Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 1 · Section 21
Winchester.
And that thou reader mightest by these markes iudge of that is here intreated by the author agaynst the melt blessed sacrament,The name of the Author great wherewith to put men to silence. I shall note certayne euident and manyfest vntruthes, which this author is not afraid to vtter, (a matter wonderfull considering his dignity, if he that is named be the author in déede) which should be a great stay of contradiction, if any thing were to be regarded agaynst the truth.
First, I will note vntounto the reader, how this author termeth the faith of the reall and substanciall presence of Christes body and bloud in the sacrament,An impudent vntruth. to be the faith of ye papistes: which saying, what foundacion it hath, thou mayest consider of that foloweth.
Luther that professed openly to abhorre at that might be noted papish, defended stoutly the presence of Christes body in the Sacrament, and to be present really and substancially, euen with the same wordes and termes.
Bucer that is here in England, in a solemne worke that he wryteth vponupon the Gospels, professeth the same faith of the reall and substanciall presence of Christes body in the Sacrament, which be affirmeth to hauehave béen beleued of all the church of Christ from the beginning hetherto.
Iustus Ionas hath translated a Catechisme out of dutch into latin,The sayth of the Sacrament in the Catechisme unproueth this Authors doctrine now. taught in the citie of Noremberge in Germany, where Hosiander is chiefe preacher, in which Catechisme they be accounted for no true Christian men, that deny the presence of Christes body in the Sacrament. The wordes really and substancially, be not expressed as they be in Bucer, but the word (truly) is there, and as Buter saith, that is substancially. Which Catechisme was translated into englishe in this authors name about two yeares past.
Phillip Melancton no papist nor priest, writeth a very wise epistle in this matter to Decolampadius, and signifiyng soberly his beléefe of the presence of Christes very body in the Sacrament: and to proue the same to hauehave béen the fayth of the old church from ye beginning, alleadgeth the sayinges of Irene, Ciprian, Chrisostome, Hillary, Cirill, Ambrose and Theophilacte, which authors he estemeth both worthy credite, and to affirme the presence of Christes body in the Sacrament plainly without ambiguity. He answereth to certain places of S. Augustine and saith, all Decolampadius enterprise to depend vponupon coniectures, and argumentes applausible to idle wittes, with much more wise matter as that epistle doth purport, which is set out in a booke of a good volume among the other Epistles of Decolampadius, so as no man may suspecte any thing counterfayte in the matter.
One Hippinus, or Oepinus of Hamborough, greatly estéemed among the Lutherians, hath written a booke to the Kinges Maiesty that now is, published abroad in printe, wherein much inueyng against the church of Rome, doth in the matter of the sacrament write as followeth: Encharistia is called by it selfe a sacrifice, because it is a remēbrance of the true sacrifice offered vponupon the crosse, and that in it is dispensed the true body & true bloud of Christ, which is plainly the same in essence, that is to say substāce, and the same bloud in essence signifiyng, though the maner of presence be spirituall, yet the substaunce of that is present, is the same with that in heauen.
Erasmus noted a man that durst and did speake of all abuses in the church liberallye, taken for no papist, & among vsus to much estéemed, as his peraphrasis of the Gospell is ordered to be had in eueryevery church of this Realme, declareth in diuers of his workes most manifestly his fayth of the presence of Christes body in ye Sacrament, & by his Epistles, recommendeth to the worlde the worke of Algerus in that matter of the Sacrament,Erasmus commendeth to the world the work of Algerus vponupon the Sacrament. whom he noteth well exercised in the scriptures, and the olde doctors, Ciprian, Hilary, Ambrose, Hierome, Augustine, Basill, Chrysostom. And for Erasmus own iudgement, he sayth we hauehave an inuiolable fountation of Christes own words (this is my body) rehearsed agayn by S. Paule:The body of Christe hidden vnderunder the signes. he sayth further, the body of Christe is hidden vnderunder those signes, and sheweth also vponupon what occasions men hauehave erred in reading the old fathers, and wisheth that they which hauehave folowed Berengarius in error,Erasmus would all to repent, that follow Berengarius error. would also folow him in repentance. I will not (reader) encombre thée with mo wordes of Erasmus.
Peter Martyr of Oxford taken for no Papist, in a treatise he made of late of the Sacrament, which is now translated into Englishe, sheweth how as touching the real presence of Christes body, it is not only the sentence of the papistes, but of other also, whom the sayd Peter neuerthelesse doth with as many shiftes and lyes as he may, impugne for that point,Peter Martyr doth with lyes impugne the faith of the Sacrament. as well as he doth the Papistes for transubstantiation, but yet he doth not as this author doth impute, that fayth of the reall presence of Christs body and bloud to the only Papistes. Wherupon Reader, here I ioyne with the author an issue, that the faith of the reall and substantiall presence of Christes body and bloud in the sacrament, is not the deuise of Papistes or their faith only,An issue. as this author doth considerately slaunder it to be, and desire therfore that according to Salamons iudgement this may serue for a note and marke,This Author would with the enuious words of papish oppresse the truth. to geue sentence for the true mother of the child. For what should this mean so without shame openly and vntruely to call this fayth papishe, but only with the enuious word of Papist to ouermatche the truth.