The Confutation of the Misshapen Answer to a Wicked Ballad, Part 44 – Part 46
☞The c…nfutacion
Here you would seme to se far in a milstone You hauehave espied (you saye) that thoughe we talke neuer so …eolilie, we do not cōfesse (which you confesse plainely) that we hauehave the same word wherwyth god made al thinges
And your proufe is substanciall, for you say that, that worde is the seconde persone in Trinitie whō we hauehave not because we beleue him to be in heauen. But you hauehave him you saye in the sacramēt, And thē you vse a figure of Rhe…orike called preoccupacion, but I thinke you knewe not his name before. You preuent your aduersarie and solute his obicetion before it is made. And wittelye you saye, yesse. Yea, sayeth your aduersarie, Then is all your matti…r quit gone, excepte your priestes can helpe and stande stoutly by it. Wel hi… saye you than and lyke … clarke you braule after your accustome maner till you hauehave declared your selfe, as well sene in the scriptures as euer you were.
But some what to open your ignoraunce, I shall in fewe wordes declare vntounto you, howe we confesse that we hauehave the worde wherwith God made the worlde. In the firste of Genesis it is written that God sayde. Let the light be made, and furth with it was made, & ryght so of al his other creatures. This is the worde wherwith we knowe that god made all thinge of nought. But you wold seme to be o… a more fyne opinion, and lyke an Ape you imitate the thing that you can not attaine to. You woulde gladlye seme to be of the opiniog of them that affirme God and▪ his worde to be all one. For you saye the worde wherewith God made the worlde, is the seconde persone …n trinitie. And … you thrust him in to the sacramēt and say that we hauehave him ther, as thoughe ther were no way but that, wherby we might hauehave him present. And truly after suche …orte as you dreame him to be presente, it is not possible to hauehave him present other wise then in some materiall substaunce.
For you are not content to hauehave him present as the Israelites hadde in the wildernesse, but you wil after their exem…ple … vn to Aaron to make you gods that you maye se with the carnal eie: for the Israelites were not so grosse but they knewe that the caulfe whiche they hadde made was not God, but thought they coulde not honour nor call vponupon God otherwise then in a visible fourme. Thei were not perswaded of his inuisible presence in all places. Euen so you thoughe you confesse the inuisible presence of God in al places: yet you appoynte the secōd person in trinitie to his place in the sacrament, thinckeinge that you can not otherwise hauehave the fruishion of his presence then by a visible shape, the cause whereof is none other, but the lacke of gostly syght which shoulde shewe him you in his worde, although in the meane tyme I do not denie (yea I protest and defende) that the spirituall eie seth him in his sacramentes also, the substaūce of the sacramentes remaineinge in theyr naturall propertie of substaunce Thus muche hauehave I sayed for the haueinge of the worde wherewith God made all thinges of nought. Nowe you conclude vponupon the authour sayeinge. Sir, you take not the scriptures aright. For you saye God made all this worlde of nothinge. And doeth it folowe th…rfore▪ that man can not by Gods might turne thynges frō theyr nature God beinge willinge they shoulde …o do. In this piece you vtter your owne ignoraunce & lacke of lea…ing. Who would be so made as once to surmise so fonde a conclusion as you inueigh against as gathered by the authour vponupon this infallible trueth, God made al the worlde of nothinge. Doth it folowe therupon, saye you, that man can not by the might of God turne thinges out of their nature? As though ther had euer ben any so made as to cō clud so fōdli. The author endeuoureth nought else but to disproue this argument…, We hauehave the worde wher wt god made al y• thinges of naught, why should we not thē do the same by pronoūceing those wordes? And you cleane cō trariwise inueigh agaynste him as thoughe he had fourmed his argument in thys wyse. We hauehave the worde wher… wyth god made all worlde, …rgo man can not by gods might alter thinges out of theyr nature. Thus you procede in your blyndnes & after your notes set in y• mergēt to cōfirm your saying, you sai you hauehave tolde vsus before by the plaine wordes of Christ▪ For the priest you saye is but a minister & like a parr…t speaketh Christes wordes agayne, euē as christ him self bad (sai you) but ther, with your leaue you lie, I can nolenger forbeare you whē you bely my maister. For he neuer bad any priest or Apostle to speake those wordes agayn, No if he had biden thē speake them againe: he would not hauehave bydden thē (as the cauteles of your Masse do teach) breath thē out wt one breath wtout any pauseing or stop, as thoughe y• pronounceinge of the wordes might make or ma… But he …ad, saie you, and y• not in vaine. For after the wordes spoken our lorde doeth by his powre create no newe thinge but bryngeth ther the presence of our sauiour. You were so lothe to mayme your ryme that you hauehave well moste … your reasone For howe agreth this wt that which you hauehave sayede in the beginning? The Lord did by his worde tourne the breade into his bodie, & the wine into his bloude. And here you say y• after the wordes spoken ou…e Lord bringeth there the presence of our sauiour. A man myght here demaund of you what Lorde and sauiour you talke of. But it is but follye to content about the mone shyne in watter (as the english prouerbe goeth) I wyl therfore leaue you to your wyse reason…s, tyll you hauehave answered this confutation accordeing to your bragges.
☞The ballad
Yf wt that scripture. Thou canst not make
The least creature, How wylt thou take
On thy weake nature, Of bread to create
The Lorde of blysse.
The answere.
Ye thinke al proued that ye onelyonly, saye
And yet to saye trueth ye do but contend
By reason to kepe your fayth at a bay
Chargeinge men with that they do not defend
If we sayd that a makyng dyd depend
Of the priest or of god whiche we deny
Thē had ye some cause your time thus to spēd
Christ is ther but howe we seke not to spy
Therfore leaue of your folish blasphemy
It is agaynst our fayth catholyke and trewe
That euer christ shoulde be create anewe.