god and his sonne Christ but euerlasting damnation For this is lyfe Euerlastinge to knowe the true God and whoÌ„ he hath sent Ihesu Christ TheÌ„ must it nedes be euerlasting death thus blasphemously to Iudge of them bothe He that beleuethe in me hathe Euerlastinge lyfe saithe Christ we do thus beleue on the sone of god therfore haue we this witnesse within our selues And seing we haue life euerlastynge and are made the chyldren of God by the testimony of the spirite we do seke no farther merite But this worde merite is one of our iugling termes wherewyth you blynde the people You promise merite for your matteÌ„s merite for your masse merite for your eatynge of fishe merite for al maner holines that you haunte Worshippinge of Images Creping to the crosse Setting vp of Candles and all our workes must be done for our merites so that the merites of Christe who onely hath deserued euerlasting life for vs is cleane for gotten and fordone Agayne you saye A good true christian beleuinge man knoweth this by faithe that god is inuiolable impassible incorruptible immortall and that our sauiour the seconde persone in trinitie verie god haueing the humayne nature now vnite to the godhed whiche beinge glorified can not any more suffer violence or corruptioÌ„ nor be violated or brought to mortalitie All thys is playne agaynst your owne doctrine for seinge that the bodie of bread is cleane gone and yet there remaineth a body that the mouse or ape catcheth in his mouthe or eâ—s they coulde not carie it awey What shal we conclude by your doctrine but that the mouse or ape runneth awaye wyth that bodie whiche by your enchauntment is conceiued into the place of the bread which blasphemously do name the body of Christ coÌ„secrated into the fourme of breade But you do answere that lyke as Christ wheÌ„ he was here in the fleshe dyd fyrst escape the handes of Herode when he slewe the chyldren and afterwarde the furious Iewes when they woulde haue precipitate hym transiens per medium illorum ibat Christe escapped thorowe the middest of them So doth he nowe saye you Your similitude is euyll applied For besydes that there is no comparison of Christe comynge in the fleshe for the wealth of the world vnto the bread thus altered for your pompe and pryde we knowe and Ioseph and Mary do wytnesse vnto vs that they knewe and perceyued by the benifite of theyr senses that thys same oure Sauioure Christe was in shape a very man And we knowe also by the testimonies of the scriptures that he continued here very man in fourme and shape beinge subiected vnto all our infirmities synne alwaye excepted for the space of xxx yeres and more and that then he suffered death and rose agayne his fleshe neyther being consumed nor putrified but styll remayneth fleshe incorruptible and immortal Where as in the fourme of bread wherein you say we see hym and eate him we perceyue neither incorruption nor immortalitie For it neuer continueth paste the date of one moneth if you incurre not the daunger of your fathers decrees and commonly not one quarter of an houre muche after the rate of the dayly newe created monstros of whoÌ„ Aristotle maketh meÌ„tion Who doubtles if he had harde of these monstrous gods made and marred all in an houre woulde haue wrytten wonders vnto his posteritie If the cakes were preserued from corruption and dyd continewe styl immortal as Christ his fleshe did then woulde your similitude in these two miracles serue you somewhat better But seing that your cakes do mould and corrupte and his fleshe escaped Herode and the handes of his enemies and coulde neuer see any corruption thys your similitude proueth that those cakes of yours can by no meanes be his naturall body These two miracles therfore as all his other were done to declare hym to be subiecte to no power of man but to worke all his workes so that no man can lette and hyndre ought that he hath determined to be done but you must wrest all that you can to cloke your Sophistrie wythall Nowe your affirmation of xv hundred yeres wythout any proufe but only because you say so hath ben answered by many learned men As â—adinius EcolaÌ„padius Zwin glius and other prouing by your doctours that the true fayth and spirituall vnderstandyng of thys mattier continued longe in the best sorte of them Howe be it surely I wyll graunt this much vnto you that this blinde grosse and carnall opinion of the carnall eatyng of Christe hath ben crept vp euer sence the deuyl was lowsed This thousaÌ„de yeres that thys enemy hath troubled the worlde wyth popishe pompe and pryde keepynge and lockyng vp the worde of God from vs God hath not destituted and forsaken but hath alwayes from tyme to time steared vp witnesses of his truth whom partly the popishe haue slayne but some God hath reserued and alwayes the good simple people haue had theyr eyes vnto the lyuynge God in heauen what so euer the priest dyd babble of thys his owne haÌ„dy worke Neither could those termes of your straite lawes really substaÌ„tially the chaunge of the bread so that â—here remayne onely accidentes wythout subiecte and consecration into the quantitie and qualitie of breade euer be vnderstande of the pore simple people For those termes do sprynge and haue their beginnyng of the schole learnyng and Sophistrie as all men of knowledge can testify with me and were neuer gyuen in coÌ„maundemeÌ„t to thys bloudy generation to be deliuered vnder payne of death It were but foly to striue with you concerning your doctours Howe they haue in ordre and course by litle and litle fallen from the trueth in thys and other thynges For it is no merueile though you caÌ„ expound your doctours to maynteyne your opinion seinge you dare be so bolde to cause Christes wordes to serue for your carnall purpose I entende not therfore to brynge in any proufe of doctours but only of the worde of God leauyng you to your doctours to trye them at leasure But thys one thynge I shal desire you To bringe some apparant proufe of your termes and I promise you it shall be answered Good men be neuer offended wyth the breakynge of the hoste beinge persuaded Christes body to be present in the sacrament really and materially whereunto wyth worshippinge they dyd lift vp their handes and nothinge doubted but God was impassible â—e vsed not to mistâ—uste God his immortalitie when they haue sene a sicke man receyue the sacrament a quarter of an houre before his naturall death as though in that maÌ„ the hoste consecrated wherin the body of Christ is preseÌ„t should wyth Gods iniury moulde or corrupte wast or consume Here is muche mattier offered but that I perceyue my selfe to tary somwhat to longe vpon your occasions Who shall trye theâ—e good men therfore but eueÌ„ the boke of wisedome where it is sayed Blessed be
begin ninge who commynge downe from oure heauenlye father dyd declare hym selfe to be the hed corner stone of the true church thoughe the byshoppes refused hym in their buildeinge And when he ascended vp agayn leading capteyue wyth hym captiuitie hyrselfe he gaue gyftes vnto menne makynge one sorte Apostles an other sorte Prophetes some other Euangelistes some Shepeherdes and â—eachers These onely be appointed to be the ministers of his church in the new testament that they shoulde all together in spirite and trueth boeth worship him and cause other to do the same for the spirite is the worcker of al diuiding to eueri one as pleaseth him The bodye of thys churche then is not one membre as of long tyme you haue named your selues onely to be the church but it is many membres as the Apostle witnesseth amonge the whyche membres I feare me you shall not bee worthy to be numbred onles you do amende your life so contrarie to Christ the heade of this churche For thys churche hath he begotten vnto hym selfe by his worde as the parent and onely mother therof that it should be without spot or wrinkle gloriouse holy and without blame and especially saithe Paul the bisshope muste be such a one that no man sholde find any faute with him Thus writethe he to his dearely beloued Timothe and Titus makinge it moste euident and playne vnto vs that you bishopes prestes teachinge for your gaine sake or els teachinge nothinge at all are not the true byshopes and members of the true churche but the hierlinges and hypocrites that haue no parte in the Kyngdom of God and his Christe who dyd come â–ª pore not hauinge wher to laie his heade and dyd chuse pore sheperdes to be his first witnesses and after them fishers toulers and tentmakers And the words that he spake to his disciples are far ouer harde for you byshopes to bear Who so doeth not saieth he for sake father mother goodes lyfe and al together for my sake and the Gospell can not be my disciple Moreouer wher as the bishops of the Iewes and chife priestes doe crie TeÌ„plum domini Templum domini As thoughe they them selues and none other were the true church Christe answereth that the sonne of man shalbe betraied to the chief priestes and they shall condemne hym vnto the death so that they were none of the trwe churche thoughe they were of the seéde of Leui to whome the gouernance â–ª of the churche was promised and performed In like maner you so longe as you persecute Christe hys members and burne his worde crie you holie church neuer so much you shalbe no more of the true churche then â–ª they were For ther is all one worcke and purpose in you boeth that is to saye to miantayne your pompe and estimacion your powre and your holynesse before the people But now is the time come that the thing which â–ª was most holy in the sight of the world as you your iewels haue bene shalbe abominable â–ª vnto God Yet one other thing nothinge pleasaunte to your lordlike stomakes He that wilbe the cheife in this church must be the seruante of al Like as the sonne of manne did come not that he shulde haue seruice done vnto hym but that he him selfe shuld serue and giue his soule for many As many therfore as we finde agreable withe this heade Christ as were the. xij Apostles and all the true disciples who continued together in the breaking of breade and praier acceptinge none of the possessions of this worlde as their owne but makinge all that was theirs commune to the necessitie of their brothers we esteme to be the true and faiethful membres of this church Paule also geueinge him selfe for the Gospell to be imprisoned stoned and slayne was of thys churche Stephane also stoned for the defence of GOD his glorie and Antipas the true and fayethfull witnesse of Christ slaine at Pergamis Ignatius the scholar of Iohn who suffred for the Gospel Ignatius I saié Who so ernestly desired the breade of God the heaueÌ„ly bread of life whiche is the flesh of Iesu Christ the sonne of the liuing God who was borne in the last ende of the world of the seede of Dauid and Abraham and desyred to drincke the bloude of hym that is wythout corruption and the life euerlasting All these I saye we knowe to be the lyuelye membres of Christes true churche but not these onelye whiche sufferred vnder the Romishe tirantes but theim also the whiche in al countreis and at al tymes haue witnessed and suffered for the trueth â–ª of God his word for all are created for hys glorye and God hath not at any tyme or in any place ben altogether without hys witnesses if the world woulde receiue theim He sente into oure naâ—ion Iosephe of Aramathia He stirred vp Gildas he enstructed the plowemen oâ— kent and other contries of whome we haue the monumentes After warde dyd he sende Robert Grosheade who boeth by worde and by writinge dyd rebuke the worlde of blynde iudgement Then came the greate clarke that wrate so mani godli bokes Iohn Wicklife of whose workes though Subincolepus the bishop of Prage did bren to the uombre of two hundred yet are ther manie of them reserued vn to thys daye by the prouision of God to the coÌ„fusion of the kingdome of Antichrist cleare testimonie that the worlde before vs hath not ben vtterly destituted of true know ledge thoughe frome tyme â–ª to tyme whan the lyghtte hath come into the worlde the kingdome of darckenes the children of pridâ— haue loued darkenesse better then light and therfore haue laboured to extinguishe it and haue prohibited these bright sterres to geuâ— lighte saue onelye to a fewe whome he had chosen and longe a fore appoynted euen to the weake abiectes and caste awaies in the sight of the world of the whyche sorte parte were slaine and part liued vnknowne to the worlde for this litle flocke euen from the beginninge hath not bene of the wife and stout worldely men and therefore sayeth Christ I thanke the father that thou haste hid these thynges frome the wyse and prudent and haste shewed the same to littleones smallye regarded And Esaie saieth I wyll destroie the wisedome of the wise and the vnderstaÌ„ding of the prudent wyl I caste awaye And agayne Where is the wise Where is the scribe and interpreter of the law wher is the disputer of this worlde Hath not the Lorde made folyshe the wisdome of this worlde For after that the worlde by hir wysedome could not know God in his wisdom it pleased god by the folishenesse of preachinge to make salfe them that beleue This preachinge of the liuing god whiche sent his sonne an euerlasting sacrifice for the lyfe of the worlde caused the sacrifices to waxe colde and that was it that caused the priestes of the Iewes to persecute the christians so sore that
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
fleshe profiteth nothinge thought it were eaten euerie meÌ„bre after other But the spirite giueth life Who leadeth vs to the fode that bringeth lyfe euerlasteinge And thus by the spirite whiche onely isprofitable we vnder stande these wordes Take and eate thys is my bodie which is giuen for you That like as I geue the bread to be eaten wyth the bodilie tethe so do I geue mi bodie to be eaten bi faith and that of the spirite For nowe shal it be geuen vnto the death that you maye haue lyfe And thus is my fleshe verie meate and my bodie breade and fode whiche maye be taken and receiued onely spiritually and not carnally bodilie or really In lyke maner therfore as you do bodilie take this brad at my hande eate it wyth your mouth and so receiue it into your stomake and bodie for the fode and sustentacion of your naturall lyfe so muste â–ª you by fayth the onely meane wherby ye maye eate or haue me present vpon erth receiue my body beleueing that my bodie is geuen for you that where you were deade frome God by your synnes I haue brought youfurth to leue in good workes vnto my father who compteth you nowe aâ—… children an heâ—ers prepared to euerlasteingâ—… lyfe so many as belieue truste in my deathâ—… Thus doeth Christe geue the breade to bâ—… eaten bodily with the mouth but hys bodiâ—… to be eaten spiritually in the spirite by faith And thys is it that good byshop Augustine sayeth What doest thou prepare thy teeth and thy bealiâ—… Beleue and thou haste eaten It is fleshe as I haue saied before what so euer bringeh not lyfe and therfore it profiteth nothing so ar al things that ar don without faith wherfore if christ might be eaten with the mouth as he might be in dede if he were bodilie in the breade which boeth fayethfull and vnfaythful do eate then myght Christe be eaten wythout fruite whiche is contrarie to the manifeste worde of God which affirmeth that who so euer eateth him hath euerlasteinge lyfe We do conclude therefore that there is but one onely eateinge of the bodie of Christ whyche is perceiued of the faythfull onely none otherwyse then these wordes whyche is geuen for you and whyche is shed for the remission of sinnes are proper and peculiar vnto them onely And to tell you somewhat of your sophistrie WhaÌ„ you reasone in this wyse Thys is the bodie of Christe therfore 〈◊〉 is naturally really and bodily hys bodie It is a fallax or deceiueable argument of sophistrie affirminge that simpliciter quod est modo aliquâ— Thys câ—n euerie sophiste of Cambridge tell you And we knowe that it is small reasone to conclude that Iohn baptist was thâ— same Elias that was dead many hundred yeres before hys tyme because Christe saâ—ed that he was Elias except we shoulde be of the opinion of the fonde Phylosophers who helde that the soules of men departed went into other newe bodies and so coÌ„tinued stil immortal In like maner whaÌ„ Iosephe saieth that the. vii fatte oxen are vii good yeres and the. vii leane one 〈◊〉 vii yuell yeres â–ª we maye not coÌ„clude that oxâ— or â—ieÌ„ aâ— natural yeres More ouer wheÌ„ Christ saieth that the worde of God is a sede it is but a slender argument to saye therfore it is a bodylye sede An hundred suche places maye be brought And yet if thei can bring but one place where God hath sayed This is such a thynge and woulde haue at corporally so to be I wyll gladly geue place vnto them thoughe it be so that the thynge do not appeare to be as God hath sayed it is But I do know â—…m certaine in my beliefe that al the workes of the Lorde be trueth And as he hath sayed that they be so shall they be and are in dede either in spirite or else in the sight of all men bodilie ¶ An answere coÌ„cerneing the knowledge of The seÌ„ses and a declaracion of al the. xii Articles of the fayth whyche euerie true Christian man muste beleue in herte and Confesse wyth moUth THus far haue I brought in mi faith plainely contrarie to no place of scripture except you call Your gloses scripture And where I myght haue your owne doctours to confirme the same yet wyll I not stir contencion so farre Knoweinge that no thynge hath bene so popeishlie thaught neither worshiping of Images and Idoles praieing to saintes and fond pilgrimages nor yet monasteries monkes purgatorie and the poppe hym selfe but it hath bene by theÌ„ and their subtile argumeÌ„tes diuised and by their writeinges set forth and maintained Wyth dainger therfore haue we folowed them ouer long But nowe you maye not thyncke styll to leade vs captiues from Christe whome we loke for spedilye to come into iudgement wyth vs when we shalbe iudged by his word and not by their writeinges We haue folowed you to longe beinge but blynde guides gropeinge after your blynde wayes in the darcke wythout wit reasone or faith but onely because your holie father of Rome and that holie mother churche dyd so belieue and teach and nowe at lengh as our holy mother church of Englande doeth leade and therfore maye you worthyly cal vs as you do beastely blinde and therfore far from the knowledge of our religion But nowe that your father is fallen and weseke for our father in heauen desireinge hys kingedom to come vpon the erthe and praieing for the foode of our soules his heauenly breade whiche you haue so longe banished and neither woulde your selfe enter into his kingedome nor suffer them that woulde to enter accordeinge to the sayeinge of Christe our sauioure we knoweynge that what so euer is not of fayth is sinne and that fayth is of heareynge not of you Byshoppes and your doctours but of the worde of God whyche can deceiue no man nor yet be deceiued desire and require you to beate into oure heades no longer as articles of oure faith your chaunge of suâ—… staâ—… your accidentes qualities and quaÌ„tities in fourme and vnder the fourme of dreade to go awaye from it when the bread musteth and brenneth you knowe not how For thys your answere is an euident argument that you knowe as little howe it came ther. And thinke not much I praie you that we do in thys mattier â—…ye your crafte â—…d falsehode not onely wyth scriptures but also wyth oure reasones and outwarâ—e senses The whyche three that is to saye Fayeth grownded vpon the worde of God reasone that caâ—â—e not be resisted and the senses as sight tasteinge smellinge and felinge which can by no learneinge but by your schole be deceiued Yet you woulde haue vs wholely captiuated vnto you in all these thinges that you might leade vs wher you lyste to make vnseÌ„sible chauÌ„g where you blowe and blesse crosse and kisse No faile in thynges far distant as is the â–ª sinne moue and sterres and diuers other thynges he senses maye
I come to the O father Saue them eueÌ„ for thy names sake whom thou haste gyuen vnto me that lyke as we are one so they may be one also WheÌ„ I was in the worlde I dyd kepe them in thy name So often it is sayed that Christe is gone furth of the worlde that he is not in the worlde If he were here God and man what needeth these thynges to be so ofâ—… rehearsed What needeth the coÌ„fort of the spirite to be alwayes appointed set furth and neuer once named for theyr coÌ„forte that they should haue Christe preseÌ„t with them so ofte as they luste to whisper a fewe wordes ouer a piece of breade These thinges haue you occasioned me to speake by the naming of the circuÌ„staÌ„ces For thei are spokeÌ„ in coÌ„tinual course after the supper was done vnto the tyme that Iudas came to betraye hym And I suppose you haue no one place of scripture that hath so many circumstances to declare it not to be spoken as the wordes seme as thys hath As 〈◊〉 Theophilactus maketh rather with vs theÌ„ against vs for he seeketh the meanynge by circumstances and stycketh to the wordes in theyr commune senses but we wyll not contende aboute trifles SoÌ„time they preach and soÌ„time they write to the vnlearned on this wise Christes wordes be true when he sayed this is my body But as he ment theÌ„ For so he saied he was awai he was a vine he was a dore but he was not a natural vine he was no suche way as meÌ„ walke in no such dore as meÌ„ do coÌ„monly enter into but only a seÌ„blanÌ„ce of al these because he is our way to heaueÌ„ our dore to enter into lyfe oure vinestocke in whom we as braunches be nourished kept in life And so likewise wheÌ„ Christ sayeth this is my body he meaneth only that it is a reseÌ„blaunce a figure a tokeÌ„ a signe of his body etc. These wordes caÌ„ you reproue none other wise but the Deuil saith so might a yonge sophister confute all your boke at one worde truly say that the Deuil sayth it But it is mere sophistry you say for in those other places the mattier sheweth that they be spokeÌ„ in parable And why doth not the mattier shew the same here I pray you because you do say so or because your father of Rome and his doctours dyd teache so euer sence he gaâ—e the primamacie and vpper haÌ„de of kinges emperours these viii C. yeres as you name it If the presumption of longe tyme be a sufficieÌ„t argumeÌ„t against the truth theÌ„ cal againe the Pope the worshipping of images begon in Babilon settinge vp the Image of Belus and continued alwayes in some corner of the worlde vnto this day But nowe you thinke you haue hit the nayle on the heade and you wery your selfe longe about thys mattier Christ spake soÌ„time in parables but therfore we maye not say that he spake alwayes in parables You neuer harde vs thus reason froÌ„ the particuler to the vniuersall proposition But we being taught by the circumstances of the place and by the whole course of scripture of the bodily departing of Christ and of the spiritual eatyng of his body do lykewyse open this text this is my bodie by playne textes both of the old and new testameÌ„t where one thing is named to be the thing which it only representeth in figure shadowe as are these in the olde testameÌ„t The. vii fat oxeÌ„ are vii yeres of pleÌ„tie and the. vii leaneones are vii yeres of scarsitie Also the sacrifices are called the sinnes of the people The red heyfer is the synne The priest eateth the synne of the people It is the passeouer of the Lorde The circumsition is called the couenaunte And such lyke In the newe testamente The stone was Christe Thys is Helias And by wordes spoken of the same sacrament at thâ— same time This cup is the newe testament which you must needes graunt to be spoken in parable and figure But marke the mattier wythout malice We maye not nor wyll not saye that Christ dyd speake alwayes in parables No more maye you saye that Christe doth not speake here in a parable onlesse you can proue it to be trewe by some other meanes then your owne wordes wrytinges which are these Est signifieth beinge and the learned can not be deceiued good men can not be moued Thus bringe you in false interpretations of your owne faynynge to make the mattier odious As thoughe any of vs at any tyme out of place did deny the name of Christ to haue his owne euident signification of Christes owne person But your malice and the Deuyl whom you name so often blyndeth you and couetise leadeth you captiue I coulde answere Ciprian with an other of your doctours but as I tolde you in the begynnynge and as Paule affirmeth oure fayth may haue his foundation onely on the hearynge of the worde of God without the which worde what so euer any doctour bringeth we may not fay aue vnto it nor receiue it for feare leste we be part takers of their yuel workes and writinges Let theÌ„ beware therefore that affirme without the worde of God that the breade is chaunged in nature and that it is made fleshe coÌ„trarie to the scriptures whiche teache that Christe is gone in the fleshe and shal come agayne visible as he went coÌ„trary to fayth whiche can seeke hym in no place but where he hym selfe assigneth that is to say sittinge at the righte hande of his father tyll he haue made his enemie his fote stole yea coÌ„trary to reason and the commune iudgemente of the senses and therefore agaynste all the knowledge that man can haue in thys worlde folowyng so much their superstition and outwarde shewe of wysedome that they are deceyued in thinges open by nature vnto their senses Nowe whether of vs are more lyke the Caparnites we that professe wyth the Apostles that Christe hath the wordes of lyfe and do beleue and teache that his doctrine is not carnall but spirituall and his wordes spirite and lyfe or you that carnallie and grosselie do beleue that he muste be eaten as he wente vpon the earthe fleshe bloude and bones whyche the Caparnites dyd seeke for and the carnall disciples dyd flee from hym for the same All christian hertes and spirituall eyes maye easilie iudge The Apostles sittynge at the table dyd not fall downe and worshyppe thys breade newlie made God as you call it whyche is an euident argumente that they had it in no suche estimation as you haue it And that they made no demaunde or questian as they dyd at other tymes of doubtes in Christes speakynge maye be a token that they were vsed and exercised wyth the familiar phrase of eaâ—ynge Christe by fayth and therefore was it comfortable to them to be taughte presently in open signes howe they shoulde euer after haue hym
spirituall do we knowledge and confesse But to eate Christe any other waie in the fourme of bread we iudge impossible And to eate him bodili carnallie reallie and substancially as a liueing man it is cruel vnnaturall vnprofitable yea vnpossible In the which we saye not that God is become the creature of breade as the deuil inspireth his meÌ„bres to reporte blasphemouselie but that Christe familiarly and of a maruailouse intier loue towardes vs coÌ„secrateth him selfe in those fourmes of bread and wine to be so eaten and druncken of vs. This Iudggeling haue we touched before We can not vnderstand you bishopes when you speake of your transubstanciacion consecracion and your chaunginge onlesse you do saye this cake this bread this creature is become the bodie of Christe God and man and this thinge is chaÌ„ged into that For your demonstratiue Hoc this muste demonstrate or shewe somethinge vnto vs. But you clock it lyke a spirituall father and poynte vs the fourme of breade with your demonstratiue as it is the chiefe pointe of your professioÌ„ to adulterate the word of God which teacheth that Christ did take breade in his hand blessed and sayed thys is my bodye A wonderful mattier that it should nowe be deuelles doctrine to speake thus not groslye but spiritualli This is my bodie which wordes we would faine haue rydde of your blind gloses and do wishe that al the world should haue them taught and beleue them in spirite to be true as they were spoken and written So that herby myght be preached and â—…h the inestimable loue that God bare to the worlde when he gaue hys owne and onely begotten sonne that who so beleue iâ— hym shoulde not perishe but haue euerlasteinge life and not this strange doctryne neuer â—…d before neither in the olde nor in the newe testament that Christ familiarly of â—…tier loue towardes vs consecrateth him selfe in those fourmes of bread and wyne wherby you do not onely adulterate the wordes of Christ with your straung termes and doctrine of Christ coÌ„secrateing him selfe into fourmes â–ª but you would bring on flepe the faith and hope that we haue of our aduocate sittinge at the right hande of God a continuall mediatour for vs and burie that greate benifite and singular loâ—e of Christe oure sauioure offeringe hym selfe once for all vpon the crosse settinge vp a newe Idole that the olde fathers Hahraham Isaac and Iacob neuer harde once named Bring einge in a newe gospell and glade tidinges that Paule the Apostles neuer preached Wherfore by the mouth of Paule we maye pronouce you accursed and by Moyses worthy to be stoned to deathe blasphemers As for the familiaritie that you calenge in coniureinge hym into a cake I feare me it wyll haue thys Answere â—ade post me Satana Nowe to declare howe vniustlye you do chaunge the blesseing of the bread into these founde wordes Christ coÌ„secrateth him selfe because I haue shewed it before I wyll onelye note that that Christ alwayes whan he dyd vse the creatures of God did blesse and geue thankes vnto hys father But you do vse thys darcke terme to deceine the people and woulde haue vs beleue that strayght after your consecracion as you cal it yea after your bloweinge as we do se it ther shoulde be suche a sodaine chaunge and insensible as can no where else be shewed but after your moste holy finger And in your other blesseinges whan ye do wagge your pope holy fingers they haue you saye lyke powre of holynesse in heauen earth and the thirde place I wot not where It were greate pitie that these holie blesseinges and consecracions the chife establishementes of your popeishe empier shoulde be vttered to their worthynesse For then your triple crownes proude miters and bloudy hattes woulde fall your croyser staâ—es glittereing gloues woulde be despised For wheÌ„ in your pontificalibus you do geue your orders of Antichriste you câ—n not be content to tel your prosilites that christ coÌ„secrateth him self but â–ª you saye thus We geue the powre to consecrate and offer to God sacrifice to pacifie hys wrath Thus do you make the doeing and offering of Christ on the crosse of none effecte and set vp your owne consecracion And For this is al your contencion God filleth hauen and earth and is not coÌ„prehensible to be conteined in temples made wyth mans handes no man can limit gods dwellinge place God hath powre ouer man but man hath not powre ouer God and therfore Solomons temple was no habytacion to restrayne gods presence frome other places If thys be tâ—we as you dare not denye it for shame why did the olde byshoppes your prodecessours stone Stephane to death for so sayeinge And howe dare you Byshopes brenne vs for sayeinge that God dwelleth not vpon your Alutares in your temples neither that you can limyt hym hys place of dwellinge in your little boxes tyll he wax mould theÌ„ bren him at your Altaries end If thys be not to lymyt hym a place to chalenge powr ouer that you cal god what shal we cal powr Fyrst you haue powr you say to cal by your inchauntyng wordes Christ God and man into your bread and chalice TheÌ„ to create him as your owne bokes shal bear â–ª witnes againste you After this to coÌ„secrate sacrifice him for the quike the deade For thys powr is gyueÌ„ to euery one of your marke be he neuer so moche an horemonger drunkard or Sodomite Accipe potestarem sacrificandi pro viuis et mortuis Damus ti bi potestatem consecrandi et offerendi placabiles hostias That is to say Take powr to make sacrifice for the quyke and the deade we gyue the powr to consecrate offer pleasaunt sacrifices vnto God All thys is sayed to euery one of your shauelyngs TheÌ„ haue you powr to breake hym to eate hym or kepe hym in the corporasse as you cal it or in your pyx or where you luste whiche are manifest blasphemies and grosse blyndnes of the fleshe wyteout the manifest worde of God to inuent such fond toyes of your own brayne as be manyfest dexogation to the sacrate majesty of the euerlyueyng God And yet scripture telleth vs how our sauiour christ god man hath taught in teÌ„ples taried in teÌ„ples made with manes hand and that he dwelleth with good men and also in teÌ„ples made with maÌ„s haÌ„de for the asseÌ„ble of good men wher good men truste to be releiued wyth coÌ„mun prayer and refreshed with the most preciouse fode of hys bodie bloud and he is preseÌ„t and â—arieth in the sacrate host Thys do we coÌ„fesse more playnlye that Christ the soÌ„ne of God dyd becom man dyd suffer huÌ„gre and cold was conuersaunt amoÌ„g men walkeynge and teachynge vpon the ear the dyd all thynges that man doeth onelye sinne excepted But thys doth not proue therfore that you may spar Christe either as he was God or as he was man in a boxe
of the bodie doeth declare the same thynge This thynge maye be made euident also to hym that with a cleare conscience marketh the same considerynge that thereof chiefely and onely we haue cause to reioyce that Christe beinge verie man vpon earth hath for our sakes ouercomâ—n all helly and earthly powers and nowe sitteth at the righte hande of God our perpetuall aduocate Thys is the spirituall feedynge and not the fleshly whiche who so feeleth he wyll neuer route vpon the earth for fleshe any more Of the profite of the spirite and the departyng of the fleshe reade Iohn the. xiiij Thou mayst also marke in all the scripture howe the fleshe is smally regarded As to be mother and brother after the flesh Mathew xij Marke iii. and Luke viii Agayne Christe hymselfe doth attribute the true blisse and in fallible felicitie nether carnally to beare hym 〈◊〉 the wombe nor yet to gyue him sucke of â—…e brestes whiche are the greatest thynges â—…at can be touchynge the fleshe but to heare the worde of God and to do the same Thys thynge because it is of the spirite onely profiteth and maketh a man blessed You do well that you couple these two textes Caro non prodest quicquam et quod natum est ex carne caro est spoken to Nicodemus For in verie deede they teache boeth one thynge and are a generall rule of the true vnderstandynge of oure whole religion as you do saye Whiche is that all godly lyfe and holynesse is borne in vs not of the fleshe neither visibly nor inuisibly but of the inuisible power of the spirite whereof we muste be borne a newe if euer we entre into the kyngdome of God as oure sauioure Christ taught Nicodemus The which wordes if any man should so grossely interprete as to expounde it thus sayinge that by the power of God inuisible a man myght enter his mothers wombe and so this fleshe borne inuisibly shoulde be profitable euery man woulde laugh at his foliyshnesse And thys is eueÌ„ muche lyke your gloses coÌ„trary to the which we haue proued by the scriptures that it is profitable that the fleshe do depart that the spirite may come vnto vs that the flesh which in this humilitie hath once suffered 〈…〉 the crosse and done the wyll of the father is no longer profitable vnto vs vpon the earth â–ª but nowe we muste be borne of the spirite â–ª al our conforte al our hope muste be of the spirite For what so euer is borne of the fleshe is fleshe and therefore carnall and no parte of our spiritual religion and spiritual byrth You adde these gloses that inuisibly we muste haue this fleshe present in the fourmes of breade and wine and so muste we eate the fleshe of Christe really but yet inuisibly you saye And shall we by inuisible fleshe but yet very fleshe brynge lyfe vnto oureselues and be borne a newe agaynste the lessons of the spirite If the presence of the fleshe in the bread be so profitable whiche you can proue by no worde of scripture and therefore we neede not beleue you excepte we lust wherfore thynke you woulde Christe rather hide him selfe in bread then shewe hym selfe opeÌ„ly seinge boeth are lyke possible vnto hym He sayeth that thys is the wyll of the father that sent hym that whosoeuer seeth the sonne and beleueth in hym hath euerlastyng lyfe Now for this doubt that you do moue whether his fleshe be caro viuifica that is fleshe giuing life that it is so is the very fouÌ„dacion of our faith and we both agree in this point â–ª But here ariseth the doubte howe this fleshe geueth lyfe You saye by eateinge the same reallye and naturally in the breade wythout any scripture But we taught by the whole course of the scriptures that the spirite onely is profiteable do vnderstand a spiritual eateinge of thys flesh whiche is taught in the. vi â–ª of Iohn to be by the beliefein this flesh offered for the lyfe of the worlde as it is taught at length before And where as you saye that Christe dyd by these words rebuke the grosse and earnal Caparnaites it is verye true an serueth styl agaynste all them that saye Christe must be carnallie eaten be it in loÌ„pes as you speake or the whole bodie swalowed downe al togither as you defende your selfe If you saye as you do againe in thys place that Caro fleshe is taken for the carnall parte of man then do you nothinge coÌ„sider the circumstaÌ„ce howe Christe laboreth in this place to teach the people howe his owne fleshe is profitable vnto them Thys doctrine of yours therfore is confused to gether makeinge the spirituall eateing carnal and the verie fesh and bodie to be the spirite For in your chaunge howe can this be his verie bodie which you cause to go and come no man knoweth howâ—â—einge he hym selfe saieth vnto Didimus his bodie hath verie fleshe and verie bones and is not lyke the spirite You make him lyke a spirite to come and go into thousand milioÌ„s of cakes and aultares insensibly You make him geue life also which is the chiefe and only propertie of the spirite And wher you woulde cloke the firste mattier sayeinge that his bodie maye be in so many places and be insensible because it is adioyned to the God heade you must learne to be ware that in no wise you confounde the natures as I haue spoken before And likewise whan you saye that this fleshe geueth life alwaies because it is inseparably adioyned to the spirite you must acknowledge the proprieties of these ii in sunder grauntinge it to be the properietie of the spirite onely to geue life according to thys text spiritus est qui viuificat though it do by the flesh and dodie of Christe as the onely instrumeÌ„t and peculiar sacrifice wherwith the wrath of God myght be pacified worke in vs that be faythfull the same lyfe And this same fleshe of Christe is a stumbling stone in Zyon to the wicked as the prophet wittnesseth and is set vp to the rniue and resurrection of many It was vnto the Phariseis a blindyng and liuely to them onlie that were ordeined to life Vnto the Iewes whiche handled it and to Iudas which kyssed it and as you would haue it did eate it it was death beynge of it selfe the sauiour frome deathe So that we maye verie well conclude that the spirite onely geueth lyffe and to them onely that haue thys spirite in their hertes to theÌ„ I say the fleshe of Christ is profitable and to them hys fleash is verie meate and hys bloude verie drynke for they onely can feade spiritually of Christe God and man For it is the breade that commeth froÌ„ heaueÌ„ saieth Iohn that geueth lyfe vnto the worlde And thys heauenly breade of the spirite doeth fede vnto lyfe euerlastynge so that who so euer doth once taste therof shall no more be hongrye nor thyrstie after the carnall fode And as for
your opinioÌ„ coÌ„cernynge that the fleash carnally eaten should be lyuely and confortable you are not able to iustifi by any scripturs And therfore beware how you establishe it wyth your tyranny wee haue learnyd thys gospell that Chryst was crucified to saue synners and to gyue lyfe vnto the worlde But that he must be eaten bodylye to gyue lyfe is a newe gospell For Iohn in hys syxte chapiter doeth wholly declare and set forth the spirituall eateynge of the fleash of Christe by fayth as is before declarede contrarie to your carnall writynges WheÌ„ you saye that we make the scripture like a coÌ„fuse sonne of belles I do take all meÌ„ to witnesse yea I dare appeale your owne conscience whether of vs hath the scriptures in more estimacion You and your doctours which do accostomably preach and writ that the scriptures are like a nose of wax easie to be tuurned to al purposes or we that compt no lerneing of maÌ„ nor yet ani doctrine taugh by the apearans of Angelles to be sure and stable vnlesse it be confirmed by the word of God and his infallible scriptures A gayne how lightly and vnreuerently you iudge of the authority of the scriptures of God your â—larckelye cloked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall testifye to the whole worlde wherin you are nothinge ashamed to recite how that openlye in the greate cownsaile lyke A byshope streightwayes at your beginning to be sure to folowe the foundacion of your Romeish church you compted the authoritie of scriptures vnprofitable for your purpose because the sense therof as you say maie be drawne at pleasure to both partes You cloke the matter with cleÌ„lier termes O bishop as you do al your mattiers but in effect this is al one with the nose of waxe coÌ„fused soune of belles Your words be these Prefatus sum inutiliter me verba effusurum si ad fraÌ„gendam hominum pertinaciam scripture authoritati vt nunc sunt hominum ingenia inniterer cuius seÌ„sus pro arbitrio vtrinque distahatur Iudge O you that do syte haue not your consciences all readie marked boeth of these wordes and of the brennyng of the scripturs for loe here may you se the cause why the bishope wyll neither meddle wyth them hym selfe in hys disputacions nor suffer them that woulde so much as in hym selfe lyeth but burne them and banysh the diligent interpretatours of them because he and hys felowes do thinke that they may so easilie be wrasted to the madnesse of man Oh what shall we say or thinke of suche bishopes It is no maruaile though you haue your brethern in smal reputacion and rayle vpon them at your pleasure seynge the worde of God is so smally regarded with you Yea how can you loue God whom you see not when you hate your brethern wyth whom you lyue conuersant derydeyng despiseing and brenninge al that you can haue of God in thys worlde his holie word and scriptures we take God to our Iudge that to our knowledge we do not abuse the scriptures neither write we any thinge but wyth suche mindes hertes conscience as we are redi to stand before hym and make answer at the greate day when he shall appere And because we do knowe the scriptures inspired aboue from God hym selfe to be profitable to teache to improue to amende to enstructe in ryghtuousenese that the man of God may be perfecte and prepared vnto all good workes therfore haue we it in suche estimacion that we can counte no learning good but that is hereby confirmed and establysshed But let vs â–ª returne to your fyrst expositioÌ„ of these wordes Caro non prodest quicquaÌ„ spiritus est qui vinificat and Quod natum est ex carne caro est That is The fleash profiteth nothynge it is the spirite that geueth lyfe that which is borne of the fleash is flesh Thys you say is the true rule of our whole religion The fleashe when it is carnallye eaten as you wil haue it engendreth nought els but fleash Then if it be but fleash that it engendreth then haue we no profit therbi for the fleash doeth nothynge profit Contrary wyse the spirituall eatinge geueth life and engendrethe the spirite whiche onely feadeth the soule therfore we nede nothing to regard the carnall eatinge whyche neither feadeth the soule nor bodie for no bodily thyng can enter the soule nor no spirituall thynge can feade the bodie Now where you would myxte the fleashe and the spirite to gether by this solusioÌ„ that the fleash of Christ can not be wythout the spirite marke what we do answere If we haue lyfe by the spirituall eatynge of Christ once offered for vs as thepistle to the Hebrues doeth witnes if we haue al one spiritual fode with the fathers if we haue lif so many of vs as do thus beleue in hym by the benefite of the spirite as the. vi of Iohn doeth tell at larg if the rightuous liue by the fayth and not by bodily eatynge if that whiche cometh from the herte do make the man holye or prophaâ—e and not that which goeth into the mouth if he that beleueth in Christe shall not be condemned but haue euerlasting lyfe if God haue graunted to all them that receyue Christ that they shalbe the chyldren of God that is to saye as many as beleue in hys name as Iohn doeth interprete hym selfe if he that drinketh of the fountayn of life by faieth shall neuer be thyrsty but be refresshed into euerlastynge lyfe if he that heareth the worde of God and beleueth haue euerlastinge life what auayleth the fleashly eatynge or what can you wyn therby As doctour Ciprian callynge the breade of thys sacrament Sacramentalem panem that is to say bread signifiyng by sacrameÌ„t farther thynge than breade it is a mattier so euideÌ„t that we nede not to striue for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 panis breade in all languages haue al one propre signification of the bread made of graine An other significatioÌ„ they haue by translacioÌ„ wherby they signifie al maner of fode but your doctour must haue a loÌ„g glose of your bishoplyke brayne wherby you are so wyttie you can depraue euery thing For you are not content to haue glosed your doctour but you must forbyd Paul to cal it ani lenger bread bicause that you bishopes haue espied that panis may signifie fode But I prei you good bishop leaue your daliing and tel vs what christ did take in hys haÌ„des as he sate at supper It was not a pece of the lambe to haue a similitude of fleash but it was bread the general substaunce of mans bodily lyfe euen lyke as Christ is the onely breade of lyfe and spiritual fode of the soule Bread I saye it was to declare that lyke as breade is made of many graynes whych all to gether do make but one bodie so lykewise we beynge many beleueynge in Christ are all one bodie in Christ We are one breade and one
that all such be put out from amonge my people And who so euer wilnot repēt this grosse errour beinge admonished be it knowen vnto them that they are not of my shepe For my shepe do heare my voice And being once raysed wyth my voice they wyll folowe no straunger but wil with open voice crie vnto the straunger and say Oh Idole shepeherde Al this haue I spokē because I your god am so opēly cōtemned and a weaks Idol embraced Gyue eare nowe and herken what I shal saye for my sonne whō I sent to be your sauiour and the onely sacrifice that can take awaye synne in my sight You make hym of none effect that so you maye establishe your owne glorious workes and sacrifices I was and am fully cōtented and satisfied wyth the offering of his body once done What neede is there then of your lyeinge sacrifice If his onely sacrifice be ynough as it is ynough more then ynough to satisfie for al what nedeth you to sacrifice and offer him vp again Wyl you or cā you kyl him againe For that which is sacrificed must needs be slayne and wythout bloude can there be no remission of sinnes I know your hertes bloudy bishops by the betrayinge of him whē he was in the earth amonge you nowe by the brennyng of his worde by the tirānous destroyinge of his flocke which wolde cal againe the memorie of his passiō which you haue extinguished wyth your sacrifice for the quycke the dead making it a cloke for your couetousnes and a buckler for the pompe and rigorous authoritie you chalendge ouer my litle flocke I appointed him priest according to the ordre of Melchisedech without successoure or felow I anointed him with the spiritual oile of my spirite that I mighte haue a bishop to offre vnto me sacrifice which should be pure and without spot whiche shoulde not neede many times to offer or to be offered but makinge al thynges perfecte by one onely offeringe of him selfe vnto me his father and by his bloude which all other sacrifices so oft iterated and repeted as thinges vnperfect dyd onelie signifie In this my dearly beloued sonne is my delyte He is the greate bishop whiche once for all hath entered into the place most holie And beinge founde lyke one of you in althings sinne only excepted he hath now penetrated and passed throughe into the heauens there to be your bishop for euer to offer hym selfe alwayes for you in my syghte by whom you maye come to the throne of my grace to haue healpe by tyme. If you wyl seeke any other bishoppe to offre for yo◠I tell you he is poluted and muste firste offre for hym selfe And because of the imperfection that is in hym he can not please me nor pacifie forhim selfe Yea you may also perceiue that his offeryng is vnperfecte or els should he not neede to reiterate it so oftē If you wil not be deceiued therfore sticke fast vnto the offering ofmy sōne once for all made for you And as I haue giuē him to the deth for your sakes so wyll I deny you nothinge that you aske in his name be you sure Hōse comethit that you be called christiās that Christ my sonne was for your sakes manifestly made man in the flesh was iustly declarede God by the spirite and shewed vnto the Angels and after receyued into glorie This must you beleue if you wyl be partakers of the same glorie That he was verie man as one of you are synne onely excepted conuersant vpon the earth in all humilitie care and miserie at my cōmaundemēt wherby for his obedience toward me he deserued to be ▪ crowned wyth a crown of glorie wherfore I sendynge the holye gost vnto you at his desyre whyche may teach you how you are become my chyldren by hym dyd take him vnto my selfe and raised him aboue al the heauēs euen to sitte at my ryght hand for euer Wher you shal seke him if you intende to find hime But neither here nor ther in ani corner of the earth He tolde you that he must departe from you And if you loke for my fauoure you muste not compt him a liar But wylt thou seke my sonne Lo he hath offered one offerynge for sinne and sytteth for euer at the ryght hande of me hys father lokynge for that whiche remayneth That is that hys enemies be made his fote stole And thus doeth my spirite witnes vnto you that in this my newe testamēt established in hys death your sinnes shoulde be done awaye so that I woulde no more remembre them Then if you beleue them to be forgyuen how can you offer for them any more It is a manifest token therfore that all you which wilbe styll sacrificeynge for your synnes do not beleue that they beforgeuē by the death of my sonne Christe You also whych wyll carnally and grosely eate hym and feade vpon hym as chaungeynge breade into hys fleshe can not worthly beleue vpon hym For he departeyngefrō the earth dyd cōmaund you to eate the bread of this supper which he louyngly called hys bodye for your weake remēbraunce and for the declaracion of the benefite which he then shewed vnto all the faythful beleuers in hys death and bloud shedeynge For the declaracion and remēbraunce I saye of this benefite he cōmaunded all his faythful folowers brotherly to deuide amonge them the bread and wyne so ofte as they woulde eate or drynke in the remembraunce of hym whom they shoulde not haue any longer presently conuersant amonge them For he was then commynge vnto me his father for your profyte And therfore byddeth he you do this thynge in the remēbraunce of hym wyll you then know what it is to do the worke that he commaundeth you or to worke the meate that ne neuer perisheth whiche meate he promised to geue vnto you and I haue sēt him downe and appointed hym for the same purpose If you wil knowe this worcke reade in the. vi of Iohn wher you shal learne that the worke of God is to belieue in hym whome he hath sent This is al that you can geue me This is all that I require at your handes I geue you therfore the breade of life if you can receiue it by faieth vnfainedlie That is to say trusteinge to my promise onely in the death of my sonne and to none other creature Yea my sonne is this breade of lyfe and he that cometh vnto hym shall not be hongry he that beleueth in hym shal not be thirsty And thys he tolde you was my wyll and pleasure that who so euer doeth see him and beliue in hym hath euerlasteynge lyfe For thys is the lyfe euerlasteynge to knowe me and to knowe my sonne whome I haue sent Iesu Christe By thys knoweledg do the Angelles and blessed spirites lyue reioyce and take their comfort Thys is the heauenlye fode Thys is the Manna that comethe frome heauen Therfore so muche haste
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
a daungerous thynge to knowe the scriptures and especially for pore men and to talke of oure fayeth Thys doctrine of yours spoyleth vs of fayeth and bringeth vs into the Idlenes of workes Oh diuelishe sophistrie and the spirituall subtiltie stryuing agaynst all godlines Sathan him selfe coulde not diuise suche a reason to hinder our fayth and stop knowledge The Popes bishops only could do it But marke howe this sophistrie is coÌ„firmed and proued The Bishoppe for lacke of scriptures bringeth furth Cato an heatheÌ„ maÌ„ who dispised the greeke poetes because the youth of Rome waxed effeminate whiâ—se they set their delite in them thei rather reioyced in readinge of battayles then fightinge them selues But what is this to vs christen men whiche oughte to be readie to gyue answere of oure fayth to eâ—eâ—ie one that asketh vs which shoulde talke of the wyll of God towardes vs and his holy coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes when we lye downe and when we rise when we go by the waye and when we sit at the table compting our selues then to be most happie when we were moste delited therin daye and night as Dauid sayeth But this is straunge doctrine vnto you because you are none of Paules bishops For he gaue his bishops in commaundement to be iustant in the worde in tyme and out of tyme. No you are an englishe bishop thynkinge the worde of God to be good but at those times that you wyll appoynt and that to a fewe gentlemen to whom you durst not denie it And to busilie occupied marchauntes whom you do espie not so muche to regarde it as they haue done giuinge them this knot in the ende of your boke that 〈◊〉 they wax waÌ„ ton they shalbe put to silence as well as women and yomen are all readie Oh Stephane this is thy worke as the chiefest englishe captitaine that euer Antichrist had For thou workest thy workes as his enemie but thou arte his friende Thou wouldeste seeme an Angell but thou arte a fiende I beseche all good men therefore that as they tendre their soules health they wyl take heede to your swete poyson and flatterynge wordes also to your darke termes whiche you do bringe furth of other languages For by them chiefly haue we ben deceiued euer syth we haue mistrusted your fayre wordes and marked the mattier in our owne mother tonge and naturall language We haue by litle and litle euer more more espied your subtilties Before we had the Creede in Englishe we â—…lde not know that this presence of the bodie naturally and really that is to say in his verie nature as he was man and a sensible thing and substaunce was contrarie to three of the moste manifest article of our fayth Moreouer where you adde as a couclusion fully proued and persuaded vnto al good men that Christe is really present in the Sacrament 〈◊〉 the aultare to feede oure weake bodies soules wherby to make vs stronge to come to him and lyâ—e wythout ende surely I can not perceiue howe you can persuade this thynge to any good man that marketh the Articles of his fayeth concernyng the ascendyng of Christe and his sittynge at the ryghte hande of his father and his comynge thence to iudge the quicke the dead though you haue wyth your darke termes deluded and blynded many good simple soules whoÌ„ you woulde not suffre to haue and knowe their beliefe otherwise then in the latiâ—e toÌ„ge and so taken at your handes that you might mixt therwith your gloses so craftely handled and blynded with your sophistrie termes as really to be in the sacrament whiche you saye before is accidentes that the thynge it selfe and substaunce maye be really in accidentes And then shall it not onely be a spirituall meate to feede the soule but also a bodily fode to feede your bodies like fleshly Ca parnaites that wyll eate Christe as he was man walkyng vpoÌ„ earth to the fode of your bodies To make you stronge you saye to come vnto hym What strength is it wherby you come to him Bodily or spirituall Oh men voyed of the spirite You wyl feede the body to haue the strength of the spirite to come vn to Christ Where learned you any like lesson in the scriptures This is your well doinge and well speaking without knowledge Firste laboure for knowledge of the worde of God and leaue the subtiltie of your owne brayne and you shal boeth speake more wisely worke more godlie I warrant you Christ teacheth in the. vi of Iohn that to come vnto him is to beleue in him sayinge He that cometh vnto me shal not be hungrie and he that beleueth in me shal neuer be thirstie And a litle after he calleth this the eatinge of the breade of life the eatinge of hym selfe and his fleshe saynge I am the liuinge breade that came downe from heauen if any man eate of this breade he shal loue for euer And the breade whiche I shall gyue is my fleshe whiche I shall giue for the life of the world He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude hath euerlasting life And he that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude abideth in me and I in him Then answereth he to the blynde Caparnaites that woulde eate him really and bodilie as the meate of their bodies My wordes are spirite life the fleshe profiteth nothinge Wherefore I saied vnto you that no man can come vnto me except it be giuen him of my father And this power giuen of the father to receiue Christe is taughte in the firste of Iohn He came into his owne sayeth Iohn and his owne did not receiue him But so many as did receiue him he graunted them to be made the children of God They thinke you that did receiue him bodilie eate him really to vse your termes to feede their bodyes and soules to make them strong to come to him What neede such meÌ„ to make theÌ„ stronge to come to him when they haue him in their bealies and haue eaten him alreadie Leaue of all grosse imaginations of the fleshe that profiteth not and folowe the doctrine of the spirite and Iohn wyll teach you and declare playnelie who receiueth Christe and cometh vnto him For all muste needes be one thing to come to Christ and to receiue Christe Reade this that â—oloweth therefore whiche you mumble vp at euerie Masse in euerie corner and yet wyll you not suffre the people to vnderstande it Quotquot autem receperunt eum dedit eis vt liceret filios dei fieri videlicet hijs qui credidissent in nomen ipâ—ius Quinoâ— exsanguinibus neque ex voluntate carnis neque ex voluntate viri sed ex deo nati sunt So manie as receiue him he graunted theÌ„ to be made the children of God that is to saye so manie as beleue in his name Marke home diligentlie Iohn declareth him selfe of the receiuinge of Christe by fayth And further Which are not borne of bloude neither by the wil
weake Christes coÌ„myng is at hande i. Corh xi Byshoppes haue ben and be the defenders of all wyckednes i. Chrin xi Exod. xii Pas Cxrxiiii and. Cxlv. Psa Cxlviii Math. xxiii 〈◊〉 Corint xiiii We must coÌ„firme our lyues to the bishoppes lyfe The prelates discourage vs froÌ„ preaching the Lordes death Doctoure Buttes Deut. xxvi Iud. ix An Image caÌ„ not be a womannes husbande My lorde woulde haue no translatioÌ„ by his wyll Fayth is the mouth that receyueth Christes bodie Iohn vi The Apostles were stroÌ„ger in Christes absence theÌ„ in his preâ—ence The true blisse is to hear theword of God and folowe it If we wilenter into Christes kyngdoÌ„e we muste bec borne a newe Christes fleshe giueth lyfe Iohn vi My Lorde myght haue ben ashamed to make thys boaste Iohn vi Hebr. x. i. Corhi x. Note the cause why this sacrameÌ„t was instituted in breade Wiuchesters wordes The answer So much differeÌ„ce is betwene the signe and the thing sngnified as is betwen the maister and seruant vii viii ix x. My â—ord sinneth iâ— wylful blindnes Ro. x. Onely God is true and al men are lyars Gene eare for God sayth it The ruine of the gentiles is at hande Noman ameÌ„deth his maners The worlde doeth alwaies striue against the spirite your Idoles shalbe brâ—…t The newe found god is â—ccursed of God The whole worlde foloweth Idoleâ— Man hath made him gods of the â—â—est creatures At his departing Christe commaunded his remembraÌ„ce to be celebrated A vaine â—â—uÌ„lâ—uge called the masse A double câ—…sion God recordeth theÌ„ that worship him in spirite Esai lxvi Act. xvii God is meri to euerie one of vs God is the father of spirites The Lorde speaketh to the prelates The obstinate muste not be prayed for God hath his ministers of vengeaunce The bishoppes are commaunded to stande vp and answere The Lorde plageth the tyrannouse rulers Idols be thaÌ„ked for the benifites that God gyueth God giueth â—…eth â—…geâ—… God is far in dept to his makers This almoÌ„de is wel blanched God is not chaungeable The feare of a mouse causeth al this defence Ferae not the bread God The suppression of Abbayes was for Idolatrie The breade God is thrise miserable Because all thinges are possible to God he can escape the prieâ—â—es iuglyng That whiche is sacrificed must nedes be slaine Christ onely must be oure bishoppe He that wyll finde Christe muste seke hym at the right hande of the father They that will sede carnally vpon Christ can not beleue in hym The cause why Christ caâ—…ed the bread hys bodye The lyfe that is in all blessed spirits is the knoweledge of christ In that the flesh of Christ was giueÌ„ for the life of the world it was heueÌ„ly bread other wyse not AbrahaÌ„ waâ—… accompted iust before 〈…〉 was certuâ—… sised God accepâ—eth none oâ—her iustice out onelye that whyche â—s by fayeth The Israelites fed not on a signe or sacrament God regardeth not the offring of signes or sacramentes Christ neuer preached traÌ„s substaÌ„ciacioÌ„ God intended to haue iust occasion â–ª to exaltvs wheÌ„ he made his son man Ephe. i. These flesly sacramentaries are eaters mans fleshe as the Sithians are Psa xvii The spirite beareth witnesse that we are sonnes by adoption God regardeth none of oure inuencions The doctours are to be suspected because they please the papestes so wel These doctoure that be called S. sit highly in tht consciences of men Fryth is nat yet confuted Wicklifes wicket openeth the waie God is pacient and of loÌ„g suffering More maye be an exemple to mockars Rom. iii. To the god all thinges are good and to the wicked contrarie It is more easie to lyue well then yll If thyâ—ges of auncient tyme be to be receiued theÌ„ is ther no vice to be refused Tyme vtterreth al thynges Two against â—wâ— The definicion of a sacrament A broade shaueÌ„ crowne is the signe of folishuesse Two things are to be considered in asacrament One thynge can not be boeth visible and inuisible 〈◊〉 Corh xxi Math. xvii Marke xiiii Luc. xxii i. Corh x. Wynchester would haue vs saye our lorde and not the Lorde Luc. xxiiii Act. ii Nothing like Exod. iiii Gens xxxii The etimologie of this worde Israel Theyr owne testimonie is inought to declare them to be woulfes If the prelates had had the true vnderstandinge of scriptures they woulde not haue maintained errours From the elders haue we receiued al wickednesse Ther is no faute in the Romeish church Wynchester preached opeÌ„ly agaynst gods worde Luk. x. Math. x. It is for the papistes profite to keepe the worlde in blyndnesse Mich. iii. Zach. i. Iherem xxiii Let them that doubt aske of God The knowledge of the â—onges is profitable to the studie of scripture Sathan beginneth to roare The bishops open the waie for the turkes to enter Winchesters wordes The answere The papistes busy mennes myndes wyth straunge names i. Corh xi Polidore de inuentoribus â—erum Winchesters wordes The answer Who be the theues that steale awaye the fode of the soule Winchesters wordes The answere Learne to auoied offence in eatinge of meates i. Cor. x. Galath ii Learne at the byshoppes to faste The father geuethe the true breade from heauen The masse is not the memorie of Christe That which the prieste eateth doeth vs no good The vertue of the masse of the fiue woundes Malach. i. Act. x. â—… â–ª vii Gregorie Nazianzene for fasteynge The cause whie Christe fasted Lerne where in to folow Christe Hidra the monster the hercules slewe My Lordes answere in priuate communicacion Stephane Gardinar Gods wrod must gene place to mattens â–ª i Corch xiiii Mat. xv Rom. xiiii 〈◊〉 Timoth. iii. Coloss ii How fasteynge driueth forth diuilles Fishe prouoâ— Doctrine preached at Poules crosse Psalm cxviii My lorde recant for shame Exemples of mens inuentions i. Reg. xv i. Thess iiii Leuite xix xxv Hebr. xiii ii Corh iiii i. Corh xi Iherou xxii xxiii Geue no eare to the prophetes that deceyue you Ezechi xxxiii Ezech xxxiiij The true de scription of our prelates Math. vii Math. xvi Marke vii Math. vi Math. xxiii Mat. v. The phariseis and byshops al one Superstition maketh all thinges euyll Iohn iiii Math. vi Math. xv Esai xxix Math. v. Math. vi Math. xv Math. xxiii Math. vi The morian and leopardâ—… Toutch not Coloâ—â— ii Wyl holines The kentishe man Beware of my Lordes lyes Some drinke no wyne Luke xxiiil Aâ—tâ— ii The prelateâ— consideracion i. Corh x. The cup of brotherli loue Winchesters wordes The answer Tradicions and churche An apt similitude In the. cxxvi â—eafe of my lordes boke the. xvii liue A shauen crowne is no thynge Leuit. xix A loÌ„g gowne is nothynge The Apostles werenot aâ—ointed withoutward oyles Learne to knowe a true prieste Osee iiii The anoynting of the spirite Holy water The perfecâ— on of the bishops faste Husse Bylnay Hunne Barnes Norfolke Anne Askue Iohn Lassels The bishops darlinges The salt is â—â—sauourie Cato An Englishe bishoppe Fyll the bealie to come to Christe 1. Pet. i. i. Pet. ii Ephe. ii Math. v.
An ansvver to the deuillish detection of Stephane Gardiner Bishoppe of Wynchester published to the intent that such as be desirous of the truth should not be seduced by hys errours nor the blind obstinate excused by ignorance Compiled by A. G. Iudicum vi ¶ Oh let theÌ„ perish from the erth and from vnder the heauen all the Idoles that haue not made the heaueÌ„ the erthe destroye you theyr groues and altares If they be goddes let them reueng them selues ¶ Anno. 1547. the. 24 of Ianuary ¶ In the viii leafe i. page and xiiii line for staine mne reade same mine To the Reader DEarely beloued bought wyth the same bloude and therfore parte takers of the same kyngedome because the Lorde oure God is the God of knowledge and wyll haue suche seruauntes as by knowledge in trueth wythout fleshely fantasies either of fained goddes or any fonde worship of mans madde brayne who alwaies from the beginneinge hath renne after vanities wyll be radie to geue answere of their faieth in him the God of lyfe and of the hope conceiued by his onely worde it becometh all his â—o labour for knowledge that they maye walke vpright in the waie of their Lorde and by no halting ignoraunce to slide furth of the same and so to prouoke his worthi displeasure And as he is the God of loue peace vnitie and concorde and will haue vs al tied together with the bonde of loue and made therby in hym all one bodie so doeth it become vs wyth open hertes wythout all doublenesse one to enstructe an other to the edifiynge of oure brethern that in sure grownded fayth we maye loue together and so enioye the hope of our vocacion Therfore though mi talent bee verie smal and no principall gifte either of eloquence or learninge but onely a loue of the trueth geuen vnto me yet seinge the worlde is so blinded with Idolatrie and so beewitched with popishe sophistrie and euen nowe the spirittes and powers of darcknes worcke the chiefe mysterie of iniquitie and wickednesse to set vp and maintaine the moste weake Idole that euer was in the worlde in the steade of the most mightie and euerliuinge God I coulde thincke it no lesse theÌ„ my most bounden dutie openly to beare wittnesse vnto the truthe And where as the wordes of truth haue bene slandrously and spitfully named the saieinges of the deuil by the spiritual crafte of a souldiour of SathaÌ„ which by painted wordes woulde transform him self into an angel of lyght Whose boke is spred euerie where and receiued in manie places more reuerentlie then the blessed bible the holie worde of God Yet no maÌ„ hath so farre as I know once opened his mouth or taken penne in hand to make answere to this blasphemouse messenger of the proude Senacherib neglectinge the liueinge God for the littel I dole that he maketh God or no God at hys pleasure who suffreth Mise to eate him and the wicked to deuoure him Lette all other men do as they shall thyncke good wyth silence to let suche thynges slip Truly if I coulde saye nothinge thereunto but onely naye denienge Idolatrie and renouncynge all supersticion therin maintained I iudge it my parte to publishe my faith rather then by my silence to seame to consent to suche diuillishe doctrine So also do I esteme it the dutie of the faithful in this perillous tyme plainely to professe the Lord the liueuinge God to be the onely God in heauen a boue and in the erth beneth leste bi our silence for sakinge hys cause here vpon erth we be forsaken in his heauenly palace For lyke as in herte we do beleue to oure rightuousnes so must we necessarily confesse to oure saluacion as Paule teachethe We must beware as Paule warnethe and the bishope taketh the same text first ofal that our senses be not corrupted from the simplicite and sing lenesse that is in Christe as the serpent begiled Eua. We knowe but one God We are maried vnto one We knowe but one Christ made man and none other creature for ourcause This thing as we beleue it in herte so muste we in mouth â—oâ—fesse the same if we wyll walke in the simplicitie and sing linesse that is in Christe as becometh christians For if the hert and mouth go together then is it sing lenesse otherwise it is doublenesse and dissembling But there is one other simplicitie as it hath bene compted as the worde hath bene abused which is verie folishnes This maye we cal the simplicitie that Antichriste woulde haue styl to reigne amonge vs and therefore his champion when he brought in the texte of Paulle lefte out the principall wordes Que est in christo Whyche is in Christe as their olde texte hath it And thorowe out hys whole boke he woulde driue vs to be simple That is to saye to folowe as we be led like blinde men that the proude papisticall prelates still leadeinge vs into the pitte of perdicion abuseing our wines and goodes maye saye in their connentes Let them alone let them offer still vnto Imeages a pice of bread or any thinge else of a good intent all is well done that is done of a good intent They maye worship a stocke or a stone let them folow their auncient fathers They are good simple soules They do as we and oure doctours teach theÌ„ If we let theÌ„ knowe al trueth they wilbe as wise as we and then they wyll smally regarde vs. Thys is their workeinge these are their wordes howe so euer they haue clokâ—d hertofore all the worde nowe seeth it Let vs beware therfore of this thir simplicitie and let vs no longer thynke that this their doctrine is'true that al should he well done that is done for a good intent and that it is well done in all thinges to beleue theyr doctours For this ignorante opinion that thei haue grounded in their hertes hath hitherto stopped the waie to all knowledge and nowe letteth faith to be grounded and causeth men to continew styll in their olde errowres wythout any desire to come out of blindnesse Consider therefore good reader a gaynste their blinde lessons that Saull was caste from hys kyngedome for his good intent euen because he intended to do sacrifice vnto the Lorde of the best and fatteste of the Amalechites And yet maye thys seme a gloriouse intent The bishoppes of the Iewes and the Idolatours of al ages folowed theyr good intent euen when they put Christ and all hys prophetes and Apostles to death The byshop of Norwich when he burned pore Bilney folowed his good intent our other byshopes also burneninge and murtheringe theyr bretherne in prisone and out of prisone folowed theyr good in tentes But God is the iudge of the inteÌ„tes and thoughtes of vs al and sercheth the verie raine and the holes of our hertes Yea the lord our god abhorreth and the prophetes reproue vs alwayes because we wyll do euerie man that semeth good in his owne
eies Sayth not the Lorde by hys prophet Esaye Myne intentes are not your in enteÌ„s and mi wayes are not your wayes But â—o so farre as the heauen is from the erthe so high are my wayes aboue your waies and mine intentes aboue your intentes For the beliefe of their doctours and the prelates of the churche which thinge the bishoppe laboureth alwaies to establish remembre that Christe saith if the blynde leade the blynde boeth fal into the pitte And thou must doub tlesse coÌ„mpt their writtinges eueÌ„ verie blindnes in regardeâ— of the light of goddes moste certaine worde which must be the rule of thi life the fouÌ„dacion of thy fayth and the light vnto thy feete As for theyr auncientie be sure to take Christ for they guide who was before all And saye with S. Paule fayth is of heariuge not of the worde of any maÌ„ but of the worde of God Therefore saieth God the father with open voice from heauen This is my dearely beloued sonne in whom is my delight heare you hym Now if any be so fainte herted and so deluded by other that they thyncke they maye still disseinble wyth the hypocrites in their owtwarde doetnges I sende them to the exemple of Daniel who praied with opeÌ„ windowes and wyth his three companions refused to honour the golden Image would not dissemble outwarde worship nother content them selues with the purenesse of theyr owne hertes thoughe they myght therby haue escaped the fire consideringe that the glorie of God coulde not be so foâ—dered but rather hindered by theyr walkeinge in the waye of the wicked Therfore saieth the prophet Dauid Happie is he that nether staÌ„deth sitteth nor walketh that is to saye hath nothinge to do wyth them other openly or priuily by any colour or dissimulacion Eliazar had such like counsell of hys frendes that he shoulde eate fleshe onely whiche was lawfull and dissemble to eate the vnlawfull But he saide it was not lawfull for him to dissemble and so cause many to be deceiued through his hipocrisie for so he might escape the death of the body but the hand of God he could not auoide For this cause did Paule reproue Peter for his dissemblinge be fore the gentiles And he teacheth the Corinthians againe that there is no companie of light and darckenesse no dessemblinge to be partaker boeth of the cup of Christe and of deuilles Oure membres must be the weapons either of rightuousenes other else of vnrighttuousenesse there is no meane for styll and ware politicke persons And therfore sayeth our maister Christ he that is not with me is againste me And he that doeth not gather doeth scatter These wordes of Christe and suche like and none other cause whatsoeuer any man shall imagine haue compelled me to publish my fayth and in the name of the liueinge God to make answere to one boke whiche of all other I estemed most perilouse and poysonful boeth for the authorite of the writter and the subtile handellinge of hys mattier in the maytaineinge of that Idole which al the worlde hath worshipped so many yeres The name of the boke is the detection of the diuillysh sophistrie The authour that made it is Stephaue Gardiner bishop of Winchester the chiefe mantainer of the popeishe tradicions as appeareth by al hys dedes writinges How I haue vsed my self in the same I shall shewe at fewe wordes Because I did take vpon hande to confute his boke I coulde kepe no comely order but as the wordes do leade me so am I compelled to go forwarde Yet haue I not written hys whole texte in my boke because it woulde â–ª haue ben to much tediouse and ouer longe but onely his â–ª chiefe mattier and principall argumentes whereof I truste not one hath escaped vntouched I lest of the residue thinkeing it a verie vaine thinge to contende about trifles as I should haue done of necessiâ—e in waigheinge euerie worde and ponderinge euerie sentence The boke is so farre spred a broabe that I can not belie hym but it shalbe a witnesse againste me in euerie corner For it was plentuousely imprinted by Iohn Herforde in aldergate strete at LoÌ„don and is to be solde at the signe of the bell in poules church yarde I haue principally and chiefe laboured to establishe the true fayeth in the liueinge God by the reproueinge of the false and fained goodes SecoÌ„dly I haue taught the trwe vnderstandinge of the wordes of the supper of the Lorde and the right vse of the same Whiche two my chiefe purposes howe faithfully I haue done them the fathfull shall iudge knowynge the voice of of theyr shepeherde In mine answere to his wordes I truste no man shalbe offended with any vnchrist an rayleinges though great accasioÌ„ be offerred on his parte bringeinge our argumentes so spitfully in the name of deuill with yea sayeth the deuell as though the deuell where a destroier of Idoles whâ—e onely hath bene theyr mainetainer and vpholder from the be geninge of the worlde vnto this daye Yet I do thynke nothynge lesse then to satisfie all men wyth my writtinges more then other haue done before mi time with theirs much more wittie more lerned and godly No I do suppose the hight lerned maye finde many fautes there'with as I â–ª acknowledge mi self far vnder the perfection of theyr high lerninge Neuerthelesse I trust in God that it is not all together so rude nor vnfruitfull but that the vnlerned for whome it is chiefe lie written shall encrease bi it in knowledge caste of much supersticion and take conforte of conscience Whome also I beseche euen for the loue â–ª of God and â–ª as they tender their soules health not to caste awaye this bokethough they reade somethinge therin that they neuer harde before but rather desire of theire moste mercifull father that theyr olde errours wherwith they haue bene deceiued by blind teachers maie be taken awaye And if there be any that can not sodaineli caste of the olde skine wyth the serpent and forsak theyre olde ignoraunce coÌ„firmed with longe custome let theÌ„ desir of God so much grace that they maye more quietlie then hath ben accustomed heare men talke of the fayth they haue conceiued in the liueinge God For than shal it be wel with the christian religion wheÌ„ the one parte maie boldelie and wyll redily gyue answere of the hope they haue conceiued and faith whereby thei trust to be saued and the other parte wyll mekeli heare what is spoken and quietely suffer the lambes to feede of their swete pasturs So shall the prophecie be fulfilled The lambe shal lodge with the woulfe the leoparde and the goâ—e shal lie together The calfe the lion and the shepe shall dwell together and a little childe shalbe their herde and driue them which thinge I trust partely shall be fullfilled in oure tyme vnder our little Iosias to whom God graunt the abundaunce of hys grace And most fully vnder the true Iosias
that is to prohibite or forbid mariage and coÌ„mauÌ„de to abstaine from meates whyche God hath created to be receiued wyth thankes geueing as the good ceatures of God Who foloweth the diuelles doctrine moste in these to pointes is not harde to be iudged of al the world Yet muste we futhermore consider the spiritâ—es you saye which thinge we â–ª are not loth to do for Iohn teacheth vs so mistrusteinge our owne iudgment And Iohn sayeth that euerie spirite that confesseth Iesus Christ to be come in the flesh is of God This do we all confesse whome you call at your pleasure heretikes and saye that we wyll doubte in all together But we knoweinge certenlie by the scriptures that he was manifestely declared in the flesh to be verie man and perfectly declared in the spirite to be God in the wonderouse workinge of his miracles was sene amonge the angelles was beleued in the world and receiued into glorie where he reigneth equale wyth his father sittinge at the ryght hand of God from whense we no thing doubt but we shal se him come down as the apostles dyd se hym go vp into the heauenes Act. i. In the meane season we beleue stedfastly that he is with his faiethfull church by hys holy spirite euen to the worldes ende For the which he gaue him selfe to sanctifie it and cleuse it in the fountaine of water bi the worde to make it vnto him selfe a gloriouse congregacion wythout spot or wrynckle or any suche thynge but that it shoulde be holy and wythout blame Where contrarie wyse you whiche accompte your selues onely men of the churche and spirirituall men as the onelye partakers of the spirite doe wyth out scripture or reasone teache vs laye and lewde men as ye call vs onelye wyth swerde and fire that Christe was not verie man haueinge a naturall bodie For you saye that thys his bodie that he had maie be in x. thowsande places at once Whiche property howe well it agreth with a natural bodie al that haue any knowledge maye decerne Againe you saye that this bodie of the same lengeth and breadeth that it hanged vpon the crosse maye be closed in a little boxe contrarie to the ordinaunce of mans naturall bodie in the creacion And where we se nothynge but a piece of breade for you can not teache vs by the scriptures that the breade is chaunged we must neades beleue that their is a bodie besides the bread because you saye so thought there can be perceiued neither quantitie nor qualitie that is to saye nothynge parteininge to a bodie As for your answere of fayeth constrained to beleue thys wythout either scripture or â–ª reasone that it maye haue merite and that all these be naturall reasons I shall answere whan I come at those wordes In the meane tyme marke your owne maliciouse wickednesse how you wil haue â–ª Christ to haue a bodie nothynge lyke the naturall bodie of man but insensible and infinit yet by your subtilties to be comprehedend and wythin your listes bandes and boxes to be contained and haue hys measure appointed but in no parte agreable to our natural bodi which he did voultchsalfe to take vpon him Thus after you haue denied him by your wicked enueÌ„cion to be a verie maÌ„ like one of vs sinne onely excepted whych the scripture teacheth plaine After you haue denied christ to haue a verie natural bodie and verie flesh then procede you to teach how he cometh in breade And because you â—et Christes religion in your ceremonies as farthynges that make the heape you set Iesu oure saniour to come in al trifles and baggage Yet to cloke your false speach wyth hipocrisie you saye properly that Christe consecrateth him selfe in those formes of bread wine with which worde consecrate you ingle by your diâ—ilish sophistrie For if ye meane he haloweth him selfe into bread wine which your word coÌ„secrate doeth signifie as lewde as you take vs we woulde laught at your folie If you woulde saye by that worde he tourneth him selfe into the fourme of breade and wyne so then your doctrine is that Christe cometh vnto vs in breade wine And we saye that he is comen all redie in the fleshe and in the same fleshe is gone vp to heauen and from thense shall come to iudge all flesh You saye lo here is Christe Lo there is Christe Loke whose spirites you be You are of the world and therfore speake you of the worlde and the world heareth you And like as by faieth so also by loue saieth Iohn is the spirite of trueth and of errowre knowne asuÌ„der Therfore let vs loue together for loue is of God and euerie one that loueth is borne of God He that loueth not knoweth not God for God is loue If we loue together God dwelleth in vs and his loue is perfece in vs. If any man saie I loue God and doeth yet hate his brother that man is a lier For he that loueth not hys brother whom he seeth how can he loue God whom he seeth not Howe your hote bourneinge loue whyche causeth you to bourne men that can not vnderstand your gloses can be of god I know not but thys wotte I well that when the people of Samaria woulde not receiue Christe hys Apostles woulde haue had fire froÌ„ heauen to bourne them But Christe answered You knowe not whose spirites you are The sonne of man dyd not come to destroy the soules of men but to saue them And you byshoppes haue your authoritie to edifie and not to destroie But the olde serpent and his first begotten caine theÌ„ Pharao next Herod and the phariseis the olde byshopes condemninge Christe and you their successours banisheinge his worde with crueltie are of a coÌ„trarie spirite And where you byd vs take hede of carioÌ„ surely your glose is a very carion and the worde of God which you take a way froÌ„ al men saue geÌ„tlemeÌ„ marchauÌ„tes is the onely fode and life of the soule wher it liueth as Christ him selfe wittnesseth Not by bread only liueth man but by eueri word that proceadeth out of the mouth of God But the blacke birdes and rauenes the pies and deuoreinge fleshe crowes they fede vpon flesh and theafore vpon carion My wordes saieth Christe are spirite and lyfe My spirite sayeth God shall no longer remayne with man because he is fleshe Therfore wheÌ„ the worde of God and the spirite of lyfe are not with your fleshly teachinge it must nedes be carion Suche is your flieinge about the dead as about carion for filling of your paunches For the deade carions haue made you riche in youre monasteries chauntries and perpetuities The deade carions of Becket Benno and darnel Gader of Dunstane woulstane Audrie and suche other haue filled your wide throtes so full and you carie your praye so gredily in your monthes that you are become dome dogges that you can not barcke but onelye at them that woulde
againe Haueinge no nede as other byshopes haue to offer for hys owne sinnes and then for the synnes of the people for he hath done that once whan he offerred him selfe Againe in the. ix Chap By hys owne bloude wente he in once into â—he holie place euerlasteinge redemption opâ—ained The whiche euerlasteinge redemption if we haue optained al redie in that he offerred hym selfe by spirite euerlasteinge as Paule sayeth without spot vnto God and so hath purified oure conscience from deade workes what neade we an other pope Byshope or prieste to offer hym agayne Hath he not sufficiently and aboundantly offered hym selfe for the sinnes of the whole world Howe can the priest then offer hym to take a waâ—e sinnes or profite quicke and deade For those selfe same sinnes wer taken away before by Christ or else shal they neuer be taken waie by the pâ—istes Therfore is this but vaine iug linge for money and for the maintenaunce of your dignities Againe Christe is gone into heauen that he maye appeare nowe in the sight of God for vs not that he may oft offer hym self what authorite than I pray you hath the priest oft to offer hym for than muste he oft haue suffered sith the world was made But now once at the later ende of the worlde for to driue awaye sinne dyd he appeare by the offeringe of hym self And where as all men once must die and after receyue iudgment so also Christe is once offerred vp that he maye take awaye the sinnes of manye Agayne in the. x. wee are made holie by the offeringe of the bodâ— of Christe once done What it is that yoâ— priestes do offer so ofte I shal tel you anoâ—… Euerie priest sayeth Paule standeth daie â–ª ly doinge sacrifice and offerringe the saâ—… oblacions often tymes which neuer can take awaye sinne Which wordes â—houghe thei 〈◊〉 spoken onely of the priestes of the olde lawe yet coÌ„parynge that which foloweth it shalbe proued true in you of the newe lawe For Christe after one offeringe offerred for sinnes â—â—tteth for euer at the right hande of god A gaine By one onely offerringe hath he made peâ—fecte for euer so many as are made holie Iâ— he haue made vs perfect by one only offeringe wherto serue the priestes â–ª that we maye conclude as Paulle doeth Where ther is remission of and forgeuenesse of sinnes be 〈◊〉 in the olde testament or the newe â—hâ—re remaineth no farther oblacion or offerringe for them Contrariwise as Paulle reasone the with them so maie we reasone with you if thys offeringe myght take a waye sinne or make theÌ„ perfecte that vse it woulde they not haue leste of the offerringe of it for them selfe their foundars and all suche as they vsed it for Because nowe they shoulde haue had no conscience of their sinnes which hade thus sacrified and bene once purged Therfore sayeth Paule in the sacrifices of the olde lawe whyche were not done wyth out bloude was onely the commemoracion and remembraunce yerely of sinnes And Christe hym selfe sayeth of thys oure sacrament Do thys in the remembraunce of me Lyke as in the passouer whyche was the figure of oure deliueraunce by Christe the vn spotted lambe yerely remembraunce was commaunded to be done Though by the open word of god who is able to chaunge what lyketh hym whose powre no man euer doubted of that had but the gifte of reasone the ceremonie of oure redemption which they had but in shadowe and we haue in trueth and therfore it ceased whan the bodye that is Christe did come and offer the true passeouer lambe thoughe I saye thys ceremonie of the Iewes be by these open wordes of God thus named Thys is the passouer of the Lorde yet was ther neuer any of the Iewes priestes so mad to saye that God chaunged any substaunce by thys worde is yet were they all baptised by Moyses as Paule witnesseth in the cloude â–ª and in the sea And they all did eate the same spiritual meate and drinke the same spirituall drinck for they dyd drinke of the spirituall drinke whiche folowed them The stone was Christe But we more grosse and carnall by much in all oure doeinges blowe inges and blâ—ssâ—iâ—ges then were â—he pharisies though Christe sâ—ke such worshipers as shall worshâ—e hym in spirite not contented wyâ—h the spirituall fode of the soule wherwiâ—â— onely he feadeth the soule because it is also a spirit and therfore taketh no fode but onely Christe and hys worde spiritually ministred whyche are spirite and life where as â—he fleshe profiteth nothinge â—oeth as we reade in the sixt of Iâ—hâ— and the manifeste example of the olde byshopes haueinge hym carnally present amonge them â–ª and as you will haue it Iudas and all the wicked do carnally and fleshely eate hym and yet do not abyde in hym but haue damnacioâ— contrarie to the sainge of Christ He that eateth my fleshe and dâ—…h my bloude hath euerlastinge life and I shall raise hym vp at the laâ—â—e daye And againe He that eateth mi fleshe and drincketh my â–ª bloude abydeth in me and I in hym And as Iohn sayth in hys firste Epistle God hath geuen vs euerlastinge lyfe and thys lyfe is in hys sonne He that hath the sonne hath life and he that hath not the soÌ„ne of God hath not lyfe All whiche scriptures â—oeth they that teach vs that Christe can no more nether neadeth againe in bodye to be offerred and sacrificed and therfore compell vs to graunt that these wordes thys is bodie which shalbe geuen for you were neuer ment so carnally that euerie prieste â—…blinge these wordes in a strange language with breathing and bloweing shoulde cause Christe to come downe from the right hand of the father to be chaunged into bread that he myght sacrifice hym newe againe to take awaye sinnes In lyke maner do those scriptures that teach all sacrifices to be perpetuall commemoracions and remembraunces of the spirituall eateinge of Christe amonge the fathers of the olde testameÌ„t and that Christ likwise wyll haue thys sacrament ministred in the remembraunce of hym in the newe testameÌ„t wher as the speache maye feme verie idle to saye make me in the remembrauÌ„ce of me althought it so were that it myght be so sayed without intolerable arrogancie as it can not in any wise whether you saie you make him by hys worde or no as shall appeare afterwarde Those scriptures also whyche teach that we haue life euerlasteinge so â—â—â—y of vs as eate hâ—s fleshe and drinke hys bloude yea that we shall neuer be hongrie or â—hirstie agayne so many of vs â–ª as once do taâ—e of thys bread comming from heauen Finally alscriotures that teach how and after what sort Christ is profitable vnto vs for they are the chiefe establyshementes of oure fayeth that were not present with him at suche time as he was budilie vpon the earth That is to saye that the flesh profiteth no thinge The wordes that I
speake are spirit and lyfe Wher vpon Peter saied Lord why ther sâ—hal we gooâ—thou hast the words of euerlasting life And these are the waters that Christe wyll geue after the whiche no man shall euer thurste But the water whiche I shall geue hâ—m saieth Christe shalbe made in hym a fountaine of water springeinge into lyâ—â—e euerlasteing Blessed be they that heare the worde of God and kepe it whiche was sharpely answered agaynste them which dyd so highlie aduaunce to knowe God in the fleshe Against whom also Paule sayth we know none after the fleshe etc. Moreouer saieth he though we haue knowne Christ after the fleshe yet nowe do we not knowe hym so any longer But he that is in Christe muste be a newe creature in the spirite accordeinge to the saieinge of Christe to him Nâ—codemus Excepte a man be borne a newe from aboue from heauen euen of the spirite the can not enter the kingdoÌ„e of heaneÌ„ That whych is borne of the fleshe is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Againe it is profitable that I go from you for it I go not the spirite of confort shal not come vnto you but if I go I wyl sende hym vnto you he shal leade you into al truthe Therefore should you reioyce because I saie that I go vnto my father Thys profite of the bodilie departeing to haue the confort of the spirite dyd appeare manifestelie in Petre and the other Apostles who deniynge and forsakeinge theyr maister whome they hade bodily present dyd nothing doubt to die for hym whan he was in bodie absent Besides that thys bodilie presens in euerie corner to take awaye sinne is preiudicial to the liuely fealeing of oure faith Firste for that he is verie man in al thinges haueing a naturall bodye as we haue sufficiently paiyng oure raâ—â—some to hys father vpon the crosse SecoÌ„dly it may cause vs to doubt whether we shall saye that he hath ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hand of the father and froÌ„ thence shal come to iudge the quicke and the deade other else saie with you that the prieste muste dayly offer hym a sacrifice here vpon earth for vs and that he muste kepe him heare styl in a boxe to ware mouldie and mustie and then chaunge hym for a newe Christe beinge infinitly created Who shall at the daye of dome starte forth of all these boxes at once into a newe shape I trowâ— to iudge all the eâ—â—h or elfe muste you â—…des confesse that they shall al be iudged and â—…ned where they lye in their boxes The scripture I saye the liuely sâ—aâ—eing of my fayeth grounded onely vpon the spirite of Christâ— and your owne madnesse that I haue reade in your owne bokes and no pride or arroganciâ— what so euer you saye I take god to recorde caâ—se me that I dare not so carnally and grossely vnderstaÌ„d the wordes of Christe as you do And I daâ—e maintaine 〈…〉 I haue many of your owne doc tours whose testimonie either in thys poynt or any other vnâ—es they bringe open scripture wâ—…h them I do not greately regarde but to your confution Yet haue I the better parte of them whiche do spiritually vnderstande and interprete thys scripture wyth me â–ª How be it I knowe we shall neuer make aâ— ende 〈◊〉 we bringe doctour vpon doctoure To answere therfore to thys text this is my bodye whyche is your onely shoâ—eaukere And to 〈…〉 aâ— your wode wordes tauÌ„tes that flowe frome your eloquet mouth as smoke doeth from a lake of brimstone But firste I wyll bringe forth the whole texte of Mathewe Marke and Luke And by the open worde of God I truste I shall declare the true sence and meaneing to him that wyth a spirituall eie shall iudge therof Christ in the xxvi of Mathewe when he was together wyth hys Apostles eateinge the passouer whyche was the most liue lyke figure in the olde lawe nowe makeing an ende in Christe the lambe wythout all spoâ—e and blemishe did ordeine this godly sacrament for the remembraunce of hym selfe to the worlde folowinge and that hys death myght be shewed and published vnto the worldes and like as in the passouer was cotinually mencioned and declared to the posteritie foloweinge the benifite of God in the deliueraunce from Egipt And as that ceremonie the eateinge of the lambe was called the passouer and he hym selfe called the lambe of god so like wise calleth he thys hight misterie and sacrament hys bodie and a newe testament in hys bloude That as truely as the Israelites were deliuered forth of Egipte the angel passing by not hurting the people of that house the dore posts wherof were sprinkled wyth the bloude of that lambe so verily shoulde Christe delyuer vs out of the Egipt of sinne and perfourme the thynge before figured For thys cause saieth Iohn beholde the lambe of God whych taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde And Christe sayeth Thys is my bodye whyche is gyuen for you And thys cup is the newe testament in my bloude whiche is shede for you By the which wordes it maye appeare that Christe dyd meane no chaunge of natures or traunssubstancion but onely that where the bloude of the lambe in the olde testament was sprenkled on the postes to saue frome the aduengeinge angell so many as shoulde be saued so lykewise thys bloude of Christ in the newe testament should be shede to saue vs so mani as haue our soules sprink led wyth the bloude of thys lambe Christe Iesâ— Therfore in lyke maner as the fathers of the olde lawe dranke of the spirituall ston that folowed them â–ª whiche was Christe euen so are we all commaunded to drinke of thys bloude none other wyse then the chyldren of Israell were commaunded that the bloude of the lambe shoulde be theire token in all the houses wher they were Ther was 〈◊〉 man so mad to saye that these wordes this cup is â—he newe testameÌ„t in my bloud dyd chaunge the substaunce of the cup into the newe testament And yet are thei christes owne wordes who can not lye If you therfore be driuen to your â–ª gloses tropes and figures in the wordes spoken of thys sacrament why should we be coÌ„demned to death because we can not vnderstande youre carnal gloses â–ª You must neades haue one glose to declare what is meÌ„t by the cup. Whether the wiâ—e the bloude or the cup it selfe either else a signe and sacrament of the newe testament or a performeinge of the same in the bloude of Christe as Luke teacheth you to speake and as Mathew and Marcke boeth do wittnesse This is my bloud of the newe testament whyche is shed for many to the remission of their sinnes Thus were the Apostles nothinge curiouse in wordes as they ought to haue bene if the wordes had made the cup or the wine God chaunging the substaunce therof so sone as they hadâ—â—eâ— spoken Thus you
haueinge but one texte thorough out al the Bible that maketh for your purpose do swareue frome that and put ther vnto your gloses whyche do also driue you frome the firste texte this is my bodye when you write that it is in fourme of bread and vnder the accidentes and qualites of breade For Christe dyd not saye in thys is my bodie or vnder this is mi bodie But this is my bodie Wherfore nowe 〈◊〉 â—…e you shoulde slaunder vs no more wyth denieing of the scripture for we denie but your gloses It is scripture that we striue for It is scripture that we desier It is scripture that you denie vs vnder the degre of geÌ„tile men Wherein doublesse if we boeth had our senâ—… diligently occupied and exâ—…sed spiritually â–ª nâ— doubte not onely thys text but al the misterie of redempcion shoulde be so well knowne that we woulde no longer seke our redemer vpon eâ—…er here nor ther but onely at the right hande of hys father from whâ—â—e sendeingâ— his spirite he maxe saue vs at the fâ—ll so many as by hym wyll go to God We do beleue wyth oure herte and must playnely and simplye coÌ„fesse with oure mouth that thys is the bodie of Christ thys is the bloude of Christ thys cup is the newe testament that the fleshe of Christe is verie meaâ—e and hys bloude verie drinke That Christ is the waye the trueth and the liâ—… the doâ—e the good shepeherde Christe is the verie true vine and we the braunchese That all we are one breade and one verie bodie so mani as be partakers of one breade And al these thynges I do beleue more surely then if I dyd se them wyth mine eyes or perceiue them with any other sense â—ecause the knowledge of the spirite farre passeth all other knowledge and the heauenly thynges are sure when the other are but decâ—euable shadowes It is neither Manna that fed the fathers neither any other thinge or name vnder heauen but onely the breade comminge downe from heauen that is the verie true meaâ—e geueinge lyfe to the worlde Thus are we fully taught in the text of Iohn where we maye most playnely se this spâ—…ual eatinge whereof onely all confort lyfe and fode of the soule do arise and stowe forth In that Chap we learne that the people folowinge Christ for the hope of meate because he had fed them a little before were by him called according to the whole course of the scriptures as maye appeare specially to hym that hath bene diligently exercised in the misteries of the prophetes from the sensible and outwarde bodily thynges to thynges inwarde and spirituall For the beautie of thys kinges daughter as Dauid saieth is inwarde And therefore doeth our sauiour admonishe them that sought hym for meate that before all thynges they shoulde worcke the meate that neuer perisheth Thus goeth he frome the meate that nourisheth the bodie vnto the meate of hys heauenly worde that nourisheth the soule This meate he calleth the heauenly meate that geueth lyfe vnto the worlde and that so abundantly that who so eateth it shall neuer be hungri agayne Thys meate as the maner of the Hebrues is to call all kinde of meate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so doothe he same tyme call it breade 〈◊〉 meate When they hearinge thys dyd imagine bodily meate as Manna that Moses gaue he openeth thys meate sayinge I am the breade of lyfe He that cometh to â—â—e shall not be hungrie and he that beleueth in me shall neuer be thirstie By the whyche wordes he meaueth none other thynge but that those that come vnto hym that is to saye beleue in hym for so are the wordes folowinge they can none other wayes be wrasted Qui veuit ad me non esuriet et qui credit in me non sitiet vnquam They shall seke none other foode but onely thys verie breade that cometh downe from heauen The Iewes astonied that he called hym selfe the breade comming downe from heauen and the liuely meate sayed Is not thys the sonne of Ioseph But Christe admonished them againe byddinge them not grudge at thys for it standeth not in the capacite of man but by the inspiracion of the spirite as the prophet saied They shalbe al taught of God Wherfore it is not possible for any maÌ„ to beleue that Christe was borne from heauen the meate of the soule excepte the father drawe hym Then goeth he farther to shewe howe he is the meate of the soule and howe he shoulde be eaten For the firste he saieth thus Verilie I saie vnto you He that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life I am the breade of life whiche came downe from heauen that men might eate of thys breade and not dye But to tell the wattier plaine Thys breade that I wyll geue you is my fleshe which I wyll geue for the lyfe of the worlde Thys offeringe of my selfe for you shall reconcile the worlde vnto my father and therby geue it life This therfore is it that I haue spoken so longe vnto you whan I shal be offerred vp for the worlde and dye for the sinnes therof than shall I be the meate of soules wherby they liue ascerteined of the mercie of God who nowe can denie nothinge vnto man seinge he hath geuen his owne sonne for him Thus therfore is my fleshe the meate of the soule beinge flaine for the deade that thei might liue Not as you thinke geueing it vnto you as I am counersant amonge you for that whyche is engendred of the fleshe is fleshe and therfore my fleshe carnally eaten can bring furth nothing but fleshe but contrariewise the fleshe of Christe â—…ge for vs maketh vs spirituaâ—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therfore the childreÌ„â—… of God On thys sorte it is verie meaâ—e and verie drinke But the Iewes coulde not perceiue thys but sayed againe Howe can he geue vs his flesh to eateâ— vnto 〈◊〉 Christ sayeth againe excepte 〈◊〉 the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloude you shal noâ— haue lyfe in you What Lorde hath no man lyfe but that denoureth the wyâ—h hys teâ—h and swaloweth the downe hys throte Or hath euerie suche euerlastynge lyfe as doeth eate the carnally and bodâ—â—e euen the same bodie wherein thou liuedest wheÌ„ thou saidest He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude hath euerlastinge lyfe and I wil raise him at the laste daye Naye surely For than euerie Idolatour and whorâ—â—onger who can haue no parte in thy kingdome myght make them selfe sure of life by their owne worcke For they saye they eate the carnally and bodily fleshe bloude and bones But o men ouer muche carnall and fleshlye and yet not once vnderstaÌ„dinge what should folowe of the coÌ„mone iudgment of the senses Bâ—t as Iudas propâ—ecied vpon you euê in suche thinges as you haue the knowledge of by the course of nature commune wyth brute beastes in the same you are corrupted Ipraie you therfore suffer me to reasoÌ„e with you accordeinge to your
as in all hys other preacheinges and scripturs so heare he calleth to the heauenly â—ateinge wherby we haue lyfe and at once stoppeth the mouth of carnal iudgmeÌ„ts How you do examine this texte it shall be opened when we come to the place In the meane ceason we wyl take this text the fleshe auaileth nothynge wyth out any contencion onely to driue awaie the grosse opinion of the Capernits and all such as styke to muche to the fleshe and can not lyfte vp their heades to the misteries of the spirite for the whiche purpose these wordes were spoken by Christe and not to thincke that Christe whose worckes were al wayes profitable woulde teache any suche wayes or do any suche deades as were nothynge profitable vnto man For no man I dare well saye is able to proue any more profite by the fleshe bodily eaten in the sacramente than wee haue in scripture graunted vnto vs whiche do worshipe hym and eate hym in spirite and trueth Let vs therfore consider the greate goodnesse of our sauiour Christ in thys sacrameÌ„t Who beinge the verie lambe that taketh awaye the â—…es of the worlde caused al the Iewes ceremonies to cease and their passeouer to haue an ende and therfore saieth that he hath greatly disired to eat thys passeouer that the promises of God the father concerneâ—ge thys newe testameâ—t might be fullfilled Namely that the sede of the woman shoulde breake the heade of the serpent That by thys sede all the nacions of the earth shalbe blessed That the saluacion and sauiour of the worlde shoulde be declared the light of the heathen and the glorie of Israell published Al these thinges were fulfilled in hys passion and suffereinge accordinge to hys owne saieinge Whan I shalbe exalted from the earth I shall drawe all vnto my selfe And when he had dronken that bitter drinke vpon the crose he saied that all was finished and fulfilled All these thinges together do we receiue in the supper of the Lorde whiche he dyd therfore celebrate and make the nyght before he suffred for to enstructe hys Apostles more deapelie in these great misteries of the saluacion of the whose worlde by hys death wherin he would geue him selfe frely vnto them and therefore dyd he testifie vnto them the selfe same thinge be fore hande in thys holie sacrament And because the life of the rightuouse standeth here in that they beleue in the same he geueth charge that they haue hys death in remembraunce saiâ—inge Thys is my bodie whiche is geuen for you do thys in the remeÌ„braunce of me Likewyse the cup after he had supped sâ—â—einge This cup is the newe testament in my bloude which is shed for you That like as by thys sensible meate corporall lambe whiche they had eaten in theyre supper their bodies was nourished cherished and streghned â–ª so by this spiritual lambe and heauenly meate bi this blessed memorie â–ª I saie wherby we knowe that oure sauiour and redemer Christ Ieâ—â— died for vs that we might liue are our soules certified that the same oure sauiour dyd so clearely take awaye our trespasses that hys father wyll nowe take vs for his children and heires and geue vs frely euerlasteinge lyffe Wyth thys therfore we maye continually fede oure soules that they encreaseinge in full fayeth of goddes mercie whiche is the lyfe of the rightuouse myght be nourished growe and encrease to the full age of a perfect man in Christe Iesu If you marke the wordes of Christe wyth a singuler eye you shalbe coÌ„pelled to grauÌ„te these two thynges onely to be taught therin That Christ gaue hys bodie for vs and eoÌ„maunded vs to do thys thinge That is to take and to eate thys Accipite et manducate The wordes are plaine do thys in the remembraunce c. For by what scripture maye it be fouÌ„de true that you do glose saieinge God dyd consecrate hym selfe into accideÌ„tes qualites of breade And that you shoulde make God in the remembraunce of God in mine opinion is agaynst reasone I maye saye and raile not it is a made heresie Christe sayeth Take and eate He geueth no prieste powre to consecrate and to make his bodie neither with his worde nor by his worde And thys whiche is the chiefe pointe of your newe beldame whyche you establishe wyth the fire we require you for the loue of Christe if you â—eale any thynge of hys mercies either to proue it by some scripturs whiche I knowe is impossible for you or else to call backe your tiranye You haue no worde of God wher vp on onely fayeth maye be gâ—ownded that commaundeth you once to repeâ—e these wordes agayne Thys is mi bodie much lesse are you able to proue that these wordes at any tyme repeted and rehersed by any one of you shoulde chaung the nature of thynges and not onely worke in creatures but also in the creatoure and maker of all God and man whose maiestie ought rather to be praised and had in admiracion than thus vnreuerenly to be taingled wyth your transsubstanciacion whyche is muche after the arte of magike thus by prescript wordes to worcke wonders God hath appoynted hys holy worde to be preacheâ— to vs reasonnable creaturs and that moste especially in this sacrament as the most sure token of our saluacion As it is plaine by the wordes of Paule So ofte as you shal eate thys breade sayeth he and drinke of thys cup you shall shewe forthe the death of the Lorde vnto that he come So that it is ouer muche shame to vse Christes worde as an enchauntmeÌ„t ouer deade creaturs to chaung them no man can tell howe to call downe Christe into breade to bringe hym into the chalice Where he beinge a whyle blessed and blowene wyth your stinkeinge breathes shall taâ—ie so longe a god as it shall please man yea and that scant an honest man sometymes Surely it maketh vs leude people to thinke that you do not take him as a God when we se you so vnreuerently breathe oa him make himâ—…eape about the chalice break hym â—…nd that nothinge after the institucion wherin we shoulde all together be partetakers of the breade and cup of Christe for the foode of oure soules And where as the stength of your sophistrie lieth in the blinde worde consecracion whych you do not leâ—ne here of Christ but you thinke you maie haue some cloke because it is reade that Iesus when he dyd take the breade in hande blessed and breake it you shal heaâ—… an answere I truste that maye satisfie any herte that is not bent vpon contencion In al places wher Christ dyd take breade in hys handes he blessed and gaue thankes as it appeareth Iohn vi and Luke ix where as we reade the same wordes that he hath at thys supper as the treade of hys commone vsage wherby we shall lerne to blesse renowme praise god alwayes to geue him humble thankes wheÌ„ so euer we do vse any
needfull that you bishoppes whiche buyld your selues a newe churche cleane coutrarâ— both in life and learning vnto the church oâ— Christ shoulde haue al thinges newe chaunged both rites or ceremonies wordes thâ— thynges them selues and their names Anâ— yet in the. xiiij leafe you saye thus The true churche hath taughte playnelyâ— that the substaunce of bread is chaunged inâ—… to the substaunce of Christes naturall body Is it not the churche of Rome that you meane I am sure it is For vnto suche tyme as your holy father Bonifacius and Innocentius Byshoppes of Rome became the vniuersal heades and fathers and their stout chaÌ„pion Peter the LoÌ„barde and other worldly clerkes blynded wyth ambitiou and bewitched wyth schole learnyng and such like doctrine of the Deuyll Sophistrie and contentious babblynge thys chaunge of substaunces was neuer imagined But cleane coÌ„trary wyse The true churche euen from the begynnyng hath fed of the spirituall meate that folowed them that is hath had their coÌ„forte in Christe beinge the lambe all readie slayne before the begynnynge of the worlde The promysed seede of the woman who should breake the serpentes heade The seede in whom all nations of the earth shoulde be blessed They haue I say by their fayth eateÌ„ the same spiritual meate and druÌ„ckeÌ„ the same spiritual drynke and therfore haue ben fedde wyth thys onely fode of the soule and haue gotten the forgyuenes of their synnes and therefore lyfe euerlastyng by the same fayth in the death of Christe that we haue Who if he be a sufficient Sauiour in that he dyd come in the fleshe and thereby onely taketh away sinne you shal neuer driue vs to seeke him as a sauiour rauÌ„some for syn in your â—oÌ„iured bread vnseÌ„sible chauÌ„ge of substaÌ„ce This spiritual feadeinge of Christ crucifiede you maye learne in Augustine Chrisostome and all the olde doctours saueinge that some of theÌ„ in al thinges that they wyl magnifie do speake so at learge that they open many holes to subtile sophisters to establyshe their craftilie inuented sophismes of sacrifice and realitie And some of them slide from the spirite to the fleshe both in this and other mattiers ¶ A declaracion of the true churche what sorte of people haue bene the same church euen from the beginninge TO trie therfore thys true churche which hath coÌ„tinued in the doctrine not of the fleshe but of the spirite euen froÌ„ the the beginninge Who also did not knowe any other waye to heauen then Christe not eaten fleshe bloud and bones but hoped for and beleaued vpon to be the light of the heathen the glorie of Israell and the saluacion of the whole worlde That like as by fleshe and by man euen the firste man Adam all the worlde was loste and deade so by Christe takinge the flesh of man named the secound Adame all shoulde be saued and haue life Vnderstande that the true church hath alwayes had this belife of Christe Firste that he was to come and nowe that he is come in the fourme of maÌ„ in none other fourme of any other creature And thys church though it were alwaies a little flocke as Christ our heade calleth it yet was it neuer destitute either of thys spiritual knoweledge or yet of trwe teachers and maintainers of the same But God allwaies of his goodnes hath continually stirred vp his faithful witnesses of his trueth to the coÌ„deÌ„nacion of the world whiche canne go no farther then the fleshe leadeth Firste had we Adame who liued many yeres after Abel was slaine and taught hys posteritie of this sede promised by God For he perceiued by the death of thys innocent that â–ª a lambe should be slaine as Iohn sayth he was Nain euen from the beginuing of the worlde and dyd firmely belieue because of the promise made that by the sede of the womaÌ„ and none other creature the heade of the serpent should be broken After these we had Seth Enoch Mathusalem Noe and Sem. After them or rather in the time of Sem so sone as wickednes did beginne to springe againe God sent faithful Abraham taught him the sacrifice of his soÌ„ne Christ In whom taking the nature of man and so offred a sacrifice vnto his father lest we should seke any other sacrifice but Christ comeyng in the flesh and dieyng for vs in the same the true faith hath this only foundacion Than folowed Isac Iacobe and Iosephe Men taken forth of their own kinredes and â—ontries and but a fewe and smal numbre in regarde of the greate multitude that myght be laied against theÌ„ if any multitude might appres the truth yet did they spread leaue behinde them the true trade of the spirituall worship of God and full trust in him onely vnto the worldes foloweinge Than whan Ioseph was almost forgotteÌ„ not of the faith full but of the Egiptians God stirred vp Moyses and he teacheth plainely that the lorde shal raise vp a man euen like him and he that wyll not heare hym shall dye Thus teacheth he lyfe by the spiritual â–ª eating of Christe that is to saye by the hearinge of his worde and receiueinge hym into oure hertes by saieth acknoweledgeing that by the deathe of hys fleshe all fleshe liueth Yet for all the wonderfull worckes that this Moses wroughte for al the plain teacheinges that he taughte so that he was worthyly called the faithfull minister of the house of God onely Iosue and Caleb are alowed of God amonge the greate nombre of manye thousandes that Moyses led that it maye clearely appeare that many are called and fewe founde fayethfull witnesses of the trueth to his chosen churche which hangeth onely on the hande of the liueinge God not regardeing fleshe or any outward thing but onely the worcke of the spirite and the promise to be perfourmed bi Christ GOD and manne in all thynges After all these God sterred vp Gedeon the beater downe of Idolatrie and other such iudges vnto the time of Samuel Dauid and Elias who made hys complainte sayeinge Lorde they haue destroyed thine altares and slayne thy Prophetes and I am lefte alone and they seke my life In this mannes steade was Eliseus taken from the 〈◊〉 low to be an ernest witnesse After him folowed Esaias and streighte after him Hiereâ—…ias Than Daniell and after hym Zacharias Onias and the faythfull wittnesses of the Machabees Than Simion Zacharias and Iohn Baptiste who alwayes called vppon the liuing God and trusted vpon hym so that no manne can deny me but that thys your God impanate is your God onely whom our fathers knewe not at any time Worthy therfore is he to be stoned to death that teacheth anye suche newe God to the posterietie All these had the same spirituall meate and the same spirituall drincke for the refreshing of their soules that we nowe haue because they were of the true church whereof Christ is the heade of whom as of the first begotten all spirituall kinreddes haue theyr
is broken eaten and mouldeth And what so euer goeth into the mouth sayeth Christe the same goeth into the bealie and so is conueighed farder So that this whiche you teach of the reall carnall and bodilie presence of Christe may well be called deuellish sophistrie For seyng that al lies are of the deuell as the father and authoure of them these lienge blasphemies must neades be of him and verie dyuellesh sophismes to set forth his kyngdome of darkenesse The spirite of God and the spiritual doctrine of the holie goste can not dwell yn you bycause you be fleashe The spiritual eating of the bodie of Christ by fayeth How Christ who sitteth nowe at the ryght hand of his father and hath by his death and passion payed sufficient raunsome for all our sinnes hath pacified the wrath of his â—ather by the takynge our synnes on his backe hathe gotten vs life by hys death and whâ—â— so euer benefit we haue receyued by the deth of our sauioure Christe thys wyl you neuer teache and preache vnto vs in the ministring of the Sacramente and in your Pope holie Masse but you teache vs to gase and galpe at a thinge we knowe not whiche you saye is in your chalice and is holden vp betwexte your fingersto be worshiped with all godly honour vnder the forme of bread vnder outwarde accidentes qualities and dimensions And thus doe you bliude vs with your sophistrie termes that we can not perceyue what you meane But yf you woulde answere simpliciter as you are wonte to laye to our charge either that this sacrament is Christ God and man or that it is not Christ him selfe really carnally and naturalli then shuld this strife be sonâ—at an end But seyng that it shalbe Christe God and man bodilie present whan you will name it so and qualities accidentes and dimensions when you wil haue it so surely we can not but of force call you sophisters Agayne when Christe must be in the forme of bread and vnder the forme of breade I can not tell what scripture you haue for you you go frome your shâ—… â—nchor this is my bodie and other handfast I can se you take noâ—e Then procede you wyth your sophistrie and therby charge vs wyth the thinges in thys wyse i. First you saye that we woulde haue all in out warde miracle ii TheÌ„ that if accideÌ„tes were made impâ—ssible the deuell woulde require that mans bodie shoulde be impâ—ssible iii. Thirdly that the senses maye not empayre oure fayeth For the fyrste we answere that we do reâ—…ier no miracle other wise theÌ„ whaÌ„ we saâ—… that Christe is the lambe of God But you would haue suche a miracle dayely wrought is Christ neuer did vpon the erth euen such â—ne as 〈◊〉 her scripture testifieth nor any coÌ„mon sense wit nor reason should perceiue A miracle good for nothinge but to maintaine your powre A miracle that no maÌ„ caÌ„ espie but priestes and such as geue eares to pophish liâ—… A miracle muche more blinde then Magipharaonis for theirs dyd at the lestway sâ— appeare as they enchaunted it to be Secondly that mans bodie shoulde be impassible â–ª you ar the first that named it Wherfore if it be of the deuel as I thinke no lesse take it to your selfe for it is your own terme 〈…〉 â—â—l the seÌ„sâ—â— and reasoÌ„â— to do seruice and beare witnesse vnto our faieth iâ— like maner as the Apostles do witnesse the thinges that they sawe with their eies harde with their eares and haÌ„dled with their haÌ„dâ— We aske no forder signe nor miracle but those that Christ hath wrought alredie But you must haue â—…ie new miracles to streÌ„gtheÌ„ your faieth coÌ„tinualli â–ª makeing this cake of yours Christe boeth God and man And besides this which is more like madnesse theÌ„ miracle eueâ—… whoremoungar drâ—…ckarde and Idiâ—… shal haue a God of his owne making so sone as he hath â—…nbled â–ª vp iiii latine wordes And that the diuell maie playe his pagiaâ—t among the childreÌ„ of darcknesse he helpeth you forth with manie pretie miracles both by the appearauÌ„ce of the dede and other waies as your lieing bokes do testifie Thus maie you worthily be called Gens incredula que signum querit et signum non dabitur ei nisi signum Ione prophete You haue the sygne of Ionas the prophet that is to saye of Christe lieinge in the erth and riseing again Yet this wil not serue you onlesse you haue him impanate and bodilie carnallye reallie by a wonderful miracle in an hundred thousaÌ„d places at once Whether of vs twaine is nowe more like the capparnites You that wil eate christ flesh bloud and bones as they required and maye not abyd that we should â—eke in this supper onely the breade that did come downe from heauen as Christe taught or we that haue abundantly found this bread into life euerlasting and do coÌ„â—…esse with Peter that the wordes of Christ are lâ—fe euerlastinge and not the â—…heli eate inge of his bodie â–ª We belieue Mosses and the prophetes for they haue geuen clare testimonies of thys that I do writte in that thei teach one Messias and sauiour of the world â–ª We belieue also that which Paule doth saie of theym all that all the fathers were vnder the cloude Thei were'al Baptised in the sea they dyd all eate of one spirituall meate and drinke one spiritual drinke for thei dranke of the spirttual stone whiche folowed them the stone was Christe We do beleue al thinges that are written tuen froÌ„ the fyrst begining of Genesis to the last word of the reuelasions But as you say we can not beliue your newe miracles nor the appeareing of the dead No nor yet you bishopes pristes nor any of your doctoures forther then you bringe the word of God in your inouthes So long wil we saie Ane vnto you and receiue you most willing lie For our faieth hath hir onely ground vpon heare inge not of euerie fable but onelie the worde of God Nowe bishopes coÌ„sider that if you wil haue vs hear ani doctrin that is not grouÌ„ded on the scripture as your doctours youâ— dreames and visions you cause vs to sinne For that which is not of faith is sin Againe without fayeth it is impossible to please god and as faâ—e impossible is it to haue faith and to beleue the doctours For they are one coÌ„trari to an other so that no fayth can be grounded vpon theÌ„ Yea they theÌ„ selues woulde not be belieued father theÌ„ they bring the scripture for them Their owne coÌ„fession therfore and the coÌ„trarietie that is in them declareth them to be fleshe and we were accursed if we should make fleshe oure arme and settle our faith vpoÌ„ maÌ„s wordes for euery maÌ„ is a lia◠¶ Of the wordes and the meaneinge wherin the meaneinge of Christe is declared at large by the manifolde circumstances and certaine other thinges towcheing the occasion offered AN other point of the diuelles
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
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
as his auncient But let vs discusse no lenger how longe your poperie hath ben vsed but let vs trie by the touchston of God his holye word how trulye you popish prelates haue delâ— with Christes floke these thousande yeares that Sathan hath ben louse among you and how diligently you haue handeled led and fed them For no lenght of time may make wickednes good No no the abhominacion of thinges that be wicked doeth dayly encrease For the second day addeth â–ª some thing to the wickednesse of the first And so doeth errour beyng wicked dayly growe and encrease til it come to the highest abomination so that in coÌ„tinuaunce it vttereth it selfe most clearly For as tyme by the prouidence of God doeth first cloke couer and hyde all thinges good and bad so doeth the same opeÌ„ and disclose all thinges euen by the same prouidence and wisdome And for this cause hath God apointed the darke nyght and coÌ„fusion of thynges to go before boeth in the creacioÌ„ and ordre of his creatures that after â—at the tyme appoynted whan the bryght light measure and ordre of al thinges should appeare that his glorie might the more worthelye be extolled magnified and renowmed by the comparison of these thinges so farre contrarie This is it that SolomoÌ„ sayeth He hath alwayes made ij against ij and euerie thing is well done in his due tyme. First darkenes then light First night then daye First sinne theÌ„ grace First wrath theÌ„ mercie First blindnesse then knowledge Firste erreoure then trueth For what worthye cause coulde we haue had to renowne and prayse the grace and mercie of God if ther had ben no sinne felte or wrath deserued or feared And now contrarie wise what an inestimable richese of Godes goodnesse may we accompt wher we are deliuered from sinne shame wrath death and restored vnto grace fauour ioye confort lyfe We are brought from darkenesse vnto this marueilouse light frome blyndnesse vnto the cleare sight of the treasures of God laied vp in his son Christ ⧠Of the worde sacrament ABout the word sacrameÌ„t I inteÌ„de not long to trifle But to take your owne wordes and somthinge to examine them You do bring in an argument of your aduersaries made by the stronge places of reasoning called Definitiorei in english the definition of the thing that is to them that vnderstand not these termes grounded vpon the oracion or sentence that declareth what the thinge is A sacrament therfore is as well by the definition that your doctours haue made as that you your selfe do make a visible signe of an inuisible grace Vpon this definition foloweth a double argument First because it is a signe it is not the thinge signed or tokened And this reasone is proued true a relatiue oppositis if you haue learned so muche logike and by many fold examples As the ale pole the yuie bush beinge the signes of wyne ale within the tauerne house can not be the thing signed and tokened your 〈◊〉 foâ— ked myter signifiynge the. ij lawes can not be ij lawes Your white rachet signifiynge chastitie can not be chastitie it selfe Your glitteringe shoese signifiynge the preciouse fete of the preachers of the gospel are not the fete signed and tokened Your brode shauen crown signifiyng folishnesse is not the thing it selfe I trow onlesse you haue chaunged all the thinges into theyr signes shadowes You haue caused vs longe and woulde haue vs still to gape after signes and shadowes as the dogge doeth in Isopes fables and so lose the thinge it selfe which shoulde be oure fode and confort You tell vs that the signe token or shadowe is the thinge it selfe Shal we beleue you still Naye your definition telleth vs of two things to be in this sacrameÌ„t That is to say A visible signe and an inuisible grace What other thinge I praye you without contencion can thys visible sygne be but the breade whyche Christ taketh in hand and breaketh For other visible thynge ther is â–ª none That is to saye in playne englyshe that all men maye knowe what we speake and wryte ther is none other thingâ— open to the eies of man to be sene Thys breade thus broken therfore is the sygne or token that maye be sene of a grace that can not be sene That is to say of the forgeuenesse of synnes in thys bloude of the newe testament of Christe oure sauiour Thus frame I therfore the secounde reasone A thynge visible and inuisible can not be boeth one to be senne and not sene But this sacrament as you haue coÌ„fessed in your definicion is a thynge visible and maye be sene therfore can it not be the thynge inuisible therby represented Al that you haue spoken in thys cause byshoup Stephane is of your owne heade wythout either scripture or reasone ⧠Of the name breade VVHer you saie that we dallie with this worde breade and would in the meane tyme your selfe proue that it is no bread we dare because Paule calleth it bread take any christiaÌ„ herte to iudge who doeth more dallie and trifell Wil you reason in like maner of the cup and saie that because in the same place he calleth it this cup it is not the cup And a little after he calleth it that cuppe and that breade shall they nowe continue in theyr owne kynde styll What if he calle it breade wythout any addicion as he doeth in the same Chapiter Iesus the same nyght he was betrayed toke the breade And the Euangelistes do name it breade wythout any addicion shall it yet be breade You haue your â–ª excuse in redinesse It is not consecrated for so the. Well goe to foxes seeke your holes What is it in the breakeinge is it not then â–ª consecrated You can not for verie shame denie that Heare what Paule sayeth without addicion of this or that Panis queÌ„ frangimus nonne coÌ„municatio corporis Christi est The bread that we breake is it not the partakeinge of the bodye of Christe Wyll you nowe striue for the breade as you dyd for the Lorde scrape it out theÌ„ if you lust You are to much a wraÌ„ng lynge sophiste Wyl you heare no scriptures that you maye seke some starteynge holes we are one bread and one bodie saith Paule so many as are partakers of one breade Againe he was knowne vnto them in the breakeinge of breade They did continue in the doctrine of the Apostles in feloweshipe and breakeing of breade Dailie continuing with one accorde in the temple and brake breade frome house to house But lo nowe the wylie foxe stealeeth into agreate borough where he waloweth at wyll sayeynge that it beareth the name of breade because it was so before the chaung But if a man kepe hym frome takeynge ayre at thys chaunge he wylbe smothered and kylled in hys hole For thys chaunge is it that succoureth the foxes They are so wylye subtyle and chaungeable that they
bicause the houre is at hande wheÌ„ the Masse and all mans inuentions shal melt like waxe before the brenning fyre of the word of god But what mattier maketh it whereof thys worde cometh seinge al the worlde seeth that your Masse is a Masse and heape of ceremonies and fonde gestures nothinge after the forme that Christ our maister did institute it Seinge therfore you haue both geuen it a newe name chaunged the thinge it selfe also men that do mislyke your doinges maye wythout blame gyue it the name that they fynde in scriptures to call Christes deede into remembraunce whiche you haue almoste extinguished We therefore do coÌ„munely call it the supper of the Lorde as Paule doeth because at his last supper Christ dyd ordeine this sacrameÌ„t for a memorie remembraunce But for the worde Cena it is inough for chyldren to daly as you do in the scholes And the text of Paule is playne inough It is the mattier that we coÌ„tende for not the termes Thys terme the supper of the Lorde doeth signifie vnto vs the worke that Christe dyd and the thing that shoulde be had in memorie Your masse you say signifieth but no maÌ„ caÌ„ tell by what propertie of laÌ„guage al these thynges The gloriouse presence of the bodie and bloud of Christ the whole circumstauÌ„ces vsed and ceremonies done the deuoute prayers that be spoken by the priest Wel it is a smal mattier for you that can chaunge thynges and creatures to chaunge wordes and names at your pleasure Polidore semeth to speake in differeÌ„tly for vs both in this mattier where he sayeth that in the Masse there was an offeringe and gathering for the poore whiche fauoureth some thynge of the Hebrue worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tributum collectum But the pore are dispised and therfore there remayneth only the songe that is called the Offertorie sayth he which was songe whiâ—se the money was in gathering Finally whether you prelates whiche cal your selues the church may say with Paule Ego accepi a domino quod et tradidi vobis Let al me iudge that haue knowledge to perceyue what is in your Masse and what the Lorde dyd at his supper when he coÌ„maunded vs to do this in the remeÌ„braunce of hym and that we shoulde al drinke thereof Yea that so ofte as we eate of this bread drinke of thys cup we shoulde shewe furth the death of the Lorde vnto that he come whiche is the onely thynge that we desyre to haue the death of Christe preached in thys sacrament for that is the only fode life of the soule where you wyll haue nothynge but blynde diguisinges wherwith neither the body nor soul caÌ„ be fed ⧠Of theues that steâ—e awaye the fode of the soule THey would steale awaye the precious fode of the body and bloude of Christ make it a bare drinking of breade and wine Iudge you that be of god how we would steale awaye the precious fode of the body bloud of Christ wheÌ„ we do coÌ„tinually teach that this is the only fode of the soule and the working of the meate that neuer perisheth to beleue hym whom the father hath sent And would haue therfore the coÌ„ming sufferyng of Christ preached vnto the people by this sacrameÌ„t that they mighte continually feede of his body brokeÌ„ for them for the only fode of their soules Yea rather you are the theues the whole worlde to witnes that robbe the shepe of the fode of their soules You rob the pore people of the testament of their father You rob vs lay leude meÌ„ of the one halfe of the sacrament You take froÌ„ vs the testament which only was strikeÌ„ and established in the bloud which was coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the olde testameÌ„t to be sprinckled vpoÌ„ al the people of the which we were al coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the new testament to drinke And bisides that in the ministering of this sacrameÌ„t you wyl preach nothing of the death of Christ vnto vs though it be the sacrament therof No you will not speake one worde of his death passion nor once name vnto vs his body broken and his bloude shed for our synnes that it mighte be the fode of our soules You cause vs to gape gase at dead dombe ceremonies whereby the soule that is spiritual caÌ„ not be fed Yea that is worste of al in the steede of this fode of Christ you do kyl the soule not only with famine for lacke of this fode but also wyth the moste present poyson of Idolatrie The vtter confusion and distruction of all that wyllyngly folowe it And where they wyll passe none of their owne suppers on the greatest fastinge daye without fleshe yet in this supper of the lorde they diuise a diete wythout deinties to haue nothynge present but breade and wyne In our owne suppers we do vse no superstitioÌ„ of meates nor daies because God hath created al his creatures to be takeÌ„ with thankes giuinge as his good creatures and hath made maÌ„ Lorde ouer dayes and times to vse theÌ„ to his necessitie to serue to his vse And though the Iewes were nourterid for a time with shadowes of daies meates like ordinauÌ„ces tyl Christ the body did come set vs at libertie froÌ„ al such boÌ„dage yet because we christiaÌ„s haue once professed to worshyp god in spirite truth we may not turne backe froÌ„ the same to folowe the grosse superstitioÌ„ that the Pope hath soweÌ„ thorowout his kyngdoÌ„ but labour to breake it to take it awaye for the wealth of our brethreÌ„ leste peraduenture they that be weake do stil thinke it an high honour vnto god great holines to eate fish vpoÌ„ certeine daies coÌ„mauÌ„ded by the Pope to be so fasted and coÌ„trariwise that the eating of fleshe on those daies is dishonour vnto him a crime deseruing sore punishment And thus by our streÌ„gth the weake be offeÌ„ded established in their errour EueÌ„ as thei did that dyd styll eate of the meate offered vnto the Idols amongest the Corhinthians though thei dyd know that nothing was poluted or vucleane of it selfe yet thei sitting at the table of the Idoles were the occasion that the weake brothers who fraimed their fayth after thexeÌ„ple of theÌ„ that had knowledge were established in their errour by seing theÌ„ sit at the meate of Idols For it was not the maner that any maÌ„ shoulde syt at the Idoles table but suche as would be partakers of the Idolatrie In this point dyd Peter offeÌ„de also wheÌ„ he disseÌ„bled in the eating of â—eat paul rebuked him therfore In our owne suppers therefore we eate flesh or fish indiffereÌ„tly as is offred vnto vs giue god thaÌ„kes for his creatures WheÌ„ we fast we absteine froÌ„ both And not regarding bodily things for the time we do occupy our selues in spiritual meditation in mournynge for our sinnes the sinnes of the people And wheÌ„
of the fleshe nor by the wyll of man but are borne of God as Peter sayeth Borne againe not of mortall seede but by the worde of the lyuinge God This is the milke not of the bodie saieth Peter but it is the meate and milke of the soule that knoweth no gile Thus renneth all the scripture by metaphors and borowed speache from bodilie meate to spirituall meate from the bodilie teeth and eatinge to the spirituall eatinge by the soule whiche can be done by faith onely So that he whiche is not borne from aboue of the spirite can neither see the kingdome of God nor come vnto Christe let him eate the breade wherein you saye is really the fleshe so longe as you luste For this muste needes be true That whiche is borne of the fleshe is fleshe and that whiche is borne of the spirite is spirite Euen like as Moyses set vp the serpent in the wildernesse that so many as woulde come vnto it mighte be saued from the firie serpentes so likewise was the sonne of man exalted that al that do beleue in him shoulde not perishe but haue euerlasting life Againe So hath God loued the worlde that he hath giuen his onely sonne that who so beleueth in him shall not perishe but haue life euerlastinge Againe He that beleueth in him shall not be condemned And he that beleueth not in him is condemned all readie because he beleued not in the name of the onely begotten sonne of God Thus may we see that fayth and not eaâ—…inge of Christ really in the sacrament doeth â—…aue and bringe life euerlasting And not to â—…eleue in the onely begotteÌ„ sonne of God is â—…amnation of bodie and soule So is it not to â—…enie your gloses really present and bodilie â—…aten Yea mainteininge this grosse opinion â—…ou can not esteme him to be the sonne of the â—…uinge God nor beleue the worke that his â—…ather hath wronght in his death For God the father dyd not sende hys â—…ne in the fourme of breade or any other creature but onely in the fourme of man to the entent to exalt man therby to make man of his householde to giue life vnto man by his sonne Christe to raise him againe wyth Christe and cause him to sit together wyth Christ amonge the heauenly spirites And to shewe furth in the worlde to come the passing richesse of his grace in his godnesse towardes vs by Christe Iesu We beleue in the onely begotten sonne whiche was made man to saue the worlde â–ª wherefore we can not be condemned though we do seeke none other straunge beliefe of really present and bodisie eaten to feede the bodies whiche thinges are not taught in the scriptures You do not beleue in the onely begotten sonne made man but made breade to take awaye sinnes wherfore vnlesse you do repent your daÌ„natioÌ„ is at hande because you beleue not in the name of the onely begotten sonne of God whiche is the onely begotten sonne as he is man coÌ„ceiued by the holie goste and borne of the virgin Mary not as he is bread blowen with your stinkinge breathes Neither is he the onely begotteÌ„ sonne of God as he is wine whispered into your chalice Howe do you beleue in this name the only begotten sonne of God wheÌ„ the scripturâ—… teacheth you that there is none other name vnder heauen wherby men should be saued and yon do saye that there is an other thinge whiche some name the Masse and some the sacrament of the aultare that saueth from sinnes and is a sacrifice boeth for the quicke and the deade and as your man Damascen wryteth it purgeth all diseases and incommodities Furthermore We do beleue that Iesu Christe is the Christ that is the anoynted of God to offre the sacrifice wherewyth onely the father coulde be pleased and therefore are we borne of God You do say that you are the Christes and anointed priestes to offer styll for the sinnes of the people Who is your father but he that woulde darken the sacrifice of the onely begotten sonne of God and sit in the temple of God boasting him selfe for God being in deede the aduersarie and is lifted vp agaynst euerie thinge that is God or godly the wycked man the cursed childe Againe God the father sayed this is my dearly besoued sonne in whoÌ„ I am pleased and pacified heare you him We beleue this worde and wyll seeke no further but to thys onely begotten dearly beloued sonne of God Neither to pacifie the wrath of God for oure trespasses nor yet to seeke any other teacher of his wyll then the sonne of God whom we are commaunded to heare You wyll sette vp the Masse your owne worke to pacifie the father for the sinnes of the quicke the deade You wyll haue your owne doctours to descant newe gloses and these must the pore flocke of Christ heare beleue and confesse or els they shall be brent But to heare Christe the onely begotten sonne of god speake in the scriptures is poyson to al men vnder the degree of gentlemen and punishable by your lawes as in the cases of heresie What call you this but to make the onely begotten sonne of God an hereticke Call you thys the beleuynge in his name Thus maye we proue that you beleue in the Popes name whose lawes and wrytynges are reserued of certeyue men for certeyue purposes and are as muche practised and more stoutely defended then any thynge that Christ coÌ„maundeth Yea howe can we thinke but that you beleue more in the Pope when you defende his Actes more styfly then the lawes of the lyuynge God What if it shoulde be proclamed that no maner boke concernynge any parte of the Popes reâ—igion shoulde be broughte into the Realme and that al those which are brought in alreadie shoulde be brent coulde you byshopnes beare this thynge so guietly as you dyd diligently laboure to haue all sâ—che bokes of christen religion brent and banished But to make an ende where we beganne Iohn sayeth that euerie spirite that contelleth Christe to be comen in the fleshe is borne of God Thys do we conâ—esse that denie him to be come in breade wherefore we be borne of God And thus beleâ—ing in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oâ—ten sonne of God we can not be condemned But that spirite whiche doeth not confesse Christe to be comen in the fleshe is not of God And thys is the spirite of Antichriste of whom you haue hearde that he shal come and he is in the worlde alreadie Nowe seinge that we so many of vs as confesse Christe to be come in the fleshe be borne of God why shoulde nor we for the glorie of oure heauenly father aâ—d for oure saluation be so readie to laye downe oure soules in the faythfull handes of his câ—…todie as the spirite of Antichriste and the chyldren of this worlde are to speake 〈◊〉 â—or the mainteinaunce of Ido atric â—he kingdom of Antichrist to their owne 〈◊〉 â—amnation Worldly Pompe and
of hys benifites That this blesseinge is nothynge but a thankes geueinge to God the father and no suche coÌ„secracion as you do mataine Mathewe and Luke maye satisfie you Whoe haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is geueinge thankes Wheras Mark hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And agayne when he spake of the cuâ— he hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to blesse and to geue thankes are all one Wherfore suche cousecracion as you make when you saye God consecrateth hym selfe can not be grounded here But you blinde the people wyth your darcke termes to blinde vs styl captiues vn der your tirannie The worde of thys heauenly supper maye clearely driue awaie al dreames if they were deapely considered wythout your gloses Wherfore I wyll reherse them out of the euangelistes and the Apostle Paule the wonderfull opener of goddes secretes Firste Christe when the Apostles were eateinge dyd take the breade and when he had geuen thaÌ„kes he dyd breake it and gaue it to hys disciples and sayed Take eate this is my bodie And when he toke the cup also he did geue thankes and gaue it vnto them saieing drinke al of this This is my bloude whyche is of the newe testament whyche is shed for many in the remission of synnes I saye vnto yon I wyll not after thys tyme drinke of the fruite of the vyne vnto that daye that I shall drinke it newe wyth youâ—… the kyngedome of my father Agayne As they dyd eate sayeth Marke Iesus toke the breade gaue thankes brake it and sayed Take eate thos is my bodie And he toke the cup thanked and gaue it them and they dyd all drinke therof And he sayed vnto them thys is my bloude of the newe testament whyche shalbe shed for many Verely I saye vnto you that from heuse fourth I wyll not drinke of the fruite of the vine vnto the daye that I drinke it newe in the kingedome of God In Luke thus we reade I haue with great desier desired to eate this passouer with you be fore I suffer For I saye vnto you that heuse forth I wyll no more eate therof tyll it be fulfilled in the kingdome of God And he toke the cup gaue thaÌ„ges and saied Take thys and deuide it amonges you For I saye vnto you I wyll not drinke of the fruite of the vyne vnto the kingedome of God do come And he toke the breade and gaue thankes and brake it and gaue it vnto them and saiede This is my bodie whiche shalbe geueÌ„ for you This do ye in the remembraunce of me Lykewise the cup after they had supped and sayed Thys cup is the newe testament in my bloude whyche shalbe shed for you Here be al the wordes of the Euangelistes concerning the last supper of the Lord wherin you do not heare one word that the priest by reherseinge of these wordes shall make God either that Christe is materially and bodily tourned into a fourme of breade or that God doeth tourne hym selfe and consecrate hym as you cal it into the quantities of breade neither any other of those blaphemies that you defende so with tirany That the lewde man shoulde receiue it but in one kind vpon paine of death though you haue pertily excused the matier saieâ—…ge that wee â—ewde soles wyll not haue it Ah shall we suffer you thus to captiue vs still We are captiues in deede For we must ransome ful largely if we either speake writte or kept a-any boke of christian religion contrarie to your popeishe doctrine But as you tender the helth of your soules deare brethern who so euer shall reade thys speede you to the scriptures of God and make them iudges boeth of those mens gloses my writtinges Whan they woulde iuggle with this worde consecrate remeÌ„bre â–ª the wordes of the Euan gelist that he blessed or gaue thankes for all is one thinge as it is proued WhaÌ„ they wil saye no more but thys is my bodie and leue out the chiefe purpose and conforte set furth in thys supper that is whyche is geuen for you then saye We wyll eate heare the bodie that was geuen for vs vnto death which Mari Magdalen might not touche whiche is gone into heauen and as you saye your selfe is not come downe agayne But ther sitteth at the right hande of the father as the scripture recordeth and fayth beleueth from whence he shal come to iudge the quicke and the deade â–ª In whose remembraunce we must do thys sheweinge forth his death as Paule saieth tyll he come The whiche wordes vntyll he come and doeâ—…ge it in the remembraunce of Christe maye plainely declare what is ment by all to gether Besides this wheÌ„ it is named bread wine and the fruite of the grape after that Christ had blessed why shall one set Christe to the schole and tell hym he lieth But if he come into Englande a monge the popeishe prelates they wyll teache him to lerne it other wyse Heare is no sophistrie but eternal tiranie Marke therefore the ende intent purpose of these Christes wordes and doeinges and theÌ„ shal eueri thing be easie and plain vn to vs. Thys maye be shewed by these wordes in boeh the parâ—es of the misteries plainly added which was geuen for you Which shalbe shed for the remission of sinnes Bi the whyche wordes we can not denie but that Christe taught that he woulde die for vs. And where he addeth as the ende of altogether doe thys in the remeÌ„braunce of me this is the cup of the newe testameÌ„t in my bloud what other thing can we lerne but that this is the newe testameÌ„t and couenaunt of grace bitwen God and vs that he wil haue mercie vpon his for the bloud of his soÌ„ne â–ª And that we ought to kepe thys in perpetual remembraunce Nowe seâ—ge that these wordes do leade vs vnto these thinges hys deads must of good congruence worke thesame And therfore doeth the breake breade and geue it to be eaten commaundeinge the cuppe to be drunken Whyche deades dyd in maner represent before the eyes of the disciples the thynges that he had spoken euen in lyke maner as we se it generally vsed in all contractes and couenauntes of greate wayght and valewe which are made without warde signes as represeÌ„tations of the same to the eyes of all men and cleare testimonies for remembraunce of couenauntes to be performed Nowe where as they wyll not speke al the text but sticke in these iiii wordes oneli this is my bodie answere thou againe that thou beleuest it to be the verie bodie euen as thou beleuest the cuppe to be the newe testament But for as muche as the chaunge of any of these creaturs can not be taught â—i any scriptures thou canst in no case beleue it For thy faith asketh the word of god Wherfore saye thou I wyl stick to the worde of Christ that the