Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Title page – To the reader 1
AN AVNSVVERE BY THE REVEREND FATHER in God Thomas Archbyshop of Canterbury, Primate of all England and Metropolitane, VntoUnto a craftie and Sophisticall cauillation, deuised by Stephen Gardiner Doctour of Law, late Byshop of Winchester agaynst the true and godly doctrine of the most holy Sacrament, of the body and bloud of our Sauiour IESV CHRIST..
Wherein is also, as occasion serueth, aunswered such places of the booke of Doct. Richard Smith, as may seeme any thyng worthy the aunsweryng.
Here is also the true Copy of the booke written, and in open Court deliuered, by D. Stephen Gardiner, not one word added or diminished, but faythfully in all pointes agreeyng with the Originall.
Reuised, and corrected by the sayd Archbyshop at Oxford before his Martyrdome: Wherein hee hath beautified Gardiners doynges, with asmuch diligence as might be, by applying Notes in the Margent, and markes to the Doctours saying: which before wanted in the first Impression.
Hereunto is prefixed the discourse of the sayd Archbyshops lyfe, and Martyrdome, briefly collected out of his Hystory of the Actes and Monumentes, and in the end is added certaine Notes, wherein Gardiner varied, both from him selfe, and other Papistes, gathered by the sayd Archbyshop.
Read with Iudgement, and conferre with diligence, laying aside all affection on either partie, and thou shalt easely perceaue (good Reader) how slender and weake the allegations and perswasions of the Papistes are, wherewith they goe about to defende their erroneous and false doctrine, and to impugne the truth. Anno. M. D. LI.
AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye, dwellyng ouer Aldersgate beneath S. Martines. Anno. 1580.
Cum gratia & Priuilegio, Regiae Maiestatis.
A PREFACE TO THE READER.
I Thinke it good gentle Reader, here in the begynnyng to admonish thee of certaine wordes & kyndes of speaches, which I do vse sometyme in this myne aunswere to the late Byshop of Winchesters book, least in mistakyng, thou doe as it were stumble at them.
First this word (Sacrament) I doe sometymes vse (as it is many tymes taken among writers and holy Doctours) for the Sacramentall bread,Sacrament. water, or wine, as when they say, that Sacramentum est sacrae rei signum, a Sacrament is the signe of an holy thyng. But where I vse to speake sometymes (as the old Authors do) that Christ is in the Sacramentes, I mean the same as they did vnderstand the matter, that is to say, not of Christes carnall presence in the outward Sacrament, but sometymes of his Sacramentall presence. And sometyme by this word (Sacrament) I meane the whole ministration and receiuyng of the Sacramētes, either of Baptisme, or of the Lordes Supper, and so the old writers many tymes doe say, that Christ and the holy Ghost be present in the Sacramentes, not meanyng by that maner of speach, that Christ and the holy Ghost be present in the water, bread, or wine (which be onelyonly the outward visible Sacramentes (but that in the due ministration of the Sacramentes accordyng to Christes ordinaunce and institution, Christ and his holy spirite be truely and in deede present by their mightie and sanctifiyng power, vertue and grace, in all them that worthely receiue the same.
Moreouer, when I say and repeat many tymes in my book, yt the body of Christ is present in them that worthely receaue the Sacrament,Christes presence in the godly receiuer. least any man should mystake my woordes, and thinke that I meane, that although Christ be not corporally in the outward visible signes, yet hee is corporally in the persons that duely receiue them, this is to aduertise the Reader, that I meane no such thyng, but my meanyng is, that the force, the grace, the vertue and benefite of Christes body that was Crucified for vsus, and of his bloud that was shed for vsus, be really, and effectually present with all them that duely receaue the Sacramentes, but all this I vnderstand of his spirituall presence, of the which he sayth, I will be with you vntill the worldes ende. And wheresoeuer two or three be gathered together in my name, there am I in the myddest of them.Math. 6. Math. 18. And hee that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud, dwelleth in me, and I in him. Nor no more truely is he corporally or really present in the due ministration of the Lordes Supper,Iohn. 6. than hee is in the due ministration of Baptisme: That is to say, in both spiritually by grace. And wheresoeuer in the Scripture it is sayd that Christ, God or the holy Ghost is in any man, the same is vnderstand spiritually by grace.
The thyrd thyng to admonish the Reader of is this, that when I name Doctour Stephen Gardiner Byshop of Winchester,The naming of the late Bishop of Winchester. I meane not that he is so now, but forasmuch as he was Byshop of Winchester at the tyme when he wrote his booke agaynst me, therfore I aunswere his booke as written by the Byshop of Winchester, whiche els needed greatly none aunswere for any great learnyng or substaunce of matter that is in it.
The reall presence of Chryst should proue no Transubstantiation of the bread and wine.The last admonition to the Reader is this, where the sayd late Byshop thinketh that he hath sufficiently proued Transubstantiation, (that is to say, that the substaunce of bread and wine can not be in the Sacrament, if the body and bloud of Christ were there) bycause two bodyes can not be togethers in one place, although the truth be, that in the Sacrament of Christes bodye, there is corporallye but the substaunce of bread onelye, and in the Sacrament of the bloud, the substaunce of wine onelye, yet how farre hee is deceiued, and doth vary from the doctrine of other Papistes, and also from the principles of Philosophy (whiche he taketh for the foundation of his doctrine in this point) the Reader hereby may easely perceiue. For if we speake of Gods power, the Papistes affirme, that by Gods power, two bodyes may be together in one place, and then why may not Christes bloud be with the wyne in the cup, and his fleshe in the same place where the substaunce of the bread is? And if we consider the cause wherfore two bodyes can not be together in one place by the rules of nature, it shall euidently appeare, that the body of Christ may rather be in one place with the substaunce of the bread, thē with the accidents therof, and so likewise his bloud with the wine. For the naturall cause wherfore two bodyes can not be together in one place (as the Philosophers say) is their accidentes, their bignes, and thicknes, and not their substaunces. And then by the very order of nature it repugneth more yt ye body of Christ should be present wt the accidentes of bread, and his bloud with the accidentes of wyne, then with the substaunces either of bread or wyne. This shall suffice for the admonition to the Reader, ioynyng thereto the Preface in my first booke, whiche is this: