Whole Works, Tracts 2 · Tract 4 · Part 1
¶ The Preface of this booke.
GRace and increaſe of knowledge from God the father through our Lorde Ieſus Chriſt, be with the Chriſten reader, and with all them that louelove the Lord vnfaynedly. Amen.
I chaunced beyng in theſe parties, to be in company with a Chriſten brother which for his commē dable conuerſation, and ſober behauiour, might better be a Byſhop then many that weare miters if the rule of S. Paule were regarded in their election. 1. Timo. 3. Tit. 1.This brother after much communication, deſired to know my mynde as touchyng the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our ſauiour Chriſt. Which thing I opened vntounto hym accordyng to the gift that God had geuen me. Firſt I proued vntounto hym that it was The order that Iohn Frith kepeth in ſhewyng his mynde in the Sacrament of the body & bloud of Chriſt.no article of our fayth neceſſary to be beleued vnderunder payne of damnation. Then I declared, that Chriſt had a naturall body, euen as myne is (ſauyng ſinne) and that it could no more bee in two places at once thē myne cā. Thirdly I ſhewed him that it was not neceſſarie, that the wordes ſhould ſo be vnderſtand as they ſound. But that it might be a phraſe of Scripture, as there are innumerable. After that I ſhewed him certaine phraſes and maner of ſpeakynges. And that it was well vſed in our Engliſh toung and finally I recited after what maner they might receiue it according to Chriſtes inſtitutiō, not fearyng the froward alteration that the Prieſts vſe contrary to the firſt forme and inſtitution.
When I had ſufficiently publiſhed The occaſiō that moued Iohn Frith to write on the Sacrament.my mynde, hee deſired me to entitle the ſūme of my wordes, and write them for hym, becauſe they ſeemed ouerlong to be well reteined in memorie. And albeit I was loth to take the matter in hand, yet to fulfill his inſtant interceſsion, I tooke vponupon me to touche this terrible tragedie, and wrote a treatiſe, whiche beſide my paynfull impriſonmēt, is like to purchaſe me moſt cruell death, which I am ready and glad to receiue with the ſpirite and inward man (although the fleſhe be frayle) when ſoeuer it ſhall pleaſe God to lay it vponupon me. Notwithſtā dyng to ſay the truth I wrote it not to the intēt that it ſhould hauehave ben publiſhed. For then I would hauehave touched the matter more earneſtly, and hauehave written, as well of the ſpirituall eating & drinking which is of neceſsitie, as I dyd of the carnall which is not ſo neceſſarie. For the treatiſe that I made was not expedient for all men, albeit it were ſufficient for them whom I tooke in hand to inſtruct. For they knew the ſpirituall and neceſſarie eatyng The ſpirituall eatyng of the Sacrament is by fayth.and drinkyng of his body & bloud which is not receiued with the teth and bellye, but with the eares and faith, and onelyonly neded inſtructiō in the outward eating, whiche thing I therfore onelyonly declared. But now it is cōmon abroad and in many mēs mouthes, in ſo much that M. More whiche of late hath buſied hym ſelfe to medle in all ſuch matters (of what zeale I will not define) hath ſore labored to confute it, but ſome mē thinke that he is aſhamed of his part and for that cauſe doth ſo diligently ſuppreſſe the woorke whiche he printed. For I my ſelfe ſaw the worke in Print in my Lord of Wincheſters houſe, vponupon S. Stephens day laſt paſt. But neither I neither all the frēdes I could make, might attaine any copie, but onelyonly one written copie whiche as it ſeemed was drawen out in great haſt: notwithſtandyng I can not well iudge what the cauſe ſhould bee, that his boke is kept ſo ſecret: But this I am right ſure of, that he neuer touched the foundation that my treatiſe was builded vponupon. And therefore ſith my foundation ſtandeth ſo ſure and inuincible (for els I thinke verely he would ſore hauehave laboured to hauehave vndermined it) I will thereupon builde a litle more, and alſo declare that his ordinaūce is to ſlender to breake it downe, although it were ſet vppon a woorſe foundation.