be deceiued wythout the helpe of reasone set in man to be their lady and masters and wyth hir helpe they maye iudge of all bodily and sensible creatures muche more are they able to iudge of breade their continuall obiect dayely offered vnto them wherin not one sense but the sigh taste smelle and feleinge doe wittnesse together reasone approueth and alloweth theyr iudgment and faythfully established in the worde of God affirmeth the same Christe hym selfe as we haue sayed calleth it â—reade and wynne Paul to the Corth â–ª calleth it breade that we breake and sayeth that weaâ—e one bread and one bodie so many as are pertakers of the same breade Againe in the. xi So ofte as we â—ate thâ—s brâ—ode and drinke thys cup we shewe the death of the Lorde vnto he come Therfore who so â—ateth this bread drinketh this cup vnworthily is gilty of the bodye and bloude of the Lorde Let a man proue hym selfe therfore and so eaâ—e of this breade and drinke of thys cuppe Agayne in the Actes of the Apostles Thei coâ—…ed in the doctrine of thapostles In feloweshipe and breakynge of breade Againe he was knowne vnto them in breakeinge of breade Luke xxiiii dayely continuinge with one accorde in the teÌ„ple and brake bread froÌ„ house to house oure sences also do one after other beare witnesse hereunto We heare Christ and his apostles saye This is bread We smell tast and feale it to be breade We se it is breade and so coÌ„clude â—i reasone after thys sorâ—e The baker dyd bake it as breade before it was put to thys vse and in this vse it is nothyng chaunged froÌ„ the kind of bread for it musteth mouldeth and wil be eateÌ„ of â—…sse as other breade wyl Wherfore we be inge enstructed firste by liâ—… fayeth and thaÌ„ by our senses ruled by reasone dare boldelye conclude thys same to be breade If you myght leade captiue all these three â–ª then shoulde we folowe where you woulde haue vs as oure fathers haue done before As for the misteries and principles of our religion wherof you saye we stande greate neade to be taught â–ª you teache fâ—ll slender lie that is to saye onely wyth a sentence of doctour and a verse songe in the churche But we knowe that so many of them as be corporal and therfore sensuall it hath pleased God so to wrocke them that the verie senses maie perceiue them and therfore be as a testimonie of our fayeth beareinge witnesse of their trueth Nowe as for the misterie of the Trinitie and the vnitie of godhed you do know full well they are not in the numbre of sensible and bodilie thinges and therfore can in no wyse be offerred vnto the sâ—ses wherfore it is no good proffe to iudge them vnable to declare vnto our reasone what is breade and what is wine because the can not attain to that wherwyth they maye by no meanes meddle Or to thynke them not murtified in other thynges because thei witnesse heare agaynste you But you go aboutte to slander vs as thought we dyd not beleue We knowe by our fayeth grounded vpon the boke of Genesis and all other scriptures settinge forth the almyghtie powre of God teacheinge vs to belieue in God the father almyghtie maker of heauen an erth and in hys onely begotten sonne oure Lorde Iesus Christe who was coÌ„cerned by the holy gost and borne of the virgine Marie wherin resteth the chiefe poynte of religion and onely saluacion So sone as he came into the worlde ther were called to wittenesse three herdemen or shepeherdes and three wyse men out of the easte to se wyth theire eyes and testifie vnto other thys the cheife misterie of oure religion that Christe was come in the fleshe bisides the resorte of the men of Bethlehem to se theyr sauioure wyth theyr eyes and the plaine testimonie of Simion saieinge Now haue mine eies sene thy saueing helth More ouer Christ thus comeinge in the fleshe was bodily present in the syght and eyes of al the worlde the space of xxx yeres and what so euer miracle he wrought in the dodient appeared to the eyes and outwarde senses As when he chaunged water into wyne streigh waye it appeared wyne to all the outwarde senses Inlyke maner such as Christe healed bodeli were thei lame blind or lazar streigth waye they appeared whole And so conseqeÌ„tly in all the miracles that Christ wrought in sensible thinges bodilie they so appeared vnto oure senses Whan he raysed Lazar us froÌ„ death to lyffe it was not countertaite for he dyd eate and drinke in the sight of all men So lykewyse when Christe suffered moste paynefull death in the syght of the whole world vnder ponce Pilate he was crucified deade and buried that no eie or tonge shoud wittnesse the contrarie He desended into hel as Peter witnesseth in spirite which falleth not vnder the knowelege of our sences because the spirite goeth and cometh man knoweth not howe Than haue wee wittnesses that God raysed hym the thirde daye and shewed hym to all the people but firste to his wittnesses appoynted for the same purpose whyche dyd eate and drinke with hym after he was risen from death Moreouer that we should nothinge doubt of this misterie so darcke vnto reasone christ appered vnto them agayne and commaunded Thomas Didimus who was before in doubte to put hys fynger in hys syde to see hâ—s handes and the woundes of the nayles that thei al might knowe it to be his natural bodye thus risen frome death yea a bodye whyche hath fleshe and bones contrarie to your doctrine whyche wyll haue ve belieue in a bodie that hath neither fleshe nor 〈◊〉 quantitie nor qualitie that is as much to â—aie as no propretie of a bodie excepte it be borowed of the bread But we beieue according to the â—…e spirite that Iohn describeth that Iesu Christe is comen in the fleshe and hath died in the same accordinge to the saieinge of Paule and testimonies of al scripture in the which he is also raised againe and â—owe sitteth at the right hand of God the father froÌ„ whence he shal come to iudge the â–ª quicke and the deade Vnto whom al the propheres geue wittnesse that who so euer beleueth in hym shall haue remission of â—ynnes by hys name We beleue in the holy gost one God with the father and the sonne euen from the beginninge as appeaâ—eth by the firste creacion of the worlde Now that the euerlasteing Lord and euer liueinge God hath created al thinges by his worde oure Christe and sauiour wyth so vniforme powre of thys holie goste that nothinge coulde come forth to any shap or forme vntyll this spirite procedeing from them boeth dyd mone vpon the walte depe or vnformed waters Wherfore thys almyghtie powre of the trâ— and euer lasting God is in Hebrue called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plurallye for the diuersitie of persoÌ„es throughout
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
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
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
you are the braunches And continuinge in these parables whiche he accustomed his speache vnto in al his sermons and nowe moste specially towardes his death he opened his mistèries for to rauishe the myndes of his disciples that he myghte prynte them the better in their memorie and contrariwyse that the wycked shoulde heare wyth their eares and not vnderstande see wyth their eyes and not perceyue as Christe alledgeth out of the. vi of Esaie in the. xiii of Math. Thus is the highe wysdome of God alwayes vsed from the begynnyng In Moyses wyth his figures In Solomon with his Prouerbes And ryghte so in all the scriptures to the intent that the preciouse Margarite shoulde not be caste to the hogges He wonderfully enstructed his disciples of his departyng Sometyme in parabbles soâ—…tyme wythout parables in thys and the. ii chapters folowing Wheras he might haue conforted them substancially â—…t one worde as you teache if he had sayed I wyl not go from you for alwayes when you wyll haue me do onely blowe these iiii wordes this iâ— my body ouer a litle breade and you shall haue me straighte wayes at hande But oh blynde guides Christe telleth you that the fleshe profiteth nothynge though you haue it present as the Iewes Iudas and the bishoppes had Yea though Iudas had eaten it as you wryte that he dyd in the supper No though he had eaten hym alyue when he kyssed and betrayed him Though he had then eaten Christe I saye euen as he went on the grounde whiche is the thynge that you do so sore stryue about that he must be eaten as he went on the earth sauyng onely that thys muste be done inuisibly Thoughe as you say he were thus eateÌ„ in fleshe Christ sayth the fleshe profiteth nothyng at al. And where as you cal thys the chiefe holines and chiefe worshippe Christe sayeth his father seeketh suche worshippers as wyll worshippe hym in spirite and trueth and not in the fleshe shadowes and ceremonies Agayne Christe sayeth I dyd not speake these thynges vnto you from the beginning because I was wyth you But you papistes wyl answer So art thou present styl though thou be hid in a boxe or a litle breade Christe sayeth nowe do I go vnto hym that sent me and I demaunde of you papistes howe he went vnto his father that sent hym Not the Deuyl but the scripture and the angelles of God shall answere for you Christe after he was rysen froÌ„ death gathered his Apostles together and commaunded them to tarie at Hierusalem and to awayte for their conforâ—our the holy spirite whom he had promised to sende them when he departed in fleshe froÌ„ the earth And whilse he spake thus vnto theÌ„ he was in the sight of them all taken vp and a cloude couered hym And whylse they loked stedfastly vp into heauen beholdyng his goinge beholde ii men stode by theÌ„ in white garmentes whiche sayed Ye men of Galesee why stande you gasyng vp into heauen Thys same Iesus whiche is taken vp from you into heauen shal so come as you haue seene hym go into heauen He is gone none otherwyse but in the fleshe his fleshe therefore is not in the breade When he cometh agayne he shall come visibly euen as he went in the syght of them al as the angelles wytnes He is not therfore inuisible in the bread Nowe thys your opinion of his being vpon the earth in the fleshe and sufferyng of hym selfe to be hid in a litle boxe and such cakes whereof an hundrede are scarse worth one halfpeny is to shamfull There is no reuerence of God in his sonne remaynynge iâ—… your hertes And therefore as the Propheâ—… Osee sayeth though God shewe the trueth of his lawe neuer so often vnto you yet do you take it but for a straung doctrine Wheras they do sacrifice sayth the Prophete offeryng the fleshe and eatyng it the Lorde wyll haue no pleasure therin but wyll remembre their wickednesse and punishe their synnes Israell woulde turne agayne into Egypte to the fleshe pottes They put fleshe theyr arme which is ment by seekinge to Egypte In many places of the kynges also Yea alwayes both in figures and open wordes the folowyng of the fleshe and outward holines whiche is communely voied of the spirite is sore rebuked greuously punished Therfore addeth the prophete They haue forgotten hym that made them they buylde churches and Iuda maketh many stronge bulworkes I wil therfore sende a fyre into their cities and it shall consume their palaices Agayne sayeth Ose As for the Prophete you holde hym a fole aâ—d hym that is ryche in the spirite for a madde man So greate is your wickednesse Fleshe you are fleshe you seeke voied and destitute altogether of the spirite of God the onely authour of al truth and vnfeyned holines Christe sayeth I tell you truth it is profitable to you that I go for if I do not go froÌ„ you the spirite of conforte can not come vnto you But if I go I shall sende hym vnto you These wordes were fyrste proued true in the Apostles whiche were conforted by the spirite after theyr mournyng for the bobily absence of theyr maister And nowe also doth it appeare true in you papistes that the liuely coÌ„fort of the spirite is â—mally felt or regarded amoÌ„gest you whilse you thinke your selues to haue Christe bodily amonge you Agayne Christe sayeth vnto his father Thys is euerlastynge lyfe to knowe the onely the true God and whom thou hoste sent Iesu Christe You saye is euerlastyng lyfe and the chiefe misterie of our religion to knowe thys cake to be a God to knowe the wyne to be a whole Christe God and man where all faythfull hertes muste needes confesse that it is no god nor caÌ„ be god what so euer is made with mans hande For both the thinge that is made as the boke of wisedom telleth is inferiour to the man that made it and because maÌ„ him selfe is mortal the thing that he maketh caÌ„ not be god immortall But I knowe your answere The priest maketh it by the worde of God I answere you agayne We can neither see nor perceyue any maner of thynge there but onely the breade that is made by the hande of the bakar and therfore made and facioned by the handes of man who hath but a borowed spirite and vnhappie are they and amonge the deade is theyr hope that call them Gods whiche are the workes of mens handes Thys is the errour of mannes lyfe when men ascribe vnto stockes and stones and other vile creatures the name of God whiche ought to be gyuen vnto no creature Yea they are twise vnhappy and accursed that do hereby make the creature abominable also depriue the creatoure and maker of all of his dewe honoure But marke agayne that whiche Christ sayth in the same chapter of Iohn Nowe am I not in the worlde and these are in the worlde and
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
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
An ansvver to the deuillish detection of Stephane Gardiner Bishoppe of Wynchester published to the intent that such as be desirous of the truth should not be seduced by hys errours nor the blind obstinate excused by ignorance Compiled by A. G. Iudicum vi ¶ Oh let theÌ„ perish from the erth and from vnder the heauen all the Idoles that haue not made the heaueÌ„ the erthe destroye you theyr groues and altares If they be goddes let them reueng them selues ¶ Anno. 1547. the. 24 of Ianuary ¶ In the viii leafe i. page and xiiii line for staine mne reade same mine To the Reader DEarely beloued bought wyth the same bloude and therfore parte takers of the same kyngedome because the Lorde oure God is the God of knowledge and wyll haue suche seruauntes as by knowledge in trueth wythout fleshely fantasies either of fained goddes or any fonde worship of mans madde brayne who alwaies from the beginneinge hath renne after vanities wyll be radie to geue answere of their faieth in him the God of lyfe and of the hope conceiued by his onely worde it becometh all his â—o labour for knowledge that they maye walke vpright in the waie of their Lorde and by no halting ignoraunce to slide furth of the same and so to prouoke his worthi displeasure And as he is the God of loue peace vnitie and concorde and will haue vs al tied together with the bonde of loue and made therby in hym all one bodie so doeth it become vs wyth open hertes wythout all doublenesse one to enstructe an other to the edifiynge of oure brethern that in sure grownded fayth we maye loue together and so enioye the hope of our vocacion Therfore though mi talent bee verie smal and no principall gifte either of eloquence or learninge but onely a loue of the trueth geuen vnto me yet seinge the worlde is so blinded with Idolatrie and so beewitched with popishe sophistrie and euen nowe the spirittes and powers of darcknes worcke the chiefe mysterie of iniquitie and wickednesse to set vp and maintaine the moste weake Idole that euer was in the worlde in the steade of the most mightie and euerliuinge God I coulde thincke it no lesse theÌ„ my most bounden dutie openly to beare wittnesse vnto the truthe And where as the wordes of truth haue bene slandrously and spitfully named the saieinges of the deuil by the spiritual crafte of a souldiour of SathaÌ„ which by painted wordes woulde transform him self into an angel of lyght Whose boke is spred euerie where and receiued in manie places more reuerentlie then the blessed bible the holie worde of God Yet no maÌ„ hath so farre as I know once opened his mouth or taken penne in hand to make answere to this blasphemouse messenger of the proude Senacherib neglectinge the liueinge God for the littel I dole that he maketh God or no God at hys pleasure who suffreth Mise to eate him and the wicked to deuoure him Lette all other men do as they shall thyncke good wyth silence to let suche thynges slip Truly if I coulde saye nothinge thereunto but onely naye denienge Idolatrie and renouncynge all supersticion therin maintained I iudge it my parte to publishe my faith rather then by my silence to seame to consent to suche diuillishe doctrine So also do I esteme it the dutie of the faithful in this perillous tyme plainely to professe the Lord the liueuinge God to be the onely God in heauen a boue and in the erth beneth leste bi our silence for sakinge hys cause here vpon erth we be forsaken in his heauenly palace For lyke as in herte we do beleue to oure rightuousnes so must we necessarily confesse to oure saluacion as Paule teachethe We must beware as Paule warnethe and the bishope taketh the same text first ofal that our senses be not corrupted from the simplicite and sing lenesse that is in Christe as the serpent begiled Eua. We knowe but one God We are maried vnto one We knowe but one Christ made man and none other creature for ourcause This thing as we beleue it in herte so muste we in mouth â—oâ—fesse the same if we wyll walke in the simplicitie and sing linesse that is in Christe as becometh christians For if the hert and mouth go together then is it sing lenesse otherwise it is doublenesse and dissembling But there is one other simplicitie as it hath bene compted as the worde hath bene abused which is verie folishnes This maye we cal the simplicitie that Antichriste woulde haue styl to reigne amonge vs and therefore his champion when he brought in the texte of Paulle lefte out the principall wordes Que est in christo Whyche is in Christe as their olde texte hath it And thorowe out hys whole boke he woulde driue vs to be simple That is to saye to folowe as we be led like blinde men that the proude papisticall prelates still leadeinge vs into the pitte of perdicion abuseing our wines and goodes maye saye in their connentes Let them alone let them offer still vnto Imeages a pice of bread or any thinge else of a good intent all is well done that is done of a good intent They maye worship a stocke or a stone let them folow their auncient fathers They are good simple soules They do as we and oure doctours teach theÌ„ If we let theÌ„ knowe al trueth they wilbe as wise as we and then they wyll smally regarde vs. Thys is their workeinge these are their wordes howe so euer they haue clokâ—d hertofore all the worde nowe seeth it Let vs beware therfore of this thir simplicitie and let vs no longer thynke that this their doctrine is'true that al should he well done that is done for a good intent and that it is well done in all thinges to beleue theyr doctours For this ignorante opinion that thei haue grounded in their hertes hath hitherto stopped the waie to all knowledge and nowe letteth faith to be grounded and causeth men to continew styll in their olde errowres wythout any desire to come out of blindnesse Consider therefore good reader a gaynste their blinde lessons that Saull was caste from hys kyngedome for his good intent euen because he intended to do sacrifice vnto the Lorde of the best and fatteste of the Amalechites And yet maye thys seme a gloriouse intent The bishoppes of the Iewes and the Idolatours of al ages folowed theyr good intent euen when they put Christ and all hys prophetes and Apostles to death The byshop of Norwich when he burned pore Bilney folowed his good intent our other byshopes also burneninge and murtheringe theyr bretherne in prisone and out of prisone folowed theyr good in tentes But God is the iudge of the inteÌ„tes and thoughtes of vs al and sercheth the verie raine and the holes of our hertes Yea the lord our god abhorreth and the prophetes reproue vs alwayes because we wyll do euerie man that semeth good in his owne
eies Sayth not the Lorde by hys prophet Esaye Myne intentes are not your in enteÌ„s and mi wayes are not your wayes But â—o so farre as the heauen is from the erthe so high are my wayes aboue your waies and mine intentes aboue your intentes For the beliefe of their doctours and the prelates of the churche which thinge the bishoppe laboureth alwaies to establish remembre that Christe saith if the blynde leade the blynde boeth fal into the pitte And thou must doub tlesse coÌ„mpt their writtinges eueÌ„ verie blindnes in regardeâ— of the light of goddes moste certaine worde which must be the rule of thi life the fouÌ„dacion of thy fayth and the light vnto thy feete As for theyr auncientie be sure to take Christ for they guide who was before all And saye with S. Paule fayth is of heariuge not of the worde of any maÌ„ but of the worde of God Therefore saieth God the father with open voice from heauen This is my dearely beloued sonne in whom is my delight heare you hym Now if any be so fainte herted and so deluded by other that they thyncke they maye still disseinble wyth the hypocrites in their owtwarde doetnges I sende them to the exemple of Daniel who praied with opeÌ„ windowes and wyth his three companions refused to honour the golden Image would not dissemble outwarde worship nother content them selues with the purenesse of theyr owne hertes thoughe they myght therby haue escaped the fire consideringe that the glorie of God coulde not be so foâ—dered but rather hindered by theyr walkeinge in the waye of the wicked Therfore saieth the prophet Dauid Happie is he that nether staÌ„deth sitteth nor walketh that is to saye hath nothinge to do wyth them other openly or priuily by any colour or dissimulacion Eliazar had such like counsell of hys frendes that he shoulde eate fleshe onely whiche was lawfull and dissemble to eate the vnlawfull But he saide it was not lawfull for him to dissemble and so cause many to be deceiued through his hipocrisie for so he might escape the death of the body but the hand of God he could not auoide For this cause did Paule reproue Peter for his dissemblinge be fore the gentiles And he teacheth the Corinthians againe that there is no companie of light and darckenesse no dessemblinge to be partaker boeth of the cup of Christe and of deuilles Oure membres must be the weapons either of rightuousenes other else of vnrighttuousenesse there is no meane for styll and ware politicke persons And therfore sayeth our maister Christ he that is not with me is againste me And he that doeth not gather doeth scatter These wordes of Christe and suche like and none other cause whatsoeuer any man shall imagine haue compelled me to publish my fayth and in the name of the liueinge God to make answere to one boke whiche of all other I estemed most perilouse and poysonful boeth for the authorite of the writter and the subtile handellinge of hys mattier in the maytaineinge of that Idole which al the worlde hath worshipped so many yeres The name of the boke is the detection of the diuillysh sophistrie The authour that made it is Stephaue Gardiner bishop of Winchester the chiefe mantainer of the popeishe tradicions as appeareth by al hys dedes writinges How I haue vsed my self in the same I shall shewe at fewe wordes Because I did take vpon hande to confute his boke I coulde kepe no comely order but as the wordes do leade me so am I compelled to go forwarde Yet haue I not written hys whole texte in my boke because it woulde â–ª haue ben to much tediouse and ouer longe but onely his â–ª chiefe mattier and principall argumentes whereof I truste not one hath escaped vntouched I lest of the residue thinkeing it a verie vaine thinge to contende about trifles as I should haue done of necessiâ—e in waigheinge euerie worde and ponderinge euerie sentence The boke is so farre spred a broabe that I can not belie hym but it shalbe a witnesse againste me in euerie corner For it was plentuousely imprinted by Iohn Herforde in aldergate strete at LoÌ„don and is to be solde at the signe of the bell in poules church yarde I haue principally and chiefe laboured to establishe the true fayeth in the liueinge God by the reproueinge of the false and fained goodes SecoÌ„dly I haue taught the trwe vnderstandinge of the wordes of the supper of the Lorde and the right vse of the same Whiche two my chiefe purposes howe faithfully I haue done them the fathfull shall iudge knowynge the voice of of theyr shepeherde In mine answere to his wordes I truste no man shalbe offended with any vnchrist an rayleinges though great accasioÌ„ be offerred on his parte bringeinge our argumentes so spitfully in the name of deuill with yea sayeth the deuell as though the deuell where a destroier of Idoles whâ—e onely hath bene theyr mainetainer and vpholder from the be geninge of the worlde vnto this daye Yet I do thynke nothynge lesse then to satisfie all men wyth my writtinges more then other haue done before mi time with theirs much more wittie more lerned and godly No I do suppose the hight lerned maye finde many fautes there'with as I â–ª acknowledge mi self far vnder the perfection of theyr high lerninge Neuerthelesse I trust in God that it is not all together so rude nor vnfruitfull but that the vnlerned for whome it is chiefe lie written shall encrease bi it in knowledge caste of much supersticion and take conforte of conscience Whome also I beseche euen for the loue â–ª of God and â–ª as they tender their soules health not to caste awaye this bokethough they reade somethinge therin that they neuer harde before but rather desire of theire moste mercifull father that theyr olde errours wherwith they haue bene deceiued by blind teachers maie be taken awaye And if there be any that can not sodaineli caste of the olde skine wyth the serpent and forsak theyre olde ignoraunce coÌ„firmed with longe custome let theÌ„ desir of God so much grace that they maye more quietlie then hath ben accustomed heare men talke of the fayth they haue conceiued in the liueinge God For than shal it be wel with the christian religion wheÌ„ the one parte maie boldelie and wyll redily gyue answere of the hope they haue conceiued and faith whereby thei trust to be saued and the other parte wyll mekeli heare what is spoken and quietely suffer the lambes to feede of their swete pasturs So shall the prophecie be fulfilled The lambe shal lodge with the woulfe the leoparde and the goâ—e shal lie together The calfe the lion and the shepe shall dwell together and a little childe shalbe their herde and driue them which thinge I trust partely shall be fullfilled in oure tyme vnder our little Iosias to whom God graunt the abundaunce of hys grace And most fully vnder the true Iosias
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
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
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
passouer In the passeouer they gaue thankes for theyr deliueraunce wheÌ„ the EgyptiaÌ„s and the kinges seede were slayne In this sacrameÌ„t thaÌ„kes are gyueÌ„ that the sonne of the high king is slayn for the saluatioÌ„ of the worlde The lambe and the feast itselfe are called the passeouer The one was but a signe the other was but the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of the passing angell So lykewise this breade or sacrameÌ„t is callyd the bodie of Christ when it is but the remeÌ„braunce and thankes geuynge for the death which Christ suffered in hys bodie The cupe also he calleth the newe testameÌ„t in his bloude where the bloud of the lambe sprynkled vpoÌ„ the postes was but a shadow of the old testameÌ„t and a token to the angell of godes fauour And thys bloude of our sauiour Christ is a coÌ„firmacioÌ„ and establishemeÌ„t of his testameÌ„t as both the epistle to the galathians and the Hebrues do witnesse and the testameÌ„t so loÌ„g before promised was this I wylbe theyr God and they shall be my people Agayne In the boke of Exodi he coÌ„maundeth them to tel theyr chyldren of that greate benifite So now when they shal no leuger speake of theyr delyuerauÌ„ce forth of Egypt but of a far greater deliueraunce from all the infernall powres by hys death He coÌ„maundeth them to do thys in the remeÌ„braunce of hym Thus he goynge from the olde testameÌ„t to the newe from the olde passeouer in shadow to the bodie whyche is Christ our passeouer offâ—ed for vs as Paul sayeth vseth the same phrase in speakynge And after that he had eaten thys passeouer whiche he desiered so greatly he preached of hys betrayeing and departeynge saiynge The sonne of man must go as it it wryteÌ„ But woe vnto that man by whoÌ„ he is betrayed It had beÌ„ better for hym that he had neuer ben borne This text may somwhat make for the declaracion that Iudas though he were par takare of the same breade and cupe yet he did not eate the fleashe and bloude of Iesus Christ which he must neades haue done if the thynges had ben chaunged and therfore haue had euerlasteynge lyfe as it is sayd in Iohn the vi cha Who so eateth my fleash c so that he had ben happye that euer he was borne The most parte of the longâ— sermone that Iohn reherseth is concernynge hys departyng from his disciples where as after your doctryne he mygh haue coÌ„forted them wyth one worde sayeinge I wyl not depart froÌ„ you but wilbe inuiseble wyth you vnto the worldes ende in a litle cake But he sayth plainely that he must go from theÌ„ and that he will no more drincke of that fruite of the vine vnto he dryncke it newe agayne in the kingdome of his father wher he manifestly calleth it the fruite of the vine euen after the coÌ„secrasion as you cal it and that the verye same thing that you cal the bloude the bodi the fleshe and altogether Christ saieth thys is my bodie You marke no circuÌ„stauÌ„ces but adde her unto realli naturallie carnalli christ sayeth do thys in the remembraunce of me You saye Naie we will make a litle cake to be Christ God and man Christ saieth thys is the cup of the newe testament in â—…bloud You saye Naye we wil make ii sponeful of wyne whole Christ bodie bloud and bones Loke your Estatute of vi Articles Christe saith my litle children yet a litle while am I with you The papistes do saie we haue him heare stil Christ saieth you shal seke me but you can not come to me The papistes dâ— saye thei make hym and haue hym in there haÌ„ds ther maist thou seke him But I beleue thou canst not find him there for Christ did geue warneinge alitle before hys death that ther should arise false Christs and false prophetes to deceiue the elect if it wer possible with false miracles and wonders Thei shal 〈◊〉 â—o hear is Christ and ther is Christ But beleue them not saith Christ for lyke as the lightning cometh froÌ„ the east and appeareth vnto the weste so shal the comeinge agayne of the sonne of man Let not your herte be troubled beleue in God and beleue in me I go to prepare you a place and thoughe I go yet I wyll come agayne and take you vnto me The papistes saye beleue in the breade that we haue coÌ„scerated for it is boeth God and maÌ„ Christ shal not go awaye We wyl haue it so that euerie shauelinge shall maâ—e him a place in a rounde cake and breake one pice of him into the chalice and drinke it and rate the residue drie I am the waie the truth the life saieth Christ no man cometh to the father but bi me Yes marie â—aith the bishop of Winchester bringeing in the blind lessoÌ„s of Damascen concerninge the worshipeinge of Imageâ— by the intercessione of saintes come we to God And by the sacrament of the aâ—â—tare are we made partetakers of the god heade of Iesu Christe Christ goinge froÌ„ the erth saith for the câ—…forte of his disciples what soeuer ye aske in my name I wil do it But the papistes wyll haue vs asâ—e in the name of other and by the praier of saintes do they promise many verâ—… â–ª but wythout any worde of scripture and therfore ought we not to beleue them Christ promiseth none other coÌ„forter but the spirite of trueth whiche shall dwell with vs for euer The papistes promise comfortin al deade creatures Again Let not your hert be troubled sayth Christ nor be ye afraied thoughe I go I do leane my pease wyth you I geue you my peace Not as the world geueth do I geue it vnto you Well saye the papistes If thou saye that Christ is gone thou shalt haue little peace among us kepe the peace of Christ as wel as thou canst For we haue him wheÌ„ we luste bodielie reallie naturallye carnally present But O you papistes all your wordes ende in a lie For Christe saieth You haue hearde that I haue said vnto you I goe and come agayne to you And if you loued me suerli you woulde reioyce that I sayed I goe vnto my father You papistes I saye do ye not beleue that Christe died did ryse agayne ascended into heauen and ther sitteth at the ryght hand of the father bodilie really naturally carually that is to saye in plaine euglishe in bodye in substance as he was a natural man and verie flesh taken of the virgyne Marie If you did beleiue this thynge you woulde reioice that man is so highly exalted that oure kinde is so far aboue the angelles auaunced that we haue our bishoppe not in the erth but in the heaueÌ„s not offering ofte tymes for our sinnes which were imperfection but once for al makinge perfecte for euer so many as by hym wyll go vnto the father Agayne Christe sayeth I am the verie vyne and my father is the housbande man â–ª I am the vyne and
of moste weight importaunce Wherby is wrought the marueilous wisedome of God who onely wyl be accompted alwaies true vprighte and iuste in all his wordes and that all men should appeare as they are lyars If in any one man shoulde rest the fulnes of al trueth we woulde by our weakenesse verie proudely swere into his wordes thereupoÌ„ establish oure beliefe and make hym as it were an earthly God Paule therefore led by the spirite of God taketh his maister Gamaliell and the greate Rabines to no counsell in the settynge furth of the high misteries which God had reueiled vnto him No he woulde not confer with fleshe and bloude that is with any man notwithstanding he him selfe was wonderfully enstructed in the lawe and became irreprehensible therin beinge a pharisei that is to saye an interpreter and as your men are a doctoure hym selfe Notwythstandynge he bryngeth nothynge of Thalmud he teacheth not hynge by the traditious of their fathers but by Moyses by the prophetes and the open worde of God whereupon onely fayth can haue his foundation Fayth is of hearing sayth Paule and this is by the hearing of the worde of God and not of mans doctrine Though you therfore do cal this your doctrine of the real and carnal preseÌ„ce of Christ vnder the fourme of bread and wine the fouÌ„dation of our faith yet were they neuer set in our olde Crede beliefe nor nuÌ„bred among the. xii articles of our faith And Paule wheÌ„ he said I do only know Iesu Christ and him crucified which is the very fouÌ„dation of our faith wherby we might be saued though we lyued in wyldernesse or dyed vpon the seas without thys sacrament Yea though we be murdered in your presence and by your formentes put to death wythout the receyueinge of this Sacrament For our â—ayth standeth fully grounded vpon this worde Whâ— so euer confesseth Christe to be come in the fleshe he is borne of God and who so euer beleueth and is baptised the same is saued Adde you hereunto what newe foundations you please We feele in oure hertes beinge taughte by the open worde that no man can laye any other foundation but Iesu Christe By whose death we dye from confidence in all creatures and by whose rysynge from death we do ryse agayne and do seeke thinges that are aboue where Christe sitteth at the right hande of God ⧠Of contrarietie and coÌ„tradiction THe Deuyll hath an other piece of Sophistrie which is in conterfaite contradictions wherein he vseth for a preface and introduction a moste certeyne trueth whiche is that trueth agreeth wyth it selfe and hath no parte contrarie to an other Wherefore seinge the worde of God is an infallible trueth it hath no contrarieties in it selfe All the worlde muste assent hereunto But thus the Deuyll procedeth to his cauillations from thynges euidently true by little chaunge to thinges euideÌ„tly false HeaueÌ„ and earth haue a kinde of contradiction Christe is in heauen where saynt Stephane dyd se him Ergo he is not in the earth in the sacrament of the aultare Christe ascended into heauen Ergo he taryeth not here He sitteth at the righte hande of God Ergo he is not in the sacrament of the aultare He is the creatoure Omnia per ipsum sacta sunt All thinges be made by him Ergo he is not a creature made of breade He dwelleth not in the teÌ„ples made with mannes handes Ergo he is not in the box vpon the high aultare Your solution to these opeÌ„ scriptures and moste euident argumentes is at one worde and that is this They be taken for notable coÌ„tradictions and insoluble sophisines and in effecte in all these argumentes there is no contrarietie or contradiction in the thinges but onely a repugnaunce and impossibilitie to mans carnal capacitie But I beseche you good bishop is there no contrarietie in the thinges Is not heauen and earth cleane contrarie Haue you so captiuated your wittes and dulled your vnderstandinge that you caÌ„ not perceiue those two thinges to the coÌ„trarie God is the creatoure and maker of all therefore can he not be a creature made of breade He dwelleth not in the temples made with mannes handes for the heaueÌ„ of heauens can not contayne him therfore is he not enclosed in a litle box and hanged vp by a bande It is to muche shame for any priest bishoppe or christian man to thinke so vnreuerently of the secrete maiestie of God as that he mighte be bounde vnto a place enclosed in a cake or a litle boxe seinge boeth heauen and earth be full of his dreadfull maiestie and we what so euer we be do lyue be moued and haue our beinge of him He is infinite incomprehensible vnmeasurable higher then the high heauens lower then the deape botomles waters he measureth the wyde worlde wyth his spanne and coÌ„teyneth all enclosed in his fiste Wyth him the light dwelleth and the sunne beames are at his orderynge By hym is ruled lyghte and darkedesse lyfe and death and altogether Wherefore when thou canâ—t inclose in the box the rageyng seas when thou canst catche the moue in a corner aâ—d sparre her vp in a case when thou canst penne vp the sunne beinge but a creature in thy pix then wyl I graunte the to haue power ouer thinges infinite and incomprehensible In the meane tyme I muste take it impossible not onely by carnall capacitie but also by spiritual iudgement grounded vpon the worde of God by the gifte of reason wherby al men coÌ„sidering the worke of God in the cretion maye knowe their creatoure to exeell all creatures farre and that he can therefore be made by no creature neither of any creature muche lesse can he be enclosed in a box of an yâ—che and an halfe deape when the priest wyll â—…mble foure wordes in a corner and there lye tyed tyll he wax foystie vnlesse the prieste lose hym Oh abominable Idolatours howe muche doeth thys derogate to the maiestie of God And howe farre contrarie is thys to his godlie nature Nowe that it is contrarie to the humaine nature of Christe to be enclosed in bread and sparred in a litle box thus mape we more largely proue vnto you Christe in his humaine bodie forsaketh the worlde he goeth vnto the father He dyd keepe those that were his so longe as he was in the worlde And when he departed out of the worlde he desired his father to keepe them He coÌ„forted them when he went awaye sayinge that it was profitable for theÌ„ that he departed that the spirite of coÌ„fort might come He promised to come againe visibly and with glorie as he went and in the scriptures there is none other comynge of Christ taught vs but the coming first in humilite to take our flesh vpoÌ„ him afterward in glorie to iudge all fleshe whiche thynges are declared Math. xxvi Marke xvi Luke xxiiii Iohn xiii xvi xxii Actuum i. vii Rom. viii Ephe. i. ii Corhi
killed grat Goliath it is easilie perceiued by coÌ„paring of his bokes with EcolaÌ„padius zwin glius how far vnable he was to defeÌ„de thys cause What mildenes of spirit ouer much care of christian quietnesse caused Bucere in wordes so far as the trueth could any thing yelde to agre with you al men that read his bokes with iudgement may iudge Zwinglius workes who so readeth theÌ„ as he was a man of in comparable eloquence and lerneing are able to coÌ„found all the rabble of the papistes and al his aduersaries that speake againste him But nowe come you into your ruffe againe with your doctours of thousaÌ„d yeres yet maie we proue some of theÌ„ to haue ben scarselie v. hundred yeres other some of small Authoritie and the best smally serueing for your purpose AmoÌ„gest theÌ„ all the most auncieÌ„t is S. Andrewe the apostle you saie whom you alledge not out of the scripture for we haue nothinge of his writeinge there but out of your holy legeÌ„da auria as I suppose or else I praie you whens shall this thing haue his authoritie of the porteous perchanÌ„ce which techeth vs to locke for saluacioÌ„ by the merites of Thomas Beket by setting vp a caÌ„dle or building a chapel in the name of S. Margarete It appeareth that you would faine haue the mattier good wheÌ„ you flie to your popeish portous Thus woulde you craftilie deceine the people Let Paul answere your porteouse maÌ„ which saieth he doth dailie sacrifice Christ on the aulâ—…re of the crosse We lerne in the Epistle of Paule to the Heb. that it is the propre peculiar office of Christ to offer him selfe that with his owne offering he hath made his holy for euer by his own offering once don therfore was he made prieste after the order of Melchisedech without successour Wher for they that go about to sacrifice Christe do rob him of his priesthod For Christ onely was called vnto that office for he ouelie was called as Aaron was and no maÌ„ maye take vnto him that office vnlesse he be caled as Aaron was Not with standinge that we maie please al and offeÌ„d no maÌ„ if it be so possible take the wordes of S. Andre spirituallie as no doubt he was spiritual would speake theÌ„ none otherwaies but spiritually and thaÌ„ make thei nothing against vs. He sacrificed not on the aultare of stone but vpoÌ„ the aultare of the crosse And for the maintenaunce of thys sacrifice he hym selfe was also sacrificed on the crosse What dyd he sacrifice The vnspotted lambe Where he alludeth to the olde figure as is saied whose flesh and bloud beinge spiritually receyued feadeth al the faythfull people Thus maist thou answere gentle reader euen vnto the best of the doctours vnderstandeinge them spirituallye And that they shoulde be so vnderstanded appeareth by the firste wordes that you bring out of Chrisostome we offer sayeth he but for the remembraunce of hys death Again this sacrifice is a resemblanÌ„ce of the other Agayne alludeinge to the olde figure he sayeth We do offer one lambe or else should ther be many Christes Then sheweth he who is the byshop that offereth the sacrifice Not Chrisostom nor Andrewe â–ª but Christe And thys whiche they do is the remembraunce of that whiche is done alredie These olde writtes had muche more libertie to speake such wordes because at that tyme ther wer no suche errours hard of as you do defend nowe by your popeishe prerogatiue But whan you answere that Christe bydeâ—h you pristes sacrifice him because he sayeth Hoc facite I dare saye you finne in wylfull blindenesse And that boeth for that you leaâ—e out thefâ—â—t and principall parte of the sentence whiche moste declareth the purpose of Christ in the remembraunce of me and also because you knowe well inowghe what significacion Hoc facite muste haue boeth in thys place and all other I knowe well that you english bishopes be not so sleÌ„derly learned as the Sorbouistes or doctors of Parise whiche in their determinations do bringe incum faciam vitulam Take the whole seÌ„teÌ„ce together therfore and make of it what you can Hoc facite in mei memoriam do thys in the remembraunce of me Donec veniat tyll he come maketh cleare against you that saye he is heare al redie let Damascene dote as longe as he lusteth If you wreast this playne text do this in the remembraunce of me vntill I come what scripture can be salfe from your gloses Yet by your doctoures by whom you caÌ„ glose forth al thinges I wyl not greatly contende with you as I dyd proteste in the begining First and principally because our fayeth maye be grounded vpon no maÌ„s saings but vpon the worde of God onely whiche is able to teach to reproue and to enstructe a man to euery good worcke Secondly because this contencion shal neuer haue an ende so long as you maye haue authoritie to glose euerie worde of the doctours accordinge to your owne pleasure Thirdely because ther hath ben no â—…ning so lewed but it hath ben proued and is at this daye allowed by the authorite of the doctours Fourthli because the scripture must be the toâ—chston and iâ—dge of all other thynges wordes sayinges and writeynges and may be Iudged by non other Sixtli because we our selues shalbe Iudged and examined whether we haue kept that whyche Christe coÌ„maunded vs and not that which doctours haue written Seuenthly and finally because in the worde of god lyeth al truth and we haue an especiall commaundement frome the father to here Christe the authoure therof the spirite comeynge down from heauen with his open testimonie Thys is my dearly beloued soÌ„ne in whom I delyte heare hym where the doctours contrarie wyfe as they are men and this scripture must nedes be true Omnis homo mendax euerie man is a lyar so do they trie them selues as men contendeynge one with an other eche one coÌ„trarie to his felowe Yea and the selfe same man retracteynge and recanteynge that that he had wrytten before that we may learne to trust in no man nor to put fleshe our arme for feare of the great curse but to stycke vnto the euerlastinge worde of God as a lantern vnto our fete wherof ther shall not one Iote or tytle perishe though the heauen and the earth do melt awaye In thys we shall finde sufficient fode for our soules if we can paciently rest and fead therin Wherfore for this tyme all your doctours set aparte and your dyuell sayeth neglected because your hope is so muche in man and you are not ashamed so often to brinde in the deuil sayeth I praye you here the complaynt of God by his prophetes vpoÌ„ the Idolatours of al ages and do not thinke much to herkeÌ„ what God sayeth of you of this time which caÌ„ non other wayes mayntain your pompe but with the coÌ„tumely of your creatour the plain denial of the only sacrifice of his son
and truth wil I be worshiped And suche worshipers do I seke as with pure mindes flye vp aboue the heauens and wishe that myne impere and kingdome maye be delated and my name helowed and renowâ—â—ed celebrated and prased in al though al creatures Such worshipers I saie do I seke as can coÌ„prehend and perceiue Christ sitting â–ª at my right hand and wyll seke hym without the helpe of any creature These worshipar wyll I regarde and to their sacrifices wil I haue respect For their high bishop hath an euerlasting priesthod wherbi he may fully saue al theÌ„ that wil com vnto me by him whom I haue made the gouernour of holy thynges and of the true ta bernacle which I my selfe and not man haue made which must therfore be coÌ„prehended receiued without the help of any creature vpon earth neither must these worshipers seke Christe here nor ther nor renne after him in anie places vpon earth where any man shall name him to be Muche lesse shall these true worshipers seke me the incomprehensible God tyed to any one place or creature for heauen is mi seate and thearth my fotestole euen as my prophete Esaie dyd witnesse vnto you when he demaunded what house you wold build vnto me or what place I woulde reste in seinge that my hande hath made all My seruaunt Paule also hath sayed vnto you that I the Lorde God haue made the worlde and al that is therin yea the heauens also haue I made howe shoulde it be theÌ„ that I might dwell in temples made with mans hande who is one of the creatures that I my selfe haue made And eueÌ„ as I dwell not in the temples made with mans hand so am I not worshiped wyth the workes of mans haÌ„d as once standing nede of any thinge For I the Lord geue breath to al liuing thynges and haue of one bloude made al the kinde of man and haue caused hym to spread ouer the whole face of earth appointinge prescript tymes and limeting the borders of their dwellynges that they maye seeke me theyr God and trye whether they can by gropeing find me Yet not withstandeinge I am not far froÌ„ euerye one of you For through me you are do lyue and are moued So that ther is no ignoraunce canne excuse you because you nede not â—o secke my kyngedome farther then in your selues And to ressemble my Godly powre and worshippe wyth golde siluer stone or ani other creatture named and coÌ„uerted into the stead of me the onelie and almightie your god you shall not be excused â—i any ignoraunce for by my workes you maie knowe me from my worckes and much more from your owne worckes If you therfore can not be able resemble my godlie powre by any of your Imaginacions howe muche lesse able shal you be to shet vp me the immortal immensurable and incomprehensible God whom the heauen of heauens is not able to conteine in a little box of golde siluer or any other meatall in breade wine or any other creature setteinge vp a newe and strainge I dole of the whiche neyther you nor your fathers haue hearde one worde of my mouth imagineinge a strange worship of your own Idle braines not withstandeinge that my sonne Christe doeth crie agaynst you sayeinge In vaine do you worshipe me teacheinge the doctrines and preceptes of men His most fayethful seruauntes also ceased not to threaten sharpe plages vnto all them that shoulde adde to or take fro chaunge or alter any one worde of all that theye had receiued of their Lorde the father of spirites Wherfore because your fathers haue for saken me and folowed strange gods serued them and worshiped them they haue forsaken me â–ª and my lawe haue they not kept And you haue done worsse theÌ„ your fathers For euery one of you walketh after the wickednes of his owne herte striuinge alwaies howe you maye stop your eares agaynste my wordes and admonicions Loo therfore I wyl fyll all the inhabitauntes of the earth and the kynges which sit in their hygh thrones the preistes and the Prophetes together with drunkennes And I wyl scatter theym one brother from another and the father froÌ„ the chylde I wil not spare them nor haue pitie on them but wil vtterly destroy them Harken and geue eare and beware you do not rage for the Lord hath spokeÌ„ it Geue glory vnto the Lord your God before it wax darke and before your fete do stumble in the darke hilles when you shal loke for lyghte and lo ther is nothynge but the shadowe of death and deepe darkenesse Oh Popes and Princes and glorious Prelates high couÌ„terfait names called byshops to you al I saye whych holde the worlde in darkenes If the Morian can chaunge his skinne or the Leoparde her spottes then can you also do well suckyng wickednes with the mylke of your mothers This shalbe your charge therfore and the portion prepared for you Because you forget me and trust vnto lyes I wil disclose your thoughtes and your shame shall appeare Your lustes your lechery your wiked fornication shall I disolose Let no man praye for thys sorte of people They synne vnto death and their plages are vncurable If you faste I wyll not heare your prayers If you offre offerynges I wyll not receyue them For when you were corrected with famine you dyd not regarde it WheÌ„ you were chastened whyth the pestilence and diseases you refused al discipline Stormes teÌ„pestes and earthquakes floâ—des and breaches of the sea you count not to be sent by my haÌ„de One of you therefore shal dygge in the bealy of an other and you shall be consumed with the sworde of my furie Lo I wyll sende fishers whiche shall fâ—she after you by the sea and hunters whiche shall hunte you in euery hyll mountayne and cragy rocke For myne eyes are vpon your wayes and shortly I wyll sende my spirites whiche I haue created for a vengeaunce the fyre the stormy hayle famyne death the teeth of beastes serpentes and the sworde whiche beinge readie in my wrathfull displeasure do torment all thynges at my commaundemente and especially death bloude debate oppression tiranny and the sworde are create for the wicked and therwyth I beate downe myne enemies be they neuer so proude I the Lorde do create all these thynges that my name maye be terrible vnto the heathen and my power knowne thorowout the earth I demaunde of you O Byshoppes of my flocke I wyll aske you stande vp and gyue me answere of your wayes Is there any of your newe founde Goddes that can gyue you rayne or that can saue them selues from the tiranny if neede require Is there any of these Goddes that can saue hym selfe and his worshyppers furth of my hande when I sende fyre and the sworde vpon them Yea tell me thys rather Hath either you or your parentes founde any wyckednesse in me that you are departed from me and folowe vanities
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
thou of euerlasteinge lyfe as thou haste of the knoweledge and fealeinge of my grace and goodnesse why che chiefely and principally was openned vnto the worlde in the sendeinge of my sonne into the worlde to be made fleshe leste al flesh should haue perished for wickednesse Thys is the breade then that comethe from heauen wherof who so eateth shal not perishe but lyue for euer And thys breade is the flesh of my sonne as it was geuen for the lyfe of the worlde for so was it a verye heauenly gifte and heauely breade comeinge frome heauen Other wayes was it but an erthly thynge and nothinge profitable For the phariseis and all the wicked that do not compt thys onely thynge to knowe me the father and my onely sonne Christe geuen for the lyfe of the worlde to be the onely saluacion therof but secke more helpe of saluacion at any creature in heauen or earth be it man saincte or Angell be it workes sacramētes or any other thynge that man can imagyne as they can not vnlesse they compt some insufficiencie and lacke in me shall not haue any parte in my sonne Christe whome they haue in so small estimacion howe grossely so euer they imagine to eate hym No to them that this slenderly and vilely esteme the hilpeinge and saueing that I haue geuen him he is the sauour of death vnto death and the stumblynge stone But vnto them that wholely and onely do cleaue vnto him feadeinge on hys bodye thus offered for the life of the worlde and drinckeinge of his bloude geuen for the remission of synnes he is the breade of lyfe hys fleshe is verie meate and hys bloude verie drinke so that you haue alwayes in mynde that it is the spirite that geueth lyfe and that the fleshe profiteth nothynge And take it for a generall lesson to vnder stande the worde of godly doctrine that the wordes which I and my sonne do teache you are spirite and lyfe And to beleue them is to eate the meate of the soule to worcke the worcke of God and therfore to haue lyfe For the ryghtuouse lyueth by hys belyefe ▪ And Abraham dyd beliue wherfore it was compted vnto hym as ryghtuousenesse before circumsicion or any other out warde sacrament was geuen hym Yea thys Abrahame maye teache you that without the regarde of any creature yea contrarye to the workeinge of all creatures thou muste belieue and be made sure of my goodnesse that thou mayeste wyth ▪ an vpryght face vp towordes the heauens saie O Lorde I haue belieued in the I shall neuer be ashamed For thys is the nature of fayth to loke strayght vp vnto me your heauenly father and to receyue at my hande by the merite of my sonne all grace fauour and goodnes Wher if you declyne asyd and appoynt your selfe meanes aydes and helpes of any creature otherwise thē I haue cōmaunded you must be compted miscreāts mistrustinge my goodnes Here falleth the Iustice that you seke for by your workes and sacramentes and here ariseth the Iustice of fayeth which is onely acceptable in my sight For Israell in the olde tyme folow ynge theyr lawes of righteousnes by their workes sacramentes and ceremoneis coulde not come to ryghteousnesse And wherfore I praye you Because they did not followe ther vpon by faieth but onelie by workes of the lawe They stombled at the stomblinge stone as it is written Lo I will put in Sion a stombling stone and a stone to fall vpō who so beleueth in him shal not be ashamed Because they haue beleued they haue attained this righteousnes which is of faieth of whiche if they will follow and not forsake they shall neuer suffer shame This faith one lie in the seede promised and no signe or sacrament was it that refreshed your first father Adain Neither was ther any other signe geuen vnto Achas but that a virgine shoulde cōceiue a child whiche by an holy and pure byrth of the holy gofle myght take awaye and purifie the corrupt byrth of the olde Adaine and deliuer the house of Iuda from the bloudie Sennacherib Vnto the whyche signe you must alwayes loke for you shall haue none other signe of saluacion but the signe of Ionas the prophete All the Israelites drinckeinge of the same spirituall drincke and eateinge of the same spirituall meate that you do for it is all one fayeth that saueth you boeth euen as I am all one God and no chauncelinge dyd in their lambe vnspotted feade and take comfort of no signe or sacramēt but onely of the bloude of our vnspotted lambe whyche I had promised to sende into the worlde For by the strayght commaundementes and son drye charges whyche my seruant Moyses dyd geue them for the choseynge and eateynge of thys lambe they dyd perceiue a thynge far more spirituall then coulde be finished in so grosse a banket Much more thē the Apostles of my sonne beynge vsed to suche spirituall feadeinges myght perceiue what my sonne ment in abolisheinge of the olde ceremonies of the lambe and cōmaundynge a newe memorie to be made of hys bodie geuen for them and hys bloude shed for the remission of synnes and for to delyuer vs frome the helly Pharao They dyd knowe that thys worde of the promise whiche is geuen for you shoulde be fulfylled vpon the crosse and therfore ought not to be applyed vnto any sacramēt It is not the offering of ani signe or sacramēt that I regarde but the osferinge of my sonne vpon the crosse whiche you muste by your sacramentes shewe your selues to haue in perpetuall memorie as the onely lyfe whereby your soules can liue Lyke as they also had learned before of the Prophetes that the Messias whome I shoulde sende shoulde be striken for the synnes of the people and then shoulde be exalted and sende hys gyftes plentuouslye from aboue spoyleinge all hys enimies wyth triumphe Thys dyd my sonne beate in theyr eares But he neuer tolde them of any such chaunges of bread into his flesh such carnall consecracions as you do teach wherin you wyll haue that without any profite my son christ shold come downe frō my bosome into your breade and Chalice blowen and blessed by your inuencion and worke so great a miracle without eyther necessitie or profite Haue you not inough that you haue euerlastinge life by hym ▪ hathe not he humbled him selfe lowe inough that he hath become manne for your sakes and died for your sinnes What woulde you haue more of him would you that he shoulde take the forme of breade for your sakes what are you the better if he so did Yea how much the worse should you be This is one thinge you shoulde brynge the veritie of his bodie into suspicion for that it should go and come so like a spirite which is no small hinderaunce to the perfection of your kinde For mine intēt was whē I made my sonne man to haue iust occasiō therby to
other heade vpon the earth whose honour they laboure to enhaunce euen wyth all theyr myght and diligence endeuour and studi whose kyngdome the labour to enlarge with bokes with writinges wyth sermons and preachinges with faggotâ—es fyre brenninges and all meanes they can possible Oh byshop and Idole dyddest thou not vilainouselie at Paules crosse not long sens seeke and bringe forth al the Argumentes of thy subtyle braine for to stop the kyngdome of Christe spreadeinge by hys worde and scriptures frome the whiche thou dideste affraye men by the terrible inuentions of thy diueillishe subtilties A traitour to God and man But the aduengeinge hande of God thou canst not escape Qui vos spernit me spernit he that despiceth you despiceth me was neuer ment of such bishopes as driue men frome the worde but of the faiethful Apostles and mesengers of Christe whiche dare speake nothinge but that they haue hearde and learned by the spirite of God in hys holy scriptures Whyche muste be receiued not for theyr owne authoritie but because thei are prophetes and preachers of the heauenly misteries and the disciples and scholers of Christ Not preachers agaynst Christ as you such other prelates are in your sermons than who so receiueth hym in the name of a disciple or the name of a prophet the same shall haue the rewarde of a prophet And who so dispiseth hym thus being the disciple of Christ setting furth and promoting the glorie of his maister he dispiseth Christe and not onely hym but his father the authour of his message But you priestes you preach for lucre Oh you prophetes you prophecie for your owne gaine and for money Yet wil you be takeÌ„ as those that holde vpon God say Is not the Lorde amonge vs But woulde God â—ure heades woulde esteme the mattier as it is be no longer blynded wyth your clokes of hypocrisie Let them but coÌ„sidre the cause onely as Cicero doeth monishe in his oration Cui commodo sit et bono It is your coÌ„moditie and profit to maynteyne poperie and dombe ceremonies It is greatly your gayne to keepe the worlde in blyndnesse For by these thynges haue you crept vp to thys lordely pompe and euer as they decaye so decreaseth some thynge of your dignitie So it is no merâ—â—yle though you beinge carnall men do stryue verie sore for your aduauntage We pore men of the contrary part which of a zeale grounded vpon the knowledge of the worde of God do speake agaynste your superstition your pompe and Idolatrie do not onely not gayne one farthynge thereby as I take God to witnesse before whom I shall answere at the greate daye I desyre nothynge of yours but your soule health we pore caytyfes I saye do not onely loke for no gayne but for tellyng of the trueth we loke to lose the litle goodes that we haue our wyues and deare chyldren to be spoyled ourelyues wyth moste spiteful tormentes of â—ackyng and burnyng to be taken from vs. Vide iam cui sit commodo ⧠To the gouernours of the people VVherfore seeke you knowledge ye that iudge the earth Iudge a right in all controuersies betwixte a man and his neighbour Heare O you heades of the house of Iacob and ye leaders of the house of Israel Should not ye knowe what were lawefull and ryght But ye hate the good and loue the yuell The Lorde hath ben sore displeased with your forfathers but turne you vnto me saith the Lorde of hostes and I shall turne vnto you Be not you lyke your forefathers vnto whom the prophetes cried afore tyme sayinge Turuâ— from your yuell wayes and wicked Imaginations but they woulde not heare nor regarde me sayth the lorde What is now become of your forefathers and the prophetes c. I must needes say with Iheremie â–ª Waâ—… to the prophetes that prophecie theyr owne Imaginations myne hert breaketh in my body â–ª All my bones do tremble I am become lyke a drunken man wythout rest disquieted wyth wyne euen for the verie feare of the Lorde and his holy wordes because the land is full of aduouteres where thorowe it is destroyed Yea the waye that men take is wycked and theyr gouernaunce is nothynge like the holy worde of the Lorde For the prophetes and the priestes them selues are poluted hypocrites theyr wickednes haue I founde in my house sayeth the Lorde Theyr waye therfore shall be slepperie in darknesse that they maye stacker and fal therin For I wyl hrynge a plage vpon them euen the yere of their visitasion sayeth the Lorde If you doubt of whom you shall seeke for knowledge remembre what was spoken by God the father from heauen of Christe oure sauiour when he was sent into the worlde This is my dearly beloued sonne heare you him He is the onely maister opener of the wisedome of his father Whiche wisedome who so lacketh let hym aske of hym that gyueth eueÌ„ of God that giueth vnto al men indiffereÌ„tly and casteth no maÌ„ in the teeth and he shall haue it But let him ashe in fayth nothynge doubting But alwayes vse the meanes that God hath appointed As for perfect vnderstanding of the scriptures it muste needes be graunted conuenient to haue the knowledge of the Hebrue greke and latine tonge to vse the diligent comparinge of the scriptures together and counsayle of learned teachers diuers interpretations writinges of men of all ages For hapely thou maist perceiue by one that thou canst not vnderstande by an other But for the pore lay man whiche can not haue these later healpes and furtheraunce let him be diligent in readynge the englishe text no faile God wyl graunt him so muche knowledge as shall be expedient for the ordering of his life And therefore maye he nothynge doubte but that his maister Christ which dyd vouchsafe to shed his bloude for him wyll also graunte vnto him so muche knoweledge as shall be thoughte meete for the sauing of that soule whiche he hath so dearly boughte And you muste alwayes beware that you call you no maister vpon earth to be sworne into any mans sayinges but haue you eye vnto the heauenly maister onely vpon whom onely resteth all trueth Where men be they doctours or byshoppes if they bringe not the word of God with them they are but lyars ⧠To the bishoppes IT maye well appeare what mindes you bishoppes haue to the furtheraunce of the knowledge of God by that you do with out cause fynde faute with the diligent translations of good men coÌ„demnyng them by your counsayles and yet wyl not traÌ„slate any parte thereof your selues Yea all your life and labours do teach vs plaine that you woulde stop oure eyes and leade vs captyâ—e in your blinde waies Therfore if we should folowe you beinge blinde guides false prophetes and Idole pastours we shall be styll scattered abrode in the blinde waies of ignoraunce we shall be led with your lyes euen
dignitie the maintenaunce of Idolatrie Popetrie hath caused the bishop to wryte his boke and to rayle agaynste the trueth And shall not the crowne of glorie whiche can neuer decaye the glory of the only euerlasting God steare faythful men to make answere for the trueth agaynst falsehode specially seinge that we haue thys playne testimonie spoken by the mouth of our sauiour He that confesseth me before men him wyl I confesse before my father that is in heauen and hym that denieth me before men shall I denie also before my father and his holy angels If I be blamed if I be imprisoned yea if I be burned for Christes cause the trueth yet am I happie by the opeÌ„ testimonie of Christ in Math. My name shall be restored in the heauens in the boke of lyfe to be a fayethfull witnesse I shalbe set at libertie for euer with Christ the sonne of God my bodie brent into ashes where it hath put of mortalitie shal be restored vnto me muche better immortall and incorruptible If I lose wyfe and childe father and mother I shal receiue for them an hundreth folde And for aduauntage aboue all for fâ—ll recoÌ„pence lyfe euerlasting Who wyl not be ammate and encouraged by such large promises ⧠God saue Kynge Edward from all errours God defende his tender age from all â—he subtile malice of al Hypocrites and trayâ—…urs The lyuyng God establishe his herte in the waye of the trueth for euer and euer So be it ⧠FINIS ⧠The Table A A Rehersall of the benefactours and founders of the Masse Fol. liij An Image can not be a womans husbande Fol. cxlij A declaration of the true churche Fol. lxv Augustine to Dardanius Fol. cxv A double errour Fol. cxxi At his departynge Christe commaunded his remembraunce to be celebrated Fol. cxlix A vaine muÌ„bling called the masse Fol. cxlix A double causion Fol. cl AbrahaÌ„ was iust before circumcisioÌ„ Fol. clxii An answere to the principal pointes after the Doctours Fol. clxvi A broade shauen crowne Fol. clxxi All men muste knowe etc. Fol. lxxviii Accidentes muste haue c Fol. lxxiiii A right bishop c. Fol. lxxv Al the workes of God c Fol. lxxix An apt similitude Fol. clxxxxvii Lit. Dd A shauen crowne c. Fol. clxxxxvii Dd A longe gowne Fol. clxxxxviii Dd An Englishe bishop Fol. ccvi Anne Askue Fol. cciiii B Beleue not euerie spirite Fol. xii Be no more Caparnaites Fol. xxxiiii By what fruite you may know theÌ„ Fol. xli Bonifacius putteth Christ out etc. fol. lxxii Bishops defende wyckednesse fol. cxxxix Baptisme is not estemed as it c fol. lxxxv Because all thinges are possible c. fol. clviii By the workes you shall etc. fol. lxxvii Beware of my Lordes lyes fol. clxxxxii Barnes fol. cciiii Bylnaye fol. cciii C Christ dyd not coÌ„secrate the bread fol. xxxvii Christ can not be eaten without fruite fol. xl Christes comyng is at hande fol. cxxxviii Christes fleshe gyueth lyfe fol. cxiv Christ is the verie vine fol. lxxxxvi Christ shal coâ—… againe visible fol. lxxxxvii Christ onely must be our bishop fol. clix Christ neuer preached traÌ„substaÌ„ c fol. clxiii Cato fol. ccvi D Doctour Buttes fol. cxli Damascen putteth water into c fol. cv DamasceÌ„ wil haue water made bloud fol. cv Damascen fol. cxi Dogges wyl not eate dogs fleshe fol. cxx Doctrine preached at Pauls crosse fo clxxxxi E Ecolampadius repented fol. ciii Exemples of mennes c fol. clxxxxii Cc. F Fewe are founde faythfull fol. lxvi Fyre can not preuayle fol. lxix Fayth receyueth Christes body fol. cxliii Feare not the breade God fol. clvii Fryth is not confuted fol. clxvii From the Elders c fol. clxxiiii Fishe prouoketh lust fol. clxxxx Fyl the bealy fol. ccvii G Go no farther theÌ„ your coÌ„mission fol. xxxvi God hath neuer forsakeÌ„ his churche fol. lxv God flryketh and healeth agayne fol. lxvii Gyue eare for God sayeth it fol. cxlv God regardeth them that worshippe hym in spirite fol. cl God is nere to euerie one of vs. fol. cli God is the father of spirites fol. cli God hath his ministers of venge c. fol. clii God giueth warning before ven c. fol. cliiij God is far in dette to his makers sol clvi God is not chaungable fol. clvi God accepteth iustice by fayth fol. clxiâ— God regardeth not the osferyng of signes or sacramentes fol. clxiii God ment vs good fol. clxiiii God regardeth none of our inueÌ„ c. fol. clxv God is pacient Fol. clxvii Gregorie Nazienzene Fol. clxxxvi Gods word must giue place c. Fol. clxxxix Gyue no eare c Fol. clxxxxiii Lit. Cc. H Howe full of iniquitie this time is Fol. xi Howe God giueth wisedome to al that aske it in fayth fol. xviii Howe the Papistes reason a posse c fol. xx He that hath eyes to see let him see fol. xxxv He that wyl fynde Christ fol. clx Hidra the monster fol. clxxxviii Howe fasting dryueth out c fol. clxxxx He that knoweth not God fol. lxxvii He that is once c fol. lxxix Holy water fol. cci Hunne fol. cciiii Husse fol. cciii I I woulde wishe my Lorde this c fol. xxxiii In two wordes lieth the whole etc. fol. xxxix If we wyl entre into Christes etc. fol. cxlv Iudas dyd not eate the body etc. fol. lxxxxiiii It is possible for God to chaunge etc. fol. cv Idols shal be brent fol. cxlvii Idols be thanked for Gods giftes fol. cliiii In what respect the fleshe of Christ was heauenly breade fol. clxi Iohn Lasselles fol. cciiii It is more easie to liue wel then Ill fol. clxix If thynges be auncient etc. fol. clxix If the prelates had had â–ª etc. fol. clxxiiii It is for the papistes profite fol. clxxvi K Knowledge of the senses fol. xli L Learne to eate the fleshe bloud c. fol. xxxiâ—i Learne to resist sophistrie fol xxxviii Learne to knowe the membres of Christes churche fol. lxviii Learne witte at the mouse fol. lxxxvi Let them that doubt etc. fol. clxvii Learne to auoyed offence etc. fol. clxxxiii Learne at the bishops to fast fol. clxxxiii Learne wherin to folowe Christ fol. clxxxvii Learne to knowe etc. fol. clxxxxix Dd M Marke what meate Christ c fol. xxxiii Marke howe God prouided etc. fol. lxvi Marke who hath ben the. c fol. lxx Maxentius the tirant fol. lxxi My Lorde woulde haue no traÌ„ c. fol. cxliii Marke the fruites of my lordes c. fol. lxxxii Marke my Lordes intent fol. lxxxâ—i Marke my Lordes sophistrie fol. lxxxvi My Lordes owne swerde stryketh of his heade fol. lxxxviii My Lordes wordes ende in ly fol. lxxxxv My Lorde hath loste his witnesse fol. câ—i My lordes similitudes serue not for his purpose fol. cvi Marke the constancie of the Doct. fol. cvii Marke thexaâ—…ation of these c. fol. cxxvi My lorde might haue ben asha c. fo cxxxvii Man hath made hâ—m Goddes fol. cxlviii More
that all such be put out from amonge my people And who so euer wilnot repēt this grosse errour beinge admonished be it knowen vnto them that they are not of my shepe For my shepe do heare my voice And being once raysed wyth my voice they wyll folowe no straunger but wil with open voice crie vnto the straunger and say Oh Idole shepeherde Al this haue I spokē because I your god am so opēly cōtemned and a weaks Idol embraced Gyue eare nowe and herken what I shal saye for my sonne whō I sent to be your sauiour and the onely sacrifice that can take awaye synne in my sight You make hym of none effect that so you maye establishe your owne glorious workes and sacrifices I was and am fully cōtented and satisfied wyth the offering of his body once done What neede is there then of your lyeinge sacrifice If his onely sacrifice be ynough as it is ynough more then ynough to satisfie for al what nedeth you to sacrifice and offer him vp again Wyl you or cā you kyl him againe For that which is sacrificed must needs be slayne and wythout bloude can there be no remission of sinnes I know your hertes bloudy bishops by the betrayinge of him whē he was in the earth amonge you nowe by the brennyng of his worde by the tirānous destroyinge of his flocke which wolde cal againe the memorie of his passiō which you haue extinguished wyth your sacrifice for the quycke the dead making it a cloke for your couetousnes and a buckler for the pompe and rigorous authoritie you chalendge ouer my litle flocke I appointed him priest according to the ordre of Melchisedech without successoure or felow I anointed him with the spiritual oile of my spirite that I mighte haue a bishop to offre vnto me sacrifice which should be pure and without spot whiche shoulde not neede many times to offer or to be offered but makinge al thynges perfecte by one onely offeringe of him selfe vnto me his father and by his bloude which all other sacrifices so oft iterated and repeted as thinges vnperfect dyd onelie signifie In this my dearly beloued sonne is my delyte He is the greate bishop whiche once for all hath entered into the place most holie And beinge founde lyke one of you in althings sinne only excepted he hath now penetrated and passed throughe into the heauens there to be your bishop for euer to offer hym selfe alwayes for you in my syghte by whom you maye come to the throne of my grace to haue healpe by tyme. If you wyl seeke any other bishoppe to offre for yo◠I tell you he is poluted and muste firste offre for hym selfe And because of the imperfection that is in hym he can not please me nor pacifie forhim selfe Yea you may also perceiue that his offeryng is vnperfecte or els should he not neede to reiterate it so oftē If you wil not be deceiued therfore sticke fast vnto the offering ofmy sōne once for all made for you And as I haue giuē him to the deth for your sakes so wyll I deny you nothinge that you aske in his name be you sure Hōse comethit that you be called christiās that Christ my sonne was for your sakes manifestly made man in the flesh was iustly declarede God by the spirite and shewed vnto the Angels and after receyued into glorie This must you beleue if you wyl be partakers of the same glorie That he was verie man as one of you are synne onely excepted conuersant vpon the earth in all humilitie care and miserie at my cōmaundemēt wherby for his obedience toward me he deserued to be ▪ crowned wyth a crown of glorie wherfore I sendynge the holye gost vnto you at his desyre whyche may teach you how you are become my chyldren by hym dyd take him vnto my selfe and raised him aboue al the heauēs euen to sitte at my ryght hand for euer Wher you shal seke him if you intende to find hime But neither here nor ther in ani corner of the earth He tolde you that he must departe from you And if you loke for my fauoure you muste not compt him a liar But wylt thou seke my sonne Lo he hath offered one offerynge for sinne and sytteth for euer at the ryght hande of me hys father lokynge for that whiche remayneth That is that hys enemies be made his fote stole And thus doeth my spirite witnes vnto you that in this my newe testamēt established in hys death your sinnes shoulde be done awaye so that I woulde no more remembre them Then if you beleue them to be forgyuen how can you offer for them any more It is a manifest token therfore that all you which wilbe styll sacrificeynge for your synnes do not beleue that they beforgeuē by the death of my sonne Christe You also whych wyll carnally and grosely eate hym and feade vpon hym as chaungeynge breade into hys fleshe can not worthly beleue vpon hym For he departeyngefrō the earth dyd cōmaund you to eate the bread of this supper which he louyngly called hys bodye for your weake remēbraunce and for the declaracion of the benefite which he then shewed vnto all the faythful beleuers in hys death and bloud shedeynge For the declaracion and remēbraunce I saye of this benefite he cōmaunded all his faythful folowers brotherly to deuide amonge them the bread and wyne so ofte as they woulde eate or drynke in the remembraunce of hym whom they shoulde not haue any longer presently conuersant amonge them For he was then commynge vnto me his father for your profyte And therfore byddeth he you do this thynge in the remēbraunce of hym wyll you then know what it is to do the worke that he commaundeth you or to worke the meate that ne neuer perisheth whiche meate he promised to geue vnto you and I haue sēt him downe and appointed hym for the same purpose If you wil knowe this worcke reade in the. vi of Iohn wher you shal learne that the worke of God is to belieue in hym whome he hath sent This is al that you can geue me This is all that I require at your handes I geue you therfore the breade of life if you can receiue it by faieth vnfainedlie That is to say trusteinge to my promise onely in the death of my sonne and to none other creature Yea my sonne is this breade of lyfe and he that cometh vnto hym shall not be hongry he that beleueth in hym shal not be thirsty And thys he tolde you was my wyll and pleasure that who so euer doeth see him and beliue in hym hath euerlasteynge lyfe For thys is the lyfe euerlasteynge to knowe me and to knowe my sonne whome I haue sent Iesu Christe By thys knoweledg do the Angelles and blessed spirites lyue reioyce and take their comfort Thys is the heauenlye fode Thys is the Manna that comethe frome heauen Therfore so muche haste