Answer to the Devilish Detection of the Bishop of Winchester, Treatise · Part 23
❧ The determinaciō of the doctoures of the greate vniuerſitie of Paris againſt the miniſtracion of the ſacrament in boeth the kyndes.
FVrther more, to open vntounto the ſimple (as I hauehave promiſed) what your popeiſhe diuinitie doeth determine in this cauſe: in the yere of our Lord God a thouſande. v. hundreth fortie and. ij. the. x. daye of march, all the doctoures and bachilers of diuinitye of the vniuerſitye of Paris, gathered to gether into theyr ſchole called Sorbona, hauehave by ſolemne oth profeſſed this article of communion in one kynde to be truely and worthyly mayntayned, and many ſuche lyke noleſſe ſhamefull then wycked, whyche are publiſhed in the newe ſtatue… of that facultie, with ſhame inough. Theyr fonde foleiſh and wycked wordes be theſe in the. vij. article.
The cōmunion vnderunder boeth kindes is not … vntounto laye men vntounto ſaluacion.
And it is rightly and iuſtly in olde tyme decreed by the church: that they ſhould communicate vndre one kynde onelyonly, the kynd of breade.
Whych they proue by theſe worthye reaſones. For thē were it dainger leſte the bloud ſhoulde be ſpilt. But wher the lutherians do demaunde whether the church be wyſer thē Chriſt: becauſe it prouideth for this inconuenience, wherof Chriſt was not ware in commaundeynge the wyne to be taken: I do anſwere, that Chriſt dyd forſe the thinge, but he kept it ſecrete to proue the wiſdome of his churche.
Ther is alſo an other inconuenience, For the bodie of the Lorde muſt be kept in Cibario, to be gyuen to the ſycke. But if the wine ſhoulde be reſerued alſo: it woulde be made vinacre, and ſo for the corruption, it ſhoulde be no lōger bloud. Ye… the lutherians would deride vsus ſayeinge, doeth it not wel appeare that there is wyne ſtyll. And ſo this ſhoulde make agaynſte the opinion of traunſubſtantion and chaunge of ſubſtaunce.
Thyrdely, this is alſo reaſonable, that the prieſtes ſhould hauehave ſome priueledge, to ſuppreſſe and holde downe the pride of the people.
Fourthly, this doeth auayll to proue the opinion. De concomitantia, of what ſo euer the Lutherians do clatter, that we ſhoulde folow, obſerue & kepe, the ordinaūces of Chriſt which he hath appoynted for our infirmitie.
Alſo ther ſhoulde be an other daynger if the bloude ſhould be geuen to drinke, for thē the taſte therof myght engender a ſuſpicion to the laye men ther remayned wyne ſtyll, wherof woulde ariſe many ſlaunders.
But if they do reaſon that the church hath no powre to diſpenſe with the cōmaundementes of God: I do anſwer, that the worde Bi bite. Drinke you, muſt be takē as a counſayle and no precepte.
Ther is yet one thinge that I dare ſcarſely alledge, which is wel worthy to be deeply pondered. For ther be ſome that drinke no wyne, which maye not be depriued of thoſe kyndes. But I dyd defer to bringe this ſame becauſe the Lutherians will deride vsus and Some drinke no wyne.ſaye, that ther is no wyne nowe but bloude
This is the verie doctrine that your popiſh doctours were wont to teach & preach in all plares. But nowe that it hath pleaſed the Lorde to open the eyes of his people to e…pie the leude reaſones of you ſo blynde guides, ſo that you can no lōger hope to worke your wickedneſſe ſo openly: the Deuyll ſteareth vp Stephane Subtile & his felowes, by deceyuable wordes, to maintaine the ſame matters.
Fyrſte you laye all the faulte in the laye men (as ſurely we are much to blame, doeth in thys and other thynges, becauſe we hauehave ſuffered you ſo longe) ſayeinge that the laye mē compelled by no lawe hauehave of their owne foleiſheneſſe (holineſſe you ſaye▪ for borne the one kynd. Secondlie, you eſtabliſhe your purpoſe Luke. xxiiil. A…t…. ii.ful craftely, with the miniſteryng of one kinde to the diſciples in Emaus. And the breakynge of breade mencioned in the Actes. Where vntounto you adde this excluſiue, Alone. And yet when Ioye ſayeth that fayth alone doeth iuſtifie: you can barke & brale at hym biding him bring ſome opē ſcripture wher it is written faith alone. We maye iuſtly therfore (if you wil geue vsus leue) aſke you wherit is writen in ſcripture breade alone.
In the. xxiiij. of Luk, it is writtē that Chriſt dyd take the breade, bleſſed and brake it and dyd gyue it to thē & theyr eies were opened.
But▪ whether we wyll vnderſtande that Chriſt vſed herein his accuſtomed & old maner of thankes geuynge (as he dyd allwayes whē he did take breade or ſuch like creatures to teach hys to be alwayes thankefull, as appeareth Iohn. vi. Luke, ix. Marke. vi. &. viij. Math. xiiij. and. xv.) or we wyll ſaye that he dyd alſo bleſſe the cup and not the breade alone: you hauehave not one worde to confute vsus.
If you dare then put to your gloſe and excluſyue (A lone) in the ſeconde of the Actes where it is ſayed that they dyd cōtynewe in the doctrine of the Apoſtles breaking bread by euerye houſe (beſydes that you make the Apoſtles verie lewde, ſo ſone to be forgetful of theyr Maſters example and ſpeciall commaundement to deuide this brotherlye cup amonge thē) you maye likewyſe be demaunded (becauſe you take ſomuche lybertye ſometyme to ſpeake merylie) whether you wyll adde your excluſyue (alone) vntounto the wordes next folowynge, which are theſe▪ Inuicem ſumebant cibum, They dyd take meate to gether. As though they ſhould eate meate alone without drinke.
But ſurely you prelates do ryght well The prelate… conſideracionknowe howe vnmete and perilouſe a thynge it is to eate breade wythout drynke: and therefore hauehave ye graunted vsus pore lewede people, to hauehave thre draftes of your chalyce to waſhe dow…e your clammye God when he cleaueth to the roufe of our mouthes.
And though you do not bleſſe the wyne that you gyue vsus, no not ſo much as once blowe vponupon it or wagge your holie fingers ouer it: I yromiſe you I like it neuer the worſſe. For I knowe that God hath bleſſed it as hys good creature, and I can not perceiue howe your bleſſinge ſhoulde amende it. Whether you wyl or not therfore, I receiue it as the ſacrament and holye ſemblaunce of the bloude of the vnſpotted lambe in the newe teſtamēt that like as the fathers of the olde teſtament had the naturall bloude of their lambe and paſſeouer ſprinkled on all their poſtes and dores: ſo likewyſe we of the newe teſtament ſeinge we can not hauehave the natural bloude of thys lambe of the newe teſtamente, neither ſtande we nede of any ſuche carnall imaginacion, to vsus that are ſpirituall. Yea ſome of the diſciples of Chriſte would hauehave dronken the bloude that ran forth of hys ſyde if thys had ben ſo profitable.
We of the newe teſtament (I ſay) knowing that oure vnſpoted lambe Chriſte Ieſu, hath deliuered vsus out of the Egipt of ſinne, and the hellye Pharao: do alſo knoweledge our deliueraunce by thys cup of the newe teſtamēt in his bloude offered for the ſinnes of the whole worlde accordinge to the ſayeinge of Paule in hys Epiſtle to the Corhinihyās.
The cup of thankes geueinge (ſayeth he) where wyth we geue thankes: is it not the i. Corh. x.partakinge of the bloude of Chriſte? Thys cup, ſayteh Paule (on hys mayſters worde) is the newe teſtamēt in my bloud. Do this ſo ofte as you drinke in the remembraunce of me. For as oft as you ſhal eate of thys bread and drynke of thys cup: you ſhall ſhewe the Lordes death tyl he come.
What ſo euer he be therfore, that woulde ſtope thys well of Iacobbe, and thys ſpirituall ſpring wytholdeing vsus frome drinckeing of thys cup wherin we do ſpiritually receiue the bloud of the immaculate lambe that was ſlayne for vsus, he doeth not onelye breake the commaundement of Chriſte oure mayſter and ſauiour, refuſeinge the cup of brotherly The cup of brotherli louelovelouelove, whiche ought to be deuided amongeſte all them that be of Chriſte: but he doeth alſo ſtoppe the memorie of oure deliueraunce by Chriſte, hynder vsus frome the communion and partaking of hys bloude, and extinguiſh and blotte forth (ſo far as in them lyeth) the remēbraunce of hym that hath by his bloud bought vsus.
But nowe, becauſe you know that al you hauehave ſayde, hath but a feeble foundacion: you ren ſtyll to the cornor ſtone of your buildeinge, and ſaye.
❧ VntoUnto thys daye we be onelyonly aſſertayned Wincheſters wordesby tradicion of the churche, in the true vnderſtandeynge of the Euangeliſtes, of oure order in the conſecracion of the ſaid ſacramēte, and the circumſtaunce of the pronunciacion of Chriſtes wordes wherby the ſame is wrought.
Al thought thys intricate ſentence of The anſweryours of the order of conſecracion, and the circumſtaunce of the pronunciacion myght miniſter iuſte matier of an whole boke: yet becauſe I hauehave thys one marcke chieflye before myne eies, to teache howe that you neither in thys nor in any other mattier wyll cla…e to the in fallible certaintie and trueth of the ſcriptures, but accompt your ſelues to be aſcertayned by the onelyonly tradicions of your doctours whome you call the churche, I geue warneinge to all good men that they geue no credence to thys your deceiueable ſophiſtrie. For by theſe termes of tradicions Tradicions and churcheof the churche continued ſo long time: you maye bringe in popes pardons, pilgrimages and what ye luſte.
But howe can any good hert beleiue, that you would truely miniſter your tradicions ſecretly taken at the handes of your fathers when we ſe you miniſter falſely the thinges that are taught in ſcripture? Cā you bewitch vsus to belieue that you wyl miniſter the tradicions that you hauehave learned in ſecrete, for our profite: when we ſe you corrupt the openſcripturs with your gloſes for your owne profite Drincke of this you al, are the plaine wordes of our ſauiour Chriſt the maiſter of al trueth And ſhall we belieue you in your vnwritten verities, when you go about to gloſes this & ſuch lyke places of ſcripture? Naye it is an hundred tymes more likely that you woulde be falſer in ſecrete thynges, thā in opē. Wher An apt ſimilitude.fore, as you myght cal him a fole that would truſt ſuch one to tel his money in his abſence as hath picked his purſſe and done falſely before his face: euen ſo myght you recken vsus worſſe thē mad, if we (haueinge experience of you, ſeinge you takē wyth the maner and reproued for the corrupting of ye opē ſcriptur before our eies, yea & …o taken that you cā not denie i…) woulde beliue that which hath theſe. M. yeres lien in your roten mawes in the fleſhly mire of mans inuēcions, ſhould nowe be holſome for vsus: ſeing that your fathers the Popes, hauehave ſo ming led all their tradicions wyth the open blaſphemies agaynſte God and all godlyneſſe (whiche is the verie doctrine of Antichriſt) and the phariſeies that folowed them hauehave thriſte all thynges ſo ful of their leuen of Hypocriſie, and you theyr ſucceſſours hauehave ſtrayned them to ſuche vngodly purpoſe, and maintayned them with ſuche crueltye.