Whole Works, Tracts 2 · Tract 4 · Part 12
¶ The concluſion of this treatiſe.
NOwe deare brethren I beſéech you for the mercy yt ye looke for in Chriſt Ieſu, that you accepte this worke with a ſingle eye and no contentious hart. For neceſſitie hath compelled me to write it, becauſe I was informed both of my Lord of Wincheſter and other credible perſōs, that I had by the meanes of my firſt treatiſe offended many men. Which thing may well be true: For it was to ſlender, to inſtruct all them which hauehave ſince ſeene it, albe … it were ſufficient for their vſe to whō it was firſt deliuered. And therfore I thought it not onelyonly expedient, but alſo neceſſary, to inſtruct them further in the truth, that they might ſée plaine euidence of that thyng wherein they were offended.
By this worke you ſhal eſpye their blaſphemyes & the venemous toūges where with they flaunder not onelye them that publiſh the truth, but euen the truth it ſelfe. They ſhame not to ſay yt we affirme it to bee onelyonly bread and nothing els. And we ſay not ſo: but we ſay, that beſide the ſubſtaunce of bread, it is ye ſacrament of Chriſtes body and bloud. As ye Iuye hanging before the tauerne doore is more then bare Iuye. For beſide the ſubſtaunce The Sament beſide the ſubſtaunce of of bread is Chriſtes body and bloud.of Iuye, it is a ſigne, and ſignifieth that there is wine to bee ſold. And this ſacrament ſignifieth vntounto vsus and poynteth out before our eyes that as verely as that bread is broken, ſo verely was Chriſtes body broken for our ſinnes: and as that bread is diſtributed vntounto vsus, ſo is his body & fruite of hys paſſion diſtributed vntounto all his faythfull. And as the bread comforteth the body, ſo doth ye fayth in Chriſtes death comfort our ſoules. And as ſurely as we hauehave that bread and eate it with our mouth and téeth, & know by our ſenſes that we hauehave it within vsus, & are partakers therof: no more néede we to doubte of hys body and bloude, but that thorough fayth, wee are as ſure of them, as we are ſure of that bread. As it is ſufficiently declared in my booke.
They diſhonour the Sacramēt that geue it that honour that is due vntounto God.Agayne you may perceyue how wickedly they report on vsus which affirme that we diſhonour it whiche geue it the right honour that it ought to hauehave. And you doe playnly diſhonour it, whiche geue vntounto it the honor that is onelyonly due vntounto God. We geue it the ſame honour that we geue vntounto the holy Scripture and word of God, becauſe it expreſſeth vntounto our ſenſes the death of our Sauiour, and doth more déepely Print it within vsus. And therefore we call it an holy Sacrament, as we call Gods word, holy Scripture. And we receiue this Sacrament with great reuerence, euen as we reuerently read or heare preached the holy word of God which cō teineth the health of our ſoules. And we graunt that his body is preſent with the bread as it is with the word, and with both it is verely receiued & eaten through faith. But if we ſhould knéele downe and pray vntounto the holy Scripture, men might coūt vsus fooles, & might lawfully ſay, that we doe not honour the ſcripture by that meanes, but rather diſhonour it. For the right honour of a thyng is, to vſe it for that intent that it was inſtituted of God. And hee that abuſeth it to any other purpoſe, doth in déede diſhonour it. And lykewiſe it is in the Sacrament which was inſtituted to kéepe in memory the death of Chriſt, which if we doe any otherwiſe honour, then we doe the holy Scripture (vntounto yt which we may in no wiſe make our prayers) I ſay that then we ſhould vtterly diſhonour it. Auoyde therfore this poynt of Idolatry, and all is ſafe.
Finally we ſay that they ſpeake Frith here ſheweth what hee thinketh of the Sacrament.well & faythfully whiche ſay that they goe to the body and receiue the body of Chriſt, and that they ſpeake vilanouſly and wickedly whiche ſay that they onelyonly receiue bread or the ſigne of hys body for in ſo ſaying they declare their infidelitie. For the faythful will reckon that hée is euill reported of, and reputed for a traytour and an other Iudas, if mē ſhould ſay of hym that hée dyd onelyonly receiue the Sacrament, and not alſo the thyng whiche the Sacrament doth ſignifie. For albeit hée onelyonly eateth the bread and ſacrament with hys mouth and téeth: yet with hys hart and fayth inwardly, hée eateth the very thyng it ſelfe which the Sacramēt outwardly doth repreſent.
And of this, ſpryng the maner of ſpeakynges that the olde fathers doe ſometyme vſe, which at the firſt ſight mought ſéeme contrary to our ſenſes. But if they bée well pondered, it may ſoone bée ſéene, how they ſhould be taken. For many times when they ſpeake of the Sacramēt and outward eating, they apply vntounto ye Sacrament and outward eatyng the fruite & conditions of the inward eatyng & thyng it ſelſe, becauſe that in a faythful man they are ſo ioyntly ioyned that the one is neuer without the other. The Godhead is ſo ioyned with the māhode of Chriſt that they both make but one perſon.As by example, Mary is named the mother of God, and yet ſhe is not the mother of hys Godhead by the which part onelyonly he is called God, but becauſe ſhe is his mother, as touching his māhode, & the Godhead is ſo annexed with the māhode that they both, make but one perſon, therfore is ſhée called the mother of God, whiche in déede if it bée wiſely weyed, ſhalbée founde to bée abuſed ſpeach. And yet neuertheleſſe it may very well bée vſed, if men vnverſtand what is ment thereby, but if thorough the vſe of this ſpeach, men ſhoulde fall into ſuch an errour that woulde affirme our Ladye to bée in déede the mother of his Godhead, thē neceſſitie ſhould compell vsus to make a diſtinction betwéene the nature of his Godhead and the nature of hys manhode, and ſo to expoūde the matter vntounto them, and bryng them home agayne into the right vnderſtanding. As we are now conſtrayned to doe in this Sacrament, becauſe you miſconſtrue the ſayinges of the Scripture & Doctours. Which notwithſtandyng (if a man vnderſtand them) ſay very well.
And many ſuch maner of ſpeaches are contayned in the Scripture: As where Chriſt ſayth. Ioh. 3. There ſhall noman aſcend into heauen, but hée that diſcendeth from heauen, the ſonne of man which is in heauen. This text doth ſay that the ſonne of man was then in heauen, when hée ſpake theſe wordes vntounto Nicodemus here on earth: which thing, all wiſe men cōſent to bée vnderſtanded, propter vnitatem perſonae: That is to ſay, for the vnitie of the perſon. For albeit his godhed was in eueryevery place at that time, yet was not his manhode (by the which hée was called the ſonne of man) in heauen at that time. And yet Chriſt ſayde that it was in heauen for the vnitie of his perſon. For his Godhed was in heauen, and becauſe the Godhed and manhode made but one perſon, therefore it was aſcribed vntounto yt manhode, which was onelyonly verified vppon the Godhed, as S. Auguſtine ad Dardanum Auguſt.doth diligently declare.
And likewiſe in the ſacrament of Baptiſme, becauſe the inwarde working Of Baptiſme.of the holy ghoſt is euer annexed in the faithfull, vntounto the outwarde ceremony: therefore ſometime the fruite of the inwarde Baptiſme is aſcribed vntounto the outward worke. And ſo the ſcripture vſeth to ſpeake of the outward baptiſme as though it were the inwarde: that is to ſay, the ſprite of God. And therfore S. Paul ſaith, that we are buried with Chriſt thorough baptiſme. And yet as S. Auguſtine Auguſtinus ad Bonifacium.expoundeth it, yt outward Baptiſme doth but ſignifie this buriall. And agayne Paule ſayth, as many as are baptiſed hauehave put Chriſt vppō them. And yet in déede our outward baptiſme doth but ſignifie, that wée hauehave put Chriſt vppon vsus. But by the inwarde baptiſme (which is the water of life and ſpirite of God) wée hauehave in déede put him vponupon vsus & liue in him, and hée in vsus. Which notwithſtanding is very falſe for all the outwarde baptiſme, in them that receiue it not in fayth. And vntounto them it is but a bare ſigne, whereof they get no profite, but damnation.
And here you may euidently perceiue how it is ſometyme in ſcripture aſcribed vntounto the inwarde worke and ceremony, which is onelyonly true in the outwarde veritie. And this place ſhall expounde all the olde doctoures which ſéeme contrary to our ſentēce. And therefore marke it well.
Thus hauehave you my mynde farther vppon the Sacrament of the bodye and bloud of Chriſt. Wherein, if you recken that I hauehave béene too long in repeating one thing ſo often, I ſhall pray you of pardon. But ſurely, mée thought I coulde not bée ſhorter. For the worlde is ſuch now a dayes, that ſome woulde heare and can not, and ſome doe heare and will not. And therfore I am compelled ſo oftē to repeate that thing which a wiſe man woulde vnderſtand with halfe the wordes.
¶ Praye Chriſten reader that the worde of God may encreaſe, and that God may bee glorified thorough my bondes.
Amen.