The Confutation of the Misshapen Answer to a Wicked Ballad, Part 50 – Part 52
☞The confutacion
☞No man myght worsse hauehave complayned of the blyndnes of theym that wyl not se, then you your selfe (frende Swynharde) for if you woulde but once open your eies, and reade the places of scripture that you bring for your purpose and weigh them with the circumstances: I doubt not you woulde be ashamed to wrest them …o farre oute of tune. And where you do nowe gather of Christes longynge before hys supper, and his thirstyng on the crosse, that the first bodye, that is (as you say) the bread, and y• last, which died on y• cro…e, are al one: I doubte not but if you would way the places with worthy iudgement, you would sone be ashamed of your writyng, and of al your fond resonyng aboute the same words. For the first Luke saith When the houre of supper was come, he satte downe and his. xii.Luke. xxii Apostles with him, and he sayd vntounto them. With great desire hauehave I desired, to eate this passeouer with you before I suffre. For I saye vntounto you, from hensfurth I wyl not eate it, tyl such tyme as it be fulfylled in the kyngdome of God. &c.
☞What spiritual eie can se any other thing in these wordes of our sauiour: then that he desyreth greatly to declare vntounto them before hys death by the eatyng of that lambe which was the remembraunce of their deliueraunce out of Egipt, and the fygure of hymselfe, beyng the vnspotted lābe that was preordinated to take away the synnes of the world: that from thēce furth they should nomore vse any suche sacrament or ceremony to declare hys commynge in the flesh, because the tyme was then come wher in this sacrament and all other should be fulfilled by hys death vponupon the crosse, whiche was, is, and shalbe our deliueraunce out of the spiritual Egypt, and the sufficient raunsome for our sinnes. This was the fulfyllyng of the fygure by the veritie, and not as you fantasie the olde to be fulfilled by the new, in that you saye that Christ ordayned his law to fulfil that law So that you make one lawe figure of another and one sacrament to be the thyng signified by an other. But you sai, that lambe was himself whiche he ordeined to be offered in the remembraunce of his bitter deathe and passion. Here myght I aske you which lambe? you wil sat. I am sure, the true lambe that the prophetes saw which is himself. Wel then hath he made hymself a remembraunce of his owne death. But I prai you, esteme you him so litle as so? Do you occompt his death of more, valure thē himself? No signe or remembraunce of a thynge, can be so good as the thing it self, more then the goodnes of the shadowe can be equal of value with the body. If Christ therfore daily offred vp, be the remēbraunce of his bitter death: then is his bitter death better then he himself. And yet you hauehave not all done with Christes longyng. One thyng you say, you woulde hauehave noted by the way. And that is that Christ longed to eate the passeouer with his disciples, not onelye to fulfil the lawe, but also to shew them more of hys wyl, which was, that he would geue thē a perfect pledge of eternall lyfe, according to his promise made to them before (as is mencioned you say in the. vi. of Ihon) geuynge his fleshe to be communicate, that they myght therby be incorporate in hym and he in thē. And thē you ioyne hereunto, his thrustyng on the crosse. And vpō this longyng and thurstyng, well and clarkely you gather the greate desire that Christ had to ful…yl his promyse that he made when he said The bread that I shall geue is my fleshe.
☞Men of learnynge and iudgemente in the scriptures, may easely perceiue your ignoraūce in this matter. I wil not therfore go aboute to opē it to them. But for their sakes that be not yet fully grounded in the true vnderstandynge hereof, I wyl take sōwhat more paynes in the openyng of this ignoraunce of yours, nowithstandyng that I hauehave spoken somwhat largely of the mattier in the confutation of the former parte of your answere, wher you claymed thys, promyse of Christ as you do here.
☞Marke therfore good christian brothers, to you I speake y• ar not yet so fully instructed in Christ, but that you sauour somwhat of the Phariseis leuen, & yet would gladly be deliuered from the blyndnes of errour, marke I …ay how far wide this man is from the true meaning of Christ in this place. He hath non other occasiō at al, to appl…e this piece of scripture to his purpose: but only for that ther is bread men…ioned. It fareth by hym euen as it doth by the patrons & defēdours of Purgatorie. For whersoeuer he findeth bread named in the scripture, ther he laith a straw, as a marke to … his cō mune places by: euē as thei did whē th…i found ani mēciō of fire. Ihō Frith hath opened their folly at large in his dispu…atiō vpō Purgatori Would God I were able to do hal…e so muche in this matter▪ But take it in good parte (deare brethrē) that I shal writ. And if you shal find it consonāt & agreable to the scriptures: then embrace it, and geue God the thankes, otherwise, hold it accur…ed, and do not once opē your eies vponupon it. For the mo yt should embrace my doctrin being vngodl…: the greater should my dam nation be. But being assertained by y• spirit of truth, that I teach nothing but that I fynde in the boke of truth: I am bold to byd you mark and learne the true vnderstandynge of these wordes of our sauiour Christ: The bread that I shal geue, is my flesh. ¶Our sauiour Christ, perceiuing y• the fleshlye minded Iewes, …oloed him more for y• thei had eatē the loues which he had multipli…d, then for the miracle or wonder y• he had wrought: …oke occasion at …he questiā which thei asked him saiyng, Rabbi or Mayster, when cāmest thou hyther? as who shoulde saye we hauehave sought and layd wayt to knowe howe and whan thou shouldest passe the sea, but we coulde not perceyue any ship prepared for thy passage. Hast thou therefore cōueighed thy selfe ouer by miracle as thou diddest multiplie the fiue loues? He toke occaciō I sai here a…, to declare vntounto them that all hys wordes and dedes are to be loked on with the spiritual …ie and not with the carnall. And euen at the firste he sayeth vntounto them. Ye folowe me not because you hauehave sene the wonders. But because you hauehave eaten of the breads and are satisfied. As who shoulde say you pretende a wō derous desire to se the wōders that I work▪ as men that woulde therby be allured to embrace and folowe my doctrine: but youre intente is none other but to be fed at my hande and so to lyue Idlely without labour and trauaile more then to wander vp and downe after me. But I shall tel you what you shall do if you wil folowe me. Worke for the meate that perisheth not, but that remayneth into lyfe euerlastinge which meate the sonne of man shall geue you. For this is y• meat that god the father hath appoynted. Then sayed they. What maye we do to worke the workes of god? He answered vntounto thē in this wise. This is▪ the worke of God that you beleue in him whome he hath sente. Thē brake they out in theyr owne likenes, and agaynste theyr wylles, vttered theyr faulse dissimilacion, sayeinge. What myracle workest thou therefore, that we maye se it, and beleuethe? What workes doste thou? Our fathers eate Manna in the wildernes, as it is written. He gaue thē bread frō heauen to eate. But our sauioure sayd vntounto thē. Moises gaue you not … or verie bread in dede frō heauen. For y• is the true bread y• descended frō heauen, & geueth life to the worlde Then sayde they, Lorde geue vsus this bread alwayes. These mens mynd was altogether vponupon materiall breade. Let vsus neuer lacke this bread, say they. Well Christ maketh them answere. I am the bread of lyfe, sayeth he, who so cōmeth vntounto me shall not honger, and he that beleueth in me, shall neuer thurste. But I hauehave told you, that you hauehave both sene me, and not beleued. Here may you learn to eat the bread y• Christ speaketh of. It nedeth you not to prepare tooeth and throte, nother bealye nor stomake, but beleue & you shall not …onger nor thurst. You shall hauehave plentie of his heauē ly foode. He that commeth to me sayth Christ & he that beleueth in me. To come vntounto Christ and to beleue in Christ, is all one thinge, as appeareth by the wordes folowing. Euerie thing that my father geueth me shall come vntounto me, and I will not caste him out that cometh vntounto me. For I descended frome heauen, not to do my wil, but his will that sent me. And thys is the wil of mi father y• sēt me: that I should not lose ani thinge y• he gaue me, but that I should …ayse it again in the last day. Yea, this is the wyl of my father y• sente me: y• eueryevery one that seeth the son and beleueth in him, should hauehave life euerlasting, & I wil raise him at the last day He that seeth the son and beleueth in him. To see and to beleue, to eate and come to Christe is all one thyng. The Iewes therfore murmured at his wordes in that he sayed. I am the liuinge breade that descended frome heauen and they sayde. Is not this the sonne of Ioseph whose father and mother we knowe.
How sayth he thā y• he descended frō heauen? Behold these carnal Iewes, how grossely the… applied al thing…s to the flesh. They were altogether flesh, & could perceiue no…hing of the spirite. Christ endeuoured to teach thē the misteri of his incarnacion, who being the fourme of God thought it nor obbri to hūble him selfe into the fourme of a seruaūt, & they would nedes vnderstande his wordes to bespokē of y• bodie whi…h thei knew to be borne of Marie the carpē …ers wife. Is not this Iosephes sonne sayed they whose father & mother we knowe? Howe standeth thys then wyth hys wordes when he sayeth I came from heauen? But he answered their fleshelye talke saiynge. Murmure not among your selues. For no man can come vntounto me, excepte my Father whiche sente me drawe …im and I shall rayse him in the last day. It is written in the Prophete. All shalbe taughte of god. Euer…e one that hath hearde of the father and hath learned: cometh vntounto me.
Not y• any man hath sene the father, saue only he y• is of god. He hath sen the father. By this seing of the father, may you easily (most deare brithern) perceiue, what seing, what eateinge & comminge vntounto Christe it is, that is ment in al this Chapi Euen the gostly eateing, seing and comeing vntounto Christe. For though a mā be neuer so muche of God: yet shal not his fleshely eie see God. And to declare hys meaning more plainly he saith. He that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life. Al that he hath spokē before of the eating, comming & seing, & al that he speaketh afterward, is conteined in those few word…s he that beleleueth in me hath euerlastinge lyfe. I am the breade of life: Your fathers dyd eate manna in wildernesse and are dead, Thys bread is it y• cāe frō heauē, y• if any mā shal eate of it, he shal not die. I am y• liueing bread, which came frō heauen. If any man eate of this bread he shall liue for euer. And the breade y• I shall geue: is my flesh, which I shal geue for the lyfe of the worlde. Here is the whole mattier, here hauehave we a playne promise (say thei) y• the bread that Christ shoulde geue to his disciples at his maundie was his fleshe. Oh blinde asses. How long wil it be ere you pearce the flesh & enter into the spirite? Because his outwarde wordes so…ne flesh. You wyl not once thinck vponupon any spirit, but euen as the Iewes dyd, sticke styl in the flesh & fleshly eatyng. But because you wyl not seme to murmur & contend as y• Iewes did saiyng, how cā this mā geue vsus his flesh to eat: You wyl beleue (you say) that it was a thynge very easy to do. And thē you reproue y• Iewes of vnbeleue: because they wer not so grosse as you, to beleue that Christ would thrust his natural bodi into a peice of bread, that thei might without grudge of stomack eat it. You declare your selues neither to sauour the spirit, nor yet to vnderstand the phrases of the letter. The Iewes could take the phrase a right, & saye howe …ā this mā g…ue vsus his flesh to eat? Thei doubted not how he should geue thē his fleshe in the fourm of bread: for thei knew, y• after y• phrase of the Hebrue tong, he ment by bread food. As thoughe he shoulde hauehave sayde. Youre fathers were fedde in the wildernes, with Manna, and yet they are dead, but the foode wherewyth I shal feede you is my flesh, not that you shal eat it as your fathers dyd Manna and so dye, but I will geue it for the lyfe of the worlde, so that if you wyl beleue and putte youre trust herein (for that is the eatynge of my fleshe) you shall neuer die the death of the soule, for the bodye is mor…al and must nedes dye. That this was his meanyng, is playne by the answere that he gaue to their contention. Certes (sayeth he) I say vntounto you, except ye eate my fleshe & drynke my bloud: you shall hauehave no lyfe in you. Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud, hath euerlastyng lyfe, and I wil rayse him vp at the last day. And then he openeth the phrase of the Hebreue more playne and saythe. My fleshe is very food, and my bloude very drincke, he that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud, tarieth in me, and I in hym. And as my liuynge father sent me, and I liue through hym: euē so he that eateth me, liueth through me▪ Now tel me (you fleshmongers) if the Iewes hadde then torne Christ in peaces with their teth, and eaten him eueryevery morsel, should they hauehave liued through… hym? Oh beastly blynd. This is the fode that came from heauen. Not as your fathers dyd eate manna and are deade: but such as …ate …his tode shal neuer die. If this be spoken of the sacrament howe agreeth it wyth the wordes of s. Paule to the Corinth? who so …ateth this bread and drinketh this cup vnworthily eateth & drinketh his owne iudgement. Howe chaunced it y• Iudas was not saued by it? Howe can youre pristes that breake they faste with it dayely, be damned? Yea if this be spoken of the sacramēt then is that also spoken of the sacrament when he sayeth Excepte you eat my fleshe & drincke my bloud, you shal hauehave no life in you. And thē how could the thefe y• was crucified wt Christ be saued? For I am right sure he neuer receiued the sacrament. Yea in what takeinge be all the children & yonglinges that die before they come to yeres of discrecion to receiue this sacramēt. Thus maye you se (deare bretherne) howe … these men are from the spirite, and yet they woulde seme so spiritual y• they hauehave captiuated all theyr senses & reasone also to beleue the thinge that was neuer taught, and that after suche sorte, that they declare them selues therin to be moost f…eshely nothinge perceyueinge the wordes of Christe when he sayeth The wordes that I speake, are spirite and life. It is the spirit that geueth life, y• flesh profiteth nothing.
Nowe frinde Hoggherd. I thinke you be ashamed of your misreporting of this piece of scripture, or if you be pas…e shame: yet I truste the godlie minded do so plainelie perceiue your slender iudgemente herein that they wyll g…ue you leaue to lye tyl your tong faile you ere thei wyl credite your wordes. But nowe commeth the hardest piece of worke into hand. Yea and so clearkly handled (as you thinke) that no mā can be able to auoide your reasones. At his last supper you say, Christe toke breade, blessed it, brake it, and gaue it to hys disciples and bade them take and eate, this is my bodie. And then to shewe them what bodye it was (saye you) that he ment: he added these wordes. Wh…ch… for your synnes shalbe broken. Then (subtyle, ly) you aske thys question. What bodie (saye you) was it that was broken for our trespas? And then you phantasie wyth your selfe, that we wyll not saye a fantasticall bodie, but euen the same bodye that was borne of the virgyne Marie. It semeth by your wordes that you thinke the Apostels to be of your opinion concerneing the pluralitie of Christes bodies. To shewe them you saye, what bodie it was that he mente: he sayed, y• bodie which for oure synnes was brokē. And stil thinkeing euerie mā to be of your owne opinion, you aske vsus y• same questian. Wherunto we answere euen as you coniecte, no signe of a bodie, but the selfe same bodi yt was borne of the virgine Marie. Uoide this if you may, saye you. Alas pore fole, whie triūphest thou before the victorie? Thou thinkest yt al is ouerthrowne with this one weake argumēt. Which in veridede is none argumēt but a mere cauillacion, as shall moste plainely appeare to as… many as knowe how to fourme an argumēt. Your argumēt (or rather cauillaciō) is fourmed in this wyse. Thys is my bodye which shalbe broken for you, but the bodie that shalbe brokē for you was borne of the virgine Marie, Ergo this bodie was borne of the virgine Marie. I thynke a man had nede to hauehave you to y• vniuersitie to teach you to vnderstād your erroure in this argumēte. For I perceiue you hauehave perswaded your selfe y• euerie thinge yt may be brought into tourme of argument is infalliblie true. Other wise you would not triumph vponupon this argument I am sure. Consider I praye you, your maior prosicion, if you knowe what a maior or proposicion meaneth, & then tel me wherther it be not a doubtful proposicion, for a man holdeinge bread in his hād or rather haueing deliuered breade vntounto other to saie this is my bodie which shalbe brokē for you Is it not as like y• he should by y• proposiciō, meane y• the bread is his bodie in significacion, as in substaūce. Yesse verely, & more lyke, considering the partie that spake the wordes, and the cause whie that natural bodie of his was cōceiued & borne of the virgine Mar…e: & againe the heares to whō the wordes were spokē & the bread deliuered. For ther be in y• bread two thinges whiche do plainelie declare these … by yt the bread is the principanl fode of the bodie yea & in the language yt he spake, al kyndes of fode are called bread Christ therfore being the onelyonly & vniuersall fode of the soule: is right wel declared & signified vntounto vsus by thys bread. The other thinge is the makeing of the bread of mani graines being but one bo…i whē it, is made. And therby is wel declared y• vnitie of al faithful beleuers in Christ, who being manie in nūbre, are in fayth but one mistical bodye of Christe. Lo here is your maior proposicion, Aske your coūsalours how your cōclusion foloweth herupon, I praie you, & thē tel me more of your mind. I will spēd no more time wt you nowe about this argumēte, because I thynke you may say by the termes of the arte, as a certayne priste in the citie of Londō saied by thys terme trāsubstāciacion, I could neuer knowe (quoth he) what this word trāsubstāciō should meane. Wel you labour to proue by y• same argumēt, y• the wine is y• natural bloud of christe and thē you descant vponupon Christes (this) when he sayed, Do thys in the membraunce of me.
What this was it y• he bade them do, saie you, was it not to bles, to breake, to geue, & to speake the same wordes y• he spak…? No fole no. But by those visible sygnes bread & wyne, to cal to remēbraūce the heauēli fedeing of th…ir soules and y• inseparable vnitie of thē selues by faith Neither be the wordes y• Christes spake, the wordes of cōsecraciō, or able to …ourne the substaūce of creatures: more thē the name Pe…tus which Christ gaue vntounto Simon, was able to turne Simon into a rockey or s…onye nature, when Christ sayed. …ues Petrus et Supper h…nc petram et cetera. The wordes therefore art the wordes of Christ, but to cal the wordes of consecracion, is a mere inuencion of mē, As for your note in y• magine, is so wel applied to the purpose: y• I leaue it for men to laugh at thinkinge it no neede to confute y• which fighteth with it self, and is redie to …ourne agayne and take you by the face in diuers places of your Answere.
Then ye call to remembraunce (you saye) yet one other thing, Christ takeing y• cup, you say, intēded to fulfil the moysaycal law in al pointes that is to saye, to make the wyne his bloud which was prefigured by al the blud that was offered in the olde lawe. Wherfore (you saye) if the wine remayne styll, he fulfilled the law… with the figure of bloude, so that one figure was the fulfilling of an other. Lord god, wha… beast coulde be so blind as you shewe your sel… to be, wer it not that the spirite of errour reigneth in you? It appeareth by your words that folow, that you hauehave reade the Epistle to the Hebrues, and yet you are not ashamed to saye that Christ instituted the sacramente to fulfyl… the lawe… Paule sayeth the offerynge of hym…selfe on the crosse, was the thing that was pre-figured and you saye it was the sacrament. I… thys your phantastical opinion, be the trueth: howe chaunceth it that in al the writteinges of the Apostles: can not be founde one word of any such fulfilling of the lawe. Paule wryttin… of the sacrifices of the olde lawe euen of p…rpose, to declare the meaneing of thē, declareth thē al to be fulfiled in the one onelyonly offering … of Christ on the crosse. Also to the Corin. intē deing to declare the true meaning of the yerel… passeouer lambe, he sayeth Christ is offered … oure pascall lambe. Let vsus therefore bancke … not in the leuen of olde malice and wickednes, but in the swete breades of sinceritie and veritie. Loo, here he applieth the passouer Lambe, vntounto Christe offered for oure synnes, and the swete breades to our godlie conuersacion and liueing. And yet (as one thorowly blinded with affections) you wyl conclude vponupon an inconuenience. If the wyne be not turned into verye bloud (you say) it is not so much to be estemed as the figur…s of the olde lawe▪
For they were no fygures of bloude but verye bloude in dede Here you declare your selfe not to hauehave captiuated your senses, for if you had, you would not iudge the wyne to be a figure of bloud because it is red (for other cause … is none why you should so cōiect) but you woulde wyth vsus confesse that as Paul teach…th, the wyne representeh vntounto vsus the wonderfull vnion of all the faythful beleuers in christ that they beinge infinite meanie in numbre, are …et but one bodie through the fayeth in Christ Iesu whiche knitteth theym to gether euen as …he sin…es doo the bodie. And this is declared (sayth Paule) by that the wyne is made of ma…ye grapes, and is yet but one cup of wyne, euen one bodie, so compact together, that it can … no manes be diseuered. Thus do we se that … wyne is the figure, not of Christes bloude …ecause it is red or lyquid as bloude is: but of …he inseperable vnitie of Christes misticall mē …res, his faythful church and congregacion of …aythful beleuers, We se also that it is the fi…ure of Christs bloudsheding because it is one of the two principal kynds of fode wherwyth …ur bodies be fed, For therin it declareth that …he belyefe in Christes bloud shed for our sin…es is one of the two principall kyndes of the fode of oure soules. For other fode hath the soule none, then the liuely worde of god, wherin are taught these two thinges only. The flesh of Christ brokē & his bloud shed for our sinnes These things only (I say) are taught in y• scrpture. For who so lerneth not these things learneth nothing in y• scripture. What other thing doth the olde lawe thē bring vsus to Christ? And then what doth the newe testament other then teach vsus this lesson. We graunt you therfore, that Christe did forse this sacramente to be a great confort to his people, after suche sorte as I hauehave sayed. Yea we graunt y• Christe did also forse your lyeynge miracles wherby you establishe your fleshly presence: when he sayed. Beware of false proph…tes whiche come vntounto you in shepes clotheing, for inwarde they are rauening woulfes. Yea he geueth vsus warneing of your lying signes, and of your busie demonstracions, when you saye, lo here is Christe, lo…ther is Christe. Beleue thē not, sayeth he. Tha… was ment of the pigrimages, say you, but whē they were vsed you denied it, as you do now … of the sacrament. So loth you are to be driue… from your startynge holes.
Thē come you out wt Melchisedech. God a…pointed him, say you, a priest & a kinge, euen to figure this same o…fering. And then a while … bustle blindly about this kingdome & priesthod so long til you fal…e into your olde flesh again… and thus you say. Melchisedech brought forth bread & wyne vntounto Abrahā in the waye & in … same acte scripture, you say, calleth him y• … of the high god eternal. Thē applieng the mat…tier to your purpose you say christ did likewis… geue the fourme of bread & wyne, of the whic… Melchisedech was but asigne. Wel hit maiste Hogard. melchidech brought furth bread & wine vntounto Habraham to refreshe him after his great trauaile in the recouering of his kinsfolke and cōtrie men: & you, like a deuine of the grosseste, sort, say y• Christ did the lyke thinge, when he gaue to his disciples, the tourmes, as you say, of bread & wyne. Thus your wordes sowne, if a man take thē as the lye, but I am ryght sure you would saye, if you were de maunded your meaneing, y• as Melchisedech offered vp …read and wine in sacrifice: so did christ y• fourmes of bread & win▪ For you say a little before y• sriptture accōpteth Melchisedech y• priest of y• highest in y• he brought fourth bread & wyne to Habrahā. And in so saying you shoulde amend the matter wel. for if Melchisedech wer y• priest of the highest in y• dede thē was Habrahā y• highest god for he offered bread & wine to none▪ other but Habrahā. Then do you for se an obietion & preti…ie ye preuent y• might be saied against you. And in soluteing y•, as you thinke, you say y• in bringinge fourth breade & wyne vntounto Habrahā Melchisedech gaue thankes vntounto God for Habrahames victorie. And that, you saye, was a … of his office. As who should saye he made a sacrifice of breade and wyne, & in verie dede in that he refreshed Habrahame and his companye wyth bread and wyne, when after their greate trauille theyr bodyes neded refreing: he offered an acceptable sacrifice vntounto God, and so dyd Christe when wyth hys bodye and bloude offered one the crosse, he refershed our verie soules But for the thankes that Melchsede…he gaue vntounto God, if you▪ consider the places well, were done wyth a thankeful herte and Godly wordes for he sayede Blessed is Habrahame vntounto the hyghest God that hath made heauen and earth: and blessed be y• hygh GOD by whose helpe the enemies are in thy handes. But for your obiection. A man myght aske you… you saye) howe this dede of Melchisedeche maye be thus applied, s…inge that, neyther the proyhet nor Paull… maketh any mencion of breade or wine, where Paul noteth thē thus to agre, meaneinge of Melchisedech and Christe. But Paule (saye you) doeth applye Melchisedeches preisthod vntounto Christ, in that he offered vp his fleshe and bloud vntounto his father. Thys ye saye is palayne scripture. And yet if a man should go roundli to you: I thinke it would trouble both you and your counsaylours to find it in scripture that this should be Paules meanyng. For the place to the Hebrues that you build vponupon: maketh rather against you therin. First (sayth Paule) Melchesedech, is interpreted the kinge of iustice, and then the kynge of Salem, that is the Kynge of peace, whose parentes and kynred are vnknowen, neither haueing beginning of dayes, nor ende of lyfe. For beinge compared or likened vntounto the sonne of God, he remayneth a prieste for euer. If you had any little sparke of the spirite of God in you: it were verie easye for you to iudge wherein Paule compareth Melchesedech vntounto Christ: Euē in that he was wythout begynny…ge, without endeinge, desended of vnknowne parentes, & remayned a priest, for euer But you are styll in the flesh, and harpe still on one stringe, as appeareth by your melodie. And you dream y• because Paul maketh no mēciō of bread & wyne we wil say y• he denieth Christes pristehode. For your fleshely vnderstāding wil not suffer you to vnderstād any other pristhod … Christ, then that should stand in the offryng of materiall sacrifice, as breade, wine, fat lābes kiddes, gotes, & such other. And by the same vnderstanding you say that the bread & wyne that Melchesedech offred (for so you place your termes of the breade and wyne that he gaue vntounto Abraham) figured Christes flesh & bloud offred on the crosse Which assertion, how it agree… with the scriptures: is eas… to be sene of al … that are spiritual & hauehave the spirit of God dwelling in theym. As for your pretie note y• you …et in the marge: I leue it to your selfe, as a def…niciō of your owne making. For w…l I wot it is not to be found in any writter worthy of fai… but in such as you are your self, besides that it is contrary to the true meaning of the scriptures, in as many places as this sacramen… is mē cioned.
¶The Bal…ad.
¶For Christ hath sayd Thou cāst not shape
One heare of thy heade, whyte ether blacke.
How cāst thou of bread, Thē gods sōne make whyche in heauen is.
¶The answer.
Thys sta…e I hauehave answerd playnly before
For styl ye be harping vponupon one stryng
Therfore to thys I wyl answere no more
But pray vntounto god that he wyll you brynge
Out of your errou…, but thys is one thynge
Except ye beleue as sayth Esay.
Ye cannot vnderstand thys hy… mystery.