To be shorte let any indifferent persone take in hande to iudge the life trade and learneinge of you byshopes and compare it wyth the doeinge of Christe and he shall fynde so muche diuersitie as betwen Christe and Antichrist To compare them also to Peter an Paule and other of the Apostles woulde sâ—ne declare the one parte to be naught they are so coÌ„trarie but they shalbe founde the folowers of Christe and therfore of the trwe churche and you the â–ª contrefaites yea the verie folowers of the Romeish Antichrist and therfore the sinnagoge of SathaÌ„ As for vs we wyll heare the voice of oure shepeherd onelie We will heare â–ª no straunger and therfore we haue no nede of any testimonie of man For the verie anointe inge teacheth vs to call Father father And the same spirite witnesseth vnto our spirit that wee are the chyldren of God For he that confirmeth vs to gether in Christe is God who hath also sealed vs and geueÌ„ the erneste of hys spirite in oure hertes And as Paule sayeth in the fyrste to the Ephesians to so manie as do beleue in the worde of truethe and the gospell of health you are sealed vp by the holy spirite a fore promised whyche is the ernest of oure heritage Therfore sayeth he agaâ—ne drawe no pâ—cke wyth the vnfayethful For what companye can ther be betwene the ryghteouse and the vnrighâ—â—ouse or whaâ— parâ—etakeing of the lyghte wyth darckenesse What concorde wyth Christe and Belial Or what parte can the fayethfull haue wyth the vnfathfull or howe can â—he churche of God agree wyth Idoles For you are the â—emple of the liueynge God as God sayede I wyll dwel in theÌ„ and walke in them and I wil be their God and they shall be my people c. And thys is the vniuersall churche scatered thorough out the worlde whiche we beleue not the churche of Rome Fraunce and Englande as Peter confessethe sayeinge I perseiâ—e in deed that wyth God there is no regarde of persones but in euerie nacion he thâ—t feareth hym and worketh ryghtuousenesse he is acceptableâ— vnto him This church sufferreth alwaye wyth hir heade Christe wherefore she shall also reigne wyth hym alwayes and be glorified This is eueÌ„ the felowship of sainctes that we do suffer together wyth oure heade and make perfite the afflictions whyche lacked vnto his bodye which is the church haueing one onli father in heauen one onely sauiour on erth one fayeth grounded on hys onely worde one baptisme of the spirite one hope of our calleing one heritage commune from Christe to all the whole feloshipe of sayntes and memberâ— of hys bodie Haueinge the remission and forgeuenesse of oure sinnes as the whole scripture witnesseth be leueinge stydfastely the riseinge agayne of the fleshe as is moste playnely taught and euerlasteâ—nge lyfe as Iohn witnesseth that God hath geuen euerlasteinge lyfe And thys lyfe is in his sonne He that hath the sonne hath lyfe The spirit is it that witnesseth these thinges for the spirite is trueth and he that beleueth in the sonne of God hath this testimonie wit in hym selfe and he that doeth not beleue maketh God a liar These thinges haue I written that al men myght knowe our fayth not to be grounded on man but on goddes holy worde and that we doubt in noparte of the olde fayeth but onely vpon your newe articles and gloses ⧠The resolusion of certen doubtes contained in Winchesters booke THus haue I put you out of doubt â–ª that we doubte in no article of the christiaÌ„ faith But I doubt that you bâ—e not yet out of doubte in those thinges that you doubt of in your detection amongest whych this is the greatest doubt You doubt you saye how the sonne of god whome you cal Iâ—…sus shoulde be contained in the woÌ„be of the virgine Vnto this your boubt I answere that as he was and is God so was â–ª he and is wythout begining and ende And the heauen yea the heauen of al heauens can not containe hym much lesse a littlle boxe to be shut therin but as he was verie man so was it true that the prophete dyd speake That a woman shoulde coÌ„passe a man And thys body that was borne of of the woman can you not proue to be scatterred throught out all corners of the erthe and to be in heauen also For so shoulde you make hym a spirite and no bodye yea all together God no crature for no creature can be in â—…o places theÌ„ one at one coÌ„trari to the chieffest article of our faith which is that he was incarnat became maÌ„ like vnto vs in al thynges synne onelye excepted and that in the same fleshe he dyed once rose againe and ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hande of God the father from when 〈◊〉 he shall come euen verie man as he asended hauinge all the propreties of an incorruptible bodye that is to saye beinge visible and local haueing quantitie and qualities as his fayethfull disciples and Apostles sawe and perceined hym to haue after his resurrection whyche proprites declared hym to diâ—â—er froÌ„ a spirite muche more from God as concerneinge the bodye wherin these qualitites be The godheade differeth and is knowne froÌ„ the bodye by that it is immense and can be coÌ„tayned in no place neither is it sensible nor can be perceiued by any of the senses Wher as contrariwyse the bodye is sensible and maye be boeth felt and sene and must nedes be alwayes contained in some one place other else is it no bodie And thought by miracle God haue caried any corporall bodie froÌ„ place to place coÌ„trarie to the cours of nature as he dyd Elias in the firely chariot Or as he caried Abacuke for the confort of daniell and as the spirite of God toke awaye Philip when he had christened the Ennuche of quene Candaces and set him at AzotuÌ„ And as by the spirite Peter was brought out of prisone taken from the foure quaternians of souldiours hys bodye lowsed forth of all the chaines and prisons sodaynelye yea the â—ate of Irone openeinge agaynste hym contrarie to the naturall order yet can no man proue by these or any lyke miracle that one bodye hath ben in ii places at once much les that any of these bodies maie be eueri where as you do maynetayne by miracle of Christ comeinge into the house when the Apostles had shette the dores and wyndowes for the feare of the Iewes that the natural bodye of Christe maye be in ten thousande boxes and aultres when you do not knowe whether the dores dyd open agaynst Christe as the Iron gate dyd agaynst Peter But you bringe in your sophistrie agaynste al reasone wyth out any scripture and therfore wythout any fayeth affirmeinge that ii bodies are in one place together occupi the same place at one time which neither faieth reasone nor any of the seÌ„ses that
therfore if there be any regarde of goddes dread full maiestie lefte in your hertes leaue thys argumente Nothing is impossible vnto god therfore is he chainged Or because it is possible that he wyll come downe into the chalice whan euerie whoremongar doeth calle him therfore he doethe fo leste peraduenture you heare ploumen tell you that it is dyueâ—…she sophistrie It pleaseth God to shewe vs ouer muche of your liueinge to be blynded â–ª any longer with you We reade in the gospel that God heareth no sinnars Howe shamles in al parrishes they lyue whyche arâ— the onely God makers all the worlde seth and crieth out thereupon Suche whordome hath not ben harde of Such druÌ„ckenes hath not bene sene Al are drowned in couetousenes from the bishope to the parishepriste And that fele we porâ— peopel being polled and pilled bi your pâ—…s and proâ—tomes and haueing nothing of your landes for al our swere and labours but a blâ—…de heape of doÌ„be ceremonies God as al thinge is possible vnto hym can make â—oâ— God shepeherdes But yet I dare not rouâ— ude that he hath done it Neithere what he wyll do dare Iaâ—…e you are so linked wyth Antichriste Whose pride intollerable to boaste hym selfe to haue powre in heauen in earth and in the thred place I not where I nede not confute Thys holye mother church is ashamed of hiâ— children and brainâ—…e â—…encious thoughe she durst neuer in al hir pride make any â—…o articles of the faith then xii all grounded vpon scriptures But nowe your â—itle bishop church or rather coÌ„neÌ„tikle of xii or xiiii bishops must be so highly enhauÌ„ced that it may encrease other vi or rather â—…o which we dayly loke for in preiudice to other contries whyche shalbe more strongely established wyth the swerde and more sore punished by fire if they be violated than any of the commaundements of God vseinge such proude bragges racking and burninge that no man dare saye but it is trwe howe so euer it please you bishopes to glose the scriptures and make uewe articles and new faieth anewe for to be beleued in paine of death and burneinge Suche authoritie vse you ouer the scripture as your father did before youe whoe dyd firste deuise thys your diuellishe lawe that no man shoulde be so bolde to interpretate the scripture any otherwise theÌ„ he and his doctours had authorised and assingned Where coutrariwise Paule wylleth that in the congregacioÌ„ or church of Christ ii or â–ª iii. prophets shoulde speake and the residew should iudg Then if any thynge were reueiled or disclosed to him that sitteth the first shoulde hold his peace that all might prophecie one after an other that al might learne that al might take conforte and that the spirites of the prophetes might be subiecte vnto the prophetes If this mildenesse were a monge vs that one of vs might and woulde heare an other then shoulde Christes doctrine and religion flourishe whilse we were redie â–ª to geue answere euerie one â–ª of the faieth that we haue conceiued accordeinge to the coÌ„maundement of Peter Where nowe there is nothing but these heretickes are proude and arrogant they haue no leruinge they haue not studied for knowlege And we do answere again as we maye iustely that we haue laboured for knoweledge as diligentlie and with as hum ble hertes as you haue done God hath induâ—ed vs wyth the knoweledge of the latine greke and hebrue al other scieÌ„ces far abou that you had when you were in the scholes This can you not denie for shame Why than maye it not be that he hath sent these godlie giftes hys worthy instrumentes for to reueile open declare the hid misteries of his worde which he saied shoulde flowe like a water streame in these later daies that thei shoulde knowe hym from the loweste to the highest Do not you se by the course of tyme that god openeth many thinges of the pope pardons pilgrimages and such like Idolatrouse vsages Hath ther bene no blindenesse in the worlde these thousande yeres that the deuell hath ben lewse because you do so much accompte the wickednesse of this time or coulde the pope who is the vndoubted an tichriste reigne so longe in mens hertes and coÌ„sciences and leaue no poison behind hym Naye rather we must call into question and examinacion all such thinges as he lefte behinde him because he being the verie wicked maÌ„ we maie be sure he would sowe no good corne but darnell and wede Then what was the greateste powre he had wherebi he wroght in heaueÌ„ in erth and purgatorie but the masse and thys holie sacrament of ouâ—e redempcion so abused that he myght by the bodie of Christ sacrified vpon the aultare open the waye to heauen and spar the waye to hell as surely he or any of you myght do if he coulde sacrifice Christ againe for christ oure sauiour did come downe from heauen to do sacrifice for this purpose and all the sacrifices of the olde lawe dâ—d sewe in shadowes that the sacrifice of Christe shoulde take awaie sinne the vnspotted lambe should deliuer from the helli fornaice of Egipt and optaine passage to the contrey promised So that if either pope byshop or priest can proue that the verie bodie of Christe is really present in hys sacrifice of the masse and ther offerred vp to the father for a sacrifice as you haue caused Sharton to confesse surely you maye conclude as you do and as your father and fouÌ„der of this article did before that the masse taketh awaye sinnes â–ª and profiteth the quicke and the deade So shall you build your pardones againe for the masse of scala celi and all your abbaies praieinge for their foundars that the noble kynge Henrie the eight whom surely God appoynted to beat downe poperie and Idolatrie long preserued him from your manifolde treasones and at the length nowe whan hys good wyll was hath taken hym to hys mercies maye he thought the greatest malafactour vpoÌ„ earth and as some of you haue rayled moste vilauously the greate turke and verie Antichrist causeinge the daily sacrifice to cease destroieynge so many holy masses and hindering so manie soules that shoulde by them haue reliefe and succour But that thys bodie of Christe our lambe vnspotted can be no more sacrified boeth in the defence of Christ from theyr blasphemies our nobel prince froÌ„ rai huge tonges I desier all Christen hertes to marcke what Paule writeth to the Hebrues whyche I shall truly reporte wythout any gloses or far fetched argumeÌ„tes The whole Epistle doeth shewe that all sacrifices dyd cease that thys oure onely byshope myght make one sacrifice for all The priesthode sayeth Paule appointed by God onely to do sacrifice ceased And in the. vii Chap he sayeth that oure bishoppe abydeth for euer haueinge and euerlastinge priesthode wherby he maye fully make saulfe them that go vnto God by hym liueinge for euer that he maye praie for them And
speake are spirit and lyfe Wher vpon Peter saied Lord why ther sâ—hal we gooâ—thou hast the words of euerlasting life And these are the waters that Christe wyll geue after the whiche no man shall euer thurste But the water whiche I shall geue hâ—m saieth Christe shalbe made in hym a fountaine of water springeinge into lyâ—â—e euerlasteing Blessed be they that heare the worde of God and kepe it whiche was sharpely answered agaynste them which dyd so highlie aduaunce to knowe God in the fleshe Against whom also Paule sayth we know none after the fleshe etc. Moreouer saieth he though we haue knowne Christ after the fleshe yet nowe do we not knowe hym so any longer But he that is in Christe muste be a newe creature in the spirite accordeinge to the saieinge of Christe to him Nâ—codemus Excepte a man be borne a newe from aboue from heauen euen of the spirite the can not enter the kingdoÌ„e of heaneÌ„ That whych is borne of the fleshe is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Againe it is profitable that I go from you for it I go not the spirite of confort shal not come vnto you but if I go I wyl sende hym vnto you he shal leade you into al truthe Therefore should you reioyce because I saie that I go vnto my father Thys profite of the bodilie departeing to haue the confort of the spirite dyd appeare manifestelie in Petre and the other Apostles who deniynge and forsakeinge theyr maister whome they hade bodily present dyd nothing doubt to die for hym whan he was in bodie absent Besides that thys bodilie presens in euerie corner to take awaye sinne is preiudicial to the liuely fealeing of oure faith Firste for that he is verie man in al thinges haueing a naturall bodye as we haue sufficiently paiyng oure raâ—â—some to hys father vpon the crosse SecoÌ„dly it may cause vs to doubt whether we shall saye that he hath ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hand of the father and froÌ„ thence shal come to iudge the quicke and the deade other else saie with you that the prieste muste dayly offer hym a sacrifice here vpon earth for vs and that he muste kepe him heare styl in a boxe to ware mouldie and mustie and then chaunge hym for a newe Christe beinge infinitly created Who shall at the daye of dome starte forth of all these boxes at once into a newe shape I trowâ— to iudge all the eâ—â—h or elfe muste you â—…des confesse that they shall al be iudged and â—…ned where they lye in their boxes The scripture I saye the liuely sâ—aâ—eing of my fayeth grounded onely vpon the spirite of Christâ— and your owne madnesse that I haue reade in your owne bokes and no pride or arroganciâ— what so euer you saye I take god to recorde caâ—se me that I dare not so carnally and grossely vnderstaÌ„d the wordes of Christe as you do And I daâ—e maintaine 〈…〉 I haue many of your owne doc tours whose testimonie either in thys poynt or any other vnâ—es they bringe open scripture wâ—…h them I do not greately regarde but to your confution Yet haue I the better parte of them whiche do spiritually vnderstande and interprete thys scripture wyth me â–ª How be it I knowe we shall neuer make aâ— ende 〈◊〉 we bringe doctour vpon doctoure To answere therfore to thys text this is my bodye whyche is your onely shoâ—eaukere And to 〈…〉 aâ— your wode wordes tauÌ„tes that flowe frome your eloquet mouth as smoke doeth from a lake of brimstone But firste I wyll bringe forth the whole texte of Mathewe Marke and Luke And by the open worde of God I truste I shall declare the true sence and meaneing to him that wyth a spirituall eie shall iudge therof Christ in the xxvi of Mathewe when he was together wyth hys Apostles eateinge the passouer whyche was the most liue lyke figure in the olde lawe nowe makeing an ende in Christe the lambe wythout all spoâ—e and blemishe did ordeine this godly sacrament for the remembraunce of hym selfe to the worlde folowinge and that hys death myght be shewed and published vnto the worldes and like as in the passouer was cotinually mencioned and declared to the posteritie foloweinge the benifite of God in the deliueraunce from Egipt And as that ceremonie the eateinge of the lambe was called the passouer and he hym selfe called the lambe of god so like wise calleth he thys hight misterie and sacrament hys bodie and a newe testament in hys bloude That as truely as the Israelites were deliuered forth of Egipte the angel passing by not hurting the people of that house the dore posts wherof were sprinkled wyth the bloude of that lambe so verily shoulde Christe delyuer vs out of the Egipt of sinne and perfourme the thynge before figured For thys cause saieth Iohn beholde the lambe of God whych taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde And Christe sayeth Thys is my bodye whyche is gyuen for you And thys cup is the newe testament in my bloude whiche is shede for you By the which wordes it maye appeare that Christe dyd meane no chaunge of natures or traunssubstancion but onely that where the bloude of the lambe in the olde testament was sprenkled on the postes to saue frome the aduengeinge angell so many as shoulde be saued so lykewise thys bloude of Christ in the newe testament should be shede to saue vs so mani as haue our soules sprink led wyth the bloude of thys lambe Christe Iesâ— Therfore in lyke maner as the fathers of the olde lawe dranke of the spirituall ston that folowed them â–ª whiche was Christe euen so are we all commaunded to drinke of thys bloude none other wyse then the chyldren of Israell were commaunded that the bloude of the lambe shoulde be theire token in all the houses wher they were Ther was 〈◊〉 man so mad to saye that these wordes this cup is â—he newe testameÌ„t in my bloud dyd chaunge the substaunce of the cup into the newe testament And yet are thei christes owne wordes who can not lye If you therfore be driuen to your â–ª gloses tropes and figures in the wordes spoken of thys sacrament why should we be coÌ„demned to death because we can not vnderstande youre carnal gloses â–ª You must neades haue one glose to declare what is meÌ„t by the cup. Whether the wiâ—e the bloude or the cup it selfe either else a signe and sacrament of the newe testament or a performeinge of the same in the bloude of Christe as Luke teacheth you to speake and as Mathew and Marcke boeth do wittnesse This is my bloud of the newe testament whyche is shed for many to the remission of their sinnes Thus were the Apostles nothinge curiouse in wordes as they ought to haue bene if the wordes had made the cup or the wine God chaunging the substaunce therof so sone as they hadâ—â—eâ— spoken Thus you
owne grossenes Howe dare you for shame name this christes bodie that you do eate and saie that you eate it bodily May any thing be called a bodie but that may be perceyued bi some of our outwarde sences For by theÌ„ onely as by corporall instruments appointed of God to the same purpose maye we iudge what so euer is a bodie Seinge then our senses and bodilie instrumenâ—es perceiue no suche bodie the worcke beinge inwarde by the spirite what neade we to speake grossely and carnallie of the bodie or whaâ— profite can come by that strange doctringe Seinge then that Christe is not the meate of the soule that waye it is to muche shame thus to contrefaite a Christ in the breade good for nothinge But we beleueinge that Christe hath died for vs haue all the conforte that maye be continuallie refreshed wyth the body and bloude whyche are the onely foode of the soule For of thys spirituall eateinge the spirite encreaseth like as of the carnal eateing flesh onelie can be cherished and encreased For this worde must euer staÌ„d true That which is borne of the flesh is flesh and that whiche is borne of the spirit is spirite And for this cause doeth Christe vnderstand a spiritual eateinge But howe I praye you That 〈…〉 maye be eaten carnally and bodily Then shal it be al one thinge to eate hym bodily 〈…〉 spiritually which euen by your sophistrie you must nedes iudge impossible If the eaâ—â—ng of Christ be spiritual â–ª why do you say that you eate hym bodilye If it be bodilie what other thyng can it confort butthe bodi Christ saiâ—h that except we eat his flesh that is beleue that he died and shed his bloud for vs we cannot haue lyfe in vs. Agayn if we 〈◊〉 his flesh that is beleue that it was slaine for vs and drinke his bloude that is beleue shed that his bloud is shed for vs than is Christ in vs and we in him But is Christ in any man corporally and bodilie Naye ve rily What neadeth it vs than to make any â—…o doubtes of cateinge hym bodily for thaÌ„ do we eate hys bodie when we beleue that it was slaine for vs. It is fayth therfore and â—…e other eateinge wher of Christ speaketh for man consisteth of two partes bodie and soule The bodie nether can nor dare by any meanes eate him because it is horrible and a gainste nature No thoughe it coulde and woulde eate hym it shoulde auaile hym no more then the bodilie kisse of Iudas and the handeling of the Iewes auailed them It remaineth therfore that the soule shal eate him which can be none other wayes but by liuely faieth in the bodie and bloude â–ª offerred for vs vnto hys father The soule hath no teth and therfore none other maner of eateinge Thus do we conclude that the soule beinge a spirite and the meate spirituall no maÌ„ ought to seke for to eate Christe in this sacrament bodilie really and carnally but onely spiritually as hys worde is spirite and lyfe But stil you wyl vse your eloquence and saye Thys is spoken by intollerable arroyancie deuillishe sophistrie carnall reasones deceitfull expositions croked argumentes contrefaite contradictions by the spirite of the deuell it is lies erroure and blindnesse Captiue your wittes vnto vs of the cleargie Christe speaketh still in the priest at the aultare and saieth This is my bodie And therfore it is his natural bodie Thys is it that you haue to saye Oh howe full of Christes holy worde and the conforte of the scriptures is thys blessed byshoppe These are the blesseinges that flowe from thê so sone as they wagge theire pope holye membres I wyll not raile againe to your worthynesse But as I haue begoue I wyll answere wyth scriptures The tonge is a worlde of wickednesse So is thetonge set in our membres that â–ª it defyleth the whole bodie and setteth on fire all that we haue of nature and is it selfe set onfire euen of hel Therwith do we blesse god and curse men made to hys owne Image Out of one mouth procedeth blesseinge and curseinge where it is contrarie by course of nature that one fountayne shoulde bringe fourth both swete and bitter water If any man be wyse and endued wythknowledge amonge you let him shewe hys worckes out of hys good conuersasion wyth mekenesse and wisedome But if you haue bitter enuie and striffe in y our herte reioyce not neither be ye lyars agaynst the trueth For such wise dome desceudeth not froÌ„ a boue but is erthly naturall and deuellishe For where enuie ann strife are ther is vnstablenesse and all maner of iuell workes But the wysdome that is from aboue is first pure than peaceable gentile and easye to be entreated Full of mercie and good fruites wythout iudgeing wythout simulacion Yea and the fruitte of rightuousnes is sownein peace to them that maintaine peace But to go forth with our purpose No arrogancie no deuellishe spirite or sophistrie can haue the whole course of scriptures thus to maintayne their cause To proue farther therfore that we be taught the spiritual worship onely and not the sâ—eshely and carnall that perisheth and consumeth by tyme marke the scriptures First howe Christ con maundeth to worcke the meate not that perisheth but that remaueth into lyfe euerlastinge whiche the sonne of man shal geue you Nowe Christ did geue vs none other meate wherbye we lyue for euer but thys gospell aâ—d glade tidinges that he freely hath sufferred death for vs. Againe this is the worke of God To beleue in him whom he hath sent Lo the plain wordes of christ Fayeth in him whom the father hath set worketh the meate that neuer perishe It is fayeth therfore in Christ crucified that maketh vs â–ª blessed and not to eate the bodie carnally bodilie and naturally For then should we haue two waies to lyfe The one by fayth and the other by this bodilie eateinge which no man I trowe wyll graunte Againe Christe sayeth that it is the true breade that cometh downe from heauen and geueth lyfe vnto the worlde So that Christ is the liuely fode as he is God and geueth lyfe vnto the world as he is God the sonne of God not as he is fleshe For if the bodily meate that we do eate be but a burthen vnto â—s tyll it be chaunged iâ—to spirite and altered from the grosse substaunce to nourish the liuely spirites and spirituall partes what do we so grossely thyncke that the flesh of christ swalowed into oure bealies shall do vs so muche good â–ª Thys opinion is verie grosse Therfore sayeth Christe to the Capernites in the same blindenesse What if you shal see the soÌ„ne of man go vp where he was before It is the spirite that geueth lyfe the fleshe profiteh nothing The wordes that I speake vnto you are spirite and lyfe Thus doeth he call from the earth to heauen from the fleshe to the spirite lyke
this is meÌ„t by the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in diuers places of Deutronomie The wordes are these Thou shalte come to the priest that shall be in those daies and say vnto hym I acknowledge this day before the Lorde my god that I am entred into the lande for the whiche he sweare to our fathers that he woulde giue it vnto vs. Here is a like memorie of God commaunded by Moyses Whereby as in thys sacrament is ment a reuerent thankes gyuyng and acknowledgyng for sâ— is the Hebrue word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 traÌ„slated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicum iâ— Whereby we may perceyue the worde blessing to agree with the other greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus we therfore haue by the healpe of the Hebrue tonge and the olde testament furth of the whiche two all rites and ceremonies and the trueth of al the principal places of the newe testament haue both their coÌ„firmation and declaration and by the circumstaÌ„ces of the places proued vnto you first that in this sacrament there muste be a general profession of oure sayth in the death of Christ outwardly and theÌ„ priuately euery one must in hert acknowledge giue thaÌ„kes And if the profite of his brethren do so require it or the ordre of the coÌ„gregaâ—ioÌ„ permit they muste with mouth celebrate and prayse this great benifite to the glorie of God and the conforte of the congregation Your first declaration that we must haue Christ present in this memorie by fayth maketh nothinge agaynst vs. For this is it that we do beleue and teach that vnto the eyes of our faith there is preseÌ„t in the sacrament the natural body of our sauiour Christ the same body that suffered And your similitude of the maried womaÌ„ that wyl make an Image of her husbaÌ„de for a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of him maketh much against you For this I dare saye that al the eloqueÌ„ce you haue â—aÌ„ not proue vn to a righte selêder witted woman that the Image thus made for a memorial is hir owne natural housbaÌ„de and so make hir do honor and reuerence vnto him at bed and at bourd as you woulde haue vs to do to this very Image as you cal it of Christ beinge departed in body froÌ„ his churche and leauing this most perfect Image of him selfe and as you say him selfe for a memorie Furthermore If you coulde proue vnto this womaÌ„ that this image were the natural body â—lesh bloud and bones of hir husband what neede she to loke for hym in any other place abseÌ„t whoÌ„ she hath thus really present at all tymes What shal we say Is hir husbande gone Nay verely hir husbande lyeth hid in and vnder the Image Lo whither your blynde similitudes do leade you But to proue his body to be in diuers places wythout any chaunge of place you had neede to aske better counsayle of your sophisters and then we shal answere you agayne For the texte folowinge Non dâ—…dicans corpus domini makynge no difference of the Lordes body which wordes be so translated in the Bible that you haue allowed by Act of parliament For the scriptures suche is oure miserie can be no farther good and profitable for vs but as yon wyll allowe it That is to saye the laste yere good for all men but thys yere good for gentlemen onely In the last proclamation you condemned three translations and saued one But in thys your boke you seme to be wery of that one for you fynde fautes therein and wyll not haue at reade at suche tymes as men meete together in the churche But God is the Iudge of your doinges You do not Iudge and knowe that God is as presently in his wordes and scriptures whiche you do burne as he is in the Sacramentes whiche are made and take theyr strength of the same worde Oh byshoppes If thys thynge that you do be for the pure â—eale of Goddes worde then take so muche paynes amongest you al as to set furth one traÌ„slatioÌ„ so true â–ª that no man may fynde any faut therwyth But you caÌ„ not heare on that side You haue burned fiue thousande but of your translation we fynde not one It is easy therefore to iudge what your purpose hath bene But to returne to the wordes Non diiudi caÌ„s etc. Your english text is making no differeÌ„ce of the Lordes body But your owne interpretation is not vnderstanding not coÌ„side ring But if you wyl adde thereunto the signification of the greke worde not iudging I wyl say al is true and agreeth very wel For who so euer doeth eate this bread and drinke this cup vnworthily eateth his owne iudgemeÌ„t making no differeÌ„ce not vnderstanding consideringe or iudgynge the Lordes body Where he that doeth eate it worthily doeth by his faith eate the very body of the Lorde so ofte as he eateth of this bread and drinketh of this cup and fedeth his soule by the reioycing in the death of the lorde For who soeuer seketh the spirituall fode he regardeth nothinge but the body of Christ offered for his sinnes though with his mouth bodily he receiue the bread the figure of the same If any haue â—…scoÌ„strued this texte do not charge vs therewyth But if we do take it wronge reproue vs by scripture No man doubteth but that he is giltie of the bloud of Christ which taketh Baptisme vnreuerently Yet dare we not saye that in the water is really presente the body and bloud of Christe He despiceth me saith Christ that despiceth you speaking of his Apostles Yet is it no good argument to say therefore that Christe is corporally in his Apostles But spiritually we must boeth beholde most thaÌ„kefully receiue our Christ in al his sacramentes in al his messengers The third text Spiritus viuificat caro noÌ„ prodest quicquaÌ„ In english the spirite giueth life the flesh profiteth nothyng maketh much agaynste you Yea thoughe you take it after your owne glose which is that this text is a general lesson for the true vnderstandyng of oure whole religion But thys glose shall we touche hereafter This texte The spirit gyueth lyfe the fleshe profiteth nothynge is boeth proued true and manifestly declared in the. xvi chapter folowinge where Christe sayeth I tel you truth that it is profitable for you that I departe for if I do not go awaye that confortynge spirite shall not come vnto you But if I go I wyll sende hym vnto you etc. Whereby it appeareth playnely agaynste your wordes that the presence of the bodie carnally is not profitable vnto vs nowe after his ascendynge into heauen because Christe sayeth it is profitable that in bodie he shoulde departe but you saye it is profitable to haue hym here in a cake notwythstandyng that he sayeth that onlesse he go his waye the spirite of conforte can not come The exemple of Peter and all the Apostles who were stronger by the confort of the spirite then by the presence
be betwixt me and your feyned goddes I am that auncient in yeres that doeth feele â–ª none age For a thousande yeres are but one daye in my syghte For in the twynckelynge of an eye do I beholde all thynges be they presente paste or to come Your Saturne whom you hange vp in a corde as a wicked fellowe had neede to haue Iupiter his sonne sought out to healpe to defende hym in his olde age when his chaungable fleshe and bones whiche you feyne him to haue and defende the same wyth sworde and fyre begyn once to musker and moulde after he passeth once the age of one moneth But who shal reuenge the litle gods whiche liue but the space of one minute and so perish coÌ„tinually Thei are takeÌ„ streighte from the wafer box to the chalice and there are they deuoured A woÌ„derfull mattier so sone made God and so sone-brought to nought againe Olde Aristotle your great maister couÌ„pteth for a greate miracle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in englishe beastes that â—yue but one daye But if he had knowen thys sodeyne chaunge of so many Goddes in one minute what myght he haue writteÌ„ to his posteritie I appeale to your owne conscience in this mattier your conscience I say that do make and marre so many Goddes in so litle space you I saye that do seeke out so straunge ingines for the preseruation of your Goddes You close hym in a box of harder metal then myse teeth can penetrate you hange hym vp in a corde leste the gredie myse shoulde besiege hym you couer hym wyth a canopie so that the myse can not come at hym and what meaneth all thys but that you knowe by experieÌ„ce that the myse do nothinge feare hym because he is made but of breade and hath no lyfe in hym nor hardinesse to beate a mouse Let your owne coÌ„science be Iudge in thys mattier But O wicked Idolatours If thys were God that you do thys handle he woulde somtyme breake open his prison wherein he is enclosed by his power and strength How be it he can do nothinge Or if he can do any thynge crie vpon him as dyd the priestes of the olde Idolatours that he wyll do so much as put one horne out of his shel box wherin he is enclosed to assray his enemies or els to your great coÌ„fusion he shall be lesse set by then a creping snaple Or if you dare make a profe of his power leaue hym without but one night out of his box and you shal see the litle mise wyll not be much afrayed of hym neither do the cattes backes owles swallowes and sparowes greatly feare hym Then tel me I praye you why man shoulde be so mad as to stande in feare of the thynge whiche is of no reputation Feare him not therfore O my litle flocke for he can neither do good nor â—uyll No he hath neither life nor feeling He felt not when he was baken into a cake neither feeleth he wheÌ„ the priest breaketh him because there is no spirite of lyfe in hym Be you ashamed therfore al you that worshippe him for if by the negligence of the priestes he fall to the grounde he can not aryse alone neither if he be raysed can he stande In vayne therfore do you worship suche a God as in no poynt can healpe hym selfe Howe can you then desyre his healpe in your aduersitie The Goddes that you worshyp are none other thynge but as the baker that baketh them wyll haue them and the priest that maketh them And neither of these two workemen is of longe continuaunce Howe caÌ„ their workes be Goddes therfore These gods of yours caÌ„ not deliuer them selues froÌ„ theues and robbers whiche haue ofteÌ„ times spoyled them of their boxes And you haue of late seene in the suppressioÌ„ of the Abbayes which I did sende for a punishmeÌ„t of Idolaters they were then left succuâ—lesse turned out of their siluer boxes and were not able to resist Therfore wheÌ„ you see the people worshiping round about you say in your hertes O Lorde that hast layed the foundations of the earth and the heauens the muste we worshippe And so doinge myne Angel is with you and I wyll require your soules at the hande of the oppressours Oh hertes barraine of al heaueÌ„ly doctrine Oh myndes voied of al godlines Howe can I the true God be knowen whilse the bread God and the cake vnsensible is in so high reputation Yea what needeth it men to lifte vp their mindes vnto heauen seinge they haue hym in earth which can grauÌ„t their prayers Howe can they worship in spirite and trueth seing they worshipe the thinge that hath neither spirite nor lyfe Howe caÌ„ you vnderstaÌ„de or coÌ„preheÌ„de my dreadful maiestie whilse ye do take this for a god whoÌ„ a blast of wynde wyll klowe downe from his aultare and his superaltare Al such goddes therfore as haue not made the heauens shall perish froÌ„ the earth and froÌ„ vnder the heaueÌ„ Marke howe the breath of maÌ„ a thinge of smal streÌ„gth againste any other creature is able to chaunge alter traÌ„sfourme the breade so sone as he hath it in his mouth and it shalbe ynough to him that hath reason to declare how shaÌ„ful the chauÌ„g is from the most strong to the moste weake froÌ„ the greatest to the least from the best and most mightie to the worste most impotent Oh miserable and chaungeable nature of man Oh twise miserable God whom this miserable man maketh Yea thrise miserable for he must come downe into the chalice at the call of euery whoremonger and sodomite drunckarde and couetouse caytyfe and be streight wayes swallowed into his filthy and vusaciable paunch that the firste beginnynge and endynge of his godhead maye he lyke miserable If the scripture do describe you any such If AdaÌ„ Enoch Noah AbrahaÌ„ Isaac Moyses AaroÌ„ or Samuel do knowe any such If Esaie Ieremias or Daniell haue described him in their prophecies If Math. Marke or Luke whoÌ„ you leudly alledge had tolde you that there had ben any such God on the erth If Peter Paule Iames and Iohn the faythful witnesses of my sonne Christe and the openers of his secretes had taughte you thys crusted cake myghte be chaunged into God or his sonne Christe shewe me one place But I knowe your crafte and subtiltie Nothynge is impossible to God you saye What then Shall God at your commaundement be a stone a tree or breade By the same possibilitie make hym your Asse All mine therfore shall answere you in this sort Because all thynges are possible vnto oure God he is able to escape your blynde iugelynge and is of power ynough to destroye you al together with your Idols And what so euer he be that teacheth any God that I haue not opened to my seruauntes in the scriptures the same I haue commaunded by my seruaunte Moyses to be stoned to death Which lawe I do nowe ratifie and wil
aduaunce your kind aboue the Angels And now you wyl haue hym cowpled with your wrechede creatures worse then your selues But he hath taken the forme of the children of Abraham And for his elect seed was he coÌ„tent to be come man disdayneing all other formes Loke no more therfore for my son Christe vpoÌ„ the earth in the bread the box or the chalice But heare in heauen shal you seke hym wher he reigneth at libertie with me his father from whom he sendeth down the holie gost the spirite of comforte into the hertes of mine elect to strengthen them against all the assaultes of the serpent I feade inwardly my shepe driueÌ„ from the pasture of my word Yea I geue life euerlasting to so many as by him onely wyll come to me his father Thus doeth he sitte at my ryght hande and fulfilleth al in al things spiritually Not beinge bodylie present in euery place where you wyll like charmers muÌ„ble foure words vpon dombe creatures Here in heauen you are sure to haue him your aduocate In the bread you haue no such promise With what fayeth then can you seke him ther. He promised you that he woulde sende the holie gost after his going froÌ„ you but he neuer taught that he was profitable to be chaunged into breade When he returned vnto me froÌ„ the earth then did he send in fyrie tonges visibly the spirite of our powre wisdom which taught the cleare vnderstandynge of the misterie that he had wrought before in the earth This spirite taught the hope of your callinge and that our wonderful worke in you that beleue how that I raysed my son Christ from death and set him at my right hande in heauenly thinges Whense you would most vilaniousely pluck him down turne him into bread and swalowe him like flesh into your bealies which grosse blindnesse and SythiaÌ„ crueltie my flolâ—…l abhor My flocke shal learne nowe other â—…inge of the flesh of my sonne Christ â–ª â—ut that onely which is by the knoweledgâ—… and beleueing of my mercies in my sonne â—…nd therfore shall they follow no tradicions of the world nor sticke to any creatures but say with mine olde seruaÌ„t Dauid I wl loue the O lord my strenth the lord of my succour my refuge my sauiour my buâ— lar the horne of my salucioÌ„ Yea the more boldely because of my newe testameÌ„t Saiâ— thus O heaueÌ„ly father thoughe heaueÌ„ and earth do perish and all creatures tourne to naught yet liuest thou O lordof heaueÌ„ and earth in me thou liuest whose son I am bi adoption thi spirite geueing witnesse of this thing Yea Christe the strength might and powre of thi right haÌ„d liueth no maÌ„ is able to driue him froÌ„ the place whether thou hast exalted him Of this am I sure and so loÌ„g as he is saulfe I am sure to be saulfe for I am partaker of his nature substaÌ„ce powre according to the gifte of Iesu my sauiour that dwelleth in me Not carnally eateÌ„ but spirituallye receiued by fayeth wherby I knowe that he is my heade and I one of hys members Thus may you learne O my little flocke whan you haue for sakeÌ„ al creatures to be assured of fauour and optaine the sownde and sure taste of yâ—… saluacion and euerlasteynge lyfe and 〈…〉 and fele the hope of your calleinge â—…hall neuer suffer you to come to confuâ—… and so reioyce as my son wilded you of no powre earthlye neither of carnall eatinge of Christ nor 〈◊〉 dynge vpon serpentes but that your names are written in the boke of lyfe in the heauenes Vnto the other sorte which may worthely boaste of their powre if it be true that they saie because they caÌ„ make God or cal down God into the chalice for all is one matter in effecte I will an swer as I did of olde by my prophet Esaye I abhor your Sabothes your sacrificies and all your ceremonies Yea what do I care for your masse muÌ„bling whiche banisheth the memorie of my sonne and setteth a newe Idole to prouoke my zelouse indignacion against you What care I for your gletteringe miters seynge you banishe my word What care I for your fasteyuge and prayeinge seinge your handes are of full of bloude your fingers full of â–ª wickidnes What care I for the swarme of your ceremonies y e whole heap of your farthings where vpoÌ„ your religion staÌ„deth seiâ—g your lippes tell lies Geue â—are and tremble for the wickednesse of your handes for the Lorde hath spoken it ⧠An answere to the principal pointes that follow after the doctours in the bishop of winchesters boke NOw go to you papistes who had rather er with your father the pope with his doctours his furred hods and forcked caps then to saie trueth with Christes despised membres wyll you follow the broud way that leadeth to perdicioÌ„ because the multitude doeth enter into it Nay rather coÌ„tend and labour to enter the narrow and straight waye whiche leadeth vnto lyfe which is the waye of knowledge and truth wherein fewe do walke I knowe your doctours are gloriouse You call them sainctes and I truste they be so accepted of God But Christ and his Apostles though they were not so glorious and well taken in the worlde yet was ther more truth in their wordes and writings Yea sure it is to be fea red â–ª ther is some priuie flatterie and vntrueth closely â–ª cloked in the darke sentence of their longe bokes where the wrytinges are so coÌ„mendable in the worlde and so phausible in generally to all the heape of the papistes the vpholders of Antechrist For after olde custom and auncient ordre the scriptures of God maie not be reade in the scholes til such tyme as the maister of the sentences and the heape of your other doctoures haue stopped Iacobs welles the louelye fountaynes of the heauenly water with the fillthy mud of their gloses â–ª Yea the filthieste of that floâ—… let hym lye let him dote let him bable whaâ— helusteth yet shall he be alowed boeth in lâ—… ten and in englishe when the worde of God wheÌ„ the new and olde testament shalbe breÌ„â—… with fire Yea the maynteners therof whâ—… are the onely holions of God because they maynetayne the holie worde of God shalbâ—… destroyed and brent together with the bokeâ— of the Gospell that they mayntayne Surely your perswasion maye do muche to the worldely mynded when you compaâ—… these ii contraries togither The gloriouse doctours the sayntes by the pope canonised and by al worldely powers maynetayned renowmed and worshiped vnto the out castes of the world stil barkynge at the vices which are abominable scrapeing the eares of men wyth the sharp reaseinge trueth and therby deserueinge as the worldelye suppose worthely to be expelled banished or burned But vnto the godlye whose desyre is to be lyke their master Christ in sufferinge with him in this worlde that they may after rayne wyth him in the
that is to prohibite or forbid mariage and coÌ„mauÌ„de to abstaine from meates whyche God hath created to be receiued wyth thankes geueing as the good ceatures of God Who foloweth the diuelles doctrine moste in these to pointes is not harde to be iudged of al the world Yet muste we futhermore consider the spiritâ—es you saye which thinge we â–ª are not loth to do for Iohn teacheth vs so mistrusteinge our owne iudgment And Iohn sayeth that euerie spirite that confesseth Iesus Christ to be come in the flesh is of God This do we all confesse whome you call at your pleasure heretikes and saye that we wyll doubte in all together But we knoweinge certenlie by the scriptures that he was manifestely declared in the flesh to be verie man and perfectly declared in the spirite to be God in the wonderouse workinge of his miracles was sene amonge the angelles was beleued in the world and receiued into glorie where he reigneth equale wyth his father sittinge at the ryght hand of God from whense we no thing doubt but we shal se him come down as the apostles dyd se hym go vp into the heauenes Act. i. In the meane season we beleue stedfastly that he is with his faiethfull church by hys holy spirite euen to the worldes ende For the which he gaue him selfe to sanctifie it and cleuse it in the fountaine of water bi the worde to make it vnto him selfe a gloriouse congregacion wythout spot or wrynckle or any suche thynge but that it shoulde be holy and wythout blame Where contrarie wyse you whiche accompte your selues onely men of the churche and spirirituall men as the onelye partakers of the spirite doe wyth out scripture or reasone teache vs laye and lewde men as ye call vs onelye wyth swerde and fire that Christe was not verie man haueinge a naturall bodie For you saye that thys his bodie that he had maie be in x. thowsande places at once Whiche property howe well it agreth with a natural bodie al that haue any knowledge maye decerne Againe you saye that this bodie of the same lengeth and breadeth that it hanged vpon the crosse maye be closed in a little boxe contrarie to the ordinaunce of mans naturall bodie in the creacion And where we se nothynge but a piece of breade for you can not teache vs by the scriptures that the breade is chaunged we must neades beleue that their is a bodie besides the bread because you saye so thought there can be perceiued neither quantitie nor qualitie that is to saye nothynge parteininge to a bodie As for your answere of fayeth constrained to beleue thys wythout either scripture or â–ª reasone that it maye haue merite and that all these be naturall reasons I shall answere whan I come at those wordes In the meane tyme marke your owne maliciouse wickednesse how you wil haue â–ª Christ to haue a bodie nothynge lyke the naturall bodie of man but insensible and infinit yet by your subtilties to be comprehedend and wythin your listes bandes and boxes to be contained and haue hys measure appointed but in no parte agreable to our natural bodi which he did voultchsalfe to take vpon him Thus after you haue denied him by your wicked enueÌ„cion to be a verie maÌ„ like one of vs sinne onely excepted whych the scripture teacheth plaine After you haue denied christ to haue a verie natural bodie and verie flesh then procede you to teach how he cometh in breade And because you â—et Christes religion in your ceremonies as farthynges that make the heape you set Iesu oure saniour to come in al trifles and baggage Yet to cloke your false speach wyth hipocrisie you saye properly that Christe consecrateth him selfe in those formes of bread wine with which worde consecrate you ingle by your diâ—ilish sophistrie For if ye meane he haloweth him selfe into bread wine which your word coÌ„secrate doeth signifie as lewde as you take vs we woulde laught at your folie If you woulde saye by that worde he tourneth him selfe into the fourme of breade and wyne so then your doctrine is that Christe cometh vnto vs in breade wine And we saye that he is comen all redie in the fleshe and in the same fleshe is gone vp to heauen and from thense shall come to iudge all flesh You saye lo here is Christe Lo there is Christe Loke whose spirites you be You are of the world and therfore speake you of the worlde and the world heareth you And like as by faieth so also by loue saieth Iohn is the spirite of trueth and of errowre knowne asuÌ„der Therfore let vs loue together for loue is of God and euerie one that loueth is borne of God He that loueth not knoweth not God for God is loue If we loue together God dwelleth in vs and his loue is perfece in vs. If any man saie I loue God and doeth yet hate his brother that man is a lier For he that loueth not hys brother whom he seeth how can he loue God whom he seeth not Howe your hote bourneinge loue whyche causeth you to bourne men that can not vnderstand your gloses can be of god I know not but thys wotte I well that when the people of Samaria woulde not receiue Christe hys Apostles woulde haue had fire froÌ„ heauen to bourne them But Christe answered You knowe not whose spirites you are The sonne of man dyd not come to destroy the soules of men but to saue them And you byshoppes haue your authoritie to edifie and not to destroie But the olde serpent and his first begotten caine theÌ„ Pharao next Herod and the phariseis the olde byshopes condemninge Christe and you their successours banisheinge his worde with crueltie are of a coÌ„trarie spirite And where you byd vs take hede of carioÌ„ surely your glose is a very carion and the worde of God which you take a way froÌ„ al men saue geÌ„tlemeÌ„ marchauÌ„tes is the onely fode and life of the soule wher it liueth as Christ him selfe wittnesseth Not by bread only liueth man but by eueri word that proceadeth out of the mouth of God But the blacke birdes and rauenes the pies and deuoreinge fleshe crowes they fede vpon flesh and theafore vpon carion My wordes saieth Christe are spirite and lyfe My spirite sayeth God shall no longer remayne with man because he is fleshe Therfore wheÌ„ the worde of God and the spirite of lyfe are not with your fleshly teachinge it must nedes be carion Suche is your flieinge about the dead as about carion for filling of your paunches For the deade carions haue made you riche in youre monasteries chauntries and perpetuities The deade carions of Becket Benno and darnel Gader of Dunstane woulstane Audrie and suche other haue filled your wide throtes so full and you carie your praye so gredily in your monthes that you are become dome dogges that you can not barcke but onelye at them that woulde
haueinge but one texte thorough out al the Bible that maketh for your purpose do swareue frome that and put ther vnto your gloses whyche do also driue you frome the firste texte this is my bodye when you write that it is in fourme of bread and vnder the accidentes and qualites of breade For Christe dyd not saye in thys is my bodie or vnder this is mi bodie But this is my bodie Wherfore nowe 〈◊〉 â—…e you shoulde slaunder vs no more wyth denieing of the scripture for we denie but your gloses It is scripture that we striue for It is scripture that we desier It is scripture that you denie vs vnder the degre of geÌ„tile men Wherein doublesse if we boeth had our senâ—… diligently occupied and exâ—…sed spiritually â–ª nâ— doubte not onely thys text but al the misterie of redempcion shoulde be so well knowne that we woulde no longer seke our redemer vpon eâ—…er here nor ther but onely at the right hande of hys father from whâ—â—e sendeingâ— his spirite he maxe saue vs at the fâ—ll so many as by hym wyll go to God We do beleue wyth oure herte and must playnely and simplye coÌ„fesse with oure mouth that thys is the bodie of Christ thys is the bloude of Christ thys cup is the newe testament that the fleshe of Christe is verie meaâ—e and hys bloude verie drinke That Christ is the waye the trueth and the liâ—… the doâ—e the good shepeherde Christe is the verie true vine and we the braunchese That all we are one breade and one verie bodie so mani as be partakers of one breade And al these thynges I do beleue more surely then if I dyd se them wyth mine eyes or perceiue them with any other sense â—ecause the knowledge of the spirite farre passeth all other knowledge and the heauenly thynges are sure when the other are but decâ—euable shadowes It is neither Manna that fed the fathers neither any other thinge or name vnder heauen but onely the breade comminge downe from heauen that is the verie true meaâ—e geueinge lyfe to the worlde Thus are we fully taught in the text of Iohn where we maye most playnely se this spâ—…ual eatinge whereof onely all confort lyfe and fode of the soule do arise and stowe forth In that Chap we learne that the people folowinge Christ for the hope of meate because he had fed them a little before were by him called according to the whole course of the scriptures as maye appeare specially to hym that hath bene diligently exercised in the misteries of the prophetes from the sensible and outwarde bodily thynges to thynges inwarde and spirituall For the beautie of thys kinges daughter as Dauid saieth is inwarde And therefore doeth our sauiour admonishe them that sought hym for meate that before all thynges they shoulde worcke the meate that neuer perisheth Thus goeth he frome the meate that nourisheth the bodie vnto the meate of hys heauenly worde that nourisheth the soule This meate he calleth the heauenly meate that geueth lyfe vnto the worlde and that so abundantly that who so eateth it shall neuer be hungri agayne Thys meate as the maner of the Hebrues is to call all kinde of meate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so doothe he same tyme call it breade 〈◊〉 meate When they hearinge thys dyd imagine bodily meate as Manna that Moses gaue he openeth thys meate sayinge I am the breade of lyfe He that cometh to â—â—e shall not be hungrie and he that beleueth in me shall neuer be thirstie By the whyche wordes he meaueth none other thynge but that those that come vnto hym that is to saye beleue in hym for so are the wordes folowinge they can none other wayes be wrasted Qui veuit ad me non esuriet et qui credit in me non sitiet vnquam They shall seke none other foode but onely thys verie breade that cometh downe from heauen The Iewes astonied that he called hym selfe the breade comming downe from heauen and the liuely meate sayed Is not thys the sonne of Ioseph But Christe admonished them againe byddinge them not grudge at thys for it standeth not in the capacite of man but by the inspiracion of the spirite as the prophet saied They shalbe al taught of God Wherfore it is not possible for any maÌ„ to beleue that Christe was borne from heauen the meate of the soule excepte the father drawe hym Then goeth he farther to shewe howe he is the meate of the soule and howe he shoulde be eaten For the firste he saieth thus Verilie I saie vnto you He that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life I am the breade of life whiche came downe from heauen that men might eate of thys breade and not dye But to tell the wattier plaine Thys breade that I wyll geue you is my fleshe which I wyll geue for the lyfe of the worlde Thys offeringe of my selfe for you shall reconcile the worlde vnto my father and therby geue it life This therfore is it that I haue spoken so longe vnto you whan I shal be offerred vp for the worlde and dye for the sinnes therof than shall I be the meate of soules wherby they liue ascerteined of the mercie of God who nowe can denie nothinge vnto man seinge he hath geuen his owne sonne for him Thus therfore is my fleshe the meate of the soule beinge flaine for the deade that thei might liue Not as you thinke geueing it vnto you as I am counersant amonge you for that whyche is engendred of the fleshe is fleshe and therfore my fleshe carnally eaten can bring furth nothing but fleshe but contrariewise the fleshe of Christe â—…ge for vs maketh vs spirituaâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therfore the childreÌ„â—… of God On thys sorte it is verie meaâ—e and verie drinke But the Iewes coulde not perceiue thys but sayed againe Howe can he geue vs his flesh to eateâ— vnto 〈◊〉 Christ sayeth againe excepte 〈◊〉 the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloude you shal noâ— haue lyfe in you What Lorde hath no man lyfe but that denoureth the wyâ—h hys teâ—h and swaloweth the downe hys throte Or hath euerie suche euerlastynge lyfe as doeth eate the carnally and bodâ—â—e euen the same bodie wherein thou liuedest wheÌ„ thou saidest He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude hath euerlastinge lyfe and I wil raise him at the laste daye Naye surely For than euerie Idolatour and whorâ—â—onger who can haue no parte in thy kingdome myght make them selfe sure of life by their owne worcke For they saye they eate the carnally and bodily fleshe bloude and bones But o men ouer muche carnall and fleshlye and yet not once vnderstaÌ„dinge what should folowe of the coÌ„mone iudgment of the senses Bâ—t as Iudas propâ—ecied vpon you euê in suche thinges as you haue the knowledge of by the course of nature commune wyth brute beastes in the same you are corrupted Ipraie you therfore suffer me to reasoÌ„e with you accordeinge to your
of hys benifites That this blesseinge is nothynge but a thankes geueinge to God the father and no suche coÌ„secracion as you do mataine Mathewe and Luke maye satisfie you Whoe haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is geueinge thankes Wheras Mark hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And agayne when he spake of the cuâ— he hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to blesse and to geue thankes are all one Wherfore suche cousecracion as you make when you saye God consecrateth hym selfe can not be grounded here But you blinde the people wyth your darcke termes to blinde vs styl captiues vn der your tirannie The worde of thys heauenly supper maye clearely driue awaie al dreames if they were deapely considered wythout your gloses Wherfore I wyll reherse them out of the euangelistes and the Apostle Paule the wonderfull opener of goddes secretes Firste Christe when the Apostles were eateinge dyd take the breade and when he had geuen thaÌ„kes he dyd breake it and gaue it to hys disciples and sayed Take eate this is my bodie And when he toke the cup also he did geue thankes and gaue it vnto them saieing drinke al of this This is my bloude whyche is of the newe testament whyche is shed for many in the remission of synnes I saye vnto yon I wyll not after thys tyme drinke of the fruite of the vyne vnto that daye that I shall drinke it newe wyth youâ—… the kyngedome of my father Agayne As they dyd eate sayeth Marke Iesus toke the breade gaue thankes brake it and sayed Take eate thos is my bodie And he toke the cup thanked and gaue it them and they dyd all drinke therof And he sayed vnto them thys is my bloude of the newe testament whyche shalbe shed for many Verely I saye vnto you that from heuse fourth I wyll not drinke of the fruite of the vine vnto the daye that I drinke it newe in the kingedome of God In Luke thus we reade I haue with great desier desired to eate this passouer with you be fore I suffer For I saye vnto you that heuse forth I wyll no more eate therof tyll it be fulfilled in the kingdome of God And he toke the cup gaue thaÌ„ges and saied Take thys and deuide it amonges you For I saye vnto you I wyll not drinke of the fruite of the vyne vnto the kingedome of God do come And he toke the breade and gaue thankes and brake it and gaue it vnto them and saiede This is my bodie whiche shalbe geueÌ„ for you This do ye in the remembraunce of me Lykewise the cup after they had supped and sayed Thys cup is the newe testament in my bloude whyche shalbe shed for you Here be al the wordes of the Euangelistes concerning the last supper of the Lord wherin you do not heare one word that the priest by reherseinge of these wordes shall make God either that Christe is materially and bodily tourned into a fourme of breade or that God doeth tourne hym selfe and consecrate hym as you cal it into the quantities of breade neither any other of those blaphemies that you defende so with tirany That the lewde man shoulde receiue it but in one kind vpon paine of death though you haue pertily excused the matier saieâ—…ge that wee â—ewde soles wyll not haue it Ah shall we suffer you thus to captiue vs still We are captiues in deede For we must ransome ful largely if we either speake writte or kept a-any boke of christian religion contrarie to your popeishe doctrine But as you tender the helth of your soules deare brethern who so euer shall reade thys speede you to the scriptures of God and make them iudges boeth of those mens gloses my writtinges Whan they woulde iuggle with this worde consecrate remeÌ„bre â–ª the wordes of the Euan gelist that he blessed or gaue thankes for all is one thinge as it is proued WhaÌ„ they wil saye no more but thys is my bodie and leue out the chiefe purpose and conforte set furth in thys supper that is whyche is geuen for you then saye We wyll eate heare the bodie that was geuen for vs vnto death which Mari Magdalen might not touche whiche is gone into heauen and as you saye your selfe is not come downe agayne But ther sitteth at the right hande of the father as the scripture recordeth and fayth beleueth from whence he shal come to iudge the quicke and the deade â–ª In whose remembraunce we must do thys sheweinge forth his death as Paule saieth tyll he come The whiche wordes vntyll he come and doeâ—…ge it in the remembraunce of Christe maye plainely declare what is ment by all to gether Besides this wheÌ„ it is named bread wine and the fruite of the grape after that Christ had blessed why shall one set Christe to the schole and tell hym he lieth But if he come into Englande a monge the popeishe prelates they wyll teache him to lerne it other wyse Heare is no sophistrie but eternal tiranie Marke therefore the ende intent purpose of these Christes wordes and doeinges and theÌ„ shal eueri thing be easie and plain vn to vs. Thys maye be shewed by these wordes in boeh the parâ—es of the misteries plainly added which was geuen for you Which shalbe shed for the remission of sinnes Bi the whyche wordes we can not denie but that Christe taught that he woulde die for vs. And where he addeth as the ende of altogether doe thys in the remeÌ„braunce of me this is the cup of the newe testameÌ„t in my bloud what other thing can we lerne but that this is the newe testameÌ„t and couenaunt of grace bitwen God and vs that he wil haue mercie vpon his for the bloud of his soÌ„ne â–ª And that we ought to kepe thys in perpetual remembraunce Nowe seâ—ge that these wordes do leade vs vnto these thinges hys deads must of good congruence worke thesame And therfore doeth the breake breade and geue it to be eaten commaundeinge the cuppe to be drunken Whyche deades dyd in maner represent before the eyes of the disciples the thynges that he had spoken euen in lyke maner as we se it generally vsed in all contractes and couenauntes of greate wayght and valewe which are made without warde signes as represeÌ„tations of the same to the eyes of all men and cleare testimonies for remembraunce of couenauntes to be performed Nowe where as they wyll not speke al the text but sticke in these iiii wordes oneli this is my bodie answere thou againe that thou beleuest it to be the verie bodie euen as thou beleuest the cuppe to be the newe testament But for as muche as the chaunge of any of these creaturs can not be taught â—i any scriptures thou canst in no case beleue it For thy faith asketh the word of god Wherfore saye thou I wyl stick to the worde of Christ that the
wer of Angelles in the thinges thei se not being puâ—fed vp without cause through their own fleshly mindes not haueing the head wherof the whole bodie bi ioincies and coÌ„plings receiueth nourishemeÌ„t and is â—â—it together and encreseth with the eÌ„creasing that coÌ„ith of god Of this kinde is al your doctrine because it is not grounded on the worde of God I meane vayne superstition and blynde holynes EueÌ„ very belyed and misnamed knowledge as thys is whiche foloweth coÌ„cerning Iudas and the wicked For you saye Iudas and euyll men hauing the Deuyll in them haue yet receyued into their bodies the hoste consecrate wherein was the bodie of Christe God and man Nowe must we of necessitie demaunde of you what felowshippe there coulde be of lyghte and darknes lyfe and death Christe and Belzabub God and the Deuyll Scripture teacheth vs that the wycked haue the Deuyll dwellyng in them and the faythful haue Christe and the spirite of Christe dwellyng in them But howe Christ and the Deuyl can dwell together I am ryght sure you can not declare The good spirite departed from Saule and the wycked dyd entre into hym Likewyse the Deuyll possessed Iudas wholy when he ranne busily about his mischiefe for God departed from him immediatly after the soppe was gyuen hym We muste therfore at al tymes make our bodies temples of the holy goâ—te and oure membres the weapons of ryghtuousnes or els are we a dwelling place for the Deuyl and our meÌ„bres prepared for vnrightuousnes For there is no couplynge of good and euyl together heate and colde fyre and water This is our doctrine that we haue learned of the worde of God contrarie to that you teach by your Pope holie Doctours We affirme that no wycked man muche lesse any vnreasonable beaste can eate the bodie of Christ Our reason grounded vpoÌ„ scripture is this No wicked maÌ„ or brute beast hath fayth But Christ can not be eaten otherwise then by fayth no wycked man therfore or brute beast can eate Christ Agayne He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude hath euerlastynge lyfe and I wyl reyse him at the last day But the wicked haue not euerlasting life neither shal any vnreasonable beast be reysed agayne to lyfe wherefore neither of them doth eate the fleshe of Christe Agayne He that eateth my fleshe and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym But no beaste or wycked man can dwell in Christe or haue Christe dwellynge in hym wherefore they eate him not Agayne He that eateth me he lyueth for me And he that hath the sonne hath life An hundrede places mo there be whyche moue vs to speake more reuereÌ„tly of Christ then you do that is that the trewe fayethfull man onely maye be parte taâ—ar of the bodye bloude and death of oure Sauioure Christ Who as they onely are parte takers of the lyfe euerlastynge so are they onely and continually fedde wyth the fode whiche fedeth into the lyfe euerlastynge wyth thys breade that cometh downe from heauen whereof who so eateth shall neuer dye who so eateth or drinketh therof shal neuer be hun grie or thirstie Nowe for your substanciall solution for the subduinge of the senses You saye thus The trewe churche of Christe hath subdued theyr senses that they haue continually seene such notable repugnaunce to their senses and yet were not moued in theyr fayth For thys cause oughte we not to beleue theyr tales Thys is like as the Pharisies myghte haue answered Esaye Hieremie and other of the Prophetes cryinge out on theyr Idolles sayinge that they had eyes and could not see eares and could not heare mouthes and coulde not speake And feete and coulde not go They myght haue answered as they dyd to Ieremie Templum domini templum domini The church of the Lorde chosen by God furth of the stocke of Leuie hath so captiuated their senses that they haue sene continually these Idolles to be suche as you speake and yet were they neuer moued wyth them Let these tales passe therefore For thus dyd the priestes keepe the Israelites captyue in the tyme of Christe to their owne damnation We are the disciples of Moyses saye they and God dyd speake vnto Moyses But we knowe not thys Christe froÌ„ whence he cometh None of the princes or heades of holy church beleue in hym nor yet any of the Pharisies but onely thys vnlearned multitude The Rabbies see his miracles they heare his preachinges but they captiue their wittes and say that he is a sinner and al that confesse his name they caste out of their churches Thys church adourned and decked with much outwarde holines hauyng their office or duitie prescribed or appoynted vnto them by the worde of God longe tyme together rebuked the poore blinde man that reasoned the cause of Christ with them saying Thou arte borne all in synne and wilte thou teache vs Nowe because in all ages this cloke and craftie argumeÌ„t hath deceyued many wherfore we wyll are no more what you of the churche do saye but what Moyses the Prophetes the Apostles the scripture of God and Christ hym selfe do saye Of whoÌ„ with cleare voice and manifeste miracle it was hearde from heauen This is my dearly beloued sonne in whoÌ„ I delite heare you him For if we shoulde heare you in thys reason you woulde by the same brynge vpon oure neckes agayne the Pope his Pardones Pilgrimages Abbayes yea the filthy Stewes maynteyned continually in your eyes and vnder your nose so longe And yet in al these thinges you gentlemen of the churche haue so well captiuated your wyttes that you haue beleued and thought the open mainteinaunce of whoredome both bodily and speritually to be worthely cherished and that the one was seruiseable for the commune wealth the other profitable to Christes religion You haue so longe deceyued vs that vnlesse you do bring the worde of Christ with you we dare not truste you any longer vnder the name of Christes vicares and Christes church whiche termes you do vse as appeareth by your bokes not for any loue you haue vnto Christe for then woulde you persecute no maÌ„ professing Christ and cleauing vnto him onely and his worde but be ready to eâ— dauÌ„ger your souleâ— for youâ—… therne And by thys badge of loue should we know you to be Christes disciples In the meane season we wyll folowe the commaundement of Christe we wyll not folowe the voice of any straunger we wyll playnely proteste oure fayth in the simplicitie of lambes or doues Yet wyll we alwayes haue regarde vnto oure heade Christe And that is the proprietie of the serpente And we wyll stoppe our eares wheÌ„ you bringe in your inchauntmentes For those wordes of yours are of wouderfulle force Fyrste you do by them call downe into a litle cake or as you do glose it more fynely into a fewe accidentes God the seconde personne in trinitie who sitteth at the ryghte
the name of hys sonne Christe and that we haue none other name vnder heauen wherby helth is promised to men your doctour wyll be healed by the prayers of our ladie Ther is muche other made stuffe in your doctour whyche I do passe wyth silence because al men maye iudge him what he is by that he hath spokeÌ„ alredie Yet this one thing maye not bee omitted He addeth more ouer that the bodie cometh not downe from heauen and yet the breade and wine be tranfourmed into the bodie and bloude of God Thus confoundeth he the natures callinge it the bloude of God He bringeth in newe and strainge schole learneinge of transubstaÌ„ciacion He maketh ii bodies of Christ One that cometh not downe froÌ„ heaueÌ„ and an other that is in thys transformacion vpon earth Thys is your great clarke and principal witnesse worthy to be set forth in al languages and his learneinge enlarged wyth your annotatioÌ„s and al the conning and wit you haue You are much more mete to be an interpretour of such one thaÌ„ to trouble your selfe wyth commentaries vpon scripture But aske hym how it is transformed and chaunged and he saieth the maner is inscrutable and can not be serched Yet will he not be ashamed as thought he knewe thynges that coulde not be knowne to teache howe ij wayes First as Christe was borne of the virgine marie TheÌ„ as the breade by eateing and the wine by drinkeinge are chaunged in to the bodye and bloude of him that eateth and drinketh naturallye so are these chaunged into the bodie of Christe a boue nature But neither of your similitudes agreth For these two worckes afore named are worckes of trueth and therfore do thy so appeare vnto the knowledge of man as they are done in dede Christe was borne of Marie the virgine verie maÌ„ accordeinge â–ª to the Prophecies that were spoken of hym before and was sene conuersaunte wyth meÌ„ the space of xxx yeares But your myracle did neuer appere one moment The meate is chaunged bi a natural course and order digested in the stomake and parte sent into the veynes parte sent forth other wayse But I can not perceyue what lyke similitude you can fetch herof to the thinges aboue nature wherfore you renne to your shote anchor This is my bodi No man denieth but thys is true You brynge the worde and we brynge the worde But the doubt is onely in the signification and meaneynge You saye that est is signifieth is chaunged is traÌ„sformed wheÌ„ both the form remaineth styll and you haue neuer one scripture that maketh for you but manie that maketh against you bysides the liuely feleynge of our fayeth which must haue God in higher estimacion then for to tye hym to any dyle creature Yea the whole course of the christen religion which acknowlegeth that â–ª Christe is ascended vp from the earthe to the heauens and there sytteth on the ryght hand of God the father to be our mediatour and meane whom he hath chosen ther to reygne tyll he come agayne to treade downe hys enimies vnder hys fete We can therfore receyue non so grosse foÌ„tence of the chaunge and traunsformacion of bred and wine into the bodie of Christ But according to the whole course of scripture we worshype our lorde God spred thorowe all ouer all and in all hys creatures Infinite in coÌ„prehensible whom the heauen of heuenes can not contayne and hys sonne Christ humblynge hym selfe vnto our vyle nature but nowe exalted farre aboue the Angelles And where we finde any thynge spoken or writteÌ„ not agreable with this doctrine of our faieth and christeÌ„ religioÌ„ if a man do say it though he take vnto hym the face of an aâ—gell by coÌ„terfayte holynesse we compt hym Anathema that is accursed bi the lessoÌ„ of Paul And al such scriptures as might serue for his purpose and mayntenaunce of hys errour we must confute with more opeÌ„ places and testimoneis of the same Now wher as you speake vnworthely of God his sacred maiestie and his sonne Christe haueynge not one lyke place of scripture wherby this worde est is doeth make a sodayne chaunge and transformation we haue boeth in the olde testameÌ„t and the newe veri many where est is is spoken of the thynge represented As. vii fat kyne are vii yeares vii good eares of corne are vii yeares This is the pasouer CircuÌ„cision is the couenant And he is Helias The stoâ— was christ I am the dore I am the verie vine You are one bread and one bodie so manie as be partakers of one breade We haue beleue the wordes this is my bodie as wel as you We striue onely a gainst youre gloses We graunte the omnipotencie and almighti powre of God that he might haue changed creatures in all these sentences But that he dyd so is oure controuersie and thys thinge are you not able to trye nor iustifie But you thinke it is inoughe to denie all thys at one worde and saye thys is not the figure or signe of Christes bodie no fie for shame but the verie bodie of our Lord glorified For oure Lord sayed this is not the figure of my bodye but my bodie And euen so and more plainelye Christe sayde I am the verie vine and not the figure of the vine But your doctoure as EcolaÌ„padius geueth warneinge in the begininge of hys boke is nothing substaÌ„ciall The texte that he bringeth out of Iohn maketh cleare againste him For no man can be saued vnlesse he eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke hys blonde Moises and the prophetes were saued therfore dyd they eate hys fleshe and drinke hys bloude And yet had they neuer Christ bodilie naturally and carnalli amongeste them It is not ment therfore of the carnall and bodilie eateinge but as Christe teacheth in the beginninge of the same sermon he is eaten by fayeth for so onely myght the olde fathers eate him And so doth Paul witnesse that the fathers dyd eate hym The fathers sayeth he dyd eate the same spirituall meate and drinke the same spirituall drinke They dyd all drynke of the same spirituall stone The stone was Christ Againe where Damascene bringeth in this texte he that eateth me lyueth for me it maye proue playne that the â—â—eshelie and carnall eateinge is not ment therby For theÌ„ the wicked haue life by Christ Streight after your doctour coÌ„eth to the point you would haue him to teach Idolatrie boeth wyth outwarde gesturs and in warde affections And vpon this do you discant in your annotacioÌ„s But to handle this mattier worthily would aske a whole boke I wil therfore bring in one onely text which Christe bringeth out of Deu. against the diuil The Lord thy God shalt thou worship him only shalt thou serue And wheÌ„ you can proue me y t this bread Images or ani other creature is god thaÌ„ wil I promise you to fal downe worship it But if I should
vi Hebru viii ix x. xii i. Thess iiii i. Petre. ii So that by the scriptures we muste needes be compelled to deny the bodie of Christ and his humaine nature to be nowe any where vpon the earth â—or els with the Marcionistes muste we take from him the veritie of his body and deny that he hath a body according to our nature This thinge doeth Augustine handle at large in the epistle he writeth to Dardamê° vnto whom I sende you that sticke so muche to doctours There he teacheth you that as he is God Christe is in euery place But in that he is man he is in heauen onely whiche all the scriptures do testifie And it is the chiefest poynte of oure beliefe that he is in heauen and sitteth at the righte hande of the father Nowe our fayth which can be grounded on no manneâ— sayinge can seeke him in nonâ— other place but where the worde of Christ declareth him to be seinge Christe hym selfe warneth vs that false prophetes shall come and saye lo here is Christ lo there is Christ and commaundeth vs that in nowife we beleue them But we shall then onely loke for him when he shal come with such shyne and brightnesse as is the lighteninge from the east to the west thorowout the whole world Which wordes thoughe they maye be well vnderstande of the fall and decaye of al these outwarde rites wherein the Iewes and hypocrites of all tymes haue set the high worshippe and kingdome of God and also of suche seducers as woulde promise them selues false Christes and sauiours yet neuertheles as the spirite of God hath al thinges present whiche are whiche haue bene and shall be so are the wordes of the spirite generall seruing for all tymes fit apte and meete to reproue al abuses And here may we plainly espie that they are spoken agaynste al maner of bodily presence of Christe both in the aultares here and there in the breade and in the chambers and corners where he is holdeÌ„ vp and shewed betwene the priestes fingers to be worshipped But if you desire yet some one place of scripture so plaine that it can not be resisted by any gloses or sophistrie but that it shall stande plaine contrarie and cantradictorie to your doctrine reade the thirde of the Actes That heauen muste receyue and haue Iesu Christe vnto the tyme that all thinges be restored The wordes of that place are verie playne for he doeth not onely make Iesu Christe a very man as Moyses was whose nature was not to be in two places at once but he addeth also these playne wordes That the heauen muste receyue thys same Iesu Christ vnto the tyme that al thinges be restored QueÌ„ oportet celum accipere vsque ad tempus restitutionis omnium Thus do we procede therefore Christe hath by his departynge his sittynge at the ryghte hande of his father and returnynge agayne at the tyme appoynted so playnely appoynted by the scriptures one onely place where we shall seeke his naturall bodie that so many of vs as wyll not stryue agaynste the manifest trueth can not double but that his bodie remayneth there onely where he sheweth hym selfe to be We conclude therefore that it is contrarie to Christes religion to seeke him vpoÌ„ the earth enclosed in a box Secondly Christe hath shewed where he wyll be vntyll the daye of iudgement that is to saye at the right hande of God his father tyll that he hath made all his enemies his fote stole Wherefore we can seeke hym in none other place wyth sure fayeth to fynde hym Thirdly agaynste your whole doctrine that the bodie of Christe maye be infinitely scattered thorowout the world and your wordes a litle after folowyng which are that the humaine bodie is not diuisible by tyme or place wherin you do coÌ„found the natures of Christ 〈◊〉 giue that vnto the maÌ„hode which is onely the proprietie of the godheade and so opeÌ„ the way vnto two heresies we haue the plaine testimonie of the Angel You do seeke Christe crutified he is rysen he is not here Where as if his maÌ„hode had ben infinite as is the godhead theÌ„ shoulde he haue ben there preseÌ„t For no maÌ„ caÌ„ deny but there was his godhead presently Neither caÌ„ you escape by this cauillatioÌ„ that then he is infinite indiuisible 〈◊〉 without circuÌ„scriptioÌ„ of time or place wheÌ„ you wil haue him like as you do multiply your cakes into millions and thousaÌ„des of thousaÌ„des at Easter whiche do al perishe as it were in a momeÌ„t for that which is infinite or indiuisible caÌ„not chaung the nature to haue his bondes and finite order aypoynted him Wherfore we do most truly cal God his power only infinite where man in al his nature hath his determinate measure of substaÌ„ce quaÌ„tities qualities and knowledge as appeareth in Christe who as he was very maÌ„ did not knowe the houre and time of the day of iudgement of all fleshe was enclosed in the graue and dyd walke vpon the earth and appeare alwayes vnto his disciples in that sorte and maner that at no tyme any occasion myght be taken that he infinitly did fyll all places no not that at any tyme he mighte appeare to be in two places at once all his miracles do so faythfully witnes and reporte the truth of his humaine nature and natural body whiche your vaine opinion of enclosing him in breade and making him infinite goeth about to subuert But nowe when you haue no scripture to proue your mattier true that Christ as he is man maye be in heauen and yet fyll all the Aultares of the earth you do renne to the sayinge of Esaie the prophete If you beleue not you shall not vnderstande The whiche wordes beinge spoken to Achas and the vnfaythful house of Dauid that was afraied at the comming of two kinges of Syria and Damascus whom the prophet doth threaten to be destroyed because Achas wyll not beleue serue nothynge to your purpose The wordes be these If you do not beleue the cause is you wil not be faythfull And so agreeth it well with the wordes folowing when Achas wil aske no signe Is it but a small thynge sayeth Esaie to werie men wyth your infidelitie onelesse you do werie my God And thus in the trewe sense we maye ryghtly tourne it vpon your owne heades whyche wyll wery boeth God and man wyth your braynelesse Imaginations and wyll not beleue the open worde of God because you are vnfaythfull Then come you in wyth your Lordelyke sentence In thys high misterie where God worketh his speciall worke miraculousâ—ie it is sufficieÌ„t to knowe that it is wrought though I can not tell howe it is wrought nor howe it agreeth wyth other his workes I marueile bishoppe Stephane that you wax not ashamed of your writing You saye that here is a wonderfull miracle wrought but you knowe not howe it is wroughte nor oure senses vnderstandynge and fayth
in whiche three lyeth all the knowledge that man can haue of thynges naturall or aboue nature as is afore proued can perceyue no maner of miracle seinge the breade and wine remayne in their kinde vnchaunged as Luke and Paule do wytnesse So that by your owne wordes you seme worthy to be one of those that affirme you knowe not what beinge puffed vp wyth the fleshly Imaginations of your owne myndes Seinge all the other workes of God do appeare as God made them if they were spirituall they dyd appeare spiritually if they were bodily they dyd so appeare you mighte haue added with like shamelesse forhead This thinge that we bishoppes do say must needes be true though it agree neither with his workes nor his worde For all men maye see that you maynteyne boeth this and all your other doinges But in this sophistry the deuyl maketh maÌ„ to forget gods omnipoteÌ„cie exceding our capacite causeth vs to measure gods doinges by our natural imbecillitie because we caÌ„ not be in two places at once distant one from an other we iudge the same repugnant in God For soeth here you speake vntruly of vs. For we al do beleue in hert and coÌ„fesse wyth mouth that God onely is almightie and filleth al the heauen and the earth with his presence euen as sure as he made al thynges in the heauen the earth and the seas This high estimation that we haue coÌ„ceiued of god by liuely faith causeth vs to take it as a thynge cleane coÌ„trary to the power of the almightie to be enclosed in a box turned or coÌ„secrated as you cal it into alitle cake But the manhode of Christe whiche was very man as we are synne onely excepted haue we already proued to be in heaueÌ„ at the right hande of his father and therfore not in earth in the box hanged ouer the aultare But Christes being in heaueÌ„ which s Stephane truly coÌ„fesseth was nothyng coÌ„trary to saint Paules true affirmation that Christ was sene to him in earth after his ascencion Nowe surely both their visions of the glory of Christ our sauiour the testimonies of the woÌ„derful sight that they did se doth both stablish our purpose and coÌ„fute your errour but that you deale like a sophister with thys word erth speaking it after such sort that the simple reader should refer it vnto Christ being vpoÌ„ the erth after the asceÌ„tioÌ„ which Paul neuer taught nor any of the apostles These are the playne wordes of the scripture touching this mattier After that he had taught that the highest dwelleth not in teÌ„ples made with maÌ„s haÌ„de againste the opinioÌ„ of the hie priestes Stephan replenished with the holy spirite loking vp into heaueÌ„ did see the glory of god and Iesu staÌ„ding at the right haÌ„de of god And he cried with a loude voice Lo I se the heaueÌ„s opeÌ„ and the sonne of maÌ„ staÌ„dyng at the right hande of God Here it is described woÌ„derful plainely that Stephane being vpon earth dyd see Christe in heauen by the wonderful worke of God thus confortynge his first martyr and witnesse of the glorie of his sonne Christe Paule lykewyse prepared from his mothers woÌ„be to beare the testimonie of Christ amonge the heathen as he went to Damascus was so daynely beset wyth a wonderful greate lyghte from heauen And then fallyng to the ground he hearde a voice whiche sayed vnto hym Saule Saule why doest thou persecute me Then answered he Who arte thou Lorde And the Lorde sayed I am the same Iesus of Nazareth whom thou doest persecute Of thys vision and suche lyke doeth Paule saye Dyd not I see Iesu Christe He sayeth also Laste of all as vnto one borne out of course dyd Christe appeare vnto me Whyche be the wordes whiche you do alledge as makynge muche for your purpose And you dyd brynge in thys texte out of course if you be well aduised â–ª agaynste Lamberte as thoughe it shoulde haue gotten the victorie and stopped the mouthes of all men At what tyme I promise you me thoughte your Argumentes were not so stronge as your shamelesse audacitie was out of measure whyche wythout any cause or commaundement dyd in the presence of so noble a prince take the tale out of the mouth of your Archbishoppe to whom in that Audience it mighte ryghte well haue becomed your sclender diuinitie to haue shewed some reuerence But if the mind of Paule maie serue you for this declaracioÌ„ he sayth in an other place that whether he were in the bodie or out of the bodie he coulde not tell but rapt he was into the thred heaueÌ„ and into Paradise wher he sawe suche thinges as is not lawefull for man to speake Whiche wonderfull visions were shewed by God to strengthen his chosen vessell like as the other were vnto Stephane and are written to encrease our faieth and hope which do beleue in Christ bi them I maruaile much what fantasie was in your heade at that time and how it remaineth stil in you causeinge you to bringe this vision of Paule for the confirmacion of Christes naturall bodie to be present in the sacrament But you are of such powre that for to stricâ— your pore brethren whom you compt worsse then doges callinge them diuelles at euerie word euerie thing is weapon good inough God is the aduenger of hys people and wil callenge vnto him selfe his owne glorie It repugneth not to Christes powre to sit at the right hand of the father in heaueÌ„ and yet to fede the infinitie nuÌ„bre of his people wyth the saine his precious bodie in earth It is not repugnauÌ„te to gods goodnesse being creatoure of all ther wyth in the fourme of breaâ—e to feade vs hys creatures Surely it is no repugnaunce vnto hys powre thus to fead al that shal beleue in him takeing the wordes spiritually as thei are in dede spirite and life and admiâ— no grosse nor carnal vnderstandeing But carnally as you do vnderstande theÌ„ with the fleshely minded Caparnites that the natural bodie shoude be eaten fleshe bloude and bones a fewe men shoulde deuoure it But I am in doubt whether they be men that haue so cruel hertes to eate mans flesh Nam canis â—aninam non tangit that is to you that vnderstande not the latine I speake it A dogge wil not eate dogges flesh Telâ—… theÌ„ whether it do not abhor nature that man should eate mans flesh Yet seâ—…e you to haue a cloke for thys Scithian crueltie in that you chaunge hym into the fourme of bread In the which wordes if you shewe the spiritual vnderstanding that is to saie That like as the body is fed with bread so liueth the soule by this fode of life the offering vp I saye of the bodie of our sauiour Christe vpon the crosse to saue vs froÌ„ death Or lyke as we eate the breade wyth oure mouth bodily so do we receiue Christe into your soules by fayth These sences and â—uch like beinge
of the bodie doeth declare the same thynge This thynge maye be made euident also to hym that with a cleare conscience marketh the same considerynge that thereof chiefely and onely we haue cause to reioyce that Christe beinge verie man vpon earth hath for our sakes ouercomâ—n all helly and earthly powers and nowe sitteth at the righte hande of God our perpetuall aduocate Thys is the spirituall feedynge and not the fleshly whiche who so feeleth he wyll neuer route vpon the earth for fleshe any more Of the profite of the spirite and the departyng of the fleshe reade Iohn the. xiiij Thou mayst also marke in all the scripture howe the fleshe is smally regarded As to be mother and brother after the flesh Mathew xij Marke iii. and Luke viii Agayne Christe hymselfe doth attribute the true blisse and in fallible felicitie nether carnally to beare hym 〈◊〉 the wombe nor yet to gyue him sucke of â—…e brestes whiche are the greatest thynges â—…at can be touchynge the fleshe but to heare the worde of God and to do the same Thys thynge because it is of the spirite onely profiteth and maketh a man blessed You do well that you couple these two textes Caro non prodest quicquam et quod natum est ex carne caro est spoken to Nicodemus For in verie deede they teache boeth one thynge and are a generall rule of the true vnderstandynge of oure whole religion as you do saye Whiche is that all godly lyfe and holynesse is borne in vs not of the fleshe neither visibly nor inuisibly but of the inuisible power of the spirite whereof we muste be borne a newe if euer we entre into the kyngdome of God as oure sauioure Christ taught Nicodemus The which wordes if any man should so grossely interprete as to expounde it thus sayinge that by the power of God inuisible a man myght enter his mothers wombe and so this fleshe borne inuisibly shoulde be profitable euery man woulde laugh at his foliyshnesse And thys is eueÌ„ muche lyke your gloses coÌ„trary to the which we haue proued by the scriptures that it is profitable that the fleshe do depart that the spirite may come vnto vs that the flesh which in this humilitie hath once suffered 〈…〉 the crosse and done the wyll of the father is no longer profitable vnto vs vpon the earth â–ª but nowe we muste be borne of the spirite â–ª al our conforte al our hope muste be of the spirite For what so euer is borne of the fleshe is fleshe and therefore carnall and no parte of our spiritual religion and spiritual byrth You adde these gloses that inuisibly we muste haue this fleshe present in the fourmes of breade and wine and so muste we eate the fleshe of Christe really but yet inuisibly you saye And shall we by inuisible fleshe but yet very fleshe brynge lyfe vnto oureselues and be borne a newe agaynste the lessons of the spirite If the presence of the fleshe in the bread be so profitable whiche you can proue by no worde of scripture and therefore we neede not beleue you excepte we lust wherfore thynke you woulde Christe rather hide him selfe in bread then shewe hym selfe opeÌ„ly seinge boeth are lyke possible vnto hym He sayeth that thys is the wyll of the father that sent hym that whosoeuer seeth the sonne and beleueth in hym hath euerlastyng lyfe Now for this doubt that you do moue whether his fleshe be caro viuifica that is fleshe giuing life that it is so is the very fouÌ„dacion of our faith and we both agree in this point â–ª But here ariseth the doubte howe this fleshe geueth lyfe You saye by eateinge the same reallye and naturally in the breade wythout any scripture But we taught by the whole course of the scriptures that the spirite onely is profiteable do vnderstand a spiritual eateinge of thys flesh whiche is taught in the. vi â–ª of Iohn to be by the beliefein this flesh offered for the lyfe of the worlde as it is taught at length before And where as you saye that Christe dyd by these words rebuke the grosse and earnal Caparnaites it is verye true an serueth styl agaynste all them that saye Christe must be carnallie eaten be it in loÌ„pes as you speake or the whole bodie swalowed downe al togither as you defende your selfe If you saye as you do againe in thys place that Caro fleshe is taken for the carnall parte of man then do you nothinge coÌ„sider the circumstaÌ„ce howe Christe laboreth in this place to teach the people howe his owne fleshe is profitable vnto them Thys doctrine of yours therfore is confused to gether makeinge the spirituall eateing carnal and the verie fesh and bodie to be the spirite For in your chaunge howe can this be his verie bodie which you cause to go and come no man knoweth howâ—â—einge he hym selfe saieth vnto Didimus his bodie hath verie fleshe and verie bones and is not lyke the spirite You make him lyke a spirite to come and go into thousand milioÌ„s of cakes and aultares insensibly You make him geue life also which is the chiefe and only propertie of the spirite And wher you woulde cloke the firste mattier sayeinge that his bodie maye be in so many places and be insensible because it is adioyned to the God heade you must learne to be ware that in no wise you confounde the natures as I haue spoken before And likewise whan you saye that this fleshe geueth life alwaies because it is inseparably adioyned to the spirite you must acknowledge the proprieties of these ii in sunder grauntinge it to be the properietie of the spirite onely to geue life according to thys text spiritus est qui viuificat though it do by the flesh and dodie of Christe as the onely instrumeÌ„t and peculiar sacrifice wherwith the wrath of God myght be pacified worke in vs that be faythfull the same lyfe And this same fleshe of Christe is a stumbling stone in Zyon to the wicked as the prophet wittnesseth and is set vp to the rniue and resurrection of many It was vnto the Phariseis a blindyng and liuely to them onlie that were ordeined to life Vnto the Iewes whiche handled it and to Iudas which kyssed it and as you would haue it did eate it it was death beynge of it selfe the sauiour frome deathe So that we maye verie well conclude that the spirite onely geueth lyffe and to them onely that haue thys spirite in their hertes to theÌ„ I say the fleshe of Christ is profitable and to them hys fleash is verie meate and hys bloude verie drynke for they onely can feade spiritually of Christe God and man For it is the breade that commeth froÌ„ heaueÌ„ saieth Iohn that geueth lyfe vnto the worlde And thys heauenly breade of the spirite doeth fede vnto lyfe euerlastynge so that who so euer doth once taste therof shall no more be hongrye nor thyrstie after the carnall fode And as for