The Confutation of the Misshapen Answer to a Wicked Ballad, Part 49
The answere
Who is more blind then those that wil not se
What botes it to shew you any scripture
…
Which to your reasone is harde or obscure
But yet once agayne to do you pleasure
Ye shall heare if Christ made no relacion
In scripture of the consecracion
Christ to his disiples these wordes dyd saye
I longe to eate the pascall lambe sayth he
Wyth you my disciples for nowe is the day
Of the swete bread, I praye you note and se
Howe the trueth wyth the figure doth a gre
Christe was the true lambe which y• prophete… sa…
Shuld truly fullfyl the Moysaical law
Christe eat the lambe ther as the law did will
Then to showe that that law was expired
He ordaynde his lawe, that lawe, to fulfil
Which whil y• world lasts shal not be finished
That lābe was him self which he ordained
To be offred dayly in remēbraunce
Of his bitter death and paynfull sustraunce
Note here I praye you▪ one thinge by the waye
Christ sayd I long to eate with you this daye
The passouer, by which he did declare
What great louelove euer towardes them he bare
Which was not only the lawe to fulfil
But also to show them more of his wil
Which was that he woulde gyue vntounto thē all
The perfite pledge of the life eternal
Performing his promise made to them before
By geuing them his fleshe for euer more
Among them so to be comunicate
That therby they shulde be incorporate
In hym than, and he in al them also
What greater louelove coulde he to his people sho
But yet with this louelove our lorde dyd not ceas…
For in his moste payne his louelove did encrease
Remembring man kind sayde, Sitio
Not onelyonly for drinke, but mans health also.
Yt was that our Lord dyd then so sore thruste
Se how this word both agre with the furste
I l…ng (sayeth christe) to eate the pascal wt you
On the crosse, I thrust, in which I note nowe
That by these true wordes christe doth signifi
The desire that he had to geue his body
Accordinge to his promyse saying thus.
The breade that I wyll geue playne to discuse
Is my flesh, here lo▪ was his fyrst promise
And at his maundy he fullfilled thys
Under forme of breade he dyd it ther giuegive
With spirit & lyfe wherby al such shoulde liue
As dyd receyue it by fayth worthily
On the crosse also he gaue his body
To suffer painfully he was there crecte
Thus ye se that as christ dyd saye, I thurst
So dyd he before that he at the furste
gaue himself (said I lōg) which words proueth
the furst body & the last both one to be
Christ at his last supper as I before saye
Toke bread and blessed it and brake it truly
Gaue ye to his disciples and without stay
Bad them take and eate this is my body
Then to shew them what body he ment, truely
He added these wordes to those he had spoken
Saieng, which for your sinnes shalbe broken
What body was broken for our trespas?
No signe of a body I thinke ye wyl saye
But euen the same body which borne was
Of the virgin mary, voyd this if ye may
Then toke christ y• cup, bleste it the same way…
As before saing: this is my bloud truely
Which shalbe shed for the synnes of many
What bloud did christe shedde for our sakes
I thinke ye wyll saye his bloud natural
This agaynst your errours very much makes
Which to a voyde be able ye neuer shal
Then christe bad them do this in his memorial
What (this) was it that he bade them do
Was it not to blesse, to breake, and to geue to
And to speake the same words y• he ther spake
Wh…n he the bread into his hand did take
Which wordes were the words of cōs…cratiō
And then bad that on the same facion
His apostles shuld do, nowe thus ye se
That the true wordes of consecracton be
In scripture, though you those wordes skan
To be but only thenuencion of man
Yet one worde of Christe to mind here I call
Christ to declare that the law moisaical
He wolde hole fulfyl for the which intente
He toke the cup & sayed these wordes euidente
This is my bloud in the newe testament
Syggnifieng that the olde lawe was spent
With al the bloud of beastes which did figure
The bloud of Christ aboue al blods most pure
Now marke thē, if y• whē christ did playn say
This is my blud, shuld meane none other way
But in figure only, what were it more
Then the figures of the olde law before
Nor yet so much nether if ye marke wel
For in the olde lawe as I before tel
Uery bloud to figure, christes bloude truly
They did offer, vponupon the which thinge I
Gather that and if the wyne be wyne still
That Christe at supper did the lawe fulfyll
Wyth a figure of bloud, which cannot be
For a figure is fulfilled we do se
In the veritie and not in figure
Chefly in thys thyng ye wyl graunt I am sure
This holy sacrament god did fore se
A great comforte for all his people to be
For whych he ordeyned a priest and kyng
The same trueth to figure in his offering
Christ is a priest sayeth Paul after the order
Of Melchisedech, now note here further
Melchesedech was both a priest and king
So was christes also as recordeth writtinge
Melchesedeth was a king and yet truly
No mencion is made of his progeny
Which doth, signi…ie that christ was a kynge
His father vnknowe without beginning
Melchesedech was kinge as scripture sayth
Of Salem, which as saynt paul plainely hath
To the Hebrwes that, that doth signifi
A kyng of peace, to whome he dyd applye
Christe our sauiour and ye besyde this
Melchesedech of Christ a figure is
In this pristhode, for as scripture doth say…
He brought forth to Abraham in the waye
Bread & wine, In which acte scriptture doeth thim call
The priest of y• most hie god eternal
Christ likewise gaue y• formes of bread & wine
Of which Melchsedech was but asigne
Here may hap one thing ye wyl aske of me
Wher saynte Paul doth note them thus to agre
For nether y• prophet ther nor S. Paul
Of breade or wine speakes not one word at all
But doth Melchedechs priesthod applye
Unto christe when that he moste painfully
Dyd offer vp his fleshe and bloude most pure
Unto his father this is playn scripture
All this is true, I wyl it not denye.
Yet for my purpose agayne to replie
To M…lchesedech, note here that he cam
Forth with breade and wyne to mere Abrahā
G…uing thankes to God for his victori
Which to his pristhod perteined truly
Then that being his order howe can ye
Dinie christe of the sa…ie order to be
Sith vnderunder the kyndes of breade and wyne he
Gaue his body, this in scripture we se
And though s. Paul do no bread or wine name
Doth he deny Christes priesthode in the same?
Nay forsoth for as of Christ is spoken
He gaue the body which is broken
For our synnes at his last supper ye knowe
And then what though s. Paul nothyng show
Of bread and wyne, yet their priesthodes agre
So much the more, if this well noted be
Melchesedech dyd not offer wyth bloud
And yet dyd he fygure Christes presthod
When he on the crosse offered his bodye
Unto his father with his woundes bloudye
Howe shoulde that be & no bread or wine there
Yesse forsoth the scripture wyll it wel beare
Syth Christ gaue hys bodye as I before saye
Under those fourmes because thei shuld alwai
Remember his death by that sacrament.
Which death the breade & wyne did represent
That Melchesedech offred, here ye se
Howe both their priesthodes herein do agre
For Melchesedechs order dyd attend
Unto Christes offring on the crosse at the ende
Which offring ther done was done once for al
To be offred so, agayne he neuer shall.