An Exhortation to the Carrying of Christs Cross, Chapter 6
The. 6. Chapter.
How gods worde teacheth of the ſupper, wyth confutacyon of the Papyſtes hereſie of trāſubſt. about the ſame.
COncernīg y• ſupper of our lorde, whych Chryſt Ieſus did inſtitute to bee a ſacrament of hys body & bloud, we beleue, that his wordes in the ſame ſupper accordingly are to be vnderſtande: that is, ſacramentally, as he mēt them, and not ſymply, contrarye to hys meanyng, as the papiſtes wreſt them.
And this is taught vsus, not only by innumerable ſuch lyke places, as where baptiſme is called Titus. ….regeneracyon beecauſe it is a ſacrament of it: circumciſion is called gods couenaunt, beecauſe it Gene. 17.is a ſacrament of it: but alſo by ye playne circumſtaunces of ye text, as therof the Euangeliſtes with Math. 26. Mark. 14.the Apoſtle S. Paule doe write playnly affirmyng, that our ſauyour Chryſt did geue, and hys diſciples did eate that, which he toke and brake, and bad them deuyde Luke. 22. 1. Cor. 10. 11among themſelues, that is, bred and wyne.
For we maye not thynke, that Chryſtes natural body was broken, nor that his bloud can be deuided. And playnly our ſauyour ſayth concernyng the cupp, that he woulde not drynke any more Math. 26. Marke. 14of the frute of the vyne (whyche is not hys bloud, I trowe, but wyne) vntyll he ſhoulde drynke it newe wyth them after hys reſurreccyon.
But to make this mater more playne: lyke as many thynges in Chryſts ſupper were figuratiuely Iohn. 13. Luke. 22done & ſpoken: as y• waſhig of the diſciples fete: y• paſchall lābe was called the paſſyon: Iudas was ſayd to hauehave lift vp his hele agaynſt hym: ſo doeth Luke and Paul playnly alter the wordes concernyng the cup, calling that the new teſtament, whych Matthew and marke cal hys bloude: yea expreſlye fyue tymes the Apoſtle calleth the ſacramente of Chryſts body, after y• cōſecraciō ſpoken (as they terme it) bred. Is not the bred which we breake (ſayeth he) the communyon of 1. Cor. 10. 11Chryſtes body:
Whoſe expoſicion I wil more boldly ſtycke vntounto, then vntounto all the papiſtes dreames, as long as I ſlepe not wyth them, by gods grace. They hauehave none other ſentence but theſe. 4. words: this is my body
But aſke thē what this, this, is, & they wil not ſaye as y• Apoſtle doth, namely that it is bread.
No, then they wyl ſay, that we hang all by reaſon, the mater beynge a mater of fayth: Wher as they themſelues altogether hang on reaſon, as though Chryſt can not be able to doe that, which he promiſeth (bred ſtil in ſubſtaūce remaynyng, as the Accidentes doe) except it be tranſubſtāciate. Is not thys, trow you, to make it a mater of reaſon, and to hedge gods power in within the limits of reaſon:
Yf Chryſtes wordes, that folowe (which is geuē for you) be to bee vnderſtande for whyche ſhalbe geuen or ſhalbe betrayed for you, and not ſo precyſelye as they be ſpoken (for that were to make Chryſt a lyar) why is it ſo hainous a mater with ye papiſts, becauſe we doe not ſo precyſelye take the wordes immedyatly goyng before: namelye, thys is my body, as to admitte, that if there be bred, then Chryſt is a lyar: Myght not we reaſon and ſaye then: if Chriſtes body at y• tyme was not betrayed (as in dede it was not) nor hys bloud ſhed, thē is Chryſt a lyar.
But here they wyll ſaye, all men may knowe, that Chryſt by the preſent tence, meante the future tence: and in the ſcrypture it is a moſt vſual thyng, ſo to take tence for tence.
And I praye you, why maye not we ſaye, that al menne maye know it is moſt common in ſcripture, to geue vntounto ſignes y• nams of the thynges, whych they ſignifye: And no man is ſo foolyſhe, but he knoweth, that Chryſt thē inſtituted a ſacrament, whole ſacramentally to be vnderſtande: that is, that the ſygne, or viſible ſacrament, ſhold hauehave not only y• name of the thing ſignified, but alſo ſome ſimilitude there with, or els it were no ſacrament.
But take bred awaye (as the papyſtes do) leauing there but the accidentes onelyonly, whych do not feede the bodye: and then what ſhallreſēble and repreſente vntounto vsus Chryſtes body, broken for the fode of the ſoule: As wyne com forteth the hart, ſo doth Chriſts bloud, ſhed on the croſſe, comfort the ſoule. But take wyne awaye by tranſubſtanciacy on, as the papyſtes doe, and tell me what ſimilitude remaineth: None at alſo no ſacrament at all: ſo Chriſts inſtitucion is taken away. Wel, doe theireiect gods commaundement Math. 15.for their tradicions ſake: Our fayth therefore is, that the ſupper of the lord is y• ſacrament of Chryſtes bodi & bloud. Theſe wordes (thys is my bodi, which is brokē for you: this is mi bloud of the new teſtament whyche is ſhed for your ſynnes) are moſte true words and plaine, accordig to Chriſtes meaning, to al them, whych doe as he byddeth them: that is, to all ſuche as take, eate and drynke.
Which wordes the papiſtes kepe in theyr purſe, or els theyr priuate maſſes could not ſtande. To ſuch, I ſay, as take and eate thys ſacramēt in ſorowinge for their ſynfullyfe paſt, and purpoſyng to amende, aboue al things remembryng and beleuyng, that Chryſtes bodye was broken for their ſynnes, and his bloud ſhed for their iniquities: all ſuche (I ſaye) as verely as they ſee, take, taiſt and eate bread, and drynke wyne, whyche goeth into theyr bodi, fedeth it and nouriſheth it: euen ſo verely the ſoule & ſpirite by fayth receaueth, not onelye Chryſtes bodye broken, or hys bloud ſhed (for the fleſhe profyteth Iohn. 6.nothyng, it is the ſprite that quickeneth, ſayth Chriſt) but euē whole Chryſte, into whom they are incorporate, and made one wyth hym, fleſhe of hys fleſhe, Eph. 5.and bone of hys bones.
That is to ſaye: as Chryſtes body is immortal and glorious, euen ſo are theirs now by fayth and hope, and at the daye of the Lord they ſhal be in very dede. Then whych thyng, what can be greater?
Thys we teache and beeleue concernyng thys ſacrament, dete ſtyng and abhorryng the horrible error of tranſubſtanciacion, whych maketh bread and wyne our God and Chryſte: and cauſeth men to be gaſers, gapers & worſhyppers, yea ydolators, rather then takers and eaters, as Chryſt cōmaundeth: and whiche maketh Chriſts ſacrifice of none effect, as now ſhalbe ſhewed by gods grace.
For thys ſhall ſuffyſe to the declaracyon of our faith, concerning the Lordes ſupper, whervnto agreeth the Catholik church and al the fathers.
As full well thou mayſt ſee in the byſhop of Canterburyes boke: whych is farre from being anſwered, eyther by the byſhop of Worceter his boke in engliſh, or Marcus. … C. in latyn, y• thou nedeſt nomore to confyrme thy fayth in thys mater, but to reade them wyth an indifferēt mynd, not beyng addict otherwyſe, thē to the deſyer of the trueth.
As for thys doctryne of tranſubſtanciacyon, it is a newe founde thyng about a. 600. yeares olde: euen then broughte oute, whan Gatā was lattē loſe after. a. 1000 Apo. 20.yeares, that was bounde. Euen then was it eſtablyſhed, whan there was more miſchefe among the prelates, ſpecially the pops, about the ſea of Rome, who cold catche it, then euer there was among the emperours for the empyre.
In the primitiue church, popes wer martird for Chriſts ſpouſes ſafe, that is the church: but now one poyſoned another, and one ſlew another, for ye roſe coloured Apo. 17. 18whore of babilōs ſafe, that is, y• popyſh churche. In. 160. yeares there was nere hand. 50. popes, wheras in no ſuch tyme therwer aboue. 33. emperours. And in the middes of this miſerable ſtate & tyme, thys doctryne of tranſubſtāciacion was the popes beginning, as they might hauehave ley ſure frō cōſpiring agaynſt prynces, & one agaynſt another, to eſtabliſh it, as the very principal pilloure of al their power: and no meruel. For, thys beyng admytted, then hauehave they power ouer Chryſte, the king of al kiges, y• he be wher they wyll, whan they wyl and aſlong as they wil vnderunder their power. Where throughe the other muſt nedes folow, y• if thei hauehave power ouer Chriſte and that in heauē, to brig him down at their pleaſure: Much more thē oueral earth, emperours, kigs, prices & people. Yea euē ouer ye deuil, purgatory and hel hauehave they full power and iuriſdiction, being now goddes in earth, whyche ſytte in the holy place euen as god, yea … Theſſa. 2.aboue God: to make what artycle of fayth ſhal pleaſe them, as they hauehave done thys of tranſubſtanciacion: whyche myghte aſwel be denied as graunted, ſaith Scotus ſuper. 4. ſētē. diſt. 11. Gabriel ſuper cā. miſ.Duns, one of their own doctors, and maſter Gabriel alſo, if it ſo pleaſed the holy father and his ſpouſe, the church of Rome. Before thys tyme, all the fathers diligence, labour and care was to call men to the receauynge of thys ſacrament, for the cōfirmacion of their fayth: that as verelye as they dyd eate bread and drynke wyne here, ſo ſhold they not doubt, but that by fayth thei did fede on the body of Chryſt, broken for theyr ſynnes, and on hys bloud, ſhed for their iniquytyes.
And therfore ſome times wold they call the ſacrament bread, a figure or a ſygne: ſome tyme would they call it the body and bloud of our ſauiour Ieſus chriſt as the nature of ſacramentes is, to be called with the name of the thynges, whyche they doe ſignifye: that there by mens myndes myght be wythdrawne from the conſyderacyon of ſenſyble and viſible thynges, to thynges heauenly, whych they doe ſygnyfye and repreſente.
And theyr care, and crying vntounto the people, was to receaue it: and therfore they made decrees, that ſuch, as woulde not receaue and be preſent, ſhould be ſparred out of the churche.
O how erneſt was Chryſoſtō herein: Reade hys. 61. homilye vntounto the people of Antioche. But after that thys decree and doctryne of tranſubſtanciacion came in, no crying out hath ther been to receaue it (no, that is the prerogatyue of the pryeſtes and ſhauen ſhorelynges) but altogether the ende of their crying out was, as now, to beleue tranſubſtanciacion, Chryſte to bee there fleſhe, bloud and bone, at euerye aulter, betwene euerye pryeſtes handes, yea in euerye pryeſtes mouth, whan it pleaſeth them, bee they neuer ſo ſtynkyng, fylthy ſodomites, adulterers, dron kardes, blaſphemers, dycers &c. The crying and teachyng of the cleargy cōtinually hath bene, to beeleue tranſubſtanciacion, and then to come to church to ſe their maker once a dai, to hold vp their handes, to knock on their breſts, to ſtreke theyr faces, to mutter vp theyr laten prayers, to tak holy water and holy bread, to lyue in obedyence to the holy father and holye churche, hys ſpouſe. Thys was all they required.
Drinke, dice, carde, fight, ſwere, ſteale, lye: no mater, ſo that in y• mornyng they ſee theyr God, all is well, good catholyke people, no man ſhall hurt them or perſecute them.
But if any man ſhold not alowe nor worſhippe this god of theyr makig, although he lyued a moſt godly life, and were a man ful of charitie, ſobrietye and very religious: Oh ſuch is an heretike or ſchiſmatyke. Nothynge coulde pleaſe theſe wolfes, but euen the bloud and lyfe of ſuche a poore ſhepe: as men hauehave felte beefore, and now begynne to fele.
Let al the packe of them burden thoſe iuſtlye, whom nowe they impriſon and cauſe to flye the realme, of any other thynge, then onelye of this, that we wyll not ſerue their god of bread & wyne. And then wyll we ſuffer ſhame. But I hauehave bene to long herein. Now to our doctryne and belef, for the ſecond poynt, concerning Chryſtes ſacryfice.