them so but also did deliuer them in his last supper to bee eaten and drunken in steede of his body and blood In like maner before Supper he vouchsafed by a like Figuratiue phrase of speache too call his owne fleshe meate and feeding bread from heaueâ— But least any man may fayle in the propertie of woordes I thinke it good too hearken vnto Augustines couâ—salie who discoursing vpoÌ„ the 33. Psalm of Dauid wâ—erin it is said that Dauid did change his couÌ„tenance before Abimelech alias before Achis he doeth transpose this figuratiue speach of chaunged couÌ„tenance to y â— words of Christe vttered touching the supper of his body blood For as Dauid is saide to haue dissembled in countenance before Achis the king seeming outwardly otherwise then hee was inwardly After the selfe same maner of speache the Lorde himselfe treating of his fleshe and blood doeth seeme in Augustines iudgement as it were
changing countenance before Achis to wit an ignorant king to expresse one thing in vtter shewe of woordes and to conceale an other thing in a secrete mysterie before the Capernaites to wit a grosse ignorant people Wherevpon Augustine commaundeth vs to knock here bicause there is some hidden thing shut vp in this place and not to sticke too much to the letter which killeth but exhorteth vs to rayse our selues too the spirituall sense which doeth geue lyfe Because the spirituall vnderstanding sayth he doeth make him that doth beleeue to be safe And proceeding forward in the same comparison wherein he compareth Achis the king That is to saye the kingdome of error with the Capernaites Dauid with Christe hee inferreth on this wise when our Lorde Iesus spake of his bodyâ— except yee eate my flesh and drink my blood the disciples did abhorre this speache because they vnderstoode it not For the Lorde in the chaunge of his countenance seemed vnto them to bee halfe frantike when he spake of eating his fleshe therefore they supposed that the Lorde seemed besides himselfe knowing not what he spake and as it were halfe mad But he seemed so to be vnto Achis the king that is to say to fooles and to ignorant men and therefore hee forsooke them and went his way or rather they forsooke him because this speache seemed very hard vnto them when as notwithstanding the speach was not hard but they rather hard dul of vnderstanding not the speache Who if had not departed from him but abidden still with the Apostles hee had instructed them plainly howe they shoulde haue conceaued the sense of the woordes as hee taught the other Apostles when hee tolde them It is the Spirite that quickneth for the fleshe profiteth nothing My woordes which I haue spoken vntoo you bee spirite and life As though hee had saide according to the interpretation of Augustine Understande yee my wordes which I haue spoken spiritually This body which you see shall yee not eate nor drinke that blood which the Iewes shall shed out of my side I haue deliuered you a certaine Sacrament the same being spiritually vnderstood wil quickeÌ„ you Wherby no man can be so blockish except he be altogether void of sense what the purpose of the Lorde was in the Action of this Supper â—nd howe hee woulde haue our hearts minds affected towards these misteries with what mouth and by what instrumentes hee woulde haue vs too receiue this bread of his body Wherby his purpose was to make plain demonstration vnto vs of the spiritual efficacie of his passion and our faith on him which hee coulde not haue done by any so fitte similitudes as by setting downe these chiefe and pâ—incipall stayes and supportes as it were of this preseÌ„t life which do serue for the daily foode and necessary nourishement of the bodie I haue hitherto nowe manifested a cause sufficient enough except I be deceiued that moued our Lorde to institute this sacrament of his body and blood in bread and wyne Namely to represent the power and efficacie of his most ghostly and comfortable death not onely to our faith and remembrance but to our senses also by a most apte similitude Which similitude beeing not able to be made consonant by any meanes without bread and wyne hereof therefore commeth it to passe that reteining bread we doe admitte here a necessarie figuratiue speeche whereby wee doe most truely call bread by the name of Christes body and the body of Christe by the name of the bread of life For if it might bee lawefull for Lombard too vse this kynde of speeche In bread that is to saye in forme of bread in the sacrament that is to saye in the visible forme Againe wheresoeuer part of the bodie is there is the whole c. which can not be spoken of any man without a figure Why then shall it not bee as lawefull for vs by the same figure to affirme that bread is the body of Christe that bread doth signifie the body of Christ as well as Lombarde can winke in his owne proper conceit and saye The visible fourme is bread the forme that is to say the bread doth signifie the body of Christe It remaineth now that you holy father with your cowled cloysterers render vs a cause likewise why yee driue the bread out of the sacrament like a runneaway Why in this case you will not admitte a figure in any case For this is your doctrine that in the sacrament no bread is eaten but the very body of Christe simply naturally and really Go to what was the cause at the length why the Lorde him selfe should either deliuer vnto his guestes his owne naturall fleshe to be deuoured or why doe ye suppose that we ought to beleeue the same to bee true you will aunswere that hee did it to the ende hee might feede our frayle weake and vncleane fleshe with his most holy fleshe Of the very same opinion were the Capernaites wandring in the same mismaze long before your dayes and being offended as Cyrill reporteth with the wordes of the Lord reuolâ—ed from him The same answere therefore which they receiued of the Lorde be yee satisfied withal at this present The flesh saith hee profiteth nothing at all that is to saye Christe did not meane here his naturall flesh simply which being borne for vs crucified for vs and risen againe doth profite very much in deede but hee did meane of our eating his body According to which kinde of eating if Christ do plainly confesse that his flesh is altogether vnprofitable will you grounde all the commoditie and profit of the sacrament in the eating of his fleshe And after this will exact of vs also that forsaking the very meaning and open exposition of Christ him selfe who doth testifie that his wordes be spirit and life should accept this your childish grammaticall construction of the fleshly deuouring naturall fleshe for sounde and catholike diuinitie But here againe will some one of you steppe foorth like a tall felowe and saye when the Lorde spake those wordes of his body he vttered no sillable or terme of signifying Neither did he speake thus This doth signifie my body but did professe simply without all figure this is my body But this trymmetraâ—â—ne so nicely conned out Augustine will easely vnlose vnto vs. Who writing against Adimantus doth amongest other rules recited in the nature of a signe reckoÌ„ vp this same very speech in the Gospell The Lorde saieth Augustine doâ—ted nothing to saye This is my body when hee gaue a signe of his bodye Uerily if he gaue a signe of his body he could not choose but giue somewhat wherein hee might signifie his body although there bee no woorde significant expressed In like maner neither was any woorde significant vttered by the Apostle when hee spake of the Rocke as the same Augustine witnesseth for the Apostle sayed not
the rocke did signifie Christ but the rock was Christ when as neuerthelesse no man ought to doute of the Apostles meaning herein not that Christe was a very rocke or stone in deede but that the rocke did signifie Christ. Or if these iolly fellowes will not bee satisfied with this aunswere of Augustine then let Ambrose aunswere for Augustine Who setting downe the matter playnely by the woorde of signifying Bicause saith he we be deliuered by the death of the Lorde beeing myndefull hereof we doe in eating and drinking signifie the flesh and blood which was crucified for vs. But if all the speeches which Christe vsed which are euery where very plentifull in figures and parables must bee leueled according too this playne rule of the letter then let vs in our entry at the Church doore worship the doore bicause in like vtterance of speeche the Lorde sayde I am the doore if any man doe enter by me c. Where appeareth no sounde of any woorde of signifying whereby he might manifest vnto vs that he was not a doore in deede but did signifie a doore But in this place I see you forsake your grammer construction and shrowde your selues vnder a figure and not without cause And what scrupule is it I praye you that may let vs to vse a figuratiue speeche as wel here where he saith This is my body Or why shoulde you bee more squemishe at a figuratiue speeche where we are saide to eate Christe then where we are commanded by the scriptures to put on Christe Paul doth instruct the Galathians on this wise Al ye that be baptized haue put on Christe and here you acknowledge a figure Christ teacheth vs that he is the foode of our life and commaundeth vs to eate him affirming that to be his body here ye can take no notice of any figure And why so I praye you or what reason doth enduce you to this that in putting on Christe you will seeme altogether spirituall but in deuouring Christe altogether fleshly and carnall preparing your myndes there and here onely your teeth and belly But I vnderstande what scrupule this is that so much altereth your diet It is bicause in the woordes of the supper a certen speciall commaundement is set downe by Christe whereby wee be commaunded to doe this in remembraunce of him Goe to and doth this seeme cause sufficient enough why reiecting the figure you shoulde runne awaye from heauenly diuinitie to boyshe grammaticall construction from the spirite to the letter from life to the belly Why then when S. Paul doth not onely make vs to be cloathed with Christ but also commaundeth vs to put him on When as also he commaundeth vs to take the sworde into our handes which by expresse denomination hee calleth the worde of God and fayth the Buckler wherewith hee chargeth too be furnished shall wee therefore stricktly conuer these commaundementes of the Apostles after the naturall phrase and simple maner of speeche leauing the spirite May I be so bold holy father to demaund of you when the blessed virgin is commaunded to take the disciple of Christe for her sonne as is before mentioned shall wee therefore take him for her naturall sonne borne of her body Men are counsayled too gelde them selues for the kingdome of God what shall wee therefore followe the fonde example of Origen in the carnall construction of the letter The Lord him self doth els where commande to pluck out the eye if it offende likewise to cut of the right hande and the right foote if they offende the same Christe also doth by expresse wordes forbidde that none of his disciples should seeke to be saluted by the name of Lorde or maister and that none of his seruauntes shoulde presse vp to the highest places and seates in meetings together is there any one of all your holy crewe that will therefore mangle his body and cut of any his members or pluck foorth his eyes at this commaundement of the Gospell or will any of you thinke it matter vnseemely for a bishop to beare rule ouer others I thinke you wil not for you will saye it were a very absurde matter to be done Nowe which of these seemeth more absurde vnto you either to cut of the hande or foote from the body or to take the eye forth of the head then to deuoure at one morsell a quicke liuing man whole and sounde togâ—ther with handes feete eyes and skinne fleshe blood bones yea his guttes also nayles sinowes and muscles and to swallow him downe into the panche And yet notwithstanding may not all these so many and so monstruouse absurdities which you see plainely with your eyes and which the very course of nature can in no wise disgest preuaile with you to call your grosse and fleshly fat imaginations to the spirituall vnderstanding of these woordes wherein if you can not finde in your heart to credit your owne senses and reason nor to yelde to your iudgemet holy father yet ought the authoritie of Augustine not so lightly be regarded who in his booke de Doctrina Christiana discoursing vpon the maner of discerning the properties of wordes whether they be properly spokeÌ„ or figuratiuely amongest other his rules hee setteth downe this for a speciall note namely that where any speech wil seeme to commaund sacriledge or an haynous and wicked thing the same speech should be construed for a figuratiue speech And least any man shoulde cauill here that this note doth not appertaine vnto the Euchariste let Augustine be hearkened vnto beeing the expositour of his owne woordes who doth applie this chiefly too those woordes vttered of eating Christe his fleshe and drinking his blood In which woordes of Christ saith Augustine bicause a wicked thing semeth to be commaunded hereof hee concludeth on this wise It is a figure therefore saith he coÌ„maunding to participate with the passion of our Lord Iesus sweetly and profitably too laye vp within the closettes of our remembrance that Christs flesh was wouÌ„ded crucified for vs What can bee more manifest then these woordes of Augustine what more autentyke then his autoritie which if wee yelde vnto to be truth in deede then either muâ—â— you abandon this newe framshapen poppet of Papisticall transubstantiation or incurre the blemishe of horrible wickednesse and withall yelde ouer to many other grosse absurdities quite against nature and kynde whether ye will or no. For what more execrable wickednesse or horror more deteâ—table may a man not only coÌ„mit but imagine more vnworthy the precious body of our Lord then in bidding bread and wine adiew out of the sacrament to supplie in place thereof Christe his naturall fleshe to be torne with teeth really and corporally to be deuâ—ured fleshe blood bones to conuey it so into the stomake and to swallowe downe mans naturall blood moreouer in respâ—ct of nature it selfe what can be vttered more grossely absurde more vnreasonable then to
eate not the blood for the blood is the life therefore thou maiest not eate the blood with the fleshe Nowe therefore what maner of â—uersion not obseruation of Gods lawe is this what a disagreemente and vnlikenesse is this betwixt the olde Testament and the newe That which the father forbiddeth the sonne commaundeth that which not onely nature doth vtterly condemne but also the fathers commaundement by most special law hath abolished shal Christ the sonne of God the most seuere keeper of the lawe bring the same againe into vse God forbid hee neuer did it hee neuer willed it he neuer thought it neither was hee able to commit so grosse an absurditie without great prediudice of the law and nature it selfe neyther doe thou imagine euer any suche thing in thy minde gentle Reader Christâ— did neuâ—r bryng in any suche enormitie but the Paâ—ists a deteâ—table and sauadge kinde of people altogeather contrary to Christes meaning and contrary too all lawe and rule not only of all nature but of Scripture it selfe They doe gnawe vppon the woordâ—s as vppon the fleshe of the letter which if be construed in their right sense nothing can be more heauenly but yf carnally nothing câ—n bee more damnable But if wee will needes bee so precise about the woordes of Christâ— Why then by the same Argument of Christes omnipotencie let vs turne Peter into a Rocke of Stoneâ— and a Stone into Christe and Christes fleshe into Table meate For neither when he called bread his body which hee woulde geue for vs noting thereby the power and effâ—cacie of his passion did these woordes tende to that ende to institute some transmutation of Creatures by any hidden myracle or that departing out of the earth with his body to leaue his body behinde him or else why shoulde hee commaunde it too bee eaten if his will had beene too haue it reserued for a token but Christe did vnderstande by these woordes an other maner of thing being matter of farre greater and deeper mysterie For he deliuered a Sacrament which being vnderstoode spiritually doth geue life but beâ—ng carnally vnderstoodeâ— doeth kyll For flesh according too the testimonie of Christe him selfe doeth not proâ—ite any thing at all But howe can it bee apâ—ly saide that this moste holy fleshe doeth proâ—ite nothing at all What did not the fleshe of Christe borne for vs baptized for vs and slaine for vs profite Yes truely very muche But our treatise heere concerneth not the very substaunce of his flesh nor yâ—t his heauenly Actions in the fleshe but only our fleshly eating of his naturall fleshe in this Sacrament which shoulde auaile vs nought at all too eternall life tâ—ough wee eate thereof with our mouthes a thousande times whereof the Lord himselfe meaning to aduertise the Capernaites not altogether obscurely who did wrest these wordes to the carnall and fleshly sense and meaning of eating saide vnto them these wordes My woordes are spirite and life The fleshe doeth not profite at all Which wordes doe tende too this construction at the last You doe conceiue of these woordes which I spake touching the eating of my fleshe too too grossely and carnally and farre otherwise then my meaning is for I did neither speake them in any suche sense as that I would inuite you to the deuouring of my person for what can bee more absurde Neither did I take vppon mee this fleshe too any suche ende as too fill your throates and belies therewith For what commoditie shoulde thereby redownde vnto you that was not my meaning but too the ende I shoulde geue the same to bee slaine for your sakes which slaughter of my fleshe beyng apprehended of you spiritually by faith and inwardly disgested within your heartes shall refreshe you much more effectually then Moyses refreshed your bellies with his Manna for it shall reuiue you with a liuely life not perishable and temporall but eternall and it shall satisfie your hunger not that hunger which will bee hungry again but which shall replenish you being full fed with euerlasting felicitie in such wise as that you shal from thence foorth neuer bee hungry any more Whereupon those his woordes are not without cause called spirite and life not wherewith he turned bread into fleshe but whereâ—ith he represented the efficacie of his fleshe which was slaine for vs and of his blood which was shedde for vs vnder the mysteries of bread and wine And on this wise in deede the fleshe of Christ not in that sense as it is eaten but in that whereby our faith is reposed in him is become altogiâ—her profitable vnto vs. It seemeth vnto me nowe that I haue spoken sufficiently of this matter if I anâ—exe one thing more Whervnto I woulde verie faine heare what aunswere these Laterane breade flesh makers will make who thinke it not sufficient to turne breade and wine into a Sacrament of the bodie and blood by the diuine power of the woorde vnlesse by a certaine kinde of Alcumie they poure foorth substaunce of things from out one substance into an other and so produce out of the substaunce of breade and wine a certaine contrarie nature of mans flesh and blood and make thereof some certaine quinte essence And goe to nowe to yeelde thus much to their Alcumistical chaunge to wit that nothing remayneth in the Sacrament besides the onely substaunce of the bodie and blood I come nowe not to enquire in what mynute of time in what instant of pronouncing the woorde this transubstantiation taketh his first commencement of being created For the Popes themselues cannot yet agree vpon this poynt This thing do I demaund After that this same bodie of our Lorde being once deuoured by vs doeth passe once downe into the bowels and resteth within our bodies whether it remaine whole there without all kinde of disgestion or whether the substaunce of that fleshe doe growe through naturall concoction into and increase the substaunce of our fleshe If they graunt this it must needes then come to passe thereby that the vndefiled and pure fleshe of Christ swallowed vy vs and conuerted into the substaunce of our mortal and corrupt nature must become one and the selfsame flesh with our corruâ—t flâ—sh For as bread and wine according to the testâ—monâ—e of Damascen by eating and drinking is transposed into the bodie blood of the person that eateth and drinketh euen so the flesh and blood of Christ if they bee receyued really as they tearme it into our bodies must needes be transubstantiatâ—d vnited into our owne flesh and blood Hereof therefore must it folow of verie necessâ—â—ie that the â—lesh of Christ being nowe made our fleshe shall be sinfull flesh which were horrible to bee spoken yea not onely sinfull but also as our fleshe doeth corrupt and waxe rotten withall so the same corruption must of necessitie happen vnto the flesh of Christ as well as into ours if according to Dâ—mascene we bee concorporate and
another Lib. 4. dist 8. If the senses must be credited in establishing the accidents of brâ—ad and wine why should not the same senses be beleued also in affirming the substance of bread and wine which we do see A double â—rror of the Papâ—sts in the matter of the saâ—ramâ—nt An obiectioÌ„ out of Ambrose being wrongfully taken The woorking woorde The refutation of the obiectioÌ„ All whatsoeuer was created God did create by the power of his word Ergo god doth chaÌ„ge the bread intoâ— the pâ—rson of the sonne of God The Argument is denyed The wordes of Christ must be considered not according too the letter but according too the true sense meaning of the sentence No transubstaÌ„tiation can bee gathered by the woordes of the supper * Hesychiuâ—inâ— Leuit. lib. 1. cap. 2. We do eate this meate receauing the memory of his passion Esay the 25. â—hap And in this mountaine shall the Lorde of hoastes make vnto al people a feast of fattlings eueÌ„ a feast of neare and fined wynes and of fat thinges full of marrowe of wynes fined and purified c. * Why woulde Christe conuey away his body into heauen in the open sight of his disciples but that they should â—ease to looke for him any more heere on earth Aug in Ioan. tracta 27. When yee shal see the sonne of man ascende vppe where he was before truly euen then shal you see bicause hee doth bestowe his body not after the maner that yee thinke Certes then shal ye vnderstand it that his grace is not thereby consumed with teeth c. The obiection of the aduersaries An answere * Beda in octauis Epiphaniae The creature of bread and wyne is by the vnspeakeable sanctification of the holy Ghoste transposed intoo the sacrament of the fleshe and blood of Christ. * August de Consecrat dist 2. Thiâ— is it that the heauenly breade which is the fleshe of Christ is called after his maner the body of Christ whenas in deede it is the sacrament of Christes body * Rabanus Maurus lib. 1. Cap. 31. The sacrament is one thing the efficacy of the sacrament is an other thing The sacrament is turned intoo the nourishement of the Body By the efficacie of the sacrament the honour of euerlasting life is obteyned * Cyril cathechis mistagog 4. Doo not esteeme it as bare bread The bread of the Euchariste is no more bare and naked bread * Chrysost. sermo ad Infantes The bread is remoued by the substaunce of Christes body That is to say That it become nothing in respect of the body Ambros de sacr lib. 4. cap. 4. Origen vppon Mat. cap. 15. Aâ—gu de consec distinct 2. Hoc est quod c. Rabanus Maâ—â—â—s lib. 1. cap. 31. * Iren. lib. 5. The substance of our flesh is nourished and increased by the bread which bread is the body Chrysost. in operâ— imperfâ—â—om 11. * Origen in Mat. cap. 15. And thus much of the typical symbolical body c. * Chrysost. ad Caesarium Before the bread bee sanctified wee doo cal it breadâ— But by the sanctification of the diuyne grace and the prayers of the Priest it is delyuered from the name of bread But is reputed woorthy too bee called by the name of the body of Christe though the nature of bread remayne stil c. * Chrysost. 1. Cor. hom 24. Ascende therefore vppe euen too heauen gates and there enter intoo dewe consideration nay rather not the gates of Heauen but of the Heauens of Heauens and there shalte thou see that whereof wee doo speake Chrysost. in Genes Hom. 24. When the eyes of fayth doo beholde these vnspeakeable treasures they doo not perceaue these visible thinges indeed but only the difference betwixt these thinges There was nâ— cause why Christ should change the substance of bread into his flesh A threfolde reâ—son wherâ—by Lombard establâ—sheth his transubstantiation li. 4. dist 11. â—â— 5â— LoÌ„bards reasons discouered and refuted The first reason of Lombard In matters of faith mans reasoÌ„ hath no place Ergo. TransubstantiatioÌ„ must be beleeued though it bee quite against reason the Argument is denied The second reason of Lombard â— * Ex August de conse dist 2. sub figura There is nothing more reasonable for vs theÌ„ to receiue the likenesse of blood that so both the trueth may not cease that no occasioÌ„ be giuen to the PagaÌ„s to scorne vs bicause we drink the blood of a slain maâ—â— August de cons. dict 2. cap Sub figura Ex citatione Lomb. lib. 4. dist II. Ambros. De sâ—â—cramento liâ— 8. cap. 1. Hilarius De coÌ„sec dist 1. 2. Corpus Christi The third reason of Lomb. li. 4 dist 11. cap. 5. Lombard doth not agree with him selfe The loathsomnes of eating iâ— not takeÌ„ away by the accideÌ„ts Iohn .6 The flesh profiteth nothing Lombard is iniurious to the sacrament two maner of waies * Ambros. de sacra lib. 4. cap. â— As thou hast receyued the likenesse of his death euen so thou dost drinke the likenesse of his precious blood that there may bee no loathsomnesse of blood * Ambros. lib 6. cap. 1. You doe receyue the sacrament in a similitude but you doe attaine the grace and power of the true nature * Ambros. 1. Cor. ca. 11. The testament is perfourmed with blood bicause the blood is a testimonie of Gods liberalitie In the Type wherof we do take and r eceyue the mysticall cuppe the blood The Papists can neuer take away the horror from the holy supper except they first grauÌ„t the bread whole and sound Transubstantiation of the doctrine of sacramentall formes in the Lordes supper is described 1. Cor. 11. De consecra dist 2. corpus Christi Cyprian lib. epist. 6. Origen in Mat. cap. 15. August in Iohnâ— Tract 26. Whether the operation of bread remaine in the Sacrament togither with the kindes and names of bread yea or nay No likenesse betwixt the accidents and the body of Christ. Lib. 4. dist 8. 1 The Sacrament onely 2 The Sacrament and the thing 3 The thing and not the Sacrament The visible formes cannot be the SacrameÌ„t of a double thing to wâ—t of the bodie and of the mysticall bodie An argument agaynst Lombarde who doth affirme that the natural bodie of Christ is a Sacrament of his mystical bodie that is to say The church What thing is that thing of the SacrameÌ„t and the SacrameÌ„t of a thing and howe it is both according to Lombard 2. Cor. 10. August de Sacramentis fâ—deliâ—m Looke into August coâ—â—ra Donatist lâ—b 7. cap. 50. Eight Sacraments hatcht out of Lombards diuinitie The thing and not a Sacrament The substance of the Sacrament is not the vnitie of the mysticall body but the death of his naturall bodie Lib. 4. dist 8. An argument againste the assertion of Lâ—mbarde The sacramâ—nt was not instituted to signifie the vnion of the Church An other Argâ—ment The thirde Aâ—gument Lombardes threefolde error Lombardes viii Sacrament
An Argument An argumentâ— The visible forme is not a Saâ—rament of a double thing no not so much as a sacramâ—nâ— of any thing There bee two things that bee eaten in the Lordes supper the one corporally the other spiritually * Rabanus Maurus The naturall bread maye conueniently bee called the body of Christ because it doeth comfort the hearte * August de Ciuitate Dei Lib. 8. Cap 48. All significant thinges doe seeme after a certaine maner to beare the substaunce of the thinges signified â—enesis .41 Esay 40. Matth. 13. Iohn .15 Iohn .10 Math. 15. Iohn .19 August contra Maximinum Cap. 22. For these be the sacramentes in the which is not alwaies noted what they be but what they signifie bicause they be signes of things being in substaunce one thing but in significatioÌ„ another * Beda citans August 1. Cor. 10. In the sacraments one thing is seene or named another thing is vnderstanded * Gelasi contra Eutichetem The substance of bread and wine doth not depart away Chrysost. ad Caesar. The nature of bread doth remaine in the sacramente Theodoret. Christ doth not change the nature of bread * August Epist. 23 ad Bonifacium The heauenly bread whicb is Christs fleshe is after his maner called the body of Christe being in very deede the sacrament of Christes body * Augustine in Psal. 33. Ther is somewhat shut vp here Knocke and sticke not in the letter because the letter killeth but seeke for the spirit for the spirit doeth geue life August vpon the foresaide Psalme When our Lord Iesus Christ spake of his bodyâ— Except a man eate my flesâ—e c. his disciples that followed him did loath that speache not vnderstaÌ„ding his meaning thought the Lord spake some hard thing as they speaking with Achis How is this bicause he changed his couÌ„tenaÌ„ce therfore he seemed to theÌ„ as though hee had been mad but he seemed only to the king Achis that is to saye to the folishe ignoraÌ„t therfore he sent theÌ„ away departed froÌ„ theÌ„ For they did not coÌ„ceaue the true meaning of his wordes in their harts because they could not coÌ„prehend him Augustine in Psalm 98. * August contra Aduersar Leg. Prophet Lib. 2. Cap. 9. We men do receiue the Mediator of God and men Christ Iesus giuing vs his flesh to bee eaten his blood to be druÌ„ken with the heart and mouth of our faith * Basil de Baptis What profite haue these wordes forsothâ— that eating and drinking we become alwaies mindful of him who was put too death for vs and rose againe * Ambrose 〈◊〉 1. Cor. 11. Bicause wee be made free by the death of Christe being mindefull thereof we doe by eating and drinking signifie his fleshe and blood which were deliuered for vs. A figuratiue speeche necessary in the Lordes supper * Sentent li. 4 dist 12. There is the true breaking partition which is made in bread that is to saye in forme of bread And again in the same place The breaking and portions are made in the sacrament that is to say in the visible form LoÌ„bard And in the same place * Where part of the body is there is the whole c. But Augustine sayeth otherwise in his 57. epistle Euery greatnes is lesse in the part then in the whole The cause is sifted out wh the Lord in his supper did institute a sacrameÌ„t of his body Cyrill Catechis Mystag 4. The Iewes not conceiuing the wordes of Christ spiritually being offâ—nded went backward bicause they imagined that they were called to the deuouring of mans fleshe A comparison betwâ—â—t the papistes and the Capernaâ—â—â—s Aug. contra Adimantum cap. 12. An obiection Christ sayed not this doth signifie my body but this is my body Ergo simply it is Christes body August doth answere Paul sayed not the rock doth signifie Christ but the rock was Christe Ergo The rock was Christe naturally August de Ciuitate Dei lib. 18. Cap. 48. Bicause after a certen maner all thinges significant doe beare the names of the thinges signified As this speech of the Apostle the rocke was Christe when as notwithstanding it did signifie Christe Galaâ— 3. Christe is none otherwise eateÌ„ in the supper then he is put on in baptisme Figuratiâ—e speeches The absurditie of the liteâ—al exposition of the speeches and mysteries of Christe * Cyril ad obiecta Theodoreti Our sacrament doth not affirme the deuouring of a maÌ„ nor leade the mindes of the beleeuers irreligiously to grosse imaginations August de docâ—rina Christiana li. 3. cap. 10. August In the forâ—â—aâ—d booke cap. â—6 Wickâ—dnes in eating the Lordes body Aug. epist 5â— He that sayth that the body of Christ is at one instant of time both in heaueÌ„ earâ—h doth vtteâ—ly coÌ„founde and dissolue the nature of Christes body Absurdities in the Popishe transubstantiation Aug. in sermon ad Infantes Christ did lift vp his body into heauen froÌ„ whence he shal come to iudge the quick the dead there he sitteth nowe at the right hande of his father Howe is the bread his body and the cup or that which is conteined in the cup his blood Theâ—e things brethren are therefore called sacramentes bicause in theÌ„ one thing is seene an other thing is vnderâ—â—anded Aug. Epist. 57. ad Dardanum A signe A figurâ—â— A type A lykenesse A token A memorâ—al A represenâ—aâ—ioÌ„ A sacrament Tertulâ— contra Marcion lâ—b â—â— Oâ—igâ—â— Nazâ—â—nzen Ambros. de his qui initiantur cap. 9. Chrysâ— in Epist. ad Habr hom 17. Chrys. in Mat. â—om 83. Cypria lib. 2.16 Epist. 3. Gelas. contra Euâ—ychetem Theodoret. Dial. 1. Dialog 2. Bertrâ—◠〈◊〉 Macar hom 27. Irenâ— aduersus Valentinia lib. 4 cap. 34. Iustine the holy martyr The brâ—ad and wynâ— which passe intoo the noâ—rishment of our body are câ—lled the Euchariste 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is too say ouer the which thanksgiuing prayers haue bin pronounced The Churche hath the sacrament of the body alwaies but hath not alwaies the body without the sacrament according too that saying You haue not me alwaies Christ is otherwise borne into the world otherwyse eaten in the world Aug. in Ioan. tract 95 This bread doth require the huÌ„ger of the inward man Cyprian de coena domini This bread is foode of the mind not of the body Aug. in Psal. 103. Again in Ioan. tract 26 cap. 6. Why doo yee prepare tooth and belly beleeue and thou hast eaten Psal. 103. This is the bread of the hart bee thou hungry and thirsty in the inwarde man Rab. Maur. lib. 1. cap. 31. The sacrameÌ„t is turned into the foode of the body By the power of the sacrament we do obtein life euerlasting Nicephor in hist. eccl lib. 17. cap. 15. The custome of bestowing the fragments in Iustinian his tyme. Erasâ—in Ann. in 1. Cor. 7. The Churche did lately determine of transubstantiation When transubstantiation began first The â—aterane councel vnder Pope Innocent the thiâ—d Anno 1216.
manly but brutyshe and sauadgely vnder what fourme so euer it bee couered and hydden Wherefore this loathesomnes doth not consiste in the rawenes but in the very humayne fleshe not in the beholding but in the nature of the thinge it selfe not in that which the eye doth beholde but in that which the heart doth conceyue For if according too the olde prouerbe the wolfe will not deuoure wolues fleshe nor the dogge dogges fleshe is there any man beeing of any manly nature that woulde not abhorre to bee fedde with mans fleshe vnder whatsoeuer fourme it were shrowded or doe ye thinke that Christe did euer conceiue any such matter as when hee helde the bread in his handes wherewith he determined to feede his disciples would therefore exclude bread quyte out of doores to the ende hee might gorge the mawes of men carnally with his naturall fleshe beeing both rawe and aliue contrary to nature without any necessitie without all cause altogether vnprofitable and frutelesse Wherfore you doe not by this meanes exclude lothsomenes from out the sacred mysteries Lombard when you turne the fourmes of bread and wyne into the fleshe of Christe but you choppe a loathsomnes in rather so that nowe this supper may seeme not honourable but horrible if so be that excluding bread and wyne this bee true that you speake that there remayneth nowe nothing to eate but the substaunce of flesh and blood which substance neuerthelesse ye will not vouchsafe to be seene in it owne kynde but vnder an other kynde Wherein ye become two maner of wayes iniurious to the sacrament coupling together therewith a twofolde absurditie First bicause you defraude the fourmes and accidentes of bread of their true and proper subiect Secondly bicause you doe in like maner robbe the very naturall substance of the body of his proper accidentes so that nowe there remayneth neither any substaunce of bread at all nor any fourme of a body on this wyse the Poetes as it seemeth were wonte to describe their Chymeres Neuerthelesse this is not spokeÌ„ to that end as though we would banishe Christe cleane out of the sacrament or that we might seclude our selues from partaking with the holy bodie of Christ in this heauenly Supper But for this reason chiefly y t this holy CoÌ„munion may be cleared from all grosse absurditie If you will demaunde by what meanes Ambrose will answere you verie learnedly who will tel you that ye drinke out of the holie cuppe not blood it selfe but the likenesse of blood rendering the reason why bycause it shall breede sayeth he no loathsomnesse to the stomack And againe in another place hee doeth beare vs witnesse that wee receyue the Sacrament in a likenesse That which Ambrose doth verifie of the likenesse others doe affirme in a figure in a mysterie in a Type in a memoriall Moreouer the same Ambrose writing of the Eucharist sayeth It is the memoriall of our redemption And bycause we be enfranchised by the death of the Lorde wee doe signifie our mindfulnesse of the same death in eating drinking the Lords blood which were offered for vs. And again in the same place The blood saith he is a testimonie of Gods great liberalitie in the Type whereof we doe receiue the mystical cuppe of the blood to the preseruation of bodie and soule Where he calleth the Mystâ—cal cuppe a Type Nowe who is so vnskilful that knoweth not that a Type doeth signifie nothing else than a forme a likenesse and an example Agaiâ—e who knoweth not what great diuersitie there is betwixt likenesse and trueth it selfe and that they bee so contarie eche to other that they cannot agree togither by any meanes Whereby you may learne two things Lombarde both that the horror is taken away and that the substaunce of breade and wine abydeth neuerthelesse still vnempaired All which beeing thus concluded vpon as appeareth by plaine demonstration before all that your lying and false assertion infringible as you tearme it is become windshaken altogither wherewith you mainteyne so stoute a combate for the kingdome of accidentes and your transubstantiation as that yee leaue no place nor space for breade and wine in the Sacrament but calling all backe to visible fourmes plant all your whole batterie of the materiall part of the Sacrament vpon these buttresses of shadowes onely Which fourmes though retaine still the names of the things which they were before yet doe ye denie them to be the very thinges themselues Wherevpon if at any time the names of breade and wine doe occurre in the holy Fathers of the Church the same ye teache to be vnderstoode on this wise To witte that they bee called breade and wine not in respect that they be so but bycause they were once so and that the very substance thereof is gone farre away and that therein is nought resiant nowe that is elemental besides the onely names of elementes and emptie fourmes onely of breade and wine the names whereof they doe reteyne still but haue vtterly lost the verie substaunces themselues and do conteyne nought else now besides the naturall and substanciall bodie of Christ by the which bodie neither bee the fourmes affected nor doth the bodie affect the fourmes Loe this nowe is your gay diuinitie in describing the Sacrament the which howe agreeth with the Scriptures with the iudgementes of the auncient Faâ—hers with the antiquitie of the purer primitiue Church â—nd with fayth it selfe nay rather howe farre and wide it is dissonant and diâ—crepant from all truth and reason it shall not bee amisse to discouer in fewe woordes for I thinke it not coâ—uenient to vse many wordes herein And first wheÌ„ we heare that saying of Paul Let a man proue himselfe and so let him eate of that breade and drinke of that cuppe c. May any man bee so boyde of reason to affirme this to be spoken touching the fourmes and not the materiall part of breade and wine for what shall we say may any man ymagine that to eate to breake to eate of the breade to drinke of the cuppe is to bee referred to emptie and bare shadowes of bread and wine onely and not to the naturall breade In the Decrees is a certaine â—entence extant vouched out of Hylarie whereof we made mention before The bodie of Christ sayth he that is receiued of the altar is a figure whiles the bread wine are apparantly seene with eyes but it is the very body when the inward fayth apprehendeth it for the bodie and blood of Christ. c. To the same effect and in like plaine phrase of speech writeth Cyprianus The Lorde sayth Cyprian did vouchsaâ—e to call wine by the name of his blood the liquor which was enforced by the presse out of the grapes and clusters and made into wine c. For what shal we say do we easily wring accidents of wine out of grapes clusters not rather the very substancial liquor of
is declared supernatural too our senses Ergo heere is no myracle wrought by God * Aug. in his 37. Epistle to Dardanus I am afâ—aide leaâ—t we shal seeme to do iniury to our senses wheÌ„ by speâ—ches we perswade that wherin plain euidence doth without any difficulty ryse aboue al our power and cunning of speeche The holy scriptures ful of Tropes and figures 2. Cor. 3. Iâ—â—n 6. Flesh profiteth nothing Augu. de doctrina Christiana 4 book 5. chapt First you must take heede least yee referre the figuratiue speeche vntoo the letter For herevnto apperteyneth that which the apostle spake The letter killeth For when a figuratiue speech is so taken as if it were properly spoken it â—auoreth of the flesh Neither can any thing be called more aptly the death of the soule then when the vnderstanding is made subiect too the fleshe by folowing the letter Ierome against Rufâ—â—ne * Origen .7 homily vpon Leuit. If literally yee followe the woordes that bee spoken except yee eate the fleshe of the 〈◊〉 of man yee haue 〈◊〉 life in you this letter killeth * Howe absuâ—dlâ— the Popishe Christ makâ—â—s doe tuâ—ne the bread into the flâ—sh and humanity of Christ. The Papistes doâ— omit the circumstances of the words of the Supper Luke .22 1. Cor. 11. Theâ—e wordes of 〈◊〉 This 〈…〉 must 〈…〉 accâ—râ—â—â—â—â—o the cirâ—â—msâ—ancâ—s The fleshe of Christ doth not feede vs properly but the passion of Christ. Pascasius 43. Cap. Therefore we must thus thinke with our selues not how muche is chawed with the teeth but howe much is receyued by faith and loue c. The fruite of Christes passion can by no means be more easily discerned thâ—n by the sacrament of the Lords supper Mat. 26. * Cyprian de Coena Our abiding and incorporation in him is our eating and drinking whereby we be vnited vnto Christe and made his body not by any corporal but by a spiritual passing into vs. c. * August contra Maximinum 22. Cap. These bee Sacramentes in the which must alwayes be considered not what they beâ— but what they shew outwardly because they bee Signes of things being one thing in deede signifiyng an other thing * Gelasius contra Nestor The Image and likenesse of the body and blood of Christe is celebrated in the Action of the mysteries The death of the body must be considered in the Lordes Supper not the substance of his body The Lordes meaning is too be conâ—iâ—â—râ—d in the supper Chrâ—sost Homil. 83. vppon Mat. Homi. â—0 To the people of Antioche This he spake to shewe that this mysterie was his crosse and passion and to comfort his disciples hereby â—oâ—n â— The body of Christ giuen 2. maâ—er of waiâ—s both to vs for vs y â— one in the Supper thâ—s other â—pon the â—rosse the one to be cruciâ—iâ—d the other to be â—aten The body of Christe geuen in the Supper but not to meÌ„s bodies neither yet corporally One selfe same body of Christ was geuen in the supper and vpon the crosse yet not after the same maner nor at one time nor to the same persons In the holy coÌ„munioÌ„ neither is the bread only without Christes body neither the body only without the Sacramental breadâ— A threfolde error of men touching the sacrament of the supper August in Iohn Tracta 26. Christe did affirme him selfe to bee the bread which came downe from heauen exhorting vs to beleeue on him for too beleeue on him is to eate the liuing bread Cyril Anathe 11. Doest thou pronouÌ„ce this our SacrameÌ„t to be maÌ„s foodeâ— and vrgest the mindes of the faithful irreligiously to grosse and carnal thoughts doest thou practise to discusse by mans sensual reasoÌ„ the things which are conceaued by only and most exquisite faith August in Ioh. tract 2â— Why doest thou prepare thy â—ooth and thy belly Beleeue only thou hast eaten for to beleeue on him is to eate the â—read of life Theodorete Christe did dignifie the signes which be seen by calling them his body and blood not chaunging the nature but adding therevnto grace The reseÌ„blance betwiâ—t tâ—e sacrament and the bodie of the Sacrament Beda in LucaÌ„ cap. 22. Bycause bread doth comfort mans hart wine doeth make good blood in the body therefore the bread is coÌ„pared to the body and the wine to Christs blood mystically The â—ustifying of faith is established chiefly in the Sacrament OrigeÌ„ in Leu. cap. 7. The Lord did not put ouer nor commaunded to be reserued til the morow the bred which he gaue to his disciples saying Take ye and eate ye The fruit and efficacie of the Lordes passion August de doctrina lib. 3 cap. 16. This is a figuratiue speeche commaunding vs to participate with the Lordes passion and thankefully and profitably to lay vppe in our most gratefull remembraunce that Christ suffered his passion for vs. Gelas. coÌ„tra Eutichetem The substance of bread and wine doth not cease and without doubt the ymage and similitude of the bodie and blood is celebrated into the action of the mysteries Augusâ—â—n in â—is 22. Epistle to â—oniface There can be no sacrament of the body at all without bread The outwaâ—de substance of the bread * August de ciuit deâ— li. 18 capâ— 48. After a certaine maner doe all things significant represeÌ„t the properties of things which they do signifie The bread is the Sacramâ—nt of the bodie that is to say The bread is after a sacramental maner the bodie Of the thing it selfe which is signified by the Sacrament Bernard de sanctâ— Mart. A Sacrament is called an holy signe or â—n holy secret Irenaeus aduersus Valentiniaâ—os lib. 4. cap. 34. The earthly bread receiuing denomination of the word of god is no more common bread but is made a Sacrament which consisteth of two things earthly and heauenly The SacrameÌ„t The thing of the sacrament * Basil in Psal. 33 Bicause our Lorde is the true bread and his flesh meate in deed it is necessarie that the delight which is receyued by the eating of that bread should through our tast become spirituall vnto vs. Lib. 4. dist 8. Why it is called by Ierome the spiritual flesh of Chrisâ— Lombardâ—â— assertion Ambros. de mysteriis Christ is in that Sacrament bycause it is the bodie of Christ. Therefore it is not corporal food but spiritual Whervpon the Apostle speaking of the figure therof Bicause our fathers did eate the same spiritual foode For the bodie of Christ is spiritual The bodie of Christ is the bodie of a diuine spirite De consecr dist Lombard confuted * Ambros. de Sacrament lib. 4. cap. 4. Euen as thou hast receyued the likenesse of death so doest thou drinke the similitude of blood Lombard against himselfe Take away the similitude and it can be no sacrameÌ„t but take away the bread and then all the siâ—ilitude ceaseth â—rgo Take away the bread there can be no Sacrament Metonymia a â—igure whereby one thing beareth the name of
enuironed aboute with suche Sâ—reightes that yee can not nowe once hysse so muche agaynst his Churche but that it shall redounde to your greater damage and shameful downefall Whiche beeyng of it selfe nowe so euidently apparaunt in the eyes of all men more bright then the Sunneshine in midday yf as yet yee feele it not sensibly â—erâ—es you are starke blinde But yf you see it in deede what monâ—trous and forlorne shamelesnesse is this too bee so insatiable bruâ—â—â—she as not to bee contented too broche suche Plagâ—es not onely against men without any theyr desertes vnlesse you proclaime also open warre against your God against his woorde and against his trueth And wâ—at thinke you too gaine thereby at the last weene you that hauing enâ—â—ared and brought vnder your yâ—ke all other Princes of the worlde by your Fraudes Deceiptes Lyes Manâ—â—es and Threatnings that you should with pollicy preuent or with power put to flight the most high and mightie God which is the Lorde of Hostes Is there any thing amongest the creatures so great or in the whole frame of y e world so mightie so forcible of power or so defencible with Counsell that can eyther escape his eyes or bee able to resist his will The Lorde did long â—â—thens make this proclamation by the trompe of his Gospel Be of good cheere I haue ouercome the world And dare ye conspire now with tâ—e woâ—ld and make a counter proclamation Be of good cheare I haue ouercome Christe Surely to confesse as trueth is yee haue bestirred your sâ—umpes in your office treading vpon and oppressing the weake meÌ„bers of Christ so lustily as that y e conquesâ— seemed to haue fallen almost iumpe into your hands For I confesse indeede that by your meanes many thousandes of godly personges haue beene cut of and consumed too ashes in somuch that scarse any one parte of all Europe haâ—h escaped too bee ouerwhelmed and ouerflowen with whole streames of Christian goare And this is euen the same whereof the heauenly Prophet forewarned vs long sithens in the booke of the Apocalips And I saw quoth hee a woman drunken with the blood of the Saintes and with the blood of them that suffered for the name of Iesu. And immediatly after These shall fight against the Lambe But too what successe came this so greate a hurly burly at the length And the lambe sayth hee shall ouercome them for he is Lorde of Lordes and king of kinges So thaâ— it appeareâ—h heereby plainly that there shoulde come a greeuous and continuall combate against Christe and his Saintes which also we haue seene manyfestly come too paâ—se already many yeeres sithens And we trust vndoubtedly that the same last daye of glorious conquest is not farre of wherein the lambe shall triumph in Maiestie As for the a diâ—erse fâ—â—â— and eueâ—â—ie powers of this worlde this most milde Lambâ— oâ—r victorious conquerour hath oure alrâ—adâ—e throwâ—e â—owne in his owne person by the power of his resurrecâ—ion In his Saintes he shall then at the â—ength fully and most absolutely ouercome wâ—enas hauiâ—g destroyed the deathâ— he shall wipe away all teaâ—â—â— from the eyes of the faythful his elect In the meane space sithens it cannot otherwise be but that his Church must bee continually conuersant amiddes the campe of the malâ—gnant traueling and moyling as it were agaynst al assaults of the enemies which neuer ceassâ— to assayâ—â— her with their baâ—terie yet thiâ— comfort is lâ—st that it commeth mâ—ny times to passe that in the hoteâ—â— of all the skiâ—mish the victorie is sodenly snatched out of the enemies â—andes aâ—d the holy ones depart the field with honour and trueth it selfe tost and â—â—â—mâ—yled yea driuen as iâ— were to the harâ— hâ—dge by the aduersaâ—ies doth reâ—ouer her standâ—â—â— in despight of the enemies boardes and puâ—â—hent to flight when they assure themselues most of the victorie Whereof hauing assured proofe in sundrie calamitiâ—s and distresses of the church many times heretofore emoÌ„gst al other was neuer any one preâ—â—dent more appâ—râ—nt and more glorious represented to the view of the worlde then a fewe yeareâ— past in Hâ—nrie the French king and foorthwith after thâ—â— in Marie Queene of Englande and some others else where in this our later age To proue the same to be true sith so mâ—ny tâ—â—â—imonieâ— be extaâ—t euery where 〈◊〉 whereof yo◠〈◊〉 beholdâ— with your eyes the rest being recorded in hystories as you cannot laiâ— remember you may well conceyâ—â— by the â—â—me whâ—â— iâ— eyther to be hoped for of you and yours herâ—after or else what you and yours ought speâ—dily reformeâ— For howe often now these many yeares hath the moste excellent Maiestie of our merciful God tamed your manifold and treacherous furies snaffled your practizes subdued your sacriledges pollices and deuises deluded your fraudulent expectaâ—ion and either scattered to naught the moste pestiferous Counsels of your conspiracies or rebounded them backe agayne vpon the Authours heades to their vtter confusion and shame First call to your remembraunce what outragious tumults and bloody battels after that slaughter of Huâ— and Ierome of Prage two most coâ—â—sanâ— and godly Marâ—reâ—s 〈◊〉 mentâ—â—â—ed bee procureâ— against the Boheâ—â—ans â— by the conduct and fyâ— ebraâ—â—e of your fury Sigismonde 〈◊〉 Emâ—erour but chiefly Iulian the Cardinalâ— In which your frantike and fuâ—iouz Iorme of ouerage when as you had coupâ—d vpâ— the poore silly Bohemians within a certeine straight and on 〈◊〉 partes enuyrâ—ded with a triple a â—iny of most valiaunt Saxons to ouerrunne that little handfull of wretches hauyng to their Capteyne Cisca only or rather Christ him selfe And whereas charging fyue seuerall and mightie onsettes vpon them and with all sounding fyue cowardly retyres and fyue tymes vanquished by them you made the glory of their victory more famons by your shamefull cowardize and fleeing the fielde Can any man bee so wilfully poreblinde as nâ—t to discerne easily that their cause was not only most euidently allowed by Gods owne doome but was also by his only ayde and assistaunce most mightily defended and preserued â—gainst your tyranny That I make no mention meane whiles of the mishappes that chaunced to the same Emperour Sigismonde after that his seruice employed on your behalfe who otherwyse woorthie to bee registred amongest the moste famous Princes whereas hee florished before amongest all other good thinges in merueilous abundaunce of treasure honour and traâ—â—uillitie to the full after his haâ—tâ— desire vpon the sodeine iâ—mâ—diatly afâ—er the Marâ—yrdome of Iohn Hus that conflict which the Bohemians â—ortune chaunging her châ—ere was â—nforced to taste of the same sauce in his owne dominioâ—s and domesticall calamiâ—iâ—s which hee broached befoâ—e for the other pâ—ore members of Christ. But vpon â—â—lian the Cardiâ—â—lâ— your mightie Maiestie did muche more sharpely auenge it selfe for not long after those warlâ—ke vproaâ—â—â— hee was miserably slaine in â—he Turkishe warres Immediatly herevpon assembled â— councell a◠〈◊〉
in substaunce but in the respect of the sacrament vse likenesse aud denomination the holy body of Christ. Therefore that which wee receaue in our mouth is natural bread but in respect of the eating this nature is not regarded of vs but raysing our hartes much more high euen intoo heauen yea vntoo the heauens of heauens as Chrysostome reporteth it doth meditate vpon farre more excellent matter And heereof came it that the auncient wryters did so vsually extol the magnyficence of this sacramente with such excellency in olde tyme. Wherein they wâ—re many tymes rapted intoo such a wonderful vehemency of hyperbolicall speeches as though the bread and wine were in very deede matter of nought and that nothing els should seeme to be made accompt of in the celebration of the supper but the body and blood of the Lord onely As in very deede these dead elementes be no better worth in respect of the body which they do represent But what hereof then Shall the elementes of bread and wyne bee therefore no parte of the sacrament bicause the consideration of the Lordes body doth possesse the principall partes and holdeth the whole soule attentiue and faste fixed vpon it Or shall Christe bee therefore sayde too haue transposed the substance of bread and wine intoo his naturall body really bicause hee hath chaunged the same intoo the sacrament of his body Or by what argument will our aduersaries make this their assertion iustifiable For if God and nature do bring to passe no one thing in the whole frame of creation without great cause It remaineth that we may bee made acquainted too what ende for what cause to what vse or to what purpose Christe should make this Metamorphosis That thrusting away bread from out it owne substance he should deliuer ouer his true naturall fleshe in deede but inuisible to be deuoured carnally with the carnall mouth of the body vnder inuisible formes But here againe startes vp our Lombard a gods name and will render vs a tryple cause of this great mysterie to wit why the Lord would so liberally bestowe his natural flesh and blood to be deuoured not after a fleshly maner but vnder an other kinde naturally and in deede but inuisibly First bicause faith should obteine a more excellent rewarde where mans reason is not able by proofe to attaine according to the testimonie of Gregory whom hee vouâ—heth Secondly bicause the minde should not abhorre that which the eye might beholde for that otherwise the stomake of them that should eate would loathe â—he straunge deuouring of rawe fleshe Thirdly bicause nothing should be seene here thaâ— might bee offensiue to the vnbeleeuers or that might mynister occasion to the infidell to scorne and deride it You haue heard now the prety poppet reasons patchâ— vp in the chief shoppe of Lombards diuinitie It remaineth hencefoorth that wee searche the very depth of them And first where as hee reasoneth of the merite of faith I will not deny but that in matters of fayth mans reason is not of any such capacitie too attayne thereto For the excellencie of fayth is conuersant in those things properly which the fleshly eyes can not see or which haue beene knowen by the scriptures to haue beene already past either which are promised shall come in after time Moreouer I am not offended with that no lesse auncient then true proposition of Gregorie where treating of the Lordes entering vnto the disciples the gates beeing shut hee doth deny that faith ought to haue any merite where mans reason caÌ„ make proofe by experience For we doe confesse and beleeue this to be most true that which the scriptures haue deliuered touching the gates being shut and of the Lordes entrie in But wher did the scriptures at any tyme make neuer so litle a motion of the casting away of bread of the essentiall presence of Christe vnder empty formes or of transubstantiated elementes Blessed be they sayeth Christe which haue not seene yet haue beleeued This is true I confesse but it followeth not therefore that all thinges which are not seene with the eyes ought to be beleeued Neither doe we not therefore relinquishe the reach of mans reason bicause wee doe not yelde to all maner trifling imaginarie coÌ„ceiptes Whatsoeuer is commaunded by the prescript word of God the same we do firmely and faithfully beleeue and thereunto with most forewarde and ready faith do submitte all maner force of mans reason But who euer gaue any such commaundement to beleeue that which you haue forged touching that most senselesse absurditie of transubstantiation or by what authorised woorde of scripture at the length will you make iustifiable by writing or by meaning that we ought to adore though our eyes see not that your conterfaict person of the sonne of God shapen out of bread and set out to be adored and eaten of vs Fayth therefore wanteth not her merite in thinges that ought truly to be beleeued which by expresse and vndouted auâ—thoritie of the word be to be iustified But to beleeue â—he things which are noâ— grounded vpon the wâ—â—d which are no where nor were euer instituted by God but drowsily deuised by fonde foolish vanitie of mans idle imagination is no matter of faith at all but amazed â—rensy rather nor hath any merite at al but is extrâ—eme wickednesse So also is that other absurditie no lesse ridiâ—ulous which he doth inferre touching the infidels least ocâ—asion be giueÌ„ saith he to the infidels to laugh it 〈◊〉 scorne Why should the infidels deride it I beseeche you Lombardâ— you do aunswere bicause it would breede great offence to the vnbeleeuers who without all question would loath scorne the Christian religion if 〈◊〉 should â—eâ— the blood of a slaine man in the sacrament Go to then doth this seme to be the cause why y e Lord should deliuer his body blood not after a fleshly maner but vnder an other forme lest if the Pagans should seâ— it they should coÌ„ceiue matter to laugh it too scorne for this seemeth your allegatiâ—n w t yâ—â— seeme also to haue â—onâ—ed â—onningly out of August very wellâ— And what shal we say then to the Apostles them selues were they Pagans vnbeleeuing also why did he not giue the cup of his blood to his Apostles in his proper nature kinde where was no daÌ„ger at all to procure any mockage or if hee were willing to hyde his blood vnder a sacramentall forme aunswere I praye you what cause was there why the Lorde should vouchsafe the deliuerie thereof by formes rather then by materiall bread Besides this as concerning the Paganes if Christe did feare the scornings of Paganes so much I desyre Lombard to tell mee thus much againe If some one Pagane shoulde happen too come nowe into your temples and beholde your massinges maskings what greater occasion can be ministred too mooue them to laughter and skorning then when hee should see
say that one and the selfe same Christe may sitte in heauen according to his natural and bodily presence and at the selfe same time too be handled with hands on earth that the substance of one selfe body is limitted at one selfe time in one certaine place to be conteined in infinite places that as touching the person Christ is but one but hath two kindes of bodies the one whereof must be onely locall and al the rest of his bodies not local to be in a place yet to fill no place certen to be a true natural body of a natural man and yet to be neither round nor broad neither short nor thick nor long neither to haue in it selfe any proportion or distaunce of members to wit no distaÌ„ce froÌ„ eye to eye from eyes to eares froÌ„ head to feet but wher y â— eies be there also must be the eares where the arme is ther must be the leg finally the heele hand head foote must be al one meÌ„mber euery of theÌ„ supply others place altogethers to be one body of Christe full complete and of all partes absolute in tenne thousande diuerse places at once and yet all these must make vp but one onely body And in this doing I praye you what is els done then according to the heresie of Eutiches in establishing the diuinitie of Christe too ouerthrowe meane whyles the truthe of his humanitie vtterly and to choppe together into one confuse mixture God and man heauen and earth altogether Of which matter let vs once againe heare what Augustine saieth Do not dout sayeth hee that the man Christe is there nowe from whence hee shall come agayne imprinte in thy minde and beleeue stedfastly the Christian faith that hee is risen agayne from the dead ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of his father and shall come from thence not from any where els too iudge the quicke and the dead in the very same forme and substance of body too the which hee hath giuen immortalitie and from the which he hath not taken nature awaye According to this nature he is not to be imagined to bee dispersed euery where For we must be very circumspect herein least we do establishe the diuinitie of his manhood that wee vtterly take away the truthe of his body For it is no good argument to saye that as in the nature of the Godhead hee is euery where as God likewise we haue our beeing our life our mouing in him yet are not we therefore euery where as he is for he is after one sorte a man in the godhead and after an other sorte a God in the manhoode after a certen peculiar proper singular maner For this one person is both God and man and they both one only Christ Iesus in al places as he is Godâ— but as he is maÌ„ in heauen c. You haue now a playne demonstration of Augustines iudgemeÌ„t touching the sacrameÌ„t of Christs body no lesse euident in wordes in reason manifest then autentick in substaÌ„ce authoritie Unto whose testimony if nought els were added I would surely think our selues sufficiently furnished euen with this one to ouerthrow all the grosse absurdities of that Popish doctrine But lest we may not seeme to produce as it were this one alone from amongest al other wryters but rather one ouâ— of many we doo not heere so much vouch Augustine himselfe as in the name of Augustine specifie the general faith and common consent of the learned fathers in Augustines time and in the same Augustine the antiquitie of the doctrine touching that matter to be considered For what els did the generall agreement of the Churche proclaime publiquely abroade what do their wrytinges purport vnto vs at this present what do their bookes testifie els then the very same which wee professe at this day deliuered vnto vs from those our first teachers amongest all the which the neerer any one liued to that auncient age of the Apostles so much the further did he dissent from that newfangled toy of transubstaÌ„tiatioÌ„ I should rather haue said dâ—ousy dreame The truth wherof beeing iustifiable by many sundry proofes wil yet appeare much more abuÌ„dantly in this that not one so much of al that primitiue purer age did euer speake woord of any such adoring of the sacrament of any such transubstantiation reseruatioÌ„ carrying abroade of any such byhangers and fourmes without a subiect or of excluding the substance of bread but al ingeneral with one voyce do proclaime that bread and wine is a signe of Christs body blood some call it a figure others an exemplar others a type some a likenesse and token many a memorial and al with one voice confesse too bee a sacrament of the body of some the body is sayde to bee represented by the bread of many too bee shewed of others too be signified and many also too bee figured Tertullian doth by expresse woordes say This is my body that is to say this is the figure of my body and in an other place Christe did cal bread his body Origen also no lesse expresly The churche offreth vppe the shewes of the body and of the blood Nazianzen hath these words Concerning the table whervnto we do resort or concerning the tymes and helth and saluation which I do with my mouth receaue from him c. Ambr. saith thus Before the blessing of the words other kindes are named after the blessing the body of Christe is signified And in an other place In the type whereof wee doo drinke the mystical cuppe of his blood Chrysostome also as plainely that hee might dayly shew foorth vnto vs bread and wine for a similitude of Christs body blood according to the order of Melchisedech And againe If Iesus did not suffer death whose memorial then signe is this sacrifice Cyprian saith the people is vnderstood in the water in the wyne blood is shewed forth What caÌ„ be more manifest then the words of Gelasius In this action of mysteries saith he is celebrated the Image and similitude of Christes body and blood Theodoret. Christ dooth not chaunge the nature of bread but putteth theretoo grace Againe in his seconde Dialogue For the mystical signes doo not goe foorth from their nature What shal I neede to cyte Bertram who making a true reporte of the vsage of his tyme dooth remoue neyther bread nor wyne out of the sacrament but establisheth the presence therof by these woordes The bread and wyne is figuratiuely the body and blood of Christe And immediatly after The body of Christ that is celebrated in the Churche by a mystery is after a certaine maner the body of Christe and this manner is in a figure an ymage I passe ouer here Baâ—il who calleth bread an exemplar Ioyne with the foresaide wryters Macarius who testifying most
once be silent and calme if you alone woulde vouchsafe too bee quiet Albeeit why doo I exhorte you heerevntoo that am sure shal little or nothing preuaile with you for may any man conceaue by ymagination of minde that you wil become in any respect other then you haue yet hithertoo alwaies bene one whome either feare of God may breake or charitie bend back again or whome reason or any wholesome counsel may euer allure too amendement And woulde God wee coulde obteine so much at your handes by our earnest requestes louing aduertisementes or by any other way else whatsoeuer But bicause I do see your minds so throughly bent against the speeches and voices of all men I surcease heeâ—e to deale any further with you O holy father and leauing you nowe in the plaine field I will turne the rest of my communication too others euen too all those whosoeuer the churche of Christe dooth possesse for industrious and faithful embracers of true pyety But aboue al others chiefly I doo appeale vntoo you O yee renoumed prinâ—es and noble potentates peeres of the world vppon whome Gods diuine liberality hath powred foorth this prerogatiue of supplying his place in al manner of affaires ciuil politique and ecclesiasticall for I am throughly persuaded that it apperteineth vnto you to foresee that Christian common weales suffer no dammage nor detriment and to prouyde that nothing may bee committed by violence and fraude that may obscure the glory of Christ that may ouerthrowe the peace of the people or preiudice their sauety Wherefore I huÌ„bly beseech you for the loue you beare to the state wherin the Lord hath aduaunced you to beare chiefe souereignty heere on earth bee yee careful againe and againe that the fraudulent practises of the enemies preuaile not more then your power and authority You can by no meanes forget the treacherous troubles wherewith this Calidon boare hath moiled your nations with what an vnmerciful slaughter with what a monstruous butchery hee hath deuoured the seely flocke of the Lorde these many yeeres now with howe incredible calamity hee hath oppressed your sobiectes and howe horribly iniuriouse hee hath behaued himself against your own persons states seignories For amongst the whole order of your puissant estate what one Prince hath beene of long tyme nowe so mighty in power in whose kingdomes the Popes practises coulde not preuaile further then your renowme authority in the which hee hath not deuoured more of your owne subiectes with faggot and tortures then any of you durst preserue from his tyranny In the which hee hath not enioyed more friendly hartes more faithful subiects then you your selues haue but why doo I speake heere of your subiects whenas I do see none more humble and obedient vassalles vnto him then your selues For when you punish them whome he commaundes you to punishe when you committe to fire flame at his commaundemeÌ„t and lust whome hee condemneth too the stake when you do more eagerly and more straightly exequute the lawes of his inquisition more then your owne lawes when yee bid battel to your owne subiects without any cause without any their fault or misdemeanor by the only iustigation and procurement of the Pope seeking the sackes and blood of your frieÌ„ds for your deadly enemies sake herein what seeme you els then bondslaues too him whose souereignes and Lords behoued you to be Which albeit may seeme it selfe matter most detestable and most vnwoorthy your excellent renowme yet I wil not much impute the same too any your cowardyse as to your tymorousnes rather ne yet so much to your tymorousnes as too the general ignoraunce of those barbarous tymes For I do knowe by what crampes and pernicious practizes they crept into the hartes of princes at the first Namely vnder the beautiful countenaunce of the Churche with a false vysor of religion by crooked conueyances wrything and wresting the testimonies of holy scripture hither and thither with which bugbeares blazing Gorgones head as it were they had so vndermyned al the most mighty potentates of the worlde that they might easily induce them to beleeue that all thinges were well and godly atchieued whatsoeuer were vndertaken by the commaundementes of those holy fathers which coulde not erre by any meanes possible And euen heerehence loe stepte foorth vppon the stage the first prolocutor of al this whole tragedy But this present age no we requireth other maners Neither coulde the olde prouerbe bee more truely verified at any tyme so much as nowe to witte Truth is the daughter of time For what so cloudy ignorance can possibly ouerwhelme the senses of any sensible man so much as that in this so manifest a sunneshyne of Euangelical glory hee can not easily conceaue by ymagination that this ecclesiasticall monarchie of the seruauntes of Christ was neuer erected by Christ the founder thereof ne yet euer at any time permitted of him but many tymes forbidden most grieuously rebuked euery where Yea it wold be matter of no greate difficulty too deliâ—er by manifest demonstration from out their owne recordes and registers the very first tyme and chiefe original Author vnder whome this pompouse pryde of pontifical Lordelynesse began too growe into some credite Namely sithence wee reade iâ— History written by Platina theyr owne Countryman and domesticall witnesse on this wyse Boniface the thirde sayeth hee a Romaine borne did obteyne of Phocas the Emperor yet not without great contention that the Sea of the Apostle Peter which is the head of al Churches should be so called and reputed of al men which soueraignty the Church of Constantinople did trauaile to procure vnto it self Whose challenge many Princes fauoured meanwhiles and affirmed that the chiefe Sea ought to be resiaunt in that place where the chiefe state of the Empyre was at that tyme. By the which it may easily appeare vntoo you what you ought too do For if the chiefe foundations of this Sea be grounded vppon no lawe nor ordinaunce of God as is declared before but propt vp by mans appointment onely what shall let I pray you why that stately chaire which receaued no prerogatyue of superioritie from God but onely from you at the first shoulde not stoupe nowe againe and lay downe these Peacocks plumes by your general assent and commaundement If beeing carried on the blinde side long agoe your selues were the firste donors of this primacy altogither against the wil of christ what more notable exployt may you bring too passe at this present then to reuoke backe that gifte as AEsopes litle byrdes did sometymes plume away their owne feathers from the chattering crowe which was either extorted from you against equitie and right by treachery mischief or procured by fraud and villanie For why beeing nowe better aduised and endued with more heauenly vnderstanding may ye not more rightfully supplant that which without cause ye did of old tyme plant vnlawfully albeit why do I say that you may
Lombard lib. 4. dist 10. Gabriel Nicolâ—us Cusaâ—us exercitationum lib. 6. Hieronymus lib. 3. Naâ—â— Cap. 17. The Papistes arguments deduced from the omnipotencie of God Roffencis contra Oecolampadium Lib. 3. in Prooeâ—nio An answere to the argumente touching the Omnipotenâ—ie of Christes Godhead Tertullian aduersus Praxeam If we vse these presumptions so disorderly in our talking wee maye imagine what wee liste of GOD as though hee did it because hee was able too doe it But wee may not therefore beleeue that hee did all thynges because hee was able too doe all thinges but wee muste enquire whether hee did it or no. A double impiÌ„eâ—â—â— in transubstanâ—iation * August Epist. 57. ad Dardanum The Lord gaue immortalitie to his body but did not take away humanitie from it The same August contra Faustum Manichaeum Lib. 20. Cap. 11. Concomitance hath no place in the Sacramental presence August contra Faustum Manichaeum Lib. 20. Cap. II. Christe according to his corporall presence could not be in the Sunne and in the Moone and vpon the Crosse at one time Christe shall come againe euen as he was seen to ascende vp into heauen in the same forme and substaunce of flesh vnto the which he hath geuen immortalitie but hath not taken away humanitie The second 〈…〉 of transubstantiation Christe is prouâ—d a trespassor of the â—â—thâ—â—â— law if hee had giuen his blood to be drunken Genesis 9. Leuit. 17. Deut. 12. Augustin in Psal. 98. This body which you see sâ—all you not eate nor drink that blood which they shall shed that shall crucifie me Beholde I haue deliuered you a mysterie which being spiritually vnderstoode doeth geue life Iohn .6 Howe these words of Christ the flesh profiteth nothing ought to be vnderâ—tood The Popish Alcumie Uerie grosse enormities and abâ—uâ—d impossibilities proceede â—ut of the doctrine of tâ—aÌ„subsâ—antiation Oâ—iâ—en c â— â—5 in Mat. The sanctifiâ—d bread according to the materiâ—ll part thereof doth passe downe into the bâ—lly and is throwne out into the draught Câ—priâ—â—â—e coeâ—a But our coniuâ—â—tion with him doeth neither conâ—ound the peâ—sons nor vnite the â—ubstancâ—s but doth make our aâ—fections agreeable and couple togither our willes * Dâ—mâ—s de Orth. side li. 4. ca. 14. Psal. 15. Thou shalt not giue thy holy one to see corâ—uptioâ— c. Th◠〈◊〉 tâ—e Aâ—câ—heritike oâ— all heâ—etiquâ—s 2 Thes. 2. Whom Christ shal consume with the breath of his owne mouâ—h If any man will be contencious the Church of God hath no â—uch custome An exhortation to the Pope Cyprian writing to Iubaianus of the baptisme of Heretiques Lookâ— Aug. de Baptismo contra Donatistas lib. 3. Cap 3. vouched out of Cyprian An humble petition too the Princes the peeres states of ChristeÌ„dom The Popes power ouer princes against al equitie and right Platina vppon the lyfe of Boniface in the yeere of our lord 511 A Rule of the cyuil law The free borne dooth not loase his freedome neither dooth he preiudice the cause of freedomâ— which doth binde himselfe to be a bondman by wryting A Challeng for a general councel wherein â—he whole state and cause of the Popes authoritie may bee decyded by free voyces of the learned An exhortation to the common people of Christendome 1. Iohn .4 Ephes. 4. Matt. 10. 1. Thes. 5. Customes of time and imitation of forefathers is neither to be allowed of al nor in any respect nor yet in al things See the bookâ— of Iohn FraÌ„cisce Piâ—us Mirandulâ— called Staurosticoâ— concerning the signes of the crosse falliâ—g latâ—ly from heauen from the Germaines â—n the time of Maximilian the Romaine kâ—ng Anno 1501. And also againe 1504. Apoc. 17. Aug. de vniâ—â— baptis li. 3. cap. 8. dist 8. Verâ—â—â—â— Chronology Chronicles of time * Ambros. li. 2. De viduis Wee do rightfully condemne al things which Christe hath not taught bicause Christ is the waye to the faithfull Therefore if Christ did not teach that which we teache wee iudge thesame to bee detested c. Ciprian dist â— Si solus The Papane Monarchie hath no maner warâ—aÌ„t of time or antiquitie
of your fleshe no parte nor portion of eternall life Therefore let this which is geuen you in this Supper remaine for a perpetual Sacrament and remembrance vnto you of the body which I wil hereafter geue for you For I shal geue my body for you into the hands of enimies the Sacrament whereof I do heere geue into your hands Wherby thou mayest perceiue gentle Reader that here be two things giuen by Christ one vnto vs the other for vs the first too bee eaten the last too bee crucified that one in the Supper this other vppon the Crosse. Nowe if yoâ— desire to knowe the substaunce of that which was geuen in the supper it was bread and the Sacramente of his body That which was geuen vppon the crosse was his body and not a Sacrament What then wyll you say was not his body geuen at Supper Yes in deede Christes body was geuen there too the Disciples but not for the Disciples bodies neyther after a bodyly corporal maner for that corporal body was geuen too the Iewes not in the Supper but on the crosse whereuppon hee gaue his body corporally not too the Disciples but for the Disciples Therefore that which hee gaue for his Disciples was his body that which hee gaue too his Disciples was the Mystery of his body Yet was it one and the selfe same body both that of the Supper geuen to the Disciples and that of the Crosse geuen for his Disciples but yet not after the same sorte nor yet at the same tyme. For vppon the Crosse it was geuen too bee slaine corporally In the Supper it was geuen not to bee slaâ—ne but to be eaten not corporally to bee gnawne with theyr teeth but too feede vppon it in the bowels of theyr soules namely after a Sacramentall kinde of receiuing not corporall Therefore it is not denied that the Lordes body was both geuen and eaten in the Supper but not the body only but togeather with the body the Sacrament annexed also withall whereof the one apperteyneth too the feeding of the bodies the other to the feâ—ding of the soules That which is receiued into the bodies is both bread and the Sacrament of his body That which is receiued within in the soule is the very body not the Sacrament of his body For as mâ—che therefore as these two doe necessarily concurre togeather in the holy Supper that the one can not bee seuered from the other Let vs so ioyne the one with the other that wee neâ—ther separate the â—ody of Christe from the Sacrament as the Papistes do which be so throughly wedded to the only substance of the body as that they leaue therein no substaunce at al of a Sacrament but superficiall and immateriall shadowes I knowe not what hanging in the ayre which serue to no purpose Neither let vs so segregate the Sacrament againe from the body as that we leaue nothing in the holy supper but bare signes But in this coupling togeather of the body with the bread in the Sacrament behooueth to bee well and considerately aduised that wee may throughly perceiue howe these thinges ought to bee ioyned togeather and howe they ought to be seuered For neyther that which affecteth the outwarde senses and passeth downe into the bodye of man is the fleshe of Christe so neither that which is receiued in spirite and in the inwarde man is bread but the very body of Christe Out of the which ariseth a threefolde error of mens corrupt opinions touching the Sacrament The first errour is where men do chop and thruste togeather the presence of Christes body in the Sacrament as that they suppose both the bread and the body to bee deuoured of them with our selfsame mouth corporally and those wee cal Consubstantiators The second errour is of suche as bee called Transubstantiators which do so altogeather thrust out all substaunce of material bread or transfourme it into the substaunce of the body that nothing shall remaine else to bee eaten besides the only fleshe of Christe The opinion of which sort of people coÌ„meth to this issue at the last as that they will admit no corporall presence of any thing in the Sacrament sauing Christe So that now the Supper must needes bee the very holy thing it self but no Sacrament of an holy thing For as muche as to make a SacrameÌ„t to become a Sacrament two thinges must of fine forâ—e needes concurre the one whereof must be disposed ouâ—wardly the other must bee conceaued inwardly the one must bee an earthly thing the other heauenly the one must expresse some what the other must be expressed by somewhat The third errour is where men so place the Sacramentall bread in the Sacrament as that they leaue nothing there but naked and bare signes whom the Papists do tearme Figuratiue men and Significatists But wee so ioyne togeather both the sacred bread and Christe himselfe in the holy Supper that the presence and eating of Christe be spirituall but the presence and eating of the bread bee corporall and that this one may bee disgested outwardly by the mouth and that other conceaued inwardly and spiritually in the soule But heere againe as many times else I doo heare some of our iangling aduersaries whispering against vs. What say they did not Christ say That this was his body so he said in deede and what then Therefore it can not bee but as Christe spake that it shoulde bee In deed he sayde that it was his body yet did he not make it his body neither did he speak heere Let this be made my body as hee spake in Genesis Let there bee light and light was made Which kinde of speache he would haue vsed questionles yf hee had euer imagined anye such transubstantiation as these men doe dreame vppon But nowe vsing onely the woorde not of Creating nor changing but of denomination only he did report vntoo them that it was his body but dyd not commaunde it too bee made his body nor inioyned them too beleeue any myracle heere but onely to eare in remembrance of hym We then wyll you say if hee dyd affirme it too bee his body wilâ— thou denye it or wylt thou condemne Christe for a Lyar Good woordes I pray you good syr nay rather in deede I doe with Christ him selfe boldely affirme it to be thâ— selfe same thing euen the body of Christe after the same maner â—orsooth as himself dyd affirm it and vnderstoode it But afâ—ter what maner he tooke it can you be so senslesse as not to coÌ„ceiue when you heare Christe him selfe Interpretor of his owne speache Fleshâ— sayth he doth not profite at all my woordes be spirite and life And doest thou cruell Caniball conceiue and eate nought else but the fleshe of of Christe nor wilt thou permit one cromme so much of bread to remaine because it is called the body of Christe But howe many thinges doe wee heare dayly called by this or that name