Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 1 · Section 20
Caunterbury.
The Church of Rome is not the true mother of the catholick fayth.IF either diuisiō or confusion may try the true mother, the wicked church the Rome (not in speech only, but in all other practises) hath long gone about to oppresse, confound and deuide the true and liuely fayth of Christ, shewing her selfe not to be the true mother, but a most cruell stepmother, deuiding, confounding and counterfayting al thinges at her pleasure, not cō trary to nature only, but chiefly against the playn wordes of scripture.
Absurda & falsa.For here in this one matter of controuersy between you, Smith, and me, you deuide against nature the accidentes of bread and wine, from their substances, and the substance of Christ from his accidences, and contray to the scripture you deuide our eternall life, attributing vntounto the sacrifice of Christ vponupon the crosse, only the beginning therof and the continuance therof you ascribe vntounto the sacrifice of popish priestes. And in the sacramentes you separate Christes body from his spirite, affirming that in Baptisme we receaue but his spirite, and in the communion but his flesh. And that Christes spirit renueth our life, but increaseth it not, and that his flesh increceth our life, but geueth it not. And agaynst all nature, reasō and truth, you confound the substance of bread and wine, with the substance of Christes body and bloud, in such wise as you make but one nature and person of them all. And against scripture and all comformity of nature, you confound and iumble so together the natural members of Christes body in the sacrament, that you leaue no distinction, proportion nor fashion of mannes body at all.
And can your church be taken for the true naturall mother, of the true doctrine of Christ, that thus vnnaturally speaketh, deuydeth and confoundeth Christes body?The speaking of the true mother.
If Salomon were aliue, he would surely geue iudgement that Christ should be taken from that woman, that speaketh so vnnaturally, and so vnlike his mother, and be geuen to the true church of the faithful, that neuer digressed from the truth of Gods word, nor from the true speeche of Christes natural body, but speake according to the same that Christes body, although it be inseparable annexed vntounto his Godhead, yet it hath all the naturall conditions and properties of a very mans body, occupying one place, and being of a certayne height and measure, hauing all members distinct and set in good order and proportion. And yet the same body ioyned vntounto his diuinitye, is not only the beginning, but also the contynuance and consummation of our eternall and celestiall life. By him we be regenerated, by him we be fedde and nourished from time to time, as hee hath taught vsus most certainly to beleue by his holy word and sacraments which remayne in their former substaunce and nature, as Christ doth in his, without mixtion or confusion. This is the true and naturall speaking in this matter like a true naturall mother, and like a true and right beleeuing christian man.
Marye of that doctrine which you teach, I cannot deny but the church of Rome is the mother therof,Rome to the mother of the papistical fayth. which in scripture is called Babilō, because of commixtion or confusion. Which in all her doinges and teachinges so doth mixte and confound error with truth, superstition with religiō, godlines with hipocrisie, scripture with traditions, that she sheweth her selfe alway vniforme and consonant, to confound all the doctrine of Christ, yea Christ him selfe, shewing her selfe to be Christes stepmother, and the true naturall mother of Antichrist.
And for the conclusion of your matter here, I doubt not but the indifferent reader shal easely perceiue what spirit moued you to write your boke. For seeing that your booke is so full of crafts, sleightes, shiftes, obliquities, & manifest vntruthes, it may be easely iudged, that what soeuer pretence be made of truth, yet nothing is lesse intended, then that truth should ether hauehave victory, or appeare and be seene at all.