Whole Works, Tracts 2 · Tract 4 · Part 5
¶ The conſecration of the Sacrament.
NOwe as for an other quietnes of eueryevery mās More.conſcience this young man biddeth eueryevery mā be bold, whether the bleſſed Sacrament be conſecrate or vnconſecrate (for though he moſt eſpecially ſpeaketh of the wyne, yet he ſpeaketh it of both) & byddeth vsus not care, but take it for all that vnbleſſed as it is becauſe the Prieſt (hee ſayth) can not deceiue vsus nor take from vsus the profit of Chriſtes inſtitution, whether hee alter the woordes or leaue them all vnſayd. Is not this a wonderful doctrine of this young man? We wotte well all, that the Prieſt can not hurt vsus by his ouerſight or malice, if there be no fault vponupon our owne partie, for that perfection that lacketh on the Prieſtes part, the great mercy of God as we truſt of his owne goodnes ſupplyeth. And therfore as holy Chriſoſtome ſayth, no man can take harme but of him ſelfe. But now if we ſee the thyng diſordered our owne ſelfe by the Prieſt and Chriſtes inſtitution broken, if we then wittyngly receiue it vnbleſſed & vnconſecrated, & care not whether Chriſtes inſtitutiō be kept and obſerued or no, but rekon that it is as good without it as with it, then make we our ſelues partakers of the fault and leeſe the profit of the Sacramēt, and receiue it with damnation: not for the Prieſtes fault, but for our owne.
I had thought that no Turke wold Frith.hauehave wreſted a mans woordes ſo vnfaythfully, for hee leaueth out all the pith of my matter, for my wordes are theſe. I will ſhew you a meanes how ye ſhall euer receiue it accordyng to Chriſtes inſtitution, although the Prieſt would withdraw it from you. Firſt ye néede to hauehave no reſpect vntounto the Prieſts wordes which miniſtreth A meane how we may receaue ye ſacrament according to Chriſtes inſtitution, though the miniſter be negligent.it. For if ye remember for what intēt Chriſt dyd inſtitute this Sacrament, and know that it was to put vsus in remembraunce of hys body breakyng & bloud ſhedding, that we might geue hym thankes for it and bee as ſure of it through fayth accordyng to his promiſes, as we are ſure of the bread by eatyng of it: if as I ſay, ye remember this thyng (for which intent onelyonly the Prieſt ſpeaketh thoſe wordes) then if the Prieſt leaue out thoſe wordes or part therof, he can not hurt you. For you hauehave all ready the effect and final purpoſe for ye which he ſhould ſpeake them. And agayne if he ſhould wholy alter them, yet he cā not deceiue you. For then ye be ſure that he is a lyer, and though you ſée the Prieſt bryng you the wyne conſecrated yet neuer ſticke at that. For as ſurely ſhall it certifie your conſcience and outward The worthy receauer of the ſacrament may conſecrate the ſame to him ſelfe.ſenſes though he conſecrate it not (ſo thou conſecrate it thy ſelfe: that is to ſay, ſo thou know what is ment therby and geue hym thankes) as though hee made a thouſand bleſſynges ouer it. And ſo I ſay that it is euer cōſecrated in hys hart that beleueth, though the Prieſt conſecrate it not. And contrarywiſe if they conſecrate it neuer ſo much, and thy conſecration be not bye, it helpeth thée not a riſhe. For except thou know what is meant therby, and beleue, geuyng thankes for hys body breakyng & bloudſhedyng, it can not profite thée.
Now where you ſay, that if we M. More.ſee the thyng diſordered by the Prieſt, and Chriſtes inſtitution broken, and wyttingly receiue it, we make our ſelues partakers of the cryme.
I aunſwer that if the reformation thereof laye in our handes, then ſayd Frith.you truth, but ſith it is written to priuate perſons which may not reforme this matter, and that the reformation therof reſteth onelyonly in ye hand of your Prince and Parlament (for ye erroure conſiſteth not in the miſordering of the matter by one Prieſt only but rather of the doctrine of them all ſauing ſuch as God hath lightened) to theſe priuate perſons I ſay y• your doctrine ſhould ſoner be the occaſion of an inſurrection which we labour to eſhew, then any quieting of them by Chriſtes doctrine. And therefore ſith there is an other waye to wood (ſauing all vpright) we will auoyde that perylous path. But when ye ſée Chriſtes inſtitution broken and the one kinde left out vntounto the laye people, why are ye pertaker thereof.
How beit as for his beleife that M. More.taketh it no better but for bare bread & wine, it maketh him litell matter conſecrated or not, ſauing that the better it is conſecrated the more it is euer noyous to him that receiueth it, hauing his conſcience combred with ſuch an execrable hereſie, by which well appeareth that he putteth no difference betwene the body of our Lord in the bleſſed ſacrament, and the comon bread that he eateth at his dinner, But rather he eſtemeth it leſſe, for the one yet I thinke or he begyn, if he lack a prieſt, he will bleſſe it him ſelfe, the other hee careth not as he ſayth, whether it be bleſſed or no.
What I reacon it more thē bread Frith.and wine I will ſhew you here after in declaring the minde of S. Paule vppon this ſacrament, & that in the concluſion of this boke. And in the meane ſeaſon I will ſay no more but that he belyeth me. And as for their bleſſinges & conſecracion profit not The right conſecratiō to hym that receaueth the Sacrament is fayth in Chriſtes death.me, except I conſecrate it my ſelfe with fayth in Chriſtes bloud, & with geuing him prayſe & thankes for his ineſtimable goodnes, which when I was his enemy recōciled me vntounto his father by his own death: This conſecration, muſt I ſet by, if I will hauehave any profit of his death which ye ſacrament repreſenteth vntounto me. And if I my ſelfe do thus conſecrate it, then ſhal I be ſure of ye fruite of his death. And I ſay agayne, that as ye Prieſtes doe now vſe to conſecrate it, it helpeth not the poore comens of a riſhe. For their conſecracion ſhould ſtand in preaching vntounto them the death of Chriſt, which hath deliuered thē out of the Egipt of ſinne & from ye fiery fornace of Pharao the deuill. And as for their wagging of their fingers The Popiſh conſecration in Latine is not worth a riſh.ouer it, and ſaying, vj. or vij. wordes in latten, helpeth them nothing at all for how can they beleue by ye meanes of his wordes when they know not what he ſayth? And as touching the common bread that I eate at my dynner, whether I hauehave a Prieſt or not, I bleſſe it with my hart (and not with my fingers) and hartly geue God thankes for it. For if I hauehave an hundreth Prieſtes to bleſſe it, yet am not I excuſed therby. For except I bleſſe it my ſelfe, it profiteth me no more then if it were vnbleſſed. And if I bleſſe it my …elfe, then I care not The Byſhops and their proctour can not tell what a bleſſyng meaneth.what the Prieſt prate. For as long as I vnderſtand him not it profiteth me nothing, but in good fayth I wene the biſhops and their proctour wote not what a bleſſing meaneth. Therefore deare bretheren hearken to me. To bleſſe God, is to geue him prayſe and thankes for his benefites: To bleſſe a king or a prince is to ☜thanke him for his kindnes, and to pray to God for him that he may long raigne to the laude of God & wealth of his comens. To bleſſe a mans neighbour is to pray for him and to do him good. To bleſſe my breade or Bleſſyng what it is?meate, is to geue God thankes for it To bleſſe my ſelfe, is to geue God thankes for his benefites that I hauehave receiued of him, & to pray God that of his infinite goodnes he will increaſe thoſe giftes that he hath geuen me & finiſhe his worke which he hath begone in me, vntounto his laud and prayſe and as touching this fleſhe, to fulfill his will in it, and not to ſpare it but ſcurge, cut and burne it, onelyonly that it may be to his honour & glory. This is the forme of bleſſing, and not to wag two fingers ouer them. But alacke, of this bleſſing our Byſhops be ignorant.
But as for thoſe that are good and faythfull folke, and hauehave any M. More.grace or any ſparcle of reaſon in their heades, will (I verely thinke) neuer to be ſo farre ouerſeene, as in this article (the truth wherof God hath him ſelfe teſtified by as many open miracles as euer he teſtified any one) to beleue thys younge mā vpō his barren reaſons againſt the fayth and reaſon both of all old holy writers and all good Chriſten people this xv. C. yeares.
As for the miracles, I maruell not at them, neither may they make me Frith.the ſooner to beleue it, for Chriſt told vsus before that ſuch deluſions ſhoulde come, y• if it were poſſible, y• very elect Math. 24.ſhould be deceaued by them. And S. Paule exhorteth vsus to beware of ſuch ſignes and wonders: And therefore …. Theſſ. 2.I do as Moſes teacheth me when I heare of ſuch a wonder, then ſtraight Deutro. 13.I looke on the doctrine that is annexed with it. If it teach me to referre all the honor to God and not to creatures, and teach me noghyng but that will ſtand with Gods worde, then will I ſay, that it is of God. But if it teach me ſuch thynges as will not ſtand with hys word, then will I determine that it is done by the deuill, to delude the people with damnable idolatrye. When Paule and Barnabas preached at Liſtra and had done a miracle among them, the people Actes. 24.ranne and would hauehave done ſacrifice vntounto them. But the Apoſtles ranne among them and tare their clothes, crying vntounto them, ſyrs what do you? we are euen corruptible men as ye are, and preach vntounto you, that you ſhould leaue thys vayne ſuperſtition, and worſhip the liuing God, which made heauen, earth, the ſea, and all that is in them. &c. Here the Apoſtles refuſed ſuch honour & worſhip. And therefore I am ſure they would not ſuffer their images to hauehave it. Now when I ſee a miracle done at any How you may iudge true miracles from falſe.image, and perceaue that it bringeth men to the worſhipping of it ſelf, contrary to the facte and doctrine of the Apoſtles, which would not receaue it them ſelues, I muſt néedes conclude, that it is but a deluſion done by the deuill to deceaue vsus and to bryng the wrath of God vppon vsus. Euen ſo I ſay of the ſacrament, ſith the miracles that are done by it, do make mē thinke otherwiſe then Scripture will, and cauſe men to worſhip it: I doubt not but they are done by the deuill, to delude the people. Thou wilt peraduenture ſay that God will not ſuffer hym to abuſe the ſacrament of hys body and bloud. Yes verely, God will ſuffer it, and doth ſuffer it, to ſee whether we will be faythfull and abide by hys worde or not. And maruell not therof, for God ſuffered hym to take vp the very naturall body of hys ſonne Chriſt and ſet him on Math. 4.a pinnacle of the temple. And after he tooke hym vp agayne, and lead hym to an exceding mountaine. And therfore thinke not but that he hath more power ouer the Sacrament then he had ouer Chriſtes owne body. And therfore whē they tell me, loe here is Falſe Ante chriſtes.Chriſt, loe there is Chriſt (as Chriſt prophecied) loe he is at thys altar, loe he is at that, I will not beleue them.
Neuertheleſſe if I ſhould graunt that all ye miracles which were done, and aſcribed vntounto the ſacramēt, were very true miracles and done of God him ſelfe (as I doubt not but ſome of them be true) yet thereupon it doth not followe that the ſacrament ſhould be the very naturall body of Chriſt. For we hauehave euident ſtoryes that certayne perſons hauehave bene deliuered from bodely diſeaſes through the Sacrament of baptiſme. And yet y• water is not the holy Ghoſt, nor the very thyng it ſelfe whereof it is a ſacrament. The ſhadow of Peter hath Actes. 4.healed many, and yet was not that ſhadow Peters owne perſon. We read alſo that napkins and handkerchers were caryed from Paule vntounto them that were ſicke & poſſeſſed with Actes. 12.vncleane ſpirites, and they receaued theyr health. And yet it were neuertheleſſe madneſſe, to thinke ye Paules body had bene actually or naturally in thoſe thynges. And therefore thys is but a very weake reaſon, to iudge by the miracles ye preſence of Chriſtes body. And ſurely you might be aſhamed to make ſo ſlender reaſons. For God may worke miracles through many thinges which are not hys naturall body. And as touchyng the olde Doctors, whom you fayne to make with you, and the truth of your opinion which you ſay hath bene beleued of all good Chriſten people this xv. C. yeares, is ſufficiētly declared before, and proued to be but a poynt of your olde Poetrie.