Here is a shorte Resytal of certayne holy Doctours whych pro ueth that the naturall body of christ is not conteyned in the Sacramēt of the Lordes supper but fyguratyuely▪ collected in myter by Ihon Mardeley
(⸫)
IT is marueled moche
Mens myndes is soch
To sow discorde
In hande to take
Any boke to make
That dothe not accord
Wyth Goddes holy worde
That twoo edged sworde
whych cutteth bothe wayes
Frome that Testament
They do dyscente
Into prophane wayes
For many whych lokes
Upon soche bokes
Playnly dothe see
Wythe woordes confuse
Suche doo abuse
The verytye
For where they saye
Presente alwaye
Is flesshe carnall
As they defyne
Under bread and wyne
A bodye naturall
That is easyer sayed
Than can be proued
By the scriptures
For bread and wyne
To all mens eyen
Be two creatures
[Page]Of theyr probacion
To make relation
Where as they veryfye
Christ at his maundye
Gaue hys naturall body
That scripture dothe denye
They saye he is almyghtye
And able for to supplye
And performe hys sayinge
Or els it shulde be counted
In hym somwhat wanted
And not able to do all thynge
To answere thys
The scripture is
Heare my defence
And Doctours auncyent
Doo full consente
To thys pretence
Where Christ at hys maundye
Spake these woordes truly
mat. xvi▪
It was but fyguratyuely
When as he sayde
Take eate thys bread
Thys is my bodye
Whych is for many broken
when he had so spoken
He toke the cup sayinge
Thys cuppe here presente
Is the newe testament
In my bloude sheddynge
[Page]Saynet Augustyne doth saye
Loke where ye haue allwaye
Augu. in libro. iii de doctrina christiana si aūt flagitiū
[...]ut facimus iubere uidetur figurata locutio est. xvi Origēin leuit homi. vii agnosce
(quam) figure sunt que in uoluminibꝰ, domini scripte sunt. &c.
Any scripture whych seameth to be
Of any thyng commanded
That muste then be applyed
To be spoken but figuratyuely
And also Orygen that clerke
wylleth vs for to marke
wyth our myndes spiritually
Sayinge all soche scriptures
That they be but fygures
And not to be taken carnally
Now take thys and eate
Is after the letter meate
For they dyd eate in dede
that bread mistycally
So eate we hys body
Yf we be spiritually mynded
Now to vse that ordynaunce
Is but a remembraunce
Of Christes payne and passion
For by it we do knowe
And to the faythful showe
Hys deathe vntyll he come
S. Augustyn also affyrmeth
And to Bonyface wryteth
Christes body and bloude to be
Augu. in libro. ii. de doctri na christiana
Celebrated but vnder
A shadowe and fygure
Of a secret mysterye
[Page]So that thys holy mysterye
Of christes bloude and bodye
It is spirituall in operacion
For it geueth lyfe
[...]y faythe
Thus S. Augustyn saythe
And of his death a representacion
For to make relation
s. ysodore in his boke of true signification of wordes saithe
Of the true signification
Thys is hys sayinge
He saythe a sacrifice playnly
Is a thyng done whych is holy
Or a holy thyng in doyinge
For by a woorde mysticall
It is consecrate in the memoriall
Of the Lordes deathe and passion
And to be called the bodye
And bloude of Christ verely.
Thys is hys declaration
Thoughe it be made he saythe
Of the fruytes of the earthe
Yet is it made and sanctifyed
A sacrament by worke inuysyble
Of the holy ghost incomprehensible
When that the worde is pronounced
The Grecians they do call
Thys sacrament eucharistia all
That is by interpretacion
Good grace, as nothing more holy
then Christes bloude and bodye
Fyguted in thys celebracion
[Page]Thys bread and wyne mystically
Be compared vnto the bloud and bodye
Of Christe, because the inuysyble
Substaunce, of wyne and bread
Doth inebriate norryshe and fead
The externe man corruptyble
By the woorde of god beleued
Is that lyuely bread fygured
By hys participation
whych dothe the myndes recreate
And the faythfull renouate
To the memoriall of hys passion
Thys he sayth that a mysterye
Is the signification and certentye
Of a seerete hid disposycion
So that a deuyne vertue
Dothe inwardly therin insewe
By that visible operacion
Thus declareth he in soome
that the Lordes deathe and passion
was ones done for all
So that the remembraunce of it
Is represented to vs yet
In thys holy thynge sole mpnisal
S. Ambrose wryting of thys mistery
S. ambro
[...]
Of Christes bloude and body
Sayth ther is a commutacion
whych is maruelously wroughte
Sayinge that it is broughte
to an incomprehensyble alteracion
[Page]Now here sayth he let them
the whych dothe not esteme
This secrete vertue so hyd
But thynke that the hole body
to appere therin visibly
And to carnally presented
Thynke in what poynte and howe
Here happeneth let them saye nowe
Any soche holy commutacion
For bread and wyne we fynde
whych styll appere in kynde
Before and after consecracion
Therfore it is made internly
By powre of gods spirite verely
whych onely fayth loketh vpon
that whych the soule fedeth
And euerlastynge lyfe mynistreth
Is beleued in that mutacion
Wherfore yf ye saye I see
Christes body and bloude to bee
In order of nature here
You coulde not then saye
I beleue the body and bloude allwaye
Of Christ for to be there
Than for asmoche as faythe
Loketh vpon the hole he saythe
And the fleshe apprehendeth nothing
So that the body and bloud of Iesu
Be not in the forme but in vertue
Of that sacramentall ministring
[Page]Affyrmynge also the ministrie suche
Whych is done in the churche
To be but a sacrament memoriall
Of that fleshe wherin christ suffered
And was crucified dead and buryed
Whych was very fleshe naturall
But thys fleshe saythe he
In symilitude conteyned to be
Of that very fleshe in mysterye
Yet is it not fleshe in kynde
Nor in forme we fynde
But in sacrament verely
Yet in this sacrament Christ is
But yet he saythe not thys
That wyne and bread is hys bodye
For then Christ muste pronounciat
Hys body for to be corporat
And subiecte to mortalitye
For what soeuer is perceaued
And in meate corporly tasted
That is subiecte to corruption
But here it is spirituall
And not tasted corporall
Thys is saynet Ambrose conclusion
Can then the worde sayd
Transforme the breade
Into fleshe naturall
Then muste it bee
That we shulde see
A bodye anymall
[Page]For and yf it turne
From the fryste forme
Of bread and wyne
Then must the bodye
Appere to vs openly
Before euery mans eyen
Yf when a thynge
Is brought from hys beynge
And actually chaunged
Into that whyche
Hath bene none suche
Neades must be perceyued
A
[...] when qualities be altered
As blake to whyte chaunged
By wordes of consecracion
So chaunged in colloure
Sight taste and sauoure
Then is transubstaunciacion
But in thys permutacion
Is made no innouacion
Then in the fyrste certeigne
For that kynde of creature
Whych was theyr before
Is knowen styll to remeigne
Nowe yf we fynde
No chaunge in kynde
But as it was before
Howe nowe let vs see
Than can it bee
That bread remayneth no more
[Page]For it can be no sacrament
Yf the body be present
that the whyche it dothe fygure
S. Augustyn he saythe
we apprehende by fayth
that mysticall nature
Other els it is playne
Our faythe to be vapne
Yf reason haue experience
therfore the veritie
Calleth it a mysterye
Of a deuyne enfluence
So that thys holy sacrament
By olde fathers iudgement
Is but a mysterye hyd
As ther is in baptysme
Doctours dothe defyne
A promyse therto annixed
Christes fleshe and bloude he sayes
Is vnderstond twoo maner of wayes
S. Hiero in his comentary of paules Epist les to y
e Ephe▪
Makyng therof a distinction
Betwext the body and bloude
that suffered death vpon the rode
And y
t which we receyue to our saluaciō
For that fleshe and bloude he saythe
whych the faythful receyue in faythe
Is of a spirituall enfluence
From that fleshe whych was crucifyed
And bloud which on the crosse was shed
He putteth a full great difference
[Page]As may be betwene thinges spiritual
And thinges visible and corporall
So moche they dyffer vndoubtedly
From that fleshe whych was crucifyed
And that bloude the whych was shead
thys doctour affirmeth playnly
For they be not all one sayth he
For that Crucifyed fleshe pardy
was made of the fleshe of a vyrgyn
Compact of bones synewes and vayne
with y
e liniamēts of mās mēbers playne
And quyckened with the spirite deuyne
Hauing also a reasonable soule
thus the proper mociōs he doth exstole
Spiritꝰ ante faciam nostram christes dominꝰ.
Of hys naturall fleshly body
but this fleshe which fedeth y
e faithfull
Hath hys forme of corne frutefull
And is eaten of them spiritually
Yet this body we do vnderstande
Is made by an artificers hande
without any reasonable substaunce
Cōpact w
t nether synewes nor fingers
distinct with no varietie of members
nor able to exercise ani proper puissaūce
But what substaūce soeuer geueth life
parteyneth to a spirit intelectyfe
which worketh an inuisible efficacye
Now this is cleane an other thynge
whych externally is perceyued be seing
From that beleued in the misterye
[Page]Thus S. ambrose maketh distinctiō
Betwene christes fleshe & the cm̄unyō
As here I haue declared
Yf ye doubt loke in hys comentarye
Then shal ye se yf I do varye
From hys sentences before resyted
Now S. augustyn sayth playnly
Where as he spake of hys body
Augu in sermone ad intantes. xix Quādo loquebatur dn̄s nr̄ Iesus christus de corpo re suo &c
It was a spirituall vnderstandinge
For it saueth hym that beleueth
where as the letter kylleth
But the spirite quyckeneth all thynge.
Where christ saythe except ye eate
My fleshe whyche is very meate
Ye shall haue no lyfe in you
It seamethe here saythe he
To commaund a thyng to be
Fowle wycked and vntrue
By these wordes ye shall knowe
that christ ment it not soo
to geue hys fleshe to be eate
wyth your tethe, but thys vnderstande
to heauyn whole he shal assende
Up to hys fathers seate
Nowe syth he it called
to be a fowle thyng and a wycked
to eate hys flesshe naturall
you maye perceaue playnly
For to eate hys bodye
were wycked and brutall
Seyng hys body is fleshe in dede
then consequently must procede
to take and eate must be taken
But spoken mere spiritually
Or els this is my body
Muste be figuratyuely spoken
Now he that abydeth not in me
And in whom I abyde not sayth he
Let hym not saye nor thynke
that he dothe eate
My body as meate
Nether yet my bloude do the drynke
Christ sayth they byde not in me
Aug. deciuitate dei libro xxi.
Nor yet they my membres be
Whych dothe theym selues blote
In fylthynes beyng vncleane
For then do they remayne
the members of an harlote
S. augustyn & venerable bede
s. Augu. and bed suꝑ. Corint. vi. et. 1. cor. x. Idem Cori. xi.
sayth the vnfaythfull and wycked
Whych be not mēbers to christ our brother
they do not eate hys body
Nor drynke hys bloud verely
yet eat they the sacramēt as wel as the other
Therfore ye muste of necessite
Graunte the sacrament not to be
Christes body naturall
But a fygure and token
Of hys body once broken
Therof to be a memoriall
Thus S. Augustyne doth deny
Roma. v
That we eat not hys naturall body
Wherfore it must neades insewe
Yt is but a mistacall fygure
Thus he approuethe by the scripture
Representyng hys passion new
And also Bead that worthy prieste
bed suꝑ cori. 1.
[...]. x. chapt.
Saythe he eateth not Christ
Whych is wycked in hys lyuynge
Nor yet drinketh hys blood
Nether hys flesshe doth hym no good
Though he receyue so worthy a thyng
Yf thys be not true ye must deface
Saynet Augustyn in this place
And not to be approued
A holy doctour of the churche.
But I truste theyr be none suche
That wyth hym wylbe offended
Nowe where he is almyghtye
No man wyll that denye
But he may do what he lyste
At hys good pleasure all thyng
Because theyr is no superiour power beynge
Hable his might to resiste
Yet all thynke he cannot doo
Paule & eustochius▪
S. Hierome and S. Thomas sayth so
Wrytyng of virginytie
He cannot synne sayth Dunce at all
He cannot deny him self sayth Paul
In hys Epystle vnto Timothie
I thynke yet god by his sonnes blood
Myght haue saued all men bad & good
Ihō. iii.
Yf he had so intended
But the scriptures thus standinge
(ꝓsper
[...] lib. sentē ciatū. crisostim suꝑ mat. et ad hebre ho. xvii. Eusebiꝰ q
ia corpꝰ &c. tertuliā lib. ii et. li. iiii ad mercione fulgētiꝰ. ii li. de fide bartram ad carelos empe ratur Cyprian ad cecilium Athana. iii. li q
[...] dix ver also dru thm ariꝰ saith hoc est corpꝰ meum in misterio
He cannot now do that thynge
And yf he were so mynded
Then hys woord he muste forsake
And hys sonne a lyer make
For he sayth the vnfaythfull is dāpned
Nor the vnbeleuers shall no lyfe se
But gods wrath is vpon them sayth he
Coulde they then haue bene saued
Nowe here for to conclude
I truste noo man is so rude
To construe any thynge amisse
Whyche playnly devulgate
And also truely insinuate
What these Doctours iuogementes is.
For seyng they do it call
The Sacrament of a fygure mystical
Of Christes bloude and body
They ought to be beleued
By cause theyr doctryne is receyued
Of the Catholike churche verely
(Now bycause ye shall fynde
More Doctours of that mynde
Whych hath wrytten manyfestlye
As ꝓsper, crisostim, Eusebiꝰ & Tertuliā
Fulgentiꝰ, athanasiꝰ Bartrā & Ciprian
Al these declare it to be a misterie
Therfore all those whych be anoynted
And by gods holy spirit appointed
Iudge you here now indifferently
Whether these fathers doctryne
And the papisticall leuen
To be beleued is moste worthy
FINIS
¶IMPRINTED AT LONdon in Sainct Andrevves Paryshe in the VVaredrop, By Thomas Raynalde
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