Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Account 109
¶William Wood of Kent.
THe examination of William Woode Baker, dwelling in the Parish of Strowd, in the County of Kent, before Doctor Kenall Chauncellour of the Dioces of Rochester,Examination of William Wood. Doctor Chadsey, the Maior of Rocher, and M. Robinson the Scribe, the 19. day of October, and in the secōd yeare of Queene Mary, in S. Nicholas Church in Rochester.
M. Robinson.
William Wood, you are presented because you will not come to the Church,W. Wood charged for not comming to church. nor receiue the blessed sacrament of the Aultar. Howe say you? hauehave you receiued, or hauehave you not?
Wood.
I hauehave not receiued it, nor I dare not receiue it, as you do now minister it.
Kenall.
Thou Hereticke, what is the cause that thou hast not receyued the blessed Sacrament of the Aultar? and at this word all they put off theyr cappes, and made low beisaunce.
Wood.
There be three causes that make my conscience afeard that I dare not receiue it..3 causes why William Wood durst not receiue the Sacrament of the Aultar. The first Christ did deliuer it to his xij. Apostles, and sayd: Take, eat: And drinke ye all of this. &c. and ye eate and drinke vppe all alone. The seconde cause is: you hold it to be worshipped, contrary to Gods comaūdements: Thou shalt not bow downe nor worship. The third cause is: you minister it in a straunge toung, contrary to S. Paules doctrine: I lad rather hauehave fiue wordes wyth vnderstanding, then ten thousand with tounges: by reasō wher of the people be ignoraunt of the death of Christ.
Kenall.
Thou hereticke, wilt thou hauehave any playner wordes then these: Hoc est corpus meum? Take, eat, this is my body? wilt thou deny the Scripture?
Wood.
I will not deny the holy Scripturs: GOD forbid, but with my hart I do faythfully beleue them. Saynt Paule sayth: God calleth those thinges that are not, as though they were. And Christ sayth: I am a Vyne: I am a doore. Saynt Paule sayth: The Rocke is Christ: All which are figuratiue speaches, wherein one thing is spoken, and an other thing is vnderstanded.
Robins.
You make a very long tale of this matter. Learne Wood, learne.
Kenall.
Nay, these heretickes will not learne. Looke howe this heretike glorieth in himselfe. Thou foole, art thou wiser then the Queene and her Counsell, and all the learned men of this Realme?
Wood.
And it please you, Mayster Chauncellour, I thinke you would be loth to hauehave such glory, to hauehave your life and goodes taken away, and to be thus rayled vppon, as you rayle vppon me. But the seruaunt is not greater then his Mayster. And where you do mocke me, and saye I am wiser then the Queene and her Counsell, S. Paule sayth: The wisedome of the wise of this world is foolishnesse before God, and he that will be wise in this world, shall be accounted but a foole.
Kenall.
Doest not thou beleue that after these wordes spoken by a priest: Hoc est corpus meum: This is my body: there remayneth no more bread and Wine, but the very fleshe & bloud of Christ, as he was borne of the virgin Mary, really and substantially, in quantity and quality, as he did hāg vponupon the Crosse?
Wood.
I pray you M. Chaūcellour, geue me leaue for my learning, to aske you one question, and I will aunswere you after.
Kenall.
It is some wise question, I warrant you.
Wood.
God spake to the Prophet Ezechiell, saying:Ezech. 5. William Woods question propounded to the Doctours. Thou sonne of man, take a rasour and shaue of the heare of thy head & of thy beard, and take one part and cast into the ayre: take the second part and put it into thy coat lap, and take the third part & cast it into the fire: & this is Ierusalem. I pray you, M. Chaū cellour, was this heare that the Prophet did cast into the fire, or was it Ierusalem?
Kenall.
No, it did signify Ierusalem.
Wood.
Euen so this word of Christ: This is my body: is not so to be vnderstanded that Christes carnall, naturall,The naturall quantitye of Chri…t not in the Sacrament. & reall body is in the same, in quantity and quality, as it was borne of the virgin Mary: and as he was crucified vponupon the crosse, is present or inclosed in the sacramēt: but it doth signify Christes body, as S. Paule sayth: So oft as ye doe eat of this bread and drinke of this cup, you shall shew forth the Lordes death til he come. What should the Apostle meane by this word, till he come, if he were here carnally, naturally, corporally, and really in the same quantity and quality as he was borne of the virgine Mary, and as he did hang on the crosse, as you say? but Saynt Paule saith: You shall shew the Lordes death till he come. This doth argue that he is not here as you would hauehave vsus to beleue.
Doctour Chadsey.
I will proue that Christ is here present vnderunder the forme of bread, but not in quantity and quality.
Kenall sayde: yes he is here present in quantitye and quality.
Chadsey.
He is here present vnderunder a forme, and not in quā tity and quality.
Yes, sayd Kenall.
No, sayd Chadsey.The Papistes could not agree in their owne doctrine.
I will proue him here in quantity and qualitie, sayde Kenall.
I will proue the contrary, sayd Chadsey.
And these two doctors were so earnest in this matter, the one to affirme, the other to deny, contending & raging so sore one at the other, that they fomed at ye mouth, & one was ready to spit in an others face, so that in a great fury and rage the two Doctors rose vp from the iudgemēt seat, and Doctor Kenall departed out of the Churche in greate rage and fury immediatly.
Wood.
Behold good people, they would hauehave vsus to beleue that Christ is naturally, really, in quantity & quality present in the Sacramēt, and yet they can not tell themselues, nor agree within themselues how he is there.
At these wordes the people made a great shout and the Maior stood vp and commaunded the people to be quiet, & to keep silence. And that God yt did deliuer S. Paul out of the handes of the high Priests,W Wood deliuered, as was S. Paule by the contention of the Phariseys and Saduces. by the contention that was betwene the Phariseis and the Saduces, did euen so deliuer me at that time out of the mouthes of the bloudy Papistes, by the meanes of the contention of these two Doctors. Blessed be the name of the Lord which hath promised to laye no more vponupon his, then he will make them able to beare, and in the midst of temptation he can make a way for his (whome and when it pleaseth him) to escape out of all daungers.
Many other like examples of Gods helpyng hande hauehave bene declared vponupon his elect Sayntes and Children in deliuering them out of daunger by wonderfull and miraculous wayes, some by one meanes some by an other. What a notable worke of Gods mightye hand was seene in Simon Grinaeus, mentioned in the Commentary of Melancthon vponupon Daniell. Who hauing a sodeine warnynge by a certaine olde man, who was not seene after, nor knowen then of any what he was, auoided the peril of taking and burning, as by the relation of Melancthon writing and witnessing of the same, may appeare in the wordes of hys owne story here folowing.