of your fleshe no parte nor portion of eternall life Therefore let this which is geuen you in this Supper remaine for a perpetual Sacrament and remembrance vnto you of the body which I wil hereafter geue for you For I shal geue my body for you into the hands of enimies the Sacrament whereof I do heere geue into your hands Wherby thou mayest perceiue gentle Reader that here be two things giuen by Christ one vnto vs the other for vs the first too bee eaten the last too bee crucified that one in the Supper this other vppon the Crosse. Nowe if yoâ— desire to knowe the substaunce of that which was geuen in the supper it was bread and the Sacramente of his body That which was geuen vppon the crosse was his body and not a Sacrament What then wyll you say was not his body geuen at Supper Yes in deede Christes body was geuen there too the Disciples but not for the Disciples bodies neyther after a bodyly corporal maner for that corporal body was geuen too the Iewes not in the Supper but on the crosse whereuppon hee gaue his body corporally not too the Disciples but for the Disciples Therefore that which hee gaue for his Disciples was his body that which hee gaue too his Disciples was the Mystery of his body Yet was it one and the selfe same body both that of the Supper geuen to the Disciples and that of the Crosse geuen for his Disciples but yet not after the same sorte nor yet at the same tyme. For vppon the Crosse it was geuen too bee slaine corporally In the Supper it was geuen not to bee slaâ—ne but to be eaten not corporally to bee gnawne with theyr teeth but too feede vppon it in the bowels of theyr soules namely after a Sacramentall kinde of receiuing not corporall Therefore it is not denied that the Lordes body was both geuen and eaten in the Supper but not the body only but togeather with the body the Sacrament annexed also withall whereof the one apperteyneth too the feeding of the bodies the other to the feâ—ding of the soules That which is receiued into the bodies is both bread and the Sacrament of his body That which is receiued within in the soule is the very body not the Sacrament of his body For as mâ—che therefore as these two doe necessarily concurre togeather in the holy Supper that the one can not bee seuered from the other Let vs so ioyne the one with the other that wee neâ—ther separate the â—ody of Christe from the Sacrament as the Papistes do which be so throughly wedded to the only substance of the body as that they leaue therein no substaunce at al of a Sacrament but superficiall and immateriall shadowes I knowe not what hanging in the ayre which serue to no purpose Neither let vs so segregate the Sacrament againe from the body as that we leaue nothing in the holy supper but bare signes But in this coupling togeather of the body with the bread in the Sacrament behooueth to bee well and considerately aduised that wee may throughly perceiue howe these thinges ought to bee ioyned togeather and howe they ought to be seuered For neyther that which affecteth the outwarde senses and passeth downe into the bodye of man is the fleshe of Christe so neither that which is receiued in spirite and in the inwarde man is bread but the very body of Christe Out of the which ariseth a threefolde error of mens corrupt opinions touching the Sacrament The first errour is where men do chop and thruste togeather the presence of Christes body in the Sacrament as that they suppose both the bread and the body to bee deuoured of them with our selfsame mouth corporally and those wee cal Consubstantiators The second errour is of suche as bee called Transubstantiators which do so altogeather thrust out all substaunce of material bread or transfourme it into the substaunce of the body that nothing shall remaine else to bee eaten besides the only fleshe of Christe The opinion of which sort of people coÌ„meth to this issue at the last as that they will admit no corporall presence of any thing in the Sacrament sauing Christe So that now the Supper must needes bee the very holy thing it self but no Sacrament of an holy thing For as muche as to make a SacrameÌ„t to become a Sacrament two thinges must of fine forâ—e needes concurre the one whereof must be disposed ouâ—wardly the other must bee conceaued inwardly the one must bee an earthly thing the other heauenly the one must expresse some what the other must be expressed by somewhat The third errour is where men so place the Sacramentall bread in the Sacrament as that they leaue nothing there but naked and bare signes whom the Papists do tearme Figuratiue men and Significatists But wee so ioyne togeather both the sacred bread and Christe himselfe in the holy Supper that the presence and eating of Christe be spirituall but the presence and eating of the bread bee corporall and that this one may bee disgested outwardly by the mouth and that other conceaued inwardly and spiritually in the soule But heere againe as many times else I doo heare some of our iangling aduersaries whispering against vs. What say they did not Christ say That this was his body so he said in deede and what then Therefore it can not bee but as Christe spake that it shoulde bee In deed he sayde that it was his body yet did he not make it his body neither did he speak heere Let this be made my body as hee spake in Genesis Let there bee light and light was made Which kinde of speache he would haue vsed questionles yf hee had euer imagined anye such transubstantiation as these men doe dreame vppon But nowe vsing onely the woorde not of Creating nor changing but of denomination only he did report vntoo them that it was his body but dyd not commaunde it too bee made his body nor inioyned them too beleeue any myracle heere but onely to eare in remembrance of hym We then wyll you say if hee dyd affirme it too bee his body wilâ— thou denye it or wylt thou condemne Christe for a Lyar Good woordes I pray you good syr nay rather in deede I doe with Christ him selfe boldely affirme it to be thâ— selfe same thing euen the body of Christe after the same maner â—orsooth as himself dyd affirm it and vnderstoode it But afâ—ter what maner he tooke it can you be so senslesse as not to coÌ„ceiue when you heare Christe him selfe Interpretor of his owne speache Fleshâ— sayth he doth not profite at all my woordes be spirite and life And doest thou cruell Caniball conceiue and eate nought else but the fleshe of of Christe nor wilt thou permit one cromme so much of bread to remaine because it is called the body of Christe But howe many thinges doe wee heare dayly called by this or that name
and louely societie of the Churche When as the Lordes meaning dyd reatch to a farre higher mystery in this institution of the Supper which may be made most euidently apparant by the very wordes and circumstances of the words of the Supper For when the Lorde did commaunde to take and eate he doeth not say this is my mysticall body that shal fructifie and encrease out of many members of the Church But this is my body that shal be geuen for you Whereupon if I might now argue in the schooles of Diuines I would on this wise proceede against mine aduersaries The thing that is properly signified in this Sacrament is the only fleshe of Christe geuen for vs. The power of the vnitie and societie of the Churche was not deliuered for vs. Ergo The vnion of the Church oâ—ght in no respect be called the substance of the Sacrament Therfore this doctrine of Lombarde is false vtterly to be abandoned wherein hee affirmeth that this visible forme is a sacrament of a double thing And albeit I wil not deny that this mystery of Ecclesiastical vnion christian conâ—unction is a matter of vnspeakable excellency to haue singulâ—r likenes relation to bread as S. Paul testifieth Yeâ— Paul â—eacheth no such doctrine to wit that the sacrament was instituted to that ende or that the â—lements of bread and wine were deliuered to bee eaten and druÌ„ken for this purpose namely to expresse this mysticall â—â—ion but that it shoulde allure vs to an otheâ— matâ—eâ— rather to wit to the very body of Christe which shoulde suffer for vs that is to say shoulde represent the passion of Christe which doth truely quicken vs make vs too fructifie and to growe vp Therefore the estate of this Sacrament doth require that the Sacrament it selfe and the thing of the Sacrament alsâ— be both of this naâ—â—re to comfort to nourish for otherwise howe can the thinâ— significant agree with the thing signified vnlesse â—he nourishment of the one bee answerable too the nourishment of the other Now this is without al question that nothing can nourishe vnlesse it bâ—â— first eaten Wherefore as there bee twoo thinges that â—oe nourishe so must there be two thinges that muste bâ—e eaten In the one whereof is the Sacrament of the body in the other the verye thing it selfe is deliuered namely the passion of his naturall body And as they both nourishe so they muste both bee eaten The bread feedeth the flesh of Christ crucifâ—ed feedeth but after an other maner The bread feedeth corporally the fleshe feedeth spiritually That one the naturall body this other the spiritual part of the soule the bread feedeth this present lyfe the fleshe feedeth vnto the euerlasting life to come For as the life of the bodie doth growe encrease by dayly bread and foode euen so the spirituall life is preserued by the passion of Christ. Which the Lord himselfe foreseeing before did vtter these woordes of himselfe not without great consideration My fleshe is meate indeede my blood is drinke in deed geuing vs to vnderstande that by blood hee did meane the blooddy Sacrifice of his owne flesh Therfore as there is two kinds of mans life To wit earthly and heauenly so haue they both theyr proper foode The earthly life is preserued with foode and bread the heauenly life is obteined with the death of Christ. And for this cause nothing câ—ulde haue beene more commodiously handled then that the Lorde shoulde deliuer the bread and wine for a memorial of his passion because of the agreable application of the mutuall resemblaunce And heereof aryseth al the substaunce of this Sacramentall Action whereby bread and wyne doe obteine too bee called by the name of the body and blood not because the thinges themselues doe alter theyr substances but after the vâ—uall phrase of speach which is commonly frequented in all languages almost chiefly aboue others in the mysticall Scriptures Namely that thinges significaÌ„t shoulde obteine too bee called by the thinges which they doe signifie Which being most manifestly to be approued by innumerable testimonies of the Scripture is aboue all other moste iustifiable in this one Sacrament chiefly where the name of the body is attributed too the bread but not the substaunce none otherwise in very deede then as by like phrase of wordes is set downe in the booke of Genesis where seuen eares of corne are called Seuen Yeeres Fleshe Heye Seede the Worde a Fielde the World the heauenly Father an Husbandman Christe named a Uine or a Lambe the Apostles called Salt of the earth Peter a Stone and Iohn the Euangelist not only called of Christes own mouth the sonne of the Uirgin but accepted of the mother of Christe as her sonne by the Lordes commaundement Yet wil no man be so mad for this cause to affirme that vnder the figure and forme of this Disciple he either became truely and naturally her sonne or the Uirgin his naturall mother for it is one thing to bee called a mother by name an other thing too bee a naâ—urall mother in deede After the same maner fareth it with the Sacramentes in the which must be considered not what they bee but what they be called and wherfore they be so called For euen amongest vs in our dayly and vsual speaâ—hes as also in the Scriptures chiefly many thinges are many times beautified or described by strange names where notwithstanding no alteration is made of substance but the reason and cause that mooued the holy ghost to name it so is noted After the same maner Christ doth call bread his body not meaning thereby to transubstantiate the substance of the one into the other neither was it to any purpose at all to haue done so but to expresse the power of his passion for this cause therefore hee tooke the bread and cup of wine and called them his body and blood which he would giue for the sins of the world Neither did he only cal them so but also did deliuer them in his last supper to bee eaten and drunken in steede of his body and blood In like maner before Supper he vouchsafed by a like Figuratiue phrase of speache too call his owne fleshe meate and feeding bread from heaueâ— But least any man may fayle in the propertie of woordes I thinke it good too hearken vnto Augustines couâ—salie who discoursing vpoÌ„ the 33. Psalm of Dauid wâ—erin it is said that Dauid did change his couÌ„tenance before Abimelech alias before Achis he doeth transpose this figuratiue speach of chaunged couÌ„tenance to y â— words of Christe vttered touching the supper of his body blood For as Dauid is saide to haue dissembled in countenance before Achis the king seeming outwardly otherwise then hee was inwardly After the selfe same maner of speache the Lorde himselfe treating of his fleshe and blood doeth seeme in Augustines iudgement as it were
manly but brutyshe and sauadgely vnder what fourme so euer it bee couered and hydden Wherefore this loathesomnes doth not consiste in the rawenes but in the very humayne fleshe not in the beholding but in the nature of the thinge it selfe not in that which the eye doth beholde but in that which the heart doth conceyue For if according too the olde prouerbe the wolfe will not deuoure wolues fleshe nor the dogge dogges fleshe is there any man beeing of any manly nature that woulde not abhorre to bee fedde with mans fleshe vnder whatsoeuer fourme it were shrowded or doe ye thinke that Christe did euer conceiue any such matter as when hee helde the bread in his handes wherewith he determined to feede his disciples would therefore exclude bread quyte out of doores to the ende hee might gorge the mawes of men carnally with his naturall fleshe beeing both rawe and aliue contrary to nature without any necessitie without all cause altogether vnprofitable and frutelesse Wherfore you doe not by this meanes exclude lothsomenes from out the sacred mysteries Lombard when you turne the fourmes of bread and wyne into the fleshe of Christe but you choppe a loathsomnes in rather so that nowe this supper may seeme not honourable but horrible if so be that excluding bread and wyne this bee true that you speake that there remayneth nowe nothing to eate but the substaunce of flesh and blood which substance neuerthelesse ye will not vouchsafe to be seene in it owne kynde but vnder an other kynde Wherein ye become two maner of wayes iniurious to the sacrament coupling together therewith a twofolde absurditie First bicause you defraude the fourmes and accidentes of bread of their true and proper subiect Secondly bicause you doe in like maner robbe the very naturall substance of the body of his proper accidentes so that nowe there remayneth neither any substaunce of bread at all nor any fourme of a body on this wyse the Poetes as it seemeth were wonte to describe their Chymeres Neuerthelesse this is not spokeÌ„ to that end as though we would banishe Christe cleane out of the sacrament or that we might seclude our selues from partaking with the holy bodie of Christ in this heauenly Supper But for this reason chiefly y t this holy CoÌ„munion may be cleared from all grosse absurditie If you will demaunde by what meanes Ambrose will answere you verie learnedly who will tel you that ye drinke out of the holie cuppe not blood it selfe but the likenesse of blood rendering the reason why bycause it shall breede sayeth he no loathsomnesse to the stomack And againe in another place hee doeth beare vs witnesse that wee receyue the Sacrament in a likenesse That which Ambrose doth verifie of the likenesse others doe affirme in a figure in a mysterie in a Type in a memoriall Moreouer the same Ambrose writing of the Eucharist sayeth It is the memoriall of our redemption And bycause we be enfranchised by the death of the Lorde wee doe signifie our mindfulnesse of the same death in eating drinking the Lords blood which were offered for vs. And again in the same place The blood saith he is a testimonie of Gods great liberalitie in the Type whereof we doe receiue the mystical cuppe of the blood to the preseruation of bodie and soule Where he calleth the Mystâ—cal cuppe a Type Nowe who is so vnskilful that knoweth not that a Type doeth signifie nothing else than a forme a likenesse and an example Agaiâ—e who knoweth not what great diuersitie there is betwixt likenesse and trueth it selfe and that they bee so contarie eche to other that they cannot agree togither by any meanes Whereby you may learne two things Lombarde both that the horror is taken away and that the substaunce of breade and wine abydeth neuerthelesse still vnempaired All which beeing thus concluded vpon as appeareth by plaine demonstration before all that your lying and false assertion infringible as you tearme it is become windshaken altogither wherewith you mainteyne so stoute a combate for the kingdome of accidentes and your transubstantiation as that yee leaue no place nor space for breade and wine in the Sacrament but calling all backe to visible fourmes plant all your whole batterie of the materiall part of the Sacrament vpon these buttresses of shadowes onely Which fourmes though retaine still the names of the things which they were before yet doe ye denie them to be the very thinges themselues Wherevpon if at any time the names of breade and wine doe occurre in the holy Fathers of the Church the same ye teache to be vnderstoode on this wise To witte that they bee called breade and wine not in respect that they be so but bycause they were once so and that the very substance thereof is gone farre away and that therein is nought resiant nowe that is elemental besides the onely names of elementes and emptie fourmes onely of breade and wine the names whereof they doe reteyne still but haue vtterly lost the verie substaunces themselues and do conteyne nought else now besides the naturall and substanciall bodie of Christ by the which bodie neither bee the fourmes affected nor doth the bodie affect the fourmes Loe this nowe is your gay diuinitie in describing the Sacrament the which howe agreeth with the Scriptures with the iudgementes of the auncient Faâ—hers with the antiquitie of the purer primitiue Church â—nd with fayth it selfe nay rather howe farre and wide it is dissonant and diâ—crepant from all truth and reason it shall not bee amisse to discouer in fewe woordes for I thinke it not coâ—uenient to vse many wordes herein And first wheÌ„ we heare that saying of Paul Let a man proue himselfe and so let him eate of that breade and drinke of that cuppe c. May any man bee so boyde of reason to affirme this to be spoken touching the fourmes and not the materiall part of breade and wine for what shall we say may any man ymagine that to eate to breake to eate of the breade to drinke of the cuppe is to bee referred to emptie and bare shadowes of bread and wine onely and not to the naturall breade In the Decrees is a certaine â—entence extant vouched out of Hylarie whereof we made mention before The bodie of Christ sayth he that is receiued of the altar is a figure whiles the bread wine are apparantly seene with eyes but it is the very body when the inward fayth apprehendeth it for the bodie and blood of Christ. c. To the same effect and in like plaine phrase of speech writeth Cyprianus The Lorde sayth Cyprian did vouchsaâ—e to call wine by the name of his blood the liquor which was enforced by the presse out of the grapes and clusters and made into wine c. For what shal we say do we easily wring accidents of wine out of grapes clusters not rather the very substancial liquor of
is declared supernatural too our senses Ergo heere is no myracle wrought by God * Aug. in his 37. Epistle to Dardanus I am afâ—aide leaâ—t we shal seeme to do iniury to our senses wheÌ„ by speâ—ches we perswade that wherin plain euidence doth without any difficulty ryse aboue al our power and cunning of speeche The holy scriptures ful of Tropes and figures 2. Cor. 3. Iâ—â—n 6. Flesh profiteth nothing Augu. de doctrina Christiana 4 book 5. chapt First you must take heede least yee referre the figuratiue speeche vntoo the letter For herevnto apperteyneth that which the apostle spake The letter killeth For when a figuratiue speech is so taken as if it were properly spoken it â—auoreth of the flesh Neither can any thing be called more aptly the death of the soule then when the vnderstanding is made subiect too the fleshe by folowing the letter Ierome against Rufâ—â—ne * Origen .7 homily vpon Leuit. If literally yee followe the woordes that bee spoken except yee eate the fleshe of the 〈◊〉 of man yee haue 〈◊〉 life in you this letter killeth * Howe absuâ—dlâ— the Popishe Christ makâ—â—s doe tuâ—ne the bread into the flâ—sh and humanity of Christ. The Papistes doâ— omit the circumstances of the words of the Supper Luke .22 1. Cor. 11. Theâ—e wordes of 〈◊〉 This 〈…〉 must 〈…〉 accâ—râ—â—â—â—â—o the cirâ—â—msâ—ancâ—s The fleshe of Christ doth not feede vs properly but the passion of Christ. Pascasius 43. Cap. Therefore we must thus thinke with our selues not how muche is chawed with the teeth but howe much is receyued by faith and loue c. The fruite of Christes passion can by no means be more easily discerned thâ—n by the sacrament of the Lords supper Mat. 26. * Cyprian de Coena Our abiding and incorporation in him is our eating and drinking whereby we be vnited vnto Christe and made his body not by any corporal but by a spiritual passing into vs. c. * August contra Maximinum 22. Cap. These bee Sacramentes in the which must alwayes be considered not what they beâ— but what they shew outwardly because they bee Signes of things being one thing in deede signifiyng an other thing * Gelasius contra Nestor The Image and likenesse of the body and blood of Christe is celebrated in the Action of the mysteries The death of the body must be considered in the Lordes Supper not the substance of his body The Lordes meaning is too be conâ—iâ—â—râ—d in the supper Chrâ—sost Homil. 83. vppon Mat. Homi. â—0 To the people of Antioche This he spake to shewe that this mysterie was his crosse and passion and to comfort his disciples hereby â—oâ—n â— The body of Christ giuen 2. maâ—er of waiâ—s both to vs for vs y â— one in the Supper thâ—s other â—pon the â—rosse the one to be cruciâ—iâ—d the other to be â—aten The body of Christe geuen in the Supper but not to meÌ„s bodies neither yet corporally One selfe same body of Christ was geuen in the supper and vpon the crosse yet not after the same maner nor at one time nor to the same persons In the holy coÌ„munioÌ„ neither is the bread only without Christes body neither the body only without the Sacramental breadâ— A threfolde error of men touching the sacrament of the supper August in Iohn Tracta 26. Christe did affirme him selfe to bee the bread which came downe from heauen exhorting vs to beleeue on him for too beleeue on him is to eate the liuing bread Cyril Anathe 11. Doest thou pronouÌ„ce this our SacrameÌ„t to be maÌ„s foodeâ— and vrgest the mindes of the faithful irreligiously to grosse and carnal thoughts doest thou practise to discusse by mans sensual reasoÌ„ the things which are conceaued by only and most exquisite faith August in Ioh. tract 2â— Why doest thou prepare thy â—ooth and thy belly Beleeue only thou hast eaten for to beleeue on him is to eate the â—read of life Theodorete Christe did dignifie the signes which be seen by calling them his body and blood not chaunging the nature but adding therevnto grace The reseÌ„blance betwiâ—t tâ—e sacrament and the bodie of the Sacrament Beda in LucaÌ„ cap. 22. Bycause bread doth comfort mans hart wine doeth make good blood in the body therefore the bread is coÌ„pared to the body and the wine to Christs blood mystically The â—ustifying of faith is established chiefly in the Sacrament OrigeÌ„ in Leu. cap. 7. The Lord did not put ouer nor commaunded to be reserued til the morow the bred which he gaue to his disciples saying Take ye and eate ye The fruit and efficacie of the Lordes passion August de doctrina lib. 3 cap. 16. This is a figuratiue speeche commaunding vs to participate with the Lordes passion and thankefully and profitably to lay vppe in our most gratefull remembraunce that Christ suffered his passion for vs. Gelas. coÌ„tra Eutichetem The substance of bread and wine doth not cease and without doubt the ymage and similitude of the bodie and blood is celebrated into the action of the mysteries Augusâ—â—n in â—is 22. Epistle to â—oniface There can be no sacrament of the body at all without bread The outwaâ—de substance of the bread * August de ciuit deâ— li. 18 capâ— 48. After a certaine maner doe all things significant represeÌ„t the properties of things which they do signifie The bread is the Sacramâ—nt of the bodie that is to say The bread is after a sacramental maner the bodie Of the thing it selfe which is signified by the Sacrament Bernard de sanctâ— Mart. A Sacrament is called an holy signe or â—n holy secret Irenaeus aduersus Valentiniaâ—os lib. 4. cap. 34. The earthly bread receiuing denomination of the word of god is no more common bread but is made a Sacrament which consisteth of two things earthly and heauenly The SacrameÌ„t The thing of the sacrament * Basil in Psal. 33 Bicause our Lorde is the true bread and his flesh meate in deed it is necessarie that the delight which is receyued by the eating of that bread should through our tast become spirituall vnto vs. Lib. 4. dist 8. Why it is called by Ierome the spiritual flesh of Chrisâ— Lombardâ—â— assertion Ambros. de mysteriis Christ is in that Sacrament bycause it is the bodie of Christ. Therefore it is not corporal food but spiritual Whervpon the Apostle speaking of the figure therof Bicause our fathers did eate the same spiritual foode For the bodie of Christ is spiritual The bodie of Christ is the bodie of a diuine spirite De consecr dist Lombard confuted * Ambros. de Sacrament lib. 4. cap. 4. Euen as thou hast receyued the likenesse of death so doest thou drinke the similitude of blood Lombard against himselfe Take away the similitude and it can be no sacrameÌ„t but take away the bread and then all the siâ—ilitude ceaseth â—rgo Take away the bread there can be no Sacrament Metonymia a â—igure whereby one thing beareth the name of
their Christian Brethren seeyng in outwarde semblaunce and behauiour they doe so courâ—giously braue them selues vpon the meekenesse of Christe vpon the Faith of Peter and the spirit of Paule Wee doe reade in the Scriptures that the moste holy Apostle S. Paule him selfe doth in the mightie power of the spirit thunder out That the weapons of our warrefare be not carnal but mightie in spirite to the subdewing of strong holdes wherewith we doe suppresse euil thoughtes and doe subdewe all power extolling it selfe against the wil of God and leade captiue all thoughts and imaginations to yeelde dewe obedience vnto Christ c. First you see weapons named heere not of one Paule nor of one Peeter but our owne weapons saith he that is to say general weapons common with the vniuersall Church of Christ which are then at the leaste to be exercised not rashly against all persons nor vpon euery light occasion but euen when necessitie vrgeth against those if any shall happen to beeâ— which doe waxe insolent and stifnecked against the knowledge of God and their dewe obedience vnto Christ. Of which sorte if any may be founde faultie in that Realme that may preiudice the grace of Christ surely I will not in any respect abridgâ— condigne correction according to the censure Apostolique But nowe whereas that whole nation to the vttermoste of their power doth indeuour to become the Seruants of Christ whereas there is not one so much that doth not prostrate him selfe to the maiestie of the Sonne of God and to his diuine Godheade that doth not worship him in Spirit and trueth yea and worship him there where the Scriptures haue enthronized him that doth not thankfully acknowledge his Heauenly benefites that doth not yeelde dewe reuerence to his Sacraments that doth not onely professe all obedience linked togither with faith to be dewe vnto him but also repose all their affiaunce and confidence in him Finally whereas in their churches all matters are so orderly administred by them as that no defect may be founde of any thing apperteining too the duetie of true christianitie wherein nothing is admitted that is not consonant to the sacred authoritie of the Euangelicall institution I beseech you Syr Pope of Rome what woulde you desire more What seemeth it not sufficient in your conceite that Christ who alone preserueth the estate of his church be glorified in his owne Church vnlesse the pompe of the Pope be enterlaced with the glory of Christ reuerenced with semblable obedience And from whence els come these tumultes these flashes of lightening and stormes of of thunderboltes raysed vpp Is it bicause they doe yeelde their obedience too Christe as it behooueth them to doe or bicause they humble not theÌ„ selues to the Pope If the glory of Christ be your glory as of right it ought to be what needeth any contention then why doe you noâ— cast downe your proud Peacockes tayle and call your selfe backe againe into the societie of generall obedience But if ye thinke it not sufficient that the sonne of GOD may be magnified without the Romish Bishop why then surcease from hencefoorth to be taken for the seruaunt of Iesu and the heire of Peter For what other thing did Peter or Paule vaunt vpon but the onely glory of Iesu Christ Whether by occasion sayth he or in truth so that Christ be preached herein do I reioyce and will reioyce What say you to this That Christ himselfe whiles hee dwelte here vpon earth would haue a speciall testimonie lefte behinde him howe farre he was both in woordes and deedes estraunged from crauing or groping after glorie who embasing him selfe of his owne freewill euen to the ignominie of the Crosse by howe much he disclaimed from the title of glory so much the more ouerflowing aboundance of glorie did ouerspreade him by onely despising of glory I do not seeke saith he myne owne glory but there is one that seeketh and iudgeth Agayne the same Christ being on a time despised and cast out from that most churlish city did not so attempt any matter of reuenge therefore as that hee seemed very greuously offended with them which did prouoke him to take vengeaunce O heauenly mildenesse of a meeke spirit woorthie of all reuerence and honour You knowe not sayeth hee of what spirite you bee The Sonne of man came not for too destroy but to saue mens liues Now let vs compare the one with the other to witte the Uicar with his head You haue heard how the Lord being not entertayned vpon the way what he did and what answere he gaue But what the Pope woulde haue done in this case if he had beene present furnished with like power to be auenged I doe not here discusse Truely how he behaueth him selfe at this present little England alone may be a sufficient testimonie which hauing now ouer many yeares beene plagued with that Romish ruffler and worne out euen to the bare stumpes with much adoe shaking from her shoulders that yoake of intollerable thraldome durst prâ—sume at the last to cast from out her territories this Tâ—oian horse and reduce her estate to the auncient iberties Hereof springeth that Canker hereof arise these Tragicall furies wherewith he woulde seeme ready to deuoure not the bodies of menne onely but the very soules also if hee were able Goe to nowe and what cause can this â—remshapeâ— Uicar vouch at the length why hee shoulde thus mingle heauen and earth together and rake vpp from the deepe those swallowing Sandes of gaping gulfe Let vs nowe see what the mater is The Pope of Rome is banished out of English soyle in that hee woulde be a Ruler I confesse but as a soiourner he is not excluded But Christ notwithstanding is receiued him doe they imbrace as their Lorde his voice they doe acknowledge and bee obedient vnto but because they knowe not you Sir Pope if they receiue you not why should you storme at it You require pardie that they shoulde couple you with Christ in their worshipping But put the case that Christ can in no wise bee receiued into England vnlesse the Pope be banished neither the Pope haue any possible footing there except they thruste Christe cleane out of their Coastes Whether of these two thinke you conuenient to bee obeyed by them since they can not possibly serue bothe at once Iohn the most worthy Prophet of all Prophets yea more then a Prophet doth cry out in the Desert It behoueth that he increase and that I doe diminish And will you not permit the glory of Christ to growe forwarde in his owne Temple vnlesse your pompe be made copemate of his glory Who bâ—eing his humble seruant faithful freend in deede as in outwarde apparance and words you doe professe to beâ— why then indeuour as seruiceably and faithfully to aduaunce the honor of your Lordâ—â—â—d Maister and withall accept as louingly of your followe seruauntes who dutifully serue the same Lorde
respecte beseeme the profession whereinto you are entred But to come neare to the purpose nowe and to deteyne you more strongly within my warde I doe argue with you on this wise as that I may throughly conuince not onely the whole substaunce of your challenâ—e agaynst vs to bee most voyde of reason and fraught full of follie and pride but also to make it appeare by most euident demonstration that all this so mightie a confederacie of Nations and people conspiring in generall agaynst your destruction which you do see with your eyes is not onely cleare of all blemish of rancour but also conceyued and raysed vp in one vpon most vrgent and necessarie causes and vndertaken with no lesse feare of God in respect of true pietie is not so much procured by men or by mans Counsel as directed altogither by the onely outstretched arme of the Lorde of Hostes and so directed as that without his godly assistance so manie and so maruellous enterprises could neuer haue beene possibly atchiued in so short space and with so good successe And to the ende you and the complyces of your conspiracie may bee made more assured of the proofe hereof open the eyes of your remembraunce at the last and beholde on euerie part the manner and maruellous frame of the proceedinges therein First I suppose no man is ignoraunt into what amazed admiration all Nations were caryed with that your notorious state of Empire with that woonderfull masse of Maiestie and loftinesse of seate so richly enstalled so gloriously enthronized with so manie and so magnificent fortifications enuironed yea as it seemed established with scriptures countenanced with the authoritie of Peter and Paule as long as it held soueraigne ouer the whole worlde in assured securitie All which so wonderfull power so puyssant maiestie so large outstretched dominion of popish Ierarchie which stoode so long by the space of fiue hundred yeares continually in so vndiscontinued and empâ—ired a possession who coulde â—uer haue suspected or conceyued by any neuer so light imagination shoulde not also enioyed vnremoueable continuance euen to the worldes ende For better confirmation of which Empire seuere and sharpe lawes were enacted dreadfull decrees yea most horrible torments prouided for the punishment of such whosoeuer would but once hisse agaynst the Popes holinesse though he playeâ— the ruffian neâ—er so rudely A sweete and plausible title of the Catholike and Apostolike Church was pretended the power of the keyes was chopt in among the vndoubted succession of Peter not without the authoriâ—ie of Paule capemarchant withall insomuch that whosoeuer should but loâ—ke awrie vpoÌ„ the Pâ—pe might â—eeme not so much to preiudice his holinesse as to be openly iniurioâ—s to Peter and Paule themselues Moreouer there wanted not to this mightie Domitian his feareful lightnings wherewith he might out of his heauenly Capitol amaze the timâ—rous soules of weake princes finally that nothing might lacke to braue out his power as to colour his crafty iugling there were annexed to the premisses a sweete and amiable countenance of hypocritical holinesse a counterfeit sinceritie of vnspotted life yea outwarde resemblance of true religion thereby to dazel more easily the eyes and heartes of the vnlettered And for this cause to garnishe this pageant to the full whole skulles and droanes of Monkes Friers and Massemongers did swarme togither busied busily in fasting in almes giuing in Psalmes singing in prayers and Masse mumbling in their vnmaried life resembling Angelical puritie surpassing all humaine condition In the Churches how religiously were al things solemnised too reclaime men to their luâ—e But amongst all the rest no one thing was more forcible to the establishing of the power and continuaunce of this kingdome then the ignorance of that blinde age and the penurie of learning and iudgement For in the Schooles was nothing â—aught but colde and friuolous suttleties In the Councels nothing decreed but by the prescript rule of the Pope alone neither was any sounde heard in the Temples of any thing almost besides stage-like ceremonies and mens traditions And what maruel then if the pure and eloquent sciences both sacred and prophane being vtterly extiâ—ct barbarous blindnesse had ouerwhelmed all things with groâ—se ignoraunce whereby no man coulde become either more expert in learning or more vertuous in manners when as neither bookes nor authours were extant out of the which anie such supplie might be furnished For as yet came not to light that most happie and heauenly Iewel to witte the Arte of Printing bookes all thinges were certifieâ— by the industrie of wrytingâ— and hyred trauaile of wryters yea the same also not obteyned without greate charges and costes Whereby it came to passe that the poorer sorte being vtterly barred of atteyning learning scarce anie vse of Bookes or good litterature was in vre except amongest a fewe Monkes onely yea those also not verie manie with whome likewise the verie same written bookes remayned rather in Libraries fast chayned a rotting than worne out with any theyâ— handling In the meane space the common people did neither reade nor heare what the Euangelicall and Apostolicall wrytiâ—ges did proclayme touching Christ nor touching his grace and benefites onely they were commaunded to beleeue that which the holy mother Church did beleeue Which was not altogither amisse if they had concluded vppon a true Church according to the right patterne thereof Nowe these learned and great wise men woulde haue this Church to bee none other but the Sea of Rome pardie and that crew of Cloysterers amongst whom that triple holy Pope must needs be acknowledged for heade and Lorde ouer all whose decrees all and euerie person what soeuer must be of necessitie constrayned to obey as so manie holie oracles proclaymed from heauen whatsoeuer this Gentleman shoulde clogge the Christians withal must with like necessitie be vndertaken and borne without grudging This ympe they iustified to be the only Priest of the Leuitical raâ—e yea the verie bonde of Christian societie besides whome they affirmed was no fayth no hope no nor any Church at all Who so shoulde depart from this Church as much to say from the Pope might not otherwise hope for eternal saluation by anie meanes whatsoeuer the Pope should speake or doe could be no errour neither ought he bee iudged of anie person And that Christ did reigne in heauen the Pope must reigne in earth And albeit Christ did promise that hee woulde bee alwayes present with his Church yet must this bee an infallible rule That hee coulde not dispose the riches of his grace in the gouernement of his Church otherwise than by the dispensation of this Gentleman his onely Uicar In this calamitie of state and time I pray you what other knowledge could the rude and vnlettered multitude attaine vnto but that which others taught them And then also what other thing was beaten into the eares of the people then that which by all maner of meanes might auaile to amplifie the
times seuen He was accounted the only fountaine of all iurisdictions from whose fulnesse behooued all Bishops to drawe their authoritie without all question What needeth any long processe Assoone as the Church began to chaunge his head and the Pope ganne too take vppon hym the place of Christe foorthwith came to passe that togeather with this newe heade vpstart suche a femshapen visour of religion as scarse any one iotte of the auncient discipline remained vnpolluted For the Scriptures beeyng now commaunded too silence nothing coulde be heard nothing coulde bee deliuered too feede the humours of suche as woulde haue beene learned but Canons Lawes Decrees and Decretalles of the Pope vppon these were the nymblest and finest wittes employed By these were all causes Politikeâ— Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall both publique and priuate determined in churches in Iudgementes in Consistories common pleadings Councels Godlines which tofore was enstalled in the spirituall enstruction of the minde and in the true conuersation of Christe was nowe posted ouer too other gewgawes which should hold mens senses captiue and not edifie theyr consciences whereby neglecting the thyngs which only auayled to the obteining of saluation the vnlettered multitude was carried away into I know not what newfangled mysteries too Oyle too Waxe Salte Water to the Moone shining in the water to Cowles to Belles to Chaliâ—es Temples and Aultars coÌ„secrated with the Popes blessing to Iubiles Immunities to Graces to Expectaâ—ioÌ„s to PreuentioÌ„s yeerely Pentionsâ— Palles Indulgeâ—ces Bulles Pardons and to surceasse heere too reckon vpp the infinite rabble of the remayning ragges wherewith they had peruerted all things cleane contrary to Chriâ—tes institution Sacraments gelded newe chopt in place one parte of the Sacrament craftily conueied from the vse of the Layitie praiers pattered and mumbled in an vnknown language priuate Masses in steede of the holy Communion iumbled vp in all corners of Churches where the Priest not imparting any portion to the people but vttering it too the gaze to bee tooted vpon and worshipped first lifteth it aboue his Crowne then swalowes it downe alone not in remembraunce of the Lordes death and passion but whole Christe fleshe blood and bone to the saluation of body and soule For this Article was the very sinowes bones and marrow of most absolute religion couple here with satisfactions Purgatorie pickpurse the vnblooddy sacrifice of the Masse assurednesse of saluation not depending vpon Christe only and faith in him but to bee purchased with righteousnesse of workes redeeminges of merites and pardons for siluer and coyne For reformation therefore of these so many and so horrible outrages seeing they seemed nowe in no case tollerable it seemed good to the Almightie Maiestie too yeelde his mercifull countenance at the length For albeit Antichriste must of necessitie haue his time to play his Pageant in yet coulde not the mercy of the father deny y e gracious coÌ„solatioÌ„ to his church vnto y â— which it had obliged it selfe with an euerlasting couenant but that it must releeue her necessities beyng surprised now with suche miserable and almost vnrecouerable calamities And to the ende he might bring the same too passe most commodiously without any vproare hee stirred not vp Princes to armes neyther prouoked he to blooddy battell but as I sayde before sent downe from aboue this inestimable Iewell of Printing intoo the earth which shoulde first disclose the liuely welspringes of purest doctrine and publishe abroade too the worlde the auncient authours of learned antiquitie and withall shoulde deliuer at large to the open viewe of all men the bookes of holy Scriptures and the purest and grauest Fathers of the Primitiue Churche and those also in suche great abundaunce and at so reasonable prices as that no man coulde be of so poore abilitie not to bee able too buye for a fewe pence whatsoeuer booke him listed and to peruse them for his instruction By this meanes Maugre the Pope and his Cardinalles began Christe by little and little too bee made familiar to the worlde the Prophetes and Euangelisâ—es sounded into mens eares euery where Paule Peter and other Doctours Expositours of soundest and purest Diuinitie were conuersaunt dayly in the eyes and handes of the people which beeyng aduisedly read ouer and growne at length to some acquaintaunce is almost incredible to beleeue howe woonderfull a light of doctrine howe vnsatiable a greedinesse to learne and to reade what a sodaine enterchange of maners what a beautifull countenance of all thinges ensued and floorished euen vppon the sodaine Heere loe that infinite number of Painters whereof I made mention before out of the dreame of Iohn Hus. Heere loâ— those painted Images in the temple of God spoken of before ingrauen nowe in the mindes and harts of Christians being not of any new inuention notw tstanding neither forged vpon any newe Anvyle as you are wont to slaunder vs but euen the selfe same which were by you yea by your owne selues scraped and blotted out were nowe restored againe to theyr former integritie against the which from hencefoorth all the whole broode of Papistes shall neuer bee able too preuaile againe Moreouer after these Painters before rehearsed sprange vp many others the number whereof encreaseth dayly which yeelde most commendable trauayle with as good successe partly too restore the auncietie sinceritie and puritie of good literature partly too reedifie the derayed crazes and ruines of the aunciente Churche of Christe On this wise new sound sciences cowpled with pure religion merueâ—lously floorishing in dayly encreasinges in very fit time and place stept foorth Martine Luther into the worlde and yet not hee onely and alone but a great number of worthie personages together with him excellent men both in faith and learning all which associated in one and vndertakiug so rightfull and necessary a patronage of the distressed Gospell where as they taught nothing else therein either to themselues or to othersâ— but the only glory of Christe iustifâ—yng theyr doctrine by the vndoubted and most pure fountaines of gods woorde There was no cause nowe why you shoulde so furiously rage against your own brethren the Christians yea and that without all deserte and like to troublesome Dauus in Terence turning and turmoyling all thinges vpside downe rayse vp suche monstrous tempestes and scorching whirlewindes of hot persecutions Nay rather it behooued you to haue yeelded most hartie thankes too the Lorde beeyng the husband of his most deare spouse the Churche and haue inforced all your aide helpe power and pollicie withall to the enlarging of his glory according to pietie and as the duetie of your function did exact and bind you vnto But what helhounde nowe what Beelzebub prince of darkenesse hath so bewitched you with madde frensie that you shoulde so monstruously with so horrible ouâ—rage rushe vpon the godly seruantes of Christe contrary to the expresse woorde of your God yea without all regard of charitie or shame and in steede of a christian
trumpe of Euangelicall Embassy soundeth a farre higher and more shrill note nothing so meanely exercised of it selfe about those present thinges whiche concerne this present life though otherwise it doe minister many holsome restoritiues for the good preseruation thereof but proclaimeth a far more happy league and hostage of a better euerlasting felicitie against infinite and the neuer ceassing vexations and calamities not of this worlde only but which presse downe and oppresse the whole frame of the vniuersall creation it rayseth vpp and geueth vndaunted courage against the vnaoydable assaultes of death and the Diuell it displayeth also remedie a ready coÌ„quest therof Yea it properly layth down and discouereth the passable way which doth bring vs home againe vnto God and the meanes also whereby we may vntwyne our soules out of the entangled Laberinth of sinnes and conuey vs too the heauenly glory that neuer shal haue end And because to attaine too this so vnspeakeable surpassing excellencie of immortall felicitie may no possible passage be founde else but through the bowels and blood of Gods owne sonne and our faith in the same heereof commeth it that glauncing ouer the name of woorkes many times though not altogeather suppressing the vse of them the whole ministerie of Euangelicall doctrine doeth exercise it selfe chiefly aboute those thinges which may best certifie distressed consciences of the merites of Christe not of any our deseruinges of the supercelestiall bountie of Gods mercy and of the vnuanquishable force of faith Not because the good works of the godly are meane whiles nothing auaileable beyng perfourmed acording to Gods lawe for they profite very muche not them only to whom they bee imparted but be acceptable also vnto God By meanes whereof they procure great commendation not only in the sight of men but be many times bountifully rewarded of God yea euen to great benefite and gayne of the authors therof Let vs therfore graunt vnto the lawe of the Lord her due honour that it be holy and immaculate conuerting soules Which wee do not embase but establishe rather Let the commendable industrie of the godly employed in the exercise of Gods commaundements haue her proper dignitie her glorious and manifold rewardes in this life which we do not abridge but encrease and aduance more highly For what one thing can allure Christian heartes to pursue the way of good life more seriously and cheerefully then when as being made familiarly acquainted with Gods mercie they feele and conceiue throughly first and especially theyr duetie towardes God next what they owe towards their neighbours for gods sake Or what can be more agreeable with conuenience of naâ—urall reason then that each person ought so to behaue himselfe towards others as either by proof he hath fouÌ„d god affecâ—ed towards himself or doth trust y t in time to come he shal be Goe to let vs imagine this in our minde that mans lewdnesse is growne so altogeather dissolute as that it will not bee enclined to any gratefull remembraunce of dutifull requital nor bee enduced to any couenable thankfulnesse what shal we beleeue that the dulnesse of mens natures will be sooner reclaimed with seuere aâ—steritie of disicpline and feare of the whippe and that the Lawe shall preuaile further with her sterne lookes then the sweete and amiable embrasings of the louing Gospell but be the matter as it will yea let vs moreouer graunt this also That â—o â—ame the licentiousnesse of sinne is none other way reserued but the very snaffle and mozeroll â—f correction what shall wee say when the moste bountiful father of heauen and earth geueth out in speciall charge to powre out plentifully vpon all fleshe indifferently the incomprehensible riches of his free mercy shall wee speake nothing thereof And when as the maister of the housholde is of his owne nature so bountifull and liberall as Ianuensis reporteth shall his stewarde pinch and be a Niggard Finally to reach yet one step further and too confesse as the trueth is that amongst all the chaunces changes of this life nothing is more honorable nothing more excellent then the commendation of vertue and that they haue perfourmed matter of great valour which do with rules of good lawes and preceptes of commendable maners endue the mindes of men and reduce them from vice to treade the tracke of vertue and â—o admit this also that in all ciuill societie this point of doctrine is of all others most necessarie yet doe I demauâ—d this one question of these men what benefite or aduantage all those our trauailes and labouresâ— bee they neuer so holy may procure vs at the handes of God in all these naturall corruptions of this life which cannot possibly be altogether reclaimed with any lawe nor with any coÌ„mandementes You wyl say that they will auaile very much for we yeeld to God dutifull thankfulnesse and to our neighbour necessary ayde and thereby many times doe obteine of God honour and estimation not only to our selues but for the common weale also and bee many times preserued wonderfully rewarded by god the most assured rewarder of all godly actions according to the most euident testimonie of the Psalmographe saying on this wise For thy seruant keepeth them and in keeping of them is great reward Admit this I say to bee true Neuerthelesse for as much as this rewarde it selfe and recompencing of good workes doth not stretch it selfe beyond the limitted boundes of this present life this is also vndoubted true that when wee haue made a curious collection of all the most famous and most exquisite workes yea of the best holy ones in the worlde yet in respect of the principall fountaine and originall cause of iustification all this huge heape of our woorkes and merites doe nothing at al auaile to purchase immortalitie of eternal life with God and his holy Angels nor to obteine to be raised from the deadâ— nor to the destroying the force of death and the Deuill ne to the cleansing of our sinfull fleshe nor yet to winne that glorious crowne of that endlesse kingdome in the worlde to come To procure those so many I say so meruâ—ylous vnmeasurable benefits so infinitly and incredibly surmounting all capacitie and reach of our nature and hope our merites and woorkes bee they neuer so holy yeelde not any furtheraunce or benefite at al. To bring this to passe is the only workmanship of Iesu Christ This is the only benefite of the sonne of God not due too any our desertes but a free gift proceeding from his onely meere liberalitie and mercie and receiued of vs by faith not as any recompence of workes but powred foorth oftentimes euen into the bosome of the moste vnworthie which seeme too bee farthest of from all hope without any regarde had of those which doe feede theyr owne fancies most vpon confidence and good opinion of their own wel doing euen of his own free mercy bounteous liberalitie
taken as they bee vttered but that it is couered with some allegorical clowde As when in the sacramentâ—s we are sayde to bee borne anewe by water and too bâ—e fedde with the body of Christ whoe is so voide of reason that wresting these speeches vnto the carnal sense the meaning whereof is too bee construeâ— figuratiuely wil imagin that wee ought too bee borne in our bodies anewe as Nicodemus did or to bee feâ—de with Christes fleshe carnally as the Capernaites did Goe to what better imaginatâ—on do the vnlettered multitude conceaue in these dayes of the doctrine of theyr transubstantiation deliuered vnto them by theyr great Doctours For on this wise doe thâ—se famous Christe makers enstruct their auditorie That the bread which was bread before the consecraâ—ion altering the very substance of bread is no more bread nowe but turned into fleshe and that this also must be beleeued without all question that it is made the euerlasting sonne of God What can bee more absurde And howe comes this chaunge too passe I pray you forsooth because Christe sayde This is my body For this whole huge Chaos of confused Transubstantiation is accoÌ„plished with these iiii wordes by these Christ makers What and did the Lorde pronounce no more wordes but these foure only what if he spake in the Hebrwe tongue and expressed the whole action in two wordes only after the maner of that nation Zoth Guphi because the phrase of that language doth not for the most part expresse the Uerbe Est. But to admit he spake foure or fiue wordes what did hee adde thereunto no more besides or did hee speake nothing else bâ—fore or after too make the very meaning and purpose of his speaches more euident and manifest And why do these fellowes omitte the circumstances and not deliuer the whole Scripture withall why doe they chop of the one hâ—lfe of Christs proposition suppresse in silence the chiefe parâ— whereby the meaning of Christ might appeare more forciblyâ— For when Christe made mention of his body hee dyd not therefore make the bâ—eaâ—e his bodye tâ—â—t it might bee deuoured but 〈◊〉 a comâ—â—â—ndement to take bread first aâ—d to eaâ—â— Take yee sayth Chriâ—t and eate ye And foorâ—hwith making mention of his body dyd say This is my body yet not â—mply neuertâ—elesse but 〈…〉 That is geuen and broken for you To wit to signifie vnto them not the very substaunce of his naturall body simply but that the crucifiyng of his body and the shedding of his blood shoulde become our foode From hence bubbleth out al that welspring of error That where our Lorde and Sauiour had relation to the efficacie and power of his passion the same the Papistes doe apply too the only substance of the fleshe as though we were to bee fed with the very naturall fleshe of Christe and not rather with the passion of his fleshe But you wyll aske howe the passion of Christe feedeth which is not eaten forsooth in the same maner as the death of Christ doth nourishe vs so doeth his passion feede vs not after a fleshly but after a spiritual maner Not as it is chawed with the teeth but as it is receiued into the heart For theÌ„ doth the death of Christ feede vs when it refresheth vs then is he eaten when hee is receiued by faith and applied too â—ur infirmities Now he that is desirous to know with howe great force and efficacie the Lordes death worketh in feedyng and refreshing our soules shal neuer ve able to attaine the perseuerance thereof with more facilitie then by this sacrament if hee wyl but enter into due consideration of all the partes thereof For you come first to the Lords supper wherein you beholde what the Lorde tooke in his handes Iesus tooke bread and foorthwith geuing thankes brake the bread which hee tooke Why woulde he thus breake it forsooth to the ende hee might geue it and to whom did he geue it not the whole loafe to only one person perdie but gaue to euery one seuerally a seuerall morsell And to what ende did hee so distribute it that they shoulde holde it vp in theyr hands or reserue it in boxes Nâ— verily but that euery of them should eate and drink What with the mouth of the body or noâ— There is no question to bee made hereof For the matter being neuerthelâ—s of it selfe throughly maniâ—est yet this one thing may be for a sufficient proofe that the outward substaunce was the natural substaunce of bread and not of his â—ody sithens the very order of nature â—oeth vtterly abhorre that Man shoulde feede vppon mans fleshe I haue shewed you the outwarde Action of the Supper Open nowe the windowes of your soule that ye may perceiue what deeper myâ—terie lyeâ—h hidden wiâ—hin vnder these externall thinges and conceiue what the Lordes purpose wâ—s in this his Sâ—pper For there is in this Supper one thing obiect too the viewe of the eyes another thing shut vpp in a mystery Nowe what kinde of mysterie this is the Lordes owne words do sufficiently set downe in these wordes spoken to his Disciples Take yee sayth Christ eate ye This is my body which is geuen for you Doe this as often as ye shall do it in remembraÌ„ce of mee What can bee more euident then the interpretation of this supper if the circumstances of the words be scanned accordingly For who is so blinde that can not discerne the fâ—uits of the Lordes death and â—assion to bee plainly â—ignified heere for as much as in the very eating â—imself saithâ— this is my body that is geuen to be slaine for you Otherwise why would hee haue added withall Geuen too be slaine But that hee woulde set downe a playne testimonie of the death of his body rather then of any substaÌ„ce thereof to the viewe of the Disciples As if hee shoulde sâ—y the time â—s now at hande wherein my body muste bee geuen to be sâ—â—ine for you not for any mine â—ffence at all but for your sakes which death of mine shall procure euerlasâ—iâ—g life for you after like sort and maâ—er as this bread which I geue thus broken vnto you to eate doth passe into your bodies and geue nourishment thereâ—o Take ye therefore this bread which I geue to euery of you and eate and withall consider heerein not the naturall bread which feedeth your bodies outwardly but my body which being geuen to be slaine crucified for you shal inwardly and much more effectually refreshe you too eternall life For my Fleshe which I will geue to bee slaine for the life of the worlde is meate in deede and my blood is drinke in deede For your bodies do no so much â—iue by the nourishment of meate and driâ—k as your soules be fed within with the crucifiyng of my fleshe and the shedding of my blood without which you can haue no remission of sinnes no ioyfull resurrection
hence intoo Heauen nor wil yee vouchsafe bread to be bread nor Christ to bee Christ vnlesse yee shape vs heere an earthly Christ on earth and set it foorth to the gaze of the people to bee ydolatrously worshipped But heere wil some one obiect againe what and doo you leaue vs nothing in the sacrament but bread and wyne and will you spare the people naught els but bare signes onely And what shall become then of the omnipotency of the woorde Where is then that woorking woorde wherâ—of Ambrose maketh mention The effectuall force whereof if were so mighty too make thinges too beginne to bee that which they were not before howe much rather shall they bee forcible too make thinges to be which are already made and to bee conuerted into other substaunces Let brabbling slaunder bee set aside GOD forbidde there shoulde bee any so prophane an absurditie in so sacred a mystery that any man shoulde speake or thinke that there is nought els deliuered vntoo the people but bread and wyne and bare signes and that any man shoulde bee so fonde too thinke that Christes woordes were vttered in vaine as the which doo mynister nothing profitable in the sacrament nor woorke nothing auayleable Yes truely very much for what can be more woonderful what can bee more heauenly then too make of an earthly thing a sacred sacrament then to chaunge the creatures of bread and wyne in such wise not that they should become bare fruitlesse signes but that they should be traÌ„sposed into the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ by vnspeakeable sanctification of Gods spirite so that they are not too bee taken nowe for common bread and wyne but too bee dignifâ—ed with the name and place of him whose ymage they represent by Gods institution What say you now Lombarde Do yee not see what and howe mightely the heauenly maiestie of Christ hath brought to passe here in this holy supper Doo yee not conceaue a wonderful force of a miracle wherein Christ hath giuen you a memorial of his passion and his owne fleshe not vnder a bare signe but vnder an honorable sacrament not vnder the name of bread and wyne but vnder the name of his owne body and blood that hath giuen I say a sacrament for thee to feed vpoÌ„ not to fil thy â—elly but to feed thy soule What doth this seme matter of smal emportance with you that Christ himselâ—e is deliuered vnto you vnder a sacrament for what expecâ— you heere els what do yee looke for els in this sacrament then a most perfect exaÌ„ple most absolute demonstration of your sauiour expressed vntoo you by a certain peculiar institution wherin you do plainly perceaue no more bare common bread now in that respect nor to that vse purpose as common bread is vsually takeÌ„ but as it were an heaueÌ„ly bread sanctified by the heauenly grace of wordes chaunged out of his old nature vse into the body of Christ by a certain mystical representation But you yeelde in the sacrament no bread nor wyne at al but whatsoeuer materâ—al or substantial parte the bread dooth pâ—ssesse the same you doo wholy chaunge into the naturall and bodyly substaunce of Christe What answere therefore thinke yee wee ought too make too Ambrose whose woordes as bee of greatest emportance so bee they moste manifest That they be saieth hee the same that they were and bee conuerted into an other thing Ambrose dooth confesse them too bee the things that they were and will you make vs beleeue that they cease too bee the same which they were Origen wryting too the same effect The bread sayth hee which is sanctified by the word of God touching the matter and substaunce thereof goeth downe into the belly and is throwen out into the draught c. If that be bread which after sanctification goeth downe intoo the belly according too the testimony of Origen with what face wil Lombarde deny it to bee bread Againe on the other side if according too Lombardes opinion there remaine no crumme of substaunce at al whereof then shall that bee a substaunce which Origen dooth ascribe to the bread Nowe let the Pope himselfe be vmpier here and iudge whether we ought rather credit Origen or Lombarde Too the samâ— effect may Augustine bee produced a witâ—esse of antiquitie not too bee reiected The heauenly bread sayeth he which is the flesh of Christ is after this maner called the body of Christ being in very deede the sacrament of Christs body c. If it be a sacrament of the body howe is it the very body Againe if bicause it is called the body of Christe it bee therefore Christes fleshe what shoulde let but that by the same argument Peter shoulde bee Satan bicause hee is called Satan Moreouer if the nature of sacramentes bee such as too bee called by the name of the thinges which they signifie I beseeche you Lombarde take away the substaunce of bread what shal bee left in the accidentary fourmes that may either supply the name of a body or represent the lykenesse of a body in any respect Rabanus Maurus somewhat a later wryter then the other agreeth with them in this point The sacrament sayth he is turned into the nourishment of the body Bethinke your selfe now Lombarde what nourishment may bee in fourmes and coloures where abideth no substaunce of the things which be receaued Furthermore what can bee more manifest then the woordes of Chrysostome who dooth in moste playne tearmes deny that the natural body of Christ is in the holy vesselsâ— but affirmeth that the mystery of his body is conteyned therein What can bee more autentique then the authoritie or more plaine and euident then the iudgements of Theodoret Macarius Gelasius Tertullian Basil which discoursing vpon the Eucharist do with most approued consent and testimony affirme some that the very substauÌ„ce some that the matter of the bread doth remayne some doo say that it is a body but typicall and symbolicall But of formes of bare apparaunces of transubstantiation not a woorde as yet no not so much as one syllable was hearde of in all that purer age of these wryters I shoulde presse to much vpon you Lombarde if I shoulde turne al vpon you that I coulde out of the auncient recordes of the fathers which arme in arme as it were bending against you doo affirme the body of Christ to be in the holy mysteries in such wyse as that they seclude not meanewhiles bread from it owne substaunce but from the common and vsual vse thereof only translate it into an other ende and supernatural condition by a certain mystical sacramental meanes not that it should be no more bread for vs to be eaten but that it should no bee common bare and simple bread That is to say that it be bread stil and the same bread also the body of Christ withal Bread indeed
in substaunce but in the respect of the sacrament vse likenesse aud denomination the holy body of Christ. Therefore that which wee receaue in our mouth is natural bread but in respect of the eating this nature is not regarded of vs but raysing our hartes much more high euen intoo heauen yea vntoo the heauens of heauens as Chrysostome reporteth it doth meditate vpon farre more excellent matter And heereof came it that the auncient wryters did so vsually extol the magnyficence of this sacramente with such excellency in olde tyme. Wherein they wâ—re many tymes rapted intoo such a wonderful vehemency of hyperbolicall speeches as though the bread and wine were in very deede matter of nought and that nothing els should seeme to be made accompt of in the celebration of the supper but the body and blood of the Lord onely As in very deede these dead elementes be no better worth in respect of the body which they do represent But what hereof then Shall the elementes of bread and wyne bee therefore no parte of the sacrament bicause the consideration of the Lordes body doth possesse the principall partes and holdeth the whole soule attentiue and faste fixed vpon it Or shall Christe bee therefore sayde too haue transposed the substance of bread and wine intoo his naturall body really bicause hee hath chaunged the same intoo the sacrament of his body Or by what argument will our aduersaries make this their assertion iustifiable For if God and nature do bring to passe no one thing in the whole frame of creation without great cause It remaineth that we may bee made acquainted too what ende for what cause to what vse or to what purpose Christe should make this Metamorphosis That thrusting away bread from out it owne substance he should deliuer ouer his true naturall fleshe in deede but inuisible to be deuoured carnally with the carnall mouth of the body vnder inuisible formes But here againe startes vp our Lombard a gods name and will render vs a tryple cause of this great mysterie to wit why the Lord would so liberally bestowe his natural flesh and blood to be deuoured not after a fleshly maner but vnder an other kinde naturally and in deede but inuisibly First bicause faith should obteine a more excellent rewarde where mans reason is not able by proofe to attaine according to the testimonie of Gregory whom hee vouâ—heth Secondly bicause the minde should not abhorre that which the eye might beholde for that otherwise the stomake of them that should eate would loathe â—he straunge deuouring of rawe fleshe Thirdly bicause nothing should be seene here thaâ— might bee offensiue to the vnbeleeuers or that might mynister occasion to the infidell to scorne and deride it You haue heard now the prety poppet reasons patchâ— vp in the chief shoppe of Lombards diuinitie It remaineth hencefoorth that wee searche the very depth of them And first where as hee reasoneth of the merite of faith I will not deny but that in matters of fayth mans reason is not of any such capacitie too attayne thereto For the excellencie of fayth is conuersant in those things properly which the fleshly eyes can not see or which haue beene knowen by the scriptures to haue beene already past either which are promised shall come in after time Moreouer I am not offended with that no lesse auncient then true proposition of Gregorie where treating of the Lordes entering vnto the disciples the gates beeing shut hee doth deny that faith ought to haue any merite where mans reason caÌ„ make proofe by experience For we doe confesse and beleeue this to be most true that which the scriptures haue deliuered touching the gates being shut and of the Lordes entrie in But wher did the scriptures at any tyme make neuer so litle a motion of the casting away of bread of the essentiall presence of Christe vnder empty formes or of transubstantiated elementes Blessed be they sayeth Christe which haue not seene yet haue beleeued This is true I confesse but it followeth not therefore that all thinges which are not seene with the eyes ought to be beleeued Neither doe we not therefore relinquishe the reach of mans reason bicause wee doe not yelde to all maner trifling imaginarie coÌ„ceiptes Whatsoeuer is commaunded by the prescript word of God the same we do firmely and faithfully beleeue and thereunto with most forewarde and ready faith do submitte all maner force of mans reason But who euer gaue any such commaundement to beleeue that which you haue forged touching that most senselesse absurditie of transubstantiation or by what authorised woorde of scripture at the length will you make iustifiable by writing or by meaning that we ought to adore though our eyes see not that your conterfaict person of the sonne of God shapen out of bread and set out to be adored and eaten of vs Fayth therefore wanteth not her merite in thinges that ought truly to be beleeued which by expresse and vndouted auâ—thoritie of the word be to be iustified But to beleeue â—he things which are noâ— grounded vpon the wâ—â—d which are no where nor were euer instituted by God but drowsily deuised by fonde foolish vanitie of mans idle imagination is no matter of faith at all but amazed â—rensy rather nor hath any merite at al but is extrâ—eme wickednesse So also is that other absurditie no lesse ridiâ—ulous which he doth inferre touching the infidels least ocâ—asion be giueÌ„ saith he to the infidels to laugh it 〈◊〉 scorne Why should the infidels deride it I beseeche you Lombardâ— you do aunswere bicause it would breede great offence to the vnbeleeuers who without all question would loath scorne the Christian religion if 〈◊〉 should â—eâ— the blood of a slaine man in the sacrament Go to then doth this seme to be the cause why y e Lord should deliuer his body blood not after a fleshly maner but vnder an other forme lest if the Pagans should seâ— it they should coÌ„ceiue matter to laugh it too scorne for this seemeth your allegatiâ—n w t yâ—â— seeme also to haue â—onâ—ed â—onningly out of August very wellâ— And what shal we say then to the Apostles them selues were they Pagans vnbeleeuing also why did he not giue the cup of his blood to his Apostles in his proper nature kinde where was no daÌ„ger at all to procure any mockage or if hee were willing to hyde his blood vnder a sacramentall forme aunswere I praye you what cause was there why the Lorde should vouchsafe the deliuerie thereof by formes rather then by materiall bread Besides this as concerning the Paganes if Christe did feare the scornings of Paganes so much I desyre Lombard to tell mee thus much againe If some one Pagane shoulde happen too come nowe into your temples and beholde your massinges maskings what greater occasion can be ministred too mooue them to laughter and skorning then when hee should see
wine What when you heate out of Origen Not the matter of bread but vpoÌ„ the bread the word was spoken which is profitable to him that eateth in the Lord not vnworthily And aboue al other chiefly what wil you answere to these wordes of Gelas. who wâ—â—ting of the Sacraments of bread wine Howe that wee are by the same made partakers of the heaueÌ„ly nature yet doth boldly pronouÌ„ce that the substaÌ„ce of bread wine do neuertheles remaine stil. Besides these when ye read also the wordes of August And we receiue this day visible foode c. What I say when on all sides your eares doe fully conceiue the voyces of the most choyse learned fathers touching the visible meat the bread which is broken the wine which is crusht out of the grapes the matter and the substance of bread and wine when as these so many authours whom I haue cited do as it were thrust into your mouth bread wine doe you notwithstanding not receyue bread nor wine and are yee yet so poreblinde as not to see ought else here but phanatical superficiall shadowes onely and accidents of bread Surely that queysie stomacke of yours deserueth in my conceyte to bee continually fed with those delicate cates of accidents But bycause I will not oppresse you with testimonies I surcease here This one thing I demaund sithence these visible kindes whereof ye speake doe holde yet the names of the things which they were before I woulde faine know whether togither with the names they do retaine the effect and operation of the same things wherein they be sayd to feed and to nourish yea or nay If ye say yea certes ye feed your guestes very finely that so feede them with colours and shewes of accidents not much vnlike as if bycause Pepper is black therfore a man should say it is hote in the mouth or bycause salt is white therefore it doth sauour and season victuals But if ye say nay what consonancie of likenesse shal there bee betwixt the Lordes flesh and this Sacrament which you fasten wholy to shadowes seing that shadowes haue no force at al to refresh withal seeing ye leaue vs no substaunce of breade wherevpon wee may feede For what shall we say doeth not the fleshe of Christ nourish the inwarde man no more substancially then the outward formes of bread and wine doe nourish the bodie Surely yee haue discouered vs verie daintie delicates whereby the bodie is neither fedde nor soule refreshed For whether the inwarde soule doe receyue no more comfort of the fleshe of Christ then our outwarde bodies nourishmeÌ„t of visible formes I leaue to other mens iudgement how wel we are like to be fed Besides this also remayneth yet another tryâ—â—ing toy of most vaine distinction to witte Of the Sacrament and not the thing Of the Sacrament and the thing Of the thing and not the Sacrament Of which diuision there is not one member so much that is not altogither rotten First wheras he placeth the Sacrament in certaine emptie and Metaphisâ—cal formes remooued from the thing it selfe therein he doeth no more digresse from all conueniencie of reason and the iudgement of the auncient fathers than most blockishly vary from himself For discoursing a litle earst of the nature of a SacrameÌ„t he affirmed that it ought to be of such efficacie as mighâ— be able to refresh the bodies of them that did receyue it But these fantastical formes remoued from the thinges doe not refreshe the bodie Ergo they bee not the Sacrament in anie respect Againe whereas hee sayeth that these visible kindes bee the Sacrament onely yea and a Sacrament also of a double thing bycause they signifie both and doe carie an expresse likenesse of both this is also of both partes false For first the thing that is neither breade nor the bodie nor a thing but a Sacrament of a thing onely not a creature but the accident of a creature nor is any substaunce at all howe can it possibly bee that the same thing which is not any thing at all may seeme to bee a Sacrament of some one thing and of some substaunce yea and that also of a double thing Or what kinde of likenesse at the length may there seeme to bee betwixt these monstrous formes and the bodie of Christe eyther naturall or mysticall in the one whereof wee doe receyue nourishment in the other vnitie sithence in formes there is neyther any power to refreshe bodie or soule nor any vnion or kniâ—ting together of partes and members Moreouer wherâ—as the same Lombarde doeth affirme that the naturall fleshe of Christ is the Sacrament of Ecclesiasticall vnion howe will hee agree with himselfe Whereas nowe he doeth abide by it that these visible formes bee the Sacrament of that coniunction What monster will this bugge whelpe foorth at the length That cannot be contented to haue littered his visible formes for a Sacrament of a double thing vnlesse hee must also whelpâ— foorth vnto vs a double Sacrament out of the same emptie paunch of formes But perhappes this great maister of Sentences was so busied about coyning of new Sentences that he had quite forgotten the olde Prouerbe to witte That it behoueth a lyar to be alwayes fresh of remembrance So hitherto nowe what is the Sacrament onely and not the thing you vnderstande well ynough I suppose In the seconde place nowe steppeth forth an other as farre fetched a riddle conned out of the braine panne of Sphynx her selfe verie deepe and daungerous to bee assoyled Namely what thing that may bee that is both the thing and withal the Sacrament also If thou canst not vndo this tarring yron gentle reader for I know thou art not able of thy selfe to attaine to it this deepe riddlemaster wil discouer it vnto thee For he wil tel thee that it is the fleshe of Christe which being both a substance in respect of the visible forme of bread vnder the which it is conteined and signified is also the Sacrament of the mystical body in as much as it signifieth the mystical vnitie of the Church forsoath and representeth the expresse ymage thereof O marueylous nimble witte fined in the verie bottome of all Lombardie But from whence is this expresse ymage of this Sacrament deriued whereof Lombarde maketh mention Forsooth out of S. Paul First where he sayth We be many one bread and one bodie Then next out of Augustines woordes The Church sayeth he is called one bread and one bodie For this cause That as one loafe of breade is made of many graynes and as one bodie is made of many members so the Church is vnited and knit togither of manie faythfull through the coupling or mutual knot of loue As concerning S. Paul the whole and natural deriuation of this similitude is deriued not from the bodie of Christâ— but from the bread onely Nowe to admitte this to bee true that there is no
of eternall destruction to all them whosoeuer did receiue the marke of the beast in their forehead or hande By reason whereof behoueth vs to bee so much the more earnestly industrious to attaine by diligent search First what and what maner of beast this is next to shunne all his acquaintaÌ„ce familiaritie with our whole bodies soules whereby no man may â—out or bee ignoraunt hereof to wit in howe perillous a case they stande who cleaue so obstinately to their predecessors sâ—eppes that they allowe that thing onely not which is true in it selfe but which hath bene embraced by the well liking and custome of men Which sorte of men if any remaine amongst vs I doe most hartely desire that if they will not vouchsafe to heare or reade our wrytinges bookes they wil yet at least hearken vnto Cyprian Who speaking of custome sayeth on this wise that where truth is absent custome is nought els but an olde age of error Or at least let them hearken vnto Aâ—gustine who preferring truth before custome WheÌ„ truth is reuealed saieth he Let custome giue place let no man preferre câ—stome before reason and truth bicause reason and truth doth alwayes exclude custome Finally let them hearken vnto Christe him selfe who onely is to bee harkened vnto who hath saied I am the waye the truth and the life but neuer saied I am custome Therefore we may not respect what hath vsually byn accustomed but what ought to bee done not what hath beene done of olde but what is well done Neither ought truth of religion bee measured by continuance of time not by number of yeeres but by substance of arguments nor by Chronologie but by sâ—unde diuinitie not by computation arithmetical but by weight of reason substantiall And therefore Augustine saied very wel namely that in the stablishing of faith and authoritie of doctrine in the churche ought no accompt to bee made what men saye but what the Lorde him selfe onely sayeth in his worde Which when Ambrose likewise agreeing calleth all thinges newe whatsoeuer the Lorde Christ hath not taught and affirmeth that the same ought of right to bee condemned bicause sayeth he Christe is the waye to the faithfull Whereupon Cyprian doth admonish not vnfitly Let vs not regard what any of our forefathers thought good to do before time but what Christ hath done first who is before and aboue all others But bicause here commeth place to treate of antiquitie vpon the which the Romish religioÌ„ doth vaunt it selfe so gloriously let these honest men therefore bring foorth their bookes that they may by good proofe iustifie once at the length in deede y â— which they magnifie so mightily in wordes For I do heare what they braye abroade with open mouthes to wit that the boundes prefixed by our forefathers in olde time ought not be remoued and that their church is such a one as beeing established by the space of many yeeres now by ancieÌ„t custome of the forefathers by allowed authoritie of continuall custome and consent of most auncient fathers euen from the first beginning of the primitiue churche hath euer hitherto enioyed vndiscontinued possession Go to and what fathers be they a Gods name whose boundes they â—rie out ought not be remoued Surely if vnder the name of fathers they meane these first fathers the Prophetes Christ him selfe the Apostles we do reteine the same their bouÌ„des inuiolable as well as they if they vnderstand the order of fathers next vnto them namely Origen Tertullian Cyprian Augustine and others of the same sorâ— truly this may not be denied that very many things which be deliuered by vs are ratified with their agreable consentesâ— But bicause these same fathers did as men faile in some pointes we do by their own commaundemeÌ„t referre our selues ouer to the sacred â—ountaines of holy scriptures which must be beleeued without all exception But if vnder that name of fathers they will point vs to their popes skulles of shauelings muÌ„kes we make no reckoning of theÌ„ at al. For it is out of all ambiguitie by whose instruction most of theÌ„ did speake Amongst the number of whom if any happened to be of sounder iudgement yet coulde they not pearce into the bowels of the truth either through the vnlucky darkenesse of that age or through the cruel tyranny of other But if they meane the fathers to wit the grandfathers and great grandfathers of this later age I doe aunswere that there neuer wanted in this age some sithence this Romishe Anâ—ichriste began first to crawle alofte that did both write speake and set them selues againsâ— those wolues but being either surprised by violence or seduced by general errour could not vnâ—wyne them selues out of thaâ— laberinâ—h of darkenesse You haue heard now good men and brethren most faithful citizens of the churche and inhabitauntes of the Christian common weale as much as I thought good at this present to speake and necessarily too aduertise you touching the Pope of Rome and his imperiall lordlines And I dout not but it is apparaunt inough vnto you how the toppe gallant of this See hath climbed vp to all her stately power and lofâ—â—nesse at the first without all warrant of Gods lawe without any iust reason or grounde but cleane contrary to the expresse wordes of Christ contrary to the naturall and liuely purport of the Gospell contrary to the most auncient canons and contrary to the publique libertie and freedome of the church You do vnderstand if you wil make a iust coÌ„putation of the yeeres what â—ime and by whose practise this notorious Monarchie was erected at the first by what pollicies and driftes by what craftie kinde of deceiuablenes and hypocrisie by how manifolde flippery deuises it crawled vp vnto so monstruous a masse by litle and litle and being mounted aloft and by processe of time enthronized in state into howe incredible a mountaine of soueraintie it hath swollen and pufte it selfe vp You doe see how wickedly and treacherously the Pope of Rome his deere dearlinges the Cardinalles haue not only raked vp that kingdome which they doe most iniuriously deteigne but also to what end and with what affection they maintein the same at this present not that truth may raigne but that true religion may be brought to nought You do see that as long as this Monarchie may beare vniuersall controllership there is no place of refuge left for sincere religion for freedome of consciences nor yet for free couÌ„cell and sounde aduise in Churches You doe see that from the very first time that this detestable and deadly ambition of bearing rule burst out an open Roade into the churche with howe many and howe merciles â—laughters Christendome hath beene rent in peeces and into what narrowe straightes it is penâ— vp at this present with howe many and manifold conquestes with continuall successe almost the sauadgenesse of the Turke hath preuailed against vs. You doe see that nothing can