The Confutation of the 13 Articles, Article 9
Shaxton. The .ix. Article.
THe maſſe vſed in this reame of Englād, is agreable to the inſtitution of Chriſte.
And we hauehave in this church of Englande, the very true ſacrament, whych is the verye true Sacramente whyche is the very true ſacrament, whych is the very body and bloude of oure Samoure Chriſte, vnderunder the fourme of bread and wyne.
Crowley.
¶ Who ſo compareth the wordes of the ſcriptures concernynge the moſte ſacret cō …ion, inſtituted by Chriſte the nyght before he ſuffered: wyth the bechynges, dowkyngs, crowchynges, knelynges, toſſinges, croſſynges, wynkynges, ſtarynges, whiſperynges, galpyngs, turnes and halfe turnes, that are preſcribed in the cannon of poure maſſe, maye ealylye perceyue howe they agre, Let vsus therfore brieflye compare them, that the trueth of your article maye appeare as it is. Fyrſt the Goſpel ſayeth, that Chriſt toke breade, not prepared for that purpoſe, but of the ſame breade that they had de eaten wyth the paſcall Lambe: but youre cannon ſayeth, you muſte hauehave wafers, or els you can make no God. Chriſte bleſſed after the maner of the fathers, geuynges thankes to hys father for the preſeruation of thoſe lyttleons whom he had receyued: but your cā non ſayeth, here make one croſſe, and here an other, here three croſſes, and here other three, one wyth your thombe in your forheade, an other vponupon your crowne wyth the patell of the chalice, wyth I wot not how many mo. Chriſt diſtributed the bread to hys diſciples whoe were then preſente: but youre cannon ſayeth ye muſte hoyce it ouer youre heade, that the people maye honour it as God. And when you hauehave played with it a while your cannot ſayeth you muſte eate all your ſelfe. Chriſte toke the ſame cup and the ſame drincke that was communely vſed amonge the people of the countrye: but your cannon ſayth, no remedy you muſt hauehave a cup made after the preſcripte faſbion, whyche muſte nedes be hatlowed by the byſhop. And for the drynke you muſte nedes hauehave wyne in a bottell, whyche muſte be red wyne if ther be any to be gotten that is not ſower. I thynke bycauſe that wyne loketh moſtlyke bloude. Chriſte cōmaunded all hys fayethful dearlynges whych were there preſente, to drinke of that coppe: but your cannon byddeth the prieſte drinke all hym ſelfe, and to lycke the chalyce when he hathe done, bycauſe there ſhoulde nothynge eſcape hys ſyppes. Chriſt byddeth hys fayethful do that whyche they ſawe hym do in a remēbraunce of hys death but your cannon byddeth you ſay thus. To the holye father we offer thys lyuely ſacrifice for the redemption of the ſoules of thy churche.
Here maye you ſe (chriſtian readers) how thys maſſe vſed in thys realme of England greeth with the inſtitutiō of Chriſt. Now let vsus ſe whether in this church of Englāde we hauehave the very true ſacramēt or not. I doubte not but we hauehave it. But that it is the ſame which ye cal the bodie & bloude of Chriſt, I can not be perſwaded, bicauſe the body and bloude of Chriſte can be no Sacramente. For as. S. Auguſtine defineth, a ſacramēte…d Marcelli …um .ii. is a ſygne, referred to an holye thing. If this therfore wherof you ſpeake be the bodye of Chriſte (as you ſaye it is) then can it not be a ſacramente, that is the ſygne of an holye thynge, for it is the holye thynge it ſelfe. So that you muſte eyther denye it to be the bodye and bloude of Chriſte, eyther els the ſacramēt therof. For onethyng can not be both ſygne & thynge ſignified, bicauſe they be in that reſpect moſt cōtrary the one to the other
But I knowe your holde in this matter. You ſay not that the ſubſtaunce of the bread and wyne, is the Sacramente (for that you ſaye is turned into the bodye and bloude of Chriſt) but the forme of bread & wine which remayneth, you ſay is the ſacramente of the ſame ſubſtaūce turned into ye body & bloud of chriſt. A ſyra, ther ſaid you wel The forme of bread and wine, is the ſacramēt of Chriſtes body & bloud. Nowe muſte we knowe, what the fourme of a thinge is. The Philoſophers ſay, that the fourme of eueryevery thing is that inſeperable qualitie, that maketh the thing differ, & to be knowen frō al other thinges not of the ſame kinde, ſo that we may be bold to name the thynge after thoſe inſeperable qualities. But bycauſe it is ſo harde a thing to finde theſe true differences, that the Philoſophers are cōſtrained to ſay that ther is no true difference, that is to ſaye, that ther can be no qualitie ſo appropriate to any one kynd, that it may be found in that kynd onlye, and in eueryevery of that kynde: we muſte of neceſſitie take thoſe qualities for the fourme of thinges whiche be mooſte appropriate to them, & are found in feweſt thinges of other kynd. As the fourme of man, is the power to receyue reaſon. Whiche power is founde is none other kind of thing ſauing in ſpirits OnelyOnly ſpirites & man, hauehave the power to receiue reaſon. Wherfore they onelyonly are called reaſonable. Bi this we ſe, that the fourme of bread and wine, muſte nedes be that qualitie that is moſt appropriate to thē, & that qualitie muſte nedes be the power to nouriſhe.
Which power as it is not found in thē onelyonly, but in all other kindes of ſuſtinaūce alſo: ſo is it foūd muſt chiefly in bread & broth, ſo that vnderunder thoſe names are cōteined all maner of thinges wherupon man feadeth, and without theſe, no fode can be pleaſaunte to the bodye for any longe tyme.
The power therefore to nouryſhe, is the fourme of breade & wyne. And the fourme of breade and wyne, is the ſacramente of the bodye and bloude of Chriſte. Therefore the power to nowriſhe is the Sacrament of the bodye and bloude of Chriſte. If you alowe thys fourme of breade and wyne to be the ſacrament of the bodye and bloud of Chriſt then am I of the ſame opinion with you.
For no doubt Chriſt willed vsus to certifi our cōſciēces by the nouriſhmēt we fele in bread and wyne, that hys bodye and bloude do in lyke maner nouryſhe the ſoule. But if you wyll hauehave that fourme to be the ſacramente of the bodye and bſoude of Chriſte whythe conſiſteth in coloure, quantitie, taſte, & ſuche other: thē I wyl ſaye, you erre, not knowing the ſcriptures. For the Manna wherewyth the chyldren of Iſraell were fed .xl. yeres in the wildernes was the ſacramēt of Chriſt to come (as appeareth by the wordes of ChriſtIohn .vi. when he ſayed, I am that lyueynge breade that came frome heauen▪ Your fathers dyd eate Manna in the wylderues and yet are they deade, but he that eateth of thys breade ſhal neuer dye) and yet was not the fourme therof (which was as a Coriāder ſeede) nor the taſte (whyche was as honye) the ſacrament of Chriſte to come. But the wonderful ſtrenght that it (beynge but a dewe frō heauen) had to noureyſhe alone wythout any other kynd of ſuſtenaunce. In lyke maner the v…. candelſtyckes, and the .vii. ſtarres which Iohn ſawe in hys renelations, were the ſacramentes of the .vii▪ congregations, and theyr preachers: and yet was it not the faſhion of the candelſtyckes, but the vſe wherunto they ſerue, that was the Sacramente of the .vii. congregations. For as the candelſtycke ſerueth to beare and ſuſtaine the light of the place wherein it is, that all that enter in there may ſe thereby: ſo doeth the congregation of Chriſte ſerue to beare vponupon theim the ſonne of God the onelye lyghte of the worlde, that all men maye ſe theyr good cō uerſation. For he that taketh hys croſſe and foloweth Chriſte, beareth Chriſte and is a true Chriſtofer, and hys conuerſation is the lyghte of the worlde. So the ſeuen ſtarres not the faſhion of theym, but the proprietie they hauehave to geue lyghte in the dareknes of the nyght, is the Sacramēt of the preachers of the ſeuen congregations. For lyke as the ſtarres do ſhewe lyght in the darknes of the nyght, ſo do the true preachers of the cōgregations, ſhewe lyghte in the darcknes of ertoure, as well by theyr doctrine, as Godlye conuerſation of lyuynge.
Thus may you ſe (if you do not willinglye ſhut the eyes of your conſcience agaynſt the trueth) that notwythſtandynge we hauehave the true Sacramente of the bodye & bloude of Chriſte in thys realme: Yet (in the abuſe the thyuge that is ſo tyranouſelye defended to be it) is not it, but rather a moſt deteſtable idole, for aſmoch as, it ſpoyleth chriſt …t hys glory, for hys moſt victoriouſe conqueſt, atchined on the croſſe, and is nothinge agreable to the inſtitution of Chriſte.