saith Christ of thos that offend the litle ones Math. 18. Marc. 9. Luc. 17. He that shall offend saith he one off thes litle ones the which bileue in me it were better for him that a mill stone shuld be hanged abowt his neck and that he were drowend in the depth of the sea Thirdly he hurteth the stowt and strong in faith and hurteth the Christian cause it selff becaus he maketh that the wicked men more boldlie do say euell of the trew faith doo wrong it and make it hatefull many maner of wayes Is not this daily sene that how many moo men do opēly enter in to a lye and in to an error that so moch the more falsoode is strengthned and the same lye confirmed and the trewth more downe beaten And the wicked men becom so moch the more fearce and stowt to down beate the good caus and all thos that defend it as thei see it waxe weaker He doth also against his own sowle helth For whā he goth to the Masse against his consciens he sheweth that he loueth better him selff than Christ and God and the tymed liffe more thā the euerlasting and he is condemned by Christes sentens the which saith he that loueth his sowle Iohn 12. that is to say his tēporal liffe shall lose it and he that hateth his sowl in this world shall kepe it in euerlasting liffe And in luke he saith iff any mā come to me ād hate not his father his mother his wife his childern his brethern and sisters yea ād his own life he can not be my disciple Luc. 14. Is not this well knowen that thei that haue the knowlege of the gospell and goo to the Masse goo thether for feare least thei shuld loose their goodes and be affraied least thei shuld be persecuted why folow thei not the cowncell yea the cōmandement of Christ who saith feare not thos that kill the body becaus thei cā not kill the sowle Math. 10. but rather feare him that can send the body and sowle to destructiō in to hell fire So that than thes grownd workes remaining that the going to the Masse is against the honor of God the profite of his neighbor and against his own sowle helth that goth thether It is an easy thing to answer to thos reasons or rather scusis that certen make of the which we haue spoken before Where as first thei say that thei goo to the 1. Masse to auoide the offending of the simple and weake and to th entēt that thei shuld not thinck of them that thei were despisers and mockers of religion or els heretikes and enemyes off the church iff thei goo not to the Masse And that for such respect it is good to dissemble so lōg till that such weakelings might be brought to the trewe knowlege I answer that there be 2. sortis of offences the one is called an offence geuē thother an offence taken The first offence is whan a man doth any euel work by the which he offendeth his neighbor As for example iff one shuld blasp heme or committ some thefft or els otherwise shuld expressly doo against Gods commandement This maner of offence is an offence geuē becaus that he who doth such an euell work doth surely giue occasion of offence the work being of it selff wicked and against God Or els iff the work off it selff were not wicked but might be lefft vndone withowt offendinge God and yet the man not hauing respect to his weake neighbor wold doo it to satisfie his appetite As for example there is one that hath the knowlege of the gospell and of Christ and knoweth that a Christian may at all times with thankes giuing 1. Timo. 4. vse euery meate for his neede ād shall chance somtime into the company of certen simple and ignorāt men the which shall thinck greuosly toffend iff thei shall eate flessh on the friday and he that hath the knowlege to satisfie his appetite will eate of it not hauing respect to thos poore sowles the which be offended with him for that eating This maner of mā sinneth and doith against charitie as Paul saith to the Romains Roma 14. Iff for meate thy brother be trobled thow dost not now walk according to charitie And in the 1. to the Corinthes he saith 1. Corint 8. rather than the meate shuld offend my brother I will neuer eate flessh Thes such like offences be called offencis geuen becaus in dede the man giueth such occasion of offence and sinneth But there is a nother sort of offencis the which as I haue said before are called offences taken shat is to say whan a man is offended for things for the which he ought not to be offended but taketh occasion of offence withowt iust cause as certen doo that be offended at good workes affter the maner of the Phariseis which were offended with Christ becaus he healed certen sick men on the Sabbath day or els be offended iff a man abstayne from wicked workes Now this such kind off offence is no sinne becaus the man properly doth not geue offence but other doo take it for offence the which thei ought not to doo yea thei offend esteming and cownting that to be offence which is well done The faithfull and godly man ought not to passe euen as Christ passed not though other were offended for such workes or things for so moch as that a man must cease frō well doing or els must nedes doo euel that wold auoyde such kind off offencis Euen so it is in this case Iff any will be offended that one goth not to the Masse or els that the Images be not honored a mā ought not to care for it For iff it had neded to care for such offencis it had bene fitt for the martirs that thei shuld haue worshipped the Idols For the Idolaters were offended at them becaus thei worshipped them not Yea I say that the simple and the weake haue more occasion off offence speaking of the trewe offence and be more offended iff one that hath knowlege goo to the Masse than iff he wēt not For as before I haue proued by such going thei be hurt for so moch as that thei be confirmed in their error the which is moch wors for them to be so offended than to be offended for that other offence the which is no trew offence in dede To the saing of thapostle the which saith that he did applie him selff to all men and that we ought to doo the same and to goo to the Masse with them that goo I say that thapostle Paul did applie himselff to all men in thos things that did not offend God as was in certen ceremonies and in his maner off liffe and in certen customs which were no sinne He kept company with the Iewes and liued as thei did keping their ceremonies forbearing thos meates that thei did forbeare He did eate and drinck with the
possybylytie that the sowles of the faithfull affter thei be past this liffe cā be dāned but be certen of theyr safetye nor it can not be no nother wise it nedeth not than to pray for them that god wold not dampne them but there ought only to be desyered that they might be delyuered from the paynes of purgatory iff at least they were there and not from the euerlasting paynes from which withowt dowt thei be by gods grace and thorow Christ delyuered nor there is no more perell that thei shuld fall in to it Wherfor such a praier is made in vaine and is vnfitt because it putteth in dowt the safetie of the faithfull sowles of the which thei be most certen To be short the sowles that be departed this life either theibe of the trewe faithfull or not Iff thei be not of the faithfull it nedeth not to pray for them because the praiers doo not help them Iff thei be of the trewe faithfull it nedeth not to pray for them that thei shuld be freed from euerlasting paine for such a praier shuld help them nothing being withowt dowt allredy freed Thā next affter it is writton in the lesson of thapocalipse which is recited in the same masse Apoc. 14. that thāgell said to lhon write blessed be thei that dye in the lord for frōhenfforth that is to say frō their bodily death the spirite saith that thei shall rest from all their labours and trauels Iff it be so that affter their death thei be in quiet and rest and thes men speake not but the spirite of god which cā not lie to what purpos shuld we nede to pray for them that god wold leade them in to the place of comfort Iff thei rest from all their trauells and be in quiet it nedeth not to pray or desire god that he wold giue them that the which we be certen thei haue allredy We be certen 〈◊〉 the saing off the holy goost that thei rest from all their labors and consequently be free from all paine and haue no nede to be freed Iff thei were in purgatory or in any paine the spirit wold not haue said that thei were in rest as he affirmeth but wold haue caused mē to desire it Surely this office for the deade speaketh against it self ād against tholy scripture for it affirmeth that the sowles off the faithfull be in rest ād on the other side desireth that thei may haue rest Affterward in the lessō of the machabeis what is the cause that thei haue not putt in the text as it lieth Whi haue thei kept back that word sacrifice The text saith thus 2 Mach. 12 Et facta collatione duo decim milia dragmas argenti misit Ierosolima offerri pro peccatis mortuorum sacrificium How haue thei thus put in all the rest of this lessō ād thes wordes onely that is to say Sacrificium thei haue lefft owt Thei shuld with owt dowt haue put it in But I Imagine thei feared least it wold hinder their opiniō And be it as it wil be thei haue fauted ād vsed crafft in hiding it ād thei imagined such a maner of word shuld not be moch for their purpos because that the sacrifices were not made of mony but of beastes not with stonding this is none of the greatest fawtes Than next in the offertori is praied O lord Iesus Christ king of glory deliuer the sowles of all faithfull deade from the paines of hell and from the depe lake Deliuer them from the mowth of the lion that hell may not swalow them and that thei fall not in to darknes but that thy standerd bearers Michaell may present them in the holy light the which in time past thow didst promes to Abraham and his seede This offertory as thow seist praith for the sowles of the deade that Christ wold deliuer them from the paines off hell as the first praier saith and from the mowth of the lion that is to say of the deuill and that the horrible place that is to say the depth of the dongion shuld not swalow them and that thei shuld no falle in to the dimme darknes And it geuith vs to vnderstand that the sowles of the faithfull be yet in perell to be damned the which is not only fals but contrary to their own opinion that bringe in purgatory the which sayth that the sowles of them that die in grace for the which only the church praieth hand not for any other can not be damned as the reprobate for whom the church praith not because thei can not be saued Why than doth not this praier called the offetory desire that christ wold deliuer thos sowles from the paines of purgatory and not from the paines of hell whether thei can not goo Parauenture some will glose that thes wordes paines of hell mowth of the lion Depe lake Terrible and dark place doo not meane the paines or place of the damned but of purgatory Thei cānot reasonably say this For such maner wordes doo not agree with purgatory And with owt dowt thei meane the hell of the dampned ād of the euerlasting paine as the first praier ment the which expressely made mencion of purgatory Surely this offetory is folish and erronios as the first praier is because it geuith tunderstand that the sowles of thelect passed from this liffe may be dampned The iiij Chapter THat the blessing in the massboke that is to say of asshes of candels of bowes of chese of eggs of breade of fire of fankincens of the paschall and of water are wicked ād full of superstitions The blessing of the asshes is not ōly wicked and supperstitos but plaine blasphemy for that is very blassphemie whan that is geuen to plaine creatures which belōgeth only to god and christ As for exāple to forgeue sin̄ to iustifie ād to saue Now let vs see a litle what this blessing of asshes saith there be ij praiers The first saith Grant by the calling vpō of thy holy name that all thos which shall cast the asshes vpō them for redēpcion of their sinnes may receiue the helth of body ād defence of sowle The other that foloweth affirmeth and confesseth that we put thes asshes on our heades to shewe furth humblenes and to deserue forgeuenes saing thus O god which doest not desyre the death of sinners but their repentans looke most fauorably vpon the frailtie of mans state and vouchsaue to blesse thes asshes which we haue determined to lay vp on our heades to th entent to shewe furth humblenes and to deserue forgeuenes c. In thes ij praiers it is plainly confessed that we cast thos asshes vpon vs for to haue redemption and to deserue forgeuenes of our sinnes O cursed blasphemy And shall we redeme our sinnes with asshes And why not with towe And what need we to labor to disproue so gret and so plaine a foly How vile a thing doth Antichrist make the redemptiō of sin̄es For the bringing of
in the last supper saing to the Corynthyans Hoc n accepi a DnoÌ„ ê™ tradidi nobis c. 1. Chorin 11. That is that wich I receiued of the lord deliuered I vnto you That pure and holy order geuin by Christ and kept with so great reuerence by his apostels ought to haue suffised vs and not to make so many addicions which blemissh I wil not say beray the purenes of the sacrameÌ„t as thei haue done of baptym to which they haue ioyned salt oyle spyttel coniuring which things neither Iohn Baptist whan he baptised Christ nor the apostels did euer vse And thes which with reuerence doo kepe Christes appointment and with humblenes doo obey him are now cownted for heretikes as though thei were more bownd to obey men than god Let euery faithfull Christyan iudge iff we say the treuth This fift part of the canon geueth to vnderstand clerely that by thes wordes offerings sacryfices and giftes is vnderstand the wine not yet consecrated And that thei be none other but breade and wyne ffor he desireth that thei may become the body and blood of Christ So that according to the canon the bare simple breade and the bare simple wyne are a sacrifice for the redempcion of sowles and for saluacyon as in the ij part hath bene sayd We may not here glose that the Canon intendeth that the breade and wyne whan they shall be turned in to the body and blood as thei say shall be a sacrifice for the raunsominge of sowles for it meaneth of that breade and of that wyne which are to become the body and blode Now is it certen yea affter their own mind that that breade and that wyne which are yet to become the body and blood of Christ are bare playne breade and bare wyne And yet the Canon sayth that thei be a sacrifice for the raunsominge of sowles which is a plaine wickednes The syxt part of the Canon saith The which that is to say Chryst of whom is made mencion in the former part the day before he suffered The sixt parte of the canoÌ„ of the masse whith the consecration toke the bread in his holy and honorable handes here the priest taketh the host in his handes and addeth And his eies beinge lift vp into heauen to the god his father almyghty yelding to the thanckes he blessed And here is made a crosse vpon the host and is added he brake and gaue to his discyples saing Take and eate all of this ffor this is my body And here the host is liffted vp and caused to be honored a thing which christ hath not appointed But why is not the breade than broken as Christ did seing he commanded that thei shuld doo this in his rememberance And not to cause the breade or wine to be honored Whan this is done the host is laid down vpon the aulter and the cupp is taken in hand and the other part which is the seauenth part is said that is to say Likewise whan thei had supped taking this noble cupp in his holy and honorable handes The vij parte of the CanoÌ„ of the masse rendring thanckes again vnto the he blessed and heâ—…e is made a crosse ouer the cupp and added And â—…aue to his disciples saing Take and drinck all of â—…his for this is the cupp of my blood of the newe â—…nd euerlasting testament a mistery of the faith â—…he which shall be shed for yow and for many for â—…he remission of sinnes so offt as yow shall doo thes things yow shall doo them in my remembraÌ„ce And saing thes last wordes the cupp is lifft vp and caused to be honored as we haue said of the host that is to say all to gether contrary to christes ordinance In thes ij partes is made the consecracion of the breade and wine And in the consecracion of the bread are added ij wordes that are not in the euaÌ„gelistes that is to say that word enim and that other Ex hoc oeÌ„s And in the coÌ„secracioÌ„ of the wine are added ij other that is eterni aÌ„d misteriuÌ„ fidei which likewise are not in theeuaÌ„gelistes And it is to be marueled seing the defeÌ„ders of the masse say that with Christes wordes the consecracion is made and that thei ought not to add or minissh them and so moch the rather as thei them selues say that Christ gaue the powre of consecracion to thos wordes that he spake not to any other how durst thei be bold to ad any one word I will not now say that by this the sentence is changed Neuertheles seing we ought not to vse any other wordes than thos same that Christ spake because he gaue the powr of consecracion to thos only and not to any other as thei say and that we caÌ„not knowe certenly what wordes thei shuld be but by the euaÌ„gelistes or by paule And finding thos wordes that the canon doth add neither in theuangelistes nor in paule it is a great rasshnes to add them Here the Rational or cause teller of diuine officis saith that the apostels had the maner of the consecration from Christ and we from thapostels And that it is not to be merueled though these wordes which seme added be not fownd in the euangelistes and yet spokeÌ„ by christ For the euangelistes for shortnes haue past ouer many things which the apostels haue supplied And he giueth thexample of the visioÌ„ which Paul declareth in the 1. to the corinthiaÌ„s 1. Cor. 15 that Christ affter his resurrection appeared to moo than v. hondreth brethern of which vision theuangelistes make no mencyon at all and yet it was trewe He alledgeth also that amoÌ„g theuangelistes one declareth one thing and a nother leauith owt the same c. All this is trewe that theuaÌ„gelistes haue leffe owt certeÌ„ things which were done aÌ„d allthoughe the one supplieth that which the other leaueth owt this maketh not that we ought to add to the wordes of the euangelistes chefely to them of the consecracion to which wordes only Christ according to their oppinion hath geuen powr to change the breade in to the body and the wine in to the blood and not to any other Who doth asserten vs that Christ spake this word enim aÌ„d thes other words aded that is to say Ex hoc oeÌ„s aÌ„d thos other ij that is to say aeterni and misteriuÌ„ fidei We be certeÌ„ of the appearing of Christ to moo than v. hondreth brethern because Paul to whom christ did reueale it hath writon it But if Paul had not writon it and finding it not in the gospell how could it be certenly known And how shall we be bownd to beleue it Likewise this is the cause why things lefft owt by one euangelist are knowen because a nother doth tell them but if all had lefft them owt how could we certenly knowe theÌ„ O sai thei the church had it froÌ„ the Apostels Saist thow so how doest thow knowe it I will not beleue
the substance of the forme albeit that comonly the doctors agree with Bonauenture And here is to be noted that according to the opinion of Scotus it is not yet knowē what shuld be the wordes of cōsecracion of the wine but in part It is sure that he said the truth that neither he nor Bonauenture nor Thomas of Aquina nor as many moo scole doctors as be defenders of the masse euer knewe certenly the very poinctt which shuld be the partes of consecracion And this is the profe theroff For iff thei had knowen it there shuld not haue bene so great a diuersitie and confusion of opinions as we haue sene And we could yet iff we wold speake of others This their so gret diuersitie sheweth plainely that thei neuer knewe it nor neuer were certen of the matter And it is most certen that iff the opinion that thei defend were trewe there shuld neuer haue bene so many and so diuers opinions What a vaine thing is it than to say that by the vertu of certen wordes shuld be made a changing of the breade and the wyne in to the body and blood of Christ which thing not withstonding by the holy scripture cānot be shewed that is that by the vertu of certen wordes the substance of things shuld be chāged and of the other part not to knowe or not to be certen which shuld be thos wordes Thei speake also in such sort of this consecratoin that affter their owne opinion the church or the peple that heare the masse are neuer certen whether the consecracion be made or not For the master of sentencis saith in the iiij that the heretikes can not bring it to passe that is to say to consecrate And also he saith yow must haue the intent for otherwise yow consecrate not And who can be certen either of the faith or of the intēt of him that celebrateth Surely no man being such things in the consciens of man which none seith but god and he that celebrateth Therfor the peple that heare the masse is neuer certen whan the consecracion is made and whan not The cause whi this confusiō is amōg them first is because thei knowe not properly what maner of thing consecracion is For consecracion meaneth one thing and thei thinck it shuld haue a nother meaning Besides thei beleue or at the least cause mē to thinck that thei beleue and thei preach the same as an article of the faith that that breade and that wine is changed th one in to the trew ād substāciall body of Christ that is to say the breade the other that is to say the wyne in to his blood And thei say that Christ really in body ād sowle as gret and as thick as he was vpon the wood of the crosse and as now he is in heauen is wholly in that litle host and wholly in that cupp where the wine was And thei will that here there shuld come to gether many miracles and thei hold that this meruelos change which thei call transsubstanciaciō shuld be done by the vertu of thos wordes of the consecracion And thei will that consecraciō doth meane changing of breade in to the body and of wine in to the blood made with thes wordes So that they make this consecracyon as the inchanters were wont to make their inchantmēts with certē wordes wich they being deceiued by the deuel thinck to haue vertu to worke certen wōderfull effectys So doo they that thinck with thes wordes spoken softly ouer the breade and the wyne to change by vertu of the same the bread and the wyne in the body and blood of Iesus Christ Thes ij be the causes why they know not with what wordes the consecratyō is made nor whā it is made ffor hauing that opinyon that they haue that is to say that there is made that meruelous change of bread ād wine thes wordes hoc est corpus meum make than the difficultye and they knowe not what thing is shwesd by this word hoc For iff the breade be shewed the saing appeareth falss vnto them because the breade is not the body of Christ tyll all the wordes be spoken and whan they shewe the breade the wordes be not yet spoken Than seing the body is not yet there there can not be shewed by this word hoc the body which yet is not And if they say they shewe the body by this hoc that saing hoc est corpus meum semyth to them vntrew likewise for seing the body is not yet there in that host it can not be shwed in it And thus not knowing how to make trewe that saing what soeuer sort they shuld speake it they goo abowt writhing it a thowsand maner of ways ād wold fayne help the matter if they could but they fynd not the way for god will not As it chāced to Pharaos coniurers that could not doo that they wold Exo. ◅ So thei wold yet for all that holding that opinyon they hold and for to geue credyt to the masse they wold yet I say make that saing agree with this theyr opinion but there is no meanes how Let them turne it yet as they will theyr opynyon standing Christes saing hoc est corpus meum cannot be made trewe Thā theyr opynynō is most false which cānot stād with gods truth that is to say his word It is chanced also to them as to thos that wold haue bylded the gret tower of Babilon and haue made it meruelos high as it is writon in Genesis Gene. ◅ but god confused their tonges that one dyd not vnderstand a nother allthough that all did agre to the bylding of it Euē so it hapnyth to thes carpēters or builders of the masse wich also wold if they could lifft it vp euen to heauen and make it be cownted as a godly thing and an high worship And thei all are agreed to this workmanship And because they see that iff thei hold not that the trew body of Christ is in the host ād his trew ād naturall blood in the cupp the masse shuld not be in price or any estimacion but rather by and by shuld decay therfor aboue all things thei take hede to this to persuade and by all meanes thei can to make the peple beleue that Christ is really and bodily in that host and that cup. Neuertheles god hath confused their tōgs ād their mindes in to so many waies and opiniōs in to so diuers fansies ād spechis that the one is disagreing ād cōtrary to the other This is now a plain and a manifest tokē that this workmāship pleaseth not god and finally shall fall to the grownd to the intent that the saing of Iesus Christ may be verified that eueri plantinge which the heauinly father hath not planted shall be rooted vp Mat. 15. We doo not now intend to goo abowt to proue here that that their opinion is false that is to say that the breade and wine shuld be changed
difference of dayes in thother liffe Not withstonding this is not of the canon but master Durāts And to returne to this praier of the Memento me thincketh that it is folissh and vnsauery and that it speaketh against it selff Because first it cōfesseth that the dead doo slepe in the slepe of peace and that thei rest in Christ And notwithstonding affter it desireth that god wold giue them place of comfort of light and of peace Iff thei slepe in the slepe of peace and rest in Christ haue thei not the place of peace What nede yow axe that thos that slepe in peace shuld haue the place of peace Is it not all one to slepe in peace and to haue the place of peace To rest in Christ and to haue place of comfort Iff the sowles be tormented in purgatory be thei not dead in torment How rest thei than parauenture the defenders of the canon will answer that this praier meaneth of the body whan it saith that the dead slepe and not of the sowle Let it be so For the sowle in deede slepeth not but only the body But it saith also that thei haue quietnes and rest which spech can not be conueniently vnderstand but of that part that may be trobled What rest shall that be to rest in that part that can feele no maner of thing withowt the sowle and to be trobled in that part that in deede felith and l◅ueth Whan thei say in their seruice for the deade requiescant in pace surely thei meane to speake of the sowle and not of the body For as moch as it nedeth not to pray that the body of the dead shuld rest because that of necessitie it doth rest But the sowle may as thei thinck haue troble and paine in purgatory And therfor thei pray that thei may haue rest as concerning the sowle Apoc. 14. S. Iohn in thapocalips whan he saith blessed are the deade that dye in the lord why doth the spirite say that from hens forth thei rest from their trauale will we say that he shuld speake of the rest of the deades body and not of the sowle Iff he speake of the body what prerogatiue haue the bodies of the iust vntill the day of Iudgement more than the bodies of the wicked The one and thother doo rest equally and there is no difference in this point And yet Ihon maketh a difference betwene them for he calleth them the dead in the lorde that is to say the Iust blessed And why blessed because that from hensforth thei shall rest from their trauel and be in quyet geuing to vnderstand that the other doo not rest frō their trauale but haue more thā euer thei had because thei be damned to euerlasting paine So that whan the quietnes of the Iust is spoken of it meaneth of the quietnes of the sowle and not of the body Being than thus that this praier in one part affirmeth that the iust slepe in peace and rest in Christ and in a nother part desireth that god wold geue them a place of peace and comfort appeareth that plainly it speaketh against itselff The xi and last part is this To vs sinners thy seruantes that trust in the multitude of thy mercies vouchsafe likewise to giue some part and cōpany with thy holy Apostels and martirs with Iohn Steuen Mathy Barnaba Ignatius Alexander marcellus peter felicitas perpetua Agatha Lucia Cecilia Anastasia and withall thy saintes in whos felowship we besech the admitt vs not as a regarder of desertes but as a giuer of pardon through Christ our lord Amen And thes wordes are said somwhat with an higher voice to th entent that thei shuld be somwhat hard And the prest knocketh his brest representing saith master durant the contricion of the these that rebuked thother these And Amē is not answered partly because the angels that euer be assistent doo āswer thē seluis ād partli for other causes that he him selff alledgeth See what reasōs thes be of the masse vaine and to no purpose For iff Amen be not āswered because of the assistence of the angels it foloweth that in the masse Amen shuld neuer be answered for ◅hangells as thei thinck be allweies assistent He sheweth also the cause why Steuen is put there accōpanied with Ihon before mathy ād barnabas ād whi memori is made of Ihon ād not of the other Apostels Without dowt this cannō being made and affter put in to the masse for such causes as William Durant alledgeth thei may boldly take it owt of the masse and the masse booke withowt any scrupulositie sauing thos fewe wordes of Christ that are there For the masse shall be lesse beastly althoughe it be estemed for the chefe and bewtifullest part seing that it is alltogether full of supersticions beside the multitude of iniquities and blaspemies that be in it And he that wold axe why mencion is made in this place raither of Ignacius of Alexander of Marcellinus and Peter which was a nother than Peter thapostell and so furth of thes particular holy wemen and martirs than of thother saintes men and wemen I knowe not what thei shuld answer being so many other besides thes here named It is said that certen desiered with great ernestnes of the popes to put in there in this canon s frances but it wat not granted them I thinck for this cause least thei of s Benet of s Dominik of s Austen and of other sectes shuld haue start vp and also haue desiered to put thereinto their sainctes mē and wemē as a man wold say s Peter the martir s Catarin of Siena who had the marks of Christes woundes as s francis had And iff not thes yet at the least the heades of their orders I doo not willingly tell thes things but thei be of gretter importance than some thinck There foloweth affter also in this xi part By the which that is to say by Christ create halow quicken blesse ād make thes things O lord allweyes good vnto vs. And here saing thes wordes thei make iij. crosses ouer the host and the cupp together And the cupp being vncouered and the host takē in hand there is added By him with him and in him and there is made iij. other crosses ouer the cupp and ij other betwene the cupp and him selff that sayeth the masse saing And to the god the allmighty in the vnitie of the holy goost be all honor and glory So that there are in all viij crosses in thes fewe wordes And master Durant according to his accustomed maner geueth a reason of euery thing And what reasons be thei Folissh and vaine And surely iff thei that made all this canon I say thei because it was not made all at onis but at sondry times and of sondry men were not moued by more reasonable causes than a great part of thos reasons that he rendereth thei were meruelos lightly moued For the masse shuld haue bene lesse blasphemos than it is if thei
not said with a lowd voice to signifie that christ sometime cried owt Mathei 27. as whā he cried on the crosse Heli Heli ād whā also preaching he cried if any be thirst let him come to me and drinck And the rationall a litle affter saith that be cause we be not worthy to deserue the forgiuenes of the things past present and to come except it be geuen vs by the praier of the blessed virgin Mary and of the blessed Peter ād Paul ād thother saintes therfor we do call them here to our help But I aske by whos intercession are sinnes forgeuen by Peters Paulis or the sainctes all which had their sin̄es Iff this praier intend that that the rationall saith it is blasphemos as though we deserue not pardon eycept by the blissed virgin and of the blessed Peter Paule Andrewe and other saintes And where is this sownd in the holy scripture that we deserue not forgiuenes of sinnes but by the praiers of saintes How doth this rationall knowe this How can we surely speake of the remission of sinnes iff not by the word of god The word of god thorowowtly saith that sinnes are forgeuen vs by christes intreating and that Iesus Christ is our meane aduocate and intreater and it appointeth no nother but him nor maketh no mention of ani other And this praier will haue that by saintes praiers sinnes are forgeuen vs. Why saith he not by Christis intercession Why do we than faine to our selues of our fansy other aduocates and other intreaters But let the rationall with his masse tell me a litle the forenamed saintes and all the rest by whos intercession deserued thei pardon hauing all had one sinn or others Sureli all had nede of pardon It is necessari iff thei will answer well that thei say bi Christ Iff it be soo why do thei allege other than him in the forgeuenes of sinnes What man so euer he be in the world for so moch as by one only way the sinnes of the world are forgeuen as S. Iohn saith in his 1. pistell that he is the propycyacion for our sinnes and not only for ours but for all thos of the world Whā this praier is done the host is broken ouer the cupp in 2. partes and one of thos partys is laid vpon the pa◅en and the other also is broken in 2. partes and the one of thes 2. second partis is laid also vpon the paten With the other that first was put there And affter holding in his hand that other of the 2. pecys also ouer the cupp he saith per omnia secula seculorum And Amen is answered And affter he addeth pax domini sit semper uo biscum And saing thes wordes there are made 3. crossis with that pece of the host ouer the cupp Whē the wordes be spoken and the crossis made the prest saith thes wordes that is to say Let the mixing and consecracion of the body of our lord Iesus Christ be vnto vs that do or shall receiue them vnto euerlastinge life And all thes things haue their significacions and their misteries that is to say their supersticions But why doo thei not handle the sacrament as Christ taught Christ did nat put any part of the breade in to the cupp but seuerally gaue it to his disciples first the bread which signified the body after the wine which signifyed the blood ech one a part by it selff And dyd not mingle them together as men are wōt to doo sometymes with comon breade that is eaten sopt in wyne This is not conuenyent in the holy sacramēt the which ought not to be hādeled otherwyse thā as Christ hath taught vs. Here the racyonall sayth that this mixture is made for iij. causes The first is to signifye that the body is not withowt the blood nor the blood withowt the body The second is to signifye that there is not but one sacrament The third is to declare the returne of the sowle to the body And what meaneth it that the Apostels and the prymatyue church the which kept the singlenes of the institucyon of the sacrament haue not added thes mynglings What is this but to handell the diuyne misteryes affter our owne fasshion yea rather to make a mock at them And euen as they them selues haue added why also may not we make other addicyon and gyue them their significacyōs and add eueri day to this masse euen tyll the day of iudgement and make it so long that thei shuld stand an hole yeare in saing it Than what meaneth this word cōsecracyon whan the prest sayth let this mixture and consecracyon of the body and blode of our lord Ihesus Christ be mades Is not the consecracyon made allredy and the bread turned in to the body and the wyne in to the blood as thei say what nedeth it more that it shuld be made agayne a newe iff it be made allready Except thei wold vnderstand and golfe affter this fasshō that is to say let the comixcyon of the body and the bloode that we make and the consecracyon allready made become to vs that shal take it the body and blood of Christ to the profite of euerlasting liffe But I can not tell if this were his mynd or no that ordeyned this part of the masse THE SECOND CHAPTER Of the Agnus Dei of the iiij prayers that goo before the receauyng of the sacrament and of ij that folow How gret a part of the last prayers in the masse be wicked and some of them speake against the pryuate masse THe agnus dei foloweth which is said iij. times Affter that are said iij. praiers the first destreth that god wold not looke vpon the sinnes of him that saith the masse and that he wold according to his will agree and make one the church The second destreth that by the most holy body and blood of Christ he wold deliuer him from iniquitie and from all his euels And praith that he may be brought nerer to the commandments of god and that he may neuer be sondered from him The third desireth that the sacrament shuld not become his iudgement and cōdemnacion but that it might be a defence of his sowle and body Whan thes iij praiers are said he taketh the host in his hand saing I will take the heuenly breade and wil call vp on the name of the lord and knocketh his brest iij. times saing also thrise Domine non sum dignus that is lord I ā vnworthie And affter he hath takē the host in his hād he saith the body of our lord Iesus Christ kepe my sowle to euerlasting life Amen And whan he hath said thus he receiueth the host And affter he taketh the cupp in his hand saing Quid retribuam Domino c. that is what shall I render to the lord And he saith thus The blood of our lord Iesus Christ kepe my sowle to euerlasting life and receiueth the cupp Thone and thother being receiued the prest affterwardes
which to passe it was nedefull that the son of god shuld become man shuld be borne in our miseryes shuld suffer so many trobles shuld be of wicked men persecuted delyuered taken beaton mocked spytefully handled whipt Iudged hy thuniust crucified deade and that he shuld goo downe to the grettest lowlines And here he sayth that with the asshes is made the redempcyon of sinnes How can the godly ād Christen eares heare this Looke vp on this yow that goo to the mass Looke vp on it yowr selues Reade what I tell yow is in the masse boke Thei that vnderstand the latyn haue not consydred it Thoter knowe not what is sayd because the hole is sayd in a tong not vnderstand of the vnlerned And thei may blaspheme and say what they will at their pleasure And be thes things to be born to close vp our redempcyon within thasshes of woode the which only Christ hath brougth to passe with his hlood and death That of the candels which is done on candelmes day in the first prayer it desyreth that god wold by the calling vp on of his most holy name and by thintreatyes of the blessed Mary allweys virgyn and by the prayers of all sayntes blesse and make holy thos cādels for mans vse ād helth of bodyes and of sowles whether it be vp on the land or in the waters And where fynd we in the hole scripture that any bodyly creature fasshoned by mē as the cādels ād the weekis be shuld haue this vse to geue the helt of sowles The helth of sowles is the forgeuenes of sinnes and the holy making Thes so gret and godly things are done by thonly fauor of god and by Christ Esay 53.61 1. Pet. 2. Luk. 4. Esa 61. and are not wrought with wax candells Yea this prayer speaketh against it selff because in th end it sayth that we be redemed with the precyos blood of the son of god And before he sayth that thes cādles be for mens vse and for helth of sowles that is to say for remissyon of syn̄es And how cā thes ij things stand to gether that is to say that we be redemed with the precyos blood of the sonn of god which is most trewe and that the candels shuld be the helth of our sowles that is tho say the forgeuenes of synnes Seing that forgeuenes of syn̄es is redempcyon it selff as Paul witnesseth in many places Surely iff the cādels forgyue synnes than they worck our redēpcyon Roma 3. Ephes 1. collo 1. But Christ only hath wrought our redempcyon and hath not wrought it with candels I knowe well that the wranglyng and supersticyous parsons will not want answers and glosts Notwithstanding let euery faithful and godly man wey and iudge whether the candels cā work such effectis or no. whan the candels be blessed and the holy water cast on thē and that they be censyd certē verses are song Affter they goo on processiō and they sing iij. songes of praise which they call Anthemes And one of thē which is the second sayth Adorna thalamū tuum Syon suscipe regem Christum amplectere mariā quae est coelestis porta ipsa enim portat regem gloriae And here this Antē confessith that mari is the heuēly gate And though I shall say somwhat here to defēd gods honor ād christis let no mā meruell I speake to thos that haue no knowlege of the holi scripture For I ā sure that thei which haue wil not meruel There is no dowt but the most blessid mother was ād is blessed aboue all wemē ād is in that gretnes ād worthines that cā not be estemed because she is Christes mother And yet for all that we ought not to geue hir thos praises that be not fitt for hir and that belōg only to christ For so thin king to honor hir we dishonor hir ād do hir most greatest wrong ād iff she were nere vs ād hard vs whā we geue hir such titles that is to say gate of heauē mother of merci whā we call hir our hope our aduocate and such like titles which be lōg to christ ōly or to god she wold spitt in our facis ād wold not suffer that the honor of god ād of christ the which she ād all tho her saintes doo more esteme with owt cōparison than theit own shuld be geuē to plaine creatures were thei neuer so excellent Onli Christ is our liffe and hope Io. 1.6.11.14 Collossen 3. 1. Timot. 2. Iohann 10 1. Iohan. 2. Actor 4 the gate of heauē our aduocate fowntane king ād father of mercy Thes names be namis for god ād Christ To be the gate of heauē ād to be the aduocate belōgeth to Christ god and man but the other belong to god and to Christ as god So that they thā cōmitt a gret error that to honor the saintes ād chefely the blessed mother doo sing thes Antēs as the Salue regina the Aue maris stella and as many other as geue godly honor to plaine creatures Fom hens it comith that the deuocion to christ and god is lost and it comith to passe that where we shuld call vp on god and Christ ād ron̄e to thē in our nede we ron̄e to mē ād we place thē in our redemer ād makers place The blessing of the boughes in the first praier affter the preface of the same blessing destreth that thos that shall take of thos boughes that thei may be vnto them a defence both of sowle and ād body a remedy of our safetie through Christ our lord The fourth praier which beginnith Deus qui per oliuae ramum desireth that god wold blesse and make holy thos boughes of the olife ād of other trees so that thei may be profitable for sowle helth to all the peple Surely thes be very great effectis that is to say to be a protection of sowle and body and to be a remedy or to be profitable for our sowle helth God doth noth vse thes meanes to defend our sowles and to saue vs. We haue not in any place of the scripture āy of thes things Paul thapostel to the colossians Coloss 2. saith that in Christ we be furnisshed that is to say that as concerning the things perteining to the sowle helth we haue no nother but Christ god excepted For in Christ and by Christ we haue all things whether we speake of forgeuenes of sinnes of Iustificacion of repentans of holy making or of sowl helth We haue all thes things in Christ and bi Christ and not by the boughes of oliue palme or of any other thing And beside it is a gret supersticion to be content to beleue that the boughes of oliues palmes or other treis shuld by reason of thos blessings made with thos words crossis and other ceremonies that are made take any powr to bring to passe such ād so great effectis We find not that the Prophetis thapostels or Christ himselff
did euer vse such things or that thei shuld with wordes geue powr to any bodied thing to work such effect is On saterday which thei call holy is blessed the fire the frankincense and the wax candel called the paschall In the blessing of fire in the secōd praier the which beginneth Domine Deus pater omnipotens is destered that god wold blesse that light that is to say that kindled fire to th entent that that fire being blessed and made holy of him that hath lightened all the world we may be kindled by the same light and lightened by the fire of his brightnes And he meaneth by thes wordes that god by that blessed fire shuld kindle and lighten vs with the fire of his brightnes This can not be Luce. 12 2. Corin. 3 Gallat 3. Actor 10. because that god to kindle vs or to lighten vs vseth not for his instrument or meane the material fire but his word the holy gospell by which that diuine fire of the holy goost which worketh thes effectes is geuen The blessing of the frankincēs in the mass booke immediatly foloweth that of the fire And is a praier that beginneth Veniat quesumus omnipotens Deus And first it desireth that the large onpowring might come vpon that frankincens that is to say that god wold largely powre on his blessing vpon that frankincens And it semeth that a litle affter it affirmeth that that frankincens to gether with the rest that is to say with the paschal ād the fire and such like ceremonies as are made It semeth I say that it affirmeth them to be a sacrifice the which is sacrified that night And this he saith because at other times such duties was wont to be done by night And it desiereth that it may not only shine with the secret mixture of gods light but in euery place where any of that mistery that is to say of that sacrifice shall be caried that the crafft of the deuils wickednes may be driuen owt and the powr of the godly maiestie may be help redy Iff this praier will as it semeth that it meanith that such frankincense together with thos other things shuld be a sacrifice vnto god sacrified that night and that it shuld haue powr to driue a way the deuell this is a very supersticion For we doo not find in the holy scripture with as many wordes as may be said that a thing doth take any newe pour the which it had not before And it shuld behoue them to proue why such powr is rather geuin to thes wordes that thei speake to blesse thes things than to other Also we haue not that such things may be called a sacrifice by the apostolike scripture We find in dede that the praysings of god Hebreo 13. Roman 1◅ the allmosts and workes of charitie be a pleasing sacrifice vnto god But affter that Christ came it is not fownd that we ought to offer vnto god frankincens fire or candels And thei be all fansies and diuises of mē There is also to consider one other gret abuse that is that thei haue geuen many significacions to thes such things as thei haue fownd owt the which serue to no purpos For neither the peple that are present at such ceremonies vnderstand them no nor thei moch lesse that doo them nor there is not among a thowsand one that knoweth what is done And to what purpos are made so many ceremonies and gestures and are geuin them so many significaciōs as the thowsand part of them that see them knowe not to what end thei are made This is to trewe but it is an error comon to all the ceremonies of the masse For euery man seith many garments sondrines of apparell that is to say stoles phannells cord girdels albes Amises vestmentes copes corporas clothes patentes and so many gestures as are made so many Ioining to gether of handes so many casting open of armes putting to gether and sondring of fingars so many crosses and to be short so great a diuersitie of things which be vsed in the masse And yet the peple vnderstand not why thei are done And why doo thei not teach some of thes significations iff thei wold thei shuld profite The Rationall of diuine offices maketh so many significacions so many misteries of such things and yet no one or very fewe doo knowe them Well it is ynough that thei be writton in the boke Let it be axed a litle of all that multitude that standeth present at the seruice on the holy sabbath day what profite thei haue goten by seing thos frankincensis thos wax candels fiers and other ceremonies and by standing iiij or v. howres at thes seruices This is the profite that is brought thens that thei haue lost the time and returne supersticios in that thei by leue that the wax of the pascall shuld haue powr against the enemies against the deuell against night sprites and some doo put it vp on the dores off their howses and some other sely sowles doo put it within the hornes of their oxē and other beastes and vp on the vinestakes against the tempest Affter this sort the poore peple is handled Than next foloweth the blessing of the waxe that is to say exultetiam angelica turba coelorum The which calleth the 5. peck of frankincēs that are stickt in the pascall Crosse-like An euening sacrifise the which is offered to god And praith that the wax consecrated to the honor of god may vnfailably cōtinewe to the destruction of the darknes of that night so that being accepted by god to be a sauor of swetenes it may be mixed with the heuinly lights ād that the flame of the same may find owt the morning day starr that is to say Crist And abowt the end it granteth to moch to that frankincense and to that taper For iff we wold doo a thanckfull thing to god we must offer vnto him a nother thing than frankinsens and cādels The next blessings be putt in th ende of the masse boke The blessing of chese and eggs desireth that god wold powre owt his blessing vpon the chese and eggs so that thei being armed with his heauinly defence may be profitable for euerlasting life to all thos that shal tast of thos chese and eggs That of the breade desireth that it may be to all thos that shal take of that breade blessed with the spiritual blessing helth of mind and body and defence against all sicknessis and all waytlaings of enemies There is a nother appliable to eueri thing the which desireth that god wold blesse that creature that is to say what so euer thei wold haue blessed so that it may be an helpfull remedi to mākind ād that all thos that shall take or tast of that thing mai by the calling vpō the holi name of the lord take the helth of body ād the defēce of the sowle Thes iij. blessings geue to moch to the bodily things How can such
things as meÌ„ eate and drinck be profitable to euerlasting life to helth of mind and of body How may thei be a defence against all the enemies Mathei 15. and a sheld of the sowle Christ saith that which goith in thorow the mowth defileth not the mind Iff it caÌ„not defile nor doo any spirituall harme to the sowle it can neither bring any spirituall help Rom. 14. And Paul to the romaÌ„s saith The kingdom of god is neither meate nor drinck meaning to say that the kingdom of god which is a spirituall thing doth not stand in bodili things but in spiritual Thes things than that are eaten and dronken can not work so gret effectes as thes blessings doo attribute to them And so moch rather as thei be mennis inuencions and not according to gods word And thei be of thos things that are wasted by vsing them as Paul saith writing to the Colossians Collo 2. Where is it fownd in tholy scripture that god by meanes of certen wordes euer gaue to a bodied thing like strength and powr And iff any man wold say that Paul for all that saith in the 1. to Timothi that the meates be halowed by gods words and by praier and therfor may haue by such halowing or blessing some vertu the which before thei had not To this I answer that Paul in that place by the halowing of meates meaneth not that the same meates shuld take any newe and spirituall powr the which thei had not he fore but meaneth by hallowing the cleane and lawfull vse granted by god to the faithfull the which may eate for the maintenance of life at any time or of any maner of meate giuing thanckes to god who hath made all meates for the vse of the faithfull By the which thing we haue to vnderstaÌ„d that the peple of god vnder the lawe could not at their pleasure eate of eueri meate but of thos only that god did grant theÌ„ in the lawe aÌ„d the other thei called vncleane aÌ„d comoÌ„ that is to say of which the geÌ„tiles might eate Now thos that thei might eate were halowed that is to sai that the vse of theÌ„ was lawfull aÌ„d cleane according to gods word And because that since Christes coÌ„ing eueri meate is made lawful to a ChristiaÌ„ nor we haue no more that prohibicioÌ„ as in the old lawe therfor eueri meate is halowed to thâ—… And this the visioÌ„ that appeared to Peter geuith vs tunderstand as we haue in the dedes of thapostles Actor 10. whan Peter sawe that shete full of all sortis of beastes cleane and vncleane and herd a voice which said vnto him that he shuld kylle of thos beastes and eate And he answering that he had neuer eaten any vncleane and comon thing affter the maner of the gentiles but in that part had kept the lawe It was said vnto him That which god hath halowed thow shalt not say that it is coÌ„mon Here the heuenly voice gaue vs to vnderstand that euery meate is halowed to the faithfull that is to say made cleane aÌ„d lawful as s Paul saith also to Titê° all things be cleane to the cleane But to the vnfaithfull aÌ„d vncleane there is nothing cleane but their mind aÌ„d consciens is defiled So that than whan the Christian taketh his meate praing and giuing thaÌ„kes to god such me ate is halowed that is to say the vse of it made lawfull for so moch as now seing that Christ is come there is no more differens to the faithfull betwene this meate and that meate as Was in thold lawe And therfor thei that forbid meates doo very euill 1 Timot. 4. And Paul writing to Timothy saith that such doctrine is the deuels doctrine and against gods word because the meate and euery creature made for mans vse is halowed that is to say the vse off it made lawfull by gods word and by praier First by the word of the creacion the which hath made all meates and all bodied things for mans vse Than also by that word that Peter hard which also was gods word And by that word also the which assuerith vs that we be frâ—…id from the lawe and that we may for our nede vse any meate geuing thanks vnto god and making praier So that the faithfull ought not at any time to take meate except praier and thankes geuing goo before See now affter what sori Paul is vnderstand So than that halowing is no nother but the cleane and lawfull vse of meate The blessing of the holy water is all full of supersticions First the salt is charmed and coniured And there is desired that the salt may be come charmed salt for the sowle helth of the bileuers and that it may be to all thos that shall take it helth of sowle and of body And than be made iij. crosses The second praier saith the like that is to say that this salt may be safetie of mind and body to all thos that shall take it and there is made one crosse The other that foloweth doth charme and coniure the water and desireth it may become charmed and coniured water to driue a way all powr of the enemy aÌ„d that it may roote vp and pluck owt the same enemy with his frogoing angels by the vertu of the same our lord Iesus Christ. And thaÌ„ be made iij. other crosses Thother praier that foloweth desireth that god wold geue the vertu of his blessing to that water And there is also made one cross and this is said that his creature seruing gods misteries may take theffectt of the godly grace to driue a way deuels and diseases And besides it desierith that that place where it shall be sprinkled may be free from all vncleanes and from all harme that it may be free from the pestilent spirite and from corrupt ayeâ—… Let all the waitelaings of the hiddeÌ„ or lurking enemies saith that third praier pack theÌ„ heÌ„s c. This blessing attributeth great powres to the water the which gods word geuith it not How can the water with wordes fownd owt by meÌ„ as thei of this halowing be doo that that we reade not that the wordes of the holy scripture which be gods wordes euer did We finde in dede that Christ aÌ„d thapostles speaking brought meruelos effectes to passe but that thei shuld haue geuen to thes wordes thei spake any powr a nother man vttering theÌ„ to work any effect we reade it not Surely all thes blessings be supersticios and wicked and doo geue to moch to the bodied things I wold faine saylom what of the blessing of the popes Agnus deies which be made of white waxe But I caÌ„ not tell with what ceremonies it is done because I haue not thos bokes wherein it is writton Yet notwithstanding master durant in his vi booke of his Rational saith that thos such Agnus deies are made of newe hallowed waxe or els of the pascal taper of the former yea are mingled with the Creame
the sacrament and not of the hole masse either thei meane of the breade and wine not yet consecrated or els affter that thei be cōsecrated Wich way so euer thei take it it is fals that thei shuld be a sacrifice for sin̄es Although I know that affter both sortis thei wold it shuld be a sacrifice both affter the consecration and before There is no dowt but affter the cōsecration folowing their opinion the bread and the wine be a sacrice For as thei think Christ all hole is there in body and in sowle and that there is no more neither bread nor wine but only Christ the which is the trew sacrifice Also that thei hold that that bread and wine is a sacrifice before the consecratiō how can thei denie it so many praiers secrets and chefely the canon affirming it The which canon in the first part praith god that he wold blesse that bread and wine and calleth them holy vntasted sacrifices in the plural nomber And in the second part that is to say in the memento he calleth them a sacrifice of praise The which is offered for the saluation of sowles And in the fourth part he calleth them an oblacyon And in the fifft he praith god that he wold vouchsafe taccept this oblacion so that it might becōe the body and blood of his best beloued sonn So that than they will that that breade and wine which are not yet cōsecrated shuld be a sacrifice for the ransoming of sowles And they pray that they may becom Christes body ād blood Iff they pray that they may become then be they not yet consecrated For whan they be cōsecrated they are become Christs body ād blood as they think and it nedeth not any more to pray that they shuld become soo becaus they be allready soo becomne That this bread and wine vncōsecrated shuld not be a sacrifice for sinnes it is an easy thing to proue For that according to tholy scripture the sacrifice for sinnes is that that hath redemed vs. For so moch as the redempcion is as moch to say as the forgeuenes of sinnes according to Paul as it is writton to the Ephesians and to the Colossians Eph. 1. Collos 1. But we be not redemed neyther with bread nor wyne but only with the blood of the vnspotted lamb christ as Peter saith in his first pistle 1. Petri 1 Yow knowe that yow were not redemed from yowr vayne conuersacion which yow toke by the tradicion of yowr elders with fadeable things as gold ād siluer but with Christes precios blood as of an hole and vndefyled lamb Is not the bread and wine vncōsecrated things fade able and corruptible How vile doth this masse make Christes redēpcion Of how litle valew his blessed blood God wold not pardon sin̄e but that there was paid so gret a price so gret a passiō so high a blood and so gret a death as that was of his sonn And they will that sinnes shuld be pardoned with bread and wine which yet are no nother but plaine breade ād plaine wine That the bread and the wine whā the consecraciō is made shuld be no sacrifice although there were no more neither bread nor wine but the body and blood of Christ Ihesus as they wold haue it I say that they be no sacrifice They be so moch lesse a sacrifice iff the bread ād the wine remaine And that they shuld be the sacrament as without dowt the Sacramēt is no nother in substās but bread and wyne consecrated that is to say appointed to the vse to which Christ appointed thē that is to sai to bring in to remembrans his body and blood That the sacrament I say is no sacrifice in what so euer sort it be a sacrament I proue it by Paul in his pistle to the hebrews Hebre. 7.8.9.10 The which if the fauorers of the masse had but supperficially vnderstand they wold neuer so boldly haue vttered that the masse or let it be the sacrament shuld be a sacrifice It is writton first in that pistle that there were in the lawe many prystes becaus thei were mortall but Christ who is immortall hath now theuerlasting pristhode and therfor can saue for euer all thos that goo to god by him alweys liuyng to that end that he may intreate god for vs. And he addeth a none affter that thos prestes or els bysshops had nede toffer sacryfyces not only for the sinnes of the peple but for their own also But it behoued that Christ shuld be vndefyled innocent the which shuld not haue nede eueri dai toffer for him selffe and affter for the peple because he dyd this ones whan he offred hym selffe For so moch as that the lawe appointeth men bisshops that haue weakenessys Psal 110. but the word of the oth that is to sai the word of god and of which Dauyd spake in the Psalme appointeth the son for euer consummate that is to say perfite By thes wordes ij things are geuen vs to be vnderstand First that none can offer a sacrifice that may auaile as before god for sinnes except Christ that is pure innocent separated from sinners perfite and euerlasting bishop who hath in such sort offered him selff that the sacrifice is the prest him selff and the priest the sacrifice it selff For that toffer sacrifice for sinnes it behoueth not only that the sacrifice shuld be cleane pure and withowt spott but it is necessary that he that offereth it shuld be him selff also cleane and that he shuld not haue nede toffer for his own sinnes It is knowen off old that among men also whan a thing is presented by the handes of one that is in displeasure of any gret lord allthough that the thing be good yet it shall not be acceptable because that he which presenteth it is not fauored Iff it be so than that he who offereth must be cleane and no sinner the prestes that say masse can not offer sacrifice for sinnes because thei be vncleane and sinners And albeit thei shuld in deede offer Christ ones again that offring could not auaile for sinnes because it is nedefull for the bringing to passe of such an effect that both th one and thother shuld be cleane and withowt spott not only the sacrfice but also the sacrificer a thing that can not be among as many as be but men in the whole world And for this cause it behoued that Christ him selff shuld be he that shuld offer and make sacrifice to god and no nother but him selff because he alone is without sinne and all the rest be sinners Than it geuyth also tunderstand that it nedeth not any more to doo sacrifice for sinnes becaus he that hath done sacrifice Christ hath satisfied hauing done ones for euer because it was perfite being the same Christ theuerlasting bisshop that offred him selff Iff that haue suffised being ones done what nedeth it to make other sacrifices or to make againe the same at other times Surely
the masse as thei think worketh thes effects And what is it to robb christ of his honor iff this be not That is to say to plucke froÌ„ him the glory of the pristhode of the intreatorship of the only sacrifice and to be short of the only redemer and sauer We haue sene how many falsedes how many supersticions wickednesses and blasphemies be therein shall it not than be a sacrilege shall it not be an abhominacion aboue all other sacrileges and abhominacions seinge it is an heape of sacrilegis aÌ„d abhominacions Yes surely shall it It is therfor clere and plaine that the masse is the gretest sacrilege and the gretest abhominacion that euer was in any world It is an easy things to proue by the things allredy spoken that it is the gret mistery of Antichrist And it foloweth necessarily that iff the masse be the gretest sacrilege and abhominacioÌ„ that euer was in the world that also it is the gret mistery of Antichrist called by Paul for the excellenci of it the mistery of iniquitie Neuertheles for more clerenes and better proffe of the thing we will say also a fewe words to this purpos It is plaine that Antichrist is the chefe child member and elect instrument of sathan 2. Thessa â—… called bi Paul the sonn of perdicion by the which the same sathan with all the meanes and weies that he can and knoweth seketh to withstaÌ„d Christ and to fight against him And this he doth chefely affter ij sortis One is openly that euery man seith The other is secretly and moch wors The open waie is with the persecucions that he doth against the seruants of Iesus Christ afflicting them tormenting them and killing them by meanes of the princes of the worlde and as it is said with the secular powr For surely thes same be no nother but the Armes of Antichrist with the which he fighteth against Christ although that the poore princes be not aware of such things but be deceiued by the Antichristians that be in their cowrtis And this maner off withstanding Christ although it be open to all men neuertheles Antichrist being full off the misteries off iniquities and off deuelissh crafftines with meruelos and most craffty pretensis and colors maketh it to seeme to be of a nother sort than it is For although this maner of persecuting Christ is all wholly wicked and Satanike yet neuertheles he geueth to vnderstand that it is a godly and a religios thing and that it is a defence of Christen religion and a keping of it persuading that Christes seruantes be heretikes and that the faithfull Christians be Lutheranes He geueth to vnderstand that he is Christes lifftenant yea that he is a God on earth and not withstanding he procureth as moch as he can that Christes doctrine shuld not come in to the light becaus it is that that discouereth him and maketh him open to the world And he wold not be knowen for him that he is that is to say for Antichrist which is as moch to say as Christes chefe aduersary Doo yow not think that this is a newe maner off making warr against a prince to serch by all meanes to beate him downe to kill all his and to ouerthrowe him vtterly And than off the other part to giue to vnderstand and make the world bileue that he workith for him that is to say to mainteine him in his state and to kepe him in his dominion What say yow Doth not this seme to be a fine art to make warr vpon one wit his most might and openly to seke to ouerthrow him vtterly and of the other side to make byleue to the world that euery thing that he doth he doth it to serue him and to doo him pleasure Euen so doth Antichrist against Christ For he withstondeth him he is his chefest and most mortal enemy and neuertheles he saith he is his LeefftenaÌ„t and doth euery thing to serue Christ and to mainteine his kingdom that is to say his church Why doo yow not now at length open your eyes Oh Christians Is it not ynough that hetherto yow haue bene so miserably and with so great losse deceiued Rise vp o God and iudge thine own caus Suffer not any longer o lord so great disorder that the peple shuld be of this sort handled Apocal. 13. Deliuer them now at length from so great a bondage from this so hard and long a tiranny The other way of making warr against Christ is more hidden and secret and is not sene as the first but it is withowt comparison moch wors and more hurtfull becaus that the first directly hurteth the bodies but this second hurteth and is deadly to the sowles For somoch as that with more craffti and secret waies he doth falsifie christes doctrine the holy gospell and the truth It taketh Gods own word geuing it fals vnderstaÌ„ding and vseth it for a weapon against Christ and the truth And this withowt feare of persecution persuadeth vnder the shewe of godlines and religion that the falsedis wickednessis and blasphemies be holy and godly things As for example that the pardons which to him that hath eies to see be an open deceite and yet he hath geuen to vnderstand that thei forgeue sinnes with bullis with visitations of churches with stacions with pilgrimagis with cordes with girdles with garmentis and such like trompery and that thes things help to euerlasting liffe And here I might haue to talck a long time and coulde iff I wold geue innumerable examples but becaus I wold not be long I haue only geuen the example of the pardons But to come to our purpos among the whole nomber of doctrines inuencions deceites craffti barterings of Antichrist there is none so wittily done with so great art and conueians as the Masse In the which Antichrist him selff hath bestowed all his witt and all his knowlege in bilding it to make it be cownted and taken for the principall worshipp of Christian religion nor one only hath not laid hand to this doing but many About the bilding off Salomons temple the which surely was done with most high wisdom the bilders were 7. yeares and than thei ended the work But abowt the bilding of the Masse how many hondreth yeares haue bene bestowed and by how many bilders One hath put to one thing a nother a nother according to the diuers Antichristes that folowe done a nother And how shuld one only euer haue bene able I will not say to make but to Imagine so great an hâ—…̄dy work Surely it coulde neuer haue bene possible And all this is done vnder color and shewe off doing a thing most choysefull and thankfull to God for the benifite off the sowles and profite off the bodies And Antichrist hath not withowt gret caus bestowed here all his whole knowlege and labor becaus that he hath well seene that principally his kingdom and rule consisteth in the same Masse as in a strong castell and in a
well defended hold And withowt dowt whan the masse is throwen to the grownd the whole kingdom of Antichrist goeth to vtter decay Therfor it is no meruell though by all meanes he can and knoweth he hath sought and doth seke a fressh to fauor hir to defend hir to kepe hir and to priuilege hir He carith not though euery other thing goo to the mischeff so that his kingdom may remaine still on foote There is no mans witt that can serch owt and moch lesse any tong declare the crafftines the suttlety the bartring falsode of this Masse nor the gret harm that it hath done sins it begann and doth continually among the Christen peple There is no pestilens there is no maner of sicknes that so infecteth the bodies as this Masse doth the sowles The pestilens killeth the bodyes this the sowles The pestilens iff it be in one citie it is not in a nother iff it be in one contry it is not in a nother iff it be at one time it is not at a nother it doth not comonly continue any long time but for a fewe monthes And it were a gret thing iff it shuld last a yeare But the disease of this Masse hath bene comon to all the Christen peple and yet is and hath continewed many hondreth yeares and yet doth I haue goone abowt in this booke to say somwhat of this masse but in dede I confesse I am no thing nigh the mark nor haue hit the point I shuld as well by reason of my dull witt as also that it is not possible that one onely man might be able to disclose so many deceites as be therein and to say so moch as the matter requireth Therfor I desire thos to whom God by his grace hath granted more vnderstanding of his things then to me that thei wil supplie my want And let it not be one only that shuld take in hand this enterprise but many becaus here is ynough to say for all the matter being most large and as it were endles And let thē not dowt a whit that this depe sea can euer be drawen owt or vtterly dried vp And thei shall doo a most thanckfull thing to God And very profitable to the Christen peple Many haue writton of this Masse and one hath said one thing a nother a nother thing but all in generalitie and no one that I knowe hath considred it particularly And therfor it could not well be knowne what maner a thing it is Therfor whan I sawe that no man toke this enterprise on him seing that no better surgen than my selff came in place becaus the rest were occupied abowt diuers other things God did put in my mind to take in hand this labor that is to say to Anatomie hir and to cōsider hir part by part And I haue done that litle that I could desiring euery faithfull and Christen reader that he will pardon me iff I haue fayled in any thing becaus to say the truth who could euer be able to say of this abhominacion so moch as suffiseth And as it displeaseth God and prouoketh his anger Iff God were so angry for the Idolatry committed by the Hebruissh peple Exod. 32. that he ponisshed thē so many wayes first in the desert for the Idolatry of the goldin calff Affterward particularly the 10. tribes in the land of promes he rooted them owt and sent them in to perpetual banisshment for their Idolatries as it is writton in the 4. of the kings 4. Reg. 17. And further the peple of Iuda was offten afflicted and striken for their Idolatries that thei did now in the hilles now in the valleys now in the groues and affterward thei were sent captiue to Babilon And in the end becaus thei sold Christ crucified him persecuted his Apostles euell handled and killed his disciples And aboue all becaus thei despised the holy gospell also the same peple were sent in to continuall banisshment and wors handled than euer was any peple vnder the heauens and withowt comparison more greuosly afflicted and ponisshed than the 10. tribes And that which is more thei be so cast off that thei shall neuer be more the peple of God as Christ foretold in theuangelistes Matht 21. Marc 12. Luc. 20. what shall become of the Christen peple that is to say of vs the which withowt cōparison as before we haue seene doo deserue moch worse The Hebrewissh peple many wayes cōmit◅ed Idolatry but we moo wayes and wi◅h greater Idolatry than thei as we haue proued but specially in this masse The Iewes old Christ one only time the massers sell hym an infinite sort of times Iudas sold him for 30. pens thes sell him for a dandy pratt The Iewes crucified him ones only and that vnwittingly not knowing that it was Christ as Paul saith in the first to the Corinthes For iff thei had knowē him 1. Corint 2. thei wold neuer haue crucified the King of glory we that knowe him and cōfesse him to be Christ doo euery day so offten putt him vp on the crosse as we saye Masses Iff thos peple that withowt cōparison haue cōmitted moch lesse Idolatrie thā we and haue lesse crucified Christ than we were so sharply afflicted and striken and aff◅er sent in to perpetual banisshmēt what shall become off vs Iff the Iewes were so euell handled and affter vtterly cast off what can we loke for for so greuos and gret an Idolatry of this Masse in the which so many wayes we offend God and wrōg Christ Wold to God that I were no prophet and did not truly foregesse And what doo I say forgesse Iff Gods word be trew as it can not be otherwise Iff God be euer the same as he euer was Iff affter the most greuos sinnes and withow repentans of the peple if affter continuall perseuerans from euell to wors allweyes and in all times there folowed and neuer fayled sharpe reuenge most great scorgis and vtter ruines what other thing shuld we conclude but that either the self same or a moch greater ouerthrowe and ruine must fall vp on vs for as moch as we haue moch more sinned and prouoked God vnto anger Ought we not now at length to knowe that how moch more slowe God is to ponissh so moch greter ponisshments he laith on And whan he beginnith to beate he striketh so moch the more greuosly we see the most mightie enemie of the Christian name which is the great Turke drawe nigh to wards vs yea that he hath driuen vs in to this corner of Europe and continually he commith on nerer vs and day by day maketh his coming on gretter And who dowteth but this is gods work with the which he threatnith vs and called vs to repentans And yet we as it were blind men not considring gods goodnes and long suffering doo heape vp and bring to gether synnes vp on sinnes hurding vp gods wrath vp on vs stirring and prouoking him to to greater
fownd them selues naked and shamfast to be sene and hauing themselues no way to be couered with cootes of skinnes So let thes with teares axe of the same God that thei may be clothed with the same most pure cleane holy and godly skinn that is to say Iesus Christ to th entent that being couered with it thei might be no more ashamed of Gods sight But this can not be done iff thei will scuse them selues It behoueth that thei accuse them selues that thei tell their own fawt that thei doo poenance and that plainely thei confesse to haue erred Affter this sort thei shall obteine this godly garment and thei shall folow Paules cowncell yea his commandement the which he teacheth writing to the Romans put on the lord Iesus Christ Roma 13. for otherwise thei shall allweys remaine naked and with shame that is to say that their consciens shall neuer be quyet but thei shall allweyes haue hell at home Wherfor o Christians euen as in the beginning of this booke I haue exhorted yow to reade it and well to consider it to th entent that yow might vnderstand the crafft off this masse so many wayes blasphemos so now in the end of the same whan yow doo clerely vnderstand the most vngratios qualities of the same that yow will wholly forsake it Hether to many not only lay men but priestes fryres and monkes haue by ignorāce fawted thinking that it had bene a thing most holy and a worship most thanckfull to God and therfor haue hawnted it not knowing it And though thei haue greuosly offēded God yet in some part thei were excusable hauing fawted by ignorance And here I doo not speake of thos the which against their conscience and knowing what maner a thing it was only for feare or other wordly respect haue dissembled bacaus that thos maner of men haue committed a great fawt albeit that thei also shall be pardoned iff thei forsake the same and doo poenance and be sory for that which is past But now that by this boke iff thei will reade it and vnderstād it all mens eyes are opened and made plainely to see with how many abuses and cursings it is not only ful but heaped iff thei shall being priestes frires or monkes any more say it or being other men shall any more heare it I say surely that thei shall be vtterly vnexcusable and damnable as thei that knowingly and willingly shall sinn euen of very purpos and shall heape vpp Gods wrath vp on them Nor it shall not help nor auayle them talleage the perell of their goodes of their howsold or of their own life For so moch as that all thes things and as many other as can be had in the world to gether with the liffe it selff compared to Christ ought to be cownted as vile yea of no valure and for his loue we must necessarly forsake them becaus he is that treasure hiddon in the felde and that precios margarite for the which we ought to sell all our goodes to bye it Math. 13. And whan we be brought to such an eschew that we must either loose all thes things with the mortall liffe or forsake Christ Who dowteth but all the rest ought to be forsaken to kepe Christ whom iff we haue we possesse God and euery good thing What doth it help man saith Christ him selff though he in dede winn the whole world and lose his sowle Math. 1◅ What a foly is this to gett other things and to loose a mans selff withowt whō nothing cā help or auayle him Off thother part let vs consider that nedes whether we will or noo we must leaue the world and this same life for we be mortal and cānot allweyes tary here but we be certen that we must nedes depart and goo owt off this contry that is to say dye and change the liffe This is a sure rule And seing that this is necessary and we can not eschewe it is it not better for Christes sake to leaue the whole the which is not in deede to loose but to gaine and to lay vp treasor in heauē nor it is not to leaue it but to put it in to his hādes to th entent that he euerlastingly may kepe it for vs Is it not better I say to doo thus thā vtterly to lose all to gether It is a thing most certen that he that looseth Christ loseth euery thing and he that possesseth him possesseth euery good thing I knowe that Antichrist with his tirantes like a roaring lion doth threaten the lābe and warreth with him persecuting his affter diuers sortis afflicting them tormenting them and in th end killing them But for all that let them work as moch as thei will and can yet they shall lose and the lambe as Iohn saith in the Apocalipse shall ouercom them Apo. 14.17 For he is the king of kings and lord of lordes that hath all powr in heauen and in earth Math. 28. And hath a name aboue all names to whom euery knee in heauen in earth Philip. 2. and in hell is bowed and there is not that can resist him Now it semeth that he slepeth but the time will come of reuenge whan yea Antichrist with his tyrantes to gether with his fals prophetes shall be cast in to the burning pitt or lake of fire and brimstone where thei shall be tormented for euer Now the poore Christians be in the handes of Antiochessis of Dioclesians of Domicians of Neroes and other cruel tyrantes and Antichristes I touch not the good princis the which tyrants haue allweyes and will afflict Gods peple But let vs O brethern haue pacience in Christ as him selff doth admonissh vs saing Math. 14. In yowr paciens possesse your sowles And he that shall continewe to th end shall be safe Let vs pray and haue trust in God through Christ for he is able to deliuer vs from the hand of our enemyes and defend vs iff it shall please him And whan we shall see apparent parell rather than to denye Christ let vs flee awaye iff we can from the vnhappy nacion But iff we can not what els is to be done but to confesse him boldly Roma 8. 2. Timo. 1.2 calling to remembrans that the trewe Christian hath not the spirite of feare but of stowtnes and powre let vs rather obey God than men the which can in deede kill the body but not the sowle Math. 10. Let vs dye for God and Christes name for this death shall be glorios and let vs remember that which we said before that nedes we must dye Let vs dye I say with the prophetes with the Apostels with the holy martirs yea with Christ him selff Why shuld we be affrayed hauing such companions so noble and glorios that haue ledd vs the way being sure that iff we shall dye to gether with them Roma 8. and with Christ we shall also to gether with them and with Christ reigne
say that he is not there is the euel vnderstanding of Christes own wordes the which he spake whā he instituted the same sacrament For one opinyon vnderstandeth them after one sort and thother after a nother so that the controuersy ād contraryetye of the opinyons is because they vnderstand not Christes wordes as they ought to be vnderstand Matth. 26. Marci 14. Luk. 22. 1. Cor. 11. Whan Christ dyd institute this sacrament he toke first the breade and called it his body saing this is my body ▪ After he toke the wine ād called it his bloode They of the first opinyō say that seing the wordes be christes in dede they cā not be fals seing he hath playnely sayd this is my body shewing the breade ād this is my bloode shewing the wyne We must nedes say that christes body ād blood be there for els his wordes should not be trewe but fals which cā not be for somoch as that Christ being the chefe trouth can not say an vntrouth He hathe sayd that the breade is his body ād the wyne is his bloode ther for it must nedes be soo And in this opinyon there be also ij diuers myndes One sayth that Iesus Christ is not only in the sacrament but wil that neyther breade nor wyne shuld remayne in the sacramēt but that both of thē should be chāged and should be cownted turnkynded that is to say transsubstātiated as they call it the which meaneth turned in to Christes body ād blood The bread in to Chrystes trew ād natural body the wyne in to his blood And thei call this turnīg or chāging trāssubstātiacyō that is to say turning of the substances in such sort as there remayneth nothing of the bread ād the wyne but the withcommes or accydētes that is to say the whytenes of the breade the rowndnes the tast the sauor And so of the wyne there remayneth the rednes if it be redd the swetenes or the sharpnes according as the tast is and so of the other withcommes the which remayne withowt any subiect that is withowt any body to be in But the substances of th one ād thother be turned in to the substāces of christes body ād blood ād this is done by myracle becaus god can doo all things And this is the opinion of the prystes and fryres of the romish church And they haue in such sort preached it that the worlde in tyme past from certen hondreth yeares hetherto haue beleued it ād cownted it as an article of the faith And woo to hym that had sayd the contrary For they wold haue cōdemned ād burnt him as an heretik And that because the pope who was taken for god on earth for Christes lefetenant and had auctoritie to make men beleue what so euer liked hym and euery man was brought to his determinacion wold nedes haue it so Certen other of the first opinion too the which holdeth that Christ is realli and bodily in the Sacrament doo saie that not witstanding that Christes body is wholly in the breade and his blood wholli in the wine yet the breade and the wine abide in their substance as before and be not turned nor changed in to a nother thing as the former opinion saith And thes maner of mē must nedes saie that at the least .iij. very great miracles must come to passe in this Sacrament The first is that Christ is wholli under that breade ād under that wine as great ād as thick as he was on the crosse and as presentli as he is in heauen This is a gret thing that a great body continewyng great shuld be inclosed in a litle thing moch lesse then the same bodi The second miracle is that Christes whole bodi and his wholle blood is in the whole bread and in the whole wine and in eueri yea the least part of th one and the other as it is said of our reasonable sowle that it is whole in the whole bodi and whole in euery part of the body in such sort as if there shuld be made x. thowsand partes of the breade ād the wine whole Christ ād his whole blood shuld be in eueri of thos diuided partes which is yea a greater thing withowt cōparison thā that of the being of the sowle in the whole bodi ād in eueri part of the bodi For allthough the sowle be in eueri part of the bodi whilest that the partes abide yoined together yet it is not in all the partes of the bodi whan thei be separated For whan one part is diuided from the body the sowle is no more in the same But Christes bodi and blood according to this opinion be in all the partis of the bread ād of the wine whan thei be yoined to gether and whan thei be diuided or sondred The third miracle is that the same body and the same blood is in heauen and in earth both at a time and is in all places of the world where the sacrament is In France in Spayne in England in Almainy in Flanders in Italy in the east in the west in this in that citie In this in that church on this The tabernacle is a litle-closet wherein the sacrament is kept nere the altare on that Altare In this in that tabernale as thei say Yea and that thei say that Christ is euery where and filleth euery thing But it is behouefull for them that put or will haue the changing of the substances of the bread and the wine that is to say that their transsubstantion to put besides thes .iij. miracles others also and to make a better marcket of miracles than thei that put it not yea a better market than the holy scripture and god maketh to whom notwithstonding belongeth to make miracles who is not so liberall of mirakels as thei be The chefe grownd worck of this first opinion is that Christ said This is my bodi shewing the breade ād This is my blood shewing the wine And therfor Christ must be in the same sacramēt For els he shuld haue spokē falsely the which cā not be Thei bring furth in dede other reasōs but thei all doo litle auaile as that same that if Christ were not in the sacrament it shuld not haue bene so gret a fawt to him that had receiued it vnworthely as Paul saith that is to say who euer eateth that breade and drinketh that wine unworthyle he eateth and drinketh Iudgement that is to say cōdemnation If Christ were not there say they it shuld not be condemnation to eate that breade and to drink that wine But the condemnacion is to him that eateth and drinketh vnworthily Therfor Iesus Christes very body and blood is there And the same Paul in the self same chapter doth call the consecrated bread the lords body and therfor they say that Christ is in that breade and in that wine Thei of this opinion to my Iudgemēt doo make no other reasons that be any thing worth Not withstanding whan
the breade and the wine doo noryssh and mainteine the life of the body so Christes body and blood receiued spiritually and thorow faith in to the mind doo norissh and mainteine vs in the spirituall life And for this cause Christ Iesus called his flessh verily meate and his blood verily drinck But if the substance of breade and wine shuld not abide but the only withcommes shuld remaine there shuld not be that liklihode and agreement which this sacrament requireth because that the only withcommes of breade and wine withowt the substances can not norissh And whan the dewe agreemēt ād likelyhode is not there thei shuld not be trewe signes and consequently thei shuld not be trewe sacraments And here it may be seene that thei of this opinion destroie the sacraments making them not to be trewe but vaine signes taking from them the growndwork of their trewe meaning A nother reason is this The third reason If Christ were bodilie in the sacrament it should be nothinge profitable forsomuch as that the onelie spirituall eatinge of Christ is that Iohan. 6. that is profitable as the same Christ himself said to them that thought whan he said that his bodie was meat ād his bloude drinke ād that it was behouefull for the hauinge of life to eat his flesh and to drinke his blode They thought I say that he ment to speake of the bodily eatinge and drinkinge sending the one and the other thorow the mouthe in to the stomake as also they beleue that hold that Christ should be personalli and bodely in the sacrament What said Christ to these maner of men The spirit is that whiche geueth life the flesh helpeth nothinge that is to saye when I saie that you must eate my fleshe ād drīk my bluode I meane that you must eat my flesh and drink my bluode spiritually ād after this sorte they geue lyfe but my flesh eaten and my blood dronken as you vnderstand it do help nothinge It is necessary for the geuing of lyfe that my flesh be eaten and my blood be dronken spiritually and not fleshly Christ is eaten and his blood is dronken spiritually as he him self declareth whē mē beleue in him And Augustine ī the exposiciō of the said words saith Crede et māducasti that is to sai beleue and thou hast eaten geuinge to vnderstād that Christs intent was when he said these words that is to sai that it was behoufull to eat his flesh and drink his blood to say that it was behouefull to beleue in him And after this sorte his body was eaten and his blode was dronken And the text it self geueth vs to vnderstand that this is trewe the which saith first that the fathers will is that euery one that beleueth in Christ should haue lyfe euerlafting And a fewe words he addeth veryly veryly I say vnto you he that beleueth in me hath lyfe euerlaftinge I am the bread of lyfe And a litle after he saith if you shall not eat the flesh of the sonne of man and drink his blood you shall not haue lyfe in you He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath lyfe euerlastinge If thes wordes spoken by Christ be trew as necessaryly thei must be trew because Christ cannot tell an vntroth It doth necessaryly folow that the eatinge his flesh and drinking his bloode is none other but to beleue in him or at the least that the eatinge his flesh and drinking his blood and the beleuing in him be things so ioyned to gether that they cannot be separate the one frō the other The reason is this becauce that if these words were not the same in sentence or ells that thei were suche as might be separated the one from the other that is to say that the one might be trew without the other we must needs say that a man might be saued and haue the lyfe euerlasting without the eating of Christs flesh and drinking his blood the which is against Christs expresse wordes who saieth that he can not haue lyfe that eateth not his flesh and drinketh not his blood Or els we must nedes saye that a man might be saued not beleuinge in Christ This is clere because Christ saith that he that eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood hath lyfe euerlasting If it be so that man is saued by eating his flesh and drinking his blood when as this eating and drinkinge be not the same that beleuinge is or els that they may be separated that is to sai that the eating and drinkinge should be without the beleuing a man then shall haue life euerlastinge without beleuing in Christ the which likewise is against Christs expresse words who will that he that bebeleueth should be saued ād he that beleueth not should be damned Seing then that the one ād the other of these two sainges be trew that is to saie that he that eateth Christs fleshe ād drinketh his blood hath lyfe euerlasting and he that dothe not this can not haue it And this other also is trewe that is to saie he that beleueth in Christ hath lyfe euerlastinge and he that doth not beleue cannot haue it It followeth of necessitie that to eate Christs flesh and to drink his blood and to beleue in him should be one self thinge or els yf they should not be the same at the least that they could not by any meanes be separated that is to saie the one to be without the other I haue made this longe discourse to make men vnderstand that these words of Christ of the eating of his flesh and drinking his blood be not to be vnderstand of the bodyly eatinge and drinking and much lesse are to be vnderstand of the eating and drinking the sacrament of the lords supper but of the onely spirituall eatinge and drinkinge and thei that alledge them of the body or els of the sacramentall eating or drinking do alledge them out of the purpose Further also to make men know the chefe purpose that is to sai that althoughe Christ were bodely in the sacramēt it should helpe nothing because that the fleshly eating after what so euersorte it should be done doth nothing proffit to the witnessing of Christ seing the spiritual eatinge onely is that which geueth life And if any wold answer and saie that when Christ said that the flesh did help nothinge that he did meane that it did help nothing whan it was eaten as they did vnderstand it to whome Christ spake that is to saie the Capernaits the which thought that he did meane to saie that they should eat his flesh as the flesh of the shambells is eaten and drink his blood as wine and water is dronk But Christ in the sacrament is eaten after suche a certene sort as he is not seane nor perceauid no nor chewed because he is in the same sacrament vndiuideably nor his flesh is not eaten nor blood dronken for to norish the body as other bodelie meates but to norishe the soule
And therfore Christ reprouid the Capernaties because thei vnderstode him euel fauoredly and not as he wold be vnderstand This answer is nothinge for whan Christ said that the flesh helpeth nothinge but the spirite is that which geueth life he ment that the only spirituall eating the which is done with the harte and with the minde thorow belefe was that which helped but the bodily and fleshly eating helped nothing after what so euer sort it should be done There is no doubt but though that Christ be not eaten in peeces and partes orels chawed as other flesh is chawed and eaten as the Capernaites did vnderstand it Yet not with standinge after what so eauer sort he should be eaten by the bodily mouth whether it were by parts or whole as they of the first opinion beleue the which will that Christ great and thick as he was vpon the wood of the crosse shuld be wholy in the sacrament that is to say in that litle host as they call it This is a fleshly aÌ„d bodely eating for so much as that a thing is no whit lesse bodely eaten whan it is put all hole into the mouth and sent into the stomake as Ionas was wholy swalowed by the whale or as the pills that be receauid whole It is no whitlesse bodely eaten I say theÌ„ if it were eateÌ„ by partes I therfor by the bodily eatiÌ„g do meane that which is not of the spirite This of the whiche they speak that is done by the mouthe is not with the minde therfor it is bodely If it be bodelie it helpeth nothiÌ„ge I wil say to be shorte that if Christ were bodily preasent in the sacrameÌ„t that his being there should be nothinge ê“fitable at all althoughe that we should eat his flesh aÌ„d driÌ„k his bluode a thousaÌ„d times for so much as that the spiritual eating and drinkinge onely the which is by faith beleuinge truely in him is that whiche helpeth The bodely and fleshly eating and drinking his body and blood the which is done by the mouth helpeth nothing They then do litle honour to Christ that wold that he should be really in the sacrament because they wold bringe to passe that Christ should haue made vnprofitable thinges the whiche we may not think much lesse speake But because we haue said that the onely spirituall eating and drinking Christs flesh and bluode is that which helpeth and not the bodely some man might saye to what purpose then did Christ institute the sacramentall eatinge and drinkinge the which is not spirituall but bodelye c. To this I answer that the sacrameÌ„t was therfore iÌ„stituted by Christ because that although the eatinge and drinkiÌ„ge of it be not spirituall but bodely yet not with standing it serueth and is profitable to the spirituall eating and drinking the whiche is by faith for so much as the sacrament doth confirme vs in faith because it is ordeyned to this end Not that it shuld already haue this power of it self but because it is an instrument or els a ministerie of the spirite ioined to the word of the holye gospell with which instrument and ministerie the same spirite worketh in vs And it is not necessarye that Christ should be bodelye in the sacrameÌ„t to serue for the eating and drinkinge spiritually and by faith it is enoughe that the bread and the wyne as holye signes be there for vs as we will better tell you in the last reason And whan I say that the spirituall eating and drinkinge onelye is proffitable and not the bodelie I meane of the bodely eating of the same trew bodye and of the bodely drinking of the trew bloude of Christ put into the mouth as the Capernaites did meane and as they affirme the which wold haue Christ to be really in the sacrameÌ„t both in bodye aÌ„d soule I do not meane of the sacramentall eating the which without doubt is profitable when it is ioyned with the spirituall And whan it is not ioyned it is not onely not profitable but it is damnable as Saint Paule saieth in the first to the Corinthians because it is vnworthelie receaued 1. Corin. 11. If Christ then be not really in the sacrament the substances of the bread and the wine be much lesse chaunged but do both abyde in substance as be fore The fourth reason Another reason is this and it is particularlie against the opinion of transsubstanciation that is to saye of them that would that the bread and the wine shuld be chaunged into Iesu Christes bodye aÌ„d blode aÌ„d that there shuld remaine no more of the bread and the wine but the withcommes that is to saye the white coloure of the bread the coloure of the wine the taste of the one and the other the roundnes or other forme of the same bread And so we will saie of the other withcommes that is to saie of the moystines drines heat and could This opinion cannot stand with those effectes that we may manifestlie see and that experience it self doth shew vs. First the sacrament is hable to norishe bodelie wherfore if there were one that should eat a quantitie of hostes and wine consecrated they wold norishe as other bread and wine not consecrated Further it is seen by experience that the sacrament somtimes is corrupted and wormes be ingendered in it as in other bread and wine not consecrated But how caÌ„ these effects be wrought this opinioÌ„ standinge of the chaunginge of the bread and the wine into Christs body and blood the onely withcommes of the bread and the wine remayning How can the withcommes norish without the substance What is to norishe but that the substance of the meat and drink is turned into his substance that eateth and drinketh it Seurly the withcommes without substance cannot norishe because that norishing meaneth chauÌ„ging of the substaÌ„ce of the meat into the substaÌ„ce of the thinge norished we caÌ„not now say that the substaÌ„ce of Christs bodie aÌ„d blood should be that which should norishe because that the thiÌ„ge that norisheth is as we haue said coÌ„uerted iÌ„to the substaÌ„ce of hiÌ„ that receaueth it Christes body aÌ„d bluod â—â—iÌ„g iÌ„mortal aÌ„d vncorruptible be not receiueable of such chaunges Like as we haue said of the norishemeÌ„t we wil say of the ingeÌ„deringe the which we may see is made in the sacrameÌ„t wheÌ„ the wormes be engeÌ„dered How caÌ„ a substance be engendered of the only withcommes Here thy of this opinion be intangled and they answer some after one sorte and some after another Innocentius the thirde in his booke of the office of the masse saith that euen as the substance of the bread is miraculously turned into the substance of Christs body the withcommes only of the bread and the wine remaininge so the substance of the bread of the which the wormes or any other thinge might be engeÌ„dered may miraculouslie returne Egidius Romanus in his Theoremes of Christs bodie saith that such an engeÌ„deriÌ„ge is nat miraculous but natural for
because saith he that the reasonable mīde althoughe it be made by god onelie yet not with stādīge for as muche as god hath disposed ād ordened that after the bodie of the creature be fashioned in his mothers wōbe the reasonable soule is put into the same creatures bodie ād this is a natural poinct by the reasō of gods order takē therin ād if it were otherwise it shuld be a gainst the order of nature Euen so seinge that god hath ordeined that the withcōmes shuld be grownded in the substance as soone as the withcommes of the bread and the wine be corrupted immediatly by the natural order that he hath geuē to things doth creat the matter ād doth put it vnder thother withcommes newlie brought in of the which matter the wormes be after engendered Some other say that a norishinge matter may be engēdered in the priests stomake the whiche with the sacramēt receaued may easely norishe although the formes that is to say the withcommes of the bread and the wine of them selfes should not norishe Certein other haue said that euen as god by miracle hath made that the withcomes of bread and wine should be without subiect as though they were substances so he geueth them the nature of the substāces of the bread and wine that is to say that the wormes may be engēdered of the withcommes and so we must say that by miracle substances may be engendered of things whiche be no substances although such a matter be imposible by nature But what dreames what imaginacions and let them pardō me what mōsters be these who maketh thē fuer that it is so as for example frō whence gathereth Innocentius that the substance of the bread should miraculously returne And Egidius Romanus that god should creat new matter and should put it vnder the withcōmes newly brought in and vnder the shape of a thinge newly engēdred And those other that a norishinge matter should be engendered in the stomake And finally the last of all that by gods might a substance should be engendered of the withcommes If in a matter of our faith we wil after this sorte dallie ād gesse at a vēture without the holy scripture we may thēn settforth and affirme al that we list as thoughe it were trew ād tel as many phātasies and fables I will not say follies as shall come in oure head We ought not to dresse vp gods things after oure maner ād as toies come in our braine but we must handle them with fear and reuerence ād with gods words and walk suerly not accordinge to oure owne phātasies Without doubt this Imaginatiō of the chaunginge of the substance of the bread and wine into Christs bodie ād blode and that the onely withcomes of the bread and the wine remaine is false but the substances of the bread and wine remaine for if they should not remaine these euident and open effectes could not be wrought that is to saie the norishinge ād new ēgēderinge which be made The cause whie they speak thus that is to say without ani maner of groundeworke ād be forced to graunt to mani incōueniences is because they defend an euell and an vniust cause and therfore they must graunte many inconueniences And in dede as it is commenly said they wote not what they fishe for beare with me you readers seing I tell the trueth Another reason is this The fift reason God is not wont to work miracles but for to cōfirme the faith of the beleuers ād his doctrine as it is writtē in sainct mark in the end of his gospell Marci 16. And the miracles that Christ worketh for to confirme his word and the faith of the beleuers be seealbe thinges as it is manifest lokinge thorow all the miracles that Christ and the Apostels wrought as geuing sight to the blinde clensinge the leepers makinge the domme to speak the lame to go healing the feuered and the other sick reising the dead walking on the water of the sea cōmaūdinge the wīds chaunging the water into wine driuing awaie the deuels satisfyng with a few loaues ād certeine fishes many thousand persons All these miracles were seen and therfore did confirme the doctrine of the holy gospell but if they had bene secret that none had seene them they had helped nothing to that matter that is to saie to confirme the faith of any Seing it is thus then that god therfore worketh miracles to confirme his doctrine and the faith of the beleuers and the miracles could not work such effects if they were not openly seen to what purpose then shuld Iesus Christ as great and as thick as he was vpon the wood of the crosse and as he is preasently in heauen be hidden whole vnder a small cake and a litle wyne much lesse without comparison then his bodye is and all his blood To what purpose were it to work this most great miracle that it should not be seen when it were ones done to what purpose were it to work that other that Christ should be whole in the whole sacrament and whole in euery parte of the sacrament as though he were a spirite to what purpose were it to work that Christ should be bodely in heauen and in earth here ād on all the aultars where the masse is saide to what purpose were it that the bread and the wine should be turned into Christs body and blood To what purpose were it that the withcommes of the bread and the wine should abide without a subiect as thoughe they were substances All these most great and stonishinge myracles and greater then euer Christ wrought or that euer were hard of must nenedes be if Chist himself should be inclosed bodelie within that sacramēt ād yet not with standing no one of these miracles were euer seene as they are not nor can be possibly seene Seing then that such miracles cannot be seen to what end to what proffit or to what purpose should they be wrought when they are not hable nother to confirme Christs doctrine nor oure faith shall we saie that Christ wold work miracles and such miracles as were neauer the greater without any maner of profit suerly no if We wold not make god now lesse wise than men the which if thei haue reason will neauer do a thing that they be not perswaded is to purpose and profit for some end We must then saie that Christ is not bodely present in the sacrament but he is in heauen where he sitteth on the right hand of the father from whence he must come at the latter day to iudge the liuing and the dead And this may be another reason to proue that Christ The sixt reason in as muche as he is man is not personally in the sacramēt because the article of oure faith saith that he is ascēded īto heauē frō whence he shall come to iudge the liuing ād dead If Christ were really ī the sacramēt what should he nede on the latter
day to come so farr of that is to say from heauen he beinge neerer on the earth what ells neded but that he shal goe out of some coÌ„secrated cake orells hoste as they name it and appere in maiestie aÌ„d glorious Suerly it nedeth not that a thiÌ„ge which is nere vs should come to vs froÌ„ a farr of aÌ„d it can not be denied but a thinge froÌ„ at haÌ„d may lightlyer and easelier If it be not lett come to vs then froÌ„ a farr of Christ therfore is not in the sacrament nor there is not made any maner of chaunge of substance Another reason is this the opinion that saith Christ is bodely in the sacrament diminisheth the trueth of Christs trew and naturall bodye therfore it is false It is clere that the Christian religion holdeth for an article of the faith that Christ is a trew and naturall maÌ„ that is to say Luc. 24 that he hath the very nature of a man and that he hath a very body and a very soule as other men haue And althoughe presently th one and the other that is to say the body aÌ„d the soule be glorified neuertheles they be yet a very bodye aÌ„d a very soule For the glorification taketh not awaie the nature It maketh it in dede more ê‘fit but it taketh it not awaie so as it is not the self same that it was before as we vnderstand by Christ himself who being risen and hauing taken his glorified body said to his disciples behold my hands and my feet that it is euen my self Suerly he should not haue bene the self same that he was before if he had not had the self same hands the self same feet and the self same whole body and the self same soule that he had before That that opinion which holdeth that Christ is bodely in the sacrament diminisheth the trueth of Iesus Christs bodye and his mans nature I do proue it because the nature of a body hath two properties or conditions the first is to haue quantitie that is to say some maner of lenght some maner of bredth and some maner if thicknes and euen as a body hath greater or smaller quantitie so much greater or smaler place it occupieth as by eyperience we may see And his propertie agreeth and is naturall to euery body in such sorte as also the glorified bodies do occupye place that is to saye that the greater glorified body occupieth greater place and the lesse body lesse place euen as Christ Iesus when he was risen did occupye place that is to say he was in so much place as the quaÌ„titie and greatnes of his body was nor he was not in any less place then the greatnes of his bodye was For so much as that this that is to saie to be in lesse place then the quantitie of the body is should diminishe the trueth of the body The other propertie is to be onely in one place And these properties be in such sort natural to a body that thei caÌ„not by any meanes be separated froÌ„ it and when a maÌ„ separateth them from the bodye then shall it be no more a bodye These among the rest be two properties that make the bodye vndyuidehable as the philosophers sai that is to saie thei make that the bodye is an vndyuidehable thinge that is to say onely one other this or that distincte and dyuers from other And that these two properties that is to saye to occupy place and so much as the quantite and greatnes of the body is and likwise that a body cannot be but in one place at ones and at one tyme be in separable from the bodye nor there can be no maner of body that hath them not whether it beglorified or no. We speak not this of oure self onely for Saint Augustine saith it in his 57. epistle answering to dardanus the bishop who had made certain questions or demauÌ„ds to him and he answering him to one after another sayth to the first speaking of Christe risen and glorified doubt not sayth he but the man Christ Iesus is now there froÌ„ whence he shall come And after a few words he sayth he shall come froÌ„ none other place then froÌ„ whence he shall come to iudge the lyuinge and the dead and meaneth from heauen And so he shall come by the witnes of the Aungels voice in the self same forme aÌ„d substance of flesh in the which he was seen go into heaueÌ„ to the which forme and substance in dede he hath geuen immortalitie but he hath not taken away the nature we must not think that according to this forme that is to saye of the flesh he is spred abrode euery where for we must take hede that we do not in such sorte affirme the godhed of the man that we should take away the troth of the bodye for so much as it doth not in dede folow that he that is in god should be so euery where as god And after a few words he saith God aÌ„d man is one person and one Christ Iesus is th one and thother In that that he is god he is euery where but in that that he is man he is in heaueÌ„ And after about the middest of the Epistle or a litle before he saith Take the rowmes of places froÌ„ the bodies aÌ„d they shal not be in any place aÌ„d because they shall not be in any place they shal not be at all take the same bodies from the qualities of bodies and there shall be no place where they should be and therfore it is of necessitie that thei be not Also he saith in the 30. treatise vpon Ihon the lord is aboue but yet the troth is here that is to sai the lord because that the bodye of the lord in the which he is risen must nedes be in one place but the troth of the same is spred abrode euery where By all these words of Augustine we haue specially two thinges The first is that Iesus Christ risen and glorified is not in that he is man but in one place that is to say in heauen from whence he shall come to iudge the lyuing and dead in that he is god he is euery where in the world The second is that the bodies of necessitie do occupye rowme of place aÌ„d if they did not occupy rowme they should not be in any place and being in no place they should not be any thing at all but should be nothinge this groundwork standing that these two properties that is to saye that euery body doth occupy so much place as his greatnes is and likewise it is not at one tyme but in one place And these two properties cannot be taken from bodyes And he that wold take them awaye should bring to passe that the bodyis should not be in anye place as S. Austen sayth and if they should not be in any place thei should be nothing It foloweth necessaryly that if Christ were bodely in the sacrameÌ„t for somuch as there
these as those except luke and paule did tell a lye which is not to be spoken Therfore we must nedes graunt that that cupp was turned into the new Testamēt or els at the least that the new Testament was in that cup the which is not trew for the new Testamēt is not the cupp nor is not in it but it is the ordinaunce or disposition the which god made to leaue to his elect childrē the euer lasting wealth that is to say the forgeuenes of sinnes the freing frō all euell the euerlasting lyfe ād the possessiō of euery good thing If thes be incōueniēces as we may see thē their opiniō is false The last reason is this The tenth reason Christ mai be eatē ād his bluod drōk onely two waies that is to say spiritually and sacramentally the which sacramentall eating therfore as we haue said serueth and is profitable to the spirituall eating I do not fynde after what other sort except these two we may eat Christ and drink his bluod But to eat Christ and drink his bluod after thes two sortes we nede not to put him really into the mouth nother his body nor his bluod therfore it is not necessary that Christ shuld be really in the sacrament That Christ may be eaten and his bluod dronk after these two sortes though that he really in body ād in soule be not in the sacrament I proue it thus First to receaue his body and his bluode spiritually we nede not to receaue hym by the bodely mouth it sufficeth to receaue him by faith that is to say to beleue in him as we proued before in the third reason nor it nedeth not I say for to eate his body ād drink his bluode after this sort that we should put ether the one or thother into the bodely mouth this is plaine because that such eating and drinking is done with the spirite and with the mynde And this the aduersary will not deny That also it is not necessary for the receauing him sacramētally that he shuld be really in the sacrament I proue it by the Apostle paule who saith to the Cor. that the hebrue is he people were baptised aswel they 1 Corin. 10 as we althoughe vnder other signes then oures because that we be baptised with water and that people sayth paule was baptised with the cloude dni with the sea passing thorow the middest of the read sea and that cloude that couered them and the red sea thorow the middest wherof thei al passed was to thē baptisinge where we may note that according to paule not onely they of full age were baptised but the children also because that all were couered with the cloude ād all passed thorow the middest of the sea I desired to say these few words for their sakes that be seduced by the wicked spirit of the Anabaptisticall error who being led about by sathan do denye the baptisme of children If the hebrues children were baptised in token that they were also of gods people for what cause should not now our childrē be baptised being no lesse of gods people thē they and being no lesse redemed by Christ thē they of full age this I desired to say by the waye After paule addeth in the same place that all did eat the self same spirituall food ād dronk all the self same spirituall drink And he calleth that spirituall meat or els foode whether you wil call it the paschal lamb and chefely the manna the which meates they all did eat and he calleth the spirituall drink that water which came out of the rock And he addeth that that rock was Christ that is to say did signifie Christ That spirituall foode that is to say the paschall lamb and the Manna did also signifie Christ as the water did betoken him although paule doth not expresly speake it And to be short he meaneth that the hebrueish people did aswell cōmunicate with those signes as we do that eat the sacramentall bread and sacramentall wyne And paule meaneth in his tong that all did eat and drink Christ sacramentally for so much as that to eat a thing sacramentally is none other but to eat the sacrament of the same Well now if that people did eat Christ and drinke his blood sacramentally when they did eat the paschall lamb and the manna and drunk that water that rann out of the rock the which things were a sacrament of Christ as the bread and the wyne be to vs and did signifie the same as paule sayth and Austen expoundeth it in the 45. treatyse vpon Iohn saing that those sacraments did signifie the self same that oures doo althoughe after an other sort And yet not withstanding they did not eat Christs body nor drink his bluod really putting thē in to the mouth What is the cause that we mai not also eate his body and drink his bluod sacramētally without eating or drinkinge him really and bodely forso much as that to eat or drink Christ sacramentally is none other but to receaue with the mouth his sacramēt And to be à sacrament it is not nedefull that the thing signified should be in the same sacrament and much lesse that there should be made any turninge of the substāces of the signes And it is enoughe that the sacrament should be a signe of the same that is to sai that it should signifie it according to the definition of a sacramēt which sayth Sacramentum est sacrae rei signum that is to say A sacrament is a signe of a holy thinge It is plaine that Christ as man was not really in the hebrues sacraments because he was not yet ether borne or incarnated And how could his body and his bluod be in those sacraments seing his body and bluod were not yet And yet paule saieth that they did eat the self same spiritual meat ād the self same spiritual drink that is to say Christ spiritually Certein expound paules text of the spirituall eating and drinking of that people that is to saye by faith but because that all did not eat and drink spiritually and by faith for so much as that a great parte of them as paule affirmeth in the text were vnbeleuers ād yet he sayth that all did eat the self same spirituall meat ād drink the self same spirituall drink I haue therfore expounded it of the sacramentall eating and drinkinge of the which all aswel beleuers as vnbeleuers did eat ād drink and not of the spiritual that is to saie by faith the which belōged to the beleuers onely And thoughe paule calleth that meat and drink spirituall yet he meaneth not that it should be spirituall in it self as that which is of faith is in dede spirituall but he calleth it spirituall as to the signification and as to the vse that is to say that it was apointed to signifie Christ who is a spirituall and an holy thinge as oure sacraments may be called spirituall things be cause they be appointed to spirituall
things There was not withstanding difference betwene those sacraments ād oures because that thei beside that they were apointed to spirituall things serued also for the bodely things that is to say to the necessitie of the present lyfe for so much as the manna and the water were their dayly meat and drink so that they had two vses the one spirituall because it was to them a sacrament the other bodely the which serued to the necessitie of their bodyes Our sacraments be not so the which be taken onely for the spirituall vse that is to say for sacraments and not for the necessitie of the body To cōclude therfore I saie that seing Christ cānot be eatē nor drunke but after one of these two sorts that is to say spiritually and by faith and then sacramentally also And after these two sortes Christ may be receaued though he be not really that is to say in body and in soule in the sacramēt It is not therfore proffitable and much lesse necessary to affirme such reall being in the same sacrament They that say that Christ is really in that host and in that cup do not know what meaneth to eat and drink Christ sacramentally for so much as that to eat and drink sacramētally as we haue said is none other but to receaue the sacrament that is to say the signe of the holy thinge and doth not meane to take bodely the self same thinge that is represented by the sacrament I might if I wold and did not feare to be tedious to the readers make dyuers other reasons also but it nedeth not and those that we haue made do suffice But let vs put the case that we had made no one reason to proue this oure negatiue that is to say that Christ is not really in the sacrament nor there is not made any turninge of the bread and the wyne into his body and bluod nor that we had not alledged any saing of the scripture the which not withstanding god ayding vs we haue sufficiently done let vs put the case I say that we had done no one of those things yet they of the contrary opinion should not by this haue had their purpose because that it doth not belong to vs to proue our negatiue but it belongeth to them to proue there affirmatiue For eueri one that affirmeth any sainge is boūd if he speak reasonably to proue it If it were not already so plaine that euery man might see it He that denyeth is not boūd to proue his negatiue It is not enough for a mā of what so euer aucthoritie he be for to be beleued to say it is so the matter stādeth thus but he must proue his affirmatiue sainge chefely if it be a matter of weight ād pertaining to faith as this is Nor it is not enough nether to be hable to defend and maintaine it for so much as that many false opinions be with witt with distinctions with wrangelinges and intangelinges defended as thoughe they were true We mai see this by experience in the schoole doctoures and questionists for few or none of them do agree to gether but they be of contrary and d◅uers opinions and alwaies euery one of them defendeth his oune fantasies and they striue cōtinually and it is neauer knowen who hath the right and they confound the minds of men they lose the tyme and cause other also to lose it I desire then of these maner men that they wold proue this their rule or opinion that is to say that Christ is bodely in the sacrament and that the substance of the bread and the wyne be turned into his body and bluod I desire that they wold proue it me other by reason or such aucthoritie as I should be boūd to beleue This my request is iust reasonable and honest By reason they can not proue it this is clere and themselues by agrement do confesse it by aucthoritie how do they proue it They bring furth the old doctours they alle◅ge the determinations of popes and of Councels the common opinion of the churche last of all they alledge Christs words when he did institute the supper that is to say this is my body shewinge the bread and this is my bluod shewinge the wyne and Christs sainge also in S. Iohn Io. 6. that is to saye I am the bread of lyfe I am the lyuinge bread that am come doune from heauen and he that eateth of this bread shall lyue for eauer And the bread which I shall geue is my flesh which I will geue for the lyfe of the world And after truely truely I say vnto you if you eat not the flesh of the sonne of man and drink not his bluode you shall not haue lyfe in you he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath lyfe euerlastinge And further my flesh is veryly meat and my bluode is veryly drink these be the aucthorities that thei alledge To the which aucthorities I answer and first to those of the old doctours that is to say as for exāple of Ireneus Tertulian Cyprian Origen Hilary Athanasius Basill Iōh Chrisostom Gregory Nazianzene Gregory Nicene Cyrill Ambrose Iherom Augustine And such other holy fathers the which labored for Christs church in wrytinge bokes expounding the scripture disputinge against heretiks preachinge and teachinge wherby they do in dede deserue to be honoured for their lerninge and holynes but I say that no one of them nor of the other anucients was cauer of this opinion that Christ should be bodely in the sacrament and much lesse that the substances of the bread and wyne should be turned into his body and bluod but in dede they haue sayd the contrary And thoughe somtyme it semeth that they should affirme that the bread and the wyne be Christes body and bluode yet this is for none other cause but that they speak of the sacraments after the maner of the scripture the which doth call them by the name of the thinges signified by them as we oftē finde that Augustine did Who very often hath declared such maner of speches as we will tell here after And let vs admit also that all the old doctours had bene of that opinion and that all the world wold say it yet ought we not to beleue them if thei bringe not furth the witnes of the holy scripture because that this is a thinge pertaining to faith and faith is ground wrought onely vpon gods worde as paule saith to the Romains Ro. 10. faith cōmeth of hearinge but hearinge is by the worde of god he doth not say by the word of men the whiche may all err but he sayeth it commeth of gods word and the holy scripture is gods worde Let them alledge vs in such thinges the holy scripture and we will beleue them els not And if any wold say and the scripture also was made by men therfore we ought not to beleue it I answer that the scripture is writ-told and made by the holy
wyne not to meane that the bread should be in dede Christes body and the wyne Christes bluod He meaneth not this But he meaneth that therfore the bread is called Christes body and the wyne his bluod because thei be sacramētes and signes of Christes body ād bluod Also in a boke the which is against Adimantus the Maniche in the xij chapter Augustine sayth Against Adimantus ca. 12 The lord doubteth not to sai and he speaketh of Christ this is my body when he gaue the signe of his body Here Austen plainly expoundeth this sainge of Christ that is to say this is my bodye that is as muche to saye as this is the signe of my body The 3. boke cap. 16. And in the third boke called de doctrina Christiana in the xvi he sayth that if that thinge whiche Christ commaundeth shall seme strange inconuenient or euell done then we ought not to vnderstand such speach accordinge to the letter but figuratyuely And geuinge the examples of these words of Christ that is to say If you eat not the fleshe of the sonne of man and drink not his bluod you shall not haue lyfe in you He saith that such speche ought not to be vnderstand accordinge to the letter because that vnderstanding it according to the letter it is a disagreable and an inconuenient thinge that is to say that the flesh of a man should be eaten and his bluod dronk And therfore it ought to be vnderstand soundly that is to say that Christ did not meane of the eating of his flesh and drinkinge his bluode fleshly but spiritually beleuinge in him and hauinge remembraunce of so great a benefit as he hath wrought vs sufferinge and dyinge for vs. And this is the eatinge and drinking that Christ ment of And to eat and drinke after this sorte It nedeth not that Christ should be really in the consecrated bread and wyne The thirty treatise vpō Ihon. but onely that the faith of Christ should be in vs. And in the xxx treatise vpon Iohn he sayth The lord is aboue that is to say in heauen but the lord that is the trueth is also here Christes body in the which he rose must nedes be in one place but his troth is euery where and he meaneth by the troth Christes godhead And in the epistle which he wryteth to dardanus he sayth he shall come for to iudge the lyuinge and the dead in the self same forme that he ascēded into heauen to the which forme he hath seurly geuen immortalitie but he hath not taken away the nature of it we may not thinke that according to this maner of forme that is to sai mans he should be spred abrode euery where For we must take hede that we do not so affirme his god head that we take away the truth of his body for it followeth not that that which is in god should be so euery where as god Of these two saings of Austen the which before we haue also alledged in the seauenth reason is concluded that Austen wil not that Christes body may be in more then one place at one tyme he will in dede that his god head should be euery where but not his manhode the whiche is in one onely place that is to say in heauen The master of the sentences glosinge or els expounding certeyn sainges of Augustine in the fourth of his sentences the tenth distinction where he bringeth furth amongst his other sainges this In the 4. of the sentences the tenth distinction that is to say that Christs body may be in one place but the trueth is spred abrode euery where he sayth that Christes body may be in one placeseable in mans forme but his truth that is to say his godhed is euery where vpon Ihon the sixt And he addeth the truth also of the same that is to say his very body is on euery aultare in euery place where men celebrate Sauinge his reuerēce this is not to set forth Austen mynd but it is to geue it straūge senses that he neauer ment and it is in dede a maiminge of his saings Austē by that word troth meaneth Christes godhed the whiche is powred abrode euery where and doth not meane the bodye and yet he doth notwithstāding expounde it for the body the whiche is as he sayth on all the aultares where thei celebrat And so he doth with many other saings of S. Augustine in the sayd distinction and in other where he speaketh of the matter of the thanks geuing mayming S. Augustines sainges and calling those heretikes that say the contrary that is to say that hold not that Christes bodyly presence is in the sacrament But we will let him glose at his will and say what pleaseth him And it is to be maruelled-at that he should so lightly and without reason pronounce these to be heretiks that speak nothinge contrary to gods word but they do in such sorte honoure it as they do not alow in the matter of religion and faith any more then so muche as the same word speaketh not mindinge to stand to mens opinions except they be agreable with the holy scripture The master of the sentences here geueth an vniust and a wicked iudgement But in the third boke of the trinitie The third boke of the trinite ca. 10. Augustine sayth that no myracle happeneth about the sacrament of Christes body and bluod If it be so that according to Saint Augustine there chaunceth no myracle about that sacrament he then beleued not that Christ shuld be bodelye in the sacrament for if he had beleued it he wold neauer haue sayd that there was no myracle but he wold haue sayd that there happened many and most great myracles as before in the fifth reason we haue seene Well it is playne then after Austens mynde that Christ is not really in bodye and in soule in the sacramēt but he calleth the cōsecrated bread ād wyne Christs bodye ād bluod because they be signes of his bodye and bluod not that they should be really and in dede his true body and bluod because he will that those should be in heauen and not on the earth in the sacrament We might if we wold alledge the other old doctours as Ireneus Tertullian Origen Cyprian Ambrose Ierome and Chrysostome all the whiche be of the self same opinion but let S. Austen suffise vs who amonge all the rest is the most faythfull witnes of all the auntientie And this we do to be shorte not withstandinge if any wold see these doctours sainges let him loke vpon Ireneus who herd Policarp Ihō the Euāgelistes disciple in the fourth ād fift boke that he maketh against heresies Let him loke vpon Tertullian that was next to Ireneus in the first fourth and fift boke against Martian the heretike Let him loke vpon Origen vpon leuiticus the seauenth and nynth homely Let him loke vpon Ambrose in the eleuenth chapter vpō the first epistle to the
is god the maker of nature can bringe it to passe in his body that is to saye that first the bread should be turned into his bodye and the wyne into his bluod and after then that it should be whole in the whole hoste and in the cupp and whole in euery parte of the sacrament and that it should be in dyuers places If he can do those thinges and will doo them as we vnderstand by the words of the sacrament the whiche say this is my bodye shewing the bread and this is my bluod sh◅winge the wyne then they be done because it is written in the psalme Quaecunque uoluit fecit dominus All thinges that the lord wold do he did I answer first to the reason it self and after I will speake of the similitudes To the reason that is to say if god can do it therfore he hath done it I say that it awayleth not and it is already answered before in oure seauenth reason that god doth not all that he can do as we geue the example of the twelue thousand legions of Aungels the which god if he wold could haue sent to help Christ and yet he sent them not God can bringe to passe that we all maie walke vpon the sea without shippes as some tyme Christ did And as it is written in the boke of wysdom and yet he doth it not Oure question is not whether god can do it or no but it is whether god hath done it or no. Thei saiyes and we saye no It belongeth to them to proue that he hath done it and that he doth it a fresh the which they shall neauer do nor can neauer bringe it to passe by gods word this is a suer rule Concerninge that they go aboute to saye that god had desire to do it this is not onely false but most false What reason is this Christ sayd this is my body shewinge the bread and this is my bluod shewinge the wyne therfore he will that the bread should be turned into his body and the wyne into his bluod or at the least that he should be in the sacrament in such sort as they say This reason doth not deserue any answer for so much as Christ by these words ment not to saye any other but that the bread and the wyne were a sacramēt and signes of his body and bluod and ment not to saye that which they affirme as before we haue so often declared The exāples or similitudes that they bringe furth be not to the purpose and thei be rather dissimilitudes then otherwise The example of Moyses rodd turned into the serpent and after the serpent turned into the rod and of the waters turned into bluod it is not like because the serpent Note further that in turninge of Moyses rod of the water into bluod and such other myracles the senses did witnes the chaunge of the thinges which holdeth not in the transubstantiation into the which the rodd was turned was not before but was newly made Likewise that bluod into the which the waters were turned was newlye made and was not before but Christes body and his bluod were and be before the bread They put certayne turninges against nature not maruelous but rather monstrous and Imaginatiue Let them geue me but one example in the hole scripture that god eauer turned one thinge into another that was before they shall not fynde it How dare they then be so bold to affirme such a thinge yea that which is more to go aboute to make men beleue it as an article of the fayth and yet thei cannot neather proue it by gods worde nor bringe furth any example that eauer any lyke thinge was done The example of the heauen that it is in oure eye which is litle is nothinge worthe because the heauē is not really in oure eye but there is onely the image or the similitude of the heauen the which similitude is litle as the eye nor it is not vnconuenient that the similitude or the Image of a great thinge shuld be litle as the Image of Cesar was in the coyne that was shewed to Christ by the pharisees the Image of Cesar was in that coyne the which was much lesse then Cesar himself and neuertheles it did represent Cesar who was great and much greater then that Image We will say the like of the Image of the man in the glasse the which althoughe that it be muche lesse then the man yet it doth represent the man This is no great matter that the Image of agreat thinge should be litle but it should be agreat matter that agreater body should be conteined in one much lesse as they say of Christ that great and thick as he was vpō the wood of the crosse and as presently he is in heauen he should be whole conteyned in a litle cake They that geue these examples of heauen and of the thinges that be seen in glasses do not proue that agreat bodye is conteyned in a litle as they say of Christ that he is conteyned in the hoste but they proue onely the Image or similitude of agreat thinge may be whole in a litle thinge the which we denie not but if the similitude or image of agreat thinge be in a litle thinge this is because that that Image it self also is litle and no greater then that body wher in it apereth yea it is lesse so that these exāples be not to the purpose To the other similitudes I say also that they auayle not that of the soule that it should be whole in the whole bodye and whole in euery parte of the bodye This is because the soule seing that it geueth lyfe to all the bodye as it is playne must nedes be in euery parte of the bodye for so much as that seinge it geueth lyfe not onely to the whole body but to euery parte of the same It is necessarye that it should be in all the partes because that if it were not in any parte that parte should not be a lyue And because that the soule wheresoeauer it is of necessitye it must be whole there being vndyuidable and not hauing partes because it is a spirite there fore it is necessary that the soule be whole in the whole and whole in euery parte of the body but Christes body not being a spirite and hauinge many partes beinge longe brode and thinke cannot be whole in the whole and whole in euery parte of the place where he is and as it is repugnaunte to a bodye to be a spirite so is it repugnant to it to be vndeuydhable in a place To the other similitude of oure face the which is whole in the whole and whole in euery parte of the glasse after this sorte that is to saye that when the glasse is broken the Image of the face is in euery peece of the glasse I say they be deceaued nor it is not true that one Image is in all those peeces of the glasse when it is
that masse where he that saith it onely taketh the sacrament and doth not deale it to the people We must vnderstand that in old tyme the masse was not said as it is now said as before we haue noted in the bocke of the Anatomy for so moch as that the masse then was no nother but the ceremony of the lords supê‘ the which was dealt to the church and the mynyster did not take it alone as hath bene vsed froÌ„ certeÌ„ hondreth yeares hetherto against Christes expresse ordynaÌ„ce aÌ„d coÌ„maundement who sayd whan he did institute the sacrament that thei should take it and dyuide it amoÌ„g theÌ„ and not that one alone should receue it Thei sawe that this mass was that wych made theÌ„ rych aÌ„d mighty It multiplied the churches reuenewes aÌ„d in th end it made theÌ„ lyue in delytes as before in the boke of the anatomy in the chapter of the abuses of the masse we haue sayd And for to wyne theÌ„ credite and bring to passe that the people should be inclined to theÌ„ and shuld haue deuocioÌ„ to theÌ„ there could not be found a thing more to the purpose then to geue men to vnderstand and make the comoÌ„ sort beleue that Christ shuld be in the sacrameÌ„t and that there shuld be made a turning of the substances of the bread aÌ„d the wyne into his body and bluod and to saie that there be so many myracles and to make the thing so great and wonderfull Thei were sure that if the people were persuaded that Christ were not in the sacrament but that there were only the bread and the wyne as holy signes thei wold haue cared littell for it nor they wold neuer haue beleued that the masse shuld haue so many vertues as thei haue geueÌ„ to vnderstand And thei should not haue had that vnmesurable gaine ther shuld not haue bene drawen out of that golden well thoes infinite richesses Let euery man that hath reason and is without affection consider aÌ„d he shal find as much as I sai to be true This is a sure rule if the people did not beleue Christ to be in the sacrament and were not I meane the people bewitched with some straÌ„ge Imagination that thei wold make lytle count of the masse The popes that sawe this goodlye inuention to be moch for their purpose thei after did not only with their decrees and coÌ„cels allowe it but they did bynd the Christian people beleue it as an article of the faith I haue spokeÌ„ of the first dyuisers of these opinions what causes I thinck did moue theÌ„ to seke owt so strange Imaginations and so farr from the trouth Of the other that folowed next after that is to say of the scholemen I doo not sai soo As for example of one Thomas of Aquine of BonauaÌ„ture of Egidus Romanus and such lyke as were questionistes without noumber and haue dysputed endleslie on the master of the sentences and thereby intangled the world I think well that the first cause that is to say the ignorance of the scripture did seduce them to beleue thus because they did attend more to the wordly knowleges and to the bookes of phylosophy then to the holy scripture But I doo not beleue that any such malyce did moue them as moued those first inueÌ„ters It is true in deede that a nother ignorance made them to erre that is to say that when they sawe that the pope and the councels had so determined thei Imagined that they were tyed and bound to beleue all that that thei had appointed and ordeyned to be beleued of all the faithfull And therfor thei haue affirmed this opinioÌ„ as an article of the faith thinking they should haue bene heretikes if they should haue holden any other wyse And to proue this true certen of them and among the rest Thomas of argeÌ„tyne the heremyte in the fourth the .xi. distinction saye that before the article of the turnkeÌ„ding was determyned by the church It was no heresy to sai the contrary that is to sai that the bread and wyne remayne after the consecration This is that which deceyued them the popes auctorytye whom they thought was Christes lefetenant and that euery thing that the see Apostolyke and those councels determyned was an oracle against the which it was not lawfull to speake the poore soules not vnderstanding that no man is bound in matters perteyning to faith to beleue eyther pope or councles but so farr as gods word speaketh from the which if they swarue though there should come an angel from heauen we should not be bound yea I say we ought not to beleue him as paul sayth writing to the galat. And if we haue particular reuerence to any councels Gala. 1. it is because that in their determinacions they agree with the holy scripture which ought to be the paterne aÌ„d the rule to all the meÌ„ in the world And therfor we haue in specyall worshyp those .iiij. councels that is to say the councel of Nece in the which the error of Arrius was destroyed the councel of ConstaÌ„tinople gathered together against Eunomius and Macedonius the first councel of Ephesus where Nestorius was iudged aÌ„d condeÌ„ned the couÌ„cel of CalcedoÌ„ in the which the wickednes of Eutyches and dyostorus and certen other were reproued because thei haue not spokeÌ„ nor determined any further then is conteined in the holy scriptures But if that men let them be of what so euer knowlege holynes and auctoritie ye will shall not bring furth in gods things the holy scripture we ought not to beleue theÌ„ nor all the whole world to gether can not make a man to beleue a thing as an article of the faith except it be conteyned in the holy scripture A short rehersall It is tyme now that we knyt vp the some of this present sermon in the which this article that is whether Christ be really and bodyly in the sacrament of thanks geuing or no is largely examyned And first we haue sene how there be in this article .ij. principall IudgemeÌ„ts or opinions The first saith that Christ in body and in soule great and thick as he is presently in heauen is whole in the sacrameÌ„t And this opinion is diuided into ij For some say that not only Christ is in the sacrament but that the substance of the bread and wyne be turned into his body and bluod and that there remaineth no more eyther bread or wyne but the only withcoÌ„mes of the one and the other Some other sai that Christ is really in the sacrament but the substances of the bread and wyne remayne and that there is made no turning in them And we haue seene the obiections where vpon this their fantasy is ground-wrought TheÌ„ next we haue put the secoÌ„d opinioÌ„ the which we hold and sure beleue is catholik and godly and it is this that is to sai that the substances of the bread aÌ„d wyne doo not only remaine in the sacrament but Christ is