Whole Works, Tracts 2 · Tract 5
The Articles wherfore Iohn Frith dyed, whiche hee wrote in Newgate the. 23. day of Iune, the yeare of our Lord. 1533.
I Doubt not deare brethren, but that it doth, ſome deale vexe you, to ſée the one part hauehave all the wordes, and fréely to ſpeake what they lifte, and the other to bée put to ſilence, and not to bée heard indifferently. But referre your matters to God, whiche ſhortly ſhall iudge after an other faſhiō. But in the meane reaſon, I ſhall rehearſe vntounto you the articles for which I am condemned.
¶ They examined me but of two articles which are theſe.
FIrſte whether I thought, there The firſt article.were no Purgatory to purge the ſoule after this preſent lyfe. And I ſayd, that I thought there was none. For man is made but of two partes, the body and the ſoule. And the body is purged by yt croſſe of Chriſt, which hée layeth vponupon eueryevery child that hée receaueth: as affliction, worldly oppreſſion, perſecution, impriſonment &c. and death finiſheth ſinne. And yt ſoule is purged by the word of God, which we receaue thorough fayth, vntounto the health & ſaluatiō both of body & ſoule.
Now and if I did know any thyrd part wherof we are made, I would alſo gladly graunt the thyrd Purgatory: but ſeyng, I know none ſuch, I muſt deny the Popes Purgatory. Neuertheles, I count neither part a neceſſary article of our faith, neceſſarely to bée beléeued vnderunder payne of damnation, whether there bée ſuch a purgatory or not.
The ſecond article was this, whether The ſecond article.that I thought, that the Sacrament of the aulter was the body of Chriſt. And I ſayd yea, yt I thought that it was both Chriſtes body, and alſo our bodye, as S. Paule ſayth. 1. Cor. 10. chapter.
In that it is made one bread of many graynes it is our body ſignifying that we though we bée many, are yet one body: and likewiſe of the wyne in that it is made one wyne, of many grapes.
And agayne in that it is broken, it is Chriſtes body, ſignifying that his body ſhould bée broken, that is to ſay ſuffer death, to redeme vsus from our iniquities.
In that it was diſtributed, it was Chriſtes body, ſignifying that as verely, as that Sacrament is diſtributed vntounto vsus, ſo verely is Chriſtes body, & the frute of his paſſiō diſtributed vntounto all faithfull men.
In that it is receaued, it is Chriſtes body ſignifying that as verely, as outward man receaueth the Sacrament with his téeth, and mouth, ſo verely doth the inward man, through fayth, receaue Chriſtes body & frute of his paſſion, and is as ſure of it, as of the bread that hée eateth.
Well ſayd they, do you not thinke, An other queſtion.that his very naturall body, both fleſh and bloud is really contained vnderunder the Sacramēt, and there actually preſent, beſide all ſimilitudes. No ſaid I, I do not ſo thinke. Notwithſtandyng An aunſwere.I would not that any ſhould counte that I make my ſaying (whiche is the negatiue) any article of the fayth For euen as I ſaye that you ought not to make any neceſſary article of yt fayth of your part (which is yt affirmatiue.) So I ſay agayne, that we make none neceſſarye article of the fayth of our parte, but leaue it indifferent for all men to iudge therein, as God ſhall open his hart, and no ſide to condemne or deſpiſe the other, but to nouriſh in all thynges brotherly louelove, & to beare others inſirmities.
The text of S. Auguſtine which they there alleged agaynſt mee, was this: S. Auguſtines text.that in yt Sacramēt Chriſt was borne in his owne handes. Whereunto I ſayd, yt S. Auguſtine doth full well expoūd him ſelfe. For in an other place hēe ſayeth Ferebatur tanq in manibus ſuis. That is, hee was horne after a certeine maner, in his owne handes. And by that hée ſayth after a certeine maner, ye may ſoone perceaue what hée meaneth. Howbeit if S. Auguſtin had not thus expounded himſelfe, yet hée ſayth ad Bonifacium, that yt Sacrament of a thyng, hath a ſimilitude or propertie of the thyng whiche it ſignifieth. And for that cauſe it hath many tymes, yt name of yt very thyng which it ſignifieth. And ſo hée ſayth yt he bare himſelf, becauſe hée bare yt Sacramēt of his body & bloud which did ſo earneſtly expreſſe him ſelfe, that nothyng might more doe it. If you read ye place of S. Auguſtine ad Bonifacium, which I alleage in my laſt booke, ye ſhall ſoone ſée them aunſwered.
An other place they alleaged out of Chriſoſtome, which at the firſt bluſh Chriſoſtomus.ſéemeth to make well for them. But if it bée well wayed, it maketh much leſſe for them then they wéene. The wordes are theſe.
Doeſt thou ſee bread and wine? Chriſoſtomes wordes.doe they depart from thee into the draught as other meates doe? God forbid for as in waxe when it commeth to the fier, nothing of the ſub ſtaunce remayneth nor aboūdeth: ſo lykewiſe thinke that the myſteries are cōſumed by the ſubſtaunce of the body.
Theſe wordes I expounded, by the wordes of the ſame Doctour S. Chriſoſtome, whiche in an other Homilie ſayth on this maner. The inwarde eyes as ſoone as they ſee the bread, they flye ouer all creatures and thinke not of the bread that is baken of the baker, but of the bread of euerlaſtyng life, whiche is ſignified by the myſticall bread.
Now conferre theſe places togither and you ſhall perceaue, that the laſt expoūdeth the firſt clearely. Firſt hée ſayth, wilt thou ſée bread & wyne, I aunſwere by the ſecond, nay. For the inward eyes as ſoone as they ſée ye bread, thinke not of it, but of yt thyng it ſelf yt is ſignified therby. And ſo hée ſéeth it & ſéeth it not. He ſéeth it with his outward and carnall eyen, but his inward eyen ſéeth it not. That is to ſay, regarde not the bread or thinke not on it. Euen as we commonly ſay, when we play a game negligētly (by my truth I ſée not what I doe) meanyng that our myndes, is not vppon that thing which we ſée with our outward eyen. And lykewiſe we may aū ſwere the next part, where he ſayth.
Doe they depart from thée into the draught (as other meates doe? Nay forſooth ſayd I, for other meates doe onelyonly come to nouriſh yt body, & to depart into the draught. But this meate The expoſition of S. Chriſoſto. text.yt I here receaue, is ſpirituall meate receaued with fayth & noriſheth vsus euerlaſtyngly, both body & ſoule, & neuer entreth into the draught. And euē as before the outwarde eyen doe ſée the bread & yet the outward eyen doe not regarde that or thinke vpō it. So likewiſe the outward man digeſteth the bread, & caſteth it into the draught. And yet the inward man doth not regarde that nor thinke vppon it. But thinketh on the thyng it ſelfe that is ſignified, by that bread.
And therfore ſayd Chriſoſtome euen a litle before the wordes whiche The true meaning of Chriſo ſtomes wordes.they here alleaged, lift vp your minde & hartes (ſayd hée) whereby hée moniſheth vsus, to looke vppon and conſider thoſe heauenly thinges, which are repreſented and ſignified by the bread and wyne, & not to marke the bread and wyne in it ſelfe.
Here they will ſay vntounto me, that it is not Chriſoſtomes mynde (for by his example hée playnly ſhewith that there remaneth no bread nor wyne) that I deny. For the example in this place, proueth no more but yt ye ſhall not think on yt bread & wine, no more then if they were not there, but onelyonly on that thyng whiche is ſignified by them. And that ye may euidently perceiue by the wordes folowyng where hée ſaith, thinke that the miſteries are cōſumed by the ſubſtance of the body.
Nowe whether Chriſoſtome thought that there remained bread or Solution.no, both wayes ſhall our purpoſe bée proued. Firſt if hée thought there remained ſtill bread and wyne, then we hauehave our purpoſe. Now if he thought that the bread & wyne remayned not, but were chaūged, then are the bread and wyne neither myſteries nor Sacramentes of the body and bloud of Chriſt. For that that is not, can neither bée myſtery nor Sacrament.
Finally if hée ſpeake of ye outward appearaunce of bread: then we know Concluſion.that that remaineth ſtill & is not conſumed by the ſubſtaunce of the body. And therfore hée muſt néedes bée vnderſtanded as I take him.
I thinke many men wonder how I can dye in this article, ſeyng that it is no neceſſary article of our fayth, for I graunt that neyther parte is an article neceſſary to bée beléeued vnderunder payne of damnation, but leaue it as a thyng indifferent, to thynke therein as God ſhall inſtill in eueryevery mans mynde, and that neyther parte condemne other for this matter, but receiue eche other in brotherly louelove, reſeruing eche others infirmitie to god.
The cauſe of my death is thys, becauſe I can not in conſcience, abiure Beholde the cauſe of mi deathe.and ſweare, that our Prelates opinion of the ſacrament, (that is, that the ſubſtaunce of bread and wine is verely chaunged into the fleſhe and bloud of our ſauiour Ieſus Chriſt) is an vndoubted article of the fayth, neceſſary to bée beléeued vnderunder payne of damnation.
Now though this opinion were indéede true (which thing they can neither proue true by ſcripture nor doctours) yet coulde I not in conſcience Note.graunt that it ſhoulde bée an article of the fayth neceſſary to bée beléeued. &c. For there are many verities, which yet may bée no ſuch articles of our fayth. It is true that I lay in yrons when I wrote this: howbeit I would not hauehave you to receaue thys truth for an article of our fayth. For you may thinke the contrary without all ieopardy of damnation.
¶ The cauſe why I can not beleeue their opinion of tranſmutation is this.
1 FIrſt, becauſe I thinke verely Three cauſes.that it is falſe, and can neither hée proued by ſcripture, nor faythfull doctours, if they bée well pondered.
2 The ſecond cauſe is thys, becauſe I will not bynde the congregation of Chriſt (by mine example) to admitte any neceſſarye Article beſide oure Creede, and ſpecially none ſuch as can not bée prooued true by Scripture. And I ſay that the Church, as they caule it, can not compell vsus to receaue any ſuch articles to bée of neceſſitie vnderunder payne of damnation.
3 The thirde cauſe is, becauſe I dare not bée ſo preſumptuous in entering into Gods iudgement, as to make the prelates in this pointe a neceſſary article of our fayth. For then I ſhould damnably condemne all the Germanes & Almaines with, infinite moe, which in déede doe not beléeue nor thinke that the ſubſtaūce of bread and wine is chaunged into the ſubſtaūce of Chriſtes naturall body. And ſurely I can not bée ſo fooliſhe hardy, as to condemne ſuch an infinite number for our prelates pleaſures.
Thus all the Germaynes and Almaynes, both of Luthers ſide and alſo of Oecolampadius, doe wholy approue my matter. And ſurely I thinke there is no man that hath a pure conſcience, but hée will thinke that I dye righteouſly. For that this tranſubſtantiation ſhould bée a neceſſary article of the faith, I thinke no man can ſay it with a good conſcience, although it were true in déede.
By me Iohn Frith.