or â—haung him into a peice of bread in your temples and kepe him out in one host consecrate as you call it but in a thousande cakes as you would haue it what lyke reasone of conparisoÌ„e is betwen Christ teaching in the temple verie man as the scriptur witnesseth and al the people sawe and hard and your ImaginacioÌ„ of Christ god and man to be presently at one time vpon infinite aulteres whiche no scriptureâ—…oâ—s nameth nor eye can espye nor reasone approue Yea further wher you haue no place of scripture to tech that Christ was euer in two teÌ„ples at once or in ii places at one time preseÌ„t in bodelie preseÌ„ce coÌ„uersaÌ„t Therfore wyll I set Stephane the fyrste martyr agaynst the Auctorite of Stephane Gardinar And if men be not blynded wyth this man bycause he is a byshope I doubte not but the fyrst StephaÌ„ shall haue the more Credite The first Stephan agaynst the hypocrityshe byshopes of the olde law bosting of Solomons temple and the holynesse ther onely estemed confirmed wyth hys death that God doeth not dwell in the temple of Solomon though it pleased hym afore tym to shewe therin the tokens of hys fauoure powre most preseÌ„tly vnto al them that firmlye and stedfastly called vpon his â—…her but he confessed wyth the prophet Esai that the heauen is hys seate and the earth is hys fote stole The hyghest therfore dwelleth not in any temple made wyth mans hande For what house sayeth the prophet caÌ„ you build vnto me or what place shall I reste in hath not myn handes made al these thynges sayeth the Lorde If thys be not cleare testimonye ynough marke what Paul witnesseth wyth StephaÌ„ God whyche made thys worlde and all thynges that are in it seynge he is the Lorde of heauen and earthe he dothe not dwel in teÌ„ples made wyth manes hande c. These iii. faythfull wytnesses Esai the prophet Stephane the fyrst martir and Paul the Apostle are more worthy to be beleued and may be followed wyth lesse daunger then half a dosen braggeynge englyshe byshopes I mean suche as you are whych would haue suche a newe chaunglynge churche as shal not be founde agayn throughout the worlde Of the worde institucioÌ„ and how that the papistes do make Christe to haue a bodie Imaginatyue or phantastical THat you do vse here thys worde the institutioÌ„ of Christ agaynst the whych word you do dispute so spit fully in your boke folowing I am glade you may be found your own coÌ„fonÌ„der And now I trust you wyll gyue vs leaue to name the institution of Christe because you beynge a bishope do vse thys terme institution But let passe suche triflynges Agayn that by the alteracion of place the bodie is not multiplied but is all wayes one the same bodie in x. thousaÌ„de places at once Thys you do affyrme in effect though your termes be darkened wyth variacion the application and Alteracion because you are ashamed to speake playnly All meÌ„ that haue any wyt reasone or knowlege may per ceaue your folly And especially by that you haue â—oâ— other thyng to proue your impossible proposition but that the Imagination of man may be in so many places Oh wicked bishoppe wylt thou make Christe to haue â—n Imaginatiue bodie lyke vnto mans Imaginacion or phantasie how standeth thys wyth the argument of Paul wherin resteth the chiefe hope of our resurrection If Christ be rysen sayeth he so shall we ryse agayne If his fleash therfore be otherwise theÌ„ ours shalbe as no doubt it is if it be lyke the Imaginacion of man beynge in euery place wheÌ„ it lusteth then is thys argumeÌ„t of Paul but vayne Agayn if our bodies shalbe thus able to be in all places when we shall ryse agayn then shall we not ryse lyke men but lyke spirites Yea lyke gods Surely Paul in that he sayeth that we shalbe lyke the heauenly AdaÌ„ and beare the Image of him like as we haue borne the Image the earthely maketh Christ verie man which must be the fyrst fruites of them that rise agayne And therfore our only hope of resurrection is that as he dyd aryse so shall we in our fleash see our God Thyâ— assersion of yours calleth agayn the errour of Marcion if it be not resisted And your doctour Damascen can scantly excuse hym selfe of the same heresie The philosophers that â–ª saied anima est tota in toto et tota in qualibet parte the whole in the whole y e whole in eueri part thei could not se howe it was yet neuertheles toke it so to be yet what a coÌ„tradictioÌ„ is it to saye the parte is the whole And further do not the wordes of men spoken to a multitude passe wholely to euery one of the hearers eares indyfferently that sta de wythin the coÌ„passe of hearynge And if the matter be intelligible to them al do not eche one heare and vnderstande one as moche as an other beynge the speach but of one and not diminished by the participation of the multitude You brynge in for similitudes these thynges that are so fare contrarie as can be For what can be more vâ—lyke and disagreyng in theyr proprities then the soule and the bodye than the voyce of a man and the man hym selfe what a blynde reasone is thys The soule is spred thorow out the body ergo the bodie may be scatered into places infinitely distant What reasone is in thys The voice and wordes of man may be harde of an infinite numbre Ergo Christ as he is verie maÌ„ may be in al places innumerable vnlese you wyll make Christ to haue a phantasticall bodie as the sophisters dispute whether a voice haue a bodie or no. As for your excuse because your own coÌ„science doth pricke you wherin you say that these similitudes do nothynge attayne to expresse thys your mysterie you deserâ— lyke thankes wyth Albinus that was ouer busie in writting the hystories of the which he professed him selfe ignorant You saie they be in many thinges vnlike but you can shewe nothing wherein they be like but in your Imaginacion If you woulde haue proued by similitudes that Christes bodye is in many places at once you should haue shewed and declared vnto vs that some one bodye hath bene in two places at once and than we woulde haue beleued you Or thus myght your similitude haue serued The soule of man is spred thorowout hys membres and so like wyse is the spirite of Christ spred tho row out his church which coÌ„sisteth of his spiritual members compareinge thus spiritual thinges vnto spiritual and not spiritual vnto bodilily for they differ moste clearely in the thynges wherin you woulde haue them lyke For the bodie by the creation of God hath alwayes his determinate quantitie and therfore his certaine place But as the spirite for lacke of quantitie occupieth no place so can it not be in anie place circuÌ„scribed or
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
do it before I knowe I shoulde commit Idolatrie Which thyng was ful wel considered of the olde counsayles for they did forbid kneleing vpon the same daies in these misteries Now your maÌ„ scrapeth together certayne figures out of the olde teastament to be the figures of thys figuâ—e And yet they serue little for your purpose The cole that Esai sawe the bread and wine of Melchizedeche the bread of proposicioÌ„ make verie litle for thys purpose but that you muste wreaste some what leste you be vtterly destituted of scriptures Let al men that dare for feare of your threatninges read the scriptures iudge the places Nowe concerneinge your vnbloudie sacrifice it is to be noted you wil haue hym eaten bodie bloud bones and sacrificed againe for sins and yet you saye it is no bloudie sacrifice I thinke no maÌ„ wil be so mad as once to take your parte herin notwithstandeinge the text of Malachie the prophet which you rehersse for your purpose but nothyng to the purpose From the easte to the west sayeth he my name is greate a monge the heathen and euerie where do they bren inseÌ„se and offer vnto my name euen a pure offeringe for great is my name among the heathen saieth the Lorde of hostes Al men maye easily perceiue how litle this maketh for your purpose It is harde shifte of scriptures when you brynge in suche places for your purpose as do rather make agaynst you then wyth yow as here after this shalbe declared to do That the bodie of Christ can not be chaâ—ged into our corruptioÌ„ euery man knoweth and beleueth and this is one reasone that moneth vs to saye that this bread which is receyued into our mouthes and so goeth into the stâ—â—alie and somtyme is vomited vp againe as we haue seue in speke folke somtyme goeth forth other wayes is nothynge the fygure set aparte but verie breade the substaunce nothinge chaunged Wher your doctour hath learned to caâ— it the remedie for all diseases and vpon what coÌ„sideratioÌ„ you terme it the armoure of defence from all adâ—â—yaunce the fyer that tryeth out golde the purgacion of all fylth and diseases I caÌ„ not tel I know no such tytles it hath by the scriptures though your doctour alledge the apostle for his purpose Notwithstâ—dyng make it what you wyll so you make it not God settynge it vp as an Idole to be worshyped I wyll neither coÌ„â—eÌ„d nor striue agaynst you But the lorde that made bothe heauen and the earthe he is the lorde besydes whoÌ„ ther is none other God â–ª He is the true God and sauiour and ther is none but he He is the cole that consumeth wickednes He is the fyre that purgeth and clenseth He is the lorde the lyuynge God As for the healeyng of all diseases I doubt not but the phisicians wyll answer you Your doctour dareth not brynge in the sentence of the Apostle truly as it is for fear least we shulde call it breade as the Apostle doeth But he sayeth who so euer eateth the bodie and bloude vnworthelye he eateth and drynketh condemnation to hym selfe And this semeth quite coÌ„trary to the text of Iohn which he cited but a lytle before he that eateth me shall lyue for doubtlesse Christe can not be eaten wythout profyte He beyng the foode of lyfe bryngeth lyfe to all them that once may fede of hys fleashe For thys cause sayeth Christe if any man be thyrsty let hym cum vnto me and drynke He that beleueth in me the flouds of lyuing water shall flowe forth of hys bealy But he that beleueth not is condemned all ready Thus do we either eate thys sacrament of Christes death wyth fayt he and theÌ„ haue we lyfe aboundantly or els nothyng regardyng the bodie and bloude wherof we shold be partakers spiritually in thys sacramente we offend in vnbelyfe or lacke of charitie Both the which thynges Paule laieth to the charge of the Corinthians and therfore biddeth he them Iudge them selues leste they be condemned wyth the worlde Agayne where your doctour sayeth that thys bread is the fyrste fruites of the bread to come coÌ„pare his laste wordes to the same and you shall se he speaketh lyke a doctour These be hys wordes though you cloke theÌ„ wyth your interpretacion They are called the examples of thynges to come Not that they are not the verye bodye and bloude of Christ in verie dede but bycause that by theÌ„ we be made nowe partakers of the Godhed of Christe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But then by the contemplacion of the minde by the onely vision If thys mans doctryne be true we haue not onely the fruites in this life but the veri fulnesse For we haue Christ bodilye and are also partakers of the God heade Yet in time to come we shall haue hym by the vision of the mynde onely as he affirmeth in hys last lines Oh how moch better were it to followe the open scriptures then blynde doctoures For the scriptures teach that now we do see â—…t in a darke shadow wheras after this life in the newe Ierusalem we shall se face to face Then shall we knowe as we be knowne â–ª we shall eate and drynke at hys table Yea no tonge caÌ„ tel no eie hath senâ— or eare heard neither hath it entred into the herte of man The glorie that God hath prepared for theÌ„ that loue hym Excuse your authour as wel as you can from the heresie of the Marcionistes he muste needes be in the daunger thereof so longe as he reasoneth that Christes bodie is a spirite For a spirite hath neither fleshe nor bones Agayne when your doctour taketh vpon hym to make gloses he descanteth vpon the wordes of the godly enstructed Basilius and when he calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the exemple your marchaunt sayeth that he spake this of the breade and wyne before the consecration I praye you who was euer so mad to say that it did signifie any thinge before it was taken to this holy vse but that it was commune breade as other is whiche we eate Then gyueth he warning like a doctour that heretikes shoulde haue no parte hereof leste the margarites be caste vnto hogges notwithstanding that Christ suffered Iudas to be parte taker thereof I knowe you are a great lawier bishoppe Stephane and haue bene muche vsed in the triynge of wytnesses I praye you what creâ—ite should suche a man haue that is founde fantie so many tymes in so small examination ⧠The foundation whereupon oure fayth is grounded BUt I do take our doctours and reade them wyth lyke iudgement as I do the Rabines of the Hebrues That is to say to be meÌ„ learned and highly endued with knowledge of secret thynges and therefore that they caÌ„ open deaply hid misteries But yet al men of iudgemeÌ„t may know that they haue their gyftes but vnto a certeyne measure and as they are meÌ„ so do they erre many tymes in the mattiers
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
Christ Think not straing that the thing is writteÌ„ in the persone of God for al truth is of god Gâ—ie pacient eare therfore vnto our God sayth as we haue done toyour deuill sayth al thys while The coÌ„plaint of God against Idolatours HEare the worde of the Lorde thou proud Babilon Thou people of Sodome spirituall Egipt heare the word of the Lord For asmoche as the lord Iesu Christ is daily crucified daily slayn daily set forth in mocking sacrifice the bloud of the testameÌ„t is trodeÌ„ vnder fote and the arke of the couenaÌ„t is driuen awaye He that despiseth the lawe of Moyses sayth the Lorde is vnder ij or iij. witnesses condemned and howe muche more shall he be punished that treadeth vnder foâ—e the sonne of god despiseth his word and doeth vnhalow the bloude of the testament whereby he was saÌ„ctified and worketh coÌ„tumeliously against the spirite of grace It is God O you prynces of Sodom that geueth sentence in thys matter Before the hygh Iudge shall you be condemned you seed of Babilon because it hath pleased God to admonishe you fyrst bi Moyses and then by the prophetes and last of al by his own sonne to turne into the way of trueth But you contrarie wise do wyllingly folow the waye of wickednes And wheras the Lord sendeth daiely for the fruite of his viniâ—â—rd â–ª you entreate his seruants at your pleasure Some of them you do beate some other you slea and that more is you do neither reuerence nor forbeare his onely begotten sonne but rageynge like men in a furye you haue with one whole consent taken him slain him and cast him out of the vyneyarde which was his own enheritaunce Heare therfore theÌ„ wicked nacioÌ„ and know that he whom thou hast caste awaye in the corner stone where vpon whatso euer buylding is stablisshed it groweth vp to be a holi temple vnto the Lord and who so euer doeth fall vpon this stone he shalbe shakeÌ„ in pieces which thynge the Iewes stoÌ„blyng vpon his humiliti do shew vnto the world to haue â–ª ben truly spoken euen lyke as the ruâ—nâ— of the gentyls shall shortly declare vpon whom 〈…〉 uer thys stone shall fal for he shal most spedily be broken to powder that the whole world mai at leÌ„gh lerne how horible a thing it is to fall into the handes of the lyuynge God whose vengaunce is sore and greuouse against his enemies Lyke as his mercy is redie towarde the chyldren of mercy the Niniuites for an example who at the preachinge of Ionas onely dyd penaunce in ashes and sakclothe and so escaped the aduengeynge haÌ„d of the almighti But you that liue now in the later ende of the worlde beynge admonishede by a thousande oracles and warninges of the prophetes threateninge battail famine an pestilence do not chaunge your wycked purpose but suffer all the wordes of Chryst his prophetes and Apostles concernynge the wrath of God in the later dayes to be spokeÌ„ in vayn No man renueth his herte no man chaungeth his maners Ther is not one that doeth good no not one But the more that your wyckednese is opened by the scripturs the more that Moyses chasteneth your malice the more earnestly that my true messengers sayeth the Lord would drawe you froÌ„ your errours so much the more fyersly you resiste my spirite boastyng forth your powre wysdom and counsels so filled wyth your owne â—…es and subtyl inuencions that you resist all spiritual knowledge and nourishe euen agaynste your conscience these gros er rours and carnal blindnesse not much vnlike vnto Cayn your forefather whiche not beynge coÌ„tented with the dignitie of the firste birth neither yet restrained bi the word of chastimeÌ„t killed his brother Abel deseruyng no suche thing at his hande I praye you what did Pharao and the Egiptians when they were admonished by Moyses and Aaron but in resisteing the opeÌ„ wil of God heap vp his displeasure against theÌ„ Herode also and the wicked phariseis alwaies persecuteynge the Iust and ascribing the workes of the spirite to the powre of Belzebub or the deuyll with sinneing against coÌ„science brought ven geaunce vpon theyr heades So doeth the world saith the Lorde alwaies striue against the spirite And this is the onely sinne that coÌ„demneth the world that I send forth the ligh of the spirite to driue awaie the darkenesse of vyce errour and men loue darkenesse more theÌ„ lyght It is my vse sayeth the Lorde allwayes to send forth my worde before I iudg the worlde that they whych with brasen forheades and IroÌ„ neckes do obstinatly opprese the trueth â–ª shoulde haue nothynge to excuse theyr synne Thus dyd I send Noe and Loth before I destroyed the worlde wyth water and the. v. cyties wyth fier Thus haue I seÌ„t my prophetes also to gyue warneynge vnto Israell and Iuda of my wrath toward them And this same ordre do I obserue coÌ„tinually like as Iam the same god to dai to morewo and for euermore And now shortly I must go into IudgmeÌ„t Wherfore morne houle Oh you wicked vpon the miseries whyche shal chaunce vnto you you I say whych are the inueÌ„ters of new Idols and the dispisers of me your euerlasteing God For your god in whom your hope resteth shal perish And wheÌ„ you shal strech forth your handes vnto heaueÌ„ yet wil I not here you saith the Lord because you haue made you Idols wyth the same handes that you lyft vp towarde me Your Idoles therfore shall be turned into sparkes of fyre your selues into stubble ther shalbe none to quentche it Once I wyl awake and not alwayes suffer so greate reproch as to be dispiced where a dead Idole whiche hath neither sense moueynge lyfe nor breath shall be receyued and embraced It is I I saye that doeth gyue lyfe and breath to al creatures it is I that lend streÌ„gh and all the natural powres whyche you do mispeÌ„d in making of your Idoles vtterly for gettynge that I am the same that made your parent Adam vnto myne owne likenes I adourned and decked hym wyth no smal gyfts Reason and iudgemeÌ„t I gaue him and ordeyned hym gouernour ouer al other creatures You haue forgotten also that immediatly after this my great mercie shewed vnto youre said parent He despising the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of me hys creatour chose rather to be subiect vnto the most vile creature of al foloyng the Idole of his owne herte thaÌ„ to cleaue firmely to my worde Thys newfound God therfore doeth vnto thys daye dwell vnder my cursse and shal do for euer and shall crepe on his breaste sucking therth in steade of his breade Yet haue I not vtterly for saken this your rebelliouse kinde at diuers and sundrie tymes Firste I called againe to my mercie the same your forefather who by the remorsse of his coÌ„science fled my sight Againe after that man kinde was encreased and wickednesse dyd growe more and more in so much that if I
Coulde it neuer in all the tyme that you haue founde out these grosse bodily gods enter into your hertes to searche for me the lyuynge God but accordynge to your owne grossenesse deuiynge in your wordes and de spisynge in your doing my prouideÌ„ce graun tynge that I dwell in the heauens nothynge careful of mans doinges And therfore euen lyke the olde Israelites you wyl haue gods that shal go before you whoÌ„ you wyll saluâ—… with a longe rabble of salutatioÌ„s with manifolde gestures and curtesies and with vayne imaginations of mans commaundementes But oh so far as the heaueÌ„ is from the earth so far as the east is from the west so far are my waies from your waies and my thoughtes from your thoughtes I the Lorde which trouble the seas and their floudes do raigne The Lorde of hostes is my name I am the selfe same that I am wont to be Terrible vn to the kynges of the earth Doth it nothynge moue you that I daylye chaunge so manye kyngdomes I drowne the proude Pharaos in the deape sea I subdue wyth worthy aduengeaunce the cruell Adonibesech I put to flight the blasphemous Senacherib gaue hym the death that he deserued I passe wyth silence Nabuchodonosor a terrible example vnto kinges and his sonne Balthaser I pas with silence howe neyther wyth their bowe nor sword but bi mi mighti arme I subdued vnto the Israelites xxx kynges The Cananites Heuites Iebusites Amoristes Herites Ferisites and Gargasites And this people Israel cheifely chosen and most dearely beloued I dyd clearly forsake when they fell from me the lyuyng God I gaue them first to the Babilonians and after to the Grekes and last of all to the Romaynes to whom I gaue power to spoyle my people and scatter theym throughoute all the worlde as you se this day Now seyng that I am the same God and no changelyng how chaunceth it that the posterite folowyng doth not feare like distruction But the children fed with my benefites and filled therwyth do leape froÌ„ me as their fathers did before countyng their woul flax oyle and grayne to be preserued by theyr Idols geuyng me thankes for nothynge and yet do I minister all these thynges vnto theÌ„ aboundauntly geuyng meat euen to the byrdes of the crowes But because this people doth not know that I haue geuen theÌ„ graine wyne siluer and golde whych they haue offered vnto Idols abusing my creatures therfore wyl I turne and take awaye my corne and my graine in the time thei loke for it and the wyne in hys tyme appoynted I wil also deliuer my creature from the bondage of corruption vnder the wych it mourneth subiect vnto vanitie And I shal cause all ioye and solemne feastes to sease and I wyl destroye the vinepard and the figge trees which you haue called the giftes of your Gods whych you set vp to be your helpers and defenders Twyse mad ye are therefore bothe for that you forsake me the fountaine of liuyng water and also that you dygge broken cisterns that holde no water Hiterto haue I the lord of hostes made complaynt agaynst al nacions for al kyndes of Idolatrie But nowe gyue eare vnto my wordes whiche I shall speake agaynste an Idoll but weake in power and small in substaunce but yet notwithstandynge in the delusion of the people he hath gotten great strength and thorowe feyned miracles is merueylously maynteyned yea and that so styfly wyth sworde and fyre that the blynde worlde knoweth none other God Of thys Idoll it is wrytten O priest haue not I created the and gyuen the power to create me Whiche intollerable blasphemie beinge so greate derogation vnto my gloriouse maiestie who onely haue created all thynges of noughte I can no longer suffre But before I take open veÌ„geaunce I wyl gyue warnyng vnto the maynteyners therof wyllynge them to haue recourse vnto the brute beastes the oxe and the Asse and learne at them to knowe their duties towarde their Lorde and maister their creatoure and maker What madnesse is it that causeth these madbraynes to compte thys newe made Idoll their creatoure or that it is possible for the creatoure to be created of mortall men and miserable wretches No I their creatour and maker haue made them but once where they boaste and bragge that they haue made me thousande milions of tymes whereby they brynge me so farre in their dept that the residue of my benifites are not able to recompence and satisfie But nowe they begynne to wax ashamed of these open wordes for my seruauntes haue of late layed them â—ore to theyr charge But yet they cloke the mattiâ—r wyth newe founde blasphemies Nowe they saye God consecrateth hym selfe into the fourme of breade and wyne But yet pretily when the Byshoppe gyueth his holy orders then he gyueth power vnto euerie shauelynge to consecrate thys chaungelynge So that the yonge priest comynge home to the parishoners telleth them strayghte waye that he is aboue Emperours and Kynges and doeth farre excell the Angelles For he can make that thynge whiche wyll be made of none other but of them only that be marked by the beast for the same purpose Thys wretche be he neuer so abominable in liuing thinketh that by the â—…bling of iiij wordes ouer a cake he shal cause my sonne which is the expresse Image and liuely resemblaunce of my substaunce euen equall wyth me in power to come downe at his call and to be chaunged God and man into a vile wafer whyche chaunge they haue wyth deceyueable termes named the consecratynge of hym into the fourme of breade But awaye wyth thys grosse blyndenesse O you sophisters for all men may perceiue that you loue to walke in darkenesse Accordynge to your grosse and carnall imaginations therefore and after the dulnesse of your capacities whiche can perceyue no spirituall thynges because you are not borne of the spirite I wyll begynne to talke wyth you to see whether a rude and fleshly talke in matteir that shal be open vnto the commune senses and iudgement of all men maye cause you to herken to my voice and perceiue your owne blyndenesse Oh howe grosse opinions haue you conceyued of me the Lorde God Howe leudly do you esteme my power infinite whiche do thynke it possible that I the lyuynge God creatoure and maker of heauen and earth shoulde be chaunged or woulde be consecrated into breade wyne stocke stone or any other creature Thys is not consecration or holy makynge but thys is contamination polutinge and defilyng of the name of God wyth intollerable blasphemies My sacrate maiestie to brynge you out of doubte and erroure O you miserable men can suffre no suche alteration nor chaunge of fourmes insensible Wherefore if ye require in me the God incomprehensible the poeticall chaunges of Iupiter you are worse theÌ„ mad For I am 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am I haue bene and shall be I am God euermore and not chaunged What comparison can
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
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