The Supper of the Lord, Part 2
¶whan the iwes wolde not vnderstande this spirituall sayng of the eti…ge of Cristis flesshe and drynkinge of his blood, so oft and so playnely declared: he gaue them a stronge strype and made them more blynde, for thei so deserued it (siche are the secret iudgements of god) addinge vntounto all his s…yngis thus. who so e…e my flesshe and drynke my blode: abydeth in me and I in him. These wordis were spokē vntounto these vnbeleuers into theyr farther obstinacion, but vntounto the faythfull for theyr better instruccion. Now gather of this the contrary. and saye, whoso eteth not my flesshe and drinketh not my bloode: a bydeth not in me, nor I in him, and ioyn this to that forsayd sentence E…cept ye eat the flesshe of the sonne of man, and drynke his bloode,…bac. 2. ye hauehave no lyfe in you, let it neuer fal fro thy mynde Christen reder, that faythe is the lyfe of the ryghtwyse, & that Christe is this lyuynge bred whome thou etest that is to saye, in whom thou beleuest. For yf our papistis take eting & drinking here bodely, as to eate the naturall body of Criste vnderunder the form of brede and to drinke his bloode vnderunder the forme of wyne: then muste al yong… chyldren that neuer came at Godes borde departed, and all laye mē that neuer dranke hys blode be dampned… …. Ioh. 4.By louelove we abyde in God and he in vsus… louelove foloweth fayth in the ordyr of our vnderstandinge and not in order of succession of tyme, yf thou lokest vponupon the selfe giftis and not of their fruites. So that princypally by faythe wherby we cleue to gods goodnes and mercy, we abyde in God, and God in vsus, as declare his wordis folowing, sayng, as the lyuing father sent me, so lyue I by my father. And euen so he that eatethe shall lyue because of me, or for my sake. My father sent me whose wyl in all thynges I obaye, for I am his sonne. And euē so verely muste they that e…e me, that is beleue in me, forme and fasshion them aftir my ensample mortifyng their flesshe and changyng theyr lyuynge: olers thei eat my in vayne and dessēble theyr beleif. For I am not comen to redeme the worlde onelyonly, but also to change theyr lyfe. They therfore that beleue in me shall transforme theyr lyfe aftyr my example and doctryne,Cristen lygion… fayth, a… a lyfe c…respōde… and not aftyr any mannys tradicions. This is the brede to men frome heuen, as theffecte selfe declareth, whom whoso eteth shall lyue euer. But he that e…th bodely brede lyueth not euer, as ye may se of your fathers that e it Manna, and yet ar they dede. It is not therfore no materiall brede nor bodely food that may geue you lyfe eternall.
¶These wordis did not onelyonly offende them that hated Cryst, but also some of hys discyples (they where offended sayd the texte and not merueled as, More tryfleth oute the trouth) whyche sayd Thys is an harde sayng. who maye here thys? These discyples yet stoke no lesse in Crystis visyble flesshe, and in the barke of hys wordis, thē did the other iwes: & as do now More, belyuyng hym to hauehave had spoken of hys naturall body to be eatē wyth their tethe. whyche offence Chryst seyng, sayd: Do thys offende ye? what then wyll ye saye, if ye se the sone of man ascende thyther wher he was before? If it offende ye to ete my flesshe whyle I am here, it shall myche more offende ye to ete it whan me body shalbe gone oute of your syght ascēded into heuen there syttyng on the ryght honde of my father vntyll I come ageyn as I went, that is to iugement. Here myght Cryst hauehave enstructed hys disciples the trouthe af the etinge of hys flesshe in forme of brede, had thys bē his meaninge. For he left thē …euer in any perplexite or doute: but sought all the wayes by similitudes and familiare examples to teche thes playnely. He neuer spake them so harde a parable, but where he perceyued their feble ignorance, a non he helpt them and declared it them. ye & some tymes, he preuented theire askinge with his owne declaration, and thinke ye not that he did not so here? yisse verelye. For he cam to teche vsus, and not to leue vsus in any doute and ignorance, especially in the chefe poynt of our saluacion, whiche standethe in the beleif in his dethe for our synnes. Wher for, to put them out of all dout as concerning this etinge of hys flesshe, and drinkinge of his blood, that shulde geue euerlastinge lyfe: where thei toke it for his very body to be eten with their tethe: he sayd, It is the spirit that geueth this lyfe, My flesshe profiteth nothing at all, to be eten as ye mean so carnally. It is spirituall meat that I here speke of. It is my spirit that draweth the hertis of men to me by faith and so refressheth them gostely, ye be therfore carnall to thinke that I, speke of my flesshe to be eten bodely, for so it profitethe you nothing at al. How longe wyl ye be without vnderstandinge? It is my spirit I tell you that geueth lyfe, My fleshe profiteth you nothinge to eat it: but to beleue that it shalbe crucifyed and suffer for the redempcion of the worlde it profyteth, And when ye thus beleue, then ete ye my flesshe & drinke my blood, that is ye beleue in me to suffer for your synnes. The verite hathe spokē these wordis My flesshe profiteth nothing at all: it cannot therfore be false. For bothe the iwes and his disciples murmured and disputed of his flesshe how it shulde be eaten, and not of the offering therof for our synnes as cryste mēt. This therfore is the suer ancor to holde vsus by agenst all the obieccions of the papists for the eting of Cristes bodye as they say in forme of breade. Cryste sayd My flesshe profyteth nothing: meaning to ete it bodely. This is the keye that solueth all their argumentis & openeth the waye to shew vsus al their false and abominable blasphemous lyes vponupon Cristis wordis, & vttereth their sleighe iuggelynge ouer the brede to mayntayn anticrystes kyngdom ther with. And thus when Criste had declared it and taught them that it was not the bodely eatinge of his material body: but the eating with the spirit of faithe: he added sayng. The wordis which I here speke vntounto you ar spirit, and lyfe. that is to saye, this mater that I here hauehave spoken of with so many words must be spiritually vnderstāden to gyue ye this lyfe euerlasting. wherfore the cause why ye vnderstande me not is. that ye beleue not. Here is lo the conclusion of all this sermon. Cryste very God and man, had set his flesshe before them to be receyued with faithe that it shuld be broken and suffer for their synnes, but thei coulde not ete it spiritually because they beleue not in him. wherefore many of his disciples fill from him and walked nomore with him. And then he sayd to the twelue. wyll ye go a waye to? And Symon Peter answerde: Lorde, to whom shall we go? Thou haste the wordis of euerlastinge lyfe, and we beleue, and a… suer, that thou art Cryst the sonne of the lyuynge god. Here is it manifest what peter & hys felowes vnderstode by this etinge & drynkinge of Cryste. for they were perfitly taught that it stode all in the beleif in Cryste as their answer her… testifieth. If this mater had stode vponupon so depe a myracle, as out papist is fayne with out… any worde of god, not comprehended vnderunder any of their comon sensis, that they shuld eat his bodye beynge vnderunder the fourme of bred as longe, depe thycke and as brode as it hanged vponupon the crosse, thei beyng yet but feble of fayth not confirmed with the holy goste, muste here nedis hauehave wondred, stonned and staggerd, and hauehave ben more inquisy…yue, and of so strange a mater then they were. But thei nether douted nor marueled, nor murmured, nor nothyng offended withe this maner of spethe, as were the other that slipte awaye, but they answerde fermely. Thou haste the wordis of euerlastynge lyfe: and we beleue &c. Now to the exposicon of the wordis of oure lordis souper.