AS ofte as I speke vnto you of the worde of god my well belo­ued bre­therne, & in the meane whyle cōsyder the state of our tyme, and condycyon of men: so of­ten I sorowefully sygh & am sycke, bycause I perceyue (which I am ryght sory to se) that these wordes of saynte Paule, 1. Corī. 10 no lesse trewly then sorowfully, may be veryfyed in vs: we be they, whome thendes of the worlde is come [Page] to. In whose miserable tyme, all those thynges now happe hepyd on in a nothers necke, whyche our lorde Iesu Cryst the very trewth, Math. 24. Mar. 13. Lucc. 21. both ernestly and truely shewed shold come in thende of the world. For as to leue spekyng at this tyme, of the horryble warres & ba­tayls that be at these dayes thorough out chrystendome, ye and amonges them to, whiche as beyng oure chyefe hed­des and rulers vnder Cryste here on erth, oughte to lyue moste in reste and peace, and also of the innumerable cōta­gyons and dedely dyseases that reygne, and specyally of the great pestilence in Germany, besydes the sharpe and cruell famine with such other [Page] lyke myschyefes: who seeth not euydently & vnderstādes not, that this is euyn the last ende of the worlde, in whych as criste hym selfe prophecy­ed, Iniquyte hath begonne to habound, and many mennes charyte waxe colde / so that were yt not for y ^e electes, there shold be no fleshe safe, for as myche as yf yt were possyble, the chosen people selfe y ^• lyue now at this daye, myght seme to be seduced from the trewe catholyque fayth of Chryste: syns now I say I se, not al­lonely nacyon agaynst nacy­on, realme agaynste realme, or house agaynste house, but rue the fathers agaynst theyr chylderne, the chylderne a­gaynste theyre fathers, a one [Page] brother wyth great cruelty to arise agaynst the other. which thynge surely, ye were yt but for this cause greueth me ve­ry myche, for that I perceyue those clene departed from charyte, stryuynge wythin theym selfes, persecutynge one a nother as mortall enymyes, shamefully ragynge eche a­gaynst other, euen as agaynst theyr vttermost dedely aduer saryes, whyche be not onely bretherne, as beynge created of on eternall father, but also brethern thorough grace and fayth, and named the children of god, Galat. 6. whome (as saynte Paule sayth) syns they be of one housholde fayth, oughte specially to be frēdes, and one of them gladde to do for a no­ther [Page] / who me I say Criste our lorde & gentyll redemer in so farforth hath exhorted vnto a mutuall charyte, shewing it as a thynge so necessary, that wythout that they can not be knowen for his dyscyples, or by any other meanes then by that mutual charite, Ioban. 13. decerned from infydeles, that he sayth amongest other thynges, I geue you a newe commaūde­ment that you loue on a no­ther: & as I haue loued you, so loue you betwen your selfs: Ioban. 15. By this shall all men knowe you be my dyscyples, yf you haue loue amongest you: This is my precepte, to loue eche other as I haue loued you. And agayn: This I cō maunde you to loue to gether [Page] as my father hath loued me, so haue I loued you: Abyde you in my loue. But howe lo­ued Chryst vs? Surely so as hym selfe sayth, that he loste hys lyfe for oure sake, then whyche kynde of loue no man can haue a greater.

whyche also thapostles recy­teth almoste in euery place: 1. Cor. 4. Of whyche trewly ineffable loue towarde vs (his owne) he hath left behynde hym an inspekable token, Tesso. 5. testymony­all, 1. John̄. 3. &. 4. and perpetual memoryal, in that he gaue him selfe to be eaten of vs, made therby both the feaste and the geste bothe twayne. As the prophete Dauid sayde: Psalm. 11. Our most mercy­full & pytyful lord hath made a remēbraūce of his meruay­les, [Page] and hath geuen meate to theym that dreded hym. For why our lord Iesu Cryst, in­stytutyng this hygh excellent & wonderfull holy sacrament, gaue fode to those that dreded hym / and for pytye he had on vs, lefte that sacrament vnto vs, as a memoryall & remembraūce, not onely of y ^e offering of hym self for our sake vpon the crosse, & also gaue him self as meate to all suche as worsshyppe hym, drede hym, loue him, & honoured him (as saint Paule sayth: 1. Corī. 11 Do you this as ofte as you drynke yt in the remembraunce of me / for as oft as you shall eate thys brede and drynke of thys cuppe, you shall shewe the dethe of our lorde tyll he come) but also [Page] left this blessed sacrament vnto vs, for a memoryall and remembraūce of his inspekable loue toward vs / by which loue he was broughte for our sakes, to the most bitter crosse & shamfull deth, in whych he myght be wyth vs as he was before in y ^• sacrament, accor­dyng to his own ꝓmise where he sayth: Math vl timo. And lo I am wyth you for euer euen to the worl­des ende. whyche all though yt may be vnderstanden of y ^e maner of presence, by whyche he is euer present wyth vs by his powre, grace, and dyuyne maiesty: yet semeth it more lykely he ment of the sacramē tall presence, syns hys dyscy­ples knewe well inough he sholde neuer be from them as [Page] concernynge the former pre­sence / but they were not īlyke wyse sure of hys presence in that sacrament / whyche in so farforth was harde to be byleued and perceyued, John̄. 6. y ^e many of hys dyscyples went backe and went no more wyth hym. And therfore oure sauyour Cryste fyrst to fulfyll the fy­gure of scrypture, gaue hym selfe mete to vs. Exod. 16. Surely that fygure was manna, gyuen from heuyn to the chylderne of Israell, wyth whyche they were fedde .xl. yere in deserte. Cryste the interpretour, who sayth, John̄. [...]. Truely truely I tell you it was not that Moyses gaue you the brede out of he­uyn, but my father gyueth you the trew brede out of he­uyn. [Page] I am the brede of lyfe, your forefathers hath eatyn māna in deserte and be dede: This is brede descendynge frō heuyn, so that who eateth hereof shall not dye. whereby it well appereth that manna in deserte was but a shadowe and fygure of the very māna, that is to witte, of the body of Iesu Cryst to be gyuen to vs to eate / syth also thapostell wryteth that thynge and the history thereof, 1. Cor. 1 [...] but as a figure of that whyche after was to be fulfylled. Secondely he gaue hym self meate vnto vs to accomplysshe in dede that he promysed by worde / which god wold haue so sure and so trewe, Mat. 24 Marc. 12 Luc. 11 John̄. 6 that he sayth, Heuyn and erth shall passe, but not [Page] my wordes. But now Cryste promysed to gyue hys flesshe for oure fode, sayenge, I am the lyuely brede whyche am descended frome heuyn. who eateth of this brede shall lyue for euer. And the brede which I shall gyue, is my flesshe for the lyfe of y ^e worlde. For why my flesshe in dede is meate, & my blood is very drynk. who cateth my flesshe and dryn­keth my blood, dwelleth ī me and I in hym. Thyrdely Cryst gaue hym selfe vnto vs for meate merueylously and ineffably, to shewe vs hys hygh charyte, by whych both bodely and gostely he wolde be wyth vs perpetually, and all one wyth vs by incorporaciō, as it is wont to be in loue. [Page] For by the communion of the body and blood of oure lorde Iesu Cryste, all we be made one hole body wyth Cryste. Thapostell approuynge it & sayenge thus, 1 Cor. 1 [...] The brede that we breke, is it not the parry­cypacyon of the body of our lorde? bycause we men [...]y be but one brede and one body, all that be partakers of one brede and one cuppe. And for thys cause, oure lorde Iesu Cryste and onely redemer, to leue byhynde hym a remem­braunce of hys loue towarde vs, and by thensample of the same loue, wold haue vs (that be hys) not onely loue hym, but also one another, and by the remēbraunce of hys most bytter deth, gyue hym than­kes [Page] togyther / was content to be present wyth vs, thoughe inuysybly yet bodely in that sacrament / and by that com­munyon (as we haue sayd be fore) to be all one with vs, & so to leue thys blessed sacra­ment of thaulter behynd hym as a sure pledge of hys great loue towarde vs. Iohn̄. 13 Of thys it was that saynt Iohn̄ sayde, that at thys laste holy supper the instytucyon of that moste blessed sacrament of thaulter was made for a sygne of loue when he sayth, Before y ^e feast daye of Easter, Iesus know­ynge y ^t hys howre was come, in whyche he sholde departe out of thys worlde to hys fa­ther, when he had louyd hys that were in the worlde, he lo­ued [Page] thē to thende. And after supper & so forth. In whych saynt Luke answeryng with the other wryteth, that Criste in hys laste supper sayde, I haue inwardely desyred to eate thys pascall wyth you before I suffer and so forth.

And wythin a lytell whyle after: And takynge the brede, he sayd grace and brake it, & gaue it to thē sayenge: This is my body that shall be delyuered for you. Do you thys in remembraunce of me. How in my remembraunce? That you maye remember howe I haue loued all you that byle­ued in me / who for the greate loue I bare you, to thentente I maye be wyth you bodely to the worldes ende, haue gy­uen [Page] you meate, myne owne body and myne owne blood, vnder the forme of brede, and so vnder the sacrament, to the entēt that there may come in your myndes somtyme, ano­ther greate charyte of myne, by whych I dowre not to suf­fex deth for you / whyche deth and charyte you ought to re­member wyth the rendrynge of dewe thankes, as ofte as ye consecrate and handell by myne ensāple this sacrament. whyche thynge thapostell cō ­fyrmynge sayth, that Chryst, the same nyghte he was be­trayed, takynge the brede and the cuppe, delyuered it vnto his dyscyples and sayd, Do you this in remembraūce of me. 1. Cor. 11 As ofte as you eate of [Page] thys brede and drinke of this cuppe, shewe you the deth of our lorde tyll he come and so forth.

With how fatherly a loue then Cryste instytuted thys holy sacrament of thaulter, there is no good man that of these wordes of Cryste, & also of thapostell, as well of that y ^• goeth before as foloweth, vnderstandeth not / syns he harde that oure lorde Iesu Cryste, not onely had shewed in that hys charyte towarde vs (whych he wolde sholde be ꝑpetuall) in that he toke vpō hym our nature, to make vs as saynt Iohn̄ sayth men by partycypacyon, John̄. 1 [...] goddes by fayth, and all he toke of ours gaue vs agayn for our helth / [Page] but also offered vppe to god hys father, his owne body on the crosse, as a sacrafyce for our recōcylyacyon, his blood to be shed as a pryce and laua tory of our synne, that beynge redemed from the myserable seruytude, we myghte be clensed frome our vyce.

Wherfore to thentent the remembraunce of so hygh a be­nefyte might abyde in vs, and the greatnesse of the loue of god more fyrmely fixed in our brestes, in his laste supper as yt is wryten in the gospell of saynte Iohn̄, John̄. 13. in the pascall made wyth his dyscyples, at his departynge oute of thys worlde to his father, he gaue his body for meate, and hys blood for drynke, to be recey­ued [Page] of faythfull folke vnder the forme of brede, ordeynyng this holy sacrament of thaul­ter, as a ꝑpetuall remēbraūce of hys passyon to th [...] fulfyl­lyng of tholde fygures, & one of the greatest myracles that euer he dyd, as a syngulare comforte of all those that are sorowfull for his absence. As though he wolde say: I shall not leue you fatherles / not for y ^• I wyll come agayne to you my selfe, but bycause I wyll be euer wyth you, euen to the ende of the world by my mer­cy, by my grace, by my diuyne powre, ye and in the sacramēt of my body and my blood. O the wonderfull swetnesse of thyne ineffable charyte. O the precyouse & meruaylous hol­some [Page] feaste. O the moste excellent sacrament. O moste to be worshypped. O moste honourable. O moste reuerende. O moste worthy prayse. O most worthy glory, highly to be magnifyed, to be extolled by worthye cryers, to be honoured wyth all the herte, with all deuocyon, wyth all reuerence. what more meruaylous then this sacramēt, in whych brede and wyne is veryly cōuerted into the body and blood of Iesu Cryste / in whyche per­tyte Crist is conteyned by the vertue of the word, vnder the forme and lykenes of a peace of brede: Take you this is my body, whiche is eaten of good Cristen folke, & in the meane whyle ys not torne / but [Page] though the sacrament be de­uyded, yet the bodye abydeth and cōtynueth holevnder euery parte of that that is dyuy­ded: O so wonderfull a sacrament and meruaylous, so full of charyte, that no man can crye the worthynes of yt bet­ter, then by y ^e wordes of saynt Paule where he sayth to the Romaynes: Rom. 1 [...] O the depnes of the dyuyne sapyence, & knowlege of god. Howe incompre­hensyble be his iudgementes? how inuestygable his ways? For who knewe the mynde of oure lorde, or who was his coūsaylour? O in dede a wonderfull sacrament of whyche Esaias veryly spake when he sayd, E [...]ai. [...] Vnlesse you byleue you shall not vnderstande. whych [Page] Cryste hym selfe affyrmynge sayd vnto the vnbeleuynge Iews of so hygh a sacramēt: John̄. 6. But there be some of you that beleue not / as though he wold say, and therfore vnderstand not, and for that cause shall go backe, and not walke with me, when the Iewes sayde: Howe can this man geue vs his fleshe to eate? This is a harde saynge. And who can heare hym? And the euangelyst sheweth, what Crist sayd. My fleshe is very meate, and my blood is very drinke. who eateth my flesh and drynketh my blood, taryeth in me and I in hym, and so forth. From that tyme many of his dyscy­ples went backe and walked not wyth hym. Peter answe­rynge [Page] for all the reste, what tyme Chryste demaunded of theym, whether they wold go from hym to: Good lorde, to whome shall we go? Thou haste the worde of theternal lyfe, and we byleue & knowe, that thou art Cryste the sonne of god, & so forth. As though he wolde say, thou art able to do all wyth a worde. Hebre. [...]. And (as saynt Paule wryteth) thou be ryst vp all thyng by the word of thy powre, ye by whyche word the heuens were made. whereof Dauid wryteth: He sayde the worde, and yt was done. Psal. 32. &. 148 Now who is there my well beloued brethern, whych wayeth the wordes of Cryst, & his apostles as he ought to do, wyll not in hys herte be [Page] sory, and also wyth the zele of charyte abhorre the condycy­on of thys wykked tyme of ours, ye and myche rather the wycked infydelyte of wycked people, by whych (the deuyll beynge authoure) in so far­forthe do not byleue in thys blessed sacrament of thaulter, confyrmed by Crystes owne mouth when he sayth: Thys is my body and so forth: Math. 26 My flesh is very meate, Mar. 14. my blood is very drynke, Lucae. 22 and so forth / but also all thanke and loue towarde our sauyoure Iesu Chryste a farre of reiected, 1. Cor. 11. John̄. 6. odyously, shamefully, irreuerently, blaspheme, condemne, and abhorre all holy scryptu­res, fygures, reasons, & sences, euyn spurnynge at hym [Page] wyth theyr fete, wyth tonge, wyth language not to be spo­ken / clerely forgetfull in the mean while of those holy wordes of Cryste in his laste sup­per ꝓceding of a meruaylous zele towarde vs: Take you this is my body: Do you this in the remēbraūce of me: And this doynge, shewe you the deth of our lorde, tyll he come to iudge the worlde wyth an open and vysyble body / who in the meane tyme, for y ^e loue I haue towarde you, shall cō tenue wyth you vnder this visyble sacrament of thaulter, and so by the communyon of myne owne body in that sacrament be made incorporate wyth you.

Oh good, oh beste, oh most [Page] benygne Iesu oure redemer, who can meruayle inough at thy greate pacyence shewed towarde vs, whom hytherto thou haste suffered so shame­fully to rayle agaynst thinsty tucion of the blessed sacramēt of thaulter vnpunysshed. Is thys the remembraunce we haue of that ineffable loue of thyne towarde vs, by whyche thou louydest vs euyn to the sufferaūce of the most shame­full deth of the crosse? is this the kyndnesse, the recompēce we make the for thy so greate benyfytes. woo maye we be, woo may we be a good & iuste iesu, whyche hast all thy iud­gemēt of thy father, to iudge euery man accordynge to his deserte, whyche wylte leue no [Page] good dede vnrewarded, nor no euyll dede vnpunyshed, to whome we shall gyue accoūt of euery idell worde. what shalt thou do with vs I pray y ^• then for our so great offence and wyckednes, 1. Corī. 11 syns (as the apostle sayth) thou iudgeste them that eate thy body vn­worthyly, & drynke thy blood vnworthily, gylty of thy body & thy blood, & wyth no lesse payne to be punysshed then they whych for malyce perse­cuted the, and crucyfyed the. who to the declaracyon, that there is in dede thy body and thy blood, & how reuerentely euery man ought to receyue it, thou sufferedeste for many mennes amendement & helth of those that on a time put no [Page] dyfference bytwene thy body and other materyall meate, some to fall syke, some weke, and some to dye. wylte thou spare vs yf we amende not? No surely. For I wote that thou arte he of whome scryp­ture sayth: Sapien. 11 Thou hast mercy on euery body, bycause thou canst all, & dyssymblest mans synnys for penaunce.

Consyderyng now therfore my wellbeloued bretherne y ^e treuth of scrypture / let vs be­ware as saynt Poule coun­sayles vs, that we sette not at naughte the rychesse of the goodnes, pacyence, & longe sufferaunce of our lord Iesu Cryste, but do penaunce for our trespas to hym whome we haue offended / whose gentylnes [Page] (as saint Poule sayth) draweth vs to penaunce. 1. Cor. 11▪ By whom truely we shall be both iudgyd and condempned, yf accordyng to his admonicyō, we do not iudge ourselfes.

Nor lette vs in the meane whyle so folysshely flater our selfes wyth the sufferaunce of god, as though he wolde forgete oure synne, and as a iuste iudge not correcte when he seeth tyme, for our so irre­uerent handelynge of y ^e holy sacrament. How be it who knoweth not these cruell pe­stylences that now raygne thoroughe oute Germanye, syknesse, dissensyons, suppressyons, the mynysshement of euery estate, calamytees, and other suche lyke kyndes of euyls almoste infynyte / and [Page] no lesse horryble, chyefly to be caste vppon vs from god, yf at the lest way we byleue saīt Poule (as we veryly muste) for the vnworthy and shame­full handelynge of thys holy sacrament of thaulter. 1. Cor. 11 And go me thorough out Germa­ny, and as full as that nacion (whyche was of late very de­uout and relygyouse) is now of all myschyefe and synne: yet is there none therin grea­ter then thys. And surely vn­lesse we leue thys so horryble a wyckednesse, we shalbe sure of the greate stroke of god, ye and that more then men can tell of. For in god (as saynte Peter wryteth) neyther is there none, 1. Petr. 2 nor neuer shall be any lacke of powre, but he can delyuer good men out of [Page] theyr tēptaciō, and euyll men can he reserue to euerlastyng punysshement. In whych nū ­ber to thentēt we may not be, it shalbe nedefull and expedyent we leue so shamefull han­delyng of thys holy sacramēt of thaulter, doyng penaunce, for that is past which I trust to god we will / and that after we haue proued ourselfes (as saynt Poule wolde we shold) we wyll I truste eate of that brede, that is to wyt the body of our lord in forme of brede. And when we haue decernyd the body of our lorde frome other meate, then maye we worthyly receyue it.

To the whych yt is requy­syte that fyrst we shold byleue the playne worde of Cryste: This is my body, whych shal [Page] be delyuered for you on the crosse (as theuāgelystes with one accorde wryteth) demaundynge no reason thereof, Mat. 26 as­kyng no questyons as the vnbyleuynge Iewes dyd, Mar. 14 Howe can this mā geue vs his flesh to eate? Iuc. 22 This is a hard saing. John̄. 6 And who can heare hym? 1. Cor. 11. as the scysmatyques sayde: To them that wyll denye yt and aske this questyon of vs, how can there be the body of Cryst vnder the forme of brede? and so forth. How can we answere thē better then wyth y ^e sayeng of Esaias. Ezaie. 7. If you byleue not, you shall not vnderstande. Hebre. 11 And bycause all thynges be possyble to hym that byleueth Cryste, who cometh to god must byleue. Iohan. 20. For Cryste hym selfe sayde to saynt Thomas [Page] of Inde: Be not vnfayth­ful but byleue, Blessed be they that haue byleued & saw not. That we comprehēde not by wyt, that we se not at eye / let vs byleue, besydes the comen order of nature. why honour we not Chryste that suffered for vs, in that, sacrament of thaulter? syns tyll this oure of all as many as be & haue ben, there is none that hath brought any thynge forth to proue, that we ought or may departe from that fayth, whyche the hole catholyke chyrch, so longe agon hath kepte and approued, whyche the euan­gelystes & apostles wrytynge so euydently reache, shewyng wyth one cōsent & agrement, that Cryste sayd: This is my body that is geuyn for you. [Page] Agaynst which there is not so myche as one tyttell of scryp­ture, y ^• sheweth in any place manyfestly the cōtrary herof, or sayth that there is not y ^e bodye of our lorde Iesu Cryste. It is also very agreable vnto the ineffable loue of god to­warde man kynde, that those whome he had redemed wyth this precyouse blood & bodye of his sonne, he wold also by a certayne inspekable meanys, fede thē with his flesh, blood & body, & so to be ꝯforted by this secrete presence of his sonne, as by a plegge, tyll he sholde come gloriousely in the syght of all the worlde.

God forbede it therfore we shold gyue any place at all to all these folysshe sophistycall sutteltyes brought agaynste [Page] this sacramēt, which argumē tes we haue cōfuted before, by hole & sounde reasons of holy scripture / which were such as neuer none yet hytherto, were able to impugne, ye the leste part of them / syns there is nothyng strōger then truth, and also this is y ^e fayth, that euer hath y ^e ouer hand, & by which all thinges (as Cryst hym self sayth) be possyble. 1. John̄. 5 wherby I am more ledde to byleue one word of the prophete, y ^• saith, He sayd the worde and it was done, Psal. 32. &. 148. then all y ^e colored crafty suttyll argumētes or opiniōs of Arystotell, Plato, other phylosophers, or heretykes. So mych before all y ^e reasōs & prynciples that euer coulde be brought, p̄fere we this wordes, Hoc est corpus meū, Thys is [Page] my body. Nor it is not lefull that any reason of man shold be preferred before the worde of god, for as myche as saynt Peter saith, Actu. 5. we ought more to byleue ī god & obay him, then men. Nor this obieccyon can not stāde, if one shuld say, that Cryste sytteth in heuen on the right hande of his father, nor wyll not be with vs tyll tyme he come to iudge in y ^e daye of iudgemēt, For I wil answere here vnto y ^t he y ^t is euery wher & euer, with whom nothing is impossible, may be gloriously with his father in heuē, & shal come in a vysyble body to iudge, & both nowe is wyth vs & shalbe with vs (as hym selfe sayth) euen to thende of the world / not in no visible body, Mat. 82 but in y ^e sacramēt, ī the forme [Page] of brede. And also let these heretykes tell vs howe this may be, y ^• Cryste sholde be ve­ryly here with vs on erth, and yet hym selfe veryly in heuen. For y ^t he so was in dede, hymself witnesseth where he saith: No man ascendeth vnto heuē but he y ^t hath descended out of heuen, the sonne of man why che is in heuen. If they byleue this why noty ^t? What & they by leue neyther nother? ye, what & they byleue nothyng at all? as we may easely perceyue by theyr frutes they do not.

Nor agayn this reason can not hold that yt semeth a ies­tynge stocke & a folyshnes, to byleue that Cryste can be or ought to be vnder the forme of a litle piece of brede, & there to be hyd & conteyned / & then [Page] say farther that yt profyteth nothynge and so forth.

I wold answere yf they wold so say, that they nothyng dyf­fer, neyther from the vnbyle­uyng Iews nor yet reprobate Paynyms that were before tyme. For by this meanes they nother shall nor can, be­leue any poynt of the catholy like faith, for as mych as saīt Paule sayth: 1. Cor. 1. Nole Cryste is crucyfyed, that is to say all y ^e hole fayth of Cryste / & euery worde of hys, is occasyon of ruyne to the Iewes, & amon­gest the paynyms takē for very folly. who was I praye you more mocked at, thē saint Poule, when he taught the resurreccyon of Criste & of dede folke. were not the Iews of­fended in Cryste, reprouynge [Page] him of folly, when he said himselfe was brede & meate from heuyn, when they murmured amonges them selfes & sayd: Is not this the sonne of Io­seph, whose father & mother we knewe? Now then sayth he, that I am descended from heuen? for they thoughte yt but a folyshe thynge to by­leue god incarnate, or to by­leue yt possyble for any that descēdeth from heuen to erth, myght be at the same self mo­mēt in heuen styll to. Trewly saynt Paule sayth: 1. Corī [...] The word of the crosse to them y ^t shall peryshe is but folyshnes / but to them y ^t shal be safe, y ^t is to wyt to byleuers, yt is the powre of god. wherfore we may lightly gather, that we muste byleue this very bare word of god in [Page] which he sayd, This is my body y ^• is delyuered for you: Do you this ī y ^e remēbraūce of me. Secūdly yf we wyll receyue the body of our lord worthely we ought in the receyuyng & doyng, remēber that meruey­lous great loue of his toward vs, by y ^e whych for our sakes he delyuered vp his body on thaulter of y ^e crosse / after whiche also he gaue hym self in y ^e sacrament for vs as a spyry­tuall mete to eate, as a pledge & testymonyall of hys loue toward vs / as though vouch­safynge by the cōmunyon of that self same sacramēt, to be incorporate & all one thynge with vs, by beyng partakers of his blessed body. whyche euydentely appereth by saynt Poule to y ^e Corinthies, 1. Corī. 10 where [Page] he sayth: The brede that we breke is it not y ^e partycipaciō or to be parteyner of the body of our lorde? for the brede is one, & all we that be ꝑteyners of that one brede & that one cuppe, beynge menny, be all one body. And in good fayth it is not mych agaynst reason to byleue in thys so noble a sacrament, that Cryste was harde of his father a lytell be­fore, when he prayde in thys wyse: I do not onely pray for them, but also for all suche as shall beleue in me by theyr prechyng, that all may be one as thou my father arte in me and I in the, that they maye be all one in vs, I in theym & thou in me, that they maye be made one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me, [Page] and hast loued them as thou hast louyd me. But I praye you, thys vnyte and so won­derful a loue of the sonne and the father toward vs, of what (yf the wordes of thapostle be well wayed) shall it be rather vnderstāden, then in the par­tycypacyon or beynge parte­ner of thys sacrament, where is the body and blood of our lorde. wherof thyrdely it fo­loweth to the receyuyng of it worthyly, that we muste kepe the treuth at the receuynge, whych (as saynt Poule wry­teth) is marked vnto vs as a fygure and a shadowe.

Fyrste yf we wyll receyue it worthyly, let vs be gyrdyd vp, that is to saye, by chastyte of mynde and body. Secūdly hold staues in our handes / y ^t [Page] is to wytte, we muste haue a sure fayth. Thyrdely stande vpryght not inclynynge now agayn to vice & the fylthynes of synne, from whyche we be rysen by confessyon and contrycyon. Fourthly not eate thys immaculate lambe sode in water & bytter lettuse, but rost it wyth fyre, that is to say wyth bytter contricyō for our trespas, and fyry cheryte.

Fyftly putte on showes on our fete / wherby is ment we muste kepe the affeccyons of our herte frō fleshely desyres, & compel them to serue for the loue of our lorde Iesu Criste, auoydyng all that is cōtrary to him, doyng that may please hym, and after the counsell of saynt John̄, not louyng hym alonely by word & tonge, [...]. Iohn̄. [...] but [Page] in dede & trewth / as hym selfe hath loued vs which dyed for our sake, leuyng behynd him to vs this blessed sacramēt as a remēbraūce of his loue whē he saith: Take you this is my bodye that is geuen for you: Do you this in y ^e remēbraūce of me, that is to saye, remem­bring how I haue loued you, whyche dyenge for you, was cōtōt to be made also for you, mete, the feaste, and the gest to gether.