{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_69199/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_69199","id":"gutenberg_69199","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69199","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Dissenters, Religious -- England","Lord's Supper -- Early works to 1800","More, Thomas, Saint, 1478-1535"],"text":"A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London\n\n\n\n\n      \u00b6 A boke made by John Fryth prysoner in the Tower of London,\n\n                            answerynge vnto\n                M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst\n               the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth\n                 made concernynge the Sacramente of the\n                 body and bloode of Christ: vnto whiche\n               boke are added in the ende the artycles of\n                  hys examynacyon before the Byshoppes\n                 of London, Wynchester and Lyncolne, in\n                  Paules churche at London, for whyche\n                       John Fryth was condempned\n                     and after brente in Smythfelde\n                            wythout Newgate,\n                           the fourth daye of\n                           July. Anno. 1533.\n\n                 Now newly reuysed corrected & prynted.\n                    In the Yeare of our Lorde, 1546,\n                         the last daye of June.\n\n                     \u00b6 Deade men shall ryse agayne.\n\n\n\n\n                              The Preface\n\n\nGrace and increace of knowelege fr\u014d God the Father through oure Lorde\nJesus Christ, be with the Christen reader, and with all th\u0113 that loue\nthe Lorde vnfaynedly Amen.\n\n[Sidenote: 1. Tim. 3. Tit. 1.]\n\nI chaunced beynge in these partyes, to be in companye with a Christen\nbrother which for hys commendable conversaci\u014d, and sobre behaueoure\nmyght better be a Byshoppe th\u0113 many that weare myters, yf the rule of\n.S. Paule were regarded in their electyon. Thys brother after moche\nc\u014dmunycacy\u014d, desyred to knowe my mynde as touchynge the sacram\u0113t of the\nbody \u0101d bloode of our sauyoure Christ. Which thynge I opened vnto hym\naccordynge to the gyfte that God had geuen me. Firste I proved vnto hym\nthat yt was no article of oure fayth necessarye to be beleued vnder\npayne of dampnacyon. Then I declared that Christe had a naturall bodye,\neuen as myne ys (savynge synne) and that yt coulde no more be in two\nplaces at ones then myne can. Thyrdly, I shewed hym that it was not\nnecessarye, that the wordes shulde so be vnderstonde as they sownde. But\nthat yt myght be a phrase of scrypture, as there are innumerable. After\nthat I shewed hym certen suche phrases \u0101d maner of speakynges. And that\nyt was well vsed in oure Englyshe tongue. And fynally, I recyted after\nwhat maner they myght receyue yt accordynge to Christes institucyon, not\nfearynge the frowarde alteracyon that the Prestes vse, contrarye to the\nfyrste forme and institucion.\n\nWhen I had suffycyently publyshed my mynde, he desyred me to entitle the\nsome of my wordes, \u0101d write them for hym, because they semed ouerlonge\nto be well reteyned in memorye. And albeit I was loth to take the matter\nin h\u0101de, yet to fullfyll his instaunte intercession, I toke vpon me to\ntouche this terryble tragedye, and wrote a treatyse, whiche beside my\npaynfull impresonment, is lyke to purchace me moste cruell death, which\nI am readye \u0101d gladde to receyue with the spiryte and inwarde man\n(although the fleshe be frayle) when so euer yt shall please God to laye\nyt vpon me. Notwithstondynge to saye the truthe, I wrote yt not to the\nintent that yt shulde haue bene publyshed. For th\u0113 I wolde haue towched\nthe matter more earnestlye, and haue wryten, as well of the spyrytuall\neatynge & drynkynge whiche is of necessyte, as I ded of the Carnall,\nwhiche is not so necessarye. For the treatyse that I made was not\nexpedyent for all men, albeit yt were suffycient for th\u0113 wh\u014d I toke in\nhande to instructe. For they knewe the spyrytuall and necessarye eatynge\nand drynkynge of his bodye and bloode, whiche is not receyued with the\nteth and belye, but with the eares and fayth, and onely neaded\ninstructyon in the outwarde eatynge, which thynge I therfore onely\ndeclared. But now it is commen a brode and in many mens mowthes, in so\nmoche that master More which of late hathe busyed hym selfe to medle in\nall soche mattres (of what zele I wyll not defyne) hath sore laboured to\nconfute yt. But some m\u0113 thynke that he is ashamed of his parte, \u0101d for\nthat cause doth so dylygently suppresse the worke whiche he prynted. For\nI my selfe sawe the worke in prynte in my Lorde of Wynchesters howse,\nupon S. Stephens day last paste. But neyther I, nor all the fryndes I\ncoulde make, myght attayne any copye, but onely one wryten copye whiche\nas yt semed was drawen out in greate haste. Not withstondynge I can not\nwell Judge, what the cause shulde be, that hys boke is kept so secrete.\nBut this I am ryght sure of, that he neuer touched the foundacy\u014d that my\ntreatyse was buylded upon. And therfore syth my foundacyon stondeth so\nsure and invyncyble (for els I thynke verely he wolde sore haue laboured\nto haue undermyned yt) I wyll therupon buylde a lytle more, and also\ndeclare that hys ordynaunce is to slender to breake it downe although it\nwere sett vpon a worse foundacyon.\n\n\u2767 The foundacyon of that lytle treatyse was, that it is no artycle of\nour fayth necessarye to be beleued under payne of dampnacyon, that the\nSacram\u0113t shuld be the naturall bodye of Christe: which thynge is proued\nafter this maner as foloweth.\n\nFirste we muste all aknowlege that it is no artycle of our fayth whiche\ncan saue vs nor whiche we are bounde to beleue under the payne of\neternall dampnacyon. For yf I shulde beleue that hys verye naturall\nbodye bothe fleshe and bloode were naturally in the breade and wyne,\nthat shulde not save me, seynge many beleue that, and receyue it to\ntheir dampnacyon, for it is not hys pres\u0113ce in the breade that c\u0101 saue\nme, but hys presence in my harte through fayth in hys bloode, which\nhathe washed out my synnes and pacyfyed the Fathers wrathe towarde me.\n\n[Sidenote: Obiection.]\n\nAnd a gayne yf I do not beleue hys bodelye presence in the breade and\nwyne, that shall not dampne me, but the absence out of my harte through\nvnbeleue. Now yf they wolde here obiecte that thoughe yt be true that\nthe absence out of the breade coulde not dampne vs: yet are we bounde to\nbeleue it because of Goddes worde, whiche who beleueth not, as moche as\nin hym lyeth, maketh God a lyer. And therfore of an obstynate mynde not\nto beleue hys worde, maye be an occasyon of dampnacyon.\n\n[Sidenote: Soluci\u014d]\n\nTo this we may answere, that we beleue Goddes worde and knowlege that it\nis true: but in this we dissent, whether it be true in the sense that we\ntake it in, or in the sense that ye take it in. And we saye agayne, that\nthough ye haue (as yt apereth vnto yow) the evid\u0113t wordes of Christe,\nand therfor consiste in the barke of the letter: yet are we compelled by\nconferrynge of the scryptures together, within the letter to serche out\nthe mynde of our sauiour whiche spake the worde. And we saye thyrdly,\nthat we do it not of an obstinate mynde. For he that defendeth a cause\nobstinatly (whether yt be true or false) is euer to be reprehended. But\nwe do yt to satysfye our consciences whiche are compelled by other\nplaces of scripture, reasons, and doctours, so to Iudge of yt.\n\nAnd euen so ought yow to Iudge of youre partye, and to defend youre\nsentence not of obstinacye, but by the reason of scriptures which cause\nyou so to take yt. And so ought neyther partye to dispyse other, for\neche seaketh the glory of God, and the true vnderstondynge of the\nscripture. This was the foundacyon of my fyrste treatyse that he hathe\nleft vnshaken, which ys agreate argument that yt is very true. For els\nhys pregnant witte could not haue passed yt so cleane over. But wolde\nhaue assayled yt with some sophisticall cavillacyon which by hys paynted\npoetrye he myght so haue colloured, that at the least he myght make the\nignoraunt some appar\u0113ce of truthe, as he hathe done agaynste the resydue\nof my fyrste treatyse, which neuertheles ys true \u0101d shall so be proved.\n\u00b6And firste that it is none article of our faythe necessarye to be\nbeleued vnder payne of dampnacyon, may thus be furder c\u014dfyrmed. The same\nfaithe shall saue vs whiche saued the old fathers before Christes\nincarnacyon: But they were not bounde vnder payne of d\u0101pnacyon to beleue\nthis poynte, therfore yt foloweth that we are not bounde therto vnder\nthe payne of dampnacyon. The fyrste parte of myne argument ys proued by\nS. Austen ad Dardamum. And I dare boldly say almost in an .C. places\nmore. For I thynke there be no proposicyon which he doth more often\ninculcate then thys, that the same faythe saved vs which saued our\nfathers. The sec\u014dde parte ys manyfest, that yt nedeth no probacyon. For\nhow coulde they beleue that thynge which was neuer sayde nor done, and\nwithout the worde they coulde haue no faythe. Upon the truthe of these\ntwo partes muste the conclusyon neades folowe. Not withst\u014ddynge they all\nded eate Christes bodye and dronke hys bloode spirytually, although they\nhad hym not pres\u0113t to their teth. And by that spirytuall eatynge (which\nis the fayth in hys body \u0101d blode) were saued as well as we are. For\nassoone [Sidenote: Adam.] as our fore father Adam had transgressed Godes\nprecepte, & was fall\u0113 vnder c\u014dd\u0113pnacy\u014d, oure moste mercyfull father of\nhys gracyous favoure gaue hym the promyse of helthe and conforte, wherby\nas many as beleued yt, were saued fr\u014d the thraldome of their\ntransgressyon. The worde and promyse was this. I shall put enmyte\nbetwene thy sede and her sede, [Sidenote: Gene. 3.] that sede shalt\ntreade the on the heade, and thou shall trede yt on the hele. In this\npromyse they had knowlege that Christe shulde destroye the devyll with\nall his power, \u0101d delyuer hys faythfull from their synnes. And where he\nsayd that the devyl shulde treade yt on the hele, they vnderstode ryght\nwell that the devyll shulde fynde the meanes by his wyles and wycked\nmynysters to put Christe to deathe. And they knewe that God was true,\nand wolde fulfyll hys promyse vnto them, and hartely longed after this\nsede, and so dede bothe eate hys bodye and drynke his bloode,\nacknowlegynge with infynyte thankes, that Christ shulde for their synnes\ntake the perfecte nature of manhode upon hym and also suffer the deathe:\nThis promyse was geuen to Adam, and saued as many as ded beleue and were\nthankefull to God for his kyndnes, \u0101d after yt was [Sidenote: Abrah\u0101.\nGene. 12] establyshed vnto our father Abraham by the worde of God, which\nsayde, in thy sede shall all nacyons of the earthe be blessed. And with\nhym God made a couen\u0101t, that he wolde be his God and do hym good. And\nAbraham a gayne promysed to kepe his preceptes and walke in hys wayes.\nThen God gaue hym the sacrament of circumsicion and called that hys\ncouenaunte, which thynge notwithst\u014ddynge was not the very couenaunt in\ndede although yt were so called. But was only a sygne, token, sacrament,\nor memoryall of the couenaunte that was betwene God and hym, whiche\nmyght expounde our matter, yf men had eyes to see. After that God\npromysed him a sone wh\u0113 hys wyfe was past chylde bearynge and he also\nvery olde. Neuerthelesse he doubted not of Goddes worde. But surely\nbeleued, that he which promysed it was able to perfourme it. And that\nwas recounted vnto hym for ryghtuousnes. This Abraham ded bothe eate hys\nbodye \u0101d drynke hys blode (through faythe) belevynge verely that Christ\nshulde take our nature and sprynge oute of hys seede (as touchynge his\nfleshe) and also that he shulde suffer deathe to redeme vs. And as\nChrist testifyeth, [Sidenote: Ioan. 8.] he hartely desyred to see the\nday of Christ. And he sawe it and reioysed. He sawe yt in faythe \u0101d had\nthe day of christ, that is to say, all those thynges that shulde chaunce\nhym, playnly revelated vnto hym, albeit he were deade many hundred yeres\nbefore yt were actually fulfylled \u0101d reuelated vnto the worlde. And by\nthat fayth was he saued, and yet neuer ded eate hys fleshe with hys\nteth, nor neuer beleued that breade shulde be hys bodye and wyne hys\nbloode. And therfore syth he was also saued without that fayth, and the\nsame faythe shall saue vs which saued hym, I thynke that we shall also\nbe saued yf we eate hym spiritually (as he ded) although we neuer\nbeleued that the breade ys hys bodye. Furthermore that mercyfull\n[Sidenote: Moses.]Moses (which brought the chyldern of Israell out of\nEgypte in to the wyldernes) obtayned of God by prayers, both manna from\nheauen to feade hys people, also water out of the stone to refresh and\ncomforte them. This m\u0101na and water were even the same thynge vnto th\u0113\nthat the breade and wyne ys to vs. For as S. Austyn saythe: [Sidenote:\nAug. de uite ag\u0113 darum.] _Quicunque in manna Christum intellexerunt\neumdem quem nos cibum spiritualem manducauerunt. Quicunque autem de\nmanna solam saturitatem quesiuerunt manducabant et mortui sunt. Sic\netiam eundem potum: petra enim erat Christus._\n\nThat is to say, as many as in that manna vnderstoode Christ, ded eate\nthat same spirytuall meate that we do, but as many as sought onely to\nfyll their bellyes of that m\u0101na (the fathers of the unfaythful) dyd eate\nand are dead. And lykewyse the same drynke, for the stone was Christ.\nHere maye you gather of S. Austyn, that the manna was vnto them, as the\nbreade ys to vs, and lykewyse that the water was to them, as the wyne ys\nto vs, whiche anone shall apeare more playnly. s. Austyn sayth further.\n[Sidenote: Aug. super Io\u0101. tract. 26.] _Manducauit & Moyses manna\nmanducauit & Phinees, manducauerunt ibi multi qui deo placuerunt &\nmortui non sunt. Quare quia uisibilem cibum spiritualiter intellexerunt,\nspiritualiter esurierunt, spiritualiter gustauerunt, ut spiritualiter\nsatiarentur, omnes eandem escam spiritualem m\u0101ducauerunt, & omnes eundem\npotum spiritualem biberunt, spiritualem utique eandem n\u0101 corporalem\nalter\u0101 (quia illi manna, nos aliud) spiritualem uero eandem quam nos. Vt\nomnes eundem potum spiritualem biberunt aliud illi, aliud nos: sed spem\nuisibili quod tamen hoc idem significaret uirtute spirituali. Quomodo\neundem potum biberant (inquit Apostolus) de spirituali sequenti petra:\npetra autem erat Christus._ That ys to saye, Moses also dede eat manna,\nand Aaron, \u0101d Phinees, ded eate of yt, which plesed God and are not\ndeade. Wherfore? Because they understode the visyble meate spiritually.\nThey were spiritually an hongred, they tasted yt spiritually, that they\nmyght spiritually be replenyshed. They ded all eate the same spyrytuall\nmeate and all dr\u0101ke the same spyrytuall drynke. Euen the same spyrituall\nmeate albeit an other bodely meate, for they ded eate manna, and we eat\nan other thyng, but they ded eate the same spirituall which we doo. And\nthey all ded drynke the same spirituall drynke. They dranke one thynge,\nand we an other: But that was in the outwarde apparence, which\nneuerthelesse ded sygnyfye the same thynge spiritually. Nowe dranke they\nthe same drynke. They (sayth Thapostle) dr\u0101ke of the spirytuall stone\nfolowynge them, and that stone was Christ. And therunto Bede added these\nwordes. _Videte autem fide manente signa uariata._ That is to saye.\nBeholde that the sygnes are altered, and yet the faythe abydeth one.\n[Sidenote: Beda super. 1. Cor. 10.] Of these places you may playnely\nperceyue not onely that yt is non artycle necessary to be beleued vnder\npayne of dampnacy\u014d, seynge the olde Fathers neuer beleued yt. And yet\nded eate Christ in fayth bothe before they had the manna, and with no\nlesse frute whan the manna was ceased. And albeit the m\u0101na was to them\nas the sacrament ys to vs, and they eate even the same spirytuall meate\nthat we do, yet were they neuer so madde as to beleue that the manna was\nchaunged in to Christes owne naturall body. But vnderstode yt\nspirytually, that as the outwarde man ded eate the materyall manna which\ncomforted the bodye, so ded the inwarde man through fayth, eate the\nbodye of Christ, belevynge that as that manna came downe from heav\u0113 and\nconforted their bodyes, so shulde their savyoure Christe which was\npromysed th\u0113 of God the Father, come downe from heau\u0113 and str\u0113gth\u0113 their\nsoules in euerlastynge lyfe, redeamynge them from their synne by his\ndeath and resurrectyon. And lyke wyse do we eate Christe in fayth both\nbefore we come to the sacrament, \u0101d more expresly through the sacrament,\nand with no lesse frute after we haue receyued the sacrament, and neade\nno more to make yt hys naturall bodye, th\u0113 the manna was, but myght\nmoche better vnderstonde yt spirytuallye, that as the outwarde m\u0101 dothe\neate the materyall breade which c\u014dforteth the bodye, so doth the inwarde\nm\u0101 through faythe eate the bodye of Christe, belevynge that as the\nbreade ys broken, so was Christes bodye broken on the crosse for our\nsynnes which c\u014dforteth our soules vnto lyfe euerlastynge. And as that\nfaythe ded saue th\u0113 without belevynge that the manna was altered into\nhys bodye, even so dothe this faythe saue vs, although we beleue not\nthat the substaunce of breade ys turned in to his naturall bodye. For\nthe same fayth shall saue vs which, saved them. And we are bounde to\nbeleue no more vnder payne of dampnacyon, th\u0113 they were bounde to\nbeleue. They beleued in God the Father almyghty maker of heaven and\nearth, and all that ys in them. [Sidenote: Gene. 1.] They ded beleve\nthat Christe was the s\u014dne of God. They ded beleue that he shuld take our\nnature of a virgyn. [Sidenote: Psalm. 2.] They beleued that he shulde\nsuffer the death [Sidenote: Esay. 7.] for our delyuer\u0101ce, which thynge\nwas [Sidenote: Actes. 3.] sygnyfied in all the sacryfyces, and besydes\nthat testyfyed in euery Prophete. For [Sidenote: Actes. 2.] there was\nverely not one Prophete, but he spake of that poynte: [Sidenote: Psal.\n15.] They beleued that hys soule shuld not be lefte in hell, but that he\nshulde aryse from death and reynge euerlastyngly with his Father.\n\nAnd to be shorte, there is no poynte in oure Crede, but that they\nbeleued yt, as well as we do, and those artycles are onely necessarye\nvnto saluacyon. For them, am I bounde to beleue, and am dampned without\nexcuse yf I beleue them not. But the other poyntes contayned in\nscripture although they be vndoubted verytees, yet may I be saued\nwithout them. As be it in case that I neuer harde of them, I canot\nvnderstande them nor comprehende them, or yf that I heare them, yet by\nthe reason of another texte mysconstrue th\u0113, as the Bohemes do the\nwordes of Christe in the .6. chapiter of Iohan. All these thynges I saye\nmay be done without any Ieoperdye of dampnacy\u014d. In every texte ys but\nonely one veryte, for which it was spoken, \u0101d yet some textes there be\nwhich of catolycke doctours are expounded in vi. or, vij. sondry\nfashyons. Therefore if we beleue the artycles of our crede, in the\nothers ys no parell, so that we haue a probable reason to dyssent from\nthem. But now to retourne to our purpose. Yf we wyll examyne the\nautorytees of S. Austyn and Beda before alleged, we shall espye that\nbesyde the probacyon of this forsayde proposicyon, they open the\nmysterye of all our matter to them that haue eyes to see. For, S. Austyn\nsayth, that we and the olde fathers do dyffer as touchynge the bodely\nmeate, for they ded eate manna, and we breade, but albeit yt varyed in\nthe outwarde apperaunce, yet neuerthelesse spirytually yt ded sygnyfye\none thynge. For both the m\u0101na \u0101d breade sygnyfyed Christe. And so both\nthey and we do eate one spirytuall meate, that ys to saye, we bothe eate\nthe thynge which sygnifyeth and representeth vnto vs the very one\nspirituall meate of out soules, which is Christe.\n\nAnd beda doth playnely call both the m\u0101na and the breade sygnes, say\u0113ge.\nBeholde that the sygnes are altered and yet the fayth abydeth one. Now\nyf they be sygnes, than they do sygnyfye and are not the very thyng yt\nselfe which they do sygnyfye. For the sygne is a thynge dyuerse from the\nthynge yt selfe which it doth sygnyfye and represent. As the ale polees\nare not the ale yt selfe which they do sygnyfy or repres\u0113t. Here thou\nwylt obiecte agaynste me, that yf this fayth be suffycyent, what nedeth\nthe institucy\u014d of a sacram\u0113t? I answere, that sacram\u0113tes are instituted\nfor. iij, causes: The fyrste ys assygned of S. Austyn, which sayth on\nthis maner. [Sidenote: Aug. c\u014dtra Faustum. Li. 19. ca. 11.] _In nullum\nautem nomen religionis, seu uer\u016b, seu falsum, coagulari homines possunt,\nnisi signaculorum seu sacramentorum uisibilium c\u014dsortio colligantur,\nquorum sacramentorum uis inenarrabiliter ualet plurimum, & ideo\ncontempta sacrilegos facit. impie quippe c\u014dtemnitur sine qua persici n\u014d\npotest pietas._ That ys to saye: m\u0113 c\u0101 not be ioyned in to any kynde of\nrelygy\u014d whether yt be treue or false, excepte they be knytte in\nfelowshyppe by some vysyble tok\u0113s or sacram\u0113tes, the power of which\nsacramentes ys of suche efficacyte, that c\u0101 not be expressed. And\ntherfor yt maketh them that dyspyse yt to be abhorred, for it is\nwyckednes to despyse that thynge without which godlynes can not be\nbrought to passe. Thus yt apereth that necessyte ys the fyrst cause. For\nthere can no congregacyon be severed out of the multytude of men, but\nthey muste nedes haue a sygne, tok\u0113, sacram\u0113t, or comm\u014d badge, by the\nwhich they may knowe eche other. And there is no deffer\u0113ce betwene a\nsygne or a badge \u0101d a sacrament, but that the sacrament sygnyfyeth an\nholy thynge, and a sygne or a badge dothe sygnyfye a worldly thyng.\n[Sidenote: August\u012b ad Marcellin\u016b.] As S. Aust\u0113 sayeth. Sygnes when they\nare referred to holy thynges are called sacram\u0113tes. The seconde cause of\ntheir instytucy\u014dys, that they may be a meane to brynge vs vnto hys\nfayth, & to enpr\u0113te yt the deper in vs, for yt doth customably the more\nmove a man to beleue, when he perceyueth the thynge expressed to dyuerse\ns\u0113ses at ones. As yf I promyse a m\u0101 to mete hym at aday appoynted, he\nwyll s\u014dwhat trust my worde, but yet he trusteth not so moche vnto it, as\nyf I ded both promyse hym with my worde and also clappe handes with hym,\nor holde vp my fynger, for he counteth that this promyse ys stronge \u0101d\nmore faythfull then ys the bare worde, because yt moveth mo senses. For\nthe worde doth but onely certyfye the thynge vnto a m\u0101 by the sence of\nhearynge; but wh\u0113 with my promyse immedyatly after I holde vp my fynger,\nthen do I not onely certyfye hym by the sense of hearynge: But also by\nhys syght, he perceyueth that that facte confyrmeth my worde. And in the\nclappynge of handes he perceyueth both by hys sight \u0101d fealynge, besyde\nthe worde, that I wyll fulfyll my promyse. And lykewyse yt ys in this\nsacramente, Christ promysed them, that he wolde geue hys bodye to be\nslayne for their synnes. And for to establyshe the fayth of this promyse\nin them, he ded instytute the sacrament which he called hys bodye, to\nthent\u0113t that the very name yt selfe myght put them in remembraunce what\nwas m\u0113t by yt, he brake the breade before them, sygnyfyenge vnto them\noutwardly euen the same thynge, that he by his wordes hadde before\nprotested And euen as hys wordes hadde enformed th\u0113 by their hearynge,\nthat he entended so to do: so the breakynge of that breade enformed\ntheir eye syght that he wolde fulfyll hys promyse. Then he dede\ndystrybute yt amonge them to enprynte the matter more depely in them,\nsygnyfyenge therby, that even as that breade was devyded amonge them, so\nshuld hys bodye and frute of hys passyon be dystrybuted vnto as many as\nbeleued hys wordes. Fynally he caused them to eate yt, that nothynge\nshuld be lackynge to c\u014dfyrme that necessarye poynte of fayth in them,\nsygnyfienge therby, that as verely as they felte that breade within\nthem, so sure shuld they be of hys bodye through fayth. And that euen as\nthat breade doth nouryshe the bodye, so doth the fayth in hys bodye\nbreakynge nouryshe the soule vnto euerlastying lyfe. Thus ded our\nmercyfull savyour (which knoweth our fraylte \u0101d weakenes) to establyshe\n\u0101d strength\u0113 their fayth in hys bodye breakynge \u0101d bloode shedynge,\nwhich is our shote\u0101ker and laste refuge, without which we shulde all\nperyshe. The thyrde cause of this institucyon and profyte that c\u014dmeth of\nyt ys this. They that haue receyued these blessed tydynges and worde of\nhealth, do loue to publyshe thys felycyte vnto other men. And to geue\nthankes before the face of the congregacyon vnto their bounteous\nbenefactoure, and as moche as in them is, to drawe all people to the\npraysynge of God with them, which thynge though yt be partely done by\nthe prechynge of Godes worde \u0101d frutefull exhortcyons, yet doth that\nvysyble token & sacramente (yf a man vnderst\u0101de what ys m\u0113t therby) more\neffectuously worke in them both fayth and thankesgeuynge, th\u0113 doth the\nbare worde: But yf a man wote not what yt meaneth, \u0101d seketh healthe in\nthe sacrament and outwarde sygne, th\u0113 may he well be lykened vnto a\nfonde felowe, which when he ys very drye, & an honest man shewe hym an\nale pole, and tell hym that there is good ale ynough, wold go \u0101d sucke\nthe ale pole, trustynge to get drynke out of yt, and so to quench hys\nthurste. Now a wyse man wyll tell hym that he playeth the foole. For the\nale pole doth but sygnyfye that there ys good ale in the howse, where\nthe ale pole st\u0101deth, \u0101d wyll tell hym that he must go nere the howse,\n\u0101d there he shall fynde the drynke, \u0101d not st\u0101de suckynge the ale pole\nin vayne. For yt shall not ease him, but rather make him more drye. For\nthe ale pole doth sygnyfye good ale: yet the ale pole yt selfe ys no\ngood ale, neyther ys there any good ale in the ale pole. And lykewyse yt\nys in all sacramentes. For yf we vnderstande not what they meane, \u0101d\nseke health in the outwarde sygne: th\u0113 we sucke the ale pole \u0101d laboure\nin vayne. But yf we do vnderst\u0101de the meanynge of th\u0113, th\u0101 shal we seake\nwhat they sygnyfye, and go to the thynge sygnyfyed, and there shall we\nfynde vndoubted health. As to our purpose, in this Sacrament wherof we\nspeake, we muste note what yt sygnyfyeth, \u0101d there shall we fynde our\nred\u0113pcyon. It sygnyfyeth that Christes bodye was broken vpon the crosse\nto redeame vs from the thraldome of the deuyll, \u0101d that his blode was\nshedde for vs to washe away our synnes. Therfore we muste ronne thyther\nyf we wyll be eased. For yf we thynke to haue our synnes forgeven, for\neatynge of the sacrament, or for seynge the sacrament ones a day, or for\nprayenge vnto yt: then surely we sucke the ale pole. And by thys you may\nperceyue what profytte commeth of these sacramentes the which eyther\nhaue no sygnyfycacyons put vnto them, or els when their sygnyfycacyons\nare loste and forgotten. For then no doubt they are not commended of\nGod, but are rather abhomynable. For whan we knowe not what they meane,\nthen seake we health in the outwarde dede, and so are iniuryous vnto\nChriste and hys bloode. As by example, the sacryfyces of the Iewes were\nwell allowed and accepted of God as longe as they vsed them a ryght and\nvnderstoode by th\u0113 the death of Christe, the sheadynge of hys blood, \u0101d\nthat holy oblacy\u014d offred on the crosse ones for euer. But when they\nbegane to forget this sygnyfycacyon and sought their healthe and\nryghtuousnes in the bodely worke and in the sacryfyce yt selfe, then\nwere they abhomynable in the syght of God, and then he cryed out of them\nbothe by the Prophete Dauid and Esaye: And lykewyse yt is with our\nsacramentes. Let vs therfore seke vp the sygnyficacy\u014ds, & go to the very\nthyng which the sacram\u0113t ys set to pres\u0113t vnto vs. And there shall we\nfynd such frutefull foode as shall neuer fayle vs, but c\u014dforte our\nsoules into lyfe euerlastynge.\n\nNow wyll I in order answere to master Mores boke, and as I fynde occasy\u014d\ngeuen me, I shall indeuoure my selfe to supplye that thynge which lacked\nin the fyrste treatyse. And I trust I shall shewe suche lyght that all\nmen whose eyes the Prynce of thys worlde hath not blynded, shall\nperceyue the truthe of the scripture and glorye of Christe. And where as\nin my fyrste treatyse the truthe was set forthe with all symplycyte, and\nnothynge armed agaynste the assaultes of sophysters, that haue I somwhat\nredressed in this boke, \u0101d haue brought bones fytte for their teth,\nwhich yf they be to busy, may chaunce to choke them.\n\n    Thus endeth my lytle treatyse that I wrote vnto my frynde, beynge\n    sufficyent for hys instructyon.\n\n\n\n\n            Here begynneth the preface of Master Mores boke.\n\n\n[Sidenote: Master. More.] In my moste hartye wyse I recommende me vn to\nyou, & sende you by thys brynger the wrytynge agayne whyche I receyued\nfrom you. Wherof I haue bene offered a cople of copyes mo, in the meane\nwhyle, as late as ye wote well yt was.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Deare bretherne consyder these wordes & prepare you\nfo the crosse that Christe shall laye vpon you, as ye haue ofte bene\ncounselled. For even as whan the wolue [Sidenote: 1. Pet. 2.] howleth\nthe shepe hadde neade to gather [Sidenote: Luc. 22.] them selues to\ntheir shepharde, to be delyuered from the assaulte of the blodye beaste,\nlykewyse hadde you neade to flye vnto the shepharde of your soules\nChriste Iesus, and to sell your cootes and bye hys spirituall sworde\n[Sidenote: Ephe. 6.] (whiche is the worde of God) to defende and delyuer\nyou in thys present necessyte. For now is the tyme that Christ tolde vs\nof, [Sidenote: Mat. 10.] Math. 10. that he was come (by hys worde) to\nsette varyaunce betwene the sonne and hys father, betwene the doughter\nand her mother, betwene the doughter in lawe & her mother in lawe,\n[Sidenote: Mich. 3.] and that a mans owne housholde shalbe hys enemyes.\nBut be not dysmayed nor thynke it no wonder, for Christ chose .12. and\none of them betrayed hys master. [Sidenote: Ioan. 6.] And we that are\nhys dyscyples may loke for no better than he hadde hym selfe: [Sidenote:\nMat. 10.] For the scoler is not a boue hys master.\n\nSaynt Paul protesteth that he was in [Sidenote: 2. Cor. 11.] parell\namonge the false bretherne, and surely I suppose that we are in no lesse\nIeopardye. For yf it be so that hys mastershype receyved one copye and\nhadde acople of copyes mo offered in the meanewhyle, then may ye be sure\nthat there are many false bretherne which pretende to haue knowlege, and\nin dede be but pyke th\u0101kes, prouydynge for their belye. Prepare ye\ntherfore clokes, for the wether wexeth clowdye, and rayne is lyke to\nfolowe. I meane not false excuses and forswerynge of your selfes: but\nthat ye loke substancyally vpon Goddes worde, that you may be able to\nanswere their sotle obectyons. And rather chose m\u0101fully to dye for\nChriste and hys worde, than cowardly to denye hym, for this vayne and\ntransytory lyfe, consyderyng that they haue no further power but ouer\nthis corruptible bodye, which yf they put it not to deathe, muste yet at\nthe length peryshe of yt selfe. [Sidenote: 2. Cor. 10.] But I truste the\nLorde shall not suffer you to be t\u0113pted a boue that you may beare, but\naccordynge to the spirite that he shall poure vpon you, shall he also\nsende you the scourge, \u0101d make hym that hath receyued more of the\nspyryte, to suffer more, \u0101d hym that receyueth lesse therof, to suffer\naccordynge to hys talent. I thought it necessarye fyrst to admonyshe you\nof thys matter, and now I wyll recyte more of master Mores boke.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Whereby men may see how greadely these newe named\nbretherne wryte it out, and secretely spreade it a brode.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 The name is of great antiquite, althoughe you lyste\nto iest. For they were called bretherne before our Byshoppes were called\nLordes, \u0101d had the name gyu\u0113 th\u0113 by Christe sayenge, Mat. xxiij. All ye\nare bretherne. And Luc. xxij. C\u014dfyrme thy bretherne. And the name was\nc\u014dtynued by the Apostles, & is a name that norysheth loue \u0101d amyte. And\nvery gladde I am to heare of their greadye affectyon in wrytynge out the\nworde of God, for by that I do perceyue the prophesye of Amos [Sidenote:\nAmos. ] to haue place, which sayth in the person of God. I wyll sende\nh\u014dger \u0101d thurste in to the earth, not honger for meate nor thurste for\ndrynke. But for to heare the worde of God. Now begynneth the kyngdome of\nheu\u0113 to suffer vyol\u0113ce: [Sidenote: Mat. 11.] Now r\u014dne the poore\nPublicanes whiche knowelege them selfes synners, to the worde of God,\nputtynge both goodes and bodye in [Sidenote: Luc. 18.] Ieoperdye for the\nsoule health. And though our Byshopes do calle it heresye, and all them\nheretyques that honger after yt, yet do we knowe that it is the Gospell\nof the leuynge God, for the health and saluacyon of all that beleue.\n[Sidenote: Rom. 1.] And as for the name doth nothynge offende vs, though\nthey call it heresy a thousande tymes.[Sidenote: Act. 24.] For saynte\nPaule testyfyeth that the Pharysees and Prestes whyche were counted the\nvery churche in hys tyme, ded so call it, and therfore it forseth not\nthough they, rulyng in their rowmes, vse the same names.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Which yonge man I here say hathe latelye made dyuers\nother thynges that yet ronne in hoker moker so close amonge the\nbretherne that there cometh no copyes abrode.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 I answere, that surely I can not spynne, and I\nthynke no man more hateth to be ydle than I do. Wherfor in suche thynges\nas I am able to do, I shalbe dylygent as longe as God lendeth me my\nlyfe. And if ye thynke I be to busye, you may rydde me the sooner, for\neuen as the shepe is in the bochers h\u0101des ready bounde & loketh but euen\nfor the grace of the bocher when he shall shedde hys blode: Euen so am I\nbounde at the Byshoppes pleasures, euer lokynge for the day of my\ndeathe. In so moche that playne worde was sent me, that the chaunceloure\nof London sayde, it shulde coste me the best bloode in my body, which I\nwolde gladly were shedde tomorowe, yf so be it myght open the Kynges\ngraces eyes.\n\nAnd verely I maruell that any thynge can ronne in hoker moker or be\nhydde fr\u014d you. For seynge you myght haue suche store of copyes,\nconcernynge the thynge which I moste desyred to haue bene kepte secrete,\nhow shuld you than lacke a copye of those thynges wich I moste wolde\nhaue publyshed? And hereof ye maye be sure, I care not though you and\nall the Byshoppes within England loke vpon all that euer I wrote, but\nrather wolde be gladde that ye so ded. For yf there be any sparcle of\ngrace in your breastes, I trust it shulde be an occasyon somwhat to\nkyndle it, that you may consyder and know your selfes, which is the\nfirst poynte of wysdome.\n\n\u2767 And wolde God for hys mercye [Sidenote: More.] (sayeth M. More) that\nsyth there can nothynge refrayne their studye, from devyse and\ncompassynge of euill \u0101d vngracyous wrytynge, that they wolde \u0101d coulde\nkeape it so secretely that neuer man shulde see it. But suche as are so\nfarre corrupted, as neuer wolde be cured of their canker.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 It is not possyble for hym that hath hys eyes and\nseeth hys brother which lacketh syght in Ieoperdye of peryshynge at a\nperellous pytte, but that he muste come to hym \u0101d guyde hym, tyll he be\npast that Ieoperdye, and at the least wyse, yf he can not come to hym,\nyet wyll he call and crye vnto hym to cause hym chose the better waye,\nexcepte hys harte be cankered with the contagyon of suche hatred that he\ncan reioyse in hys neyghbours dystructyon. And eu\u0113 so is it not possyble\nfor vs which haue receyued the knowelege of Goddes worde, but that we\nmuste crye and call to other, that they leaue the perellous patthes of\ntheir owne folyshe fantasyes. [Sidenote: Deut. 12.] And do that onely to\nthe Lorde, that he commaundeth them, neyther addynge any thynge nor\ndymynyshynge. And therfor vntyll we see some meanes founde, by the which\na reasonable reformacyon may be had on the one partye, and suffycyent\ninstructyon for the poore c\u014dmons, I insure you, I neyther wyll nor can\ncease to speake. For the worde of God boyleth in my bodye, lyke a\nfervente fyre, & wyll neades haue an yssue and breake out, wh\u0101 occasyon\nis geu\u0113.\n\nBut this hath bene offered you, is offered, and shall be offered.\nGraunte that the worde of God, I meane the texte of scrypture, maye go\nabrode in oure Englyshe tonge, as other nacyons haue it in their t\u014dges,\nand my brother Wylly\u0101 Tyndall \u0101d I haue done, & wyll promyse you to\nwryte no more. Yf you wyll not graunte this condycy\u014d, then wyll we be\ndoynge whyle we haue breathe, and shewe in fewe wordes that the\nscripture doth in many: and so at the least saue some.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 But a lacke this wyll not be. For as S. Paule\nsayeth, the contagy\u014d of heresye creapeth ou lyke a c\u0101ker. For as the\nc\u0101ker corrupteth the bodye forthere and forther, & tourneth the hole\npartes in to the same deadly sycknes, so doth these heresyes crepe forth\namonge good symple soules, tyll at the laste it be almost past remedye.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Thys is a very true say\u0113ge \u0101d maketh well agaynst\nhys owne purpose. For in dede thys contagy\u014d beg\u0101 to sprynge eu\u0113 in S.\nPaules tyme. In so moche that the Galathyans were in a maner wholy\nseduced from hys doctryne. And he sayde to the Thessalonyans, [Sidenote:\n1. The. 2.] the mystery of iniquyte euen now begynneth to worke.\n[Sidenote: 1. Io\u0101. 4.] And saynt Iohn testyfyeth that there were all\nreadye many Antichrystes rysen in hys dayes. And also Paule prophesyed\nwhat shulde folowe after hys tyme. [Sidenote: Act. 20.] Actes. xx.\nsayenge: Take ye hede to your selues and to all the flocke, ouer whyche\nthe holye Gost hath put you overseers, to feade the congregacyon of God\nwhyche he purchased wyth hys owne bloode. For I knowe thys well, that\nafter my departynge shall enter in greuouse wolues amonge you, which\nshall not spare the flocke. And euen of your selues shall aryse men,\nspeakynge perverse thynges, to drawe dyscyples after them, and therfore\nwatche, & ce. Thys canker then began to sprede in the congregacyon, and\nded full sore noye the bodye, in so moche that within .iiij. C. yeare\nthere were very many sectes scatered in euerye coste. Notwithstandynge\nthere were faythfull fathers that dylygently subdued th\u0113 wyth the swerde\nof Goddes worde. [Sidenote: Siluest.] But surely sens Siluester receyued\nsuche possessyons, hath the canker so crepte in the churche, that it\nhath almoste lefte neuer a founde member. And as Cistercensis wryteth in\nthe .viij. boke, that day that he receyued revennues, was a voyce harde\nin the ayre cryeng ouer the courte which sayde, Thys daye is venome shed\nin to the churche of God. Before that tyme there was no Byshope greadye\nto take a cure. For it was no honoure & profytte as it is now, but onely\na carefull charge which was lyke to cost hym his lyfe at one tyme or\nother. And therfore no man wolde take it, but he that bare suche a loue\nand zele to God and his flocke, that he coulde be content to shedde hys\nbloode for them. But after that it was made so honorable and profytable,\nthey that were worste bothe in lernynge and leuynge, moste laboured for\nit. For they that ware vertuous wolde [Sidenote: Mat. 7.] not entangle\nthem selues with the vayne pryde of thys worlde, \u0101d weare .iij.\n[Sidenote: Mar. 15.] Crownes of golde, where Christe ded weare one of\nthorne. [Sidenote: Io\u0101. 19.] And in conclusyon it came so farre, that\nwho so euer wolde geue moste money for it or beste coulde flatter the\nPrynce (which he knewe well all good m\u0113 to abhorre) had the prehemynence\nand gotte the best Byshopryke, and then in steade of Goddes worde, they\npublyshed their owne commaundem\u0113tes, and made lawes to haue all vnder\nthem, and made men beleue they coulde not erre what so euer they ded or\nsayde, \u0101d eu\u0113 as in the rowines \u0101d stede of Moses, Aar\u014d, Eliazer, Iosue,\nCalib, and other faythfull folke, came Herode, Annas, Caiphas, Pylate\nand Iudas, which put Christ to death: So now in the steade of Christe,\nPeter, Paule, Iames, \u0101d Iohn, and the faythfull folowers of Christe, we\nhaue the Pope, Cardynalles, Archebyshoppes, Byshoppes, and proude\nprelates, with their proctoure the malycyous mynyster of their master\nthe Deuyll, which not withstondynge transforme th\u0113 selues in to a\nlykenes, [Sidenote: 1. Cor. 11.] as though they were the mynysters of\nryghtuousnes, whose ende shalbe acordyng to their workes. So that the\nbodye is c\u0101kered longe agone, \u0101d now are lefte but certayne small\nm\u0113bres, which God of hys puyssante power hath reserued vncorrupted. And\nbecause they see that they can not be cankered as their owne fleshe is,\nfor pure anger they burne them, leaste yf they c\u014dtynued there myght\nseame some deformyte in their owne cankered carcase, by the comparynge\nof these whole membres to their scabbed body.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u00b6 Techeth in a fewe leaues shortely all the poyson\nthat Wyclefe, Ecol\u0101padius, Tyndall, & Zwynglius haue taught in all their\nbokes before, c\u014dcernynge the blessed Sacramente of the aulter: not\nonelye affyrmynge it to be verye breade styll (as Luther doth) but also\n(as these other beastes do) sayeth it is nothynge els. And after the\nsame syr Thomas More sayeth. These dregges hath he dronken of Wyclefe,\nEcol\u0101padius, Tyndall, and Zwynglius, and so hath he all that he argueth\nhere besyde, whych .iiij. what maner folke they be, is metely well\nperceyued and knowen, and God hath in parte, wyth hys open vengeaunce\ndeclared.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Luther is not the prycke that I ronne at, but the\nscrypture of God. I do neyther affyrme nor denye any thynge, because\nLuther so sayeth but be cause the scrypture of God doth so conclude and\ndeterme. I take not Luther for soche an autoure that I thynke he c\u0101not\nerre, but I thynke verely that he both may erre and doth erre in\ncertayne poyntes, although not in suche as concerne saluacyon and\ndampnacy\u014d. For in th\u0113 (blessed be God) all these whome ye call heretykes\ndo agre ryght well. And lykewyse I do not alowe thys thynge because\nWyclefe, Decolampadius, Tyndall, and Zwinglius so saye, but because I\nsee them in that place more purely expounde the scrypture, and that the\nprocesse of the texte doth more fauoure their sentence.\n\nAnd where you saye that I affyrme yt to be breade styll as Luther doth,\nthe same I saye agayne, not be cause Luther so sayeth, but because I can\nproue my wordes true by scrypture, reason of nature, and doctours. Paule\ncalleth it breade saynge: [Sidenote: 1. Cor. 10.] The breade which we\nbreake, is it not the felowshyppe of the bodye of Christe: For we though\nwe be manye, are yet one bodye and one breade: as manye as are pertakers\nof one breade. And agayne he sayeth. [Sidenote: 1. Cor. 11.] As often as\nye eate of this breade, or drynke of this cuppe, you shall shewe the\nLordes death vntyll he come. Also Luke calleth it breade in the actes\nsayenge: [Sidenote: Act. 2.] they contynued in the felowshyp of the\nApostles and in breakynge of breade, & in prayer. [Sidenote: Luc. 22.]\nAlso Christe called the cuppe, the frute of vyne, sayenge. I shall not\nfrom hence forthe drynke of the frute of the vyne, vntyll I drynke that\na newe in the kyngdome of my Father.\n\nFurthermore nature doth teche you that both the breade and wyne contynue\nin their nature. For the breade mouldeth yf it be kepte longe, yea, and\nwormes breede in it. And the poore mouse wyll ronne away with it, and\ndesyre none other meate to her dyner, whiche are euyd\u0113t ynough that\nthere remayneth breade. Also the wyne yf it were reserued wolde wexe\nsower, as they confesse th\u0113 selues, and therfore they howsell the laye\npeople but wyth one kynde onely, because the wyne can not contynue nor\nbe reserued, to haue readye at hande when neade were. And surely as yf\nthere remayned no breade it coulde not moulde nor wexe full of wormes:\nEu\u0113 so yf there remayned no wyne, it coulde not wexe sower, and therfore\nit is but false doctryne, that our Prelates so l\u014dge haue publyshed.\nFynallye that there remayneth breade myght be proued by the auctoryte of\nmany doctours, which call it breade and wyne, as Christ and hys Apostles\nded. And thoughe some sophysters wolde wreste their sayenges and\nexpounde them after their fantasye, yet shall I alledge th\u0113 one doctoure\n(which was also Pope of Rome) that maketh so playne wyth vs that they\nshalbe compelled with shame to holde their tonges. For Pope Gelasius\nwryteth on this maner. _Certe sacramenta qu\u00e6 sumimus corporis et\nsanguinis Christi diuin\u00e6 res sunt & propterea per illa, participes facti\nsumus diuin\u00e6 natur\u00e6, & tamen non desinit esse substantia uel panis &\nuini, sed perman\u0113t in su\u00e6 proprietati natur\u00e6. Et certe imago &\nsimilitudo corporis & sanguinis Christi in actione misteriorum\ncelebrantur._ That is to saye, surely the sacramentes of the bodye and\nbloode of Christe, are a godly thynge, and therfore through them are we\nmade partakers of the Godly nature. And yet doth it not cease to be the\nsubstaunce, or nature of breade and wyne, but they contynue in the\npropertye of their owne nature. And surely the Image and symylytude of\nthe bodye and bloode of Christe, are celebrated in the acte of the\nmysteryes. Thys I am sure was the olde doctryne which they c\u0101 not\navoyde. And therfor wyth the scrypture, nature, \u0101d fathers, I wyll\nconclude that there remayneth the substaunce, and nature, of breade and\nwyne.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] And where ye saye that we affyrme it to be nothynge\nels, I dare saye that ye vntrulye reporte of vs all. And here after I\nwyll shewe you what it is more then breade. And where ye saye that it is\nmeately well knowen what maner of folke they be, and that GOD hath in\nparte wyth hys open vengeaunce declared.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 I answere that Master Wyclefe was noted whyle he\nwas lyuynge, [Sidenote: Wiclefe.] to be a man not onely of moste famous\ndoctryne, but also of a very syncere lyfe and conversacyon.\nNeuerthelesse to declare your malycyous myndes and vengeable hartes (as\nmen saye) xv. yeares after he was buryed, you toke hym vp and brente\nhym, whiche facte declared your furye, although he felte no fyre.\n[Sidenote: Mat. 10.] But blessed be GOD whiche hath geuen suche\ntyrauntes no further power, but over thys corruptyble bodye. For the\nsoule ye can not bynde nor burne, [Sidenote: Mal. 2.] but God maye\nblesse where you curse, and curse where you blesse.\n\n[Sidenote: Ecolampadius.] \u00b6 And as for Oecolampadius, that notable\nlearned man, hys moste aduersaryes haue euer commended hys conversacyon\nand Godlye lyfe, which when God has appoynted hys tyme, gaue place vnto\nnature (as euery man muste) and dyed of a canker.\n\n[Sidenote: Tyndal.] And Tyndall I truste lyueth, well contente with\nsuche a poore Apostles lyfe, as GOD gaue hys sone Christe, and hys\nfaythfull mynysters in thys worlde, whiche is not sure of so many mytes,\nas ye be yearly of poundes, although I am sure that for hys learnynge\nand Iudgement in scripture, he were more worthye to be promoted, then\nall the Byshoppes in Englande. I receyued a letter from hym, whiche was\nwrytten sens Chrystmas, wherin amonge other matters he wryteth thus. I\ncalle GOD to recorde agaynst the daye we shall appere before our Lorde\nIesus to geue a rekonynge of our doynges, that I neuer altered one\nsyllable of Godes worde agaynste my conscy\u0113ce, nor wolde do this daye,\nyf all that is in earth, whether it be honoure, pleasure, or ryches,\nmyght be geuen me. Morover I take GOD to recorde to my conscience, that\nI desyre of GOD to my selfe in this wurlde no more then that without\nwhiche I can not keape hys lawes, & ce. Iudge Christen reader whether\nthese wordes be not spok\u0113 of a faythfull clere innocent harte. And as\nfor hys behauyoure is suche, that I am sure no man can reproue hym of\nany synne, howbeit no man is innocent before God which beholdeth the\nharte.\n\n[Sidenote: Zwynglius.] Fynallye Zwinglius was a man of suche learnynge\nand grauyte (besyde eloquence) that I thynke no man in Christendome\nmyght haue compared with hym, notwithstondynge he was slayne in battayle\nin defendynge hys cytye, and c\u014dm\u014dwelth, agaynste the assaulte of wycked\nenemyes, whiche cause was moste ryghtuouse.\n\nAnd yf hys mastershyp meane, that that was the v\u0113geaunce of God, and\ndeclared hym to be an euyll parson because he was slayne: I maye say\nnay, and shewe euyd\u0113t examples of the contrarye. For somtyme God geueth\nthe vyctorye agaynst them that haue moste ryghtuouse cause, as it is\nevydent in the boke of Iudicum, [Sidenote: Iudi. 20.] where all the\nchylderne of Israell were gathered together to punyshe the shamefull\nsodometrye of the trybe of Beniamyn, whyche were in n\u014dbre but .25.\nthousande. And the Israelytes were .CCCC. thous\u0101de fyghtynge men, whiche\ncame in to Silo, and asked of God who shulde be their capytayne agaynst\nBeniamyn. And they beynge but .xxv. thous\u0101de slewe of the other\nIsraelytes .12. thousande in one day: Th\u0113 fledde the chylderne of\nIsraell vnto the Lorde in Silo, and made greate lamentacyon before hym\neuen vntyll nyght. And asked hym counsell sayenge. Shall we go any more\nto fyght agaynste the trybe of Beniamyn oure brotherne or not? God sayde\nvnto them yes, go vp and fyght agaynste them. Then went they the nexte\nday and faught agaynste them, and there were slayne agayne of the\nIsraelites .18. thousande men: Then came they backe agayne vnto the\nhouse of God, and sate downe and wepte before the Lorde, and fasted that\ndaye vntyll euen, and asked hym agayne whether they shulde anye more\nfyght agaynste theyr bretherne or not. God sayde vnto them yes, to morow\nI wyll delyuer th\u0113 in to your h\u0101des. And the nexte day was the trybe of\nB\u0113iamyn vtterly dystroyed, sauynge .600. men which hydde themselues in\nthe wyldernes. Here yt is evydent that the chylderne of Israell loste\nthe vyctorye twyse, and yet not withstondynge had a iuste cause, and\nfaught at Godds commaundement. Besydes that, Iudas Machabeus, was\nslayne, in a ryghtuouse cause, as yt is manyfest in the fyrst boke of\nthe Machabees. [Sidenote: Machabe. 9.] And therfore yt can be no evydent\nargument of the v\u0113geaunce of God, that he was slayne in battayle in a\nryghtuouse cause, and therfore me thynketh that this manne ys to\nmalaperte so bluntly to enter in to Goddes Iudgement, \u0101d geue sentence\nin that matter before he be called to counsell. Thus haue I suffycy\u0113tly\ntouched hys preface, for those poyntes that he afterwarde towched more\nlargely haue I wyllyngly passed, because I shall towche them earnestly\nhereafter. Nowe lette vs see what he proueth.\n\n[Sidenote: Master More.] \u2767 It ys a greate wonder to see vpon how lyght\nand sleyght occasyons, he ys fallen vnto these abhomynable heresyes. For\nhe denyeth not nor can not say nay, but that our sauyour sayde hym\nselfe, my fleshe ys verely meate and my bloode ys verely drynke. He\ndenyeth not also that Christ hym selfe at his last souper, takynge the\nbreade in to hys blessed handes, after that he had blessed yt sayde vnto\nhys discyples. Take you thys and eate yt, thys is my bodye, that shall\nbe geuen for you. And lykewyse gaue them the chalyce after hys blessynge\nand consecracyon, and sayde vnto them, thys ys the chalyce of my bloode\nof the newe testament, whyche shalbe shedde out for manye, do ye thys in\nremembraunce of me.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 It is a greate wonder to see howe ygnoraunte their\nproctoure ys, in the playne textes of scrypture. For yf he had any\niudgement at all he myght well perceyue that when Christe spake these\nwordes, my fleshe ys verely meate and my bloode ys verely drynke, he\nspake nothynge of the sacram\u0113te. For yt was not instytuted vntyll hys\nlaste souper. And these wordes were spoken to the Iewes longe before,\nand ment them not of the carnall eatynge or drynkynge of hys bodye or\nbloode, but of the spirytuall eatynge, which is done by faythe and not\nwyth tothe, \u0101d bellye. Wherof Saynt Austen sayeth vpon thys Gospell of\nIohan, why preparest thou other tothe or bellye? beleue and thou haste\neaten hym. So that Christes wordes must here be vnderstonde spirytually.\nAnd that he calleth hys fleshe verymeate, is because that as meate by\nthe eatynge of yt & digestynge yt in our body dothe strengthen these\ncorruptyble membres, so lykewyse doth Christes fleshe (by the beleuynge\nthat yt taketh our synne vpon yt selfe and suffered the death to delyuer\nvs) strengthen our immortall soule. And lykewyse as drynke when yt is\ndronken, doth comforte and quycken our frayle nature, So lykewyse both\nChristes bloode by the drynkynge of yt in to the bowells of our soule,\nthat ys by the belevynge and remembrynge that yt ys shedde for our\nsynnes, comforte and quycken our soule vnto euerlastynge lyfe. And thys\nis the eatynge and drynkynge that he speaketh of in that place. And that\nyt is so you may perceyue by the texte folowynge which sayeth. He that\neateth my bodye & drynketh my bloode dwelleth in me and I in hym, which\nys not possyble to be vnderstonde of the Sacrament. For it is false to\nsaye, that he that eateth the Sacrament of hys bodye and drynketh the\nsacrament of hys bloode, dwelleth in Christe and Christe in hym. For\nsome man receyueth yt vnto hys condempnacy\u014d. And thus doth .S. Austen\nexpounde yt sayenge. _Hoc est enim Christum manducare, in illo manere, &\nillum manentem in se habere._ Thys is the very eatynge of Christe, to\ndwell in hym, and to haue hym dwellynge in vs. So that who so euer\ndwelleth in Christ (that ys to saye) beleueth that he is sent of God to\nsaue vs from our synnes doth verely eate \u0101d drynke hys bodye and bloode,\nalthough he neuer receyued the sacrament. Thys ys the spirytuall eatynge\nnecessarye for all that shalbe saued. For there ys no man that c\u014dmeth to\nGod without this eatynge of Christ, that is the beleuynge in hym. And so\nI denye not but that Christ speaketh these wordes, but surelye he ment\nspyrytually. As S. Austen declareth, \u0101d as the place playnely proueth.\n\nAnd as towchynge the other wordes [Sidenote: Mat. 26.] that Christe\nspake vnto hys dyscyples at hys laste souper, I denye not but that he\nsayde so, but that he so steshely m\u0113t as ye falsely fayne, I vtterly\ndenye. For I saye that hys wordes were then also spyrite and lyfe, and\nwere spyritually to be vnderstonde. And that he called yt hys bodye,\n[Sidenote: Ioan. 6.] for a certayne propertye, euen as he called hym\nselfe [Sidenote: Ioan. 15.] a very vyne, and hys dyscyples very vyne\nbraunches, and as he called hym selfe a dore: [Sidenote: Ioan. 10.] not\nthat he was so in dede, but for certayne propertyes in the symylytudes.\n[Sidenote: Gen. 35.] As a man for some propertye sayeth of hys\nneyghbours horsse, this horsse is myne vp and downe, meanynge that yt is\nin euery thynge so lyke. [Sidenote: Gen. 32.] And lyke as Iacob buylded\nan aulter and called yt the God of Israel, and as Iacob called the place\nwhere he wrasteled with the Angell, the face of God, and as the pascall\nlambe was called the passynge bye of the Lorde. [Sidenote: Ezech. 5.]\nAnd as a broken potsherde was called Hierusalem, not for that they were\nso in dede, but for certayne symylytudes in the propertyes, and that the\nvery name yt selfe myght put men in remembraunce what ys ment by the\nthynge, as I suffycyently declared in my fyrste treatyse.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] He muste neades confesse, that they that beleue that\nyt ys the very bodye and hys very bloode in dede, haue the playne wordes\nof our sauyoure hym selfe vpon their syde, for the grounde and\nfoundacyon of their faythe.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 That is very true, and so haue they the very wordes\nof God, whiche saye a broken potsherde ys Hierusalem, and that Christe\nis a stone, and that Christe is a vyne and a dore. And yet yf they shuld\nbeleue or thynke that he were in dede any of these thynges, they were\nneuerthelesse deceyued. For though he so sayde, yet I saye hys wordes\nwere spirituall \u0101d spiritually to be vnderstonde.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 And where you saye that I flye from the faythe of\nplayne and open scryptures, and for the allegorye destroye the true\nsence of the letter.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 I answere that some textes of scripture are onelye\nto be vnderstonde after the letter: As when Paule sayeth, Christ\n[Sidenote: Rom. 4.] dyed for our synnes & rose agayne for ourre\niustificacy\u014d. And some textes are onely to be vnderstonde spirytually or\nin the way of an allegory: As wh\u0113 Paule sayth, [Sidenote: 1. Cor. x.]\nChriste was the stone. And when Christe sayeth hym selfe. [Sidenote:\nJoh\u0101. xv.] I am a very vyne. [Sidenote: Johan. x.] I \u0101 the doore. And\nsome must be vnderst\u014dde both lytterallye, and spirytuallye: As when God\nsayde, out of Egypte called I my sonne, [Sidenote: Ozee. 11.] whyche\nalthough it were lytterallye fulfylled in the chylderne of Israel when\nhe brought them out of Egypte with greate power and w\u014dders, yet was yt\nalso mente \u0101d veryfyed in Christ hym selfe, [Sidenote: Math. 2.] hys\nvery spyrytuall sonne, which was called out of Egygte after the death of\nHerode. And agayne yt is very spiritually fulfylled in vs whyche through\nChristes bloode are delyuered from the Egypte of synne, and from the\npower of Pharao the devyll. And I say that this texte of scripture, this\nis my bodye, ys onely spirytually to be vnderstonde, \u0101d not lytterallye.\nAnd that doth S. Austen also confyrme, which wryteth vnto Adamantus and\nsayeth. These sentences of scripture, Christ was the stone, the bloode\nys the soule, and thys is my bodye, are fyguratyuelye to be vnderstonde\n(that is to say) spiritually, or by the way of \u0101 allegorye, & thus haue\nI. S. Aust\u0113 whollye vpon my syde, whiche thynge shall yet hereafter more\nplaynely appere.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Nowe hys example of hys brydgromes rynge I very well\nalowe. For I take the blessed sacram\u0113t to be left with vs for a very\ntoken and a memoryall of Christe in dede. But I say that the whole\nsubsta\u016bce of the same token & memoryall, is hys owne blessed bodye. And\nso I saye that Christe hathe lefte vs a better token then this man wolde\nhaue vs take yt for. And therin he fareth lyke a m\u0101, to wh\u014d a brydgrome\nhad delyuered a goodly golde rynge with a ryche Rubye therin, to delyuer\nto hys bryde for a token. And then he wolde lyke a false shrewe, keape a\nwaye that golden rynge and geue the bryde in steade thereof, a proper\nrynge of aryshe, and tell her that the brydgrome wolde sende her no\nbetter. Or els lyke one that when the brydgrome hadde geuen soche a\nrynge of golde to hys bryde for a tok\u0113, wyll tell her playne, \u0101d make\nher beleue, that the rynge were but coper or brasse, to mynyshe the\nbrydgromes thanke.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 I am ryght gladde that ye admytte myne ex\u0101ple, \u0101d\ngra\u016bte that the sacram\u0113t is lefte to be a very tok\u0113 and memoryall of\nChriste in dede. But where you saye, that the whole substaunce of the\nsame token \u0101d memoryall is hys owne blessed bodye, that is sooner sayde\nthan proued. And where you saye that we fare lyke a false shrewe that\nwolde keape the golde rynge from the bryde, and geue her a rynge of a\nryshe, or tell her that her golde rynge were coper or brasse, to mynyshe\nthe brydgromes th\u0101ke. I answere that we deny not but that the ryng ys\nmost fyne golde, and is sette wyth as ryche Rubyes as can be gotten. For\nthat rynge (I meane the Sacrament) ys not onely a moste perfecte token\nand a memoryall of the brydegromes benefyttes \u0101d vnfayned fauoure on hys\npartye, but yt is also on the other partye a thankes geuynge for the\ngracyous gyftes which she vndoubtedly knowlege her selfe to haue\nreceyued. For as verely as that breade ys broken am\u014dge th\u0113, so verely\nwas Christes bodye broken for their synnes. And as verely as they\nreceyue that breade in to their bellye through eatynge yt, so verelye do\nthey receyue the frute of hys death in to their soules by beleuynge in\nhym. And therfor they assemble to that souper, not for the valoure of\nthe breade, wyne, or meate, that ys there eate, but for the intent to\ngeue hym thankes commonly a monge them all, for hys inestymable goodnes.\nBut to procede vnto our purpose, yf a man wolde come vnto the bryde, and\ntell her that thys goodly golde rynge were her owne brydgrome, both\nfleshe bloode \u0101d bones (as you do) then I thynke yf she haue anye wytte,\nshe myght answere hym, that he mocked, and the more he sayde yt, the\nlesse she myght beleue hym, and saye that yf that were her owne\nbrydgrome, what shulde she th\u0113 neade any rem\u0113braunce of hym, or why\nshulde he geue it her for a remembraunce. For a remembraunce\npresupposeth the thynge to be absent, and therfore yf thys be a\nremembraunce of hym, than can he not here be present.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 I meruell therfore moche, that he is not a frayde,\nto affyrme that these wordes of Christe, of hys bodye and of hys bloode,\nmuste neades be vnderstonde by waye of a symylytude or an allegorye, as\nthe wordes be of the vyne and the doore. Nowe this he knoweth well, that\nthough some wordes spok\u0113 by the mouthe of Christe be to be vnderstonde\nonely by waye of a symylytude or an allegorye, yet foloweth it not\nthervpon, that euery lyke worde of Christe in other places was non other\nbut an allegorye, for suche was the shyfte and cauyllacyon that the\nwycked Arryans vsed which toke from Christes parson hys omnypotent\nGodhed.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 I graunte that the Arryans erred, for as Master\nMore sayeth, though in some place a worde betak\u0113 fyguratyuely, it\nfoloweth not therfor that in euery other place, it shulde lykewyse be\ntak\u0113. But one questy\u014d muste I aske hys mastershyppe, how doth he knowe\nthat there is any worde or texte in scripture that muste be tak\u0113\nfyguratyuely, that is by the waye of a symylytude, or as he calleth yt a\nnecessarye allegory? I thynke (though some m\u0113 may assygne other good\ncauses \u0101d euydences) that the fyrst knowelege ys by other textes of\nscrypture. For yf other textes be c\u014dferred vnto yt, and wyll not stonde\nwith the litterall sence, then I thynke yt muste neades be taken\nspirytually or fyguratyuelye, as there are infynyte textes in scripture.\nNow when I see that .S. Thomas whiche felte Christes woundes \u0101d put hys\nfynger in hys syde, called hym hys Lorde and God, and that no texte in\nscrypture repugneth vnto the same, but that they may well stonde\ntogether, me thynketh yt were foly to affirme that this word, God, in\nthat texte shulde be taken fyguratyuely or by waye of an allegorye: But\nnowe in our matter the processe of scripture wyll not stonde with the\nlytterall sence, as shall here after appeare. And therfor necessyte\ncompellethe vs to expounde yt fyguratyuelye, as doth also S. Austen and\nother holy doctours, as hereafter shall playnely appeare.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 If euery man that can fynde out a newe fonde\nfantasye vpon a text of holy scrypture, may haue his owne mynd tak\u0113, and\nhys owne exposicyon beleued agaynste the exposycyons of the olde\nconnynge doctours and sayntes, then may you surely see that none artycle\nof the Christen fayth, can stonde and endure longe. And then he\nalleageth .s. Hierome, which sayth, that yf the exposycion of other\ninterpretours, and the consent of the common catholycke churche, were of\nno more str\u0113gth but that euery m\u0101 myght be beleued that coulde brynge\nsome textes of scrypture for hym, expounded as it pleaseth hym selfe,\nthen coulde I (sayth this holy m\u0101) brynge vpe a newe secte also, and\nsaye by scrypture, that no man were a true Christen man, nor a membre of\nthe churche, that keapeth two cootes. And in good fayth (sayth master\nMore) yf that waye were alowed I were able my selfe to fynde out fyftene\nnewe sectes in one fore none.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Saynte Peter sayeth that the scripture is not\nexpounded after the appetyte of any pryuate parson, but eu\u0113 as yt was\ngeuen by the spyrite of God, and not by m\u0101nes wyll: so muste yt be\ndeclared by the same spiryte. And therfore I wyll not that any m\u0101 shalbe\nbeleued, by bryngynge hys owne mynde and fantasye. But yf he wyll be\nbeleued, let hym brynge eyther an other playne texte, which shall\nexpounde the fyrste, or els at the leaste he muste brynge suche a\nmanyfest sentence, as wyll stonde wyth the processe of the scripture.\nWhye was Saynt Hierome alowed agaynst the determynacyon of the counsell\nof Meldeley, syth he was alone, and they a greate multytude, but onely\nbecause he brought euydent scrypture, which at the tyme of their\nsentence, none of them remembred \u0101d yet when yt was brought, they coulde\nnot auoyde yt. And lykewyse excepte I brynge euydent scripture which\nthey all shall expounde as I do, I desyre not to be beleued. And where\nmaster More sayeth, that in good fayth he were able to fynde out fyftene\nnewe sectes in one fore none, he may thanke GOD that he hathe suche a\npregnaunte wytte: But yet I truste he shulde not fynde one (yf there\nwere any parell of d\u0101pnacy\u014d therin) but that we wolde with a playne\ntexte confute yt, which he shulde not be able to avoyde.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 And ouer this, the very cyrcumstaunces of the places\nin the Gospell in which our sauyour speaketh of that sacramente, may\nwell make open the defference of hys speache in this matter, and of all\nthe other, and that as he spake all those but in an allegorye, so spake\nhe this, playnely meanynge that he spake of hys very bodye and hys very\nbloode, besyde all allegoryes. For when our Lorde sayde, he was a very\nvyne, and when he sayd he was the dore, there was none that harde hym,\nthat any thynge merueled therof. And whye: For because they perceyued\nwell, that he ment not that he was a materyall vyne in dede, nor a dore\nneyther: But when he sayde that hys fleshe was very meate, and hys\nbloode very drynke, and that they shulde not be saued but yf they ded\neate hys fleshe and drynke hys bloode, then were they all in suche a\nwonder therof, that they coulde not abyde. And wherfor, but because they\nperceyued well by hys wordes and hys maner of circumstaunces, that\nChryste spake of hys very fleshe and hys very bloode in dede.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 It is openly knowen and confessed amonge all\nlearned men, that in the [Sidenote: Ioan. 6.] .6. chapytre of Ioan,\nChriste spake not one worde concernynge the sacrament of hys bodye and\nbloode (which at that tyme was not yet instytuted) but all that he there\nspake was of the spyrytuall eatynge \u0101d drynkynge of hys bodye, and\nbloode, as I haue towched before. And the circumstaunces of this place\ndo in dede proue that they were fleshly mynded, and vnderstoode not the\nspirytuall wordes of our sauyoure Christ, and therfor wondered and\nmourmured. In so moche that Christe sayde vnto them, doth this offende\nyou: What wyll ye say then wh\u0113 ye shall see the sone of man ascendynge\nthyther where he was before: Th\u0113 (addeth S. Austen) you shall knowe that\nhe ment not to geue hys fleshe to eate with your teth: for he shall\nascende whole. And Christ addeth, it is the spirite that quyckeneth, the\nfleshe profyteth nothynge, the wordes that I speake, are spirite \u0101d\nlyfe: that is to say, sayeth S. Austen, are spirytually to be\nvnderstonde. And where Christ sayeth, that the fleshe profyteth nothynge\n(meanynge of hys owne fleshe, as S. Aust\u0113 sayeth) he meaneth that it\nprofyteth not, as they vnderstoode hym, that is to saye, it profyteth\nnot, if it were eat\u0113. But it doth moche profyte to be slayne, that\nthrough it and the shedynge of hys blode, the wrath of God our Father is\npacyfyed, \u0101d our synnes forgeuen. And where his mastershyp sayeth that\nthe people perceyued well what he ment, and therfor w\u014ddered so sore \u0101d\ncoulde not abyde, because they perceyued well by hys wordes \u0101d maner of\ncyrcumstaunces what hys meanynge was. I wyll say as I ded before, that\nthey vnderstoode hym not. Nowe here he wyll saye vnto me, if it be but\nyour naye and my yea, then I wolde thynke to be beleued as soone as you,\nand surelye that were but reason. Not withstondynge (thankes be to God)\nI am able to brynge in auctoryte to Iudge betwene vs bothe, whose\nIudgem\u0113t I truste hys mastershyp wyll admytte. Thys autoure is .S.\nAusten which sayeth. [Sidenote: Augusti in sermo ad infan.] _Discipuli\nenim eius qui cum sequebantur expauerunt & exhorruerunt sermonem non\nintelligentes._ That is to saye, his dyscyples whiche folowed hym, were\na stoyned, and abhorred hys wordes, \u0101d vnderstoode th\u0113 not. And because\nyour mastershype shall not thynke that he over schotte hym selfe, and\nspake he wyste not what, we shall alledge hym sayenge the same wordes in\nan other place. [Sidenote: Aug. 54.] _Cum diceret. Nisi quis\nmanducauerit carnem .& c. Illi non intelligentes dixerunt ad inuic\u0113.\nDurus est hic sermo, quis potest eum audire?_ That is, when Christ\nsayde, excepte a man eate my fleshe and drynke my bloode, he shall haue\nno lyfe in hym, they because they vnderstoode hym not, sayde to eche\nother, this is an harde sayenge, who can heare hym? Thus I truste you\nwyll geue place (although not to me) yet at the leaste vnto Saynte\nAusten, and receyue the truth whiche is so playnelye proved.\n\nAnd where hys mastershyp alleageth this texte for the Sacramente, that\nexcepte they ded eate hys fleshe and drynke hys blode they coulde not be\nsaued, yt seameth that he is fallen in to the erroure of Pope Innoc\u0113t,\nwhich lykewyse vnderst\u014ddynge this texte vpon the Sacrament (as master\nMore doth) caused yonge chylderne and infantes to receyue the Sacrament,\nas though they had all bene dampned which dyed and had not receyued it.\nAnd of thys Carnall mynde were many mo Byshoppes a greate whyle (as are\nnow the Bohemes, whome he after dysprayseth, and yet expoundeth the\ntexte as they do) but afterward they loked more spirytually vp\u014d the\nmatter and confessed their ignoraunce, as I truste master More wyll. But\nnow wyll I shew you .S. Austens mynde vp\u014d this texte, which shall helpe\nfor the exposycyon of all thys matter. [Sidenote: Augustinus libro 3 de\ndoctrina christiana.] S. Austen in the thyrde boke de doctrina\nchristiana the .16. chapytre, teachynge how we shall knowe the tropes,\nfygures, allegoryes, and phrases of the scrypture sayeth. _Si a\u016bt\nflagitium aut facinus iubere uidetur, figurata locutio est. Nisi\nmanducaueritis (inqt) carnem filij hominis et biberitis eius sanguin\u0113,\nnon habebitis uitam in uobis. Facinus uel flagitium uidetur iubere.\nFigura est ergo precipiens passionis dominic\u00e6 esse comunicand\u016b et\nsuauiter atque utiliter in memoria recondendum, quod pro nobis caro eius\ncrucifixa & uulnerata sit._ That is to saye: when so euer the scrypture\nor Christe seameth to commaunde any fowle or wycked thynge, than muste\nthat texte be taken fyguratyuelye, and that it is a phrase, allegorye,\nand maner of speakynge, \u0101d muste be vnderstonde spyrytually and not\nafter the letter. Excepte (sayeth Christ) ye eate the fleshe of the\nsonne of man and drynke hys bloode ye shall haue no lyfe in you. He\nseameth (sayeth S. Austen) to c\u014dmaunde a fowle and a wycked thynge. It\nys therfore a fygure, commaundyng vs to be partakers of hys passyon, and\nswetely \u0101d profytablye to prynte in our mynde that hys fleshe was\ncrucyfyed and wounded for vs. This truth (thankes be to God) doth S.\nAusten declare vnto vs, which thynge besyde the openyng of thys texte\nagaynst master Mores mynd, doth playnely shew what he thought in the\nholye wordes of Christes souper. For syth he called yt a fowle and\nwycked thynge to eate hys fleshe, than may you soone perceyue, that he\nthought yt ys fowle and as wycked a thynge to eate hys bodye, seynge hys\nbodye ys fleshe, and then consequently yt shall folowe, that eyther thys\nworde eate (where Christe sayde take thys and eate yt) muste be taken\nspirytually, or els that thys say\u0113ge of Christe, thys is my body, muste\nbe fyguratyuely spoken, but this worde, eate, ys taken after the letter\n(for they ded in dede eate the breade) therfore yt muste neades folowe,\nthat thys sent\u0113ce (thys is my bodye) muste be fyguratyuely spoken. Or\nels ys .S. Austen not to be approued in thys place, which thynge our\nByshoppes I thynke, wyll not saye naye.\n\nBesydes that .S. Austen sayeth. [Sidenote: Augustinus in sermone ad\ninfantes.] _Quando loquebatur dominus noster Iesus Christus de corpore\nsuo, nisi (inquit) quis manducauerit carnem meam et biberit sanguin\u00e8\nmeum, non habebit in se uitam. Caro enim mea uere est cibus, & sanguis\nmeus uere est potus. Intellectus spiritualis credentem saluum facit,\nquia littera occidit, spiritus est qui uiuificat._ That is to saye: when\nour Lorde Iesus Christe spake of hys bodye, excepte (sayeth he) a man\neate my fleshe and drynke my bloode, he shall haue no lyfe in hym selfe,\nfor my fleshe is verye meate, and my bloode is very drynke. The\nspyrytuall vnderstondynge saueth hym that beleueth, for the letter\nkylleth, but the spirite quyckeneth. Here may you playnlye perceyue,\nthat thys texte muste onely be taken spyrituallye. For he sayeth, that\nto take it after the letter it kylleth and profyteth nothynge at all, &\ntherfor I wonder that we haue bene ledde so longe in this grosse\nerroure.\n\n[Sidenote: Orig. in leuiti. homi .7.] This sayenge doth that famous\nclarke Origene, confyrme say\u0113g. _Agnosce, figur\u00e6 sunt que in uoluminibus\nDomini script\u00e6 sunt: & ideo tanqu\u0101 spirituales & non tanquam carnales,\nexaminate & intelligite qu\u00e6 dicuntur. Si enim secundum litteram sequaris\nhoc ipsum quod dictum est, Nisi manducaueritis carn\u0113 &c. Occidit h\u00e6c\nlittera._ That is to saye: Marke that they are fygures which are wryt\u0113\nin the scrypture of God. And therfore examyne them as spyrytuall men and\nnot as Carnall, \u0101d vnderstonde those thynges that are spoken. For if\nthou folowe after the letter, this thynge that is spok\u0113: excepte ye eate\nthe fleshe of the sone of man and drynke hys bloode, you c\u0101 haue no lyfe\nin you, this letter kylleth. Alas deare bretherne why shulde any m\u0101 be\noffended with thys doctryne, seynge it is approued so playnelye, by\nsuche auncyent and holy Fathers.\n\n[Sidenote: Augusti sermo circa sacraferia pasche.] Agayne .S. Aust\u0113\nsayeth. _Qui manducat carnem me\u0101 & bibit meum sanguinem in memanet & ego\nin illo. Hoc est ergo manducare ill\u0101 escam & ill\u016b bibere potum, in\nChristo manere & illum manent\u0113 in se habere, ac per hoc qui non manet in\nChristo & in quo non manet Christus proculdubio non manducat eius carnem\nnec bibit sanguin\u0113, eti\u0101 si tanterei sacramentum ad iudicium sibi\nmanducet & bibit._ That is to saye, he that eateth my fleshe and\ndrynketh my bloode, abydeth in me, and I in hym. This is therfore the\neatynge of that meate and drynkynge of that bloode, to abyde in Christe\nand haue hym abydynge in vs. And therfor he that abydeth not in Christe,\nand in whome Christe abydeth not, without doubte he eateth not Christes\nfleshe nor drynketh not hys bloode, although he eate and drynke that\nsacram\u0113t of so greate a thynge vnto hys dampnacyon. And eu\u0113 the same\nwordes [Sidenote: Id\u0113 Beda super Cor. 10.] hath Bede vpon the Corynthy\u0101s\n1. Corin. 10. Thys one place is suffycyent for to proue my purpose\nthough he sayde not one worde more. For here he doth playnelye\ndetermyne, that he whiche abydeth not in Christe: that is to saye: he\nthat is wycked or vnfaythfull, doth not eate hys fleshe nor drynke hys\nbloode, although he eate and drynke the Sacram\u0113t of so greate a thynge.\nAnd so muste it neades folowe, that the Sacramente is not the verye\nnaturall bodye of Christ. For then the vnfaythfull shulde eate hys\nfleshe, seynge he eateth the Sacrament of hys bodye. But that doth S.\nAusten denye, wherfor it muste neades folowe, that it is but onely a\ntoken of a remembraunce, \u0101d a sygne of hys bodye breakynge, and a\nrepresentacyon of hys passyon, [Sidenote: Rom. 5.] that we myght keape\nhys facte in memorye, and geve hym thankes for hys tender loue and\nkyndenes, whiche when we were hys enemyes toke vpon hym to suffer moste\nvyle death, to reconcyle vs vnto his Father, and make vs hys frendes.\nThys sayenge hath S. Austen in a nother place also, [Sidenote: Augusti\ndeciuita: dei lib. 21.] where he wryteth on this maner. _Qui non in me\nmanet, & in quo ego non maneo, non se dicat aut existimet m\u0101ducare\ncorpus meum, aut bibere sanguinem meum. [Sidenote: capi. 25.] Non itaq;\nmaneat in Christo qui non sunt eius membra: non sunt autem membra\nChristi qui se faciunt membra meritricis._ That is to saye, he that\nabydeth not in me, and in whome I abyde not, let hym not saye or thynke\nthat he eateth my bodye or drynketh my bloode. They abyde not in Christe\nwhich are not hys m\u0113bers. And they are not hys membres whiche make them\nselues the membres of an harlote. And these are also the verye wordes of\nBede. Here is it playne proued agayne by the auctoryte of S. Austen and\nBede, [Sidenote: Beda super. 1. Cor. 6.] that the wycked and vnfaythfull\n(whiche are not the membres of Christe) do not eate hys bodye nor drynke\nhys bloode, and yet they do eate the Sacram\u0113t as well as the other.\nWherfore you muste neades, graunte, that the Sacram\u0113t is not the\nnaturall bodye of Christ but a fygure, tok\u0113, or memoryall therof. Now\ngood Christ\u0113 people counte not thys new learnynge which is confyrmed by\nsuche olde doctoures and faythfull fathers.\n\nNow were thys ynough for a Christ\u0113 man that loued no contencyon. But\nbecause there are so manye sophysters in the worlde whiche care not what\nthey saye, so they holde not their peace, I muste neades sette some\nbulwarke by this holy doctoure, to helpe to defende hym, for els they\nwyll shortelye ouer rone hym (as they do me) \u0101d make hym an heretyck\nalso. Therfore I wyll alleage hys master saynt Ambrose. Saynte Ambrose\nsayeth [Sidenote: Ambrosi de sacra.] _Non iste panis qui uadit in corpus\na nobis t\u0101 anxie queritur, sed panis uit\u00e6 \u00e6terne que anime nostre\nsubstanciam fulscit, qui autem discordat a Christo non manducat carnem\neius, nec bibit sanguinem eius, & si tante rei sacramentum iudicium sue\nperdicionis accipit._ That is, this breade that goeth in to the bodye ys\nnot so gredelye sought of vs, but the breade of euerlastynge lyfe which\nvpholdeth the substaunce of our soule. For he that dyscordeth from\nChrist, doth not eate hys fleshe, nor drynke hys bloode, although he\nreceyue the sacramente of so greate a thynge vnto hys dampnacyon and\ndestruccyon. Furthermore, the greate clarke Prosper confyrmeth the same,\nsayenge. [Sidenote: Prosper in libro sentenciarum.] _Qui discordat a\nChristo nec carnem Christi manducat, nec sanguinem bibit, etiam si tant\u00e6\nrei sacramentum ad iudicium sue presumptionis quotidie indifferenter\naccipiat._ That is, he that dyscordeth from Christ, doth neyther eate\nhys fleshe, nor drynke hys bloode, although he receyueth indyfferently\neuery daye the sacrament of so greate a thynge vnto the condempnacyon of\nhys presumpcyon. And these are also the very wordes of Bede [Sidenote:\nId\u0113 Beda super 1. Cor. 11.] vp\u014d the xi. Chapiter of the fyrste Epystle\nto the Corynthyans.\n\nNow you may see, that it ys not saynt Austens mynde onely, but also the\nsay\u0113ge of many mo. And therfore I truste you wyll be good vnto hym. And\nyf ye c\u014ddempne not these holye Fathers, then am I wrongfullye punyshed.\nBut, yf you condempne them, then muste poore Iohan Fryth be contente to\nbeare the burthen wyth them.\n\n\n\n\n The mynde & exposici\u014d of the olde doctours upon the wordes of Christes\n                                maundye.\n\n\n[Sidenote: More.] And where master More sayeth, that yf Chryste had not\nment after the playne litterall sense, that both the hearers at that\ntyme, and the expositours sens, and all Christen people besyde thys\nxv.c. yeare wolde not haue taken onelye the litterall sens beynge so\nstraunge and mervelous that yt myght seame impossyble, \u0101d declyne from\nthe letter for allegoryes in all suche other thynges, beynge (as he\nsayeth) and as in dede they be, so manye farre in nombre mo.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 As towchynge the hearers they were deceyued and\nvunderstoode hym not (I meane as manye as toke hys wordes fleslye as you\ndo). And they had their answere of Christe (when they mourmured) that\nhys wordes were spyrite and lyfe: that is (as S. Austen sayeth)\nspirytually to be vnderstonde & not fleslye, as ys before declared. And\nas for the exposytours, I thynke he hath not one of the olde fathers for\nhym, but certen newe felowes: as Dominicus, S. Thomas, Occam, \u0101d suche\nother which haue made the Pope a God. And as I haue shewed S. Austen\nmaketh full for vs, and so do all the olde fathers. As Oecolompadius\nhath well declared in hys boke. _Quid ueteres senserint de sacramento\neucharisti\u00e6._ And some of their sayenges I shall alleage a none. And\nwhere you saye that all Christen people haue so beleued this .1500.\nyeares, that is very false. For there ys no doubte, but that the people\nthought as holye Saynt Austen and other faythful fathers taught th\u0113.\nWhich as I sayde, make with vs. Notwithstondynge in dede syth oure\nprelates haue bene made lordes and haue sette vp their lawes and decrees\ncontrarye to the prerogatyue of all Prynces, and lyke moste subtle\ntraytours, haue made all men beleue that they may make lawes & bynde\nmens c\u014dscyences to obeye them: and that theyr lawes are Gods lawes,\nblyndynge the peoples eyes wyth two or thre textes wrongfully wrested,\nto avaunce their pryde, where they ought to obeye Kynges & Princes & be\nsubiect to their lawes, as Christ & hys Apostles were eu\u0113 vnto the\ndeath. Syth that tyme I say, they haue made m\u0113 beleue what they lyst, &\nmake artycles of the faythe at their pleasure. One artycle must be that\nthey be the church, \u0101d c\u0101 not erre. And this ys the grounde of all their\ndoctryne. But the truth of this artycle ys now suffycyently know\u0113. For\nyf quene Katheryne be Kynge H\u0113ryes wyfe, th\u0113 they do erre, & yf she be\nnot, they haue th\u0113 erred. It is nowe become an artycle of our fayth that\nthe Pope of Rome must be the hede of the churche \u0101d the vycar of\nChriste: & that by Gods lawe. It is an artycle of our fayth, that what\nsoeuer he byndeth in earth, is bo\u016bde in heau\u0113, in so moche that yf he\ncurse wr\u014dgfully, yet yt must be feared, \u0101d infynite suche other which\nare not in our crede, but blessed be god that hath geu\u0113 some lyght in to\noure Prynces harte. For he hath lately put forth a boke called the\nglasse of truth, which proueth many of these artycles very folysh\nf\u0101tasyes, \u0101d that eu\u0113 by theyr owne doctours, and so I truste you shall\nbe proued in this poynt of the sacram\u0113t. For though it be an artycle of\nour fayth, yt is none artycle of our Crede in the .xij. artycles, whiche\nare suffycyent for our saluacyon. And therfore we may thynke that you\nlye without all Ieoperdye of dampnacyon.\n\nNeuerthelesse seynge hys mastershyp sayeth that all make for hym, & I\nsay cleane contrarye, that allthe olde fathers make agaynste hym, it\nwere necessarye that one of vs shulde proue hys purpose. But in dede in\nthis poynte he wolde loke to haue the v\u0101tage of me. For he thynketh that\nm\u0113 wyll sooner beleue him which is a greate m\u0101, th\u0113 me which am but a\npoore m\u0101, \u0101d that therfor I had more neade to proue my parte true, th\u0113\nhe to proue hys. Well, I am content, and therfor geue eare dere reader\nand iudge betwene vs.\n\n[Sidenote: Tertullianus libro. 2. c\u014dtra Marcionem. Tertullianus libro 4.\nc\u014dtra Marcionem.] First I wyll begynne with Tertulyan, because he is of\nmoste antiquyte. Tertullyan sayeth. _Ipse (Christus) nec panem\nreprobauit quod ipsum corpus suum representat._ That is to saye: Christ\nhym selfe ded not reproue or disc\u014dm\u0113de breade which doth represent hys\nbodye. For the vnderst\u014ddynge of thys place, you must know that there was\nan heretyke called Marcy\u014d, which ded reproue creatures, & sayde that all\nmaner of creatures were euell. This thynge doth Tertully\u0101 improue by the\nsacram\u0113t & sayeth. Christ ded not reproue or dysc\u014dmende breade the which\ndoth repres\u0113t his bodye: as though he shulde say, yf Christ had counted\nthe breade euell, then wolde he not haue lefte yt for a sacrament to\nrepresent hys bodye, meanynge that it is a sacramente, sygne, token, and\nmemoryall of hys bodye, and not the body ytselfe. And that this is hys\nmynde, doth playnly appeare in his fourth boke, where he sayeth.\n_Christus accept\u016b pan\u0113 et distribut\u016b discipulis, corpus su\u016b illud fecit:\nhoc est corpus me\u016b dic\u0113do, id est figura corporis mei. Figura aut\u0113 non\nfuisset, nisi ueritatis e \u0113t corpus. Vacua res quod est ph\u0101tasma,\nfiguram capere non posset._\n\nThat ys to saye: Christe takynge breade and dystrybutynge vnto hys\ndiscyples made yt hys bodye, say\u0113ge. This ys my body. But thys breade\ncoulde not haue bene a figure of yt, excepte Christ had had a true\nbodye. For a vayne thynge or a fantasye can take no fygure. For the\nvnderstondynge of this place, you muste marke that this heretycke Marcy\u014d\nagaynst whome thys auctoure wryteth, ded holde opynyon that Christ had\nno naturall bodye, but onelye a fantastycall bodye, \u0101d this opynyon doth\nthys doctoure improue by the sacrament of the aulter sayenge. The\nsacrament ys a fygure of hys bodye: ergo Christ had a true bodye, \u0101d not\na fantastycall bodye: For a vayne thynge or fantasye can take no fygure.\nLoo, here doth this olde father which was longe before .S. Austen or .S.\nHierome, expounde these wordes of Christe. This is my bodye: that is to\nsaye, a fygure of my bodye. Therfor ye are to blame to call it new\nlernynge. Nowe because they shall not of temeraryous presumpcyon reiecte\nthis olde father, I shall establyshe hys wordes by S. Austen, which\ncommendeth Christes meruelous pacyence for sufferynge so l\u014dge that\ntraytour Iudas, as though he had bene a good man, and yet was not\nignor\u0101t of hys wycked thoughtes. [Sidenote: Augusti.] _Adhibuit (inquit)\nad c\u014duiuium in quo corporis & sanguinis sui figura discipulis\ncommendauit ac tradidit._ That is to saye: [Sidenote: in prefa. Psalm.\n3.] he admytted hym sayeth S. Aust\u0113 vnto the mandye wherin he dede be\ntake and delyuer vnto the dyscyples the fygure of hys bodye and bloode.\nHere doth thys holye father .S. Aust\u0113 call yt the fygure of hys body.\nAnd I am sure there is no m\u0101 so chyldyshe, but that he knoweth that the\nfygure of Christe ys not Christe hym selfe, the fygure of .S. Peter ys\nnot saynt Peter hym selfe. And yet we do neuerthelesse comm\u014dly call\nthose fygures by the name of the thynge that they do represente. As I\nmaye saye when I see the fygure of .S. Peter, thys ys S. Peter to whome\nChriste delyuered the keyes of the kyngdome of heau\u0113. And yet he were a\nfoole that wolde thynke that fygure to be S. Peter hym selfe. For yt is\nonelye a representacyon of hym. Besydes that S. Austen sayeth.\n[Sidenote: Augusti in prefa. Psalm. 98.] _Non hoc corpus quod uidetis\nestis manducaturi, nec bibituri illum sanguinem quem effusuri sunt qui\nme crucifigent. Sacramentum aliquod uobis commendaui, spiritualiter\nintellectum uiuificat nos, caro autem non prodest quicquam._ That ys to\nsaye: you shall not eate thys bodye that you see, nor drynke that bloode\nwhich they that crucyfye me shall shedde out. I haue geuen a certayne\nsacramente vnto you, yf yt be spirytually vnderstonde, yt quyckeneth\nyou: but the fleshe profyteth nothynge. What thynges can be more\nplaynely spoken?\n\nFurdermore S. Austen sayeth. _Sepe ita loquimur ut Pascha appropinquante\ncrastinam uel perendinam Domini passionem dicamus: cum ille ante tam\nmultos annes passus sit, nec omnino nisi semel illa passio facta sit.\nNempe ipso die dominico dicimus bodie dominus resurrexit cum ex quo\nsurrexit tot anni transierunt. Quare nemo tam ineptus est, ut nos ita\nloquentes arguat esse mentitos, quia istos dies secundum illorum quibus\nh\u00e6c gesta sunt similitudinem nuncupamus: ut dicatur ipse dies qui non\nsit ipse, sed reuolucio ne temporum similes eius: & dicatur illo die\nfieri propter sacramenti celebrationem, quod non illo die, sed iam olim\nfactum est. Nonne semel immolatus est Christus in seipso? & tamen in\nsacramento non solum per amnuas Pasch\u00e6 solennitates, sed omni die pro\npopuslis immola tur: nec utique mentitur qui interrogatus, responderit\neum immolari. Si enim sacramenta quandam similitudinem earum rerum\nquarum sunt sacramenta non haberent, omnino sacramenta non essent. Ex\nhac autem similitudine plerumque etiam ipsarum rerum nomina accipiunt.\nSicut ergo secundum quendam modum sacram\u0113tum corporis CHRISTI corpus\nCHRISTI est. Et sacramentum sanguinis CHRISTI sanguis CHRISTI est, ita\nsacramenta fidei fides est, Nihil est autem aliud ud credere, quam fidem\nhabere, ac per hoc respondetur fidem habere propter fidei sacramenta. Et\nconuertere se ad Deum propter conuersionis sacramentum. Quia & ipsa\nresponsio pertinet ad celebrationem sacramenti. Sicut de ipso baptismo\nApostolus dicit. Consepulti (inquit) sumus Christo per baptismum in\nmortem, Non ait sepulturam significauimus, sed prorsus ait, consepulti\nsumus. Sacramentum ergo tant\u00e6 rei non nisi eiusdem rei uocabulo\nnuncupauit._\n\nThat is to saye: We often vse to saye, when Easter draweth nyghe, that\nto morow or the nexte day is the Lordes passy\u014d, \u0101d yet yt is many yeares\nsens he suffered, and that passyon was neuer done but ones. And vpon\nthat sondaye we saye, thys daye the Lorde ded ryse agayne, and yet yt ys\nmany yeares sens he rose. Now ys there no man so folyshe to reproue vs\nas lyers for so sayenge, because we name these dayes after the\nsymylytude of those in which these thynges were done, so that yt is\ncalled the same daye, which is not the verye same, but by the reuolucyon\nof tyme lyke it. And yt is named to be done the same daye through the\ncelebracyon of the sacram\u0113t (through kepynge the memoryall of the thynge\nones done) which ys not done that daye, but was done l\u014dge before. Was\nnot Christe ones crucyfyed in hys owne parson? \u0101d yet in a mysterye\n(which is the remembraunce of hys very passyon) he ys crucyfyed for the\npeople not onely euery feaste of Easter, but euery daye. Neyther doth he\nlye which (wh\u0113 he is asked) answereth that he is crucyfyed. For yf the\nsacramentes, had not certayne symylytudes of those thynges wherof they\nare sacramentes, then shulde they be no sacramentes at all. And for thys\nsymylytude for the most parte they take the names of the very thynges,\nand therfore after a certayne maner the sacramente of Christes bodye ys\nChristes bodye, & the sacram\u0113te of Christes bloode, is christes bloode,\nso the sacram\u0113t of faythe, is fayth. For yt ys n\u014d other thyng to beleue,\nth\u0113 to haue fayth, & therfore wh\u0113 a m\u0101 \u0101swereth that the infante\nbeleueth which hath not the affecte of fayth, he answereth that yt hath\nfaythe for the sacram\u0113t of fayth: And that yt turneth yt selfe to GOD,\nfor the sacrament of conuersyon. For the answere yt selfe perteyneth\nvnto the mynystrynge of the sacrament. As the Apostle wryteth of\nBaptyme: we are buryed (sayeth he) wyth Christ through Baptyme vnto\ndeath. He sayeth not, we sygnyfye buryenge, but vtterlye sayeth, we are\nburyed. He called therfore the sacrament of so greate a thynge euen wyth\nthe propre name of the verye thynge it selfe. & ce. If a man wolde\navoyde contencyon and loke soberly vpon those wordes of Saynte Austen,\nhe shall soone perceyue the mysterye of thys matter. For eu\u0113 as the\nnexte good frydaye shalbe called the daye of Christes passyon: and yet\nhe shall not suffer death a gayne vpon that daye, for he dyed but ones\nand is nowe immortall, eu\u0113 so is the Sacrament called Christes bodye.\nAnd as that daye is not the verye daye that he dyed vpon, but onelye a\nremembraunce therof: So the Sacrament is not hys very naturall bodye,\nbut onelye a remembraunce of hys bodye breakynge and bloode sheadynge.\nAnd lykewyse, as the nexte Easter daye shall be called the daye of hys\nresurrectyon, not that it is the very same daye that Christe ded ryse\nin, but a remembraunce of the same: Euen so the Sacrament is called hys\nbodye: not that it is hys bodye in dede, but onely a remembraunce of the\nsame. And furdermore, eu\u0113 as the Preste doth offer hym, that is to saye,\ncrucyfye hym at Masse, eu\u0113 so is the sacram\u0113t hys bodye. But the Masse\ndoth but onely represent hys passyon. And so doth the Sacrament\nrepresent hys bodye. And yet though the Masse dothe but represent his\ncrucyfy\u0113ge, we maye trulye saye he is crucyfyed, euen so though the\nSacrament do but sygnyfye or represent hys bodye, yet may we trulye saye\nthat it is hys bodye. Why so? verely (sayeth he) for the sacramentes\nhaue a certayne symylytude of those thynges wherof they are sacramentes.\nAnd for thys symylytude for the moste parte, they take the names of the\nverye thynges. Blessed be God which hathe so clearelye dyscussed this\nmatter by thys faythfull Father. Notwithstondynge he doth yet expresse\nit more playnelye say\u0113g: After a certayne maner the sacrament of\nChristes bodye is Christes bodye. Beholde deare bretherne he sayeth,\nafter a certayne maner the sacram\u0113t is Christes bodye. And by that you\nmaye soone knowe that he neuer m\u0113te that it shulde be hys verye naturall\nbodye in dede, but onelye a token and memoryall to keape in memorye the\ndeath of hys bodye, and so to nouryshe our fayth. Besydes that, hys\nsymylytude which he after allegeth of Baptyme, doth througlye expo\u016bde\nthis matter, for (sayeth he) the Apostle sayeth not, we sygnyfye\nburyenge: but he sayeth, we are buryed, & yet in dede the Baptyme doth\nbut sygnyfye it. And therevpon .S. Austen addeth, that he called the\nsacrament of so greate a thynge euen with the name of the verye thynge\nit selfe. And lykewyse it is in our sacrament. Fynallye to be shorte, I\nwyll passe ouer many places which I haue gathered out of this holye\nfather, and wyll towche but this one more. Saynte Aust\u0113 sayeth.\n[Sidenote: Augusti c\u014dtr. adamant\u016b.] _Non enim Dominus dubitauit dicere,\nHoc est corpus meum, cum daret signum corporis sui. Et in eoden capite\nexponit. Sic est enim sanguis anima, quomodo petra erat Christus, nec\ntamen petra (ait) significabat Christ\u016b, sed ait petra erat Christus._\nThat is to saye: The lorde doubted not to saye, this is my bodye, wh\u0113 he\ngaue a sygne of hys bodye. And after in the same chapyter he expoundeth\nit. For trulye so the bloode is the soule, as Christe was the stone. And\nyet the Apostle sayeth not, the stone ded sygnyfye Christ, but he sayeth\nthe stone was Christ.\n\nHere S. Austen sayeth playnelye, that Christe called the sygne of hys\nbodye, his bodye, and in this chapyter doth compare these thre textes of\nscrypture, this is my bodye, the bloode is the soule, and Christe was\nthe stone: And declareth them to be one phrase, and to be expounded\nafter one fashy\u014d. Now is there no m\u0101 so madde, as to saye, that Christe\nwas a naturall stone (excepte he be a naturall foole) whose Judgem\u0113t we\nneade not greately to regarde. Therefore we may well c\u014dclude that the\nsacrament is not his naturall bodye, but is called his bodye, for a\nsymylytude that it hath, wherin it sygnyfyeth & representeth his bodye.\nAnd that the sacram\u0113t of so greate a thynge is called eu\u0113 with the name\nof the very thynge it selfe. As s. Aust\u0113 sayde. Thys were prove ynough\nto conclude that all the olde Fathers ded holde the same opynyon, for\nwho wolde ones surmyse (seynge we haue. S. Austen so playne for vs which\nis the cheafest amonge th\u0113 all) who wolde ones surmyse I say, that they\ndyssented in thys greate matter fr\u014d the other faythfull fathers, or they\nfrom hym? Neuerthelesse I dare not lett hym st\u014dde post alone, leaste ye\ndyspyse hym. And therfore I wyll shewe you the mynde of certayne other\nalso: and fyrste of hys master Saynt Ambrose.\n\n[Sidenote: Ambrosi super illud mort\u0113 domini annuncia.] S. Ambrose\nwrytynge vpon the Epystle of Paule to the Corynthyans in the .xi.\nChapter sayeth. _Quia enim morte Domini liberati sumus, huius rei in\ned\u0113do & pot\u0101do, carnem & sanguinem qui pro nobis oblata sunt,\nsignificamus._ That is to saye: because we be delyuered by the death of\nthe Lorde, in eatynge and drynkynge of thys thynge, meanynge of the\nSacrament, we sygnyfye the fleshe and bloode which were offered for vs.\nHere doth S. Ambrose saye ynough, yf men were not sophysters, but wolde\nbe content with reason. For he sayeth that in eatynge and drynkynge the\nSacram\u0113t of Christes bodye, we sygnyfye or represent the fleshe and\nbloode of our sauyoure Iesus. Notwithstondynge be cause you are so\nslyppery, we shall bynde you a lytle better by thys m\u0101s wordes.\n\n[Sidenote: Ambrosi de sacra.] S. Ambrose sayeth. _Sed forte dices\nspeciem sanguinis non uideo, sed habet similitudinem. Sicut enim mortis\nsimilitudinem sumpsisti, ita etiam similitudinem preciosi sanguinis\nbibis._ That is to saye. But perauenture thou wylte saye, I see no\napperaunce of bloode, but it hathe a symylytude. For eu\u0113 as thou haste\ntaken the symylytude of death, euen so thou drynkest the symylytude of\nthe precyous bloode. Here maye ye see by the conferrynge of these two\nSacramentes, what .S. Ambrose iudged of it. For he sayeth, euen as thou\nhaste taken a symylytude of hys death in the sacram\u0113t of baptyme, so\ndoste thou drynke a symylytude of hys precyouse bloode in the Sacrament\nof the Aulter. And yet as S. Austen sayde before, the Apostle sayeth,\nnot we sygnyfye buryenge, but sayeth, we are buryed. And lykewyse here\nChriste sayde, not this sygnyfyeth my bodye, but this is my bodye,\ncallynge the Sacrament, a sygne, token, and memoryall of so greate a\nthynge, euen with the name of the verye thynge it selfe. Thus doth S.\nAmbrose choke our sophysters.\n\nNeuerthelesse I wyll alleage one place more out of Ambrose, where he\nsayeth. [Sidenote: Ambrosi lib .3. de sacram\u0113.] _Dicit sacerdos fac\nnobis hanc oblation\u0113 scriptam rationabilem, quod est figura corporis\nDomini nostri Iesu Christi._ That is: the Preste sayeth, make vs this\noblacyon acceptable. & ce. For it is a fygure of the bodye of our Lorde\nIesus Chryst. Here he calleth it playnelye a fygure of Christes bodye,\nwhich thynge you can not avoyde. Therfore geue prayse vnto God and lette\nhys trouth sprede, which is so playnelye testyfyed, by these holye\nFathers. Now lette vs see what S. Hierome sayeth.\n\n[Sidenote: Hieronimus super eccle.] Saynte Hierome wrytynge vpon\nEcclesiastes sayeth on this maner. _Caro Domini uerus cibus est, &\nsanguis eius uerus potus est, hoc solum habemus in presenti s\u00e6culo\nbonum, si uescamur carne eius cruoreque potemur, n\u014d solum in misterio,\nsed etiam in scripturarum lectione, uerus enim cibus est & potus, qui ex\nuerbo Dei sumitur scientia scripturarum._ That is to saye: the fleshe of\nthe lorde is verye meate, and his bloode verye drynke. This is onelye\nthe pleasure or profytte that we haue in this worlde, that we maye eate\nhys fleshe and drynke his bloode, not onely in a mysterye, but also in\nthe readynge of scryptures. For it is very meate and drynke, which is\ntaken out of Godes worde, by the knowelege of scryptures. Here maye ye\nsee S. Hieroms mynde in fewe wordes. For fyrste he sayeth that we eate\nhys fleshe and drynke hys bloode in a mysterye, whiche is the sacrament\nof hys remembraunce, and memoryall of his passyon. And after he addeth,\nthat we eate his fleshe \u0101d drynke hys bloode in the readynge \u0101d\nknowelege of scriptures, \u0101d calleth that very meate \u0101d very drynke. And\nyet I am sure ye are not so grosse, as to thynke that the letters whiche\nyou reade are tourned in to naturall fleshe \u0101d blode. And lykewyse it is\nnot necessarye that the breade shulde be tourned in to hys bodye, no\nmore than the letters in scrypture are tourned in to his fleshe. And\nneuerthelesse through faythe we may as well eate hys bodye in receyuynge\nof the sacrament, as eate hys fleshe in readynge of the letters of the\nscrypture. Besydes that S. Hierome calleth the vnsterst\u014ddynge of the\nscripture verye meate and very drynke: whiche you muste neades\nvnderstonde in a mysterye and spyrituall sense. For it is no materyall\nmeate nor drynke that is receyued with the mouth and teth, but it is\nspyrytuall meate and drynke, and is so called for a symylytude and\npropertye: because that as meate and drynke counforte the bodye and\noutwarde man, so doth the readynge and knowelege of scrypture conforte\nthe soule and inwarde man. And lykewyse it is of Christes bodye, whiche\nis called verye meate and verye drynke, whiche you muste neades\nvnderstonde in a mysterye or spyrytuall sense (as Saynte Hierome called\nit) for hys bodye is no materyall meate nor drynke that is receyued with\nthe mouth or teth: But it is spyrytuall meate and drynke, and so called\nfor a symilytude and propertye, because that as meate and drynke\nconforte the bodye, so doth the fayth in hys bodye breakynge & bloode\nsheadynge refreshe the soule vnto lyfe euerlastynge. We vse it\ncustomablye in our daylye speache to saye, when a chylde setteth all hys\nmynde and delyght vp\u014d sporte and playe: It is meate and drynke to thys\nchylde to playe. And also we saye by a man that loueth well hawkynge and\nhuntynge: It is meate and drynke to thys man to hawke and hunte. Where\nno man doubteth, but it is a fyguratyue speache. And therfore I wonder\nthat they are so blynde in thys one poynte of Christes bodye. And can\nnot also take the wordes fyguratyuelye, as these olde doctours ded.\n[Sidenote: Hieronimus super Matheum.] Agayne S. Hierome sayeth.\n_Postquam mysticum pascha fuerat impletum & agni carnes cum apostolis\ncomederat, assumit panem qui confortat cor hominis, & ad uer\u016b pasch\u00e6\ntransgreditur sacramentum, quomodo in prefiguratione eius Melchisedech\nuinum & panem proferens fecerat, ipse quoq; ueritatem corporis\nrepr\u00e6sentaret._ That is to saye: after the mystycall Easter l\u0101be\nfullfylled, and that Christe had eaten the lambes fleshe with the\nApostles, he toke breade which conforteth the harte of man, and passeth\nto the true sacram\u0113t of the Easter lambe: that as Melchisedech brought\nforthe breade and wyne fygurynge hym, so myght he lykewyse represent the\ntruth of hys bodye. Here doth S. Hierome speake after the maner that\nTertully\u0101 ded before: that Christe with breade and wyne ded represent\nthe truth of hys bodye. For excepte he had had a true bodye, he coulde\nnot leaue a fygure of it nor represent it vnto vs. For a vayne thynge or\nfantasye can haue no fygure, nor can not be represented. As by example.\nHow shulde a m\u0101 make a fygure of hys dreame or represent it vnto our\nmemorye? But Christ hath lefte vs a fygure and representacyon of hys\nbodye in breade and wyne: therfore it foloweth that he had a true bodye.\nAnd that this was .S. Hieroms mynde doth manefestly appeare by the\nwordes of Bede, which doth more copyouslye sette out this sayenge of\nHierome. [Sidenote: Beda super Luc.] For he wryteth on this maner.\n_Finitis pasch\u00e6 ueteris solennijs que in commemoration\u0113 antiqu\u00e6 de\n\u00e6gypto liberationis agebantur, transit ad nou\u016b quod in su\u00e6 redemptionis\nmemori\u0101 ecclesia frequ\u0113tare desiderat, ut uidelicet pro carne agni uel\nsanguine suo, carnis sanguinisq; sacramentum in panis ac uini figura\nsubstituens, ipsum se esse monstraret cui iurauit Dominus. Tu es\nsacerdos in \u00e6ternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Frangit autem ipse\npanem quem porrigit, ut ostendat corporis sui fractionem non sine sua\nsponte futuram. Similiter & calicem postquam c\u0153na uit dedit eis. Quia\nergo panis carn\u0113 c\u014dfirmat, uinum uero sanguin\u0113 operatur in carne, hic ad\ncorpus Christi mystice, illud refertur ad sanguinem._ That is to saye.\nAfter the solempnyte of the olde Easter lambe was fynyshed, which was\nobserued in the rem\u0113braunce of the olde delyuera\u016bce out of Egypte, he\ngoth vnto the newe which the churche gladlye obserueth in the\nrem\u0113braunce of hys redempcyon, that he in the steade of the fleshe and\nbloode of the lambe, myght instytute and ordeyne the sacram\u0113t of hys\nfleshe and bloode in the fygure of breade and wyne, and so declare hym\nselfe to be the same vnto whome the Lorde sware, thou arte a perpetuall\nPreste after the order of Melchisedech. And he hym selfe brake the\nbreade which he gaue, to shewe that the breakynge of hys bodye shulde\nnot be done without hys owne wyll. And lykewyse he gaue them the cuppe\nafter he had supped. And because breade doth confyrme or strengthen the\nfleshe, and wyne worketh bloode in the fleshe, therfore is the breade\nmystycallye referred vnto the bodye of Christe, and the wyne referred\nvnto hys bloode.\n\nHere maye you note, fyrste that as the lambe was a remembraunce of theyr\ndelyueraunce out of Egipte (and yet the l\u0101be delyuered them not) so is\nthe sacrament a remembraunce of our redemptyon, and yet the sacrament\nredeamed vs not. Besydes that he sayeth, that Christ in the steade of\nthe fleshe and bloode of the lambe, ded instytute the sacrament of hys\nfleshe and bloode in fygure of breade and wyne.\n\nMarke well, he sayeth not that in the steade of lambes fleshe and bloode\nhe ded instytute hys owne fleshe and bloode, but sayeth that he ded\ninstytute the sacrament of hys fleshe and bloode. What thynge is a\nsacrament? Verelye it is the sygne of an holye thynge, and there is no\ndyference betwene a sygne and a sacrament, but that the sygne is\nreferred vnto a worldlye thynge, and a Sacrament vnto a spyrytuall or\nholye thynge.\n\n[Sidenote: Ad Marcellum.] As Saynte Austen sayeth. _Signa cum ad res\ndiuinas pertinent, sacramenta appellantur._ That is to saye: sygnes when\nthey partayne vnto godlye thynges are called sacramentes.\n\nTherfore when Bede sayeth, that they ded instytute the Sacrament of hys\nfleshe and bloode in the fygure of breade and wyne, it is as moche to\nsaye (by Saynte Austens dyffynycyon) as that he ded instytute the fygure\nof hys holye fleshe and bloode in the fygure of breade and wyne, that is\nto saye: that breade and wyne shulde be the fygure and sygne\nrepresentynge hys most blessed holye fleshe and bloode vnto vs, for a\nperpetuall rem\u0113braunce. And afterwarde he declared the propertye for\nwhiche the breade is called the bodye \u0101d the wyne the bloode: savynge he\nspeaketh not so darkelye as I now do, but playnelye sayeth that the\nbreade is mystycallye referred vnto the bodye of Christe: because that\nas breade doth str\u0113gth\u0113 the fleshe, so Christes bodye which is fygured\nby the breade, doth str\u0113gthen the soule through fayth in hys death. And\nso doth he clearlye proue my purpose.\n\n[Sidenote: Crisost. super Matth.] Now lette vs see what Chrisostome\nsayeth, whiche shall descrybe vs the fayth of the olde Grecyans, who had\nnot loste the true fayth, howsoeuer the wordle go now adayes.\nChrisostome sayeth in thys maner. _Si enim mortuus Iesus n\u014d est cuius\nsignum & simbol\u016b hoc sacrific\u016b est? uides quantum ei studium fuerit ut\nsemper memoria teneamus pro nobis ipsum mortuum fuisse._ That is to\nsaye: Yf Iesus haue not dyed, whose memoryall and sygne is this\nsacryfyce? Thou seest what dylygence he gaue that we shulde c\u014dtynuallye\nkeape in memorye that he dyed for vs. Here you maye see that Chrisostome\ncalleth the sacramet _symbolum et signum_: That is to saye, a memoryall\nand sygne of Christ, and that it was instytute to keape hys death in\nperpetuall remembraunce. But of one thynge thou muste be ware or els\nthou arte deceyued, he calleth it also a sacryfyce, and there thou muste\nwyselye vnderstonde hym. [Sidenote: Sacryfyce.] For yf it were the\nsacryfyce of Christes bodye, then muste Christes bodye be slayne agayne,\nwhich thynge God forbyd. And therfore thou muste vnderst\u014dde hym wh\u0113 he\ncalleth it a sacryfyce, that he meaneth it to be a rem\u0113braunce of that\nholye sacryfyce, where Christes bodye was offered on the crosse ones for\nall. For he can be sacryfyced no more, seynge he is immortall.\nNotwithstondynge our Prelates wyll here note me of presumpti\u014d, that I\ndare be so bolde to expounde hys mynde on this fashyon. For in dede they\ntake hym otherwyse, and thynke that it is a verye sacryfyce. And\ntherfore I wyll brynge one other texte, where Chrisostome shall expounde\nhym selfe. Chrisostome sayeth: [Sidenote: Crisost. ad Hebre. hom. 17.]\n_Nonne per singulos dies offerrimus? offerrimus qdem, sed ad\nrecordationem mortis eius facientes. Hoc autem sacrificium (sicut\npontifex) sed id ipsum semper facimus: imo recordation\u0113 sacrificij._\nThat is to saye: do we not daylye offer or do sacryfyce: yes suerlye.\nBut we do it for the remembraunce of hys death, for this sacryfyce is as\nan example of that we offer, not an other sacryfyce (as the Byshopp in\nthe olde lawe ded) but euer the same: yea rather a remembraunce of the\nsacryfyce. Fyrste he sayeth that they daylye do sacryfyce, but it is in\nremembraunce of Christes death. Then he sayeth that the sacryfyce is an\nexample of that. Thyrdlye he sayeth, that they offer not an other\nsacryfyce (that is to saye an oxe or a gotte) as the Byshoppes of the\nolde lawe, but euer the same.\n\nMarke thys poynte: For though it seame at the fyrste syght to make wyth\nthem, yet doth yt make so derectelye agaynste them, that they shall\nneuer be able to avoyde it. Chrisostome sayeth, they do not offer an\nother sacryfyce as the Bysshoppes ded, but euer the same. They offer\nother breade and wyne thys daye, then they ded yesterdaye: they shall\nsaye an other Masse to morowe, then they ded this daye.\n\nNow yf thys breade and wyne or the Masse be a sacryfyce, then do they\noffer an other sacryfyce, as well as the Byshoppes of the olde Lawe. For\nthys sacryfyce ded sygnyfye that Christe shulde come and shedde hys\nbloode, as well as the breade, wyne, and Masse, do represent that he\nhath done it in dede. And therfore yf it be a sacryfyce, then do they\noffer an other sacryfyce, representynge hys passyon, as well as the\nByshoppe of the olde Lawe. But that doth Chrisostome denye, and sayeth\nthat they offer euerye daye the same. What same? Verelye euen the same\nthat was done and sacryfyced when Christe shedde hys bloode. In thys\nsacryfyce is Christe euerye daye bounde and buffetted, and ledde from\nAnna to Cayphas: he is brought to Pylate and condempned; he is scourged\n\u0101d crowned with thorne, and nayled on the crosse, and hys harte opened\nwith a spere, and so sheadeth hys bloode for our redempcyon. Why\nChrisostome, and do you the selfe same sacryfyce euerye daye? Yea\nverelye. Then why doth Saynte Paule saye to the Romaynes [Sidenote: Rom.\n6.] in the syxte Chapter: that Christe is rysen from death, and dyeth no\nmore? Yf he dye no more, how do you daylye crucyfye hym? For sothe Paule\nsayeth trouthe.\n\nFor we do it not actuallye in dede, but onelye in a mysterye. And yet we\nsaye, that we do sacryfyce hym, and that thys is hys sacryfyce, for the\ncelebracyon of the Sacrament and memorye of the passyon whiche we keape:\nand for thys cause it hath the name of the thynge that it doth\nrepresente and sygnyfye. And therfore, as Saynte Austen declareth a fore\nad Bonifacium, [Sidenote: Augustinus ad Bonifacium.] I expounde my mynde\nby a rethorycall correctyon and saye, _Imo recordationem sacrificij_.\nThat is to saye: Yea rather the remembraunce, and fygure of the\nsacryfyce.\n\nGraunde mercyes good Chrisostome, now do I perceyue the pyth of thys\nmatter: euen as the Masse is the verye death and passyon of Christe, so\nis it a sacryfyce. Now it doth but onelye represente the verye death and\npassyon of Christe, therfore it doth folowe that the Masse in verye dede\ndoth but onely represente a sacryfyce. And yet not withstandynge manye\ntymes it is called a sacryfyce of holye doctours, and hathe the name of\nthe verye same thynge that it doth represent \u0101d sygnyfye. And euen so we\nmaye saye of this sacrament, that as the Masse is the verye sacryfyce\nand passyon of Christ, so is the sacrament hys verye bodye and sacryfyce\nthat is offered. Nowe the Masse doth but onely represent and sygnyfye\nthe passyon: so the sacrament doth but onelye represent and sygnyfye the\nbodye and very sacryfyce ones offred for euer. Notwithstondynge manye\ntymes the Masse is called the bodye and a sacryfyce. And hath the name\nof the verye same thynge that it doth represent and sygnyfye.\n\n[Sidenote: Crisostome.] Furthermore Chrisostome sayeth. _Ipse quos;\nbibitex eo, ne auditis uerbis illis dicer\u0113t. Quid igitur sanguinem\nbibimus & carnem commedimus? ac ideo perturbarentur, nam & quando prius\nde his uerba fecit, etiam uerbis ipsius offendabantur. Ne igitur tunc id\nquoque accideret, primus ipse hoc fecit, ut ad communionem misteriorum\ninduceret intrepidam._ That ys to saye: he also dranke of yt, leaste\nwhen they harde hys wordes, they shulde saye: why do we than drynke\nbloode and eate fleshe? and so shulde be troubled. For when he spake\nbefore of those thynges, they were offended wyth hys wordes. And because\nthat shulde not now also chaunce, he hym selfe dranke fyrst of yt, that\nhe myght cause th\u0113 to come without feare to the partakynge of those\nmysteryes. Here Chrisostome noteth that Christe dranke of yt, to drawe\nthem from the grosse vnderst\u014ddynge of hys wordes, and by hys drynkynge\nto testyfye vnto them, that yt was not hys naturall fleshe in dede, but\nonely memoryalles and representacyons of hys bodye and bloode. And\ntherfore he calleth them mysteryes: that is to saye sacramentes. For in\nthys place a sacramente \u0101d a mysterye ys all one thynge.\nNotwithstondynge some tyme thys worde mysterye ys more common \u0101d large\nin signyfyenge then this worde sacrament. And I haue shewed you before,\nthat a sacrament ys the sygne of an holy thynge, and not the thynge it\nselfe that yt representeth: albeit somtyme yt beare the name of the\nverye thynge yt selfe. As the Image of .S. Peter ys not saynt Peter hym\nselfe, and yet yt beareth hys name.\n\nChrisostome sayeth. _Caro non prodest quicquam: hoc est, secundum\nspiritum uerba mea audienda sunt. Qui secundum carnem audit, nihil\nlucratur, nihil utilitatis accipit. Quid est autem carnaliter\nintelligere: simpliciter ut res dicuntur, neque aliud quippiam\nexcogitare. Misteria omnia interioribus oculis consideranda, hoc est\nspiritualiter._ That is to saye. The fleshe profyteth nothynge, that is:\nmy wordes muste be vnderstonde after the spiryte, he that vnderstondeth\nthem after the fleshe wynneth nothynge, nor taketh no profytte. What\nmeaneth this, to vnderstonde after the fleshe or carnallye? Verelye to\ntake the thynges symplye as they are spoken, and to thynke none other\nthynge. All mysteryes or sacramentes muste be consydered with the\ninwarde eyes, that is to saye: spyrytuallye.\n\nAnd after he expoundeth hym selfe on this maner. _Interiores autem oculi\nut panem uiderint, creaturas transuolant, & non de illo pane a pistore\ncocto cogitant: sed de eo qui dixit se panem uit\u00e6, qui per mysticum\npanem significatur._ That is to saye. The inwarde eyes as soone as they\nsee the breade, they passe ouer the creatures, \u0101d thynke not of that\nbreade which is baken of the baker, but of hym that called hym selfe the\nbreade of lyfe, which is sygnyfyed by the mystycall or sacram\u0113tall\nbreade. Wolde you haue hym saye any more? he telleth you playne, that\nChriste which ys the very breade of lyfe, ys sygnyfyed by this\nsacramentall breade. And that is the thynge which our Byshoppes so\nfleshlye denye now adayes, which thynge yet you maye see, the olde\nFathers c\u014dclude with one assente. Notwythst\u014ddynge yet I wyll alleage mo\nolde doctours, so that from hence forthe they maye be a shamed to call\nyt newe learnynge. Fulgentius sayeth. [Sidenote: Fulgentius 2. libro de\nfide.] _In illis enim carnalibus (t\u00e8pore legis) uictunis, significacio\nsuit carnis Christi quam pro pctis nostris & ipse sine pct\u014d fuerat\noblaturus, & sanguinis quem erat effusurus in remission\u00e8 peccarorum\nnostrorum. In isto aut\u00e8 sacrificio gratiarum actio atq; c\u014dmemoracio est\ncarnis Christi quam pro nobis obtulit, & sanguinis qu\u0113 pro nobis id\u0113\nDeus effudit._ That is to saye. In these carnall sacrifyces in the tyme\nof the lawe, was a sygnyficacyon of the fleshe of Christe, which he\nwithout synne, shuld offer for our synnes, \u0101d of the bloode which he\nshulde shedde out in remyssyon of our synnes. But this sacryfyce is a\nthankes geuynge \u0101d remembra\u016bce of the fleshe of Christe which he offered\nfor vs, and of the bloode which the same God shedde for vs. Fyrste note\nthat he calleth yt a sacryfyce, which notwithst\u014ddyng is but a rem\u0113bra\u016bce\nof that sacryfyce offered on the crosse ones for all: Th\u0101 he playnely\ncalleth yt a thankes geuynge, and remembraunce of Christes very fleshe\nand bloode: and so concludeth with vs. Neuerthelesse because sophysters\nwolde soone thynke to avoyde thys place, I wyll alleage one other\nsayenge of the same autoure which they shall neuer be able to avoyde.\n\n[Sidenote: Fulgen.] \u00b6 Fulgentius sayeth, as Haymo testyfyeth. _Hic calix\nnouum testamentum est, id est, hic calix quem uobis trado, nouum\ntestamentum significat._ That is to saye. Thys cuppe or chalyce is the\nnewe testament: That is: thys cuppe or chalyce which I delyuer you doth\nsygnyfye the newe testament. In this place he doth playnelye shewe hys\nmynde, which c\u0101 not be avoyded. For euen as the cuppe is the newe\ntestament, so ys the breade the bodye. Nowe the cuppe dothe but sygnyfy\nthe new testament. And therfore I may conclude, that the breade doth but\nsygnyfye the bodye.\n\n[Sidenote: Eusebius.] Eusebius sayeth. _Quia corpus assumptum ablaturus\nerat ex oculis nostris & syderibus allaturus, necessarium erat ut uobis\nin hac die sacramentum corporis & sanguinis consecraret, ut coleretur\niugiter per mysterium quod semel offerebatur in precium._ That is to\nsaye: Because he wolde take awaye out of our eyes the bodye that he\ntoke, and carye yt in to heauen, it was necessarye that in thys tyme he\nshulde consecrate to vs the sacram\u0113te of hys bodye \u0101d bloode: that that\nwhich was ones offered for the pryce of our redemptyon, myght\ncontynuallye be honoured through the mysterye.\n\n[Sidenote: Consecrate.] To consecrate a thynge, is to applye it vnto an\nholye vse. Here you maye see that he calleth yt the sacrament of hys\nbodye and bloode, which bodye is caryed vp into heauen. And also he\ncalleth it a mysterye, which is ynough for them that wyll see.\n\n[Sidenote: Druthmarius.] Also Druthmarius expoundeth these wordes, thys\nis my bodye on this maner: _Hoc est corpus meum in mysterio._ That is to\nsaye: thys is my bodye in a mysterye. I thynke you knowe what a mysterye\nmeaneth. Christe is crucyfyed euery daye in a mysterye: that is to saye:\neuery daye hys death ys represented by the sacramentes of remembraunce.\nThe Masse is Christes passyon in a mysterye: that is to saye: the Masse\ndoth represente hys passyon and keapeth yt in our memorye. The breade ys\nChristes bodye in a mysterye: that is to saye: it representeth hys body\nthat was broken for vs, and keapeth yt in our rem\u0113braunce.\n\nYou haue harde already the mynde of the doctours, how the sacrament ys\nChristes bodye. And now I shall shewe you how the sacrament ys our\nbodye, which doth not a lytle healpe to the vnderst\u014ddynge of these\nwordes whych are in controversye. The sacram\u0113t of the Aulter ys our\nbodye as well as it is Christes bodye. And eu\u0113 as it is our bodye, so yt\nis Christes. But there is no man that c\u0101 saye that it is our naturall\nbodye in dede, but onely a fygure, sygne, memoryall, or repres\u0113tacyon of\nour bodye: Wherfore yt must also folowe, that it is but onely a fygure,\nsygne, memoryall or repres\u0113taci\u014d of Christes bodye. The fyrste parte of\nthis argument maye thus be proued. [Sidenote: Augustino in sermone ad\ninfantes.] S. Austen wrytynge in a sermon sayeth on this maner. _Corpus\nergo Christi si uultis intelligere, apostolum audite dicentem. Vos estis\ncorpus christi & m\u0113bra .1. Cor. 12. Si ergo estis corpus christi &\nmembra, mysteri\u016b uestrumque in mensa Domini posit\u016b est, mysteri\u016b Domini\naccipitis, ad id quod estis. Am\u0113 resp\u014ddetis et resp\u014dd\u0113do subscribitis._\nThat is to saye: Yf you wyll vnderst\u014dde the bodye of Christe, here the\nApostle which sayeth. We are the bodye of Christe and m\u0113bres .1. Cor.\n12. Therfore yf ye be the bodye of Christe and membres, your mysterye is\nput vpon the Lordes table, ye receyue the mysterye of the Lorde, vnto\nthat you are you answer Am\u0113. And in answerynge subscrybe vnto yt. Here\nyou maye see that the sacram\u0113t ys also our body, \u0101d yet is not our\nnaturall body, but onely our body in a mysterye, that is to saye: a\nfygure sygne, memoryall, or repres\u0113tacy\u014d of our body. For as the breade\nys made of many graynes or cornes, so we (though we be manye) are one\nbreade \u0101d one bodye. And for this propertye and symylitude it is called\nour bodye, and beareth the name of the verye thynge which yt doth\nrepres\u0113t & sygnyfy. Agayne s. Aust\u0113 sayth. [Sidenote: Augusti in ser. de\nsacra feria Pasche.] _Quia Christus passy est pro nobis, c\u014fm\u0113dauit nobis\nin isto sacram\u0113to corpus & sanguinem suum, quod etiam fecit & nos ipsos.\nNam & nos ipsius corpus facti sumus, & per misericordi\u0101 ipsius quod\naccipimus nos sumus. Et postea dicit. Iam in nomine Christi tanquam ad\ncalicem Domini uenistis, ibi nos estis in mensa & ibi uos estis in\ncalice._ That is, because Christ hath suffered for vs, he hath betak\u0113\nvnto vs in thys sacram\u0113t hys bodye and bloode, which he hath also made\neuen our selfes. For we also are made hys bodye, and by his mercye we\nare eu\u0113 the same thynge that we receyue. And after he sayeth. Now in the\nname of Christe ye are come, as a man wolde saye, to the chalyce of the\nLorde: there are ye vpon the table, and there are ye in the chalyce.\nHere you maye see, that the sacrament is our bodye. And yet yt is not\nour naturall bodye, but onelye in a mysterye, as it is before sayde.\n\n[Sidenote: Augusti de sacra feria pasche.] Furthermore S. Austen sayeth.\n_Hunc itaq; cib\u016d & pot\u016b societat\u0113 uult intelligi corporis & m\u0113bror\u016b\nsuor\u016b quod est s\u0101cta ecclesia in predestinatis & uocatis & iustificatis\n& glorificatis sanctis & fidelibus eius. Huius rei sacramentum alicubi\nquotidie, alicubi certis interuallis dierum in dominico preparatur, & de\nmensa Domini sumitur, quibusd\u00e0 ad uitam, quibusdam ad exitium. Res uero\nipsa cuius est sacramentum, est omni homini ad uitam, nulli ad exitium,\nquicumque eius particeps fuerit._ That is to saye: he wyll that this\nmeate and drynke shulde be vnderst\u014dde to be the felowshyp of hys bodye\nand membres, which ys the holy churche in hys predestynate and called\nand iustyfyed and gloryfyed sayntes and faythfull. The sacrament of thys\nthynge ys prepared in some place daylye, and in some place at certayne\nappoynted dayes, as vpon the sondaye. And yt is receyued at the table of\nthe Lorde, of some vnto lyfe, and of some vnto destruccy\u014d. But the\nthynge yt selfe whose sacrament thys ys, is receyued of all men vnto\nlyfe, and of no m\u0101 vnto destruccyon, whosoeuer is partaker of yt. Here\ndoth S. Austen fyrste saye, that this sacrament ys the felowshyppe of\nhis bodye and membres which are we. And yet is not our naturall bodye,\nas ys before sayde. And then he sayeth, that the sacrament of thys\nthynge ys receyued of some vnto lyfe and saluacyon, and of some vnto\ndeath and dampnacyon. For both faythfull and vnfaythfull maye receyue\nthe sacram\u0113t. And after he sayeth, that the thynge yt selfe whose\nsacrament yt ys, is receyued of all men vnto lyfe, and of no man vnto\ndestruccyon, who so euer ys partaker of yt. And of thys sayenge yt muste\nneades folowe, that onely the faythfull eate Christes bodye, and the\nvnfaythfull eate hym not. For he is receyued of no m\u0101 vnto destruccyon.\nAnd of thys yt muste also folowe that the sacrament ys not Christes\nbodye in dede, but onelye in a mysterye. For yf the sacrament were hys\nnaturall bodye, then shulde yt folowe, that the vnfaythfull shulde\nreceyue hys bodye. Which is contrarye to the mynde of saynt Austen, and\nagaynst all truth. Thus haue we suffycyentlye proued the fyrste parte of\nour argum\u0113te, that the sacrament is our bodye, as well as yt is\nChristes. And nowe wyll I proue the sec\u014dde parte more playnely (although\nyt be ynough declared already, to them that haue eares) that euen as yt\nis our bodye so it is Christes.\n\nFyrste you shall vnderstonde that in the wyne, which ys called Christes\nbloode, is admyxed water, which doth sygnyfye the people that are\nredeamed with hys bloode: so that the heade which is Christe, ys not\nwithout hys bodye which is the faythfull people, nor the bodye without\nhys heade. Now yf the wyne when it is consecrated, be tourned bodelye in\nto Christes bloode, then is it also necessarye that the water which is\nadmyxed be bodelye tourned in to the bloode of the faythfull people. For\nwhere as is one c\u014dsecracion muste folowe one operacy\u014d. And where as is\nlyke reason, there muste folowe lyke mysterye. But what so euer is\nsygnyfyed by the water as c\u014dcernynge the faythfull people, is taken\nspirytually. Therfore whatsoever is spok\u0113 of the bloode in the wyne,\nmuste also neades be taken spyrytuallye. This reason is not myne, but it\nis made by one Bartrame [Sidenote: Bartrame.] vp\u014d a .700. yeares sens,\nwhen this matter was fyrste in dysputacyon. Whervp\u014d at the instaunce of\ngreate Charles the Emperoure, he made a boke professynge euen the same\nthynge that I do, and proueth by the olde doctours & faythfull fathers,\nthat the sacrament is Christes bodye in a mysterye, that is to saye: a\nsygne, figure, or memoryall of hys bodye, whiche was broken for vs, and\nnot hys naturall bodye. And therfore that doctryne is newe which\notherwyse teacheth, and not myne, which is not myne, but the doctryne of\nChriste and of the olde fathers of Christes churche, tyll Antichriste\nbegan to sytte and reigne in the temple of God.\n\n[Sidenote: Cyprianus ad Cecilium.] Besydes that Cypriane sayeth, that\nthe people is \u0101nexed in the sacram\u0113t through the myxture of water.\nTherfor I mervell moche that they are so c\u014dt\u0113cyous \u0101d wyll not see, that\nas the water is the people, so the wyne ys Christes bloode, that is to\nsaye: in a mysterye, because yt repres\u0113teth Christes bloode, as the\nwater doth the people. Furthermore Eusebius sayth. [Sidenote: Eusebius.]\n_D\u016b in sacram\u0113tis uino aqua miscetur, Christo fidelis populus\nincorporatur & i\u016bgitur & quad\u0101 ei copula perfecta charitatis unitur._\nThat is to saye: whyles in the sacrament water is admyxte with the wyne,\nthe faythfull people is incorporate \u0101d Ioyned with Christ, \u0101d is made\none with him, with a certayne knotte of perfecte charyte. Now where he\nsayeth, that we are Ioyned \u0101d incorporated with Christe, what fondnes\nwere it to c\u014dt\u0113de, syth we are there onelye in a mysterye, \u0101d not\nnaturallye. To c\u014dt\u0113de I say with suche pertynacyte that his naturall\nbodye must be there: \u0101d not rather that he is Ioyned with vs, as we are\nIoyned with hym, \u0101d both in a mysterye, by the knotte of perfecte\ncharyte. [Sidenote: More.] \u2767 The y\u014dge man perceyueth well ynough that an\nallegory vsed in some place is not a cause suffycy\u0113t to leaue the proper\nsygnyfycacy\u014ds of Godes worde in euery other place \u0101d seke an allegorye,\n\u0101d forsake the playne c\u014dm\u014d sence. For he c\u014dfesseth that he wold not so\ndo saue for necessyte: because (as he sayeth) that the c\u014dmon lytterall\nsence is impossyble. For the thynge he sayeth that is mente therbye can\nnot be true. That is to saye: that the verye bodye of Christe can be in\nthe sacrament, because the sacrament ys in many dyuerse places at ones,\nand was at the maundye: that is to wete, in the handes of Christe \u0101d in\neverye of hys Apostles mouthes. And at that tyme yt was not gloryfyed.\nAnd th\u0113 he sayeth that Christes bodye not beynge gloryfyed, could no\nmore be in two places at ones than hys owne c\u0101. And yet he goth after\nfurder, \u0101d sayeth, no more yt can whan yt is gloryfyed also. And that he\nproueth by the sayenge of S. Austen whose wordes be, that the body with\nthe which Christ arose muste be in one place. &c.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Hetherto hath master More reasoned reasonablye: but\nnow he begynneth to declyne from the dygnyte of dyuynyte into the dyrty\ndregges of vayne sophystry. For where I saye that I muste of necessyte\nseake an allegorye, because the lytterall sence is impossyble and can\nnot be true, meanynge that it can not stonde with the processe of holy\nscrypture, but that other textes do of necessyte constrayne me to\nc\u014dstrue yt spyrytuallye. There catcheth he thys worde, can, and thys\nworde impossyble, and wolde make men beleue that I mente, yt coulde not\nbe true because reason can not reache yt, but thynketh it impossyble.\nAnd there he tri\u016bpheth before the vyctorye, and wolde knowe what artycle\nof our fayth I coulde assygne, in which reason shall not dryue awaye the\nstrengthe of my proue, and make me leaue the lytterall sence wherin my\nprofe shulde stonde, and sende me to seake an allegorye that myght\nstonde wyth reason, and dryue awaye the fayth. But now deare bretherne,\nseynge I speake not of the impossybylyte of reason, but of the\nimpossybylyte to st\u014dde with other textes of scripture, ye maye see that\nthis royall reas\u014d is not worth a ryshe. Then wolde he fayne knowe the\nplace where S. Austen so sayeth, which thyng although, yt were harde for\nme to tell, syth I haue not hys bokes to loke for it, yet I thanke God\nmy memorye is not so bad, but I can shewe hym where he shall fynde yt.\nAnd because I thynke that he is more accustomed to the Popes lawes then\nto S. Austens workes, syth he is become the prelates proctoure and\npatrone: I saye he shall not fayle but fynde it in his lawes de\nconsecracione. And where as he wolde wreste the wordes of S. Aust\u0113,\nwhich sayeth that the bodye in which Christ arose muste neades be in one\nplace: say\u0113ge, that he myght meane not that hys body myght not be in\ndyuerse places at ones, but that yt muste be in one place, that is to\nsaye: in some one place or other. He speaketh (sayth master More)\nnothynge of the sacrament, nor sayeth not that his bodye with which he\nrose muste nedes be in one place, & that it c\u0101 by no possybylyte be in\nany mo. Thys seameth to some a goodly glose, \u0101d yet yt shall proue but a\nvayne evasyon. For yf a m\u0101 wolde saye that the Kynges graces body muste\nbe in one place, and then a nother wolde expounde that (notwithstondynge\nhys wordes) hys graces bodye myght be in two places at ones, I thynke\nmen myght soone Iudge that he delyted to delaye, \u0101d myght saye, what\nneade he to determyne, that he muste be in one place excepte he thought\nin dede, that he myght be in no mo but onely one; And though m\u0113 myght so\nargue vp\u014d other mens wordes, yet of saynte Aust\u0113s wordes thys must\nneades folowe, for he bryngeth them in (as God wolde) by a contrarye\nantithesis sayenge. [Sidenote: Ad Hieronim\u016b.] _Corpus in quo resurrexit\nin uno loco esse oportet, ueritas autem eius ubique diffusa est._ That\nis to saye: hys bodye wherin he rose must be in one place, but hys truth\nys dyspersed in all places. Where he playnelye concludeth by the\ncontrarye antithesis, that as hys truth ys dyspersed in all places, so\nmuste hys bodye neades be in one place onelye. As by example, yf a m\u0101\nshulde saye. The Kynges graces bodye muste neades be in one place, but\nhys power is through out hys Realme. Where no man doubteth, but that in\nsayenge one place, he meaneth one place onelye: And therfore though in\nsome place that worde, muste, doth not sygnyfye suche a necessyte as\nexcludeth all possybylyte, yet in this place yt doth so sygnyfye, as the\ncontrarye antithesis doth evydently expresse.\n\nAnd where ye saye, that he speaketh no thynge of the sacrament, I wolde\nye shulde stycke styll to that sayenge. For this is playne, that he\nspeaketh of hys naturall bodye. And therfore yf he speake not of the\nsacrament, then haue you c\u014dcluded that the sacram\u0113te is not hys naturall\nbodye: the contrarye wherof you wolde haue men beleue. Thus haue I\nshewed evydence, bothe where he shall fynde the wordes of S. Austen and\nalso that I haue ryght alleaged them.\n\nNotwytstondynge syth he maketh so moche of hys paynted sheth, I shall\nalleage hym more auctorytes that Christes naturall bodye is in one place\nonely. Which thynge proued doth vtterly conclude that the sacrament ys\nnot hys naturall bodye, but onelye a memoryall representynge the same.\nAnd fyrste let vs see S. Aust\u0113s mynde.\n\n[Sidenote: August. ad Dardanium.] S. Austen wrytynge vnto Dardanius doth\nplaynly proue that the naturall body of Christe muste neades be in one\nplace onelye, and also that hys soule can be but in one place at ones.\nThe occasyon of hys Epystle is this: Dardanius ded wryte vnto S. Austen\nfor the exposycyon of those wordes that Christe spake vnto the thefe\nsayenge: This daye shalt thou be with me in paradyse: & wyste not how he\nshulde vnderstonde yt, whether Christe m\u0113te that the thefe shulde be in\nparadyse with Christes soule, or with hys bodye, or with hys Godhed.\nThervpon S. Austen wryteth that as towchynge Christes bodye, that daye\nit was in the sepulchre. And sayeth that it was not paradyse, although\nit were in a gard\u0113 that he was buryed. For Christe (he sayeth) m\u0113t of a\nplace of Ioye. And that was not (sayeth S. Austen) in hys sepulchre. And\nas for Christes soule, yt was that daye in hell. And no m\u0101 wyll saye,\nthat paradyse was there. Wherfore (sayeth Austen) the texte muste neades\nbe vnderstonde, that Christ spake yt of hys godhed. Now marke thys\nargum\u0113t of S. Austen, and ye shall see my purpose playnelye proued. For\nseynge he expoundeth thys texte vp\u014d Christes Godhed, because hys m\u0101hod\nas towchynge the body was in the graue, and as towchynge hys soule was\nin hell: you may soone perceyue that Aust\u0113 thought, that whyls hys body\nwas in the graue, yt was not in paradyse also: & because hys soule was\nin hell, yt coulde not be in paradyse also. And therfor he verefyeth the\ntexte vpon hys dyuynyte. For yf he had thought that Christes bodye or\nsoule myght haue bene in dyuerse places at ones, he wolde not haue\nsayde, that the texte must neades be vnderst\u014dde of his dyuynyte, but it\nmyght full well, yea and moche better haue bene vnderst\u014dde of hys\nmanhode. Marke well thys texte whiche doth determyne the doubt of this\nmatter. Notwithstondynge the faythfull Father leaueth not the matter on\nthys fashy\u014d, but also taketh a waye soche fonde ymagynacyons as wolde\ncause m\u0113 to surmyse, that Christes bodye shulde be in mo places at ones\nthen one. For he sayeth. _Cauendum est ne ita diuinitatem astruamus\nhominis ut ueritatem auferamus corporis. Non est autem consequens ut\nquod in deo est, ita sit ubiq;. Nam & de nobis ueraci\u00dfime scriptura\ndicit, quod in illo uiuimus, mouemur & sumus. Nec tam\u0113 sicut ille, ubiq;\nsumus, sed aliter homo ille in Deo, quam & aliter deus in illo homine,\nproprio quodam & singulari modo. Vna enim persona deus & homo est, et\nutrumq; est unus Christus Iesus, ubiq; per id quod deus est, in celo a\u016bt\nper id quod homo._ That is to saye: we muste beware that we do not so\naffyrme the dyuynyte of the man, that we take awaye the truth of hys\nbodye. For it foloweth not that the thynge whiche is in God, shulde be\nin euery place as God is. For the scrypture doth trulye testyfye vnto\nvs, that we lyue, moue, and be in hym. And yet are we not in everye\nplace as he is. Howbeit, that man is otherwyse in God, and God otherwyse\nin that man by a certayne peculyer and synguler waye. For God and man is\none parson, and bothe of them one Christe Iesu, whiche is in euery place\nin that he is God, and in heauen, in that he is man. Here Austen doth\nsaye, that yf we shulde graunte Christe to be in all places as towchynge\nhys manhode, we shulde take a waye the truth of hys bodye. For though\nhys manhode be in God and God in hys manhode, yet it foloweth not, that\nit shulde be in everye place, as God is. And after he concludeth, that\nas towchynge hys Godhed he is in euery place, and as towchynge hys\nmanhode, he is in heau\u0113. What neade he to make these wordes and\nantithesis, but because he thought verelye that though hys Godhed were\nin euery place, yet his m\u0101hode was in heauen onelye.\n\n[Sidenote: Augustinus ibid\u0113.] But yet thys holye doctoure goth furder\n(so that they maye be ashamed of their parte) and sayeth. _Secund\u016b\nhomin\u0113 namq; in terra erat, non in c\u0153lo (ubi nunc est) qu\u0101do dicebat,\nnemo ascendet in c\u0153lum nisi qui descendit de c\u0153lo, filius hominis qui\nest in c\u0153lo._ That is to saye; as towchynge hys manhod he was in the\nearth and not in heauen (where he now is) when he sayde, no man\nascendeth into heau\u0113 but he that descended from heauen, the sone of man\nwhiche is in heaven. Now I truste ye wyll be content and let the truth\nspreade. For I am sure it is not possyble for you to avoyde it, for he\nsayeth, that as towchynge hys manhod he was in the earth and not in\nheau\u0113, wh\u0113 he spake those wordes: and so proueth that he was not in mo\nplaces at ones then onelye one place. For els yf S. Austen had thought\nthat he coulde haue bene in mo places at ones then one wyth hys bodye,\nthen myght he not haue sayde, that he was in earth and not in heauen.\nFor then a m\u0101 myght soone haue deinded hym and haue sayde. Austen you\ncan not tell, for he maye be in euery place. But they that so thynke\nafter Austens mynde, do take awaye the truthe of hys naturall bodye, and\nmake it a very fantastycall bodye: from the which heresye God delyuer\nhys faythfull. Besydes thys S. Austen doth saye. _Christum Dominum\nnostrum unigenitum DEI suium equalem patri, eundemq; hominis filium quo\nmaior est pater, & ubiq; totum presentem esse non dubites tanquam DEVM,\n& in eodem templo DEI esse uerum DEVM, & in aliena parte c\u0153li propter\ncorporis modum._ That is to saye: Doubt not but that Christe our Lorde\nthe onlye begott\u0113 sonne of God equall to the Father, and the same beynge\nthe sonne of m\u0101 wherin the father is greater, is whole present in all\nplaces as to towchynge hys Godhed, and dwelleth in the same temple of\nGod as God, \u0101d in some place of heauen, for the condycyon of hys very\nbodye. Here is it euydent by .S. Aust\u0113s wordes, that as towchynge hys\nGodhed he is in all places. And as towchynge hys manhod, he is onelye in\nheauen: yea and not that onelye, but that he beynge in heauen as\ntowchynge the measure, nature, condycyon, and qualyte of hys naturall\nbodye, is onelye in one certayne place in heauen, and not in many places\nat ones. Thus moche is proued out of Saynte Austen.\n\nThis truth is not onelye proued by S Austens auctoryte, but also by the\nnoble clarke Fulgentius, which wryteth on this maner. _Vnus idemq; homo\nlocalis ex homine, qui est Deus immensus ex patre, unus idemq; secundum\nhumanam substantiam absens c\u0153lo cum esset in terra, et derelinquens\nterram c\u016b ascendisset in c\u0153lum. Secundum diuinam uero immensamq;\nsubstantiam, nec c\u0153lum dimittens cum de c\u0153lo descendit, nec terram\ndeserens, cum ad c\u0153lum ascendit. Quod ipsius Domini certisisimo sermone\npotest cognosci, qui ut localem ostenderet suam humanitatem, dicit\ndiscipulis suis: Ascendo ad patrem meum & patrem uestrum, Deum meun &\nDeum uestrum. De Lazaro quoq; cum dixisset, Lazarus mortuus est,\nadiunxit dicens, & gaudeo propter uos (ut credatis) quoniam non eram ibi\nimmensitatem uero su\u00e6 diuinitatis ostendens discipulis dicit: Ecce ego\nuobiscum sum usq; ad consummationen s\u00e6culi. Quomodo autem ascendit in\nc\u0153lum nisi quia localis & uerus est homo, aut quomode adest fidelibus\nsuis, nisi quia idem inmensus & uerus Deus est._ That is to saye. The\nsame one man is locall (that is to saye: conteyned in one place) as\ntowchynge hys manhod, whiche is also God vnmesurable from the Father.\nThe same one man as towchynge the substaunce of hys manhod, was absent\nfr\u014d heauen, wh\u0113 he was in earth, and forsakynge the earth, when he\nascended in to heau\u0113, but as towchynge hys Godly \u0101d vnmeasurable\nsubstaunce he neyther forsoke heauen wh\u0113 he desc\u0113ded fr\u014d heauen, nor\nforsoke the earth, wh\u0113 he asc\u0113ded vnto heau\u0113, which may be know\u0113 by the\nmoste sure worde of the Lorde, whiche to shewe hys humanyte to be locall\n(that is to saye: contayned in one place onelye) ded saye vnto hys\ndyscyples. I asc\u0113de vnto my Father and your Father, my God and your God.\nOf Lazarus also when he sayde, Lazarus is ded, he sayde further. I am\ngladde for your sake (that you may beleue) for that I was not there. And\nagayne, shewynge the vnmeasurablenes of hys Godhed, he sayde vnto hys\ndiscyples. Beholde, I am with you vnto the worldes ende, how ded he\nascende in to heauen, but because he is locall and a verye m\u0101? Or howe\nis he present vnto hys faythfull, but because he is vnmeasurable and\nverye God? Here maye you conclude by the auctoryte of thys doctoure\nalso, that Christes bodye is onelye in one place at ones. For he sayeth,\nthat Christ as towchynge hys manhod is locall: that is to saye:\ncontayned in one place onelye. And that he proueth by the scrypture euen\nof Christes owne wordes. Now yf thys be true (as my conscyence doth\ntestyfye, how so euer other men shall Iudge) then muste it neades folowe\nthat this naturall bodye can not be in the sacrament. And the auctorite,\nI am sure no man can avoyde, yt is so playne.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Now as for hys naturall reasons be not worthye the\nreasonynge. For fyrste that the bodye of Christe vngloryfyed coulde no\nmore be in two places at ones then hys owne can, because he is a\nnaturall bodye, as he is. I wyll not examyne no comparyson betwene their\ntwo bodyes: but yf Christe wolde tell me that he wolde eche of both\ntheir bodyes to be in fyftene places at ones, I wolde beleue hym, and\nwolde neuer aske hym whether he wolde fyrste gloryfye them or not. But I\nam sure gloryfyed or vngloryfyed, yf he sayde it, he is able to do it.\nFor the matter is not impossyble to God.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Truthe it is that yf Christe so sayde and in so\nsayenge so mente, there is no doubte, but he were able so to do. But\nthat he in dede so grosselye m\u0113t, ye shall neuer proue. And in dede yf\nhe had so m\u0113te that hys owne naturall bodye shulde haue contynued in the\nsacrament which is the meate of the soule through faythe, and not of the\nbodye by eatynge it, and maye as well be eaten through fayth, although\nit remayne in heauen, as yf it were here present to our mouthes: yf (I\nsaye) he had so mente, then wolde he neuer haue geuen vs suche\nscriptures as he ded. For I saye that thys grosse ymagynacyon may not\nstonde with the processe of the scrypture which is receyued, as it shall\nappeare by certayne textes.\n\nFyrste where our sauyoure sayeth: the fleshe profyteth nothynge. The\nwayght of those wordes doth compell vs to vnderstonde our matter\nspyrytuallye. For by thys shorte sentence we are no lesse plucked from\nthe carnall eatynge, then was Nichodemus that he shulde not ones dreame\nof the carnall regeneracyon, wh\u0113 Christe sayde vnto hym: that whatsoeuer\nthynge was of the fleshe was fleshe. For this is a playne conclusyon,\nthat wh\u0113 Christe sayde the fleshe profyteth nothynge, he ment it eu\u0113 of\nhys owne fleshe, that it coulde not profyte (as they vnderstode hym) to\nbe eaten with the teth. Albeyt it doth moche profyte to be slayne for\nour redemptyon, & eaten through fayth. Which thyng we may do although\nhys naturall fleshe be not in the sacrament. For I maye as well beleue\nin hym though he be in heauen, as yf he were in earth and in the\nsacrament, and before myne eyes. And that Christe spake these wordes of\nhys owne bodye, it is playne by S. Austens wordes wrytynge vpon the same\nplace. [Sidenote: Augustitract. su. 6. Joan.] And therfore he sayeth,\nthat they muste be vnderstonde spyrytuallye, and addeth: yf thou\nvnderstonde them spyrytuallye, they are spyryte and lyfe. And though\nthou vnderstonde them carnallye, yet neuerthelesse they are spyryte and\nlyfe: But vnto th\u0113, they are not spyryte and lyfe, which vnderstondest\nnot spyrytuallye those thynges that I haue spoken.\n\n[Sidenote: Athanasius. 3. li. qui dix. verb.] Also Athanasius sayeth.\n_Spiritus est qui uiuificat, caro non prodest quicqu\u00e0: uerba que ego\nlocutus sum, spiritus sunt & uita. Nam & hoc loco utrumque de seipso\ndicit carnem & spiritum, & spiritum ab eo quod est secundum carnem\ndistinxit, ut non solum uisibile, sed etiam inuisibile quod in ipso erat\ncredentes discant, quod & ea que dicit non sunt carnalia sed\nspiritualia. Quod enim comedentibus suffecisset corpus, ut totius mundi\nalimonia fiat? Sed ea propter meminit ascensus filii hominis in c\u0153lum ut\nillos a corporali cogitacione auelleret, & post hac discant carnem dict\u0101\ncibum c\u0153lestem superne uenientem & spiritualem alimoniam quam ipse det,\nn\u0101 qu\u00e6 locutus sum (inquit) uobis spiritus sunt & uita._ That is to\nsaye: it is the spyryte that quyckeneth, the fleshe profyteth nothynge.\nThe wordes which I speake vnto you, are spiryte and lyfe. For in this\nplace also he meaneth both of hys owne fleshe and his owne spyryte, and\nhe deuyded the spiryte from the fleshe: that they myght knowe through\nfaythe not onelye the vysyble parte, but also the invysyble parte that\nwas in hym, and also that the wordes which he spake were not carnall,\nbut spirytuall. For what bodye shulde haue suffysed to haue bene the\nmeate of all the worlde? And euen therfore ded he make mencyon of the\nascensyon of the sonne of man in to heauen, that he myght wythdrawe them\nfrom the bodelye ymagynacyon, that they myght hereafter learne, that the\nfleshe was called heau\u0113ly meate which c\u014dmeth fr\u014d a boue, & spirytuall\nmeate which he wolde geue. For (sayeth Christe) the wordes that I haue\nspok\u0113 vnto you, are spiryte & lyfe. Here you maye see that Christe spake\nyt of his owne fleshe, & playnely that yt ded nothynge profyte as\ninfideles ded vnderstonde hym: For els yt geueth lyfe, as yt is receyued\nof the faythfull in a mystery. [Sidenote: Bartrame.] For as Bartrame\nsayeth, in this mysterye of the bodye and bloode, is a spirytuall\noperacyon which geueth lyfe. Without the which operacyon those mysteryes\ndo no thynge profytte, for surelye (sayth he) they may feade the bodye,\nbut the soule they can not feade.\n\nBesydes that the scrypture sayeth, that that entreth in by the mouth\ndoth not defyle a man, for as Christe sayeth, it is caste forthe in to\nthe drawght. And by the same reason it foloweth that it doth not\ns\u0101ctyfye or make a man holye. But the sacrament entreth in by the mouth:\ntherfore yt doth folowe that (of it selfe) it doth not s\u0101ctyfye or make\nholye any m\u0101. And of this texte shulde folowe two inc\u014dueniences, yf the\nsacram\u0113te were the naturall bodye of Christ. Fyrste it shulde folowe\nthat the body of Christ shulde not s\u0101ctyfye the faythfull because it\n\u0113treth in by the mouth. And agayne yt shulde folowe, that the bodye of\nChriste shulde be caste out in to the drawght, whych thynge is\nabhominable. Wherfore yt muste neades folowe, that the sacram\u0113t c\u0101 not\nbe his naturall bodye.\n\nFurthermore Christ wolde not suffer that devoute wom\u0101 which of loue\nsought hym at hys sepulchre, to touche his naturall bodye, because she\nlacked a poynte of faythe, & ded not counte hym to be equall with hys\nfather. And moche more yt shall folowe that the wycked which haue no\nfaythe nor loue towardes hym, shall not be suffered to eate hys fleshe\nwith their teth, & swallowe yt in to their vncleane bodyes: for that\nwere moche more then to touche hym. And yet notwithstandynge they\nreceyue and eate the sacrament. Whervpon yt shulde folowe yf the\nsacrament were hys naturall bodye, that they shulde in dede eate hys\nbodye. Which thynge may be reco\u016bted a blasphemye agaynste God. Moreouer\nChriste sayeth, he that eateth my fleshe \u0101d drynketh my blood dwelleth\nin me & I in hym: Now we knowe ryght well that the wycked do eate the\nsacrament, \u0101d yet neyther dwell in Christe, nor Christ in th\u0113. Wherfore\nyt muste folowe that the sacram\u0113t is not the very fleshe of Christe. And\nsurelye I can not excuse th\u0113 of blasphemye which so dyrectlye do c\u014dtrary\nChristes wordes. Howe can you avoyde these textes which Christ speaketh\nvnto hys dyscyples say\u0113ge. Yet a lytel whyle am I with you. And then I\ndeparte to hym that sente me. [Sidenote: Ioan. 6.] And agayne it is\nexpedyent for you that I departe. For excepte that I departe, that\ncounforter shall not come vnto you. [Sidenote: Ioan. 6.] And agayne he\nsayeth. I forsake the worlde [Sidenote: Ioan. 6.] and go to my Father.\nAnd to be shorte, he sayeth, [Sidenote: Mat. 25.] poore m\u0113 ye shall euer\nhaue with you, [Sidenote: Mar. 14.] but me shall you not euer haue. Now\nwe knowe ryght well that hys Godhed is in all places, [Sidenote: Ioan.\n12.] and that as towchynge hys Godhed he forsoke not the worlde, when he\nascended vnto hys Father. Wherfore it muste neades folowe that he fors\noke yt as towchynge hys fleshe and manhode. And therto agreeth the\nexposycyons of Saynte Austen, and Fulgentius before alleaged, yea and\nall other olde faythfull Fathers. Now yf he haue forsaken the worlde as\ntowchynge the presence of hys naturall fleshe and m\u0101hode (as all\ndoctours defyne) then mente he not that hys naturall fleshe shulde be\npresente in the sacrament, to be eaten with our tethe. And therfore\nthough Christe so tell you, yet muste you take hym as he meaneth, or els\nyou be begyled. For yf ye thynke that GOD both maye and wyll fulfyll and\nveryfye all thynges accordynge to the letter as he speaketh them, I maye\ncall you an obedyent man, as Saynte BARNARD doth hys Monke Adam. And\nmaye saye (as he doth) that yf that be the ryght waye, so symplye to\nreceyue all thynge, we maye put out the texte of scrypture which warneth\nvs to be wyse as serp\u0113tes. For the texte folowynge is suffycyent, which\nbyddeth vs to be symple as doves.\n\nWhy doth your mastershyppe graunte a necessarye allegorye, wh\u0113 Paule\nsayeth, CHRISTE is a stone, or when Christ sayeth, that he is a dore?\nThe scrypture sayeth he is both twayne. And syth God so sayth, he is\nable so to make it. And therfore by your reason we shall neade none\nallegorye in all scrypture, & th\u0113 he that is moste symple \u0101d folyshe,\nmay be counted moste faythfull. And so shall we neade no faythfull\nFathers to expounde the texte, but it shalbe moste meryte, to beleue the\nletter. This I denye not, but that God coulde haue done yt, yf he had so\nent\u0113ded, when he spake the wordes: But nowe the scrypture stondynge as\nit doth, I thynke he can not do it. As by ex\u0101ple. I thynke that God by\nthe bloode of hys sone Christe myght haue saued all men, both faythfull\nand vnfaythfull, yf he had so int\u0113ded, \u0101d that yt had so pleased hym.\nBut nowe the scrypture st\u014ddynge as it doth, I saye he can not do yt, and\nthat it is impossyble for hym. For then he myght make hys sone a lyer\nwhich sayeth, [Sidenote: Ioan. 3.] he that beleueth not is dampned. And\nagayne, he that beleueth not shall not see lyfe, but the wrathe of God\nabydeth vpon hym. And euen as it is impossyble to stonde with the\nprocesse of scriptures (wherin God hath declared hys wyll) that the\nvnfaythfull shulde be saued, although God myght haue done it at the\nfyrst yf he had so wolde. Lykewyse it is impossyble the scryptures\nstondynge as they do, that the naturall bodye of Christ shulde be\npresente to our teth in the sacrament. And as for our faythe, yt neadeth\nnot to haue hym presente in the breade. For I maye as well eate hym \u0101d\ndrynke hym through faythe, that is to saye: beleue in hym, as though he\nwere as presente in the sacram\u0113te, as he was hangynge vpon the crosse.\n\nAnd because you saye, that my naturall reasons be not worth the\nreasonynge, I wyll alleage you some mo, to see what you can saye to\nthem. Fyrste euery sacrament is the sygne of an holye thynge: but the\nsacramente of the aulter is a sacram\u0113t (as all faythfull men confesse)\nergo it muste folowe that the sacrament of the aulter is the sygne of an\nholye thynge. Nowe yf it be the sygne of an holye thynge, then it is not\nthe holye thynge yt selfe which yt doth sygnyfye & represent. Why shulde\nwe then feare, to call that breade a fygure, that is to saye: a\nsacrament of that holye bodye of our Lorde and Sauyoure.\n\nBesydes that I wolde knowe of what necessyte or profyte hys fleshe muste\nbe present in the sacrament. For the presence of hys fleshe can no more\nprofyte vs, th\u0113 doth the remembraunce of hys bodye, but this\nremembraunce maye as well be done by the sacrament, as though hys bodye\nwere present. And therfore syth God and nature make nought in vayne, it\nfoloweth consequentlye, that his naturall fleshe is not there, but\nonelye a memoryall therof.\n\nFurthermore, the ende and fynall cause of a thynge is euer better then\nthose thynges which are prouyded for the ende (as the house is better\nthan the lyme, stone, & tymber, which are prouyded for the howse) but\nthe ende and fynall cause of the sacramente is the remembraunce of\nChristes bodye: and thervp\u014d yt muste folowe that yf the sacramente be\nhys naturall bodye, that the remembraunce of Christes bodye shulde be\nbetter then hys bodye it selfe. Whiche thynge is to be abhorred of all\nfaythfull men.\n\nIt were fondnes to fayne that the soule ded otherwyse eate then do the\nAngelles in heau\u0113, and their meate is onelye the Ioye and delectacyon\nthat they haue of God and of hys glorye; And euen so doth the soule\nwhich is here vpon the earth eate through faythe the bodye of Christe\nwhich is in heauen. For it delyteth & reioyseth whyles yt vnderst\u014ddeth\nthrough faythe, that Christ hath tak\u0113 our synnes vp\u014d hym and pacyfyed\nthe Fathers wrath. Neyther yt is necessarye, that for that or for thys\ncause, that his fleshe shulde be present. For a man maye as well loue \u0101d\nreioyse in the thynge which is from hym and not present, as though yt\nwere pres\u0113t by hym of that maner.\n\nMore ouer, the breade is Christes bodye, euen as the breakynge of the\nbreade is the death of hys bodye. Nowe the breakynge of breade at the\nmaundye is not the verye death of Christes bodye, but onelye a\nrepresentacyon of the same (albeit the mynde through faythe doeth\nspirytuallye beholde hys verye death) and euen lyke wyse that naturall\nbreade is not the verye bodye of our Lorde, but onely a sacram\u0113t, sygne,\nmemoryall, or representacy\u014d of the same, albeit through the admonycy\u014d\ntherof, the mynde through fayth, doth spirytually beholde the verye\nbody. And surely yf a man be faythfull, the spirite of God worketh in\nhis harte very swetelye at his communyon.\n\nFynallye, it was not laufull to eate or drynke the bloode not onelye of\nman, but also of a brute beaste, and the Apostles them selues moued by\nthe rule of charyte, ded instytute that men shulde abstayne from bloode,\nsomewhat fauourynge the infyrmyte of the Iewes. Now yf the Apostles had\ntaught (as ye do) that in the sacrament hys verye fleshe and bloode is\neaten and dronken with the teth and mouthe of faythfull and vnfaythfull,\nwhat coulde haue bene a greater occasy\u014d to haue excluded the Iewes fr\u014d\nChristes fayth euen at ones? Thynke you that the Apostles wolde not haue\nbene to srupulous to haue dronken hys very bloode, seynge it was so\nplayne agaynst Moses lawe, yf they had vnderstonde hym so grosselye as\nye do? [Sidenote: Act .10.] Peter had a clothe sente downe from heauen,\nin whiche were all maner of beastes forbydden by the lawe, and was\ncommaunded to fle and eate th\u0113. And he answered, God forbyd, for I neuer\neate any vncleane thynge, meanynge therbye that he neuer eate any thynge\nforbydd\u0113 by the lawe. Wherof it muste neades folowe, that eyther he\nneuer receyued the sacrament (whiche is playne false) or els that he\nmore spyrytuallye vnderstode the wordes of Christes maundye then ye\nfalselye fayne. For it was playnelye forbydden by the lawe, to eate or\ndrynke any maner of bloode. [Sidenote: obiecty\u014d.] And I knowe but one\nreason, that they haue which they counte as insoluble: how be it by\nGoddes grace we shall soone avoyde it. Their reason is this. Paule\nsayeth, he that eateth and drynketh this sacrament vnworthelye, shalbe\ngyltye of the bodye and bloode of the Lorde. Now saye they, how shulde\nthey be gyltye of the Lordes bodye \u0101d bloode whiche receyue it\nvnworthelye, excepte it were the verye bodye and bloode of the Lorde.\n\n[Sidenote: Soluti\u014d.] This argument I saye, is verye weake and slender.\nFor I can shewe manye examples by the whiche it may be dyssolued. For he\nthat dyspyseth the Kynges seale or Letters offendeth agaynste hys owne\nparson, and yet the Letters or Seale is not hys owne parson. He that\nvyolentlye plucketh downe hys graces Armes, or breaketh hys brode Seale\nwyth a furyouse mynde or wyth vyolence, commytteth treason agaynste hys\nowne parson. And yet hys Armes and brode Seale are not hys owne pars\u014d.\nHe that clyppyth the Kynges coyne, commytteth treason agaynste the\nKynges parson and the common wealth: and yet the money is neyther hys\ngraces parson nor the common wealth. And therfore your argument is but\nweake and sl\u0113der. For eu\u0113 as a man doth offende agaynste the Prynces\nparson by dyspysinge his Armes, Seale, or Letters, so doth a m\u0101 offende\nagaynste Christes bodye and bloode, by abvsynge the sacrament of hys\nbodye and bloode, although he be not there present, as the Kynges pars\u014d\nis not presente in hys Armes, Seale, or Letters.\n\nBesydes that S. Paule sayeth, that euerye man whiche prayeth or\npreacheth with covered heade shameth hys heade, & hys head is Christe;\nshall we therfore Imagen that Christe is naturallye in euerye m\u0101s heade,\nas your argument c\u014dcludeth? Forsoth that were a preatye fantasye.\nFynally S. Austen sayeth, that he doth no lesse synne whiche neglyg\u0113tlye\nheareth the wordes of God, th\u0113 doth the other which vnworthelye\nreceyueth the sacrament of Christes bodye and bloode. Nowe yf this be\ntrue, then is your reason not worth a ry she, for Christes naturall\nbodye is not in the worde whiche is preached, as all men knowe. And yet\nhe synneth no lesse that neglygentlye heareth it, then doth he that\nvnworthelye receyueth the sacram\u0113t. And thus you see their insoluble\nargument easelye dyssolued.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 But now muste thys yonge man consyder agayne that he\nhym selfe confesseth, that the cause for which hym selfe sayeth, that\nChriste in so sayenge ded so meane, is because that yf he shulde haue\nm\u0113t so, yt was impossyble to God to brynge hys meanynge a bought: that\nis to saye, that Christes bodye myght be in two places at ones. And\ntherfore but yf he proue that thynge impossyble for God to do, els he\nconfesseth that God not onelye sayde it but also mente it in dede. And\nyet ouer thys, yf Christ had neuer sayde it, yet doubt I nothynge, but\nhe is able to do it, or els were there somwhat that he coulde not do;\nAnd then were God not almyghtye.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Here Master More wolde myre me with his sophystrye,\n\u0101d wyth wyles wolde wynne hys spores. For as he before ded discant on\nthese wordes, can, and impossyble, and wolde haue made m\u0113 beleue that I\nmente it coulde not be, because it coulde not be by reason, and that I\nmente it was impossyble, because reason coulde not reache it: So now he\ndysputeth with lyke maner of sophystycacyon, concludynge that I confesse\nthat it is impossyble and c\u0101 not be, because that yf God shulde so haue\nmente, it was impossyble for God to brynge hys meanynge a bought. Deare\nbretherne, thys bablynge is suffycyentlye discussed alreadye. For I\nmente not that it was impossyble for God to brynge it aboute, yf he had\nso m\u0113te, but I mente that it is impossyble to stonde with the processe\nof the scrypture whiche we haue receyued. And I saye more ouer, that\nthough it was possyble for God to haue done it (yf it had pleased hym)\nyet now, the scrypture thus stondynge, it is impossyble for hym to do\nit. For then he muste make hys sone a lyer. And I saye, that yf he had\nso ment as the letter stondeth, that he wolde then haue geuen vs other\nscrypture, and wolde not haue sayde that he muste departe to hym that\nsente hym, with other textes as are before rehearsed.\n\nAnd where master More sayeth, that yf there were somwhat that he coulde\nnot do, than were God not almyghtye. I saye it is ashame for our\nPrelates that they haue gott\u014d suche an ignoraunte proctoure to defende\nthem. And I am sure that they th\u0113selues coulde haue sayde moche better.\nFor els how shulde they enstructe other and leade them in the ryght\nwaye, yf they themselues were so rude and vnlearned? Shulde they not\nknowe what thys meaneth, that God is almyghtye, whych is a peace of the\nfyrste artycle of our Crede? Then how shulde their shepe haue any sure\nsyght? More thynketh that God is called almyghtye, because he can do all\nthynges. And then in dede it shulde folowe that he were not almyghtye.\nFor all thynges he can not do, he c\u0101 not saue the vnfaythfull, he can\nnot restore vyrgynyte ones vyolated, sayeth S. Thomas and also (as I\nremember) S. Hierome wrytynge of vyrgynyte vnto Paula and Eustochium: he\ncan not synne sayeth Dunce: he can not denye hym selfe sayeth .S. Paule.\n[Sidenote: 2. Tim.] Now yf thys mans learnynge were alowed, th\u0113 myght\nnot God be almyghtye, because there is sumwhat that he c\u0101 not do. But\nthey that are a customed with scrypture, do knowe that he is called\nalmyghtye, not because he can do all thynge: but because there is no\nsuperyour power aboue hym, but that he maye do all that he wyll: and all\nthat hys pleasure is to do that maye he brynge to passe. And no power is\nable to resyste hym. But he hath no pleasure nor wyll to make hys sone\nalyer nor to make hys scripture false, and in dede he maye not do it.\nAnd yet notwithstondynge he abydeth almyghtye. For he may do all thynge\nthat he wyll.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Then master More as towchynge the reason of\nrepungnaunce sayeth, that many thynges may seame repungnaunte both to\nhym and me, which thynges God seeth how to make them stonde together\nwell ynough, and addeth such blynde reasons of repungnaunce as induceth\nmanye men in to a greate erroure: some ascrybynge all thynge vnto\ndestenye without any power of mans fre wyll at all. And some genynge all\nto mans owne wyll. And haue no fore syght at all to the provyd\u0113ce of\nGod, and all because the poore blynde reason of man can not see so\nfarre, as to perceyue how Goddes prescyence and mans fre wyll can stonde\ntogether, but seame clerelye to be repungnaunte.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 As for hys dygressyon of mans fre wyll, I wyll not\ngreatlye wrestle with hym. But thys one thynge I maye saye, [Sidenote:\nIoan. 8.] that yf the sone of God delyuer vs, then are we verye free.\n[Sidenote: 2. Cor. 3.] And where the spyryte of God is, there is\nfredome. I meane not fredome to do what you wyll; but fredome [Sidenote:\nRom. 6.] fr\u014d synne, that we maye be the sarua\u016btes of ryghtuousnes. But\nyf we haue not the spyryte of Christe, then wyll I saye with S. Austen,\n[Sidenote: Augustinus de spiritu & litera.] that our fre wyll is\nwretched, and can do nought but synne. And as towchynge suche textes of\nrepugnaunce, yf they be so dyffuse that mans reason (which is the lyght\nof hys vnderst\u014ddyng) can not attayne to set them together, then were you\nbeste to make th\u0113 none artycles of our faythe. For I thynke as manye as\nare necessarye vnto our salvacyon, are conteyned in the Crede, which I\nthynke euery m\u0101 beleueth: I beseche you laye no bygger burthen vpon vs\nthen those faythfull Fathers ded, which thought that suffycyent. And\nthen I am sure, we shulde haue fewer heretykes. For I neuer harde of\nheretycke that euer helde agaynste any artycle of our Crede, but all\nthat ye dyffame by thys name, are onelye put to death, because they saye\nthat we are not bounde to beleue euerye poynte that the lawes and\ntyrannye of the cleargye alowe and maynteyne, which thynge how true it\nis (blessed be God) is meatelye well knowen alreadye. For els had I and\nmany mo bene deade before thys daye.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 I wote well that many good folke haue vsed in thys\nmatter manye frutefull examples. As of one face beholden in dyuerse\nglasses, and in euerye peace of one glasse broken in to twentye, \u0101d of\none worde comynge whole to an hundreth eares at ones: and the syght of\none lytle eye presently beholdynge an whole greate contrye at ones, with\na thousande suche meruelles mo: suche as those that see th\u0113 daylye done\n(and therfore meruell not at th\u0113) shall yet neuer be able, no not this\nyonge man hym selfe, to geue suche a reason by what meane they maye be\ndone, but that he maye haue suche repugnaunce layde agaynste it, that he\nshalbe fayne in conclusyon (for the chefe and moste euydent reason) to\nsaye, that the cause of all those thynges, is because God that hath so\ncaused them to be done, is almyghtye of hym selfe, and maye do what hym\nlyste.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 As towchynge the examples that master More doth\nhere alleage, I maye soone make answere vnto them. For they that are\nlyke our matter, make cleane agaynste hym, and the other can not make\nfor hym. The glasse I graunte is a good example. For euen as the glasse\ndothe represent the verye face of man, so doth this sacrament represent\nthe verye bodye and bloode of Christe. And lyke as euery peace of the\nglasse doth represent that one face, so doth euery peace of that\nsacrament represent that one bodye of Christe. But euerye m\u0101 knoweth\nryght well, that thoughe the glasse represent my face, yet the\nsubstaunce of the glasse is not my verye face, neyther is my very face\nin the glasse. And euen so though the sacrament do represent the bodye\nof Christe, yet the substaunce of the sacrament is not hys verye bodye\n(no more then the glasse is my face) neyther is hys verye bodye in the\nsacrament, no more th\u0113 my verye face is in the glasse. And thus this\nexample maketh well for vs. And for that one worde commynge whole to an\nh\u016bdreth eares, I saye that worde is but a sounde \u0101d a qualyte & not a\nsubstaunce, and therfore yt is nothynge to our purpose, and can not be\nlykened to Christes bodye which is a substaunce. And as concernynge the\nsyght of the lytle eye, I say that though the eye dyscrye and see an\nwhole contrye, yet is not that whole contrye in the eye: but as the\ncontrye is knowen by the syght of the eye (though the contrye be not in\nit) so is the death of Christe and his bodye breakynge and bloode\nsheadynge knowen by the sacrament, though hys naturall bodye be not in\nit. And thus hys ex\u0101ples make nothyng with hym, but rather moche\nagaynste hym. And where he sayeth that the yonge m\u0101 hym selfe c\u0101 geue no\nreas\u014d, by what meane they may be done: I maye saye vnto hys\nmastershyppe, that whan I was seauen yeare yonger then I am thys day, I\nwolde haue bene ashamed yf I coulde not haue geuen an evydent reason at\nthe Aust\u0113s in Oxforde before the whole vnyuersyte. And albeit I now\nwochesaue not to spende laboure and paper abought Aristotles doctryne,\nyet haue I so moche towched hys examples, that he may be werye of them.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Also I c\u0101 not see why it shulde be more repugnaunt\nthat one bodye maye be by the power of God in two places at ones, then\nthat two bodyes maye be together in one place at ones. And that poynte I\nthynke thys yonge man denyeth not.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 The beynge of our bodye in two places at ones is\nagaynste nature, and scrypture c\u0101 not allow it. But that two bodyes\nshulde be in one place seameth more reasonable. For I haue good\nexperyence that though my bodye can not be in two places at ones (both\nin the tower and where I wolde haue it besyde) yet blessed be god in\nthis one place, I am not without c\u014dpanye. But yf master More meane that\nin one proper & severall place, maye be two bodyes at ones, that I wyll\ndenye, tyll he haue laysure to proue it. And yet at the length I am\nsure, hys proue shall not be worth a podynge prycke. For I am sure it\nmuste be, _Ratione porositatis ut in igne & ferro: nam penetracionem\ndimensionum nunquam probabit._ And then he is as nyghe as he was before.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Now hys laste reason wyth which he proueth yt\nimpossyble for the bodye of christe to be in two places at ones, is\nthis: You can (sayeth he) shewe no reason whye he shulde be in many\nplaces at ones & not in all. But in all places he can not be: Wherfore\nwe muste c\u014dclude that he can not be in many places at ones. This is a\nmervelous c\u014dcluded argumente. I am sure that euery chylde may soone see\nthat this consequent can neuer folowe vp\u014d these two premysses of thys\nantecedent.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 When I made thys reason & compyled my tretyse I had\nno regarde to the cavyllacyons of sotle sophysters. For I thought no\nsophysters shulde haue medled wyth that meate. But neuerthelesse syth\nnow I perceyue that they pryncipallye are porynge vpon yt, seakynge some\npraye to sette their teth a warke, in this boke I haue samwhat prouyded\nfor th\u0113, and haue brought suche harde bones, that yf they be to busye,\nmaye chaunce to choke th\u0113. And yet is not the argum\u0113t so feable as he\nfayneth. For the fyrst part (if he lyst to c\u014dsyder the s\u0113ce & mynde, &\nbe not to curyous) where I say that they c\u0101 shewe no reas\u014d why he shulde\nbe in many places & not in all, is thus to be vnderst\u014dd of wyse m\u0113, that\nthe very reas\u014d & cause that he shulde be in many places must be, because\nthe body is so \u0101nexed with the godhed, that yt is in euery place as the\nGodhed is. Thys I saye, muste be the cause and reason of hys beynge in\nmany places. And neyther you nor no man els c\u0101 iustely asygne any other.\nNow of this maior or fyrste proposycyon thus vnderstonde doth the\nconclusyon folowe dyrectlye. For yf this shulde be the cause (as they\nmuste neades gra\u016bte) and thys cause proued false by scrypture: then\nmuste they neades graunte that the thynge whiche so foloweth of this\ncause, muste neades be false. And so is my purpose proued, and they\nconcluded. As by example. The Astronomers saye: that the naturall course\nof the sonne is from the Weste to the Easte. Nowe yf a man shulde aske\nthem what ys then the cause that we see hym daylye take the contrary\ncourse, from the East to the Weste agaynste hys nature: they answere.\nBecause the heyghest spere (whose course is from the Easte to the Weste)\nwyth hys swyfte movynge doth vyolently drawe the inferyoure speres with\nhym. This is the cause that they alleage, and no man can asygne any\nother. And now syth I can proue thys sense false by scrypture (for\nscrypture sayth that the spere is fastened Heb. viij and S. Austen\nexpoundynge that texte improueth the Astronomers which affyrme that it\nmoueth) they muste neades graunte that the thynge which foloweth of this\ncause muste neades be false. And so we maye conclude agaynste them all,\nthat the naturall course of the sonne is not from the Weste to the East\n(as the Astronomers saye) but contrarye from the Easte to the Weste. And\nlykewyse syth the cause that Christes bodye shulde be in many places, is\nasygned of learned men to be, because hys bodye is so annexed with the\nGodhed (which is in euerye place) that it is also in all places with it,\nand no man can asygne any other. And this cause is proued false by\nscrypture. For when the women sought Christ at hys graue, an Angell gaue\nthe answere that he was not there. [Sidenote: Mar. 14.] But yf hys bodye\nhad bene in euery place, then had the Angell lyed. [Sidenote: Luc. 16.]\nAlso Christ sayde vnto hys dyscyples of Lazarus which dyed at Bathania.\n[Sidenote: Ioan. 11.] Lazarus ys deade. And I am gladde for your sakes\n(that you maye beleue) because I was not there. Now yf hys body were in\neuery place as is the Godhed, then Christ sayde not trulye, when he\nsayde he was not there. Therfore syth (as I sayde) this is the cause\nasygned, and yet proued false by scrypture, they muste neades graunte,\nthat the thynge which foloweth of this cause, muste also neades be\nfalse. And so we maye conclude agaynste them all, that Christes bodye is\nin one place onely. And now you maye see how my consequent folowe the\npremysses.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 For he can no further c\u014dclude, but that we can shewe\nno reason whye he shulde be in many places at ones. What had he wone by\nthat: Myght he th\u0101 conclude thervpon, that he coulde not be in manye\nplaces at ones? As though yt were not possyble for God to make hys bodye\nin two places at ones, but yf we were able to tell how, and why, and\nwherbye, and shewe the reason.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 How farre I c\u0101 conclude is shewed immedyatly\nbefore. For though of the bare wordes as ye toke them, it was harde to\nconclude any thynge, yet haue I nowe declared them, and so farre\nconcluded, that you can not avoyde them. And where he sayeth that though\nthey can shewe no reason, yet I had wonne nought by it, I thynke he\nwolde be angrye yf I shulde so answere. But surely they are in good\ncase, for yt is ynough for them to saye, thus it is, and neade neuer to\nshewe any cause or reason whye they so saye. For they are the churche\nand can not erre: so that yf they teache contrarye thynges, yet all is\ngood ynough. And when they see that no man can make the scryptures to\nagre wyth their doctryne, then they saye, that their doctryne is true\nynough, but no m\u0101 can vnderst\u014dnde the scrypture. And though the\nscrypture seame neuer so repugnaunte both to them \u0101d vs, yet God seeth\nwell ynough (saye they) how to sette th\u0113 together, and it is possyble\nfor God to make it agree, though they can not tell how. But thys\ndoctryne hath longe ynough deceyued vs. For m\u0113 haue seane to l\u014dge wyth\nyour spectacles, yet now (thankes be to God) they begynne to see with\ntheir owne eyes. And as towchyng how thys matter was possyble to God and\nhow it is not possyble, is suffycyently declared before to all them that\nlyste to loke.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Howbeit as for me (though I be not bounde to yt) I\nam c\u014dt\u0113t yet to proue, that God maye make the body of Christ to be in\nall places at ones. And because thys y\u014dge m\u0101 coupleth that proposycy\u014d\nwith the other: so wyll I do also. And I wyll proue therfore that God c\u0101\nmake hys bodye be bothe in many places at ones, & in all places at ones,\nby that he is almyghtye, and therfore can do all thynge.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Now ys the good man in hys olde dreame agayne, and\nthynketh that God is called almyghtye, because he can do all thynges.\nAnd then in dede yt shulde folowe that he were not almyghtye. For all\nthynges he can not do, he can not saue the vnfaythfull, he can not\nrestore virgynyte ones vyolated, he c\u0101 not synne, he c\u0101 not denye hym\nselfe. Yf thys m\u0101s lernynge were alowed, th\u0101 myght not god be called\nalmyghty, because there is somwhat that he can not do. But they that are\naccustomed with scrypture, do knowe that he is called almyghtye, not\nbecause he can not do all thynges, but because there is no superyour\npower aboue hym, but that he may do all that he wyll, and all that hys\npleasure is, maye he brynge to passe. But he hath no wyll nor pleasure,\nto make his sone a lyer, & to make hys scrypture false and yet\nnotwitstondynge he abydeth almyghtye and may do what he wyll. And eu\u0113 as\nit is impossyble to stonde with the processe of the scryptures (wherin\nGod hath declaeed hys wyll) that the unfaythfull shulde be saued\n(although at the fyrst god myght haue done it, yf he had so wolde)\nlykewyse it is impossyble the scryptures st\u014ddynge as they do, that the\nnaturall bodye of Christ, shulde be present to our teth in the sacram\u0113t.\nAnd as for our fayth, yt neadeth not to haue hym present in the breade.\nFor I may as well eate hym and drynke hym through fayth (that is to say,\nbeleue in hym) though he contynue styll in heauen, as though he were as\npresent in the sacram\u0113t, as he was hangynge on the crosse. But yet hys\nmastershype hath lefte one thynge vnproued, and that is euen the pyth of\nhys purpose. For though he had proued (as he hath not) that God by hys\nalmyghtynes myght make Christes bodye in many places, and in all places,\n& in the sacrament, yet he forgotte to proue that God hath so done. And\ntherfore albeyt I dyd gra\u016bte hym (as I wyll not) that he myght so do,\nyet therof it doth not folow, that he hath so done in dede. For god maye\ndo manye thynges whiche he doth not. And therfore hys argument doth not\nproue hys purpose. Now yf he do but thynke that God hath so done, I am\nwell pleased \u0101d wyll not put hym to the payne to proue it. For anone ye\nshall see hym so intaungled in bryars, that he shall not wete where to\nbe come.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 But yet this yonge man goeth aboute to proue thys\npoynte by scrypture. For excepte we graunte hym that poynte to be true,\nhe sayeth that els we make the Angell a lyer that sayde, he is not here,\n\u0101d also that els we make as though Christes bodye in hys assensyon ded\nnot go vp in the cloude in to heau\u0113 from earth, but onelye hyd hym selfe\nin the cloude, and playeth boo pyppe and taryed beneth styll. Here in\nthe ende he forgetteth hym selfe so fowle, that whan he was a yonge\nsophyster he wolde I dare say, haue bene full sore ashamed so to haue\noversene hym selfe at Oxforde at a pervyse. For ye wote well that thynge\nwhiche he sayeth, and whiche he muste therfore proue, is that the bodye\nof Christ c\u0101 not be in euerye place at ones by no meane that God coulde\nmake. And the textes that he bryngeth in for the proue, saye no further\nbut that he was not in all places at ones.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 There are two thynges dysputed betwene master More\nand me: the one is whether God c\u0101 make the bodye of Christe in manye\nplaces, and in the sacramente. And therto hys mastershyppe sayeth yea.\nFor God is almyghtye and maye do all thynges. And I saye naye, and\naffyrme that God is not called almyghtye because he maye do all thynges,\nbut because he maye do all that he wyll. And I saye that he wyll not\nmake hys sonne a lyer, nor hys scrypture false, and that he can not do\nit, and yet abydeth almyghtye. The other thynge is thys, whether he haue\ndone it or not. For albeyt I ded graunte hym that it were possyble, yet\nis he neuer the nere excepte he eyther can proue that he hath done it in\ndede, or els thynke that God hath so done. For as I sayde God can do\nmanye thynges which he doth not. And the controversye of thys doubte is\ndyssolued by the Aungell and scrypture whiche (as master More graunteth\nhym selfe) proueth that he was not in all places at ones, And therof it\nfoloweth, that God hath not done it, although it be possyble. And so is\nhys mastershyppe at a poynte. For yf I shulde graunte it neuer so\npossyble, yet yf scrypture proue that it be not so in dede, then is he\nneuer the nere hys purpose, but moche the further from it. And thys is\neuen it that I sayde before: that it was not possyble to stonde with the\nprocesse of the scrypture which we haue receyued. And now hys\nmastershyppe hath graunted it hym selfe, which you maye be sure he wolde\nnot do yf he coulde otherwyse avoyde it. And here you maye see howe sore\nI haue overseane my selfe.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 God forbyd that any man shulde be the more prone and\nreadye to beleue thys yonge man in thys greate matter, because he sayeth\nin the begynnynge that he wyll brynge all men to a concorde and a\nquyetnes of conscyence. For he bryngeth men to the worste kynde of\nquyetnes that maye be deuysed, when he telleth vs as he doth, that euery\nman in thys matter, maye with out parell beleue which waye he lyste.\nEuery man maye in euerye matter without any counsell, soone set hym\nselfe at reste, yf he lyste to take that waye and to beleue as he lyste\nhym selfe, \u0101d care not how. But \u0101d yf that waye had bene sure, Saynte\nPaule wolde neuer haue shewed that manye were in parell of sycknes and\ndeath also, for lacke of dyscernynge reuerentlye the bodye of our Lorde\nin that Sacramente, when they came to receyue hym.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 When Christe shulde departe thys worlde and go to\nhys Father, [Sidenote: Ioan. 15.] he gaue hys dyscyples a commaundement\nthat they shulde loue eche other, sayenge by thys shall all men knowe,\nthat ye are my dyscyples, yf ye loue eche other, as I haue loued you.\nThys rule of charyte wolde I not haue broken, which notwithstondynge is\noften in Ieopardye a monge faythfull folke. This thynge consydered, I\nthought it necessarye to advertyse both partyes to saue thys rule of\ncharyte, and proued in the fyrste chapter of my treatyse, that it was\nnone artycle of the fayth necessarye to be beleued vnder payne of\ndampnacyon, and therfore that they were to blame that wolde be\ncontencyous for the matter. For syth it is none artycle of the fayth,\nthey may lawfullye dyssente without all Ieoperdye: and neade not to\nbreake the rule of charyte, but rather to receyue eche other lyke weake\nbretherne.\n\nThis I saye I proued in the fyrste chapter agaynste which master More\nmaketh no busynes, and improueth it not. Wherbye you maye soone gather\nthat it is very true. For els syth hys mastershyppe so laboureth in\nthese other poyntes, he wolde not haue lefte that vntowched you maye be\nsure. Thys is the concorde that I wolde brynge them vnto. And as\ntowchynge quyetnes of conscyence, I haue knowen manye that haue sore\nbene combrede wyth it. And am\u014dge all, a certayne master of arte which\ndyed in Oxforth, confessed vpon hys death bedde, that he had wepte\nlyenge in hys bedde an hundreth nyghtes wythin one yeare space, because\nhe coulde not beleue it. Now yf he had knowen that it had bene no\nnecessarye artycle, what c\u014dforte and quyetnes shulde it haue bene vnto\nhym. Furthermore, euerye man can not so quyet hymselfe, as master More\nImageneth. For there are manye that thynke them selfes no smalle foles,\nwhich whan they haue receyued some folyshe superstycyon, eyther by their\nowne Imagynacyon, or by belevynge their gossepes gospell \u0101d olde wyfes\ntales, by and bye thynke the c\u014dtrarye to be deadly synne, and vtterly\nforbydden by Chrystes gospell. As by example, I knowe an house of\nrelygyon, wherin is a parson that thynketh it deadly synne to go ouer\nastrawe yf it lye acrosse. And yf there be vpon the pauemente any\npaynted pycture, or any Image grauen vpon a deade mans graue, he wyll\nnot treade vpon it, although he shulde go a forelonge a bowte. What is\nthys but vayne superstycyon wherewith the conscyence is combred and\ncorrupted? May not thys be weded out wyth the worde of God, shewynge hym\nthat it is none artycle of the fayth so to thynke, & then to tell hym\nthat it is not forboden by the scrypture, \u0101d that it is no synne? Now\nalbeyt hys conscyence be so cankered that the ruste wyll not be rubbed\nout: yet wyth Godes grace, some other whome he hath infected with the\nsame, maye come agayne to Godes worde and be cured full well, whiche\nshulde neuer haue bene able to quyete them selfes. And lykewyse there\nare some whiche beleue as your superstycyous hartes haue informed them,\nand these can not quyete th\u0113selues, because they beleue that you haue\nfeatched your doctryne out of scrypture. But when it is proued to them,\nand they themselues perceyue that scrypture sayeth not so, then can they\nbe contente to thynke the contrarye, \u0101d Iudge it no synne at all. And as\ntowchynge S. Paule, surelye ye take hym wronge. For I wyll shewe you\nwhat processe he taketh, and how he is to be vnderstonde. But because it\nis not possyble to fynyshe it in fewe wordes, I shall deferre it vnto\nthe bokes ende, and then I shall declare hym at large.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 And what a fashyon is thys, to saye that we maye\nbeleue yf we lyste, that there is the verye bodye of our Lorde in dede,\nand then to tell vs for a trouth, that suche a faythe is impossyble to\nbe true: for GOD hym selfe can neuer brynge it abought, to make hys\nbodye to be there.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Yf a man take the bare wordes of Christe, and of\nsymplycyte be deceyued, and thynke that hys verye bodye be in the\nsacramente present to their teth that eate it, I dare not saye that he\nsynneth therin, but wyll referre the matter vnto Godes Iudgement, and\nyet without doubt, I dare saye he is deceyued. As by example, yf a man\ndeceyued by the litterall sence, wolde thynke that men shulde preache to\nfysshes (as S. Fraunces ded) because Christe badde hys dyscyples go\npreache to all creatures, yet wolde not I thynke that he synned therin.\nBut wyll referre hym vnto Goddes Iudgement. But yet I wene euerye woman\nthat hath anye wytte, wyll saye that he was deceyued.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 I am verye sure that the olde holye Doctours which\nbeleued Christes bodye and bloode to be there, and so taught other to\nbeleue, as by their bokes playnelye doth apere, yf they had thought\neyther that it coulde not be there or that it was not there in dede,\nthey wolde not for all the good in thys worlde haue wryten as they haue\ndone. For wolde those holye men (wene you) haue taught that men be\nbounde to beleue, that the verye bodye and bloode of CHRISTE is there,\nyf they them selfes thought that they were not bounde thervnto? Wolde\nthey make men honoure and worshyppe that thynge as the very bodye and\nbloode of Christe whiche they th\u0113 selues thought were not it? Thys gere\nis to chyldyshe to speake of.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 That the olde doctours and faythfull Fathers so\ntaught or thought as ye fayne of them, is verye false. For S. Austen as\nI haue shewed, maketh whollye for vs. Besydes that, there is none of the\nolde Fathers but they call it a sacram\u0113te, a mysterye, and mystycall\nmeate, which is not eaten with toth or belye: but with eares and faythe.\nAnd as towchynge the honoure and worshyppe done vnto it, I saye it is\nplayne Idolatrye. And I saye, that he falselye reporteth vpon the olde\nholy Doctours. For they neuer taught men to worshyppe it, neyther can he\nalleage one place in any of them all whiche wolde haue men to worshyppe\nthe sacramente. Peraduenture he maye alleage me certayne new felowes for\nhys purpose, as Dunce, Dorbell, Durande, and suche draffe, whiche by\ntheir doctryne haue deceyued the worlde wyth dampnable Idolatrye. But I\nspeake of the olde holye Fathers \u0101d doctours, S. Austen, Ambrose,\nHierome, Cypriane, Cirille, Chrisostome, Fulgentius, and suche other:\nThese I saye, do not teache men to worshyppe it, and by that I dare\nabyde. Of thys poynte I am so sure, that I wyll vse it for a contrarye\nargument, that hys naturall bodye is not there presente. For yf the\nholye Fathers before named had taken thys texte after the letter and not\nonelye spyrytuallye, th\u0113 in their workes they wolde haue taught men to\nworshyppe it, but they neuer taught m\u0113 to worshyppe thys sacrament,\ntherfore it foloweth they toke not the texte after the letter, but\nonelye spyrytuallye. Now do I prouoke you to seake a proue of your\npurpose. Neuer the lesse I wyll not denye, but that these holye Doctours\nin dyuerse places, do call it hys bodye, as Christe and Paule do, and so\ndo we lykewyse: and saye also that this verye bodye is there eat\u0113. But\nyet we meane, that it is eaten with fayth (that is to saye by beleuynge\nthat hys bodye was broken for vs) \u0101d haue his bodye more in memorye at\nthys maundye th\u0113 the meate that we there eate. [Sidenote: Note.] And\ntherfore it hathe the name of hys bodye: because the name it selfe\nshulde put vs in rem\u0113braunce of hys bodye. And that hys bodye is there\nchefelye eaten, euen more (through fayth) then the meate wyth the mouth.\nAnd so are they also to be vnderstonde.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Yet one greate pleasure he doth vs, in that he\nputteth vs all at lyberte, that we maye with out parell of dampnacyon\nbeleue as we ded before: that is to wete, that in the blessed sacram\u0113t\nthe whole substaunce of the breade \u0101d the wyne is transmuted \u0101d chaunged\nin to the verye bodye and bloode of Christe. For yf we maye wythout\nparell of dampnacyon beleue thus, as hym selfe graunteth that we maye,\nthen graunteth he that we maye also without parell of dampnacy\u014d beleue\nthat he hym selfe lyeth, where he sayeth, the trouth of that beleue is\nimpossyble.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 The beleuynge of thys poynte, is of it selfe not\ndampnable, as it is not d\u0101pnable to thynke that Christe is a very stone\nor a vyne, because the litterall sence so sayeth: or yf you beleue that\nyou ought to preache to fyshes and go Christen them another whyle, as ye\ndo belles. And I insure you, if there were no worse myschefe that ensued\nof thys beleue, then it is in itselfe, I wolde neuer haue spoken\nagaynste it. But now there foloweth vpon it dampnable Idolatrye. For\nthrough the beleue that thys bodye is there, men fall downe and\nworshyppe yt. And thynkynge to please God, do dampnable synne agaynste\nhym. Thys I saye, is the cause that I so earnestlye wryte agaynste it,\nto avoyde the Idolatrye that is c\u014dmytted through it. Parte of the\ngermanes do thynke that hys naturall bodye is present in the sacram\u0113t,\n\u0101d take the wordes fleshelye, as Martyn taught them. But none of them\nworshyppe it, for that Martyn forbyddeth both in hys wordes \u0101d workes,\nand so (blessed be God) they auoyde that Ieoperdye, which thynge yf you\nwyll also graunte, and publyshe but this one proposycyon, that it ought\nnot to be worshypped, I promyse you I wyll neuer wryte agaynste it. For\nthen is the Ieoperdye taken awaye, and then I am cont\u0113t that your\nmastershyppe thynke I lye. But in the meane season I muste thynke that\nye fulfyll the worlde with d\u0101pnable Idolatrye. And thus haue you also\nanswere vnto the conclusyon, which you alleage out of the kynges graces\nboke. For I saye in your waye is no hurte, as longe as you do but onelye\nbeleue the bare wordes of the texte, as S. Fraunces ded, when he\npreached to fyshes. But yf through the occasyon of those wordes, ye fall\nin to the worshyppynge of it, then I saye that in your waye is vndoubted\ndampnacyon. And so is there greate Ieoperdye in your waye, and none at\nall in ours. For though he were there in dede, yet do not we synne yf we\nworshyppe it not. For we are not commaunded to worshyppe the sacrament.\nBut yf he be not there, then do you dampnable Idolatrye.\n\n\n\n\n                  \u00b6 The consecracyon of the Sacrament.\n\n\n[Sidenote: More.] Now as for a nother quyetnes of euery mans\nconscyencethys yonge man byddeth euerye man be bolde, whether the\nblessed sacram\u0113t be consecrate or vnconsecrate (for though he moste\nspecyallye speaketh of the wyne, yet he speaketh it of both) and byddeth\nnot care, but to take it for all that vnblessed as it is, because the\nPreste (he sayeth) can not deceyue vs nor take from vs the profyte of\nChristes instytucyon, whether he alter the wordes or leaue them all\nvnsayde. Is not thys a wonderfull doctryne of thys yonge man. We knowe\nwell all, that the Preste can not hurte vs by hys oversyght or malyce,\nyf there be no faulte vp\u014d our owne partye, for that perfectyon that\nlacketh vpon the Prestes parte, the great mercye of God as we truste of\nhys owne goodnes supplyeth it. And therfore as holye Chrisostome sayeth,\nno man can take harme but of hymselfe. But now yf we see the thynge\ndysordered our owne selfe, by the Preste, and Christes instytucyon\nbroken, yf we than wetynglye receyue it vnblessed and vnconsecrated, and\ncare not whether Christes instytucyon be kepte and observed or no, but\nreaken it is as good wythout it as with it, then make we our selfes\npartakers of the faulte and lose the profyte of the sacrament, and\nreceyue it with dampnacyon: not for the Prestes faulte, but for our\nowne.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 I had thought that no Turke wolde haue wrested a\nmannes wordes so vnfaythfullye. For he leaueth out all the pythe of my\nmatter, for my wordes are these. I wyll shewe you a meanes how ye shall\neuer receyue it accordynge to Christes instytucyon, although the Prest\nwolde withdrawe it from you. Fyrste ye neade to haue no respecte vnto\nthe Prestes wordes whiche mynystreth it. For yf ye remember for what\nentent Christe ded instytute thys sacramente, and knowe that it was to\nput vs in remembraunce of hys bodye breakynge and bloode sheadynge, that\nwe myght geue hym thankes for it, and be as sure of it through fayth\naccordynge to his promyses, as we are sure of the breade by eatynge of\nit: yf as I saye, ye remember thys thynge (for whiche int\u0113te onelye the\nPreste speaketh those wordes) then yf the Prest leaue out those wordes\nor parte therof, he can not hurte you. For you haue already the effecte\nand fynall purpose for the whiche he shulde speake them. And agayne yf\nhe shulde whollye altre th\u0113, yet he can not deceyue you. For then ye be\nsure that he is a lyer, and though you se the Preste brynge you the wyne\nvnconsecrated, yet neuer stycke at that. For as surelye shall it\ncertyfye your conscyence and outwarde sences though he consecrate it not\n(so thou consecrate it thy selfe: that is to saye, so thou knowe what is\nment therbye and geue hym thankes) as though he made a thousande\nblessynges ouer it. And so I saye that it is euer consecrated in hys\nharte that beleueth, though the Preste consecrate it not. And contrarye\nwyse yf they consecrate it neuer so moche, and thy consecracyon be not\nbye, it helpeth the not a ryshe. For excepte thou knowe what is ment\ntherby, and beleue, geuynge th\u0101kes for hys bodye breakynge and blood\nsheadynge, it can not profytte them.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 Nowe where you saye, that yf we see the thynge\ndysordered by the Preste, & Christes instytucyon broken, and wetynglye\nreceyue it, we make our selfes partakers of the cryme.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 I answere that yf the reformacyon therof laye in\nour handes, then sayde you trouth, but syth thys is wryten to pryuate\nparsones whiche maye not reforme this matter, and that the reformacyon\ntherof resteth onelye in the hande of your Prynce and Parlyamente (for\nthe erroure consysteth not in the mysorderynge of the matter by one\nPreste onely, but rather of the doctryne of them all, sauynge suche as\nGod hath lyghtened) to these pryuate persons I saye that your doctryne\nshulde soner be the occasyon of an insurreccyon (whiche we laboure to\neschewe) then anye quyetynge of them by Christes doctryne. And therfore\nsyth there is an other waye to the woode, sauynge all vpryght, we wyll\nauoyde that parellous pathe. But when ye see Christes instytucyon broken\nand the one kynde lefte out vnto the laye people, why are ye partaker\ntherof?\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 How be it as for hys beleue that taketh it no better\nbut for bare breade and wyne it maketh hym lytell matter consecrated or\nnot, sauynge that the better it is consecrated the more it is ever\nnoyous to hym that receyueth it, hauynge hys conscyence combred with\nsuche an execrable heresy, by which well apeareth that he putteth no\ndyffer\u0113ce betwene the bodye of our lorde in the blessed sacram\u0113t and the\ncom\u014d breade that he eateth at his dyner. But rather he esteameth it\nlesse. For the one yet I thynke or he begynne, yf he lacke a Prest, he\nwyll blesse it hym selfe, as for the other he careth not, whether it be\nblessed or not.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 What I reaken it more then breade and wyne I wyll\nshewe you herafter in declarynge the mynde of S. Paule vpon thys\nsacrament, and that in the conclusy\u014d of thys boke. And in the meane\nseason I wyll saye no more but that he belyeth me. And as for their\nblessynges and consecracyon profyte not me, excepte I consecrate it my\nselfe with fayth in Christes bloode, and wyth geuynge hym prayse and\nthankes for hys inestymable goodnes, whiche wh\u0113 I was hys enemye\nrec\u014dcyled me vnto hys Father by hys owne death. This consecracyon muste\nI sette by, yf I wyl haue anye profyte of hys death which the sacrament\nrepresenteth vnto me. And yf I my selfe do thus consecrate it, then\nshall I be sure of the frute of hys death. And I saye agayne, that as\nthe Prestes do now vse to consecrate it, it helpeth not the poore comons\nof a ryshe. For their consecracyon shulde stonde in preachynge vnto them\nthe deathe of Christe whyche hath delyuered them out of the Egypte of\nsynne, and from the fyerye fornace of Pharao the devell.\n\nAnd as for their waggynge of their fyngers over it, and sayenge syxe or\nseau\u0113 wordes in Latyn, helpeth them nothynge at all. For how can they\nbeleue by the meanes of hys wordes, when they knowe not what he sayeth?\nAnd as towchynge the daylye and comm\u014d breade that I eate at my dynner,\nwhether I haue a Preste or not, I blesse it with my harte (\u0101d not with\nmy fyngers) and hartely geue God thankes for it. For yf I haue an\nhundreth Prestes to blesse it, yet am not I excused therbye. For excepte\nI blesse yt my selfe, yt profyteth me no more then yf it were vnblessed.\nAnd I blesse yt my selfe, th\u0101 I care not what the Preste prate. For as\nlonge as I vnderstonde hym not, yt profyteth me nothyng. But in good\nfayth I wene the Byshoppes and their proctoure wote not what a blessynge\nmeaneth. Therfore deare bretherne harken to me. To blesse God, is to\ngeue hym prayse \u0101d thankes for hys benefyttes: [Sidenote: To blesse.] To\nblesse a Kynge or a Prynce, is to thanke hym for hys kyndenes, and to\npraye to God for hym, that he maye longe reygne to the laude of God and\nwealth of hys commons. To blesse a m\u0101s neyghboure, is to praye for hym\nand to do hym good. To blesse my breade or meate, is to geue God thankes\nfor it. To blesse my selfe, is to geue God th\u0101kes for the greate\nbenefyttes that I haue receyued of hym, and to praye God that of hys\ninfynyte goodes he wyll increase those gyftes that he hath geuen me, and\nfynyshe hys worke which he hath begonne in me, vnto hys laude and\nprayse. And as towchynge thys fleshe, to fulfyll hys wyll in it, and not\nto spare yt, but scourge cutte \u0101d burne it, onelye that it maye be to\nhys honoure & glorye. Thys is the forme of blessynge, and not to wagge\ntwo fyngers ouer them. But alacke, of this blessynge our Byshoppes be\nignoraunte.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 But as for those that are good & faythfull folke,\nand haue any grace or any sparcle of reason in their heades, wyll (I\nverely thynke) neuer be so farre overseane, as in thys artycle (the\ntrouthe wherof God hath hym selfe testyfyed by as many op\u0113 myracles as\neuer he testyfyed any one) to beleue thys yonge man vpon hys baren\nreasons agaynste the faythe \u0101d reas\u014d both of all olde holy wryters \u0101d\nall good Christen people thys xv.C. yeares.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 As for the myracles, I mervell not at them, neyther\nmay they make me the sooner to beleue it. For Christe tolde vs before\n[Sidenote: Mat. 24.] that suche delusyons shulde come, that yf it were\npossyble, the very electe shulde be deceyued by them. [Sidenote: 2. Tes,\n2.] And S. Paule exorteth vs to be ware of such sygnes \u0101d w\u014dders. And\ntherfore I do as Moses teacheth me [Sidenote: Deu. 13.] when I here of\nsuche a wonder, then strayght I loke vpon the doctryne that is annexed\nwyth it. Yf it teache me to referre all the honoure to God and not to\ncreatures, and teache me nothynge but that wyll stonde with Goddes\nworde, then wyll I saye, that it is of God. But yf it teache me suche\nthynges as wyll not stonde with hys worde, then wyll I determyne that it\nis done by the deuell, to delude the people with dampnable Idolatrye.\nWhen Paule and Barnabas preached at Lystra [Sidenote: Acte. 24.] and had\ndone a myracle amonge them, the people ranne and wolde haue done\nsacryfyce vnto them. But the Apostles ranne amonge them and tare their\nclothes, cryenge vnto them, syrs what do you? We are euen corruptyble\nmen as ye are, and preache vnto you, that you shulde leaue thys vayne\nsuperstycyon, \u0101d worshyppe the leuynge God, which made heau\u0113, earth, the\nsee, and all that is in th\u0113 et c. Here the Apostles refused suche honour\n& worshyppe. And therfore I am sure they wolde not suffer their Images\nto haue it. Now when I see a myracle done at any Image, and perceyue\nthat it bryngeth m\u0113 to the worshyppynge of it selfe, c\u014dtrarye to the\nfacte and doctryne of the Apostles, whiche wolde not receyue it them\nselues, I must neades conclude, that it is but a delusyon done by the\ndeuell to deceyue vs, \u0101d to brynge the wrath of God vpon vs. Eu\u0113 so I\nsaye of the sacram\u0113t, syth the myracles that are don by it, do make m\u0113\nthynke otherwyse th\u0113 scripture wyll, \u0101d cause m\u0113 to worshyppe it: I\ndoubte not but they are done by the deuell, to delude the peple. Thou\nwylt perau\u0113ture say, that god wyll hym to abuse the sacrament of hys\nbodye and bloode. Yes verelye, god wyll suffer yt, and doth suffer yt,\nto see whether we wyll be faythfull and abyde by hys worde or not. And\nmervell not therof, [Sidenote: Matt. 4.] for God suffered hym to take\nvppe the verye naturall bodye of his sonne Christ and set hym vpon a\npynnacle of the temple. And after he toke hym vppe agayne, and ledde hym\nto \u0101 exceadynge mo\u016btayne. And therfore thynke not but that he hath more\npower over the sacram\u0113t th\u0113 he had ouer christes owne bodye. And\ntherfore when they tell me, lo here is Christ: lo there is Christ (as\nChrist prophecyed) lo, he is at thys aultre, lo, he is at that, I wyll\nnot beleue them.\n\nNeuerthelesse yf I shulde graunte that all the myracles whiche were done\nand ascrybed vnto the sacramente, were very true myracles and done of\nGod hym selfe (as I doubt not but some of th\u0113 be true) yet there vpon yt\ndoth not folowe that the Sacrament shulde be the verye naturall bodye of\nChriste. For we haue evydent storyes that certayne persones haue bene\ndelyvered from bodelye dyseases through the sacrament of Baptyme. And\nyet the water is not the holye Gost nor the very thynge yt selfe wherof\nit is a sacramente. [Sidenote: Actes. 5.] The shadowe of Peter healed\nmany. And yet was not that shadowe Peters owne parson. [Sidenote: Actu.\n19.] We reade also that napkyns and hande kerchers were caryed from\nPaule vnto them that were sycke and possessed with vncleane spiretes and\nthey receyued their health. And yet it were neuerthelesse madnes, to\nthynke that Paules bodye had bene actuallye or naturallye in those\nthynges. And therfore thys is but a verye weake reason, to Iudge by the\nmyracles the presence of Christes bodye. And surelye you myght be\nashamed to make so slender reasons. For God maye worke myracles through\nmanye thynges which are not hys naturall bodye. And as towchynge the\nolde doctoures whome you fayne to make wyth you, & the trouth of your\nopynyon which you saye hath bene beleued of all good Christen people\nthis xv. C. yeares, is suffycyently declared before, and proued to be\nbut a poynte of your olde poetrye.\n\n\u00b6 Doctoure Barnes ded gracyouslye escape Master Mores handes.\n\n\n[Sidenote: More.] And also Fryre Barnes, albeit that as ye wote well he\nis in many other thynges a brother of thys yonge m\u0101s secte: yet in this\nheresye he sore abhorreth hys heresye, or els he lyeth hym selfe. For at\nhys laste beynge here he wrote a letter to me. Wherin he wryteth that I\nlaye that heresye wr\u014dgfullye to hys charge. And sheweth hym selfe so\nsore greved therwith that he sayeth, he wyll in my reproche make a boke\na gaynst me. Wherin he wyll professe and proteste hys faythe concernynge\nthis blessed sacramente. But in the meane season it well contenteth me,\nthat fryre Barnes beynge a man of more age, and more rype dyscrecyon,\nand a doctoure of dyuynyte, and in those thynges better learned then\nthys yonge man is, abhorreth thys y\u014dge mannes heresye in thys poynte, as\nwell as he lyketh hym in many other.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 The more your mastershyppe prayseth Doctoure\nBarnes, the worse men maye lyke your matter. For in many poyntes he doth\ncondempne your dampnable doctryne, as in hys boke appeareth. And\ntherfore yf suche credence must be geu\u0113 to hym, then moche the lesse\nwyll be geuen to you. But peraduenture you wyll saye, that he is to be\nbeleued in this poynte, although he erre in other. Wherevnto I answere,\nthat yf you wyll consent vnto hym, I wolde be well apayed and wyll\npromyse you to wryte no more in that matter. For in this we both agre,\nthat it ought not to be worshypped, yea and (blessed be God) all the\nother whome you call heretyckes. And so both of vs do avoyde the\nIdolatrye which you with so greate daunger do daylye c\u014dmytte. And\ntherfor yf you folowe hys learnynge, then am I content that you dyssent\nfrom me. For lette it not be worshypped, \u0101d thynke as yow wyll, for then\nis the parell paste. And syth we agre in thys poynte, doubte not but we\nshall soone agre in the resydue, \u0101d admytte eche other for faythfull\nbrothers. And where your mastershyppe sayeth, that he wrote you a letter\nprotestynge that you laye that heresye wrongfully to hys charge, I\nthynke it was more wysdome for hym twyse to haue wryten to you, then\nones to haue come hym selfe \u0101d tell you of it. For it was playnelye\ntolde hym, that you had conspyred hys death, \u0101d that notwithstondynge\nhys saue conduyte, you were mynded to haue murthered hym. And for that\ncause he was compelled both beynge here, to kepe hym selfe secretelye,\nand also preuylye to departe the realme.\n\n\u00b6 And blessed be God you haue suffycyentlye publyshed your purpose in\nyour answere agaynste Wyllyan Tyndall, where you saye, that you myght\nlaufullye haue burnte hym. Here men maye see how percyallye you are\naddycte to our prelates. And how prone ye were to fulfyll their\npleasures contrarye to our Prynces prerogatyue royall. And th\u0101kes be to\nGod which gaue you suche grace in the syght of our soveraygne, that he\nshortelye withdrewe your power. For els it is to be feared that you\nwolde further haue proceded agaynste hys graces prerogatyue, which\nthynge whether yt be treason or not, let other men defyne. But thys I\ndare saye, that it is prynted and publyshed to our Prynces greate\ndyshonoure. For what learned man maye in tyme to come truste to hys\ngraces saue conduyte or come at hys graces instaunce or requeste, syth\nnot onelye the spirytualte (which of their professyon resyste hys\nprerogatiue) but also a laye man promoted to suche preemynence by hys\ngraces goodnes, dare presume so to depresse hys prerogatyue and not\nonelye to saye, but also to publyshe it in prente: that notwithstondynge\nhys graces saue conduyte, they myght laufullye haue burnte hym.\n\nBut here he wolde saye vnto me as he dothe in hys boke, that he had\nforfayted hys salue conduyte, \u0101d therbye was fall\u0113 in to hys enemyes\nhandes. Where vnto I answere, that thys your sayenge is but a vayne\nglose. For I my selfe ded reade the salue conduyte that came vnto him,\nwhich had but onelye thys one condycyon annexed vnto it, that if he came\nbefore the feaste of Christmas then nexte ensuynge, he shulde haue free\nlyberte to departe at hys pleasure. And thys condycyon I knowe was\nfulfylled. How shulde he than forfayte hys salue c\u014dduyte? But master\nMore hath learned of hys masters our Prelates (whose proctoure he is) to\ndepresse our Prynces prerogatyue, that m\u0113 ought not to keape any promyse\nwith heretyckes. And so hys salue c\u014dduyte coulde not saue hym. As though\nthe Kynges grace myght not admytte any man to go and come frelye into\nhys graces realme, but that he muste haue leaue of our prelates. For els\nthey myght laye heresye agaynst the parson, and so sleye hym c\u014dtrarye to\nthe Kynges salue c\u014dduyte, which thynge all wyse men do knowe to be\npreiudycyall to hys graces prerogatyue royall. And yet I am sure that of\nall the tyme of hys beynge here, you can not accuse hym of one cryme,\nalbeit (vnto your shame) you saye that he had forfayted hys salue\nconduyte. These wordes had be verye extreame and worthy to haue bene\nloked vpon, although they had bene wryten by some presumptuous Prelate.\nBut that a laye man so hyghlye promoted by hys Prynce, shulde speake\nthem and also cause them openlye to be publyshed amonge hys graces\ncomons, to deyecte the estymacyon of hys royall power, doth in my mynde,\ndeserue correccyon. Notwithstondynge I leaue the iudgement and\ndetermynacyon, vnto the dyscrecy\u014d of hys graces honourable counsell.\n\n[Sidenote: More.] \u2767 And as for that holy prayer that this devoute y\u014dge\nman (as a newe Christe teacheth all hys congregacyon to make at the\nreceyuynge of thys blessed sacrament) I wyll not geue the parynge of a\npeare, though it were moche better th\u0113 it is, pullynge away the true\nfayth (as he doth) fr\u014d the Sacrament. Howbeit hys prayer there is so\ndevysed, penned, and paynted with laysure and studye, that I truste\neuery good Christen woman maketh a moche better prayer, at the tyme of\nher howsell, by faythfull affecty\u014d & by Gods good inspyracy\u014d sod\u0113lye.\nFryth is an vnmete master to teache vs what we shulde praye at the\nreceyuynge of the blessed sacrament, wh\u0113 he wyll not knowlege it as it\nis, but take Christes blessed body for no thynge but bare breade, & so\nlytle esteame the receyuyng of the blessed sacram\u0113t, that he forsyth\nlytle whether it be blessed or not.\n\n[Sidenote: Fryth.] \u00b6 Where he dyscommendeth my prayer & sayeth, that I\nam an vnmete master to teache men to praye, seynge I take away the true\nfayth from it, and sayeth that euery woman can make a better when she\nreceyueth the sacramente, I wolde to God that euery woman were so well\nlearned that they coulde teache vs both. And surely I intended not to\nprescrybe to all men that prayer onely, but hoped to healpe the\nygnoraunt, that they myght eyther speake those wordes, or els (takynge\noccasyon of them) to saye some other, to the laude and prayse of God.\nAnd as for your fayth (which you call the true fayth) must I neades\nimproue. For it wyll not st\u014dde with the true texte of scrypture, as it\nplaynelye appeareth. But to the fayth in Christes bloode I exhorte all\nmen, and teach them to eate hys bodye with fayth (& not with teeth)\nwhich is by hauynge hys death in c\u014dtynuall remembraunce, and digestynge\nit in to the bowels of the soule. And because you so sore improue my\nprayer, to c\u014dclude my answere agaynst you, I wyll rehearse yt agayne.\nAnd lette all m\u0113 Iudge betwene vs. Blessed be thou most deare and\nmercyfull Father, which of thy tender fauoure & benygnyte,\nnotwithst\u014ddynge our greuous enormytees c\u014dmytted agaynste thee,\nvouchsauedst to s\u0113de thyne owne deare sone, to suffre moste vyle death\nfor our redempcyon.\n\nBlessed be thou Chryst Iesu our Lorde & sauyour, which of thyne\nhabound\u0101t pytye consyderynge our myserable estate, wyllyngly tokest vpon\nthe to haue thy moste innocent bodye broken & bloode shedde to pourge vs\nand washe vs which are load\u0113 with inyquyte. And to certyfye vs therof,\nhast lefte vs not onely thy worde which maye enstructe our hartes; But\nalso a vysyble token to certyfye euen our outwarde sences of this greate\nbenefytte, that we shulde not doubte, but that the bodye and frute of\nthy passyon are ours (through fayth) as surelye as the breade, which by\nour sentes we knowe that we haue within vs. Blessed be also that spiryte\nof veryte which is sente from God our father through our sauyour Christ\nIesu, to lyghten our darcke ignoraunce, and leade vs through fayth in to\nthe knoweleage of hym which is all veryte. Strength we beseche the our\nfrayle nature, and encreace our faythe: that we maye prayse God our\nmoste mercyfull Father, and Christe hys sonne our Sauyoure and redeamer.\nAMEN.\n\n       A comparyson betwene the Paschall Lambe, & our Sacrament.\n\n\nNow we shall shortely expresse the pyth of our matter and borowe the\nfygure of the paschall Lambe, which is in all poyntes lyke vnto it. That\nthe offerynge of the Paschall Lambe ded sygnyfye the offerynge of\nChristes bodye, is playne by Paule which sayeth, [Sidenote: 1. Cor. 5.]\nChriste our Paschall Lambe is offered vp for vs. When the chylderne of\nIsraell were very sadde and heauy for their sore oppressyon vnder the\npower of Pharao (for the more myracles were shewed, the worse were they\nhandeled) God sente vnto them by Moyses, that euerye housholde shulde\nkyll a Lambe to be a sacryfyce vnto GOD, and that they shulde eate hym\nwith their staues in their handes, theyr loynes gyrded, and showes vpon\ntheir feete: euen as men that were goynge an hastye Iorneye. This Lambe\nmuste they eate hastelye and make a merye maundye. Now because they\nshulde not saye, that they coulde not be merye for their oppressyon, and\nwhat coulde the l\u0101be helpe them: he added gladde tydynges vnto it and\nsayde, This is the passynge bye of the Lorde. Whiche thys nyght shall\npasse by you and slee all the fyrste begotten within the Londe of\nEgypte, and shall delyuer you out of your bondage, & brynge you in to\nthe Londe that he hath promysed vnto your fathers. Marke the processe\nand conveyaunce of thys matter, for euen lykewyse it is in our\nsacrament. The apostles were sadde & heauye, partelye consyderynge the\nbondage of synne wherwith they were oppressed, & partelye because he\ntolde them that he muste departe fr\u014d th\u0113, [Sidenote: Ioan. 16.] in wh\u014d\nthey ded put all their hope of their delyueraunce. Whyles they were in\nthys heauynes, Christ thought to conforte them \u0101d to geue them the seale\nof theyr delyueraunce, and toke in hys hande breade, blessed and brake\nit, and gaue it to hys dyscyples say\u0113ge: This is my bodye which shalbe\ngeu\u0113 for you. For this nyght shall the power of Pharao the deuell be\ndystroyed, and to morowe shall you be delyuered from the Egypte of\nsynne, and shall take your Iourneye towardes that heauenlye mansyon\nwhich is prepared of God for all that loue hym. Now compare them\ntogether.\n\n[Sidenote: 1.] The Paschall Lambe was instytute \u0101d eaten the nyght\nbefore the chylderne of Israell were in dede delyuered fr\u014d Egypte.\nLykewyse was the sacram\u0113t instytute \u0101d eaten the nyght before we were\ndelyuered from our synnes.\n\n[Sidenote: 2.] The Paschall L\u0101be was a verye L\u0101be in dede. And so is the\nsacrament very breade in dede.\n\n[Sidenote: 3.] The Paschall L\u0101be was called the passynge bye of the\nLorde which dystroyed the power of Pharao \u0101d delyuered them. The\nsacrament is called the bodye of the Lorde which dystroyed the power of\nthe deuell and delyuered vs.\n\n[Sidenote: 4.] As many as ded eate the Paschall L\u0101be in fayth, were very\nmerye and gaue God greate thankes. For they were sure the nexte day to\nbe delyuered out of Egypte. Lykewyse as many as ded eate thys sacram\u0113te\nin fayth, were merye and gaue God greate thankes, for they were sure the\nnexte daye to be delyuered from their synne.\n\n[Sidenote: 5.] They that ded not eate the Paschall Lambe in fayth,\ncoulde not be merye. For they were not sure of delyueraunce from the\npowre of Pharao. They that ded not eate thys Sacramente in fayth, coulde\nnot be mery: For they were not sure of delyueraunce from the power of\nthe deuell.\n\n[Sidenote: 6.] They that beleued the worde of the Lord ded more eate the\npassyng bye of the Lorde which shulde delyuer th\u0113, th\u0113 they ded the\nLambe. They that dede beleue the worde of the Lorde ded more eate the\nbodye of the Lorde which shulde be geuen for their delyueraunce, then\nthey ded the breade. For that thynge doth a man moste eate that he moste\nhath in memorye & moste revolueth in mynde: as appeareth by Christe Io\u0101.\n4. I haue meate to eate that ye knowe not.\n\n[Sidenote: 7.] They that beleued not the nexte daye to be delyuered from\nEgypte, ded not eate the passynge bye of the Lord, although they eate\nthe Lambe. They that beleued not the nexte daye to be delyuered from\nsynne, ded not eate the bodye of the Lorde, although they eate the\nbreade.\n\n[Sidenote: 8.] The chylderne of Israell were but ones delyuered from\nEgypte, notwithst\u014ddynge they ded euery yeare eate the Lambe, to keape\nthat facte in perpetuall rem\u0113braunce: Euen so Christ bought \u0101d redeamed\nvs but ones for all, and was offered \u0101d sacryfyced but ones for all,\nthough the sacram\u0113t therof be daylye brok\u0113 amonge vs, to keape the\nbenefytte in contynuall memorye.\n\n[Sidenote: 9.] As manye as ded eate the Paschall L\u0101be in faythe and\nbeleued Godes worde as towchynge theyr delyueraunce from Egypte, were as\nsure of their delyueraunce through faythe, as they were sure of the L\u0101be\nby eatynge it. As many as do eate this sacrament in fayth and beleue\nGoddes worde as towchynge their delyueraunce from synne, are as sure of\ntheir delyueraunce through fayth, as they are sure of the breade by\neatynge it.\n\n[Sidenote: 10.] As many as ded eate of that Paschall Lambe ded magnyfye\ntheir God, testyfyenge that he onely was the God almyghtye, \u0101d they hys\npeople styckynge to hym, to be delyuered by hys power from all daunger.\nAs manye as do eate of thys sacrament do magnyfye their God, testyfyinge\nthat he onelye is the God almyghtye, and they hys people styckynge by\nhym to be delyuered by hys power fr\u014d all daunger.\n\n[Sidenote: 11.] When the Israelytes were delyuered from Egypte, they\neate neuerthelesse the Paschal Lambe whiche was styll called the\npassynge bye (because it was the rem\u0113braunce of the passynge bye of the\nLorde) and hartelye reioysed, offerynge hym sacryfyce and knowelegynge\nwith infynite thankes, that they were the felowshyppe of them that had\nsuche a mercyfull God. Now Christes electe are delyuered from synne,\nthey eate neuerthelesse the sacram\u0113t which is styll called hys bodye\nthat ones dyed for their delyueraunce, and hartelye reioyse, offerynge\nto hym the sacryfyce of prayse and knoweledge with infynite th\u0101kes, that\nthey are of the felowshyppe of them that haue suche a mercyfull God.\n\n[Sidenote: 12.] The Paschall Lambe (after their delyueraunce beynge\nyearlye eaten) brought as moche myrthe and Ioye vnto them that ded eate\nit in fayth, as it ded to their fathers which felte Pharaoes furye, &\nwere not yet delyuered. For they knewe ryght well that excepte God of\nhys mercye and w\u014dderfull power had so delyuered them, they shulde also\nthem selfes haue bene bounde in the Londe of Egypte, and vnder that\nwycked Prynce Pharao, of whiche b\u014ddage they greatelye reioysed to be\nrydde alreadye, and thanked God hyghly because they founde them selfes\nin that plentuouse Londe whiche God prouyded for them. The sacram\u0113t\nwhich after our delyueraunce is yearlye and daylye eat\u0113, bryngeth as\nmoche myrth and Ioye vnto vs that eate it in fayth, as it ded to the\nApostles which were not yet delyuered. For we knowe ryght well that\nexcepte God of hys mercye and through the bloode of his sonne had so\ndelyuered vs, we shulde also our selfes haue bene bounde in the Egypte\nof synne vnder that wycked Prynce the deuell, of which bondage we\ngreatelye reioyse to be rydde alredye, and thanke God hyghlye because we\nfynde our selues in the state of grace, and haue receyued throughe fayth\nthe fyrste frutes and taste of the spyryte, which testyfyeth vnto vs\nthat we are the chylderne of God.\n\nThis maundye of remembraunce was it that Paule receyued of the Lorde and\ndelyuered to the Corynthyans in the .xi. chaptre. For though he borowe\none propertye and symylytude of the sacramente in the .x. chapter, which\nin my mynde maketh neyther with vs nor agaynste vs, albeit some thynke\nthat it maketh whole for the exposycyon of Christes wordes, [Sidenote:\n1. Cor. 10.] thys is my bodye. But in my mynde they are deceyued. For\nthe occasyon whye Paule spake of it in the tenthe chapter, was thys.\n\nThe Corynthyans had knoweleage that all meates were indyfferent, and\nwhether it were offered to an Idoll or not, that the meate was not the\nworse, \u0101d that they myght laufullye eate of it, whether it were solde\nthem in the shambles or sette before them when they dyned or souped in\nan vnfaythfull mannes house, askynge no questyons: excepte some man ded\ntell th\u0113 that it was offerred to an Idoll, and then they shulde not eate\nof it for offendynge hys conscyence that so tolde them (albeyt they were\nels free and the thynge indyfferente) thys knoweledge because it was not\nannexed wyth charyte, was the occasyon of greate offendynge.\n\nFor by reason therof they sate downe amonge the Gentyles at their\nFeastes, where they ded eate in the honoure of their Idolles, and so ded\nnot onelye wounde the conscy\u0113ce of their weake bretherne, but also\nc\u014dmytted Idolatrye in dede. And therfore S. Paule sayde vnto them. My\ndeare beloued flee from worshyppynge of Idolles. I speake vnto them\nwhiche haue dyscrecyon. Iudge ye what I saye. Is not the cuppe of\nblessynge which we blesse the felowshyppe of the bloode of Christe? Is\nnot the breade which we breake the felowshyppe of the bodye of Christe?\nFor we though we be manye are yet one breade and one bodye, in as moche\nas we are partakers of one breade. Christ ded call hym selfe bread \u0101d\nthe breade hys bodye. And there Paule calleth vs breade and the breade\nour bodye. Now maye you not take Paule that he in this place shulde\ndyrectelye expounde Christes mynde. And that the verye exposycy\u014d of\nChristes wordes, wh\u0113 he sayde, thys is my bodye, shulde be that it was\nthe felowshyppe of his bodye, as some saye, whiche seakynge the keye in\nthys place of Paule, locke them selfes so faste in, that they can fynde\nno waye out. For Christe spake those wordes of hys owne bodye which\nshulde be geu\u0113 for vs, but the felowshyppe of Christes bodye (or\ncongregacyon) was not geuen for vs. And so he mente not as Paule here\nsayeth, but m\u0113te hys owne bodye. For as Paule calleth the breade our\nbodye for a certayne propertye, euen so doth Christe call it hys bodye\nfor certayne other propertyes. In that the breade was brok\u0113, it was\nChristes owne bodye, sygnyfy\u0113ge that as that breade was broken, so\nshulde hys bodye be brok\u0113 for vs. In that it was dystrybuted vnto hys\ndyscyples, it was hys owne bodye, sygnyfy\u0113ge that as verelye as that\nbreade was destrybuted vnto them, so verelye shulde the death of hys\nbodye, and frute of hys passyon be dystrybuted to all faythfull folke.\nIn that the breade strengtheneth our bodyes, it is hys owne bodye,\nsygnyfyenge that as our bodyes are strengthened and conforted by breade,\nso are our soules by the fayth in hys bodye brekynge. And lykewyse of\nthe wyne in that it was so dystrybuted, conforteth vs and maketh vs\nmerye. Furthermore, the breade and wyne haue a nother propertye, for the\nwhiche it is called our bodye. For in that the breade is made one breade\nof manye graynes or cornes, it is our bodye, sygnyfyenge that we though\nwe be manye, are made one breade, that is to saye: one bodye. And in\nthat the wyne is made one wyne of manye grapes, it is our bodye,\nsygnyfyenge that though we are manye yet in Christe & through Christe we\nare made one bodye and membres to eche other. But in thys thynge Paule\nand Christe agre. For as Paule calleth the breade our bodye and vs the\nbreade, because of thys propertye that it is made one of manye: euen so\ndoth Christe call it hys bodye, because of the propertyes before\nrehearsed. Furthermore in thys they agre, that as Paules wordes muste be\ntaken spyrytuallye, for I thynke there is no man so madde, as to Iudge\nthat the breade is our bodye in dede although in that propertye it\nrepresenteth our bodye: Euen so muste Christes wordes be vnderstonde\nspyrytuallye, that in those propertyes it representeth hys verye bodye.\nNow when we come together to receyue thys breade, then by the receyuynge\nof it in the congregacyon, we do openlye testyfye that we all whiche\nreceyue it, are one bodye, professynge one God, one Fayth, & one\nBaptyme, and that the bodye of Christe was brok\u0113 and hys bloode shedde\nfor remyssyon of our synnes. Now syth we so do, we maye not acompanye\nnor sytte in the congregacyon or felowshyppe of th\u0113 that offer vnto\nIdolles and eate before them. For as Paule sayeth, ye c\u0101 not drynke the\ncuppe of the Lorde and the cuppe of the deuels: ye can not be partakers\nof the table of the Lorde and of the table of the deuelles. I wolde not\nthat you shulde haue felowshyppe with deuelles. The heythen which\nofferred vnto Idolles were the felowshyppe of deuelles, not because they\neate the deuelles bodye or dr\u0101ke the deuelles bloode, but because they\nbeleued and put their confydence in the Idoll or devyll as in their God,\nand all that were of that fayth had their ceremonyes, and gaue hartye\nthankes to their God with that feaste which they kepte. They came to one\nplace and brought their meate before the Idoll and offered it. And with\ntheir offerynge gaue vnto the devyll Godlye honoure. And then they sate\ndowne and eate the offerynge together, geuynge prayse and th\u0101kes vnto\ntheir God, and were one bodye and one felowshyppe of the devell, which\nthey testyfy by eatynge of that offerynge before that Idoll. Now dothe\nS. Paule reprehende the Corinthyans for bearynge the gentyles companye\nin eatynge before the Idoll. For they knowe that the meate was lyke\nother meate. And therfore thought them selues fre to eate it or leue it.\nBut they perceyued not that that congregacy\u014d was the felowshyppe of\ndevelles whiche were there gathered (not for the meate sake) but for to\nthanke, and prayse the Idoll their God in whome they had their\nconfydence.\n\nAnd all that there assembled and ded there eate, and ded openlye\ntestyfye, that they all were one bodye, professynge one fayth in their\nGOD that Idoll: So S. Paule ded sharpelye rebuke them, for because that\nby their eatynge (in that place and felowshyppe) they testyfyed openlye,\nthat they were of the develes bodye, and reioysed in the Idoll their\nGod, in whome they had fayth and confydence. And therfor sayeth Paule,\nthat they c\u0101 not both drynke the cuppe of the Lorde, testyfyenge hym to\nbe their God in whome onelye they haue truste and affyaunce, \u0101d the\ncuppe of the devell, testyfyenge the Idoll to be their God and refuge.\n\nHere you maye note that the meate and the eatynge of it in thys place\nand felowshyppe, is more then the common meate \u0101d eatynge in other\nplaces. For els they myght lawfullye haue dronken the deuelles cuppe\nwith them the one daye, and the cuppe of the Lorde the nexte daye with\nhis dyscyples. What was it more? Merelye it was meate, whiche by the\neatynge of it in that place and felowshyppe, ded testyfye openlye vnto\nall men, that he was their God whose cuppe they dranke, and before whome\nthey eate in that felowshyppe; and so in their eatynge they praysed and\nhonoured the Idoll. And therfore they that had their truste in the\nleuynge God and in the bloode of hys sonne Christ, myght not eate with\nthem. And lykewyse it is in the sacrament, the breade and the eatynge of\nit in the place and felowshyppe where it is receyued, is more then comm\u014d\nbreade. What is it more? Verelye it is breade which by the eatynge of it\nin that place & felowshyppe, doth testyfye openlye vnto all men, that he\nis our verye God whose cuppe we drynke, and before whome we eate in that\nfelowshyppe, and that we put all our affyaunce in hym and in the bloode\nof hys sonne Christe Iesu, geuynge God all honoure \u0101d infynyte thankes\nfor hys greate loue wherwith he loued vs, as it is testyfyed in the\nbloode of hys sonne, which was shedde for our synnes. So that in this\nplace and felowshyppe maye no man eate nor drynke with vs, but he that\nis of our fayth and knowleageth the same God that we do. As by example,\nIf a m\u0101 were well beloued amonge hys neyghboures (albeyt he haue some\nenemyes) & were longe absent from hys fryndes in a straunge contrye:\nwhen he were come home, hys neyghboures that loued hym wolde greatelye\nreioyse, and peradu\u0113ture wolde bye a copon or a nother peace of meate to\ngeue hym hys welcome home, \u0101d gette the to some honeste mans house or to\na taverne, and make good chere together, to testyfye op\u0113lye that he is\nwelcome home, and that they all whiche are at that banket reioyse of hys\ncommyge home. Nowe I saye, that this banket is more then another meate,\nfor at thys banket hys enemyes maye be loth to come, because they can\nnot reioyse at hys comynge home, \u0101d therfore can not make good chere\namonge th\u0113, testyfyenge that he is welcome home; but rather abhorreth\nthe meate and drynke that is there eat\u0113, because their harte doth not\nfauoure the parson for whose sake it is prepared. Notwithstondynge yf a\ncapons legge were reserued for one of hys enemyes and afterwarde geuen\nhym wh\u0101 the banket were done, he myght laufullye eate it. For then it\nwere but bare meate, suche as he eateth at home. And lykewyse the\nenemyes of Christe which beleue not that they haue remyssy\u014d of synnes\nthroughe hys bloode sheadynge, can not reioyse of hys bodye breakynge.\nAnd therfore can not make good chere amonge them, but yf any be reserued\nafter the maundye, he maye laufullye eate it, for it is but breade. And\nhys louers that are there present do rather come thy der to geuehym hys\nwelcome home then for the meate, \u0101d they more eate hys welcome home,\nthen the meate.\n\nBut yf anye of hys enemyes fortune to be there, they eate onelye the\nmeate, \u0101d not hys welcome home. For they reioyse not at hys commynge\nhome. Lykewyse the faythfull that are there present, do rather come\nthyther to reioyse in the fayth of hys bodye breakynge, then in\nbreakynge or eatynge of the breade or meate. But yf anye of the\nvnfaythfull fortune to be there, they eate onelye the breade, and not\nhys bodye breakynge. For they reioyse not at hys bodye breakynge. Here\nperaduenture some wolde suppose that I were contrarye to my selfe. For\nbefore I sayde, that it was more th\u0113 meate that was eaten at the\ngentyles feastes, \u0101d more th\u0113 meate that was eaten at my neyghbours\nwelcome home, and more then breade that is eaten at the receyuynge of\nthe sacrament of the bodye and bloode of Christe. And nowe I saye, that\nyf a mans enemye be there, he eateth onelye the meate and not the\nwelcome home. And lykewyse the vnfaythfull eateth onelye breade and not\nthe bodye and bloode of Christe. How maye these wordes stonde together?\nI answere, that they eate but onelye breade or meate that profyteth\nthem, but in dede they eate more to their hynderaunce, and euen theyr\nowne d\u0101pnacyon. For they that ded eate in the fellowshyppe of Gentyles,\nded but onelye eate the meate to their profytte, but in eatynge their\nmeate their facte ded op\u0113lye testyfye, that they honoured that Idoll for\ntheir GOD (although their harte were other-wyse) wherin they comytted\nIdolatrye. [Sidenote: 1. Cor. 8.] And besydes that they wounded the\nconscyences of their weake bretherne, and so synned agaynste God.\n\nBesydes that, he that \u0113vyeth hys neyghboure and commeth to that banket,\neateth but onely the meate that profyteth hym: not withstondynge in hys\nowne harte, he eateth the rancoure & malyce of hys mynde, to hys greate\ngreavaunce, wh\u0113 he seeth them so reioyse. And of hys owne companyons\nwhiche are also these mannes enemyes, he doth purchace hym selfe hatred,\nbecause with hys facte he testyfyeth that he loueth hym, although hys\nharte be otherwyse, \u0101d of God shalbe condempned. [Sidenote: 1. Jo\u0101. 3.]\nFor he that hateth hys brother, is a murtherer. Furthermore he that is\nvnfaythfull and commeth to the maundye, eateth but onelye the breade\nthat profyteth hym, notwithstondynge he eateth besyde that hys owne\ndampnacyon, because he beleueth not that the bodye of our sauyoure which\nthe sacrament representeth, is broken for hys synnes, and hys bloode\nshedde, to washe them awaye. This I am compelled to do, to stoppe the\nchaterynge mouthes of sophysters, albeit to them that be sober it had\nbene ynough to haue sayde, they eate onelye breade, and not the bodye\nbreakynge & ce. For they ryght well vnderstonde it by the contrarye\nantithesis, and knowe that I ment not by that (onelye) that he shulde\neate the breade and nothynge els but onelye breade: but that I ment by\nthis worde (onelye) that he shulde eate the breade without the bodye.\nAnd so lykewyse in other examples. Thus haue we suffycyentlye declared\nPaules mynde in the .x. Chapter.\n\n[Sidenote: 1. Cor. 11.] In the .xi. chapter Paule maketh moche mencyon\nof the maundye and dyscrybeth it to the vttermoste. Fyrste (he sayeth)\nwh\u0113 ye come together in one place, a man can not eate the Lordes souper.\nFor euerye m\u0101 begynneth afore to eate hys owne souper, and one is\nhoungrye and an other is dr\u014dken. Haue ye not howses to eate and drynke\nin? Or els dyspyce ye the congregacy\u014d of God and shame them that haue\nnot? What shall I saye vnto you? Shall I prayse you? In thys I prayse\nyou not. Paule ded instructe accordynge to Christes mynde, that the\nCorinthyans shulde come together to eate the Lordes souper. Whiche lyeth\nnot so moche in the carnall eatynge as in the spyrytuall: and is\ngreately desyred to be eaten, not by the hounger of the bodye, but by\nthe hounger of the faythfull harte. Whiche is greadye to publyshe the\nprayse of the Lorde and geue hym hartye thankes, and moue other to the\nsame, that of many, prayse myght be geuen vnto our moste mercyfull\nFather, for the loue whiche he shewed vs in the bloode of hys owne moste\ndeare sonne Christe Iesu. Wherwith we are washed from our synnes, \u0101d\nsurelye sealed vnto euerlastynge lyfe. With suche hounger ded Christe\neate the Paschall Lambe, say\u0113ge to hys dyscyples: I haue inwardelye\ndesyred to eate this Easter Lambe with you before that I suffer.\n[Sidenote: Luc. 22.] Christes inwarde desyre was not to fyll hys belye\nwith hys dyscyples, but he had a spyrytuall honger: bothe to prayse hys\nFather with th\u0113, for their bodely delyueraunce out of the lande of\nEgypte: and specyallye to altre the Paschall Lambe & memorye of the\ncarnall delyueraunce, in to a maundye of myrth and thankes geuynge for\nour spyrytuall delyueraunce out of the bondage of synne. In so moche\nthat when Christe knewe that it was hys Fathers wyll and pleasure, that\nhe shulde suffer for our synnes (wherin his honoure, glorye, & prayse,\nshulde be publyshed) then was it a pleasure vnto hym to declare vnto hys\ndyscyples that greate benefytte, vnto hys Fathers prayse and glorye: and\nso ded instytute that we shulde come together and breake the breade in\nthe remembraunce of his bodye breakynge & bloode sheadynge: & that we\nshulde eate it together reioysynge with eche other & declaryng his\nb\u0113fytes.\n\nNow were the Corynthy\u0101s fall\u0113 from this honger, & can not together to\nth\u0113tent that Goddes prayse shulde be publyshed by th\u0113 in the myddes of\nthe c\u014dgregacyon, but can to feade their fleshe & to make carnall chere.\nIn so moche that the ryche wolde haue meate \u0101d drynke ynough, \u0101d take\nsuche habundance that they wolde be dr\u014dke, \u0101d so made it their owne\nsouper \u0101d not the Lordes, as Paule sayeth, \u0101d ded eate onelye the breade\n& meate, \u0101d not the bodye breakynge as I sayde before, \u0101d the poore\nwhich had not, (that is to saye that had no meate to eate) were shamed\n\u0101d h\u014dgrye, and so coulde not reioyse \u0101d prayse the Lorde: by the reason\nthat the delycate fare of the ryche was an occasy\u014d for the poore to\nlament their pouertye, \u0101d thus the ryche ded neyther prayse God\nthemselfes, nor suffered the poore to do it, but were an occasy\u014d to\nhynder them.\n\nThey shulde haue brought their meate and drynke \u0101d haue deuyded it with\ntheir poore bretherne, that they myght haue bene mery together, and so\nto haue geu\u0113 th\u0113 occasy\u014d to be merye and reioyse in the Lorde with\nthankes geuynge. But they had neyther luste to prayse God, nor to\nconfyrte their neyghboure. Their fayth was feable, \u0101d their charyte\ncolde, \u0101d had no regarde but to fyll their bodye \u0101d feade their fleshe:\nAnd so dyspysed the poore c\u014dgregacy\u014d of God, whome they shulde haue\nhonoured for the spyryte that was in th\u0113 and fauoure that God had shewed\nindyffer\u0113tlye vnto th\u0113 in the bloode of hys sonne Christe. When Paule\nperceyued that they were thus fleshlye mynded and had no mynde vnto that\nspyrytuall maundye whiche chefelye shulde there be aduertysed, he\nreproueth th\u0113 sore, rehersynge the wordes of Christe. That which I gaue\nvnto you I receyued of the lorde. For the lorde Iesus the same nyght in\nthe which he was betrayed toke breade and thanked and brake it and\nsayde: take ye and eate ye, this is my bodye which is broken for you,\nthis do ye in the remembraunce of me. After the same maner he toke the\ncuppe wh\u0113 souper was done sayenge: this cuppe is the newe testament in\nmy bloode, this do ye as ofte as ye drynke it in the remembraunce of me.\nFor as ofte as ye shall eate thys breade and drynke thys cuppe, ye shall\nshewe the Lordes death, tyll he come. As though he shulde saye, ye\nCorynthyans are moche to blame which at this souper seake the foode of\nyour fleshe. For it was instytute of Christe, not for the intent to\nnouryshe the belye, but to strenght the harte and soule in God. And by\nthis you maye knowe that Christe so mente: For he calleth it his bodye\nwhiche is geuen for you, so that the name it selfe myght testyfye vnto\nyou, that in this souper you shulde more eate his bodye which is geu\u0113\nfor you (by digestynge that in to the bowelles of your soule) then the\nbreade, which by the breakynge and the dystrybutynge of it, doth\nrepresent his bodye breakynge \u0101d the dystrybutynge therof vnto all that\nare faythfull. And that he so meaneth is evyd\u0113te by the wordes\nfolowynge, which saye, thys do in the remembraunce of me: and lykewyse\nof the cuppe. And fynallye concludynge of both, Paule sayeth, as often\nas ye shall eate thys breade and drynke thys cuppe (in thys place and\nfelowshyppe) ye shall shewe the Lordes death vntyll he come, praysynge\nthe Lorde for the deathe of hys sonne, and exhortynge other to do the\nsame, reioysynge in hym with infynyte th\u0101kes. And therfore ye are to\nblame which seake onelye to feade the bellye with that thynge, which was\nonelye instytute to feade the soule. And thervpon yt foloweth.\n\nWherfore whosoeuer doth eate of this breade or drynke of thys cuppe\nvnworthelye, is gyltye of the bodye and bloode of the Lorde. He eateth\nthys breade vnworthelye, which regardeth not the purpose for the which\nChriste ded instytute it: which commeth not to it with spyrytuall\nhonger, to eate through fayth hys verye bodye, which the breade\nrepresenteth by the breakynge and dystrybutynge of yt: whiche commeth\nnot with a merye harte geuynge God hartye thankes for their delyueraunce\nfrom synne: whiche do not moche more eate in their harte the death of\nhys bodye, th\u0113 they do the breade with their mouth. Now syth the\nCorynthyans ded onelye seake their bealy and fleshe, \u0101d forgatte Goddes\nhonoure and prayse (for which it was instytute, that thankes shulde be\ngeuen by the remembraunce of hys bodye breakynge for vs) they eate it to\nGoddes dyshonoure and to their neyghbours hynderaunce, and to their owne\nc\u014ddempnacyon, and so for lacke of fayth were gyltye of Christes bodye\nwhich (by fayth) they shulde there chefelye haue eaten to their soules\nhealth. And therfore it foloweth.\n\n\n\u00b6 Lette a man therfore examyne hym selfe, & so lette hym eate of the\nbreade, and drynke of the cuppe.\n\n\nThys provynge or examynynge of a mans selue, is fyrste to thynke with\nhym selfe with what luste \u0101d desyre he commeth vnto the maundye \u0101d wyll\neate that breade: whether he be sure that he is the chylde of God and in\nthe fayth of Christe: and whether hys c\u014dscyence do beare hym wytnes that\nChristes bodye was broken for hym: and whether the luste that he hath to\nprayse God \u0101d th\u0101ke hym with a faythfull harte in the myddes of the\nbretherne, do dryue hym thytherwarde. Or els whether he do it for the\nmeates sake or to keape the custome: For then were it better that he\nwere awaye. For he that eateth or drynketh vnworthely, eateth \u0101d\ndrynketh hys owne dampnacyon, because he maketh no dyfference of the\nLordes bodye. That is, as is sayde before, he that regardeth not the\npurpose for which it was instytute, and putteth no dyfference betwene\nthys eatynge and other eatynge, for other eatynge doth onelye serue the\nbellye, but thys eatynge was instytute and ordeyned, to serue the soule\nand inwarde man. And therfore he that abvseth it to the fleshe, eateth\n\u0101d drynketh hys owne dampnacyon. And he commeth vnworthelye to the\nmaundye where the sacrament of Christes bodye is eaten: yea, where the\nbodye of the Lorde is eat\u0113, not carnallye with the teth and bellye, but\nspyrytually with the harte \u0101d faythe. Upon thys foloweth the texte that\nmaster More alleageth and wresteth for hys purpose.\n\nFor thys cause manye are weake and sycke amonge you, and manye sleape.\nYf we had trulye Iudged our selues, we shulde not haue bene Iudged. When\nwe are Iudged of the Lorde, we are chastened because we shulde not be\ndampned with the worlde. Wherfore my bretherne, wh\u0113 ye come together to\neate, tarye one for another. Yf any man hunger, lette hym eate at home,\nthat ye come not together vnto condempnacyon.\n\nFor thys cause (that is) for lacke of good examenynge of our selues (as\nis before towched) manye are weake and speke in the fayth, and manye\nsleape, and haue loste their fayth in Christes bloode, for lacke of\nremembraunce of thys bodye breakynge and bloode sheadynge: Yea and not\nthat onelye, but manye were weake and sycke euen stryken with bodely\ndyseases for abvsynge the sacrament of hys bodye, eatynge the breade\nwith their teth \u0101d not hys bodye with their mynde, and peraduenture some\nslayne for it by the stroke of God, which yf they had trulye iudged and\nexamyned them selues for what int\u0113t they came thyther, and why it was\ninstytuted, shulde not haue bene so Iudged \u0101d chastened of the Lorde.\nFor the Lorde doth chasten, to brynge vs vnto repentaunce, & to mortyfye\nthe rebellyous membres, that we maye remember hym. Here ye maye shortely\nperceyue the mynde of Paule.\n\n\nFINIS.\n\n\n\u00b6 An Epytome and shorte rehearsall of all thys boke, shewynge in what\npoyntes Fryth dyssenteth from our Prelates.\n\n\nNow to be shorte, in these iij. poyntes Fryth dyssenteth from oure\nPrelates \u0101d from master More, which taketh vpon hym to be their\nproctoure. Our Prelates beleue that in the sacrament remayneth no\nbreade, but that it is tourned in to the naturall bodye of Christ both\nfleshe bloode & bones. Fryth sayeth, that it is none artycle of our\nCrede: and therfore lette them beleue yt that wyll. And he thynketh that\nthere remayneth breade styll. And that he proueth. iii. maner of wayes.\nFyrste by the scripture of Paule, [Sidenote: 1. Cor. 10.] which calleth\nit breade sayenge: the breade which we breake, is it not the felowshyppe\nof the bodye of Christe? For we though we be manye, are yet one bodye\nand one breade, as manye as are partakers of one breade. And agayne he\nsayeth, [Sidenote: 1. Cor. 11.] as often as ye eate of thys breade or\ndrynke of this cuppe, you shall shewe the Lordes death vntyll he come.\nAnd Luke calleth it breade sayenge. [Sidenote: Actes. 2.] They contynued\nin the felowshyppe of the Apostles, and in the breakynge of the breade\nand prayer. [Sidenote: Mat. 26.] Also Christe called the cuppe the frute\nof the vyne, sayenge. [Sidenote: Mar. 14. Luc. 22.] I shall not fr\u014d\nhence forwarde drynke of the frute of the vyne vntyll I drynke that newe\nin the Kyngdome of my Father.\n\nFurthermore nature doth teache you that both the breade and wyne\ncontynue in their nature. For the breade mouldeth yf it be kepte l\u014dge,\nyea and wormes breade in it. And the poore mouse wyll ronne awaye with\nit and eate it, which are evydence ynough that there remayneth breade.\nAlso the wyne yf it were reserued, wolde waxe sower, as they confesse\nthem selues. And therfore they howfell the laye people but with one\nkynde onelye: because the wyne can not contynue nor be reserued to haue\nreadye at hande, when neade were. And surelye as yf there remayned no\nbreade, it coulde not moulde nor waxe full of wormes: eu\u0113 so yf there\nremayned no wyne, it coulde not waxe sower. And therfore it is but false\ndoctryne that our Prelates so l\u014dge haue taught & publyshed.\n\nFynallye that there remayneth breade, myght be proued by auctoryte of\nmanye doctoures which call yt breade \u0101d wyne, euen as Christe and hys\nApostles ded. And though some sophysters wolde wreste their sayenge, and\nexpounde th\u0113 after their owne fantasye, yet shall I alleage th\u0113 one\ndoctoure which was Pope, that maketh so playne with vs that they shall\nneuer be able to avoyde hym.\n\n[Sidenote: Gelasius in concilio Ro.] For Pope Gelasius wryteth on thys\nmaner. _Certe sacramenta que sumimus corporis et sanguinis Christi,\ndiuin\u00e6 res sunt, propter quod et per eadem diuine efficimur c\u014dsortes\nnatur\u00e6. Et tamen n\u014d desinit esse substantia uel natura panis et uini,\nsed permanet in su\u00e6 proprietate nature. Et certe imago et similitudo\ncorporis et s\u0101guinis Christi in actione misteriorum celebrantur._ That\nis to saye: surelye the sacrament of the bodye and bloode of Christe\nwhich we receyue, are a Godly thynge, and therfore through th\u0113 are we\nmade partakers of the godly nature. And yet doth it not cease to be the\nsubstance or nature of breade and wyne, but they c\u014dtynue in the properte\nof their owne nature. And surelye the Image and symylytude of the bodye\nand bloode are celebrated in the acte of the mysteryes. Thys I am sure,\nthat no man c\u0101 avoyde it, nor so wreste it, but that all men shall soone\nespye hys folye, and therfore I maye conclude that there remayneth the\nsubstaunce and nature of breade and wyne.\n\n\nThe seconde poynte wherin Fryth dyssenteth from our Prelates and their\nproctoure.\n\n\nThe Prelates beleue that hys very fleshe is present to the teth of them\nthat eate the Sacram\u0113te, and that the wycked eate hys verye bodye. Fryth\nsayeth that it is none artycle of our Crede, and therfore he reakeneth\nthat he is in no Ieoperdye though he beleue it not. And he thynketh that\nhys fleshe is not presente vnto the teth of th\u0113 that receyue the\nSacramente. For hys fleshe is onelye in one place at ones. And that he\nproueth both by the auctoryte of Saynte Austen ad Dardanum, and also by\nthe auctoryte of Fulgentius ad Thrasauandum libro. 20. as before\nappeareth in the boke. And Fryth sayeth that the wycked eate not hys\nverye fleshe, although they receyue the Sacramente. And that he proueth\nby the scrypture, doctours, and good reason, grounded vpon the\nscryptures.\n\n[Sidenote: Ioan. 6.] The scrypture is thys, he that eateth Christes\nbodye hath euerlastynge lyfe, ergo then the wycked eate not hys bodye.\nAgayne the scrypture sayeth, he that eateth Christes fleshe \u0101d drynketh\nhys bloode abydeth in Christe and Christ in him: but the wycked abyde\nnot in Christe nor Christe in them, ergo the wycked eate not hys fleshe\nnor drynke hys bloode.\n\n[Sidenote: Augustin ser. desacra fe. Pasche.] This maye also be c\u014dfyrmed\nby good auctoryte. For saynte Austen sayeth, he that abydeth not in\nChriste \u0101d in whome Christe abydeth not, without doubte he eateth not\nhys fleshe nor drynketh hys bloode, although he eate and drynke the\nSacramente of so greate a thynge vnto hys dampnacyon.\n\n[Sidenote: Beda.] And eu\u0113 the same wordes hathe Bede vpon the tenth\nchapter of the fyrste Epystle to the Corynthyans.\n\n[Sidenote: Augusti de ciuitate Dei in libro. 21. cap. 25.] Agayne S.\nAusten sayeth, he that abydeth not in me \u0101d in whome I abyde not, let\nhym not saye nor thynke, that he eateth my bodye or drynketh my bloode.\nAnd euen the same wordes hath Bede vpon the syxte Chapter of the fyrste\nEpystle to the Corynthyans. And euen the same sentence hath Ambrose, and\nProsper, & Bede vpon the xi. chapter of the fyrste Epystle to the\nCorynthyans.\n\nFynallye thys may be proued by good reas\u014d grounded vp\u014d the scrypture.\nChrist wolde not suffer marye (though she loued hym well) to towche hym,\nbecause she lacked one poynte of faythe, and ded not beleue that he was\nequall with hys Father. And therfore by reason yt muste folowe, that he\nwyll not suffer the wycked (which neyther haue good fayth nor loue\ntowardes hym) both to towche hym and eate hym in to their vncleane\nbodyes.\n\nNow syth thys is proued true that the wycked eate not hys bodye, it must\nalso therof neades folowe, that the sacramente is not hys naturall\nbodye. For they do eate the sacram\u0113te as all men knowe. Besydes that the\nfaythfull do not eate Christes bodye with their teth. And therfore it\nmuste folowe that the wycked do not eate it with their teth. The\nanteced\u0113t or fyrst parte of the reason is proued by the wordes of\nChriste which sayeth, [Sidenote: Ioan. 6.] that the fleshe profyteth\nnothynge at all, meanynge that it doth not profyte as they vnderstode\nhym: that is to saye: yt profyteth nothynge to be eaten carnallye with\ntheir teth and bellye, as they vnderstode hym. For els it profyteth\nmoche to be eaten spyrytuallye, that is to saye: to beleue that through\nhys bodye breakynge \u0101d bloode sheadynge our synnes are pourged. And thus\ndoth Origene, S. Aust\u0113, Bede, Chrisostome, \u0101d Athanasius expounde it, as\nappeareth in the boke before. And therfore Fryth sayeth, that onelye\nfaythfull men eate hys bodye: not with their teth and mouth, but with\ntheir fayth \u0101d harte, they dygeste it in to the bowelles of their soules\nthrough beleuynge that it was broken on the crosse, to washe awaye their\nsynnes. And the wycked eate not hys bodye but onelye the breade and\ntheir dampnacyon, because they eate him not spirytually, that is:\nbecause they beleue not in hys bodye breakynge and bloode sheadynge.\n\n\n\u00b6 The thyrde poynte wherin Fryth dyss\u0113teth fr\u014d your Prelates & their\nproctoure.\n\n\nThe Prelates beleue that m\u0113 ought to worshyppe the Sacram\u0113te, but Fryth\nsayeth naye, and affyrmeth that it is Idolatrye to worshyppe it. And he\nsayeth that Christ and hys Apostles taught vs not so to do: neyther ded\nthe holy fathers so teache vs. And Fryth sayth, that the autours of thys\nworshyppynge are the chylderne of perdycy\u014d which haue ouerwhelmed thys\nworlde with synne. Neuerthelesse we muste receyue it reuer\u0113tlye, because\nof the doctryne that it bryngeth vs. For it preacheth Christes death\nvnto vs, & descrybeth it before our eyes, eu\u0113 as a faythfull preacher by\nthe worde doth instyll yt in to vs by our eares and hearynge. And that\nyt supplyeth the rowme of a preacher, is evyd\u0113t by the wordes of S.\nAusten which sayeth. _Paulus quamuis portaret sarcin\u0101 corporis quod\naggrauat anim\u0101, potuit tamen significando predicare Domin\u016b Iesum\nChristum, aliter per lingu\u0101 suam, aliter per epistol\u0101, aliter per\nsacram\u0113t\u016b corporis Christi._ That is to saye: though Paule ded beare the\nburthen of the bodye which doth honorate the soule, yet was he able in\nsygnyfyenge to preache the Lorde Iesus Christe, one waye by hys tonge,\nand another waye by a \u0112pystle, & a nother waye by the Sacrament of\nChristes bodye .&c. For as the people by vnderstondynge the sygnyfycacy\u014d\nof the wordes which he spake ded heare the gloryous gospell of God, & as\nby the readynge of hys Epystle they vnderstode hys mynd, & receyued the\nwordes of the soules health, so by the mynystracyon of the sacrament\nthey myght see with their eyes the thynge which they harde & red, & so\nhaue their s\u0113ces occupyed a boute the mystery, that they myght the more\nearnestlye prynte it in their mynde. As by ex\u0101ple: [Sidenote: Hier. 27.]\nThe prophete Ieremye beynge in Ierusal\u0113 in the tyme of Sedechias Kynge\nof the Iewes, prophesyed \u0101d preached vnto th\u0113, that they shuld be tak\u0113\npresoners of Nabugodonosar the Kyng of Babyl\u014d. And the Iewes were angrye\nwith hym & wolde not beleue hys wordes. And therfore he made a chayne or\nfetter of woode \u0101d put th\u0113 a boute hys necke, \u0101d prophecyed agayne, \u0101d\npreached that they shulde be taken presoners \u0101d ledde captyue in to\nBabylon. And as hys wordes ded certyfye their eares that they shulde be\nsubdued, so the chayn ded repres\u0113t their captyuite eu\u0113 before their\neyes, which thynge ded more vehementlye worke in them then the bare\nwordes coulde do, \u0101d euen so it is in the sacrament. For lykewyse as the\nwordes ded instyll it in to our eares, that hys bodye was geuen for vs,\n\u0101d hys bloode shedde for the remyssyon of our synnes, euen so ded the\nmynystracyon of the Sacrament expresse the same thynge vnto our syght\nand dothe more effectuouslye moue vs, th\u0113 the bare wordes myght do, and\nmake vs more attentyue vnto the thynge, that we maye whollye geue\nthankes vnto God \u0101d prayse hym for hys bo\u016bteous benefyttes. And therfor\nseynge it is as a preacher, expressynge vnto our syght the same thynge\nthat the wordes do to our eares, you muste receyue yt with reverence \u0101d\nsober behavyoure, aduertysynge the thynge that it representeth vnto you.\nAnd euen the same honoure is due vnto it which is geu\u0113 vnto the\nscrypture that is the worde of God. For vnto that must a man devoutlye\ngeue eare, \u0101d reverentlye take the boke in hys hande: yea, & yf he kysse\nthe boke for the doctrynes sake that he learneth thereout, he is to be\ncommended. Neuerthelesse yf he shulde go sense hys boke, men myght well\nthynke that he were verye chyldyshe. But yf he shulde knele downe and\npraye to hys boke, then he ded c\u014dmytte playne Idolatrye.\n\nConsyder deare bretherne what I say, and avoyde thys Ieoperdye. Which\nthynge avoyded, I care not as towchynge the presence of hys bodye,\nthough you beleue that hys naturall fleshe be there in dede, and not\nonelye in a mystery, as I haue taught. For when the Ieoperdye is paste,\nhe were a foole that wolde be c\u014dtencyous for a thynge, as longe as there\ncommeth no hurte therbye.\n\nThe Germaynes which beleue the presence of hys bodye, do not worshyppe\nit, but playnly teache the contrarye, and in that poynte (thankes be to\nGod) all they whome you call heretyckes do agre full well. Onelye avoyde\nthys Idolatrye, and I desyre no more.\n\n\n\n\n                    The c\u014dclusyon of thys Treatyse.\n\n\nNowe deare bretherne I beseche you for the mercye that ye loke for in\nChrist Iesu, that you accepte thys worke with a syngle eye \u0101d no\ncontencyous harte. For necessyte hath compelled me to wryte it, because\nI was informed both of my Lorde of Wynchester \u0101d other credyble parsons,\nthat I had by the meanes of my fyrst treatyse offended many m\u0113. Which\nthynge maye well be true: For it was to slender to enstructe all them\nwhich haue sens seane it, albeit it were suffycyent for their vse to\nwhome it was fyrst delyuered. And therfore I thought it not onelye\nexpedyent but also necessarye, to enstructe them further in the truth,\nthat they myght see playne euydence of that thynge, wherin they were\noffended.\n\nBy thys worke you shall espye their blasphemyes \u0101d venemous tonges\nwherwith they slaunder not one ly th\u0113 that publyshe the truthe, but euen\nthe truth yt selfe. They shame not to saye, that we affyrme yt to be\nonelye breade, and nothynge els. And we saye not so: but we saye that\nbesyde the substaunce of breade, it is the Sacrament of Christes bodye\n\u0101d bloode. As the yvye hangynge before the taverne doore is more then\nbare yvye. For besyde the substaunce of yvye, it is a sygne, and\nsygnyfyeth that there is wyne to be solde. And thys sacrament sygnyfyeth\nvnto vs, and poynteth out before our eyes, that as verely as that breade\nis broken, so verelye was Christes bodye brok\u0113 for our synnes: And as\nthat breade is dystrybuted vnto vs, so is hys bodye and frute of hys\npassyon dystrybuted vnto all hys faythfull. And as the breade comforteth\nthe bodye, so doth the fayth in Christes death comforte our soules. And\nas surelye as we haue that breade and eate it with our mouth and teth,\nand knowe by our sences that we haue it within vs, and are partakers\ntherof; no more neade we to doubte of hys bodye and bloode, but that\nthrough fayth, we are as sure of th\u0113, as we are sure of that breade. As\nit is suffycyentlye declared in my boke.\n\nAgayne you maye perceyue how wyckedly they reporte vs which affyrme that\nwe dyshonour it which geue yt the ryght honoure that it ought to haue.\nAnd you do playnlye dyshonoure it, which geue vnto it the honoure that\nis onelye due vnto God. We geue yt the same honoure that we geue vnto\nthe holye scrypture \u0101d worde of God, because it expresseth vnto our\nsences the death of our sauyoure, and doth more depely prynte it within\nvs. And therfore we call it an holye sacrament, as we call Goddes worde,\nholye scrypture. And we receyue thys sacrament with greate reuerence,\neuen as we reuerentlye reade or heare preached the holye worde of God,\nwhich conteyneth the healthe of our soules. And we graunte that hys\nbodye is presente with the breade as it is with the worde, and wyth both\nit is verelye receyued and eaten through faythe. But if we shulde knele\ndowne and praye vnto the holye scrypture, men myght cownte vs foles, and\nmyght lawfullye saye, that we do not honoure the scrypture by that\nmeanes but rather dyshonoure yt. For the ryght honoure of a thynge is,\nto vse it for that intent that was instytute of God. And he that abvseth\nit to any other purpose, doth in dede dyshonoure it. And lykewyse it is\nin the sacrament which was instytute to keape in memorye the death of\nChriste, which yf we do any other wyse honoure, then we do the holye\nscrypture (vnto the which we maye in no wyse make our prayers). I saye\nthat then we shulde vtterlye dyshonoure it. Avoyde therfore thys poynte\nof Idolatrye, and all ys safe.\n\nFynallye we saye that they speake well and faythfullye, which saye that\nthey go to the bodye and receyue the bodye of Christ, and that they\nspeake vyllenouslye and wyckedlye which saye that they onelye receyue\nbreade or the sygne of hys bodye. For in so sayenge they declare their\ninfydelyte. For the faythfull wyll reaken that he is euell reported of\nand reputed for a traytoure and a nother Iudas, yf men shulde saye of\nhym that he ded onelye receyue the sacrament, and not also the thynge\nwhiche the sacrament doth sygnyfye. For albeit he onelye eateth the\nbreade \u0101d sacrament with hys mouth and teth: yet with hys harte and\nfayth inwardlye, he eateth the verye thynge it selfe whiche the\nsacrament outwardlye dothe represente.\n\nAnd of thys sprynge the maner of speakynges that the olde fathers do\nsomtyme vse, which at the fyrste syght mought seame contrarye to our\nsentence. But yf they be well pondered, it maye soone be seane, how they\nshulde be taken. For manye tymes when they speake of the sacramente and\noutwarde eatynge, they applye vnto the sacrament and outwarde eatynge,\nthe frute and condycyons of the inwarde eatynge and thynge it selfe,\nbecause that in a faythfull man they are so Ioyntlye Ioyned, that the\none is neuer without the other. As by example. Marye is named the mother\nof God, and yet she is not the mother of hys Godhed, by the which parte\nonelye he is called God, but because she is hys mother, as towchynge hys\nmanhode, and the Godhed is so annexed with the manhode that they both\nmake but one parson, therfore is she called the mother of God, whiche in\ndede yf it be wyselye weyed, shalbe founde to be abvsed speache.\n\nAnd yet neuerthelesse it maye verye well be vsed, yf men vnderstonde\nwhat is ment therbye, but yf through the vse of thys speache, men shulde\nfall in to suche an erroure that they wolde affyrme our lady to be in\ndede the mother of hys Godhed, then necessyte shulde compell vs to make\na dystynccyon betwene the nature of hys Godhed and the nature of hys\nmanhod, and so to expounde the matter vnto them, and brynge them home\nagayne in to the ryght vnderstondynge. As we are now constrayned to do\nin thys sacrament, because you mysconstrue the sayenges of the scrypture\n\u0101d Doctours. Which notwythstondynge (yf a man vnderst\u014dde them) saye\nverye well.\n\nAnd manye soche maner of speaches are contayned in the scrypture: As\nwhere Christ sayeth in, Ioh\u0101 in the .iii. chap. There shall no man\nascende in to heauen, but he that dyscendeth from heauen, the sone of\nman whiche is in heauen.\n\nThys texte doth saye that the sonne of man was then in heauen, when he\nspake these wordes vnto Nicodemus here vpon earth, whiche thynge all\nwyse men consente to be vnderstonde, _propter unitatem person\u00e6_: That is\nto saye: for the vnite of the parson. For albeit hys Godhed was in\neuerye place at that tyme, yet was not hys manhod (by the whiche he was\ncalled the sonne of man) in heauen at that tyme. And yet Christe sayde\nthat it was in heaven for the vnite of hys parson. For hys Godhed was in\nheauen, and because the Godhed and manhode made one parson, therfore it\nwas ascrybed vnto the manhod which was onelye verefyed vp\u014d the Godhed,\nas [Sidenote: August.] S. Austen ad Dardanum doth delygentlye declare.\n\nAnd lykewyse in the sacrament of baptyme, because the inwarde workynge\nof the holye Goste is euer \u0101nexed in the faythfull vnto the outwarde\nceremonye: therfore somtyme the frute of the inwarde baptyme is ascrybed\nvnto the outwarde worke. And so the scrypture vseth to speake of the\noutwarde baptyme as though it were the inwarde: that is to saye: the\nspyryte of GOD. And therfore Saynte Paule sayeth that we are buryed wyth\nChriste through baptyme.\n\nAnd yet as Saynte Austen expoundeth it, the outwarde baptyme dothe but\n[Sidenote: Augustinus ad Bonifacium.] sygnyfye thys buryall. And agayne\nPaule sayeth, as manye as are baptysed haue put Christe vpon them. And\nyet in dede our outwarde baptyme doth but sygnyfye, that we haue put\nChriste vpon vs.\n\nBut by the inwarde baptyme (whiche is the water of lyfe and spiryte of\nGod) we haue in dede put hym vpon vs and lyue in hym and he in vs.\nWhiche not withstondynge is verye false for all the outwarde baptyme, in\nthem that receyue it not in fayth. And vnto them it is but abare sygne,\nwherof they gette no profytte, but dampnacyon.\n\nAnd here you maye evydentlye perceyue, howe it is sometyme in scrypture\nascrybed vnto the outwarde worke and ceremonye, whiche is onelye true in\nthe inwarde veryte. And this place shall expounde all the olde doctours\nwhiche seame contrarye to our sentence. And therfore marke it well.\n\nThus haue you my mynde further vpon the sacrament of the bodye and\nbloode of Christe. Wherin yf you reaken that I haue bene to l\u014dge in\nrepetynge one thynge so often, I shall praye you of pardone. But surelye\nme thought I coulde not be shorter. For the worlde is suche now adayes,\nthat some wolde heare and can not: and some do heare and wyll not. And\ntherfore I am compelled so often to repete that thynge whyche a wyse man\nwolde vnderstonde wyth halue the wordes.\n\n\n\u2767 Praye Christen reader that the wordes of GOD maye increace, and that\nGOD maye be gloryfyed through my bondes. AMEN.\n\n\n\n\n The Artycles wherfore Iohan Fryth dyed, whiche he wrote in Newgate the\n            .23. daye of Iune, the yeare of our Lorde .1533.\n\n\nI doubt not deare bretherne, but that it doth some deale vexe you, to\nsee the one parte haue all the wordes, and frely to speake what they\nlyste, and the other to be put to sylence, and not to be harde\nindyfferently. But referre your matters to God, whiche shortelye shall\nIudge after a nother fashyon. But in the meane seas\u014d, I shall rehearse\nvnto you the artycles for which I am condempned.\n\n\n\u2767 They examyned me but of two artycles whiche are these.\n\n\n[Sidenote: 1. Article.] Fyrste whyther I thought there were any\nPurgatorye to pourge the soule after thys present lyfe. And I sayde,\nthat I thought there was none. For man is made but of two partes, the\nbodye and the soule. And the bodye is pourged by the crosse of Christe,\nwhiche he layeth vpon euery chylde that he receyueth: as afflyctyon,\nworldlye opressyon, persecucyon, emprysonment & cet. and deathe\nfynysheth synne. And the soule is pourged by the worde of God, which we\nreceyue through fayth, vnto the healthe and saluacyon bothe of bodye and\nsoule.\n\nNow and yf I ded knowe any thyrde parte wherof we are made, I wolde also\ngladly graunt the .3. purgatory, but seynge I knowe none suche, I must\ndenye the Popes purgatorye. Neuertheles I cownte neyther parte a\nnecessarye artycle of our faythe, necessaryly to be beleued vnder payne\nof dampnacyon, whyther there be soche a purgatory or not.\n\n[Sidenote: 2. article.] The seconde artycle was thys, whyther that I\nthought, that the sacrament of the aulter was the bodye of Christe. And\nI sayde yea, that I thought that it was bothe Christes bodye and also\nour bodye, as Saynt Paule sayeth to the Corynthyans. i. Cori. 10.\n\nIn that it is made one breade of manye graynes it is our bodye,\nsygnyfyenge that we though we be manye, are yet one bodye: lykewyse of\nthe wyne in that it is made one wyne of manye grapes.\n\nAnd agayne in that it is broken, it is Christes bodye, sygnyfyenge that\nhys bodye shulde be broken, that is to saye: suffer deathe, to redeame\nvs from our iniquitees.\n\nIn that it was dystrybuted, it was Christes bodye, sygnyfyenge that as\nverelye as that sacram\u0113t is dystrybuted vnto vs, so verelye is Christes\nbodye and the frute of hys passy\u014d dystrybuted vnto all faythfull men.\n\nIn that it is receyued, it is Christes bodye, sygnyfyenge that as\nverelye as the outwarde man receyueth the sacramente with hys tethe and\nmouthe, so verelye dothe the inwarde m\u0101, through faythe receyue Christes\nbodye and frute of hys passyon, \u0101d is as sure of it, as of the breade\nthat he eateth.\n\n[Sidenote: Another questy\u014d.] Well sayde they, do you not thynke that hys\nverye naturall bodye, bothe fleshe and bloode is reallye contayned vnder\nthe sacrament, and there actuallye present, besyde all symylytudes?\n[Sidenote: \u00b6 An answere.] No sayde I, I do not so thynke.\nNotwithstondynge I wolde not that anye shulde counte that I make my\nsayenge (whiche is the negatyue) anye artycle of the faythe. For euen as\nI saye that you oughte not to make anye necessarye artycle of the faythe\nof your parte (whiche is the affyrmatyue). So I saye agayne, that we\nmake none necessarye artycle of the faythe of oure parte, but leaue it\nindyfferent for all men to Iudge therin, as GOD shall open hys harte,\nand no syde to condempne or dyspyse the other, but to nouryshe in all\nthynges brotherlye loue, and to beare others infyrmytees.\n\n[Sidenote: S. Austens texte.] The texte of Saynt Aust\u0113 which they there\naleaged agaynste me, was thys: that in the sacrament Christe was borne\nin his owne handes. Whervnto I sayde: that S. Austen dothe full well\nexpounde hym selfe. For in a nother place he sayeth. _Ferebatur tanqu\u0101\nin manibus suis._ That is, he was borne after a certayne maner, in hys\nowne handes. And by that he sayeth after a certayne maner, ye maye soone\nperceyue what he meaneth.\n\nHow be it yf. S. Austen had not thus expounded hym selfe, yet he sayeth\nad Bonifacium, that the sacrament of a thynge, hath a symylytude or\npropertye of the thynge which it sygnyfyeth. And for that cause it hath\nmanye tymes the name of the verye thynge whiche it sygnyfyeth. And so he\nsayeth that he bare hym selfe, because he bare the sacrament of hys\nbodye and bloode, whiche ded so earnestlye expresse hym selfe, that\nnothynge myght more do it. If you reade the place of S. Austen ad\nBonifacium, whiche I alleage in my laste boke, ye shall soone see them\nanswered.\n\n[Sidenote: Chrisostomus.] A nother place they alleaged out of\nChrisostome, which at the fyrste blushe seameth to make well for them.\nBut yf it be well wayed, it maketh moche lesse for th\u0113 then they wene.\nThe wordes are these.\n\n[Sidenote: Chrisostomes wordes.] Doste thou see breade and wyne: Do they\ndeparte from th\u0113 into the draughte as other meates do? God forbydde. For\nas in waxe when it c\u014dmeth to the fyer, nothynge of the substaunce\nremayneth nor aboundeth: so lykewyse thynke that the mysteryes are\nconsumed by the substaunce of the body.\n\nThese wordes I expounded, by the wordes of the same doctoure Saynt\nChrisostome, which in a nother homelye sayeth on thys maner. The inwarde\neyes as soone as they see the breade, they flye over all creatures \u0101d\nthynke not of the breade that is baken of the baker, but of the breade\nof euerlastynge lyfe, which is sygnyfyed by the mystycall breade.\n\nNow conferre these places together \u0101d you shall perceyue, that the laste\nexpoundeth the fyrste clerely. Fyrste he sayeth, dost thou see breade\nand wyne? I answere by the seconde, nay. For the inwarde eyes as soone\nas they see the breade, thynke not of it, but of the thynge it selfe\nthat is sygnyfyed therby. And so he seeth it and seeth it not. He seeth\nit with hys outwarde and carnall eyes, but hys inwarde eyes seeth it\nnot. That is to saye: regarde not the breade or thynke not vpon it. Euen\nas we commonlye saye, when we playe a game necglygentlye (by my truthe I\nsee not what I do) meanynge that our myndes is not vpon that thynge\nwhiche we see with our outwarde eyes. And lykewyse we maye answere the\nnexte parte, where he sayeth.\n\n[Sidenote: The exposycy\u014d of S. Chrisosto, texte.] Do they departe from\nth\u0113 in to the draughte, as other meates do? Nay for sothe sayde I. For\nother meates do onelye come to nouryshe the bodye, and to departe in to\nthe draught: But thys meate that I here receyue, is spyrytuall meate,\nreceyued with faythe, and nourysheth vs euerlastynglye bothe bodye and\nsoule, and neuer entereth into the draughte. And euen as before the\noutwarde eyes do see the breade, and yet the inwarde eyes do not regarde\nthat or thynke vpon it: So lykewyse the outwarde man dygesteth the\nbreade, and casteth it in to the draughte. And yet the inwarde m\u0101 doth\nnot regarde that nor thynke vp\u014d it: But thynketh vpon the thynge it\nselfe that is sygnyfyed by that breade.\n\n[Sidenote: The true meanynge of Chrisostomes wordes.] And therfore sayde\nChrysostome euen a lytle before the wordes whiche they here alleaged.\nLyfte vp your mynde and hartes (sayde he) whereby he monysheth vs, to\nloke vpon and consyder those heauenly thynges, whiche are represented\nand sygnyfyed by the breade and wyne, and not to marke the breade and\nwyne in it selfe.\n\nHere they wyll saye vnto me, that that is not Chrisostomes mynde. For by\nhys example he playnlye sheweth that there remayneth no breade nor wyne.\nThat I denye. For the example in thys place proueth no more but that ye\nshall not thynke vpon the breade and wyne, no more then yf they were not\nthere, but onelye vpon that thynge whiche is sygnyfyed by th\u0113. And that\nye maye euydently perceyue by the wordes folowynge where he sayeth,\nthynke that the mysteryes are consumed by the substaunce of the bodye.\n\n[Sidenote: Soluci\u014d] Now whyther Chrisostome thought that there remayned\nbreade or none, bothe wayes shall our purpose be proued. Fyrst yf he\nthought there remayned styll breade and wyne, th\u0113 we haue our purpose.\nNow yf he thought that the breade and wyne remayned not, but were\nchaunged, th\u0113 are the breade and wyne neyther mysteryes nor sacramentes\nof the bodye and bloode of Christe. For that that is not, c\u0101 neyther be\nmysterye nor sacrament.\n\n[Sidenote: Conclusyon.] Fynalle yf he spake of the outwarde apperaunce\nof breade: then we knowe that that remayneth styll and is not consumed\nby the substaunce of the bodye. And therfore he muste neades be\nvnderstonde as I take hym.\n\nI thynke many men wonder how I can dye in thys artycle, seynge that it\nis no necessary artycle of our faythe, for I graunte that neyther parte\nis an artycle necessary to be beleued vnder payne of dampnacyon, but\nleaue it as a thynge indyfferent, to thynke therin as God shall instyll\nin euery mans mynde, and that neyther parte condempne other for thys\nmatter, but receyue eche other in brotherly loue, reseruynge eche others\ninfyrmyte to God.\n\n[Sidenote: Beholde the cause of my death.] The cause of my deathe is\nthys, because I can not in conscyence abiure and swere, that our\nPrelates opynyon of the Sacramente (that is) that the substaunce of\nbreade \u0101d wyne is verely chaunged into the fleshe and bloode of our\nsauyoure Iesus Christ is an vndoubted artycle of the faythe, necessarye\nto be beleued vnder payne of dampnacyon.\n\n[Sidenote: Note.] Now thoughe thys opynyon were in dede true (whiche\nthynge they c\u0101 neyther proue true by scrypture nor doctours) yet coulde\nI not in conscyence graunte that it shulde be an artycle of the faythe\nnecessarye to be beleued, etc. For there are many verytees, whiche yet\nmay be no soche artycles of our faythe. It is true that I laye in Irons\nwhan I wrote thys, howbeit I wolde not receyue thys truthe, for an\nartycle of our fayth. For you may thynke the contrary without all\nIeoperdy of dampnacyon.\n\n\n\u00b6 The cause why I c\u0101 not beleue their opynyon of transmutacyon or\ntransubstanciacyon whether ye wyll, is thys.\n\n\n[Sidenote: 1.] \u2767 Fyrste because I thynke verely that it is false and can\nneyther be proued by scrypture nor faythfull doctours, yf they be well\npondered.\n\n[Sidenote: 2.] The second cause is thys, because I wyll not bynde the\ncongregacyon of Christe by myne example to admytte any necessary artycle\nbysyde our Crede, and specyally nonesuche as can not be proued true by\nscrypture. And I say that the churche, as they call yt, can not compell\nvs to receyue any soche artycles to be of necessyte vnder payne of\ndampnacyon.\n\n[Sidenote: 3.] The thyrde cause is, because I dare not be so\npresumptuous in enterynge in to Goddes Iudgement, as to make the\nPrelates in thys poynte a necessarye artycle of our faythe. For then I\nshulde dampnably condempne all the Germaynes and Almaynes, with infynyte\nmoo, whiche in deade do not beleue nor thynke that the substaunce of\nbreade and wyne is chaunged in to the substaunce of Christes naturall\nbodye. And surelye I can not be so folyshe hardy as to condempne soche\nan infynyte nombre for our Prelates pleasures.\n\nThus all the Germaynes and Almaynes, bothe of Luthers syde and also of\nDecolampadius, do wholye approue my matter. And surelye I thynke there\nis no man that hathe a pure conscyence, but he wyll thynke that I dye\nryghtuouslye. For that thys transubstanciacion shulde be a necessary\nartycle of the faythe, I thynke no man can saye yt with a good\nconscyence, although yt were true in dede.\n\n\u2234\n\nPer me Iohan Frythe.\n\n\u2767 Be wyse as Serpentes, and innocent as Dooues.\n\n\n\n\n \u25cf Transcriber\u2019s Notes:\n    \u25cb The original book's archaic spelling, abbreviations, and\n      punctuation have been retained.\n    \u25cb Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_).","title":"A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London: answerynge unto M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth made, concernynge the sacramente of the body and bloude of Christ","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":48671}