The Confutation of the Misshapen Answer to a Wicked Ballad, Part
The confutacion
¶In this preface of yours I note .iii. thinges First that you saye the sacrament hath manye en…mies. Secondly, that you father your fonde opinion vponupon the scripture. Thyrdely and laste that you go about to make that thinge playne whereof neuer man doubted.
For the fyrst, It is easie to be coniected what maner of men you accompt for the enemies of this sacrament, euen the authour of the ballad that you brabble about and all other of his minde (I doubt not) are those you meane of, But for as much as it is no small reproche to a christiā man to be accōpted an enimie of christes sacramentes: it shalbe good to bringe this mattier ne…e the light, that al such as hauehave eies that can abide the lyght, may iudge whether of bothe the parties, your sorte or ours, be the enemies that you spal… of, It shalbe necessarie therfore firste to describe the enemie of Christes sacramentes, settyng him forth in his lyuely colours and then set him vp betwen boeth parties, that other men may iuge which▪ of thē both he doeth most resemble.
The enemie therfore of Christes sacraments is such one as by any meane endeuoureth to diminish or take awaye any parte of the vertue and strengthe of the same, as for exāple, he that wyll take awaye frome baptisme the vertue & powre to declare vntounto vsus by the eternall and outwarde wassheynge of the bodie, that the soule is (by the bloude of the immaculate and vnspotted lambe) washed and purged from all the fylthe and corruption of synne: the same is an enemie vntounto baptisme and denieth it to be a sacrament. For lenger thē it is the visible signe of inuisible grace, it is no sacrament.
In lyke maner, he that endeuoureth, to take a waye frome the most blessed sacrament of the bodie and bloude of Christ the vertue & powre to declare vntounto vsus that as the breade is made of many graines and the wyne of many grapes and yet is but one loofe or piece of breade and one cup of wyne, so we beinge many faythfull beleuers & professers of christ are but one bodie the head wherof is y• same our sauiour & redemer Christe: doeth no lesse thē denie these moste worthye sacraments, bread & wyne, to be anye sacramentes at all, or at the lest waye he taketh awaye from them theyr chiefest and principall office, leaueinge them as it were thinges scrueynge in maner to no purpose. For not withstā deynge that they signifie vntounto vsus, that in lyke maner as they are the foode of the bodie, so is Christe the fode of the soule: yet the chi…feste thynge that they were ordeined for, was to declare the vnite of the fayethfull m…mbres of Christes musticall bodie, the church and congregac… on of christians.
What so …uer he is therfore, that taketh awaye from these sacramentes the powr to signifie thys vnitie: denieth them to be sacramentes, and therfore is an enimie to Christes sacraments.
Nowe let them that hauehave the spirite of god wellinge in them: iudge whe…ther of boeth parties be these enimes▪ We that saye they be breade and wyne, and therfore made of many graynes of corn… & manye grapes, whereby is signified the vnitie of vsus the mēbres of Christes mistical bodie: or you that denie them to be either breade or wyne, and therfore to hauehave any suche signi…ication? You are to yonge (maister Hoggarde) to defe…de thys mattier. You knowe not on which syde your breade is buttered, You toke your … to be an high friend to Christes sacramentes and nowe you are proued to be their mortall enimie.
Nowe for you secounde parte. You say (and true it is) that Paule teacheth all thynges that be writen, to be writ…en for our learneing. Frēd Hogg…rde, I cun you thanke that you hauehave learned some what at father Latimers sermons, thought your coming thither were for lyke purpose as you hauehave heretofore haunted other mēs sermons to …ere and note and beare tidinges you wot whether. But I would wish that you hadde learned a little more, and then I doubte not but you woulde hauehave been atrayde eythere to belye Goddes moste holye boke or to sette any of gods scriptures on the …acke or else to crxampe them. Where find you it in gods boke y• Christes bodie and bloud, is the …ode of our bodies? Dyd not Christ rebuke the Capernaties for thys your grosse & carna…l opinion? dyd he not byd them worke the meat… that remayneth for euer and not that whiche perisheth? And whā they asked him what they myght do to worcke the worckes of God: dyd he not make answere y• to beli…ue in him whō God hath sent, is the worke of God? Is Christes immortall bodie become the fode of oure mortall bodies? Oh more then owlieshe blyndnesse, Wher fynde you in all gods boke, yea in a…y foude Philosophers writteinge, that mortall bodies can be fed with fode that is immortalle? The tyme woulde faile me, if I shoulde not leaue writinge til I had declared your beastly blindenesse to the worthines.
But I wyll leaue you to the iudgement of them y• shal reade your wordes, which are so open blasphemie, that euerie man that hath any little sparke of godly knowledge maye easilye iudge whose spirite you are.
Then do you procede to heape errour vponupon …rrour, and thus you say. The perfecte fayeth wherein this sacramēt must be receiued: is to be lieue that Christe is ther, bodie and soule.
To scanne these your wordes to the worthinesse I can do not lesse then iudge your meaneinge herin to be al one wyth that wicked article for the not belieueinge wherof so many hauehave ben most cruelly murdered, euen one of the syx whych God hath nowe confoūded. For what other thinge can you make of your ioyneing of bodie and soule to the sacrament: but to mak… it natural man whiche consisteth of these two partes. And then it is easie to be coniected what argumentes you wil grounde vponupon this sande. Forsoth euen the same that the great patrones and defenders of thys articles hauehave hertofore framed to their purposse. And had if not ben for feare to encure the danger of the late proclamacion. I doubt not you woulde hauehave lashed them out as fast as neuer dyd any of them. But you think… your …elfe to hauehave escaped al these daungers & yet to hauehave placed your wordes so that al your frindes maye perceiue your meaneinge to …e nolesse but that the sacramēt is not bread nor wyne, but …eshe, and bloude and bones bec…use it is bodie and soule. But if you remēbre the wordes of the proclamacion well, you shall s… that you hauehave ouer shot your selfe a little as w…relye as you hauehave walked. As I remembre, the proclamacion permitteth none other names to be geuen to the sacrament. But such as are expressely foūd in the scripture, And I prai you wher fynde you in the scripture, that the sacrame…t is called the soule of Christe? Se you no… into what case you hauehave brought your selfe Well shifte for your selfe as well as you can. I …eare me the proclamacion wylbe layde in your necke. And if it be, take it for a plage, for amongest those thynges that be wryiten for our learnynge: are founde these true sayeinges. Who so striketh wyth the sw…rde sha…l perishe with the sw…rde. He that sheweth no merciemercy, shall fynde no merciemercy.
And the same measure ye make vntounto other shalbe made vntounto you agayne.
Remembre your selfe (frynde Hogherde) how… manie you hauehave sette forwarde towarde … in the tyme of persecution. Men thy…ke that frome the …yme of Iohn Fri…h to … of (the constante wytnesse of gods trueth) Anne askwe, ther was no bloude shed in Smythfylde, but your parte wyll be in it at the laste daye▪ Repēt therfore and acknowledge your …aute, God is mercifull to the penitent, He is able to take frome you your stonie herte and to geue you one of …esh. But if you wyll be still stubburne, he wyll make you vtter you… owne folly further yet, & at the length to renne into the red sea with cruell Pharao.
Nowe▪ in the thirde and laste parte of your preface: you laboure greatly to make that thinge plaine y• neuer mā doubted of, that is y• god is able to make his bodie & bloude of breade & wine.
Who euer doubted of gods omnipotencie & almyghtie powre? Who beleueth not certaynelye that he whiche was able to make heauen, the earth and al that is therin of nought: can also make his bodie and bloude of breade and wyne? You byd vsus captiuate our reasone, because it surmunteth reasone to know how god worketh thys wonderful worcke aboue teasō Surelye I neuer harde reasonable beaste braylle wyth lesse reasone. For what resone leadeth you to conclude. Aposse adesse, that is if you vnderstande not the termes of logicke (as I coniect by your wryttynge that you do not) to affirme a thynge to be done. because it is possible it maye he don▪ It is possible that you (beynge to your powre) a cruell Saulle shoulde be conuerted & made aperfecte Paule and preachers of y• waye which you hauehave long persecuted: but y• you are so, doeth, not yet appear wherfore I dare not cōclude because it is possible and God is able to chaūge your herte therfore he hath done it. But if I dyd percei… either by any manifeste signe or …oken or else by the testimonie of godes holy worde that you we… conuerted: I would forth wyth belieue it wythout asking any questiō howe it myght be Ryght so do I saie of the sacramentes of the bodi & bloude of Christe If I myght perceiue that God had (accordeinge to hys powre) chaū ged thys breade & wyne into hys bodie & bloud or if the worde of God dyd tell me that Christe had made thys alteracion or chaunge: I would and so woulde we all) be as redie to belieue it as you on any of your doctours thought it we my Lord of Winchester whose argumēts you vse in your answer. But here you beginne to prepare your selfe to speake. You hauehave an obiection redie at hande, I praye you sir (saye you) what playner wordes woulde you hauehave then those which Christ spake to hys disciples when he instituted thys blessed sacrament? did he not saye thys is my bodye? How saye you sir to thys, was it his bodie that he gaue them or dyd he make alye to them? For one of the boeh you muste nedes graunt me. Not so syr by your l…eaue Nether dyd he lye vntounto thē nor yet was the breade that he gaue them his body other wise thē the cup was the newe testament or couenaunt established by hys bloude shed on the crosse, that is to saye in signi…i…acion and not in substaunce a…d so we belieue more firmly than all my Lorde your maisters faggottes can remoue out of oure hertes. We shal speake more largelye of thys matier in the confutacion of your answere to the ballad.
OF late a new balad came to my hand
…ompyled by a …al…e christen man
As it is easye for to vnderstāde
In y• so madly he doth y• thinge scan
Whiche …e reproueth, but here after
Ye do rea…e the answere it shal apeare (whā
What deuilishe doctrine he hath written here
And because hys errour shalbe sene playn.
Eche staff of hys tyme I wyl answere so
That then he shall hauehave no cause to cōplayne
For all hys hole pro…esse as it doeth go
I wyll wryt forth and not adde one worde m…
In than swere wherof, he shall se euident
How wycke…lye hys tyme in it he hath spent
And nowe for hys matter to en…er in
As after foloweth it doeth begin.