that is called vnperfecte hath these woordes If therfore it be so daungerous a thynge to remoue and applye to pryuate vses and occupynge these halowed vesseles in the whyche is not the veray true bodye of Chryste but onely the mistery of his bodye conteined c. And howe we ought to clyme vp into heauen when we do receyue the communion if we wyll haue the fruicion of Christes bodye thesame Chrysostome dooeth also expounde in his fower and twentieth homilie vpon the fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians and the tenthe chapitur where he thus sayeth he geueth a commauÌ„dement vnto vs that with al possible concord and loâ—e we come vnto him and that we beeyng made Angels in this lyfe should flygh vp into heauen or rather aboue the heauens For sayth he whersoeuer the carkesse is there wyll the Eagles be also The lorde he calleth a carkesse because of his death For vnlesse he had dyed we should not haue arisen agayn And he calleth vs Eagles to shew that whosoeuer commeth to this body must earnestly endeuour to clyme vp on high and muste haue no felowshyp with the yearthe nor bee drawen to the thynges that are beneth as it were one styll crepyng by the grounde but that he must alwayes flighe vp to the thynges that be aboue and must beholde the sunne of righteousnesse and also muste haue the yie of the hert most sharpe and quicke For this is a table for mounting Eagles and not for pratlyng Iaies Also thesame Chrysostome vpon the syx and twentieth chapitur of Matthew in his fower skore and thyrd homelie They were takynge theyr iourneye out of Egipt into Palestine wearyng therefore the wede of a wayfaryng man and shall thâ—â—ouÌ„tyng be froÌ„ heuen doun to the earth And in the thyrd booke entiteled de sacerdotio that is of priesthode Thinkest thou that thou artâ— conuersaunt and abidynge emong mortall men in yearth wylt thou not rather sodainly bee remoued vp into heauen Dooest thou not cast a waye all thynkynge of the fleashe and behâ—ldest with a single minde and with a pure hert the thinges that are in heauen Austen Austen vnto Bonifacius hath all these thynges after thesame ordre tenour saying the tyme of Ester drawyng nigh we saye thys daye or the daye after to morowe did Christ dye On the sondaie we saie Thys daye arose Chryste from death And Baptisme is feith and the sacramente of the bodye of Chryste is Chrystes bodye The thinge that is absente is spoken of the thing preseÌ„t We see that in all these forsayde saiynges the thynge absente is really spoken of the thinge presente The same Austen vpon the fifty fowerth psalme The head was in heauen and sayed why dooest thou persecute me we are in heauen wyth hym thoroughe hope and he is in yearth wyth vs thorough loue And in the hundreth and nyneteenth epystle to Ianuaryus Wherfore did he vnto that persecutour whome he threwe downe wyth hys voice and did in amanier eate hym transportynge hym into hys bodye Wherfore I saie dyd he to that persecutour calle down from heauen and saye Saule Saule why dooest thou persecute me c. Also vpon Iohn in the thirtieth treactise and the same is cyted in the tytle of the decrees de consecratione that is to saye of consecracion in the seconde distinccion in the chapytur begynnynge prima quâ—dem The lorde is aboue howebeit the lorde beeynge the trueth is here also For the lordes bodye whereyn he arose muste nedes bee in one place But his trueth is dyspersed and spred abrode in all places Item vpon Iohn in the fiftyeth treactise thus he sayeth For after hys maiestee after his prouidence after hys vnspeakeable and inuisible grace it is fulfyl ledde that was spoken of hym Beholde I am wyth you vnto the worldes ende But after the fleashe whyche the woorde tooke vpon him accordynge to hys beeyng borne of the virgyn as touchynge hys beeynge taken of the Iewes beeynge nailled vpon the tree beeynge taken down frome the crosse beeynge wrapped in lynnen clothes beeynge layed in the sepulchre and as touchynge that he was manifested and did plainly appere after his resurreccion it is fulfylled that he saied Ye shall not haue me alwayes presente with you Wherfore because he was conuersaunt in hys bodyly presence by the space of fowertye dayes wyth his disciples and they awaiting vpon hym by seyng him but not by folowing him he asceÌ„ded vp into heauen bothe true it is that he is not here for he sitteth there on the right haÌ„de of his father also that he is preseÌ„t there for he is not gone awai with the preseÌ„ce of his maieste Otherwise after the preseÌ„ce of his maieste we haue christ alwais with vs after the preseÌ„ce of his fleash it was rightly said of him to his disciples But as for me ye shal not alwayes haue with you For the Churche had hym after the presence of the fleashe but a few dayes now it holdethe and hathe him styll throughe seithe but with the bodelye yies it seethe hym not â—â—amine this place by AusteÌ„s workes And thesame Austen agayne vpoÌ„ the Epistle of Iohn wel toward the ende of the epistle Therfore our Lord Iesus Christ did for this cause ascend into heauen because he sawe that many would honour him and he sawe that their honouryng of hym is vnprofitable vnto them if they trample and trede his membres on yearth And to the entâ—nte that no man should erre and whan he wurshipped the head in heaueÌ„ he should trede the feete on yearth he tolde where his membres should be For he spake his last woordes euen whan he was readye to ascende vp into heauen and after the same woordes he spake nomore vpon yearth The head beeyng about to asceÌ„d vp to heauen commended his membres on yearth Thou fyndest hym to speake but it is in heauen down from heauen And why because his membres wer troden vpon yearth For vnto Paule beyng a persecutour of hym he saied froÌ„ aboue Saule Saule why dooest thou persecut me I am ascended vp into heauen but I doe yet styl lie as an abiect on the earth I sitte here at the right hande of my father but there on yearth I dooe yet still houngre thirst and am as a straungier How than did he commande his bodie on yearth whaÌ„ he was about to asceÌ„de vp to heaueÌ„ Whan hys disciples demaunded of hym lorde wylt thou at this tyme restore the kyngdome of Israel And he beeyng eueÌ„ at the veray point to bee gon froÌ„ theim thus aunswered It belongeth not to you to knowe the tymes whiche the father hath putte in hys owne power But ye shal receiue power of the holy goste why â—he shall come vpon you And ye shal bee witnesses vnto me in Hierusalem See ye what waie he spredeth his bodie abrode and see ye where he wil not haue himself troden vpon Ye shall bee vitnesses vnto me in Hierusalem and in all Iewrie
coÌ„municate of one bread i. Cor. xi In another place As ofteÌ„ as ye shal eate this bread ye shal shewe the Lordes death vntill he come Also whosoeuer shal eate this bread and drinke this cuppe of the Lorde vnworthilye shall be guiltie of the bodye and bloud of the Lorde Lastly Leat a maÌ„ examine himselfe and so leat him eate of that breade and drinke of that cuppe Forasmuche as these wordes and saiynges of Paule are clere and open therfore if an Aungel from heauen shall preache other doctrine accursed bee he In dede I could here haue brought in that is often and in soondrie places of Scripture mencioned of breakyng bread To breake breade a coÌ„mon phâ—ase of the Hebrues but yet because I se that suche phrase of speakyng maye be taken in another sence as it wer spoken of the vulgar and common foode of people as for example in the fiftie ninth chapitur of the prophet Esai Breake thy bread vnto the houngry and in the fowerth chapitur of the Lamentacions of Hieremie Their litel babes craued breade there was none to breake it vnto theÌ„ therfore I leaue out all suche places will allege for this purpose none but strong reasons and substanciall Forasmuche therfore as the places of Paule aboue cited are plain and euident thei ought to bee taken accordyng to the playn woordes without any ferther gloses A sophistical obieccioÌ„ or addicions But some make a sophisticall cauillacion that it is called by the name of breade because of the natures whiche are chaunged and to vse thesame phrase of speaking that suche sophisters dooe thei affirme thesame to be a denominacion a termino a quo that is froÌ„ the point that it came fro that is to saye it hath the name of breade because it was once breade and now chaunged from breade or out of breade And for confirmacion herof thei allege other lyke places out of Scripture As whan the Serpent that was made of Aarons rodde deuoured the Serpentes of Pharao his Magians or wisemen whiche thei also had made of their roddes it is sayed in the Scriptures that Aarons rodde deuoured the Serpentes of the Magiaâ—s Also man is in diuerse and many places of Scripture called yearth because that mans body was fyrst made therof Also the woman was called of Adam a bone of his bones and fleashe of his fleashe because God fourmed and shaped hir therout Aâ— auÌ„swere to the obieccioÌ„ afore goyng But these and all other lyke obieccions are made in vaine For in the holy scriptures is conteyned open and playne mencion of these conuersions so that the necessitie of the storie and of the woordes enforceth driueth vs to suche tropes that is to saye to suche phrases of speakyng and therfore we admitte and receiue them But nowe leat these felowes likewise on their part first declare and proue out of the holy scriptures suche a conuersioÌ„ or chauÌ„ge to bee made that is to wete of breade and wyne into the body and bloud of Christ and than will we grauÌ„t and yelde vnto them the abouesaid tropes also which is that it is called breade not because it is breade still but because it was breade afore And to thesame effect and purpose it is that thei ferther allege If a maÌ„ had geuen me wyne which wyne did immediately weaxe soure I hauyng in my punchâ—on or vessel thesame beyng now turned into vineagre might verai well saie This is your wine not for that it is wyne at this present but because it had been wyne to fore But there of the conuersion of wyne into vine agre the sense of tastyng dooeth iudge whiche thyng in the sacramente doeth not happen where neither any of the fiue senses nor any reason Aâ—other sophisâ—ical obieccion nor yet the holye Scripture enforceth vs to confesse or graunt any suche coÌ„uersion or chauÌ„ge to bee made They obiect also another place out of the second chapitur of S. Ihons ghospell Whan the maister of the feast had tasted the water that was now made wyne c. Wherby thei well declare proue the wyne newely made of Christ by miracle to kepe yet styl the name of water But the Euangeliste did not saye water and there leaue The auÌ„swer but he sayed water now made wyne But in al the holy scripturâ—s they shall not fynde anye suche declaracion concernyng the Sacrament that the breade is saied to be conuerted or chaunged into the body of Christe Thei take also their refuge sometimes vnto the sixth chapitur of Ihon Another obieccioÌ„ so that thei affirme the Apostle in the places aboue cited to name it breade not wheaten breade nor any other common breade but the Lordes body whiche in the sixth chapitur of Ihon is called by the name of bread where Christ saied I am the bread of life The answer But agaynst theÌ„ it maketh that Paule saieth The bread whiche we breake is it not a participacion of Christys bodye The mâ—teriall bâ—eade of the Sacrament Whiche cannot conueniently agree with Christes body that it should bee broken forasmuche as it is written a bone of hym shall ye not breake But these so fewe and high witted men althoughe thei haue fouÌ„d in the sixth chapitur of Ihon that Christe called himselfe breade yet where will thei finde I beseche you that he hath at any tyme called hymselfe wyne For in this supper the one parte of the Sacrament is called wyne although by a strauÌ„ge manier of speaking as appereth in those woordes in the gospell expressed I wyl not from hensefoorth drinke of this fruiâ—te of the vynetree c And it is a thyng out of doubt to all men lyuyng that oâ—te of the vine trees is produced brought foorth not accidentes but the substaunce of wine Morouer by this reason it should be vtterlye madâ— frustrate voyd that is with a great general agreemente spoken of the aunciente fathers which is A confirmâ—cion of the auâ—swer afore goyng that by these outwarde and materiall tokens of this Sacrament is signified and represented the misticall bodye of Christeâ— by lyke reason as breade is made of the mele of many cornes of wheat and wyne is made of the iuice of many grapes together whiche thinges in the accidentes haue no suche veritee For the accidentes of wheate or grapes doâ— not yelde bread or wine but the substaunce of them Now dooe we not a litle meruayle at suche manier of men who if at any tyme thei heare vs bryng in for oure parte any suche lyke places as for exaumple The soÌ„ne was Christ The lambe or the hoste is the passeouer Circumcision is the couenaunte with other like placâ—s by and by they crye with an open mouthe that suche manier allegories serue nothyng for this place and now thâ—imselfâ—s dooe on euery syde bring bothe tropes and allegories euen by whole heapes Another obieccioÌ„ Thei ferther allege that breade is here taken for euery
Melchisedech had offered that is to wete breade and wyne that is to saye his bodye and bloud Augustine Augustine also in the sixtenth chaptur of the ninetienth booke againste Fausins thus saieth Oh in how great an errour thei ierre swerne whiche thynke that because the signes and sacramentes are chaunged therfore the thynges selfes are dyuerse and not all one And in the one and tweÌ„tieth chapitur of the twentieth booke of the same weorke The fleashe and bloud of this sacrifice before the comming of Christe was promised by Hostes and sacrifices of likenesses at the tyme of Christes passion it was geueÌ„ in verai trueth and euer sens the ascâ—ndyng of Christe into heauen it is celebrated by the Sacramente of his memoriall The same Austen in the twentye sixthe traiâ—tise vpon Ihon sayeth Those Sacramentes wer diuerse and not al one in the signe but in the thyng that is signifyed thei are eguall and euen all one Thesame Austen a litell after Thesame meate than sayeth he the same drinke but that was to suche as vnderstood and beleued it but to them that vnderstood it not that same was than onely Manna and that same was than onely bare Water and nothing els but to the beleuing and feithfull it was euen the veraisame that it nowe is For at that tyme was Christ yet to come but now he is come To come and comed alreadie are distincte wordes but Christe is bothe than and nowe all one And Bertram Bertram one of the wryters in these later tymes thus wryteth Yet neuerthelesse that our aunciente fathers of the olde lawe did eate the selfe same spirituall meate that we dooe and dranke the selfe same spirituall drinke that we now dooe Sainct Paule dooeth earnestly affirme But thou wilte peraduenture aske this question whiche selfe same meate and drinke Ueraily the veraiself same which the people of the beleuing sort doe at this day eate drinke in the Churche or coÌ„gregacion For it is not leefull in any wyse to vnderstande that thei should bee diuerse or distincte meates and drinkes seyng that one and the selfe same Christe it is whiche did bothe than fede with his fleashe and geue drinke of his bloude to the people in the wildernesse and baptised in the cloud and in the sea dooeth now at this present in the Churche and congregacion of the beleuing sorte fede the people with the bread of his bodie geueth theÌ„ drinke of the water of his bloud And thesame Bertram not many lines â—nsuing saieth in this wyse A wondrefull matier truely and a thyng aboue the reache of mannes capacitee reason or estimacion He had not yet taken the nature of man vpoÌ„ him he hadde not yet tasted death for the saluacion of the worlde he had not yet redemed vs with his bloude yet the olde fathers in the wyldernesse didde through spirituall meate and drinke inuisible eate his bodye and drinke his bloud as the Apostle Paul witnesseth where he cryeth The selfe same spirituall meate c. And thesame Bertram anon after saieth in this manier For the selfe same Christe whiche at this daye doeth in the feithfull congregacion through his almightifull power spirituallye turne breade and wyne into the fleashe of his body and into the liquour of his own bloud the self same Christ did at that time inuisibly weorke Manna that was geuen from heauen to bee his bodye and the water powred doune from heauen to bee his owne bloud We se ferthermore that in the sacrament of baptisme is geuen the holye ghoste and the remission of sinnes The thirde argument against transubstaâ—ciacion and yet can we not saye that the holye ghoste the remission of sinnes lye secretly hid in the waters Yea and in baptisme we putte on Christ vpon vs and yet dooeth no man saye that the water suffreth anye transubstanciacion But the aduersaries allege Christ to bee after one sorte in the Sacrament of his supper Another obâ—ccioÌ„ and after another waye in baptisme whiche poynt I wyll not denie so that thei graunte hym to bee in baptisme too As touching the manier of Christes beeyng in the SacrameÌ„tes my plain mynde is that Christ in baptisme is geuen to vs as a mediatour and a reconciler and to speake in a more apte time a regeneratour that is to saye as oâ—e that begeatteth vs of newe and in the Sacramente of his supper he is distributed vnto vs as a meate and a foode The fourth argumâ—nte Moreouer these transubstancioners doe with their transubstanciation crepe verai nere to the trope and manier of speakyng of the Heretiques of Marcions secte For thei saie It semeth bread looketh lyke breade and yet is none whiche selfe same thynge Marcion the Heretique did saie of the fleashe and body of Christe that it was not a body and fleashe in verai true dede but did onely appere to be a body and fleashe and yet was none The fifthe aâ—gument against transubstanciacioâ— Christ is no iugler neither doth he mocke or daly with our senses But whan he was arise again from death to life he proued declared his resurreccion by our seÌ„ses Fele my body saied he loke wel vpoÌ„ it For a spirite hath not any fleashe bones his Apostles might haue saied We fele it we se it it appereth fleashe it is like a body but yet it is not fleash in dede And so Christes profe had ben nothing worth with the whiche he would haue it tryed that his body was not a fantasticall bodye but a verai body in dede And that he had resumed takeÌ„ again his verai owne body not any other manier body he declared by a plain profe shewed to the yie by printes holes of the nailles by yâ— open hole in his side The which argument profe of Christes making should be of no strength at al nor effect if ther wer yet a place left for such iugling castes as the aduersaries wold haue here in this matier of yâ— sacrameÌ„t The fathers also old writers dooe hold that Christ was very maÌ„ The sixthe argumente because he had the properties accideÌ„tes of mans nature as for exaÌ„ple because he huÌ„gred slept wouÌ„dred was sory wept suffred which argumentes wer nothing worth at al if suche accidentes be not sufficient profes that where suche accideÌ„tes be there is al so a substauÌ„ce to whoÌ„ thesame be accideÌ„tes as if a maÌ„ caÌ„not argue thê° thesame forme or fashioÌ„ which was woÌ„t to be in bread doth yet remain thesame tast the same colour ergo it is bread For the Heretiques will not dâ—nie but grauÌ„t that Christ was hungry that he slept that he woÌ„dred that he wept and that he suffred but wheÌ„ you will therupon coÌ„clude that he was verai maÌ„ thei wil denie your argumeÌ„t For thei wil saie that these properties might be fouÌ„d in Christ though a substauÌ„ce to which thei should
appertaine I meane mannes nature wer not there present in hym Thei saie vnto the fourth argumeÌ„t coÌ„cerning Marcion that he might take occasioÌ„ of his errour out of the ghospel In obieccioÌ„ of the aduersaries wher it is writeÌ„ of Christ that he walked vpoÌ„ water aswell as it had ben vpon land neuer weat his fote he was lifted vp into heauen escaped froÌ„ the Iewes handes that thei could not se him yet ought not those places â—saie thei to bee blotted out of the ghospell for the daungerous vnderstanding of the saied Marcionites To whoÌ„ we make auÌ„swer The auÌ„sweâ— that it is described in the gospels that Christ did worke these kinde of myracles once or twyse no more but ye holde that these miracles bee wrought coÌ„tinually wtout any intermission And the thinges yâ— are writteÌ„ in the holy scriptures we haue not imagined nor inueÌ„ted of our own heade and therfore ought we not to be blamed or accused as geuers of that or any other lyke occasion But in suche as we inuente of oure owne brayne in suche thynges as we expounde after our owne fansie and suche thynges sette foorth to bee holden for a doctrine not hauing Goddes woorde expressely for vs then had we nede to bee well aware leste we open a gappe and minister occasion to Heretiques The seuenth argument against transubstanciacion Morouer by this meane of transubstanciacion the nature or propertie of a SacrameÌ„te is clene destroied for Austen writynge vpon Iohn saieth thus of it The woorde of God commeth and is to the elemente and so becommeth it a Sacramente It is the nature of a Sacramente to bee made of these two thynges But after these mennes myndes the elâ—mental thynges as breade and wyne be gone and than ought Austen not to haue saied The wordes come to the elemente but he should rather haue sayed the woordes take awaye the elemente The eighte argumente And when thei put awaye the natures of the elementesâ— the analogie that is to saye proporcioÌ„ and reason of their significacion is cleane destroied and commeth to nothyng What proporcion aâ—d reason there is of the signes and the thinges in this Sacramente Bread dooeth therefore signifie the bodye of Christe because it fedeth and maketh strong and is a great sustenaunce to mannes life which propertee and operacion we can not attribute or applye the accidentes of breadeâ— as to witnesse of it or to the taste of it Again in that that many cornes or graynes bee put together and so breade made of them there maye bee a significacion in it to represent or signifie a bodie mystical and suche significacion can not bee conteyned in the whytenesse or the taste or the other accidentes of breade Wherupon it was that Paule sayed we beeyng many folke are one lofe or one bread and one bodye because we bee partakers of one loffe or breade In baptisme water is called lauachre or founteine of regeneracion or as ye might saie of a second byrth The propoâ—â—cion of the outwarde signes to the thing in baptisme and because the substaunce of the water dooeth still remayne it agreeth verai well which thyng would not so well agree with the accidentes of water Now where Christ saied This is my bodye The nynthe argumente the aduersaries takyng away the substaunce of bread and wyne dooe muche abuse the latine verbe substantife Est and muche contrarie to the propre significacion that would haue est to signifie transubstanciatur is chaunged in substaunce or to stand for conuertitur whiche is in Englishe it is coÌ„uerted or for transmutatur it is chauÌ„ged for whiles thei are in pronouncing those woordes of the Lorde This is my body the breade is not yet all this whyle Christes bodye Wherefore if thei should take est in his true and propre significacioÌ„ they should speake that thyng whiche is false and not true Which consideracion haue moued and driuen some of â—he schoole men to hold and affirme that the verbe est should bee takeÌ„ for one of these verbes fieri to be made mutari to bee chaunged or conuerti to bee turned Morouer The tenthe argumente this power and strength and efficacie to chaunge the substaunce of breade in to fleashe thei attribute to those fewe woordes of the Lorde so that as often as the saied woordes be repeted or rehearsed so often is thesame chaunge of transubstanciacion made And yet haue thei not any one woorde in all the holye Scriptures of any suche thyng to bee dooen or that it maie so bee dooen That if any other maÌ„ should pronounce thesame woordes whiche Paule Matthewe Marke or Luke doe recite yet would thei not thinke that ther wer any consecracion made For thei bynde al the strength and force of the matâ—er to the wordes of their Canon that is to saie of their rule of their massyng But this we doe certainly knowe that the Sacrament is than had whan we do those thinges which Christ did and commaunded to bee dooen But Christ didde not onely speake the saied wordes but he also gaue thaÌ„kes he brake bread he did eate bread and gaue bread vnto others to eate And where we bryng in nowe manye circumstaunces that wer dooen al these pointes euery one of them doe concurre and renne together to make the veritee of the Sacramente neyther oughte any one pointe or iot of the premisses to bee omitted or leafte vndoen I leat passe here to saye that thei knowe not whether the consecracion is accomplished and made perfeicte with the woordes of Christe or by prayers TheuleueÌ„th argumente Morouer thei put theimselfes forth to a great daungier For an euell prieste and suche an one as wer a deceiptefull merchaunte might passe ouer those woordes of consecracion and recite neuer a one of theim or might chaunge theim or els might turne them a coÌ„trarie waye The twelft argumente Farthermore wher these woordes require that the Minister whiche should consecrate must haue as thei bee woont to speake or to call it a certaine intencioÌ„ or purpose to make the body of Christ of it he might yet haue his mynde rennyng vpoÌ„ some other matiers and thynke nothyng at all vpon any consecracion whiles his mynde wâ—r so wandering He mighte also perchaunce bee of the mynde that he would not haue any suche consecracion to bee made or to come to passe Thâ—i dooe also by puttyng this transubstanciacion The .xiiii argumeâ—te against traâ—â—substanciacion fall into many vnreasonable inconueniences and suche as thei can by no meanes wynde out of For they hold that one same selfe body maye be in infinite and innumerable places to gethers and all at one tyme. But to helpe saue all thyng vprighte The euasâ—oÌ„ of the sâ—raâ—substanâ—iacioâ—ers thei allege for themselues that this maketh nothynge agaynste them nor is any disauauntage vnto theÌ„ For saie thei though Christes bodye bee there yet it is not there per modum quanti that is
godly and fâ—ithfull man doeth come to the sacramente than shal these men be constreined and driuen to saie that he eateth Chrisâ—es bodye twise first with a spirituall eatyng in feith and afterwardes with their carnall eating which carnal eating thei haue not yet hitherto proued And thus ye se that thei laye suche blockes in their owne waye that thei cannot in anye true sense cite or allege the saied sentences which are conteined in the vi chapi of Ihons gospell concernyng the Sacramente And besydes the premisses whiles thâ—i set vp a transubstanciacion The .xxiii. reasoÌ„ agaiÌ„st transubsâ—anciacioÌ„ thei haue no lesse but eueÌ„ the same checke for their errour theÌ„ yâ— Capernaites had For the saied Capernaites also doe deuise in their mynde vpon The errour of the Capeâ—naites concerâ—ing the eatâ—ng of Châ—isâ—es flâ—asâ—e I can not tell what manier a corporall or bodily eating of Christes fleashe from the whiche opinion and imaginacion Christe called them backe by and by whan he saied that his woordes wer spirite and lyfe and that the fleashe profited nothing Yea and ferther he did caste foorth vnto them an expresse mencion of his ascending vp into heauen saying what if ye shall se the sonne of manne ascendinge vp into heauen where he was before but these men saie that thei are nothing of the opinion that the Capernaites were of In obieccioÌ„ of the aduersaries For the Capernaites saie these men did thinke that Chistes fleashe should bee cutte and mynced in pieces and shoulde bee toren with mens teeth and therfore it stoode againste their stomakes The answâ—â— and thei did abhorre the thyng But of the speciall imaginacion of the Capernaites whatsoeuer it wer our men cannot haue any perfecte knowlage but a verai lykely matier it is that the Capernaites did carnally vnderstand the matier And therfore thei wer admonished with mencion of Christes ascendinge vp into heauen Why dooe not these men than take suche lessons for their instruccion out of that place whiche dare affirme and saye that thei eate Christe both carnally and corporally what doeth it skill or what difference is it whether one take Christes bodye by piece meale or whether he swalowe it down al whole if he mene the thyng carnally fleashly as the Capernaites did The .xxiiii. argumente against transubstanciacâ—on This also commeth now in place to bee considered that Christ saied vnto his Apostles a litell before his passion that he would leaue the worlde and wold departe a waye from theim which woordes of Christ should bee safe if he wer still remayning here emonge vs by chaungyng of the breades substaunce into the substaunce of his owne fleashe Christe leafâ— the worlde An obieccioÌ„ as thâ—se men woulde haue it Thei haue customably vsed to aunswer that Christe leafte the worlde as concernyng the state or propeties of mortalitee and of familiaritee with mortal men and of bodily conuersacion In these are good subtil and fine puinctes of sophistrie but thei make nothyng at all for the purpose The answer For when Christ had spoken these wordes Philip aunswered Loe nowe thou speakest plainely and without any parables But yf Christes woordes wer to be vnderstanded after your mynde and interpretacion his talke hadd been darke and his wordes spoken in parables Morouer if Christ doe in suche sorte tary remaine corporally with vs in the sacrament than by the same or lyke reason he maie also tary both in our hertes and al so in vs. Therfore he might euen by himself in his owne persone haue rewled and gouâ—rned the churche after his ascension and yet stil vnto this daie might haue stande corporally with his Apostles and haue been present with them after his ascâ—nsion Yet neuerthelesse he saied that he wold geue theim another that should bee with theÌ„ in his stede menyng that he wold sende downe the holy ghoste whiche holy ghoste had not been necessarie if Christe all togethers both in his godhead and manhood wer here present as these meÌ„ would haue it For seeyng that his fleashe and bodye is in euery one of vs yea and also his godhead is present with vs by a certaine communitee as their owne docâ—rine is he might haue wrought by his owne personeâ— without any inspiracions or admonicions of the holy ghoste Marie the mother of Christe beyng a moste blissed virgin The .xxvii. argumente whan she had heard of the Aungell that yâ— soonne of god shoulde bee incarnate and shoulde take the nature of man vpon hym and that she was choseÌ„ to conceiue to bring forth the soÌ„ne of god she thought in her minde yâ— these thinges wer verai straunge woÌ„derful And therfore she demaunded of the AuÌ„gel how this thing should bee doen. Some merueiling or soÌ„ question shoulde be made in the scripture about tâ—aÌ„subsâ—anciacion Than forasmuche as this chauÌ„ge of bread into Christes body is no lesse worthy to be weighed nor is no lighter theÌ„ the misterie of Christes incarnacion natiuitee to bee borne of a virgin it is a matier woÌ„derous yâ— there is not in yâ— holi scripture either suÌ„ woÌ„dering or els some questioÌ„ made about it Neither is this beleuyng of transubstanciacion commended vnto vs in any the writinges either of the Euangelistes or of the Apostles though it be a maâ—ier of great weyght and importaunce Neither dooe we harken or passe vpon some mens wordes An obieccioÌ„ whiche saie that the question was moued before in the sixth chap. of Iohns gospel For thei wil wrest or turne away the auÌ„swere which was there made of spiritual eatyng to this sacramentall eatyng which sacramental eating thei put to bee muche differing froÌ„ that other spiritual eating The answer Therfore that question and aunswer maketh all on our syde but it nothyng profiteth these men who doe feigne another maner of eatyng muche differyng from that spirituall eating For thei imagin this carnall eating wherof we now talke The .xxvi. argumente There folowe also other inconueniencies and vnreasonable thinges of these mens feigning or inuencioÌ„ For Christ said I wil that where I am there my seruaÌ„t shold be also And this he spake more then once or twise to his Apostles and it is reade in the reuelacion of Sainct Iohn called the Apocalipse of certain Martirs Sequuntâ—â— dum quocum que ieâ—it that is thei folowe hym whether soeuer he goeth Wherof it might be argued and concluded that this chauÌ„ging from one substaunce to another substaunce as from bread into fleashe shoulde not onely bee into Christes bodye but also thesame should redound towardes all the Saintes also that is to saye all holy persones Wherwith if thei be offended leat them on gods behalfe leaâ—e Christ in heauen with his Sainctes and holy ones or els the Sainctes will folowe after hym because that whersoeuer he becometh thither doe thei also folowe hym But than saye thei And so we doe we leaue Christ in heauen visible and in
wyth the vaylle of feyth And these thynges are of suche sorte that beeyng tasted of they bryng death vnleste thei haue takeÌ„ some sawce bee it neuer so litel of yâ— * By the first fruictes of the spirite is ment some litel taste or porcion of the spirite though it bee not yet the ful gift perfectioÌ„ of the spirite Rom. viii fyrst fruictes of the spirite * He alludeth to the historie of the potte of pottage made wyth colloquintida in the land of Gylgal swetened of â—liseus wyth puttyng mele into the potte reade .iiii. King iiii There is vtterly to me death in the potteâ— except it bee swetened with the mele of the ê“phete And within a litel after he sayeth But with how great aboundaunce soeuer these thynges growe in fatnesse yet dooe not we wyth lyke pleasauntenesse receyue the rynde of the sacramente and the fatnesse of the wheate self feyth and hope remembrance of a thyng and the presence of the same euerlastyngnesse transitorinesse the true visage a glasse the image of God the shape of aboÌ„dman for in al these thynges my feyth is ryche but my vnderstaÌ„ding is veray pore And I praie you is vnderstaÌ„ding and beleuing of egual sauourynesse seyng that beleuing is vnto merite vnderstaÌ„ding vnto rewarde Thou seest as ferre oddes to bee betwene the ê“uenders as there is betwene the places And as the heaueÌ„s are exalted in heigth froÌ„ the yearth so are yâ— inhabitours in them Here thou seest that Bernard dooeth in plain open wordes make a coÌ„trariousnesse betwene the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of a thing the psence of the same and so betwene certain other thynges whyche dooe greatly auaille to thys matter But let vs returne to our aduersaries They haue of the fathers auncieÌ„t wrytters of the Churche whoÌ„ to laye agaynst vs that is to wete Ireneus who affirmeth the sacramente oâ— Eucharistia to coÌ„siste of two thynges the one yearthly the other heaueÌ„ly whiche self same thing Gelasius also doeth suppose But al this doeth not coÌ„clude sauing that if thou take al the whole sacrameÌ„te together make one thyng of the signe the thing signified thereby thaÌ„ dooe we grauÌ„te the same to coÌ„siste of two thynges How the sacramente is sayed to coÌ„sist of two thinges the one yearthli the other heauenly But if thou wouldest afterward putte as great as nere a coniuÌ„ctioÌ„ betwene the bread Christes bodi as there is betwene the diuine nature and the humaine nature in Christe this poincte wer in no wyse to bee grauÌ„ted For thaÌ„ there should of necessite one substauÌ„ce or subiecte bee made of the bread of Christes bodie so that they should neuer be plucked asonder or disseuered the one from the other whiche thinges wer vttrely against al reasoÌ„ Out of the rest of the fathers they obiecte for the most parte the self same thinges that the traÌ„substaÌ„ciatours cited before But now leat vs see what those ê‘sones whyche embrace the thyrd opinioÌ„ dooe saye against these men Fyrst formeste thei dooe not admitte the said scatering abroade of Christes bodie in suche sorte that it maye bee euerye where Obiections against this opinion of the coâ—poraâ— pâ—esence of Christe in the sacramente because it is a thing repugnaÌ„t to the nature of maÌ„ And AusteÌ„ to Dardanus doeth in moste plain woordes wryte to the coÌ„trarie SecoÌ„dly they wyl nedes haue yâ— the eating whyche is putte in the sixth of Ihon thys last eatyng at the lordes supper bee vtterly al one sauing that here in this later eating there bee added outward â—ignes of breade and wyne And the thyng they proue by thys argumente because Ihon for somuche as he had once afore made meÌ„cioÌ„ of the eating whiche he wryteth of dooeth not afterward in the later parte of his ghospel make any meÌ„cion of the instituting of the sacrameÌ„t as the other EuaÌ„gelistes doe For he had sufficieÌ„tely wryteÌ„ al the geare afore And the summe of the doctrine whiche the others had leaft vnspoken Ihon did supply in the said sixth chapitur Neither is there any cause saye they why any person should allege yâ— coÌ„munioÌ„ to bee therefore superfluous The vtilitees of receiuing the coÌ„munion For by often receiuing of the communion we celebrate The lordes memorial and thankes geuing and the mynde is stirred vp by the representacioÌ„ of suche thynges as are there dooen neyther bee there conteined therin domâ—e signes but speakyng signes Besides thys there is there conteined a certain token or pledge wherbye the Christianes dooe note theym selfes ioygned and knitte together emong themselfes and with Chryste besydes this they professe their feyth concernyng the bodye of Chryste nailled on the crosse and concernynge his bloud that was shed forth for our redempcion For it is not enough to beleue with the herte but confession is made wyth the mouth too and not onelye wyth the mouthe but also wyth outewarde dooinges Neither dooe these men admitte that the others saie whiche is that the wycked also dooe receiue the bodye of Christe The wicked dooe not receiue christes bodye For our senses and reason dooe not reache vnto hym therefore it remaineth that he is receiued by feith Of the whyche feith forasmuche as the said parties are destitute they can haue nothing but the outeward signes And Paule wryteth thus Whoso eateth this breade vnwoorthyly c. and sayeth not whoso eateth the bodie of Christe vnwoorthily Ferthermore thei meruaille at these men whiche folowes the coÌ„trarie opinion that they should attribut remission of synnes vnto the saied corporal or bodyly eatyng of Christe For that is too admitte a worke that is accepted for the veray weorkyng or doyng of it wheras remissioÌ„ of synnes is not had but through feyth Thei dooe afterward lene and staygh altogether vpon the speakynges of Paule whan the lorde biddeth this to bee dooen in remembraunce in hym and his death to bee shewed til he come whyche wordes seme vnto them to declare the absence of Christes bodye and not hys presence But we haue elswhere geuen aduertisemeÌ„te that thys argumente is nothyng so strong nor substancial an argumente excepte it bee vnderstaÌ„ded of the bodie of Christe really corporally and naturally present For els forasmuche as it is receiued by feith it is not vnderstanded to bee vtterly absent though hys abydynge bee in heauen as touchyng his nature and his substauÌ„ce For he is eaten spiritually is thereby in veray true dede ioygned and knitte vnto vs. They allege after this the fathers who dooe in plain and manifest woordes geue a determinate sentence and saye precisely that here is a type or countrepaine a signe a figure of Christes bodye And they bryng in for theyr purpose twoo similitudes or comparisons One is of a frende vnto whom his frende that is absent is yet neuerthelesse sayed to bee present whaÌ„ his mynde or thought renneth on hym Also they putte many lookyng glasses whiche