Answer to the Devilish Detection of the Bishop of Winchester, Treatise · Part 20
❧ Of theues that ſte…e awaye the fode of the ſoule.
THey would ſteale awaye the precious fode of the body and bloude of Wincheſters wordes.Chriſt & make it a bare drinking of breade and wine.
Iudge you that be of god, how we would The anſwerſteale awaye the precious fode of the body & bloud of Chriſt, whē we do cōtinually teach that this is the only fode of the ſoule, and the working of the meate that neuer periſheth: to beleue hym whom the father hath ſent. And would hauehave therfore the cōming & ſufferyng of Chriſt preached vntounto the people by this ſacramēt that they mighte continually feede of his body brokē for them, for the only fode of their ſoules. Yea rather you are the theues Who be the theues that ſteale awaye the fode of the ſoule.(the whole worlde to witnes) that robbe the ſhepe of the fode of their ſoules. You rob the pore people of the teſtament of their father. You rob vsus lay & leude mē of the one halfe of the ſacrament. You take frō vsus the teſtament which only, was ſtrikē and eſtabliſhed in the bloud which was cōmaūded in the olde teſtamēt to be ſprinckled vpō al the people, of the which we were al cōmaūded (in the new teſtament) to drinke. And biſides that, in the miniſtering of this ſacramēt, you wyl preach nothing of the death of Chriſt vntounto vsus, though it be the ſacrament therof. No you will not ſpeake one worde of his death & paſſion, nor once name vntounto vsus his body broken and his bloude ſhed for our ſynnes, that it mighte be the fode of our ſoules. You cauſe vsus to gape & gaſe at dead & dombe ceremonies, whereby the ſoule that is ſpiritual, cā not be fed. Yea (& that is worſte of al) in the ſteede of this fode of Chriſt, you do kyl the ſoule, not only with famine, for lacke of this fode: but alſo wyth the moſte preſent poyſon of Idolatrie. The vtter confuſion and diſtruction of all that wyllyngly folowe it.
And where they wyll paſſe none of their Wincheſters wordes.owne ſuppers (on the greateſt faſtinge daye) without fleſhe: yet in this ſupper of the lorde they diuiſe a diete wythout deinties, to hauehave nothynge preſent but breade and wyne.
In our owne ſuppers, we do vſe no ſuperſtitiō of meates nor daies, becauſe God hath The anſwerecreated al his creatures to be takē with thankes giuinge as his good creatures, and hath made mā Lorde ouer dayes and times, to vſe thē to his neceſſitie, & to ſerue to his vſe, And though the Iewes were nourterid for a time, with ſhadowes of daies & meates, & like ordinaūces, tyl Chriſt the body did come & ſet vsus at libertie, frō al ſuch bōdage: yet becauſe we chriſtiās hauehave once profeſſed to worſhyp god in ſpirite & truth: we may not turne backe frō the ſame to folowe the groſſe ſuperſtitiō that the Pope hath ſowē thorowout his kyngdō: but labour to breake it, & to take it awaye for the wealth of our brethrē, leſte peraduenture they that be weake, & do ſtil thinke it an high honour vntounto god & great holines to eate fiſh vpō certeine daies cōmaūded by the Pope to be ſo faſted, and cōtrariwiſe, that the eating of fleſhe on thoſe daies, is diſhonour vntounto him & Learne to auoied offence in eatinge of meates.a crime deſeruing ſore puniſhment. And thus by our ſtrēgth the weake be offēded & eſtabliſhed in their errour. Euē as thei did that dyd ſtyll eate of the meate offered vntounto the Idols amongeſt the Corhinthians, though thei dyd know that nothing was poluted or vucleane of it ſelfe: yet thei ſitting at the table of the Idoles, were the occaſion that the weake brothers (who fraimed their fayth after thexēple of thē that had knowledge) were eſtabliſhed in their errour, by ſeing thē ſit at the meate of Idols. For it was not the maner that any mā ſhoulde ſyt at the Idoles table but ſuche as i. Cor. x.would be partakers of the Idolatrie. In this point dyd Peter offēde alſo, whē he diſſēbled in the eating of …eat, & paul rebuked him therfore. In our owne ſuppers therefore, we eate Galath. ii.fleſh or fiſh indifferētly (as is offred vntounto vsus) & giuegive god thākes for his creatures. Whē we faſt, we abſteine frō both. And not regarding bodily things, for the time we do occupy our ſelues in ſpiritual meditation in mournynge for our ſinnes & the ſinnes of the people. And whē we returne to bodily fode to cōforte the body withal, then (knowinge that the thinge whiche entreth in at the month, defileth not the body) we do without ſuperſtition and exceſſe, vſe indifferētly al ſuch meates as occaſion ofſereth. And why ſhould not we as well do thus, as you biſhops, to eate on the greateſt Learne at the byſhoppes to faſte.faſtynge dayes you hauehave: ſwete ſucket, grene ginger, marmilade, & ſuch like deinties for the puniſhinge of your Pope holy carkaſes? Is a piece of biefe or bakō more perilous for the prouocation of ſleſhly appetite in vsus pore mē of the contrey that labour al the day long in hōger & colde: thē theſe ſubtilties are to your ſleuthful, & idle bealies? If we do not faſt the true faſt & lamēt for our ſinnes ſo oft as were cōuenient: the great cauſe is, that we are neuer taught of this true faſte, & very ſeldō do we heare the worde of god truly preached, whiche might moue vsus to this repētāce & mourning for our ſinnes. So that alwaies the fautes of the people muſt needes returne vpō your neckes (O biſhops) & the bloude of the ſhepe that periſh muſt berequired at your hādes, becauſe you are negligēt in doinge of your duties. Now this great matter that ye do lay ſo oftēto our charg. Thatin the lords ſupper we diuiſe a diete without ani dainties & that we wil hauehave nothing preſēt but bread & wine: we hauehave partly proued to be vntruly reported of vsus, who do in the Lordes ſupper ſet forth the fode that feadeth into lyfe euerlaſteynge. But the ſame thinge, may well & iuſtly be ſpoken of you that do ſet vp the mū blinge of a maſſe (in a tonge not vnderſtand) in the ſteade of the lyuely fedyng of the faithfull in the death of Chriſte. which ought all waies to be preached & ſhewed forth in thys ſupper of the Lorde, that the flocke of Chriſt may continually feade on theſe dainties of the heauenly manna accordinge to the ſayeinge of Chriſt. Not Moyſes, but my father geueth the true breade frome heauen. For it The father geuethe the true breade from heauenis the bread of God that cōmeth from heauē and geueth lyfe vntounto the worlde. I am the ſame bread that am come down from heauen He that cōmeth vntounto me, ſhall not be hongrie & he that beleueth in me, ſhal neuer be …hyrſtie Lo, what dainties we do ſet forth in our ſupper. But what daintis do the pore people find in your maſſe? You ſaye that ther is rawe fleſh, bloude and bones: which thynges (cōpared vntounto oures) are no daynties. The people ſaye that you do eate al in a cornar, and will gyue no man part with you. What ſo euer daynties you hauehave, they go home hongrie, boeth in theyr bodies and ſoules. Yea what geare is ther in your maſſe (the goſpell and epiſtle, & Hoc eſt corpus meum, onli excepted) that can fead the ſoule of the vnlearned man Yea how doeth that goſpel & epiſtle fed their ſoules that vnderſtād not one word that you ſpeake? As for yourblaſphemus collectes geueing ſo much to the merites of ſanctes: your ſecretes where in you do talke with Annas and Cayphas: your beadroles one of benefactours, and an other of hallowes, as Peter Paul and Criſogonus (whoſe memorial you name it to be, & not the memorie of Chriſt) by whoſe merites and prayers you deſyre to be The maſſe is not the memorie of Chriſtedefended in all poyntes, If all this, I ſaye, were in engliſh and vnderſtand, what daynteis (Yea what deuellieſhnes) ſhoulde hereby enter into the hearers herte…?
This is no fode, but filth, this is no breade but poyſon. But you thynke perchaunce, that we lewde people, maye feed vponupon fonde geſtures vponupon youre fonde bloweynges and bleſſeinges, mockeinge and, moweynge, vpō your cake holden vp betwyxt your fyngers and hopped about the chalice. Theſe be all your ſpiritual workes. But they neither feed ſoules nor yet bodies. For you are thoſe ſhep herdes that fede theim ſelues and deſpiſe the flocke. The beſt you hauehave to ſay, is that you do eate this ſupper for vsus, & that you drynke this cup of the newe teſtament for vsus. But nowe hauehave we learned of late in the teſtamēt of our maſter (which you hauehave moſt vilanouſlye plucked forth of our handes beynge no gentillmen) that it is hys wyll and pleaſure, that all we ſhould eate & drinke of the breade and wyne of this ſupper. Wherfore I praye you eate our meat no lenger, neither for vsus nor from vsus. For that which you do eate, cā do vsus no more good? thē if you did eate away That which the prieſte eateth doeth vsus no good.from vsus our bodilie diner. And if you wilbe partakers of our bodily labours & goodes: let vsus be partakers with you in this ſupper. And if you compt vsus ſaued & redemed by the bloude of the newe teſtamēt: thē ſuffer vsus to drinke of the cup of the ſame in Chriſtes blud If you do caſte vsus frō it, & eſteme vsus ſo lewdly as you hauehave done herebefore: thinke non other but the arme where vponupon you hauehave truſted ſhalbe broken, & the donge of your ſolē nyties, ſhalbe ſcatered vponupon your faces. But to come to your dainties agayne. You doe mixt the thyrde parte of your cake with the wyne, & then you ſaye Hec ſacro ſancta commixtio, this▪ holye mixture be helth of bodie & ſoule. By the whiche blaſphemouſe wordes, wherein you wyſh that thys ſame mixture that you make, ſhoulde be ſaluacion of bodie and ſoule: we may eſpie that you hauehave here dainties prepared for the deuilles owne toth Your preparatiues to theſe daynties, are like to the daynties them ſelues, That is to ſaye deuilliſhe.
Reade the Rubrica of the maſſe to eſchew The vertue of the maſſe of the fiue woundes.mortalitie, and the maſſe of the fyue woūdes where as it is written that what prieſt ſo euer ſayeth the office of this maſſe. v. tymes either for hym ſelfe or any other: he ſhall in thys worlde hauehave grace and health, & in the world to come euerlaſteynge lyfe, if he continewe in good.
And in what ſo euer tribulaciō a man ſhalbe in this worlde, if he procure this office to be ſayed for him. v. tymes by a prieſt: wythout dout he ſhalbe deliuered And if it be read for the ſoule of the dead: ſtrayt after it is read v. tymes the ſoule ſhalbe deliuered frō payn
Wyth ſuch lies and blaſphemies do you prepare the peoples mindes to your dayntie dyſhes.
Now your cautiles & ſubtillities that you hauehave about theſe daynties: declare you to be more ſuperſticiouſe, then were the phariſeis, and far more foleiſh then the heathen: In ſo moch that I am aſhamed to write them,