An Exhortation to the Carrying of Christs Cross, Chapter 10
The. 10. Chapter.
The popiſhe doctryne of the ſacrament confuted more largelye.
FIrſte, where they alledge the Catholyke churche to hauehave taughte, concernynge the ſupper, the doctryne of trāſubſtāciaciō of Chriſts real and carnall preſence: dearly beloued, know that this is a manifeſt lie. For as the Catholyke church neuer knew of it for. 900 yeares at the leaſt, after Chriſts aſcenſion: ſo after that tyme, no Tranſubſtancyacyō is a newe doctryne.other churche did obſtynatlye defende, cruelly mayntayne, and wylfullye wreſte the ſcriptures and doctors for the eſtablyſhing of it, ſaue onli the popiſh church, as theyr owne doctors, Duns and Gabriel, doe teache. Reade the byſhoppe of Canterburyes booke agaynſte Wincheſter, and ſee.
Where as they ſaye, that Chriſte in hys ſupper, by takyng bread & ſpeakynge the wordes of conſecracyon, dyd make it hys fleſhe, accordig to hys promes in Iohn Iohn. 6.(whan he ſaith: and ye bread, y• I wil geue, is my fleſh &c) ſo y• thei wold therbi ſeme to hauehave. 2. places of Scripture for thys theyr doctryne of tranſubſtanciacyon and reall or carnall preſence: Although diuerſly I cold improue this, yet for becauſe I wold not be ouer tedious vntounto you, euen by the ſame their ſētence you ſhal ſe, how lernedly they lye.
The ſentence is this: And the bred, that I wil geue, is mi fleſh, whiche I wyl geue for the lyfe of the world. Firſt marke, that he ſaieth: the bread is my fleſh. He ſayth not: ſhalbe my fleſh, but it is my fleſhe.
Thys I trowe maketh agaiſt them. For the ſacrament a yeare after at the leſt was not inſtitut. Agayne, he ſaith: that the bread is his fleſh, whiche he wyll geue for the lyfe of the world.
Here woulde I aſke them, whee there Chryſtes death was for y• life of the world, or in vayne. If they ſay, it was for the life of the world, then why doe they apply and geue it to the ſacrament? Was it crucifyed? Or if it be the ſame ſacrifice (for ſo they ſaye) eyther it was effectuall, or not. If it was effectual, then Chriſts death neded not.
If it was not effectuall, then Chryſt was not god, and could not doe that he woulde: thus ye maye ſee their vngodly foolyſh: nes, or foolyſhe vngodlyneſſe, I can not tell whyche to cal it wel.
Where as they require the in tente of the prieſte, to conſecrate Of the prieſtes in tente.Chryſtes bodye: for aſmuche as we knowe not any mans intent, (god only knoweth the hart) yea the wordes we know not, thei ar ſo ſpokē in hucker mucker: I pray you, into what a doubtfulneſſe are we brought, whether it be y• ſacrament or no? In what perill are we of worſhipping a pece of bred for our Chryſt? Is not this (trowe you) ſwete and comfortable geer, y• a man ſhall alwayes ſtand in doubt, whether he hauehave receaued the ſacramente or no? Where as they wil hauehave it bred to the eye, and not to the mouth, iudge thē whether a dogge may not eate Chryſtes bodye: iudge whether the deuyll, if he would come in the likneſſe of a pryeſte, might not ſwalow vp Chryſte & ſo brig him into hel. Frō whēce, beecauſe there is no redempcion there, Chriſtes body ſhoulde neuer come, but be damned. Iudge whether the taiſt of thy mouth, is not as much to be credited, as the ſight of the eye: ſpecially in y• the ſcripture ſo often calleth it bred after ye conſecracyon, as before I hauehave ſhewed. Iudge whether Chryſtes body be not verye prety, that it can lye in ſo litle a rowme. Iudge whether Chryſte hath moo bodies then one, when perchāunce the prieſt hath. 20. or 100. before hym. Iudge whether the prieſte breake not Chryſtes bodye in breakynge of it. Iudge whether it bee ſemelye, to chawe Chryſtes body, wyth the teeth. Iudge whether Chriſt did eate hys owne bodye, yea or no: for Chryſt did eate the ſacrament wt hys diſciples. Iudge whether it be ſemely, that Chryſt ſhould be kept ſo in priſon, as thei kep him. Iudge whether it be ſemeli, that Chryſtes body ſhould be ſo dyn dle danled, & vſed, as thei vſe it. Iudge whether y• people knockig and knelynge at the eleuacion of that they ſee (for they ſee but the formes of bred & wyne, and not Chryſtes bodye, if it bee as the Papyſtes feyne) iudge, I ſaye, whether the people, by the papyſtes owne doctryne, bee not made ydolatours.
Many moo abſurdities ther be, whyche I purpoſiye omytte. Thys lytle is inough, hereby to geue you occaſyon to knowe the more.
Where they ſaye, that ye bred is made Chryſtes bodye, fleſhe, bloud &c. That is: that Chriſtes body is made of the bred: As the Byſhopp of Wyncheſter, in his boke for thys mater of the deuils ſophiſtie, and els where doeth affirme: You may ſe; how ſhame leſlye, yea blaſphemouſlye they ſpeake.
For Chryſtes body crucified was borne of the virgin Mary: euen of her ſubſtaunce. But thei ſaye, the ſupper is that bodye, which was crucified. Nowe, I trowe, bread is one thynge, and the virgins fleſhe another thing. Therefore in dede they denye Chryſt in the fleſh, that thei may ſtabliſh their Chryſt in the bred: whych is the very note of Antichriſt.
Laſt of al, where as thei ſay, that they receaue the ſacrament to damnacion, whych doe not be leue their tranſubſtanciacyon: If wyth Paul their wordes wer conferred, you ſhoulde ſee otherwiſe.
For he ſayeth: they receaue this bread (for ſo he calleth it after the wordes of conſecracyon) vnworthely, whyche doe not eſteme Chryſtes body.
As in dede the papyſtes do not, whych woulde brynge Chryſte down out of heauen, for theues and whores to chawe and eate, for mothes, to corrupt, and to be in daunger of mowlynge: as yf thei kepe their hoſtes lōg indede thei wil moulde, and then wyll they burne thē. Doe theſe menne (trow you) eſteme Chryſtes body: Paul playnly ſheweth in y• ſame place, that ye wycked man, whiche receaueth y• ſacrament vn worthely, eateth not Chryſts body, but his own dānaciō: which, I trow, be not Chriſtes bodye. And this ſhal ſerue for this time to ſhew you how ſhameles, fylthy & abominable this their doctrine of tranſubſtanciacion is. If in ſo ſhort a ſūme of their doctrine there be ſo many abominacions, I pray you, howe much is in the whole ſumme of the ſame? Now for the ſacrifice.