Answer to the Devilish Detection of the Bishop of Winchester, Treatise · Part 5
¶ Of the wordes and the meaneinge, wherin the meaneinge of Chriſte is declared at large by the manifolde circumſtances and certaine other thinges, towcheing the occaſion offered.
AN other point of the diuelles ſophiſtrie Wincheſters wordes.is betwene the words and the meaneinge, wherein the deuell ſhifteth the mattier thus. Where the wordes of ſcripture be plaine, euident, manifeſt, and cōfirme the catholike truth: ther the deuill diuiſeth an other meaneing, & adu…eth his ſcholers that the words be nothing without the meaning, and therfore ſayeth he we muſt vnderſtand Chriſtes wordes as he …eut thē, & therfore ſaith the deuil, be ware of the words & take hede to the meaning. Chriſt (ſaith) the deuil) ſaith this is my bodie. But take hede (ſayth the deuill) what Chriſt mēt.
Thus far you bring in the wordes of the The …diuell, you ſaie. Nowe if you wyll geue me leaue to bring in your wordes folowing a litel after: thei wil declare the meaning of theſe faithfull interpretours of Chriſtes wordes, whom you do ſlaunder by the name of ſathā & the deuil: for non other cauſe (as I ſuppoſe) but for that you lacke mattier ſcriptures and ſubſtācical argumētes. Your wordes be theſe
Who ſo hath the wordes of ſcripture per Wincheſters wordes.uerſely taken: is therwith infected and poiſoned to his cōfuſion, as the Arians and Sabel liās, and an infinite numbre of heretikes hauehave ben. So that it muſt nedes be grāted that in the meaning of ſcriptur, is the marow and kenel, the ſwetenes, the fode & the hony of ſcripture without which the words be bitter ſhale and an hard bone without fode or ſuſtinance This muſt nedes be cōfeſſed of al men as an euident truth. ¶ Hitherto you agre ful wel, The ….but nowe, lo you braſte fourth into your father lyke eloquence, and ſay.
The deuil abuſeth this by ca…ellaciō and Wincheſtersſophiſtrie, to ouertourne the trueth in the moſt beſſed ſacrament of the aultare.
It is a more redy maner of ſophiſtical ſoluſiō, The anſwer.thā ſubſtā …ical, forme of artificicial cōfutacion, to crie cauillation, cauillaciō, ſophiſtrie, ſophiſtrie, the deuil ſaeth it, when you your ſelfe doo ſpeake the ſame thynge. Forther more, you adde herunto, theſe wordes.
It is in dede a t…ue leſſō that the verie word Wincheſters wordes.of God is the true meaning of ſcripture.
If you would ſpeak plainli & ſaie, the cōparing The anſwre.of ſcriptures whiche are the verie word of god, vttereth the wil, meaning, & pleaſure of God vntounto vsus: you ſhoulde make much for our purpoſe. If you ſaye otherwyſe that the worde is the meaning: you make the letter to be the ſpirit, the bitter ſhale to be the kernel it ſelfe for ſuch is your owne ſimilitude. Yea If the verie word be the meaning ſo that we mai waigh no farther (which thinge if you be…ed in herte, you would not ſticke ſo much to your own interpretaciōs (I could driue you to much incōuenience. But how & whau the ſcriptures ar to be examined and the tru meaning, as the kernel, to be tried: the old rule of al ages, mai lead and teach ſufficiētly. That is that no one place of ſcripture be ſet or aledged cōtrarie to other. But if ſuche one place bee alledged, it ought to be declared and made playne, by the cōpareing of mo places more plaine, & by the ſence and vnderſtandinge agreable vntounto the faythe gethered of other. Reade the rule of Auguſtyne for that ſame purpoſe, how ſcripture (which cōmaundeth any abſurditie) is to be vnderſtāded Thē ſaye you.
But for the openynge of thys ſophiſtrie: Wincheſters wordes.it is to be cōſidered, that ſomtime in ſcripture the wordes be ſo placed and ordeyned, as the meanynge is vttered and opened wyth the wordes at once and hath ſuch lyght of the wordes, as they appeare both to gether, and wythout farther ſerche, be ſtrayte co…ueyed to our vnderſtādynge.The anſwer.
If theſe wordes. This is my bodie, & this cuppe is the newe teſtament were ſo playne for your purpoſe, that they neded no farther ſerche or interpretacion: what neded it you to ſeeke theſe gloſes. The bodie is in the qualities, accidentes, quātities, dimēſions ann other pretie wordes whiche I am ſure can not be founde among the wordes of god noz his ſonne Chriſt. really, carnally, naturally, and other termes of trāſubſtāciaſiō, biſides other wraſted gloſes. That the cup is not the newe teſtamēt, but the whole bod… fleſh and bones as wel as it is in the bread, and ſuch like But by your ſtraite ſlightes and ſubtile interpretaſiōs, it may be percey…ed, that theſe word… are ſuch as folowe.
Somtime againe, the wordes be ſuche and ſo placed, that they bring not theyr meanyng Wincheſters wordes.ſtraight wyth thē in the ſame lyght: but more darkely and as it were hyd vnderunder the words
Your ſcripture Humiliauit, heſpethe to The anſwer.fyll your boke, more ouer you ſaye.
When we reade of Chriſt, that he ſayed hym ſelfe, I am a waye, I am a dore, I am a Wincheſters wordes.vpne: here ſhould the meanynge be callid for and here ſhould good men ſay, theſe wordes muſt be taken as Chriſt ment them, For the meaning is hyden and apeareth not ſtraight wyth the wordes, which be ſuche as in their cōmune knowne ſens? be not ſpokē of Chriſt but by a ſimilitude, and in an other meaning as the circūſtances of the place do declare b… which circumſtaunces, the wordes varie frō theyr cōmune ſignificacion.
So likewiſe muſt we like good men: call The anſwer.for the meanynge of theſe wordes (Thys is my bodie, This cuppe is the newe teſtament) ſeynge we know perfectly that in the …ōmune ſeus and ſignificatiō: nether the bred is Chriſtes bodie, nor the cup the newe teſtament. And ſeynge that we hauehave ſo iuſt occaſion offered of the circumſtances: Firſt let vsus loke what Chriſt did intende at his laſt ſupper when he ſpake the…e wordes. Truly his intent was to admoniſhe his diſciples, that all the olde ſacrifices of the olde teſtamente (which wer but ſhadowes) ſhoulde in thys onelyonly offeringe of hys bodie vponupon the croſſe: hauehave an ende, as he him ſelfe ſayeth vntounto thē Luke. xxii.before he goeth from ſupper. The thynges that wer of me hauehave an end, according to the pſalme. Sacrifice and oblatiō thou wouldeſt Pſalme. xxx…not: but a bodie thou haſt ordeyned me. And alſo to arme them wyth cōfortable wordes a gainſt the daingers that were at hand, boeth of hys betraynge by hym that did eat of the ſame dyſhe wyth hym ſelfe: and of hys death and departynge forth of the world as appeareth in all the Euaugeliſtes, but eſpecialli in Iohn the. xiii. xiiii. xv. xvi. xvii. Chapi.
I beſech al chriſten herts to marke the circumſtāces, and iudge whither they do leade Chriſt ſaieth in the. xxi. of Luke. Wyth gret deſyre hauehave I deſiered to eate this paſſeouer wyth you before I ſuffer. Chriſt ioyneth together, this olde ſacrifice of the paſſeouer, and the geuyng of hys bodie in this only ceremonie. Wherfor, we may not part them in ſearchinge the meanynge of hys worke and wordes: ſeinge that, he hym ſelfe coupled thē to gether, bothe in dede and ſpeache.
We muſt therfore cōſider and marke, how and after what maner Chriſte and his diſciples are named to eate the paſſeouer: when they eate the lambe onelyonly, which was onelyonly the ſigne or remēbraunce of the paſſouer. In the paſſeouer, they gaue thankes for theyr deliueraunce, whē the Egyptiās and the kinges ſeede were ſlayne. In this ſacramēt thā kes are gyuē that the ſonne of the high king is ſlayn for the ſaluatiō of the worlde.
The lambe and the feaſt itſelfe are called The lambe is called the paſſeouer.the paſſeouer. The one was but a ſigne, the other was but the remēbraūce of the paſſing angell. So lykewiſe this breade or ſacramēt is callyd the bodie of Chriſt, when it is but the remēbraunce and thankes geuynge, for the death which Chriſt ſuffered in hys bodie The cupe alſo he calleth the newe teſtamēt in his bloude, where the bloud of the lambe ſprynkled vpō the poſtes was but a ſhadow of the old teſtamēt and a token to the angell of godes fauour. And thys bloude of our ſauiour Chriſt is a cōfirmaciō and eſtabliſhemēt of his teſtamēt, as both the epiſtle to the galathians and the Hebrues do witneſſe. and the teſtamēt ſo lōg before promiſed was this
I wylbe theyr God and they ſhall be my Iherem. xxiiii …. v…i. Exod. xiii.people. Agayne, In the boke of Exodi, he cō maundeth them to tel theyr chyldren of that greate benifite.
So now when they ſhal no leuger ſpeake of theyr delyueraūce forth of Egypt, but of a far greater deliueraunce from all the infernall powres by hys death. He cōmaundeth them to do thys in the remēbraunce of hym. Thus he goynge from the olde teſtamēt to the newe, from the olde paſſeouer in ſhadow to the bodie whyche is Chriſt our paſſeouer i. Corh. v.off…ed for vsus (as Paul ſayeth) vſeth the ſame phraſe in ſpeakynge. And after that he had eaten thys paſſeouer whiche he deſiered ſo greatly, he preached of hys betrayeing and departeynge, ſaiynge. The ſonne of man muſt go as it it wrytē. But woe vntounto that man by whō he is betrayed. It had bē better for hym that he had neuer ben borne.
This text may ſomwhat make for the declaracion that Iudas, though he were par Iudas dyd not eate the bodie of chriſttakare of the ſame breade and cupe: yet he did not eate the fleaſhe and bloude of Ieſus Chriſt which he muſt neades hauehave done, if the thynges had ben chaunged, and therfore hauehave had euerlaſteynge lyfe, as it is ſayd in Iohn the vi. cha. Who ſo eateth my fleaſh. &c ſo that he had ben happye that euer he was borne. The moſt parte of the long… ſermone that Iohn reherſeth, is concernynge hys departyng from his diſciples, where as after your doctryne) he mygh hauehave cōforted them wyth one worde, ſayeinge. I wyl not depart frō you, but wilbe inuiſeble wyth you vntounto the worldes ende in a litle cake. But he ſayth plainely that he muſt go from thē, and that he will no more drincke of that fruite of the vine, vntounto he dryncke it newe agayne in the kingdome of his father wher he manifeſtly Mathe. xx. vicalleth it the fruite of the vine euen after the cōſecraſion (as you cal it) and that the verye ſame thing that you cal the bloude, the bodi, the fleſhe and altogether. Chriſt ſaieth thys is my bodie. You marke no circūſtaūces, but Luke. xxii.adde her unto, realli, naturallie, carnalli chriſt ſayeth do thys in the remembraunce of me. You ſaye, Naie, we will make a litle cake to be Chriſt God and man. Chriſt ſaieth, thys is the cup of the newe teſtament in …bloud You ſaye Naye we wil make. ii. ſponeful of wyne, whole Chriſt, bodie, bloud and bones Iohn. …iii.Loke your Eſtatute of. vi. Articles, Chriſte ſaith, my litle children, yet a litle while am I with you. The papiſtes do ſaie, we hauehave him heare ſtil. Chriſt ſaieth, you ſhal ſeke me, but you can not come to me. The papiſtes d… ſaye thei make hym and hauehave hym in there hāds, ther maiſt thou ſeke him. But I beleue thou canſt not find him there, for Chriſt did M…. xxiiiigeue warneinge alitle before hys death, that ther ſhould ariſe falſe Chriſts and falſe prophetes to deceiue the elect (if it wer poſſible) with falſe miracles and wonders. Thei ſhal …. …o hear is Chriſt and ther is Chriſt But beleue them not (ſaith Chriſt) for lyke as the lightning cometh frō the eaſt, and appeareth vntounto the weſte: ſo ſhal the comeinge agayne Iohn. x…of the ſonne of man. Let not your herte be troubled, beleue in God, and beleue in me. I go to prepare you a place, and thoughe I go yet I wyll come agayne and take you vntounto me. The papiſtes ſaye, beleue in the breade that we hauehave cōſcerated, for it is boeth God and mā. Chriſt ſhal not go awaye. We wyl hauehave it ſo that euerie ſhauelinge ſhall ma…e him a place in a rounde cake and breake one pice of him into the chalice and drinke it and rate the reſidue drie. I am the waie, the truth the life (ſaieth Chriſt) no man cometh to the father but bi me. Yes marie, …aith the biſhop of Wincheſter (bringeing in the blind leſſōs of Damaſcen, concerninge the worſhipeinge of Image…) by the interceſſione of ſaintes come we to God. And by the ſacrament of the a…tare are we made partetakers of the god heade of Ieſu Chriſte.
Chriſt goinge frō the erth ſaith (for the c… forte of his diſciples) what ſoeuer ye aſke in my name, I wil do it. But the papiſtes wyll hauehave vsus aſ…e in the name of other, and by the praier of ſaintes do they promiſe many ver… ▪ but wythout any worde of ſcripture, and therfore ought we not to beleue them. Chriſt promiſeth none other cōforter but the ſpirite of trueth whiche ſhall dwell with vsus for euer. The papiſtes promiſe comfortin al deade creatures.
Again Let not your hert be troubled (ſayth Chriſt) nor be ye afraied thoughe I go: I do leane my peaſe wyth you, I geue you my peace. Not as the world geueth, do I geue it vntounto you. Well ſaye the papiſtes If thou ſaye that Chriſt is gone: thou ſhalt hauehave little peace among us, kepe the peace of Chriſt as wel as thou canſt. For we hauehave him whē we luſte, bodielie, reallie naturallye, carnally, preſent. But O you papiſtes, all your wordes ende in a lie. For Chriſte ſaieth, You My Lordes wordes ende in lye.hauehave hearde that I hauehave ſaid vntounto you I goe and come agayne to you. And if you loued me ſuerli you woulde reioyce: that I ſayed, I goe vntounto my father. You papiſtes (I ſaye) do ye not beleue that Chriſte died, did ryſe agayne, aſcended into heauen and ther ſitteth at the ryght hand of the father bodilie, really naturally, carually, that is to ſaye in plaine eugliſhe, in bodye: in ſubſtance as he was a natural man and verie fleſh taken of the virgyne Marie? If you did beleiue this thynge you woulde reioice that man is ſo highly exalted, that oure kinde is ſo far aboue, the angelles auaunced that we hauehave our biſhoppe not in the erth but in the heauēs, not offering ofte tymes for our ſinnes (which were imperfection) but once for al makinge perfecte for euer, ſo many as by hym wyll go vntounto the father.
Agayne Chriſte ſayeth. I am the verie Chriſt is the verie vyne.vyne, and my father is the houſbande man▪ I am the vyne, and you are the braunches. And continuinge in theſe parables (whiche he accuſtomed his ſpeache vntounto in al his ſermons, and nowe moſte ſpecially towardes his death) he opened his miſtèries, for to rauiſhe the myndes of his diſciples, that he myghte prynte them the better in their memorie, and contrariwyſe that the wycked ſhoulde heare wyth their eares and not vnderſtande, ſee wyth their eyes and not perceyue, as Chriſte alledgeth out of the. vi. of Eſaie: in the. xiii. of Math.
Thus is the highe wyſdome of God, alwayes vſed from the begynnyng. In Moyſes wyth his figures. In Solomon with his Prouerbes. And ryghte ſo in all the ſcriptures, to the intent that the preciouſe Margarite ſhoulde not be caſte to the hogges. He wonderfully enſtructed his diſciples of his departyng. Sometyme in parabbles, ſo… tyme wythout parables, in thys and the. ii. chapters folowing. Wheras he might hauehave conforted them ſubſtancially …t one worde (as you teache) if he had ſayed. I wyl not go from you, for alwayes when you wyll hauehave me, do onelyonly blowe theſe. iiii. wordes (this i… my body) ouer a litle breade, and you ſhall hauehave me ſtraighte wayes at hande. But oh blynde guides, Chriſte telleth you, that the fleſhe profiteth nothynge, though you hauehave it Iohn. vi.preſent, as the Iewes, Iudas, and the biſhoppes had. Yea though Iudas had eaten it (as you wryte that he dyd) in the ſupper. No though he had eaten hym alyue when he kyſſed Folio. x.and betrayed him. Though he had then eaten Chriſte, I ſaye, euen as he went on the grounde, whiche is the thynge that you do ſo ſore ſtryue about, that he muſt be eaten as he went on the earth, ſauyng onelyonly that thys muſte be done inuiſibly. Thoughe (as you ſay) he were thus eatē in fleſhe, Chriſt ſayth, the fleſhe profiteth nothyng at al. And where as you cal thys the chiefe holines and chiefe worſhippe: Chriſte ſayeth, his father ſeeketh ſuche worſhippers as wyll worſhippe hym in ſpirite and trueth, and not in the fleſhe, ſhadowes Iohn. iiii.and ceremonies.
Agayne Chriſte ſayeth, I dyd not ſpeake theſe thynges vntounto you from the beginning: becauſe I was wyth you. But you papiſtes wyl anſwer. So art thou preſent ſtyl, though thou be hid in a boxe or a litle breade. Chriſte ſayeth nowe do I go vntounto hym that ſent me, and I demaunde of you papiſtes: howe he went vntounto his father that ſent hym. Not the Deuyl, but the ſcripture and the angelles of God ſhall anſwere for you. Chriſte (after he Act. i.was ryſen frō death) gathered his Apoſtles together, and commaunded them to tarie at Hieruſalem, and to awayte for their confor…our, the holy ſpirite whom he had promiſed to ſende them when he departed in fleſhe frō the earth. And whilſe he ſpake thus vntounto thē: he was in the ſight of them all, taken vp, and a cloude couered hym. And whylſe they loked ſtedfaſtly vp into heauen beholdyng his goinge: beholde. ii. men ſtode by thē in white garmentes whiche ſayed. Ye men of Galeſee, why ſtande you gaſyng vp into heauen? Chriſt ſhall come agayne viſiblie as he went.Thys ſame Ieſus whiche is taken vp from you into heauen, ſhal ſo come as you hauehave ſeene hym go into heauen. He is gone none otherwyſe but in the fleſhe: his fleſhe therefore is not in the breade. When he cometh agayne, he ſhall come viſibly, euen as he went in the ſyght of them al, as the angelles wytnes. He is not therfore inuiſible in the bread. Nowe thys your opinion of his being vponupon the earth in the fleſhe, and ſufferyng of hym ſelfe to be hid in a litle boxe, and ſuch cakes, whereof an hundrede are ſcarſe worth one halfpeny: is to ſhamfull. There is no reuerence of God in his ſonne remaynynge i… your hertes. And therefore (as the Prophe… Oſee ſayeth) though God ſhewe the trueth of his lawe neuer ſo often vntounto you: yet do you take it but for a ſtraung doctrine. Wheras they do ſacrifice (ſayth the Prophete offeryng the fleſhe and eatyng it: the Lorde wyll hauehave no pleaſure therin, but wyll remembre their wickedneſſe, and puniſhe their ſynnes. Iſraell woulde turne agayne into Egypte to the fleſhe pottes. They put fleſhe theyr Exod. xvi.arme, which is ment by ſeekinge to Egypte. In many places of the kynges alſo. Yea alwayes, both in figures and open wordes, the Deut. xvii.folowyng of the fleſhe and outward holines (whiche is communely voied of the ſpirite) is ſore rebuked & greuouſly puniſhed. Therfore addeth the prophete. They hauehave forgotten hym that made them, they buylde churches and Iuda maketh many ſtronge bulworkes. I wil therfore ſende a fyre into their cities, and it ſhall conſume their palaices.
Agayne ſayeth Oſe. As for the Prophete Oſe. ix.you holde hym a fole, a…d hym that is ryche in the ſpirite for a madde man. So greate is your wickedneſſe. Fleſhe you are, fleſhe you ſeeke, voied and deſtitute altogether of the ſpirite of God, the onelyonly authour of al truth and vnfeyned holines.
Chriſte ſayeth, I tell you truth it is profitable to you that I go, for if I do not go frō you: the ſpirite of conforte can not come vntounto you. But if I go, I ſhall ſende hym vntounto you. Theſe wordes were fyrſte proued true in the Apoſtles, whiche were conforted by the ſpirite after theyr mournyng for the bobily abſence of theyr maiſter. And nowe alſo doth it appeare true in you papiſtes, that the liuely cōfort of the ſpirite is …mally felt or regarded amōgeſt you, whilſe you thinke your ſelues to hauehave Chriſte bodily amonge you.
Agayne, Chriſte ſayeth vntounto his father. Iohn. xvii.Thys is euerlaſtynge lyfe to knowe the onelyonly the true God, and whom thou hoſte ſent Ieſu Chriſte. You ſaye & is euerlaſtyng lyfe and the chiefe miſterie of our religion, to knowe thys cake to be a God, to knowe the wyne to be a whole Chriſte, God and man, where all faythfull hertes muſte needes confeſſe that it is no god, nor cā be god, what ſo euer is made with mans hande. For both the thinge that is made (as the boke of wiſedom telleth) is inferiour to the man that made it: and becauſe mā him ſelfe is mortal, the thing that he maketh cā not be god immortall. But I knowe your anſwere. The prieſt maketh it by the worde of God. I anſwere you agayne. We can neither ſee nor perceyue any maner of thynge there, but onelyonly the breade that is made by the hande of the bakar, and therfore made and facioned by the handes of man, who hath but a borowed ſpirite, and vnhappie are they, and amonge the deade is Sapi. xiii.theyr hope: that call them Gods whiche are the workes of mens handes. Thys is the errour of mannes lyfe, when men aſcribe vntounto ſtockes and ſtones and other vile creatures, the name of God, whiche ought to be gyuen vntounto no creature.
Yea they are twiſe vnhappy and accurſed that do hereby make the creature abominable: alſo depriue the creatoure and maker of all: of his dewe honoure. But marke agayne that whiche Chriſt ſayth in the ſame chapter Iohn. xvij.of Iohn Nowe am I not in the worlde, and theſe are in the worlde, and I come to the O father. Saue them (euē for thy names ſake) whom thou haſte gyuen vntounto me, that lyke as we are one, ſo they may be one alſo. Whē I was in the worlde, I dyd kepe them in thy name.
So often it is ſayed, that Chriſte is gone furth of the worlde. that he is not in the worlde. If he were here God and man what needeth theſe thynges to be ſo of… rehearſed? What needeth the cōfort of the ſpirite to be alwayes appointed & ſet furth, and neuer once named for theyr cōforte, that they ſhould hauehave Chriſte preſēt with them ſo ofte as they luſte to whiſper a fewe wordes ouer a piece of breade:
Theſe thinges hauehave you occaſioned me to ſpeake, by the naming of the circūſtāces. For thei are ſpokē in cōtinual courſe after the ſupper was done, vntounto the tyme that Iudas came to betraye hym. And I ſuppoſe you hauehave no one place of ſcripture, that hath ſo many circumſtances to declare it (not to be ſpoken as the wordes ſeme) as thys hath.
As … Theophilactus, maketh rather with vsus thē againſt vsus, for he ſeeketh the meanynge by circumſtances and ſtycketh to the wordes, in theyr commune ſenſes, but we wyll not contende aboute trifles.
Sōtime they preach and ſōtime they write Wincheſters, wordes.to the vnlearned on this wiſe. Chriſtes wordes be true when he ſayed this is my body. But as he ment thē For ſo he ſaied he was awai, he was a vine, he was a dore, but he was not a natural vine, he was no ſuche way as mē walke in, no ſuch dore as mē do cōmonly enter into: but only a ſēblan̄ce of al theſe, becauſe he is our way to heauē, our dore to enter into lyfe, oure vineſtocke in whom we as braunches be nouriſhed & kept in life. And ſo likewiſe, whē Chriſt ſayeth this is my body: he meaneth only, that it is a reſēblaunce, a figure, a tokē, a ſigne of his body. etc.
Theſe wordes cā you reproue none other The anſwer.wiſe, but the Deuil ſaith, & ſo might a yonge ſophiſter confute all your boke at one worde & truly ſay, that the Deuil ſayth it. But it is mere ſophiſtry (you ſay) for in thoſe other places, the mattier ſheweth that they be ſpokē in parable. And why doth not the mattier ſhew the ſame here? I pray you, becauſe you do ſay ſo, or becauſe your father of Rome and his doctours dyd teache ſo euer ſence he ga…e the primamacie and vpper hāde of kinges & emperours theſe. viii. C. yeres, as you name it. If the preſumption of longe tyme be a ſufficiēt argumēt againſt the truth: thē cal againe the Pope, the worſhipping of images begon in Babilon ſettinge vp the Image of Belus and continued alwayes in ſome corner of the worlde vntounto this day. But nowe you thinke you hauehave hit the nayle on the heade, and you wery your ſelfe longe about thys mattier.
Chriſt ſpake ſōtime in parables, but therfore Wincheſters wordes.we maye not ſay that he ſpake alwayes in parables.
You neuer harde vsus thus reaſon frō the The anſwer.particuler to the vniuerſall propoſition. But we being taught by the circumſtances of the place and by the whole courſe of ſcripture, of the bodily departing of Chriſt, and of the ſpiritual eatyng of his body: do lykewyſe open this text (this is my bodie) by playne textes both of the old and new teſtamēt, where one thing is named to be the thing which it only repreſenteth in figure & ſhadowe, as are theſe in the olde teſtamēt. The. vii. fat oxē, are. vii. yeres of plētie, and the. vii. leaneones, are. vii Gen. xli.yeres of ſcarſitie. Alſo the ſacrifices are called the ſinnes of the people. The red heyfer, is the ſynne. The prieſt eateth the ſynne of the people. It is the paſſeouer of the Lorde. The circumſition is called the couenaunte. Exod. xii. i. Corh. x. Marh. xi.And ſuch lyke. In the newe teſtamente. The ſtone was Chriſte. Thys is Helias. And by wordes ſpoken of the ſame ſacrament at th… ſame time. This cup is the newe teſtament, which you muſt needes graunt to be ſpoken in parable and figure.
But marke the mattier wythout malice. We maye not nor wyll not ſaye, that Chriſt dyd ſpeake alwayes in parables. No more maye you ſaye that Chriſte doth not ſpeake here in a parable, onleſſe you can proue it to be trewe, by ſome other meanes then your owne wordes & wrytinges, which are theſe.
Eſt ſignifieth beinge, and the learned can Wincheſters wordes.not be deceiued, good men can not be moued.
Thus bringe you in falſe interpretations The anſwer.of your owne faynynge to make the mattier odious. As thoughe any of vsus at any tyme (out of place) did deny the name of Chriſt to hauehave his owne euident ſignification of Chriſtes owne perſon. But your malice and the Deuyl (whom you name ſo often) blyndeth you, and couetiſe leadeth you captiue.
I coulde anſwere Ciprian with an other of your doctours, but as I tolde you in the begynnynge (and as Paule affirmeth) oure fayth may hauehave his foundation, onelyonly on the Rom. x.hearynge of the worde of God, without the which worde what ſo euer any doctour bringeth: we may not fay, aue vntounto it, nor receiue it, for feare leſte we be part takers of their yuel workes, and writinges. Let thē beware therefore, that affirme without the worde of God, that the breade is chaunged in nature, and that it is made fleſhe, cōtrarie to the ſcriptures, whiche teache that Chriſte is gone in Act. i. Iohn. xiiij. xv xvi. xvij.the fleſhe, and ſhal come agayne viſible as he went, cōtrary to fayth, whiche can ſeeke hym in no place, but where he hym ſelfe aſſigneth (that is to ſay) ſittinge at the righte hande of his father, tyll he hauehave made his enemie his Pſalm. C. Hebr. i.fote ſtole, yea cōtrary to reaſon and the commune iudgemente of the ſenſes, and therefore agaynſte all the knowledge that man can hauehave in thys worlde, folowyng ſo much their ſuperſtition and outwarde ſhewe of wyſedome, that they are deceyued in thinges open by nature vntounto their ſenſes.
Nowe whether of vsus are more lyke the Iohn. vi.Caparnites, we that profeſſe (wyth the Apoſtles) that Chriſte hath the wordes of lyfe, and do beleue and teache that his doctrine is not carnall, but ſpirituall, and his wordes ſpirite and lyfe: or you that carnallie and groſſelie do beleue that he muſte be eaten as he wente vponupon the earthe, fleſhe, bloude and bones, whyche the Caparnites dyd ſeeke for: and the carnall diſciples dyd flee from hym for the ſame. All chriſtian hertes and ſpirituall eyes, maye eaſilie iudge.
The Apoſtles ſittynge at the table, dyd The Apoſtles did not worſhip the Sacrament.not fall downe and worſhyppe thys breade, newlie made God, as you call it, whyche is an euident argumente that they had it in no ſuche eſtimation as you hauehave it. And that they made no demaunde or queſtian, (as they dyd at other tymes) of doubtes in Chriſtes ſpeakynge: maye be a token that they were vſed and exerciſed, wyth the familiar phraſe of ea…ynge Chriſte by fayth, and therefore was it comfortable to them to be taughte preſently in open ſignes, howe they ſhoulde euer after hauehave hym in remembraunce, in his abſence. That they had thys mattier in no admiration: is an euidente argumente that they dyd take it for no ſuche ſtraunge miracle, aboue all miracles (as you do make it) for the circumſtaūces, as we hauehave largely ſpoken before, and for the plaineneſſe of the wordes, we merueyle why you wyll darcke them wyth your termes of reallie, carnallie, and ſuche other. Why you …y…de gloſes, ſayinge. Thys is in the fourme, qualities, quantities, and accidentes of breade, and do not ſaye playnely, this breade is the bodie of Chriſt, God and man. This cuppe is the ſelfe ſame new teſtament that God dyd ſwere by him ſelfe he woulde perfourme vntounto Abraham.
And euen lyke as the …uppe is not the teſtament, The cup is not the newe teſtament.but the ſigne of the teſtament made before vntounto the fathers, and nowe perfourmed in the death of Chriſte the vnſpotted lambe: ſo thys breade whiche we ſee is not the fleſhe of Chriſte gyuen for the lyfe of the worlde. For then the worlde myghte hauehave bene ſaued, and the ſynnes done awaye by the offeryng of the bread longe before Chriſt …ad ſuffered. For you do moſte blaſphemouſlie teache, that the offeringe of the ſame breade doeth take awaye ſynnes, notwythſtandynge that Chriſte hath by his owne onelie ſufferynge, fullie ſatiſfied and taken them awaye. But to your wordes agayne.
I thinke it much better to pretermitte further Wincheſters wordes.occaſion of that myght be my prayſe, to expounde vntounto you the ſcriptures.
Byſhoppe Stephane. You neede very litle to feare thys mattier. For I neuer harde The anſwereman prayſe you, nor but fewe of your felowes for expoundynge of the ſcriptures. But for burnynge them I heare many men talke muche of you, and ſaye it is no me… ueyle thoughe you hate them, becauſe you were broughte vp in the Popes lawe, who in his moſte highe holyneſſe treadeth the holie worde of God vnderunder his wicked feete. In the bryngynge in of your greke authour, where you taunte them that louelove not your Popiſhe bablynge in the latine tonge, that no man vnderſtandeth, ſclaunderynge them that they louelove not the latine tonge (wherein no doubte they laboure more and are greater fartherers then you can or wyll be) it myghte ryghte well hauehave bene paſſed ouer wyth ſilence, if you had loued your owne honeſtie. For you and all the Popiſhe Prelates in the worlde, are not able to iuſtifie it, that you ſhoulde thus babble before the people in a tonge they do not vnderſtande, if we moghte be hearde wyth indifferent iuſtice. But you hauehave the worlde on your ſyde, becauſe you are of the worlde and the worlde loueth his owne. And the lyghte is comen into the worlde, but man Iohn. xv.loueth darckeneſſe more then the lyghte. It muſte needes be trewe that Chriſte oure maiſter ſayeth to the Prelates before your Iohn. iii.tyme. The worlde can not hate you, but me it hateth, becauſe I do wytueſſe of it that the worckes of it be euyll.Iohn. vii.