myght repent me of my works I had eueÌ„ theÌ„ iust occasioÌ„ to haue sorowed for the benifites that I had shewed vnto your wicked kinde the wickednesse wherof was so greate that I could not other wise expresse it to the worthynesse then to saye that it repented me to haue made man Idolatrie was then spred thorowe the whole earth and fewe or none woulde call vpon my name For â—embroth the stoute hunter raysed Idoles in Babilon and the Chaâ—aneâ—s worshiped the fier After that Belus with his coÌ„plices builded a towre to withstaÌ„d my vengeaunce Sodome and Gomore prouoked myne heauie displeasure wyth theyr manifolde enormities To be shorte all the whole world refused â–ª me the leueinge God the wel of liuing waters and digged them cisternes which can holde no water Euerie citie inueÌ„â—ed a straung god Saturnus Iupiter Iuno Mars Mercurie and such othere moÌ„strous Idoles are newelye inuented whylse I destroie the olde But Israell whom I had chosen to be my people to be my holy people coÌ„mauÌ„ding him to haue no maner of Image doeth after so many my greate mercies shewed vnto Aabraham Isaake Iacob and the fathers after suche wonderfull deliueraunce from Pharao set vp a goldeÌ„ calfe the Idole of theire idle braine They renâ—e to Baall Pheger They fill the holy lande whyche I gaue them in heritage full of most filthy Idoles Worthily therfore are thei destroied wyth pistelence famine and swerde But you that heare the name of my soÌ„ne Christe and are named Christians whom I haue by the death of the same myne onely begotteÌ„ sonne made â—…e owne you are much more blame worthy and pour miserable waâ— wardnesse is no longer to be sufferred For you haue these xv hundred yeres prouoked my wrath vpon you renneing head long into al kindes of wickednesse But to pas with silence al other thinges wherin you haue offended my maiestie ther is nothing so vile amongest al my creatures but that you haue assaed to set vp the same as your God dispiceing therin both my powre and the rule that I gaue you ouer al other creatures forgettinge clearelie that I haue exalted myne elect aboue the Angelles and haue fent mine heauenly spirites io do seruice vnto them Al this notwithstanding haue not you worshipped stockes and stones dome and deade blockes and geuen my glorie whiche I do not wyllingely imparte vnto anie other abâ—un dantly to such monsters and I do les polluteinge your bodies with boweinge and beckeing crowcheing 〈◊〉 kneleing kisseing and more filthily defiled your mindes and soules with worshipeinge as goddes such insensible creatures so that you leaue no place of dewe reuerence vnto me your creatur nor to my son Christe whoe suffered moste bitter death to bring you out of bondage You do ofteÌ„ crie Lorde Lorde If I be your lord â–ª where is my feare where is the worship mete for a Lord wherfore do you forsake me your lord You do often times call me father but I meruaile whither the childeli reuerence is banished or into what contrey al brotherly loue is flede Yea muche more do I meruaile where you haue hyd the memorie of my soÌ„ne Christe of whom al fatherhod brotherhode and kinred froÌ„ me to you warde taketh his beginning For he is the firste begotten of euerie creature of whoÌ„ al kinred in heauen and in earth hath his original Who suffering most cruel death for your sinnes and most bitter tormeÌ„tes in his bodie asketh nothinge againe but that you wyll celebrate some thankefull memorie of hys name and not suffer his bountuouse benifite to be forgotten by vnworthy scilence For when he departed from the earth to come agayne to hys heauenlye mansion what dyd he commaund to any of you but onely this that as he had after hys last supper ministred the bread and wyne in misterie so shoulde you so ofte as you eate and drinke in the remembraunce of him Certifiinge you that so ofte as you shoulde eate thys breade and drink of his cup you should shewe his death tyl he come agane vnto you The charge that he geueth you is to do it in the remeÌ„braunce of him promiseing you that he wyll not forget you wher he siteth at the ryght hand of me hys father where he is a continuall mediatour and meane for you neuer ceasynge to opteyn for you what so euer you aske of me in his name But loe your ingratitud you acquite vs our mede Me you do cast cleane frome you and to a stone do you say Thou art my father and to a bloke thou hast begotten me Agayne to my sonne you are so vnkynde and vngentle that you haue pute awaye the memorie of hys death wherby you lyue not onlie forgetfull of the laboures whiche he susfered for your â—akes but also if any of my seruantes wolde renew his memory among you he shal with muche crueltie be put to silence And you boast of a certayn vayne and conterfayte gesture and mumblynge called the masse which you say is more holie and more wisely set forth then Christ my sonne could do it when he was in the worlde Thus do you forsake his coÌ„mauÌ„dement of preachynge his death to your brethern and posteritie for the maintenaunce of popyshe ceremonies the ware of Antechriste wher in you bable blasphemouse collectes with blynde mumblinges Yet pache you your matters wyth my scriptures that you may deceyue so much the more craftelie day lyinge so wyth the pore people in a tounge that they do not vnderstande nor know noâ— â—ne worde what you saye least they shoulde chaunce to dreame any thynge at al of the death of my sonne and haue him in any remembraunce at all Yea and to kepe the matter more secrete you are ryght well ware that when any mencion is made of hys bodie geuen for the worlde you speake not onelie in a strange tonge but also vnder suche scilence that a man had nead to crepe verie nere you and harâ—en verie diligently if he should vnderstaÌ„d any thinge though he were learned in y e tong that you whisper in Yea you blow forth your words so closeli into your chalice as though you intended nought els but to deceiueth people And they silâ—y soules being alâ—o gether astooied through theyr own ignoraunce and your strange gestures cease not to renne about you lyke men amased They fall down and worshyp they wonder at this newe and strangeâ— God in so little a piece of bread They striue who shaldo most honore and reuerence to this weake Idole Yea they falone in aâ—others necke at the soÌ„ne of the little bell They kysse theyr fingers they parte pardoÌ„ to their â—ies and other partes of theyr bodies They strok their heades What god Yea what mortal man coulde abid to be worshiped with such mad gestures But I the lord of hostâ—s for as muche as I am a spirite and the creatour of aâ— pure spirites wyth bodily gestur am I nothing delited but in spirit
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
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
or â—haung him into a peice of bread in your temples and kepe him out in one host consecrate as you call it but in a thousande cakes as you would haue it what lyke reasone of conparisoÌ„e is betwen Christ teaching in the temple verie man as the scriptur witnesseth and al the people sawe and hard and your ImaginacioÌ„ of Christ god and man to be presently at one time vpon infinite aulteres whiche no scriptureâ—…oâ—s nameth nor eye can espye nor reasone approue Yea further wher you haue no place of scripture to tech that Christ was euer in two teÌ„ples at once or in ii places at one time preseÌ„t in bodelie preseÌ„ce coÌ„uersaÌ„t Therfore wyll I set Stephane the fyrste martyr agaynst the Auctorite of Stephane Gardinar And if men be not blynded wyth this man bycause he is a byshope I doubte not but the fyrst StephaÌ„ shall haue the more Credite The first Stephan agaynst the hypocrityshe byshopes of the olde law bosting of Solomons temple and the holynesse ther onely estemed confirmed wyth hys death that God doeth not dwell in the temple of Solomon though it pleased hym afore tym to shewe therin the tokens of hys fauoure powre most preseÌ„tly vnto al them that firmlye and stedfastly called vpon his â—…her but he confessed wyth the prophet Esai that the heauen is hys seate and the earth is hys fote stole The hyghest therfore dwelleth not in any temple made wyth mans hande For what house sayeth the prophet caÌ„ you build vnto me or what place shall I reste in hath not myn handes made al these thynges sayeth the Lorde If thys be not cleare testimonye ynough marke what Paul witnesseth wyth StephaÌ„ God whyche made thys worlde and all thynges that are in it seynge he is the Lorde of heauen and earthe he dothe not dwel in teÌ„ples made wyth manes hande c. These iii. faythfull wytnesses Esai the prophet Stephane the fyrst martir and Paul the Apostle are more worthy to be beleued and may be followed wyth lesse daunger then half a dosen braggeynge englyshe byshopes I mean suche as you are whych would haue suche a newe chaunglynge churche as shal not be founde agayn throughout the worlde Of the worde institucioÌ„ and how that the papistes do make Christe to haue a bodie Imaginatyue or phantastical THat you do vse here thys worde the institutioÌ„ of Christ agaynst the whych word you do dispute so spit fully in your boke folowing I am glade you may be found your own coÌ„fonÌ„der And now I trust you wyll gyue vs leaue to name the institution of Christe because you beynge a bishope do vse thys terme institution But let passe suche triflynges Agayn that by the alteracion of place the bodie is not multiplied but is all wayes one the same bodie in x. thousaÌ„de places at once Thys you do affyrme in effect though your termes be darkened wyth variacion the application and Alteracion because you are ashamed to speake playnly All meÌ„ that haue any wyt reasone or knowlege may per ceaue your folly And especially by that you haue â—oâ— other thyng to proue your impossible proposition but that the Imagination of man may be in so many places Oh wicked bishoppe wylt thou make Christe to haue â—n Imaginatiue bodie lyke vnto mans Imaginacion or phantasie how standeth thys wyth the argument of Paul wherin resteth the chiefe hope of our resurrection If Christ be rysen sayeth he so shall we ryse agayne If his fleash therfore be otherwise theÌ„ ours shalbe as no doubt it is if it be lyke the Imaginacion of man beynge in euery place wheÌ„ it lusteth then is thys argumeÌ„t of Paul but vayne Agayn if our bodies shalbe thus able to be in all places when we shall ryse agayn then shall we not ryse lyke men but lyke spirites Yea lyke gods Surely Paul in that he sayeth that we shalbe lyke the heauenly AdaÌ„ and beare the Image of him like as we haue borne the Image the earthely maketh Christ verie man which must be the fyrst fruites of them that rise agayne And therfore our only hope of resurrection is that as he dyd aryse so shall we in our fleash see our God Thyâ— assersion of yours calleth agayn the errour of Marcion if it be not resisted And your doctour Damascen can scantly excuse hym selfe of the same heresie The philosophers that â–ª saied anima est tota in toto et tota in qualibet parte the whole in the whole y e whole in eueri part thei could not se howe it was yet neuertheles toke it so to be yet what a coÌ„tradictioÌ„ is it to saye the parte is the whole And further do not the wordes of men spoken to a multitude passe wholely to euery one of the hearers eares indyfferently that sta de wythin the coÌ„passe of hearynge And if the matter be intelligible to them al do not eche one heare and vnderstande one as moche as an other beynge the speach but of one and not diminished by the participation of the multitude You brynge in for similitudes these thynges that are so fare contrarie as can be For what can be more vâ—lyke and disagreyng in theyr proprities then the soule and the bodye than the voyce of a man and the man hym selfe what a blynde reasone is thys The soule is spred thorow out the body ergo the bodie may be scatered into places infinitely distant What reasone is in thys The voice and wordes of man may be harde of an infinite numbre Ergo Christ as he is verie maÌ„ may be in al places innumerable vnlese you wyll make Christ to haue a phantasticall bodie as the sophisters dispute whether a voice haue a bodie or no. As for your excuse because your own coÌ„science doth pricke you wherin you say that these similitudes do nothynge attayne to expresse thys your mysterie you deserâ— lyke thankes wyth Albinus that was ouer busie in writting the hystories of the which he professed him selfe ignorant You saie they be in many thinges vnlike but you can shewe nothing wherein they be like but in your Imaginacion If you woulde haue proued by similitudes that Christes bodye is in many places at once you should haue shewed and declared vnto vs that some one bodye hath bene in two places at once and than we woulde haue beleued you Or thus myght your similitude haue serued The soule of man is spred thorowout hys membres and so like wyse is the spirite of Christ spred tho row out his church which coÌ„sisteth of his spiritual members compareinge thus spiritual thinges vnto spiritual and not spiritual vnto bodilily for they differ moste clearely in the thynges wherin you woulde haue them lyke For the bodie by the creation of God hath alwayes his determinate quantitie and therfore his certaine place But as the spirite for lacke of quantitie occupieth no place so can it not be in anie place circuÌ„scribed or
this is meÌ„t by the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in diuers places of Deutronomie The wordes are these Thou shalte come to the priest that shall be in those daies and say vnto hym I acknowledge this day before the Lorde my god that I am entred into the lande for the whiche he sweare to our fathers that he woulde giue it vnto vs. Here is a like memorie of God commaunded by Moyses Whereby as in thys sacrament is ment a reuerent thankes gyuyng and acknowledgyng for sâ— is the Hebrue word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 traÌ„slated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicum iâ— Whereby we may perceyue the worde blessing to agree with the other greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus we therfore haue by the healpe of the Hebrue tonge and the olde testament furth of the whiche two all rites and ceremonies and the trueth of al the principal places of the newe testament haue both their coÌ„firmation and declaration and by the circumstaÌ„ces of the places proued vnto you first that in this sacrament there muste be a general profession of oure sayth in the death of Christ outwardly and theÌ„ priuately euery one must in hert acknowledge giue thaÌ„kes And if the profite of his brethren do so require it or the ordre of the coÌ„gregaâ—ioÌ„ permit they muste with mouth celebrate and prayse this great benifite to the glorie of God and the conforte of the congregation Your first declaration that we must haue Christ present in this memorie by fayth maketh nothinge agaynst vs. For this is it that we do beleue and teach that vnto the eyes of our faith there is preseÌ„t in the sacrament the natural body of our sauiour Christ the same body that suffered And your similitude of the maried womaÌ„ that wyl make an Image of her husbaÌ„de for a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of him maketh much against you For this I dare saye that al the eloqueÌ„ce you haue â—aÌ„ not proue vn to a righte selêder witted woman that the Image thus made for a memorial is hir owne natural housbaÌ„de and so make hir do honor and reuerence vnto him at bed and at bourd as you woulde haue vs to do to this very Image as you cal it of Christ beinge departed in body froÌ„ his churche and leauing this most perfect Image of him selfe and as you say him selfe for a memorie Furthermore If you coulde proue vnto this womaÌ„ that this image were the natural body â—lesh bloud and bones of hir husband what neede she to loke for hym in any other place abseÌ„t whoÌ„ she hath thus really present at all tymes What shal we say Is hir husbande gone Nay verely hir husbande lyeth hid in and vnder the Image Lo whither your blynde similitudes do leade you But to proue his body to be in diuers places wythout any chaunge of place you had neede to aske better counsayle of your sophisters and then we shal answere you agayne For the texte folowinge Non dâ—…dicans corpus domini makynge no difference of the Lordes body which wordes be so translated in the Bible that you haue allowed by Act of parliament For the scriptures suche is oure miserie can be no farther good and profitable for vs but as yon wyll allowe it That is to saye the laste yere good for all men but thys yere good for gentlemen onely In the last proclamation you condemned three translations and saued one But in thys your boke you seme to be wery of that one for you fynde fautes therein and wyll not haue at reade at suche tymes as men meete together in the churche But God is the Iudge of your doinges You do not Iudge and knowe that God is as presently in his wordes and scriptures whiche you do burne as he is in the Sacramentes whiche are made and take theyr strength of the same worde Oh byshoppes If thys thynge that you do be for the pure â—eale of Goddes worde then take so muche paynes amongest you al as to set furth one traÌ„slatioÌ„ so true â–ª that no man may fynde any faut therwyth But you caÌ„ not heare on that side You haue burned fiue thousande but of your translation we fynde not one It is easy therefore to iudge what your purpose hath bene But to returne to the wordes Non diiudi caÌ„s etc. Your english text is making no differeÌ„ce of the Lordes body But your owne interpretation is not vnderstanding not coÌ„side ring But if you wyl adde thereunto the signification of the greke worde not iudging I wyl say al is true and agreeth very wel For who so euer doeth eate this bread and drinke this cup vnworthily eateth his owne iudgemeÌ„t making no differeÌ„ce not vnderstanding consideringe or iudgynge the Lordes body Where he that doeth eate it worthily doeth by his faith eate the very body of the Lorde so ofte as he eateth of this bread and drinketh of this cup and fedeth his soule by the reioycing in the death of the lorde For who soeuer seketh the spirituall fode he regardeth nothinge but the body of Christ offered for his sinnes though with his mouth bodily he receiue the bread the figure of the same If any haue â—…scoÌ„strued this texte do not charge vs therewyth But if we do take it wronge reproue vs by scripture No man doubteth but that he is giltie of the bloud of Christ which taketh Baptisme vnreuerently Yet dare we not saye that in the water is really presente the body and bloud of Christe He despiceth me saith Christ that despiceth you speaking of his Apostles Yet is it no good argument to say therefore that Christe is corporally in his Apostles But spiritually we must boeth beholde most thaÌ„kefully receiue our Christ in al his sacramentes in al his messengers The third text Spiritus viuificat caro noÌ„ prodest quicquaÌ„ In english the spirite giueth life the flesh profiteth nothyng maketh much agaynste you Yea thoughe you take it after your owne glose which is that this text is a general lesson for the true vnderstandyng of oure whole religion But thys glose shall we touche hereafter This texte The spirit gyueth lyfe the fleshe profiteth nothynge is boeth proued true and manifestly declared in the. xvi chapter folowinge where Christe sayeth I tel you truth that it is profitable for you that I departe for if I do not go awaye that confortynge spirite shall not come vnto you But if I go I wyll sende hym vnto you etc. Whereby it appeareth playnely agaynste your wordes that the presence of the bodie carnally is not profitable vnto vs nowe after his ascendynge into heauen because Christe sayeth it is profitable that in bodie he shoulde departe but you saye it is profitable to haue hym here in a cake notwythstandyng that he sayeth that onlesse he go his waye the spirite of conforte can not come The exemple of Peter and all the Apostles who were stronger by the confort of the spirite then by the presence
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
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
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
the good man for he hath no Idoll I know there haue ben good men whiche haue hated all Idolatrie and the persecution of al ages can report the same The bokes also of theyr fayth so many as haue escaped your handes do yet testifie that they were sore offended wyth thys blynde chaunge of these dead ceremonies in the steede of the lyuely feaste of the Lorde where al men shoulde be fed wyth the body and bloud of Christ the sonne of God not turned into bread but lyuely workynge by the spirite in our soules And they do aâ—he thys question why you do breake his body in three and why you do put one piece into the chalice to the wyne seinge you dâ— teache that the wine alone is fleshe bones though you do put no grosser substaunce thereunto For because it is liquidum you can make it what you lust and dare entre some deale far ther then Christe did for he at the vttermost made it but bloude but you wyll make it bloud bones and fleshe say we shalbe breÌ„t if we do not beleue you and yet for all the stickinge to the bare letter you haue not one word through out the whole Bible wherby you maye clooke thys matter that the wyne shalbe the whole body fleshe bloud bones though ye crie The worde the word Faith fatyh These heritickes wyll not beleue the worde of God For your terme really preseÌ„t you shal vnderstande that after Bonifacius the thirde about the yere of our Lorde vi C. and. iij. obteyned of Phocas the false Emperour to be the heade of the churche by the craftie practise of the monkes Paschasius Humbertus Guimundus Algerus Rogerus Frauciscê° Anselmus and such other was realitie inueÌ„ted and termed to the sacrameÌ„t Before that time the spiritual eating only was magnified amonge the olde doctours But then beganne the churche of Rome to be gyueÌ„ ouer to al poÌ„pe wickednes and Idolatrie the mother church of al mischiefe The bishop his adhereÌ„tes of the Antichistes generation are now fully bent to lifte vp theÌ„ selues against euery thynge that is good and godly commaunding Images and other vile creatures to be worshypped But the Emperour Leo the. iiij gathered a counsayle at Bysantium of CCC bishoppes which decreed that only God ought to be worshypped and caused the Images to be breÌ„t and destroyed Then Damasâ—en becommeth their proctoure stubburnely resistynge the Emperour so longe tyll he had his ryghte hande cut of howe he gatte it agayne you must bringe some credible authoure or els we wyll not beleue you longe after when Idolatrie had gotten the vpper hande then dyd Petrus Lombardus maister of your sophisticall senteÌ„ces bringe vp your transmutation and transaccidentatioÌ„ About the yere of our Lorde M. Cxlvi gathered out of certeyne blynde wordes of the doctours afore his tyme. Then Pope Innocent the thyrde gaue it thys newe name that you maynteyne wyth fyre He called it Accidens sine subiecto Of the whiche Sophisme doctoure Duns doctoure Dorbell and doctoure Thomas de Aquino do dispute verie subtilely Theyr termes you may see more at large by the moste diligent confounder of theyr errours Ihou Bale in his boke named the misterie of iniquitie Then folowed the blynde rable of Scotistes and Thomistes and they haue broughte the worlde into thys contention that we nowe heare and are busyed wyth all Thus was thys high misterie of mannes saluation and moste comfortable sacrament cleane chaunged from the institution of Christe whiche was to be taken wyth thankesgyuynge in coÌ„mune amongest christian men that wyth open herte euerie man myght reioyce in the death of his Sauiour and gyue thankes for his redemption that thereby fayth myghte be established and brotherly loue nourished But nowe it is become a vayne gasyng and starynge vpon the sacrament in the steede of the Sauiour takyng the sacrament for hym that made it a sacrament Worshippyng the creature in the steede of the creatoure as we see nowe thys blynde swarme whiche for the lyuely preachynge of the death of Christ to be the life of the soule do cause mumbling al in a straunge tonge that the people might surely be kept from the consideration of the misterie And where Christ coÌ„maundeth vs to deuide it amongest vs and that we shoulde all dryâ—… of the â—â—ppe the popishe priest muste get him into a corner alone and there so many shall be part takers of the merites of his blowing blessyng and other coniuringe aâ—… wyll gyue hym any thynge They shall be prayed for in the middest of his Masse and shal haue their sinnes takeÌ„ away This winâ— they that wyll be the priestes benefactouâ—s The other shal see Christ really they saye but because he is dombe there and can not speake and the pristes lesson is no peny no Pater noster they maye knocke hande on breast and worship they wot not what lyfte vp their haÌ„des and stroke their heades lyke the Popes owne deare chyldreÌ„ but they shal haue no parte there neither of the sacrament whereof they are appoynted to be part takers by the opeÌ„ worde of Chiste eate and drinke of this you all nor yet of the remissioÌ„ of those synnes that the priest worâ—heth for â—nlesse they gyue some money Thys money it is that causeth it to fyght so sore agaynste Christes institution and to maynteyne your gaynful sacrifice and reall preseÌ„ce This money for the maynteinaunce of your dignities and Lordelyke porte hath caused you euer sith you were first poisoned therewyth to magnifie your owne handy worke But the God immortal wil aduenge his iniuries vpon al Idols and Idolatours Nowe to mistrust the immortalitie of the euerlastynge God as you laye vnto oure charge by whom all thynges endure were extreme blindnes And so likewise to compt your God which neuer had breath of lyfe immortall when the priest that hath made him and perchaunce eaten him the same day that he dyeth is mortall and goeth to the graue with his newe made God and many other meÌ„ as you say that dye wythin a quarter of an houre after they haue eaten him In whoÌ„ you make the doubte whether the hoste consecrate shall mouide corrupte or coÌ„sume lyinge in their bodies beinge deade for you are the first to my knowledge that euer moued that question To call this immortall I saye that neuer lyued lyeth in the grounde wyth the dead man maye well be called foâ—de Sophistrie But to toutche your wordes a little more You call thys the hoste wherein the body of Christ is preseÌ„t You begynne me thynketh to waxe ashamed to call this your hoste the bodie of Christ contrary to your playne text of scripture Thys is my bodie I must also laye thys vnto your charge Why you dare call hym hoste by a newe terme and not breade by the olde terme Some thynke it is because you take your owne wordes to be wyser then the wordes of Christe and his chosen Apostles And surely it is
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
erthly God that coulde not erre â—…deceiued yea offerring his shoes to be kiâ—… kinges and Emperours Thus I saye thys Romeish church changed frome pouertie to pride creepeinge vp like the Iuie by the rootes of the great trees be gan to ouer renne and subdue kingedoÌ„es and empieres yea to put downe kinges and Emperours For the mainteners of this diuellishe life and doctrine they had taÌ„ken such awaie and order that if we take theym and their adherentes that is to saye all theyr sworne doctours anointed byshoppes and shauen priestes for the true church we muste neades by theyr learning lyuinge and all their workes coÌ„demne Christ and his membres The true churche remayneth still pore persecuted and sore oppressed all the time of their tyrannie whiche coulde neuer beriefe Christe of hys witnesses for in al times and ages ther haue ben faitheful witnesses of the truthe though their names and doctrine haue alwaies bene obscured and sclaundered by these papistes who were allwaies bothe the Iudges and accusers the scribes and reporters of their doeynges This churche as it was alwaie ruled by the spirite of Christe so did it vnderstande the scripture spiritually by the spirite of god and worship him in spirite and truthe Like as amonge the fathers of the old testameÌ„t the ambitiouse scribes and phariseis and the fleashly minded bothe priestes and people did knowe non other holmesse by the circumcision of the fleshe and the bodily sacrifices where contrary wife Moyses and Dauid and the little chosen flocke led bi thâ— spirite of god did knowe circumcision of the fleashe to be nothingâ— wythout the circumcision of the hert and the sacrifices to be but shadowes of our Christe vpon whom all waies they did feade and sâ—tt their delyght knowyng him to be the vnspoted lambe and red heyfer offred for the finnes of the people euen so the hole popeyshe churche cleane coÌ„trarie to the doctrine of the spirite hathe fol lowed fleashely Imaginations of their own brayne in all their doctrine and sete up their own workes and sacrisices to take awai sinnes as did the old phariseis wherby it commethe to passe that al Idolatrie iâ—… stablished their own doctours and decres stroÌ„gly mainteined and the word of god â—…alli regarded The pore shepe of Christe fisshers and shepherdes plowemen and all vnder the degre of gentilmen are by your decrees banished froÌ„ the swete pastours and fode of theyâ— soules And yf it chaunce any of theÌ„ to break in to the pleasaunt bankes of Christe his doe trin and fead on the hilles of saluatioÌ„ the popysh bishops can smel hym xl myles froÌ„ theÌ„ and then shall the innocent lambe be burned and suffer death for the reding of this word for the whiche Christe his shepeherde and heade died for the establisheynge therof by the shâ—adynge of hys herte bloude Iudge nowe who is the true churche for Christe did not cheuse the wise nor the men of powre nor many menne of noble birth But the eternall wisdome of god chose that whiche was foleishe before the worlde that he might shame the wise And those that are weake in the worlde did he cheuse to shame the mighty and stroÌ„g powrs And those that are vile and dispised and of no reputacion ⧠The vtteringe of the popeyshe Sophismes BVt to returne to your wordes and to coÌ„sider how you of this popeish churche wolde captiue our wittes aboute this sacrameÌ„t thus you say and writ Ther is in the sacrament of the aulter non other substaunce but the substaunce of the bodie and bloude of our sauiour Christ and yet remaynethe the forme and accidentes of breade and wyne not altered by this miracle from knowelege of the senses wherewithe they were before knowne and also by god his sufferaunce subiectes to the passibilitie that they were in before Oh when will you waxâ— ashamed The mouse may eate yt as you say your selfe 〈◊〉 yet it must be the self same substaâ—nce of the body of Christ wer it not for shame to bable longe in this matter I wolde bringe in the scriptures that proue all them to haue euerlastinge lyfe that eate his fleshe and drincke his bloud But go to I wil stope your monthe withe your owne madnes Pope Victor the thyrd was poysoned in this sacrament and yet must it be the bodie of Christ which can bringe nothinge but helthe and life The Emperour HeÌ„ry the seuenth was poysoned by a Dominik frier named Barnardinus de monte policiano in receyuinge the sacrameÌ„t and yet may it be non other substaunce but the bodie and bloâ—de of our sauiour Christe God and man wher yf he had ben man they had poysoned hym firste but yf he had bene God he woulde first haue espied theyr poyson by cause he can not be deceyued and bycause he can not deceyue he would not haue poisoned the Emperour who mistrustid no thinge But let them passe they be the learnynge and practises of your churche You goo on still with the same Sophistrie of the forme and accidentes of bread and wyne Alwaye synginge one songe that with often rehersall you maye bringe it into credence If you preache this forme these accidentes 〈◊〉 this passibilitie to the pore people they may wel wonder at your high learnyng but thei can knowe litle what you meane These thinges I haue somwhat touchide and shall dâ— more here after You say that these accideÌ„tes are not altered vnto the senses but are subiect to the same passibilitie I pray you what sophistrie hath taught you that accidentes are become subiectes of passibilitie If euer you learned Logike or philosophi you know that the subiect to passibilitie must neades bee a substauÌ„ce Wherfor seyng you wil haue such passibilitie suche chaunges both corruptioÌ„ of the cake and generation oâ— anewe bodie you must coÌ„fesse some other substaÌ„ce in thes chauÌ„ges that sustaynethe the accidentes after the chaÌ„ge for the infallible rule of Logike is this Ther is no accident without his subiect periculiar substance And coÌ„sequeÌ„tly if you wil wade in these dark termes of sophistrie â–ª you shalbe coÌ„pelled to graunt an other substance which sustayneth the accideÌ„tes bysides the bodie and bloude of Christ And seyng that Godhath created none other substaÌ„ce which hath these peculiar qualities that we feele smel se and tast stil to remain but onli bread and wyne we must nedes by the properties bi god onli attributed to these creatures conclud against you that here be the two substaÌ„tes and creatures of breade and wyne vnto whome God did in theyr creation attribute and gyue these qualities these accidentes these selfe same properties the selfe same forme and shape that we se doth stil remayne vuchainged vnder your fingers and in your mouthes As for your holi entralies I know not what passibilitie thei suffer there In this place of your booke I muste pas ouer with scilence certayne of your wordes as are these The creatour of al
is declared and opened vnto vs and that in it no les theÌ„ in the other we do receiue the promises of God and his holie spirite to the confirmation of our faith and sure trust in him Moreouer oure Sauiour Christe sayeth thus of Baptisme Iohn baptised you in water but I wyl baptise you in the name of the holie goste And for a playne euidence and tokeÌ„ of the same he sent downe the holie gost in a visible fourme both vpon the Apostles and them that they baptised in his name If you had so muche in the scripture for the diuinitie of the other Sacramente I woulde not so greatly wonder if your fleshly iudgement did take it for a verie God But seinge that wyth these scriptures you esteme the one litle or nothinge at al and yet wythout these or any other lyke scriptures you maynteyne and defende yea and that with sworde fyre and faggot that the other is God and worthy of all godly honoure I can not but merueile and that greatly Yea and muche the more for that you hauynge the experience of the feyned miracles that haue bene wroughte for the establishynge of the fleshly presence of Christe in this Sacrament as I am sure you had by one Nicholas Geruis priest who pricked his fingar in the tyme of his masse that the bloude might seme to fall from the breade vpon the corpresse and aultare cloth as appeared at Paules crosse wythin the. v. yeres laste paste shoulde yet so blindly and tiraÌ„nously maynteine this deuelishe and most wicked errour I meane the deitie and godly honoure that you attribute to this signe or Sacrament If the whole course of your tale whiche I haue rehearsed be not altogether Sophistrie surely I neuer learned Sophistrie For when you come to tell vs what is broken what is moulded and what the mise do eate then say you that the Sacrament is the host the fourme of breade and wyne and the vtwarde accidentes as the qualities and dimeÌ„sions And this fourme these outwarde accidentes these qualities these dimensions are broken are moulded are altered and muste no more be God Thus you woulde blynde vs wyth your Sophistrie and make vs to beleue that it is God when you call it so and no God but accidentes qualities and dementions when you wyll haue it so Agayne notwythstandyng you do eate the same thynge that you do breake and breake the same thynge that you do eate yet when you eate it it muste be God and when you breake it it must be but accideÌ„tes no God Moreouer if it chaunce you to touche it wyth your teeth and swalowe it downe your throte make it suffre heate in your stomake and become passible otherwayes then is it onely the fourme the outwarde accidentes the qualities and dimeÌ„sioÌ„s and no God But you deceyue your selues with vayne wordes and therfore like as you do breake the outwarde thynges so do you eate and are fed with the same sophistical ware where of ye dreame Thys is muche like a man that dreameth aâ— the night longe that he hath eateÌ„ quaile raile and cur lewe and that he hath drokeÌ„ pleasaÌ„t wine his fyll and yet in the mornynge he is neuer the lesse huÌ„gery and thurstie because he had nothing but the fourmes shadowes outwarde accidences and qualities But the litle mouse is muche wyser then you make your selues For she can knowe the fourme of your cake from the cake it selfe Paynt it in fourme and qualities as craftelie as you can she neither wyl nor caÌ„ feede vpon any suche qualities or fourmes Neither is she so folishe to be mocked with any suche dreames I speake playne englishe nowe yea I can not nor wyl not vse any sophistrie And we al that be englishe men do earnestly desire you to tell vs in englishe what you do meane by those termes accidentes qualities and demensions which I do know you caÌ„ neuer do onles you do reigne in the bowelles of sophistrie For thei are the peculiar termes of that deuelishe arte Yet amongest so many your subtlie termes you haue one good sentence howe it escaped you I can not tell Wyth the eye of the soule you say in faith we see the presence of the moste precious bodie of our Sauiour Christ These your wordes are eueÌ„ the very words of our beliefe This is the thing only wholy that caÌ„ worke in this sacrameÌ„t For if it be the fode of the soule only as doubtles if is theÌ„ caÌ„ not the bodilie instrumeÌ„t meddle therwith It must be receiued by the powers of the soule only which are spiritual But no bodilie carnal thing caÌ„ be eateÌ„ of the spirite for the spirite must be borne nourrished of the spirite likeas the flesh is borne norished of bodilie thinges I coÌ„clude therfore that in the sacrameÌ„t we do not eate bodilie carnally really the bodi of christ but onli spiritually as you haue in this place said ful wel wyth the eies of our soul in faith for the soule hath none other instrument wherby it maye take fode of life but fayth the knoledge of god whiche fedeth euerlastingly as Christ saith This is the wil of him that sent me that euery one that seeth the son beleueth in hym shal haue euerlasting lyfe And I shall repsâ— hym at the laste daye God sende vs soule priestes that wyll teache vs this fode of the soule more diligeÌ„tly theÌ„ you bishoppes haue done For you haue alwaies tolde vs a craftie tale sayinge that Christe remayneth so longe vnder the accidentes as the fourme of breade and wyne doth remayne Lo this is it that you doubt vpon fearing to make such playâ—e answer wheÌ„ you bringe in these doubtes in the sixtene leafe of your boke If there remayne no substaunce but the substaunce of the body and bloud of Christ it muste needes be then that the same corrupteth or elles when goeth it awaye or where haue you scripture to declare the goinge awaye of Christ from the hoste Before you answere subtilly like a Sophister sayinge What if I and suche other prelates can not tell deludynge one question wyth an other as the maister of Sopistrie Iohannes de lapide teacheth to delude argumentes but nowe boldly like a bishop with out'any scripture onely because your father and mother churche of Rome doeth saye the same you affirme that Christe remayneth so longe as the fourme of the bread remaineth that is from the tyme it is made to the tyme it is deuoured ether by man or mouse or els â—oth by other misse fortuue or by mouleyng miscarie Oh foleishe blind guides To what filthy absurdities must ye of necessitie be driueÌ„ by this fond opinion that here is no substaÌ„ce but the substance of Christ and that this substance remayneth so longe onely as the forme of breade remayneth For this forme remaynethe euen when the mouse rennethe awaye withe it The forme of breade remayneth when it
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
bodie sayeth Paul so many as be partakers of one breade Why then shoulde we call it fode Yea marie saye you For there is a greate errour spred a brode about the sacramentes that ther remayneth breade after the consecracioÌ„ And the heretykes saye that they wyll speake playne as Paul doeth â–ª But can you teach these heretikes to speake better speake they not well when they speake as paul the apostle dyd Yea Paul is hard and can not be vnderstande Oh it is a woÌ„derful harde thynge for a plowe man to vnderstaÌ„de what bread is Thus would you capâ—tue our wyttes to take Christe and hys Apostles as blinde guides leadynge vs wronge by theyr darke termes but your doctours and you bishopes do teache all so playnly that vnto you onely we must herken and leâ—e the other goe with al theyr bokes and wrytinges paynes and burnynge But I praye you haue these heretykes no more to allege for theyr purpose but Paule Yes truly they haue the playne wordes of Christ for them also or els we woulde condemne them to gether with theyr man Paule and driue them out of all credite by the autorite of our doctours But Christ after he had consecrated and blessed thys breade and thys wine as you say he calleth it styl bread and the frutes of the vine But truly Christ and Paul speake darkely and woulde not haue vs vnderstand them Harken therfore to our doctours and you shal learne the mattier substauncially Thus ren you about the bush to kepe vs in captiuitie Thys is babiloâ—â—â—al bondage and captiuite of conscience Frome the whyche we beseche the allmyghtye and euerlyuyng God to delyuer his lyttle floâ—… But what shal we now doe you cal them heritikes which bring your doctours for theÌ„ as playnly as you haue theÌ„ for your purpose as appeareth by Fryth whom you haue not yet confuted but with your lawes and authoritie put him to silence and than with one worde you call him an herityke and saye he defameth the doctours This is an eaâ—y way to answer And thus might a man make answer to your boke spedilie saying at one worde that it is crafty sophistre As for EcolaÌ„padiâ—s a man of singular learning vertu sobrenesse whom you â—o ligtly regarde and despise You bishope Stephane and al your felowes coÌ„terfayte bishopes compared to such a notable clerke are but shadowes and your learnyng and eloquence but coÌ„terfaits to hys How excellent was he in the Hebrue Greke and laten tonge how wel learned in all scienses How deape a serchear of the misteries of the prophetes and other scriptures How learned faithfull traÌ„slatour of your owne doctors This shal his workes declare and witnes with me vnto the worldes ende do what you caÌ„ to destroy theÌ„ that you may triumph alone like a cradeÌ„ cocke on his owne â—…ghil Thinke you that if Ecolampadius were a liue heard such a foleishe seÌ„tence of â—our writing as here foloweth that he had not rather be dispraysed theÌ„ praysed of suche a foÌ„de braine your words be these wythout any addicion This is in dede coÌ„uenieÌ„t that Christ in his bodi liuing shuld be a figure signe memori of his bodie dead vpoÌ„ y e crose for vs christ in the sacrament of the aulter to be a fygure ofhys misticall bodye the churche Who techeth you to speke thus foÌ„dely but your dotyug doctours Is christ in his bodie liuing a figure signe memorie of his bodie dead on the crosse wher lerne you this thing in the scriptures No forsoeth TheÌ„ nede we not to beleue your lies Had this be a likely tale for Christ to haue told his disciples wheÌ„ he did site at the table in his liuing bodie and did gyue theÌ„ in the figure of his liuing bodi which was theÌ„ redie to depart froÌ„ them this creature bread which could not moue because it had no life At that time his bodie was not glorified nor changed froÌ„ the coÌ„dicion of our natural bodie to be infinite without chaung of time or place how so euer you haue chaunged it seÌ„ce that time It was theÌ„ a liuing bodi no figure or signe of a bodie Neither hade it be possible to haue perswaded the Apostels thys preposition of yours to be true â–ª If you had sayed the coÌ„trarie that the deade bodie had ben the figure signe or memorye of the lyuing bodye some symple soule that knoweth not what a figure signe or memori meaneth myght haue bene deceyued bi your subtiltie â–ª But to go nere you You know that these wordes figure sygne memorie must be referred and applied vnto other thynges theÌ„ theyr owne selues and are therfore in learnynge called relatyues bicause they can not be fully knowne but onely by such thynges as are by theÌ„ figured signified and brouggt into memori And can you shewe me any thinge in the worlde either spirituall or worldly that is boeth the figur and the thing figured the signe and the thinge signified the memorie of a thinge done and the selfe same thing by the memorie repeated Yea it is a strong argument by all the learnynge that euer I heard to reasone a relatiue oppositis So that one and the selfe same thyngecan by no meanes in regarde and respect of it selfe in the same effectes as you speake afterwarde be boeth the relatiue and correlatyue the figure and the thynge figured the signe and the thynge signified more then the ale pâ—le or yuie bushe can be the ale or wyne therby represented or circumcision the couenaunt and the brasen serpent Christ Nowe in the seconde sentence where you saye that Christ is the figure of his misticall bodie what reasone is in it For scripture haue yee none Whoe euer harde before that the heade polyticke spyrituall or bodyly shoulde be named the figure of the bodie wherof it is the head Is the Kinges maiestie figure of Englande Is or can the husbaÌ„d be the figure of his wyfe Oh fond and deceiuable sophistrie confoundeyng all thynges together But marke the spirituall doctryne christen reader thou shalt be taught that it is the bread that is both Christis bodi and ours in figure and that for ij purposes wythout chaunge of either of our substaÌ„ces First for that in Christ it representeth hym to be the general fode of al soules and right so in vs the manifolde meÌ„bres vnited and knyte vnto the same our heade Thus is it truly sayed of Christ This is my bodie and of vs we are one breade and one bodie so many as are partakers of one bread Thys same verbe substaÌ„tiue Sumus we are maketh no chaung in our selues Wherfore then shal we imagyne it to haue such an enchaunteynge power ouer Christe God and man In the opinion of the Arrians maie be perceiued somewhat if yours for that you are so busie with the prouerbe Malum bene coÌ„dituÌ„ ne moueas an olde errour As for luther though he were the little Dauid that
together with you into the blinde pit of darknesse Thus haue you led our fathers before vs so many as would take you for their scho maisters and had none other secrete motion of the spirite to lifte their hertes vp into the heauens dâ—…nge the ayde and healpe of al other â—râ—… And yet 〈◊〉 can not content your selues with the kingdome that you haue vsurped in the consciences of men where none ought to reigne but God more then these thousande yeres onlesse you maye styll haue the same authoritie in establishinge your popetrie and Idolatrie beating euermore into oure eares that your Idolatrous and superstitious religion hath continued these M. D. yeres Where as we partly haue declared might more at large declare were it not to tedious that it hath crept vp onely with your wicked papacie and possessions of the churche and hath continued onely the tyme that Sathan hath bene lose and sent furth into the worlde to worke his wyll when you his stoute souldiour dyd shit vp the kyngdome of God his worde and neither woulde enter in your selues nor suffre them that woulde entre But now that the lambe hath vnlocked the boke Sathan begynneth to roare for feare of the fal of his kingdome and you bishoppes his champions do rage and fight agaynst God his worde yea agaynste euery thinge that is God or godly But we shal ouercome by the bloude of the lambe and by the worde of his witnesse And therefore do we ieoperde oure soules vnto death not onely against the Romishe Antichriste but the Mahumetaine also who is like to reigne ouer vs as a worthy plage for slidynge from the worde of God eueÌ„ as he hath many yeres reigned ouer many christian nations whiche boeth in life and learning were as holy as we be now coÌ„pted If thys thynge I saye shall come to passe as no man knoweth Goddes secrete working but suche onely as it shall please him to endue with this knowledge we shall be redie both to speake and write as we nowe do for the glorie of God against al Idolatours so far as God shal open our hertes and giue vs strength For without his audacitie and boldnesse of spirite poured into vs we shall stande in as gerate feare to perfourme thys as we shoulde be to write against your abominations knowing your crueltie towardes theÌ„ that haue hertofore moued your pacieÌ„ce What other men haue written in the fauour of Mahumete I can not tell But thys do I see with myne eyes that you bishoppes do opeÌ„ a great dore for him to entre in at by the Idolatrie that you do maynteyne in settyng vp so weake a creature to be God For what playner waye can ye haue to impunge the christian religion then to fynde it to be grouÌ„ded vpon so fonde a foundation as this weake Idol of yours And on the other side by your wicked life and tirannouse handlynge of the pore flocke of Christ you ministre great occasion for vs to thyinke that we shall lyue vnder the turckes as quietly and safly as vnder you both in auoydynge the Popishe Idolatrie and also in escapynge of outragiouse tiranny Beware howe your malice leadeth you to minister suche occasions For though we abhorre eueÌ„ froÌ„ the bottomes of our hertes the turrkeshe Mahumete and his lawes and are ready to wryte and speake agaynste them in the defence of our Christ and his religion rather wishyng to dye then to be subiect vnto him yet thys present necessitie and more greuous bondage that we suffre nowe vnder the byshoppes the lymes of the Romishe Antichrist are so intollerable that we had rather proue any thynge then longe to abyde it If they ouercome here the victorie wyll hardly be stayed from conquest in the reste Call backe your tiranny therefore aboute the worshyppynge of thys Idoll Surely it is full tyme as you saye for you to stryue for your God and to encourage your companions to sticke to their taklynge for if we maye once get the victorie herein all the residue of your Poperie wyl haue a foule fall Note our simplicitie as much as you wil and skoffe on styll wyth the Deuyll is simple iwys we wyll neuer be ashamed to call breade breade so longe as we haue Luke the Euangelist and Paule the Apostle of Christ to take our parte Come you in wyth your double gloses and put furth two faces in owne hoode in euerie thinge you go about as longe as you luste But it is an high mattier to vnderstand what breade meaneth and what the worlde signifieth you saye Go to go to And all the worlde what so euer the worlde signifieth wyll shortly deride you and thynke you worthy of your ii forcked myters for your doublenesse ⧠Of thys name Masse and of the diriuation of the same NOw labour you to haue this name Missa or Masse diriued of an Hebrue worde wherein I wyll not greatly contende thoughe it make not much for your purpose because I know the subtiltie of the generation that fyrste named it whose caste it is alwayes to busie mens myndes wyth straunge names darcke termes and subtile disputations aboute the same to holde men occupied in trifles and to keepe them froÌ„ the playnes of the trueth Other wise they could haue ben coÌ„tent to haue named it the breaking of the bread with Luke or the supper of the Lorde wyth Paule But for the nature of the Hebrue worde Lerne what Sanctes Pagninus wryteth in Thesauro lingue sancte 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Missa sufficientiaÌ„ significat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est Sufficientiam voluntatis aut spontis manns tue TarghuÌ„ Deut. xv xviii pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est sufficieÌ„tia habet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rabbi Selomoh in coÌ„meÌ„taries exponit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficieÌ„tiaÌ„ Rabbi AbrahaÌ„ hoc pacto scribit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Daghessatur samech nam deducitur a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est signâ—m Iheroâ—iâ—nus OblationeÌ„ spontaneaÌ„ manâ— tue Vnde dicuÌ„t noÌ„ nulli quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est oblatio que fit deo propter aliquod munus personale quibus non assentior cum nullus ex Hebreis doctoribus hoâ—dicat quos legerim Hactenus Pagninus These wordes declare the nature of this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by diriuatioÌ„ euen froÌ„ the original Whiche howe wel it agreeth with our englishe word masse let the learned iudge It caÌ„ not be tried hereby that it is a sacrifice for the quicke for the dead but rather cleane coÌ„trarie by that whiche Pagninus affirmeth Ther is yet an other Hebrue worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifiynge a tribute whiche some men saye is the originall because of the contribution and payment that was gathered for the reliefe of the pore in the beginning There is also a verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which betokeneth to melte or to be dissolued awaye where of you may diriue Missa if you wyll
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„
we returne to bodily fode to coÌ„forte the body withal then knowinge that the thinge whiche entreth in at the month defileth not the body we do without superstition and excesse vse indiffereÌ„tly al such meates as occasion ofsereth And why should not we as well do thus as you bishops to eate on the greatest fastynge dayes you haue swete sucket grene ginger marmilade such like deinties for the punishinge of your Pope holy carkases Is a piece of biefe or bakoÌ„ more perilous for the prouocation of sleshly appetite in vs pore meÌ„ of the contrey that labour al the day long in hoÌ„ger colde theÌ„ these subtilties are to your sleuthful idle bealies If we do not fast the true fast lameÌ„t for our sinnes so oft as were coÌ„uenient the great cause is that we are neuer taught of this true faste very seldoÌ„ do we heare the worde of god truly preached whiche might moue vs to this repeÌ„taÌ„ce mourning for our sinnes So that alwaies the fautes of the people must needes returne vpoÌ„ your neckes O bishops the bloude of the shepe that perish must berequired at your haÌ„des because you are negligeÌ„t in doinge of your duties Now this great matter that ye do lay so ofteÌ„to our charg Thatin the lords supper we diuise a diete without ani dainties that we wil haue nothing preseÌ„t but bread wine we haue partly proued to be vntruly reported of vs who do in the Lordes supper set forth the fode that feadeth into lyfe euerlasteynge But the same thinge may well iustly be spoken of you that do set vp the muÌ„blinge of a masse in a tonge not vnderstand in the steade of the lyuely fedyng of the faithfull in the death of Christe which ought all waies to be preached shewed forth in thys supper of the Lorde that the flocke of Christ may continually feade on these dainties of the heauenly manna accordinge to the sayeinge of Christ Not Moyses but my father geueth the true breade frome heauen For it is the bread of God that coÌ„meth from heaueÌ„ and geueth lyfe vnto the worlde I am the same bread that am come down from heauen He that coÌ„meth vnto me shall not be hongrie he that beleueth in me shal neuer be â—hyrstie Lo what dainties we do set forth in our supper But what daintis do the pore people find in your masse You saye that ther is rawe flesh bloude and bones which thynges coÌ„pared vnto oures are no daynties The people saye that you do eate al in a cornar and will gyue no man part with you What so euer daynties you haue they go home hongrie boeth in theyr bodies and soules Yea what geare is ther in your masse the gospell and epistle Hoc est corpus meum onli excepted that can fead the soule of the vnlearned man Yea how doeth that gospel epistle fed their soules that vnderstaÌ„d not one word that you speake As for yourblasphemus collectes geueing so much to the merites of sanctes your secretes where in you do talke with Annas and Cayphas your beadroles one of benefactours and an other of hallowes as Peter Paul and Crisogonus whose memorial you name it to be not the memorie of Christ by whose merites and prayers you desyre to be defended in all poyntes If all this I saye were in english and vnderstand what daynteis Yea what deuellieshnes shoulde hereby enter into the hearers herteâ— This is no fode but filth this is no breade but poyson But you thynke perchaunce that we lewde people maye feed vpon fonde gestures vpon youre fonde bloweynges and blesseinges mockeinge and moweynge vpoÌ„ your cake holden vp betwyxt your fyngers and hopped about the chalice These be all your spiritual workes But they neither feed soules nor yet bodies For you are those shep herdes that fede theim selues and despise the flocke The best you haue to say is that you do eate this supper for vs that you drynke this cup of the newe testament for vs. But nowe haue we learned of late in the testameÌ„t of our master which you haue most vilanouslye plucked forth of our handes beynge no gentillmen that it is hys wyll and pleasure that all we should eate drinke of the breade and wyne of this supper Wherfore I praye you eate our meat no lenger neither for vs nor from vs. For that which you do eate caÌ„ do vs no more good theÌ„ if you did eate away from vs our bodilie diner And if you wilbe partakers of our bodily labours goodes let vs be partakers with you in this supper And if you compt vs saued redemed by the bloude of the newe testameÌ„t theÌ„ suffer vs to drinke of the cup of the same in Christes blud If you do caste vs froÌ„ it esteme vs so lewdly as you haue done herebefore thinke non other but the arme where vpon you haue trusted shalbe broken the donge of your soleÌ„nyties shalbe scatered vpon your faces But to come to your dainties agayne You doe mixt the thyrde parte of your cake with the wyne then you saye Hec sacro sancta commixtio this â–ª holye mixture be helth of bodie soule By the whiche blasphemouse wordes wherein you wysh that thys same mixture that you make shoulde be saluacion of bodie and soule we may espie that you haue here dainties prepared for the deuilles owne toth Your preparatiues to these daynties are like to the daynties them selues That is to saye deuillishe Reade the Rubrica of the masse to eschew mortalitie and the masse of the fyue wouÌ„des where as it is written that what priest so euer sayeth the office of this masse v. tymes either for hym selfe or any other he shall in thys worlde haue grace and health in the world to come euerlasteynge lyfe if he continewe in good And in what so euer tribulacioÌ„ a man shalbe in this worlde if he procure this office to be sayed for him v. tymes by a priest wythout dout he shalbe deliuered And if it be read for the soule of the dead strayt after it is read v. tymes the soule shalbe deliuered froÌ„ payn Wyth such lies and blasphemies do you prepare the peoples mindes to your dayntie dyshes Now your cautiles subtillities that you haue about these daynties declare you to be more supersticiouse then were the phariseis and far more foleish then the heathen In so moch that I am ashamed to write them ⧠Of the pure sacrifice of Malachie the prophete BVt you do establishe your masse and â–ª sacrifice as you suppose verie strong lie by the prophete Malachie whom your doctour DamasceÌ„ doeth alledge for the vnbloudie sacrifice And you brynge hym in againe here in the ende of your boke though he speake cleare agaynst you These be hys wordes after he hath rebuked the priestes of couetousnesse I haue no pleasure in you sayeth the Lord of hostes I wyll allowe none offeringe of
vp the great heape of your baggage which you cal the substaunce of your religion And therfore do you nowe fyght wyth fyre faggot for the conseruation of the same that it maye conserue you in your lordly dignities Thus hath your worldly witted fathers euen from the begynnynge fought wyth the sayntes of God whose bloud cryeth froÌ„ vnder the aultare and asketh vengeaunce shal be hearde ryght spedily Marke good bishops whom â–ª you haue alwaye murthered euen froÌ„ the begynnyng Whiche of the Prophetes of the olde testament did escape chiefe priestes and byshops And syth the comyng of Christ your murthers are innumerable I wyll not nor caÌ„ not recken them Dyd not Christe hym selfe dye by the conspiracie of Annas Cayphas and other bishops because he rebuked the worlde of blyndenes Al such as you haue murtherd sence that tyme haue cleare testimonies of theyr innocencie by some of your owne scribes and wryters Had not Husse whoÌ„ yon accompt the Arche heretike foure seales of the noble men of Morania to wytnesse his innocent lyfe and godly learnynge to your cursed cruel counsayle at coÌ„staunce Doeth not Pope Piê° otherwyse called Eneas Silnius Pogius the Florentyne Platina Sabellicus and other your owne men reporte well of hym But to come home boeth to your owne tyme countrey Who doth not bewaile the tiranny that you shewed vnto that innocent lambe Bylnaye who beinge demaunded in derision by a proude papist when he went to his death why he wroughte no miracles beinge so holy as he was accompted answered wyth mylde voice countenaunce God onely sayed he worketh miracles and wonders and he it is that hath wrought thys one wonder in our eyes that I being wrongfully accused falsly belyed opprobriously and spytefully haÌ„dled imprisoned buffetted and condempned to the fyre yet hitherto haue I not once opened my mouth with one euyl worde agaynst any of you This passeth the worke of nature is therefore the manifest miracle of god who wyl by my suffering death be glorified and haue his trueth enhaunced What report haue you gotteÌ„ for the murthering of Hunne in the lowlars towre You had neither felonie nor treason to laye to his charge yet most vilanously dyd the chauncelour of London murther that honest man for his owne childes crisome I wyl say nothing of the priest that was found hanging in your porters warde And fiue hundreth mo wherof some haue by your tirannouse handlyng for sworne the truth forsakeÌ„ theyr maisters Some for feare of your tiraÌ„ny haue renne out of their wittes some haue forsaken their couÌ„treis chosyng rather to â—…ue like banished men then to suffre your cruell and babilonical bondage I coulde reken many whose life is yet in the eyes of the worlde and the cause of their death vtterly vnknowne vnlesse it were for speakynge agaynste your popishe madnesse Wherfore dyed Barnes Therome Garret in the late storme of your capitayne of Norfolke steared for his kinswoman They were neither declared felons nor â—…aytours They dyd not stryue wyth you agaynst the god of bread But this was their death so far as I could learne because they preached man to be iustified by fayth in the bloud of Christ onely by none of your popishe inuentions OhtiraÌ„ny intollerable You haue to long blynded our gouernours made them your butchars and tormentours What should I speake of the last persecution wheÌ„ you caused to be proclamed that no boke of christian religion should be brought into this Realme froÌ„ beyonde the sea Howe many dyd you then murther woulde haue done mo had not the Kinge by his power plucked out of your clawes one whom you had with small equitie examined and wyth lesse iustice coÌ„demned What iustice did you shewe in that you dyd so shamefully racke Anne Askue after she was condemned But she shewinge more constancie then hath bene communely seene in a woman shal nowe after the death of hir body worke you shame to all your posteritie Was Lassels wyth the other his felowes martyrs coÌ„fessinge the liuinge God and his sonne Christ the only sauiour worthily burned with fire as you did rashly determine and iudge condemned and destroied in body and soule What were they whoremongers Idolatours adulterers theues extorsiouers or maÌ„quellers Vpon suche cometh the wrath of God suche haue no parte in the kingdome of God But you suffre to lyue you shewe no power agaynst them No you are not any thynge terrible vnto suche for they dwell at your noses they eate at your tables and are your darlinges But who that speaketh any thinge agaynste your popishe Idols brainsicke inuentions haue he neuer so faythful an hert to God and be he neuer so trustie to his prince yet must he be an heretike a traytour a lowlar and all together This doeth the worlde espie at the length talketh of you I woulde this talke mighte make you leaue your euyll doinges and to learne at the least to do some parte of your dutie before the wrath of God fal vpon you But I do feare me al wordes are but wynde with you Onely vexation and chastisement wyll giue you vnderstandinge For lo here you saye ful finely and like a popishe prelate that woulde haue all thinge broughte to the olde blyndenes and ignoraunce and to suche captiuitie and bondage that no man shoulde talke of his fayeth but vnder my Lordes licence though Peter commaunded the contrary You saye that of fayth there is so muche talke tattelinge to vse your owne termes that true beliefe is gone Surely if you call thys true beliefe the Romishe beliefe of pardones pilgrimages when we myght haue no talke of â—ure fayth but were coÌ„maunded in payne of cursinge and burninge to beleueâ—… as the churche of Rome beleueth like as you can knowe none other true churche nor none other good men but suche as folowe that church I graunt your beliefe is fore wasted I trust shall right shortly coÌ„sume like stubble with the fyre of Goddes worde and true workes of mercie peace and louing kindneâ—… shall springe furth wheÌ„ men knowynge thaâ— your Pope holy workes are but the madnes of idle braynes shal worship the liuing God in spirite and trueth But lo you wyll haue here the carte to go before the horsse and wyl haue vs to do these workes before we knowe them saying that doing is the way to knowledge where coÌ„trary wise al wel doing must needes springe of knowledge as the onely thinge that maketh our deedes good And because you bishops are so slowe in preaching good workes that God requireth the people muste needes be stacke in doinge them For you should be the salt of the earth But seinge that you be become vnsauourie howe caÌ„ you season other You preach your owne inuentions the preceptes and coÌ„maundementes of men and them must we needes knowe and confesse or els must we be brent But it is
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