WHere oure moost omnipotēt Lord God and father celestiall, of myght and power inuincible and infi­nite, of goodnes most ineffable, is, therfore moste worthye, of all faythe, loue and feare, as he, that is all onely mooste myghtyest, mooste beniuolent, and bountefull Lord God. Yet, lest that he, so myghtyfull & good Lorde, shulde be at any tyme or season, forgottē, vnloued and vnfeared, of hys noble creature man. And so, by obliuiō and ignoraunce of hys diuine power, hys godlye honour, to be alienate and transferred from hym, vnto eyther in­constant and fatall fortune, eyther vn­to hys minister and handmaydē Dame nature. He of hys diuine prouidence, hath lefte here vnto vs, hys wonderful benefites, and his beneficial wonders, The my­raculus workes of God are tokēs of hys di­uine my­ght & godly power and they do exercy­se our faythe. the verye monumentes, of hys diuine myght & goodnes ineffable. The which are, not only, the superexcellent myra­cle of the creation, and conseruation of [Page] al thys wyde world, but also, the great multitude of the wonderfull sygnes, mōstruus portentes, et miraculus wor­kes, that he hath wrought, syth the creation, reported by the holy scripture.

That oure faythe in these excercysed, myght take incremēt, and stabilite, our loue, myght be daylye incensed and in­flammed, towardes hym, whē we, ear­nestly do beholde, and seryusly beare in mynde, the excedynge great, and innu­merable benefytes, that he hath, of his mere and syngulate goodnes, geuen vnto man. And therfore hath he set before our eyes, the myrrour and spectacle, of thys huge and wonderful world, wher in is to beholde, a vniforme order, and continuall succession of thynges, (the speciall monument; and memoriall, of hys godly power & myght) to remayne in our cottidiane vse and syght, as wel agaynst that detestable heresye, that a­scribed all thynge to fortune, as also, agaynst the iniurie and dyspleasure, of vnkynde forgetfulnes, and blynde wycked infidelitie, of hys omnipotent po­wer and diuine might. Therfore where hys incomprehensible diuine nature, is a substaunce immaterial and spiritual, and therfore inuisible, and can not be sene, of vs blynde inhabitauntes of the erthe, 1. Ioh. 4. (as saint Iohn̄ witnesseth) in his [Page] epistle canonicall. No man hathe sene God at any season. Yet (as saynt Paul teacheth the Romaynes) by a diligent and iuste vewe, Roma. 1. of the wonderfull fa­bricature, and workemanshyp, of thys worlde, we maye come vnto, an vnder­standynge and an intellectuall syghte, of hys dyuine power and imcomprehensible nature, so that no excuse, or pre­tence of ignoraunce can be sufficient for vs, yf we lacke or wante, the fayth and loue of so myghtyfull and mercyfull Lorde God. What els, vnto vs decla­reth the hyghe and huge heauen the regument and couert, of all mundiall thynges, so thycke paynted and poude­red, wyth so many coruscant sterres?

What the moble spheres, wyth theyr continuall motions, and lyuely influ­ens, causynge generacion and corruption, in all thynges subiecte vnto mutabilitie? But (as the prophet sayeth). The heauens shewyth forthe the glorye of God, Psal. 18. and the firmament declareth the workes of hys handes. What doth to vs signifye, the delectable harmonye of all thynges, in course continual, and order certaine? Saue onely, the magni­ficent power, and inuestigable wyse­dome, of theyr creatour and maker, as the wyseman sayth. Sapi. 13. By the great and wonderfull pulchritude and bewtie of [Page] the creature, myght playnly & euident­lye, be perceyued and knowen, the creator and maker of them. Breuely to con­clude, where is any more manyfest to­ken, of the diuine power, then (the wonder of the worlde.) Man, who alone is a whole worlde of myracles, and hathe almoste as many wonders in him selfe, as he hath powers & partes. Yet suche is y ^e malignitie, of our recheles nature, prone and proclyue, vnto obcecate and blynde ignorance, Augusti­nus super Iohēm ait. Miracula que fecit dn̄s Iesꝰ sūt quidē diuina o­pera, & ad diligendū deum de visibilibꝰ admonēt humanā mentem Quia enī ille nō est talis sub­stantia q̄ videri oculis possit, et miracula eius quibus totum mun­dum regit, vniuersā ­ (que) creatu­ram administrat, assiduitate viluerunt, ita vt pene nemo dig­netur attē dere oꝑa dei mira et stupen­da. &c. that, notwythstan­dynge, that bothe, wythin vs, and also wythout vs, there is almoste nothynge voyde, of goddes synguler power and myracle; (the whole worlde replete w ^t wonders,) yet necglygent ignorans, & ignorant necgligēs, doth growe so fast vpon vs, that the admirable wonder of the creation, conseruation, and admini­stration of all the brode worlde is all moste (as saynt Augustine sayeth) by assyduite and cottidiane custome, out of all estimation and meruell, and the po­wer of God here in, wypyd out of me­morie. And thus cōsequently our fayth and loue, towardes our creatour & conseruer, is lytell or nothynge, noryshed, or enkyndled, by any of these wonder­full workes of God. Wherfore, the mooste inuestigable wysedome of God, to resuscytate & styrre vp oure dremye & [Page] and drousye hartes, out of thys dedly lethargie, forgetfulnes and vnbelefe, of the diuine power and hys omnipotent might, and to strength specially our imbecyl & weake fayth hath (sythe y ^e crea­cion) wrought a great nōber of dyuers and sondry sygnes, portentes, wōders, and myracles, manyfestly set forth, be­fore the former people, as well vnder the olde lawe, as vnder the law euāgelicall, where wyth he hath in them, both enkyndled and stablyshed theyr faythe and loue, towardes hym, and also he hath, terriblye set forthe, the glorye of hys myghtye and magnificent power, vnto all blasphemous infideles. Of the whych wonderfull & myraculous wor­kes, the infallible and mooste iuste re­porte, herfore is lefte vnto vs, in the sacrate, and mooste holy scripture, that lykewyse as the former people our pre­decessours, (before whome God hathe vouchesafed to set forth these hys wō ­derfull workes) the faythfull (amonge them) were greatly confirmed, & stren­gthed in theyr fayth of the worde and of all y ^e ꝓmyses of god, & y ^e vnbeleuers, eyther were conuinced, either reformed of theyr vnbelefe. Euen so we (reading the same that they dyd se) such as doth beleue, maye take no lytle strengthe in theyr fayth, and such as stagger, maye [Page] also be, very fermely stablysshed. For what els doth the portentuus wōders, the monstruus workes, and the myra­culus wonders of God? But specially set forth the glorie of God (as I haue sayd) and the magnificent power diui­ne, declarynge all thynges to be subiect vnto God, conuincynge also and rebu­kynge, the rude, grosse, and blynde rea­son of man. The miracles of God con­uinceth mānes reason, and sheweth suche thinges, in the worde of God (that semys impossible vnto mannes wytte & reason) to be very easye and possible vnto god, as is thys wonder­full mysterye of the blessed sacrament. Also buyldeth and confir­meth the fayth, and treuth, of goddes worde, and promyse. For where anye thynge, in the word or promyse of god, semyth vnto our weake wytte & blynde reason, impossible, bycause that reason can not reache, wysedōe or wytte attayneth not, the senses lacketh experiens, and the carnall or natural mā beleueth not, there myracle shewyth it possible & easye to God, and fayth teacheth vs, to lede captiue & to subdue al wytte & rea­son, vnto the worde and power of God, vnto whome there is nothynge impos­sible. For we muste vnderstande, that the miraculus workes of god, were not wrought before the former people, and lefte truely & faythfully, reported vnto vs, in y ^e holy scriptures, to teache & persuade only, the possibilite of thē selfes, (for they were to euidēt to be dowbted of.) But they were wrought & writtē to declare & set forth, y ^e possibilitie & verite [Page] of al thīges, y ^t the word of god, teacheth vs to beleue. As for exāple. Exodi. 4. Ait Moy­dn̄o. Non credent mihi ne (que) audiēt vocem meaz, sed dicent non appa ruit tibi dn̄o. Dixit ergo ad [...]n̄. Quid est ꝙ tenes in manu tua. Re­spondit. Virga. Dixit dn̄s Proi [...]ce ī terrā. Pro iecit &c. Vt credāt ꝙ apparu it tibi dn̄s deus tuus &c. Ioh. 10. Et si mihi non vul­tis crede­re, operibꝰ credite, vt cognoscatis. &c. The wōder­ful workes, that God almyghty wrou­ghte, by Moyses hys deare and fayth­full seruaunt, before the chyldren of Israell, and before the Egiptians, dyd not onely declare, that God almyghty was hable to shewe suche wonders, sygnes, and myracles. But they manyfestly de­clared, bothe the myghte and power of the Lorde God, that sent vnto them Moses hys seruaunt, and also confirmed & ratifyed, the veryte of all suche promy­ses and commaundementes, that Moy­ses brought vnto them, from the mouth of God. For thys cause had Moyses power of myracles, that these wonders (whyche they se hym do, before theyr eyes,) myght teache & perswade thē the veryte and possibilite, of hys tydynges and message, whych semed both vntrew and impossible. Not that they shuld be­leue, only the myraculous workes, that they dyd see, but y ^t, they (by the euydens of these workes) shulde beleue, the word of God, y ^e Moyses ministred & brought vnto thē. The holy fathers ꝓphetes ra­tifyed & persuaded, the verite of goddes message, sent by them vnto y ^e people, w ^t lyke testimonye of miracles. Our saui­oure Christe, and (after hym) hys disci­ples, confyrmed and dyd corroborate, [Page] the verite and possibilitie of hys holye gospell, wyth the wytnes, of hys won­derfull workes. Wherfore I thynke it an argument of no small efficatie and strengthe, to perswade and proue (by y ^e experiens of gods power in the former myracles) the possibilitie, of the exce­dynge great myracles, in the moste blessed sacramēt of the Aulter, the whych goddes worde teacheth vs to beleue, seme they (vnto mans reason) neuer so vntrewe and vnpossible. For these my­raculus workes, left vnto vs in the sa­crat scripture, are none other, then the very playne experimentes; and euident tryal, of goddes myghtye power, and registred in the byble, to corroborate & stablyshe (as I haue sayd) oure faythe, and the doctrine of goddes holy word, to conuynce and reprehende, all vnbe­lefe and heresye. But specially suche grosse and stubburne blyndnesse, that wolde not haue reason subiugate and obediēt, vnto goddes myghtie worde & power, but wolde that the omnipotent worde and power of God, shulde take suche auctoritie & place, as theyr blynd carnall wytte wyll gyue leue, as oure grosse, frowarde, and obstinate ca­phernaites doth nowe a dayes aboute the mooste sacrate and blessed Sa­crament of the Aulter, the blessed monument [Page] and memoriall both of the death and also of the might and power of our sauiour and Lorde God Christe. The sa­crament besydes y ^t it contay­neth y ^t vyry bodye & bloode of Christ, is also a memori­al of Christes death and ther­fore ste­reth vp our chari­tie towardes hym. And in that, that it is inui­sibly my­raculus, it excercy­seth our fayth. For whyles they denye, the reall and verye presens of Christes bodye and bloode in the sacramente (contendynge agaynste the scripture by reason, to be impossible that it shulde be so) they extenuate, and imbecyl, the power of God, & also they (here in) denye and subuerte, the verite of Goddes worde, ratifyed and confir­med, (by Christ and his disciples) with innumerable sygnes, wonders, and miracles. And why semeth thys incredi­ble? Playnly for thys cause onely, that in thys moste holy sacrament, nature is altered and loseth her cōmen course, & order, reason can shewe no persuasion. The senses hathe contrarie experiens, Therfore these carnall infideles (voyde of y ^e spirite of God) for wante of faith, sayeth and thynke it impossible. For manyfest scriptures (truely taken and vnderstāde) to proue theyr heresy, they haue none. Saue y ^t where y ^e scripture, in hys natiue sence, wyll not sustayne, eyther helpe, theyr horrible heresie and detestable blasphemye, they vyolently wrynge it & wreste it, they toose it and rugge it, wyth tropes and fygures, ca­tacreses, alligories, and metaphers, to force it to bowe vnto theyr phanaticall [Page] frensye, and frantyke heresye. And al­thoughe that, the blynde obstinacie, of these blasphemous heretykes be suche, that there semeth lytle remedye, to recouer them, Titū. 5. sythe they subuerted, are (as saynt Paule sayeth) condēpned in theyr owne iudgement. Yet for the confirma­tion and comforte of the faythfull, I shall set forth and proue (by goddes ad­iutorie) the possibilitie, of suche myra­cles, as the faith catholique, doth teach and sheweth vs, to be wrought (by the infinite power of goddes myghtye worde in the holy sacrament of the Aulter.

Thys shal I do by y ^e testimony, of these myraculus workes, that the scripture reporteth vnto vs. That whyles we perceyue y ^e scripture, to set forth before vs, so euident, open, & plaine demonstratiōs and experimētes, of the oīpotent power deuine, that they can not be denyed (saue onely of an infidele) it maye euidentlye apere, vnto euery faythfull christiane, howe lykely and possible it is, that al­myghtie God can, and doth, (by the po­wer of hys myghtye worde) these won­derful myracles in the holy sacrament. And thys maner of argument, maye not seme straunge vnto anye man, in that, that the veritie and possibilitie of thys mysterye and archane of oure faythe, by proued and declared, by other myra­cles [Page] wrytten (whome we beleue) in the holye scripture, for there in, I haue myne example of saynte Paule, 1. Cor. 15. who wrytyng vnto the Corinthians and dy­sputynge the artycle of the generall re­surrection, proueth, by the myraculous resurrection of Christe, (the whyche they had receyued and beleuyd, by the preachynge of saynt Paule) the verytie and possibilitie, of the generall resur­rection. Oure sauioure Christe also, perswaded, and prouyd, vnto the Ie­wes, the presens of hys godhead, and that he (by auctoritie of hys godhead) dyd, and myghte forgyue and remytte synnes (the whyche godhead inuisible, they coulde not see, neyther the remys­syon of synnes) by the euidens of the helth, that he gaue vnto the man dys­eased wyth the palsye. That where, the forgeuenesse of synnes, and the gyfte of helth vnto that man so vncurably dys­eased, were both of equall dyfficultie, and the one they myghte see, the other they coulde not see, whyles they se hym do the one, they myghte beleue the other. Wherfore then, shoulde not the testymonye, of the former my­racles, moste faythfullye set forth vn­to vs in the holy worde of God whome oure predecessours also dyd see before theyr eyes, perpetrate and wroughte [Page] of God (by the handes, as wel of the fathers ꝓphetes as by our mayster Christ and hys Apostles) gyue euidēce & profe, of the myracles of thys sacrament, sith both these and the other, be of equal fa­cilitie vnto God, and of equall dyfficultie vnto nature. Yf we beleue the one, why shulde not we beleue y ^e other, syth that God is auctour of al. Yet perhaps thou wilt say, the other myracles were euidently sene, and so were these in the sacrament neuer. Here vnto I answere Fyrste that thoughe our fathers dyd se y ^e other done before theyr eyes, yet dyd not we se them, but we beleue them by­cause that the holy scripture reporteth them to vs, as of a trueth to haue bene suche done in dede. Euē so, the holy gospel of Christ, reporteth to vs the wordes of Christe (who can not lye) whych say­eth: Math. 26. Thys is my bodye. Wherfore we ought to beleue these wordes, thoughe we se not the dede. Moreouer I answer that the other myracles were wrought to persuade fayth & credyte, vnto suche as lacketh fayth, & therfore were they manyfest and euident, that the vnfaithfull myght be edifyed, by the myracles openly sene, vnto such mysteries of our fayth, that can not be sene, or apprehen­ded by reason. 1. Cor. 11. As saynt Paule sayth of the myracles of tonges, wrytyng to the [Page] Corinthians. The gyfte or myracle of tonges was gyuen to edifye the vnbeleuer, but the gyfte of vnderstandynge or interpretacion, was giuen to edifye the congregacion of the faythfull. Euen so I saye, that the other were gyuē, to edifye the vnfaythfull. Augustinꝰ de vera innocentia capi. 134. Visibile miraculū ad illumi­nationem vocat, in­uisibile autem, cum qui voca­tus venit, illuminat. But thys Sacra­ment is not ordayned to edifye the vn­beleuers, but is ordeyned and institu­ted to encrease, exercyse, and to certifie the true and faythfull beleuers of their vnfayned fayth, and also for the com­forte of the faythfull christen people.

Wherfore it is not necessary y ^t it shulde be myraculus openly. Thys myracle in thys Sacrament, is not wrought (as I haue sayd) to perswade fayth (as the o­ther were) but this doth presuppose & requyre a cōstant fayth. And (as S. Paul sayeth vnto the Hebrewes. Hebre. 11.) Faythe is of thynges that appere not and can not be sene, therfore are these myracles wrought of God inuisiblye, that fayth myght (here in) haue place, and that all the wyttes and sences of mā myght be tried, subiugate & obedient vnto fayth. Playnly yf the faith of the thefe on the ryght syde of Christe, were acceptable, (as in dede i [...] was) that he (seyng Christ as a thefe, in lyke tormēt and payne w ^t hym) and yet beleued that he was most myghtest kynge of heauen and earthe [Page] bothe God and man. Ioh. 2 [...]. Christus dixit. Thome. Beati qui nō vi­derunt et crediderfit I saye, that the fayth of them, is very acceptable, that constantly, (agaynst the course & guyse of nature) do beleue in thys holy sacra­mente, the worde and wytnesse of Christ (whyche sayeth.) Thys is my bodye.

For, from the thefe vpon the crosse, was hyd onely the Godhead or diuinitie of Christe, but in thys sacrament, vnto vs is hydden from oure syghte, our sensi­ble felynge, tastynge and touchynge, bothe the dyuinitie and also the huma­nitie, that our fayth myghte be so much the more acceptable, as it lacketh ex­perience and tryall, of that thynge, that we obedientlye beleue. For in thys sa­crament, naturall experience cōtendith openlye agaynste fayth, and not onely reason, but also, all oure senses are lede captyue, agaynst al naturall experience, vnto the sole and onely worde of God. And that not in one myracle, but in ma­nye, whyche are deprehended, onely by constant fayth. Wherfore no wonder thoughe the naturall man, that wāteth fayth, and beleueth nomore, then fleshe and bloode (that is to saye, natural rea­son or sense) reuelyth to hym, be offen­dyd (as the Caphernaites were) at this moost myraculous and holy sacrament, where in are wroughte, so manye won­derous workes of God. For fyrste in [Page] thys holy sacramente the substaunce of breade & wyne, Ciprianꝰ de cena d [...] mini. Panis iste coīs in carnem et sangui­nem mutatus, procurat vitam et incre­mentum corporibꝰ by the admyrable power of goddes myghtye worde, are conuer­ted (by transubstantiacion) into the ve­rye bodye and bloode of Christe, so that after the consecration there remaineth, not the substance of breade or wyne, ne­ther any other substaunce, saue only the substaunce of the reall and verye bodye and bloode of Christe God and man.

Secondly the whole and perfect bo­dye, wyth all the lymmes and membres are in both the kyndes, Itē Tho­mas aqui­nas citat hec Euse­bii Niseni verba. No [...] tibi & impossibi­le esse non debet ꝙ xp̄i substā tiam terre na et mor­talia con­uertūtur. hec ille in tertia summe. q. 75. articulo. 4 and in euery porcion of eyther of them as well a parte, as togyther, and consequently in euerye sensyble porcion of eyther of the kyn­des, is the parfecte bodye and whole bloode of Christe, and is in so many places, as any kynde, or porcion of thys sa­crament, is. Thyrdlye, Christe is im­mediatlye present reallye in the sacra­ment, as sone as the wordes of conse­cration are duelye spoken of the preest at masse, and that wythout anye bode­lye passage, throughe the clowdes from heauen, and so to descende vppon the aulter. Fourthlye, the qualities and the other accidenttall properties of breade, remayne in this sacrament, and yet there is not the substaunce of bread, neyther anye other, saue onelye the sub­staunce of Christe.

[Page] Itē Augustinus in libro sen­tentiarum Prosperi dicit Nos in specie­bꝰ panis vini quas videmus, res in vi­sibiles .i. carnem et sanguinē honeramꝰFyfthly the qualities of bread, are subsystant by them selfe myraculouslye w ^t out any staye or ayde, of any substaunce (where in naturally they shulde be) and that by the synguler power of God.

Syxtly God almyghtye gyueth myraculously vnto these qualities and ac­cidentall properties, power in al natu­ral operations, and passions, as wel as thoughe the substaunce of bread were there. And therfore doth the consecrate hoost, norysshe, augmente, when it is receyued, as wel as though y ^e substaūce of breade or wyne were there. Idē Thomas in .4.5. 6 7. ar­ticulis. Yea also, the consecrate hoost maye be broken, it maye be burnte, it maye be moulded, as the verye breade maye. And yet is not there the substaunce of bread, nether is the fraccion, the mouldnes, nother the burnynge, executed or done, in the body of Christe, for that is impassyble & can suffer no suche passyons. But it is onely the properties of breade, that is broken moulded, or burnt. These myraculus se­cretes & secreat myracles be (as I haue sayd) deprehēded only by fayth, not on­lye bycause, they surmounte and excede the altitude and compasse, of mannes wytte and reason, (as the other visible myracles do.) But also they are direct­lye contrarye vnto our sensible experi­ens. Wherfore they brynge, no small [Page] doubte vnto vs, and specially vnto all suche, that leaneth more vnto theyr na­turall experiens, then they do vnto the infallible verite of goddes word, which affirmeth nothynge to be impossible w ^t God. Namely, Luce. 1. whē they presume to be curious serchers of the archane & secret workes of goddes singuler power, with the blynde lanterne and lyght of natu­rall reason, and calleth impotent and blynde nature to coūsel, in the peculiar workes of God, appropriated onely to hys diuine power, and excedyngly pas­synge, the prospecte and power, both of nature and mannes naturall wyttes.

For what can only nature shewe, or barren reason of man, see, or vnderstande, in that thynge, that is out of the lymyttes and order of all nature surmoun­tynge incomperably all wytte and rea­son of man. Saue onely, of a doubte to collecte an errour and out af an errour, to fall into an heresye blasphemous.

For the presumpcion, of the carnall mā that preaseth and contendeth by natu­rall reason, to compryse the inuestiga­ble and incomprehensible wysedome of god, in hys myraculus workes, he wrappyth and intricateth hym selfe, in more error, then other. For the more that he by reason, ransacketh and sercheth for reason, in those thinges that passeth reason, [Page] y ^e lesse reason he fyndeth, & into the further doubte he falleth and asketh w ^t the murmeryng Caphernaites. Howe? Vnto the whych question, for as muche as nature can make no answere, & rea­son can not perceiue neither vnderstāde, suche as are voyde of fayth (as our Ie­wyshe and grosse sacramentaries haue well declared them selfe of late) answereth and concludeth openly, suche thynges to be impossible, & therfore vnwor­thy to be beleued. But yf that such slender faythed christians wold, in such in­scrutable questiōs, leue fleshly iugemēt vnto the carnall Caphernaites, (for the fleshe, Ioh. 6. here in (as Christ sayth) auaileth nothynge) and wolde counsel wyth the spirite of God, whyche gyueth the ly­uely and playne vnderstandynge of all verytie, wythout doubte they shulde be induced, thorow out fayth, into y ^e clere and syncere verite, of these myraculous workes in thys moost sacrate sacramēt & that according to the holy scriptures, the whych in mooste manyfest & playne sentence approueth, not onely the veri­te of the reall presence of the bodye and bloode of Christe, in the sacramēt of the aulter (as it shalbe largely declared in the next sermon) but also wyth a great number of myracles (the monumentes of the power of God) declareth and setteth [Page] forth moste sufficiently vnto a dilygent and a faythfull reader, the possibi­lite of all suche wonderfull myracles, that the Churche catholyke beleueth and teacheth to be wrought in this ho­ly sacrament, as I shall breuelye make manyfest declaration in thys sermon.

And fyrste as concernynge the tran­substanciation, Ciprian­de cena domini. Pa­nis iste, quē dn̄s discipulis porrige­bat, nō effigie, sed natura mutatus, oīpo­tentia vervi, factus est raro. wherein the myghtye worde of God, doth of breade make the very substaunce of the bodye of Christe, as euery true christian is wholy persuaded and beleueth. For al suche beleueth it, to be lytell dyfficultie vnto almygh­tye God, (vnto whome ther is nothyng impossible) to create, to brynge to nou­ght, to make, to destroye, to continue, to mayntayne, to alter, to chaunge, howe and when and what he lyst. Wherfore they beleue that it is not onely possible, but very facile and easye vnto God omnipotent, of bread to make hys very bodye, [...] of wyne to make hys very blood. The whych thynge, maye apere very a­pertlye, by the workes of nature, who (by her natyue power) altereth breade (by masticatiōs, decoction, Saynt Ambrose also in the 5. boke of his exame­ron the .23 chapiter. and digesti­ons) into bloode, and consequently into fleshe, muche more able is almyghtye God, (which gaue thys power vnto nature) by the infinite myghte, of hys po­wer, of breade to make hys very bodye, [Page] and that wythout intermeane alterations, The wonderfull chaūge of the Phe­nix of whome when she is deade, there succedeth ano­ther, in thys ma­ner. Afterter that she hath made her neest of Gen. xix Myrre & Franke insense & wyth o-Ex. iiii. ther swete spices, she therin dy-Exo. vii. eth, and of y ^e moy­stnes of her fleshe there commeth a worme, y ^t whych in cōtinuāce groweth vnto the nature of a very Phenyx. as mastication and digestion, the whych nature muste nedes haue, ear she can alter & conuert, one substaunce into an other. And like as nature doth, with her powers, chaunge the substaunce of bread and wyne, vnto blood, and fleshe, wyth muche more facilitie, dothe God, (by the power of hys myghtye worde) of bread (by trāsubstanciation) maketh hys uery naturall fleshe, & of wyne hys uery, and natural blood. Thys is made very credyble, yf we remember wyth what facilitie, God almyghtye altered and chaūged, the fleshe of Lothis wyfe, into the nature of salte, & there, of fleshe made a salte stone. Yf we also consyder how wonderfully the rodde of Aaron, was chaunged, into a very serpent, and agayne, that serpente into the naturall rod. Howe meruelously the waters of Egypte were turned into very blood, & y ^e water, in Cana of Galile, turned into very wyne? And thoughe al thynges be, of equall facilite vnto God, yet y ^e thin­ges in them selfe consydered, one is of more facilitie then thother. Bycause y ^t, ther is more or lesse dystans, betwyxte theyr natures, & therfore requyre they, the more or lesse alteration. Wherfore sythe y ^t we beleue, that God did chaūge fleshe into salte, and woode into a ser­pence, [Page] we shall a great deale the rather beleue, that he can of breade make hys fleshe, for there is lesse distance betwene the nature of breade and fleshe, then be­twene the natures of fleshe and salte, or of fleshe and woode. For nature can not alter, fleshe into salte, or woode into fleshe, wythout (almoste) innumerable meane alterations, yet with very fewe, she altereth breade, into the nature of fleshe. Wherfore then, shuld it not seme credible and possible, that the myghtye worde of God, maketh (by transubstanciation) of breade, hys body, & of wyne, hys verye bloode, sythe he worketh so wonderfully in nature, by many meane alterations, and hathe wrought more vnlykely thynges, wythout all meane alterations, & aboue al natural course, as in y ^e admirable chāge, of Lothis wit into salte, of the rod of Moyses into a Serpente, the water of Egypte into bloode, the water in Cana into wyne.

Excepte that we wyll shewe our selues to haue lesse fayth, then the deuyll ex­presseth vnto Christ in deserte, when he offred hym stones, to make therof bread For he, there beleued, Math. 4. that Christe (be­yng the sōne of god) was able, to make of stones breade, whych is muche more vnlykely, then of breade to make fleshe. Furthermore the catholyke faythe tea­cheth [Page] and beleueth, Tho. Aq̄. in sūma q. 76. arti. 3. Totus xp̄s est sub parte qua libet spe­cie vl vini vel panis. Augustinꝰ ī sermone Singuli accipimus dn̄m xp̄m et in singulis portionibus ro­ [...]us est, nō per singu­las minuitur, sed in­ [...]egrum se prebet singulis. that in thys hooly sacrament, is, not onely the reall bodye of our sauiour christ, but also, there are al the dystyncte members and naturall lymmes, as perfectly, in euerye parte or portion of the hoost seuerally, as in the whoole, altogether. And thys bodye is really there, where euer any consecrate hoost is, or portion therof. And therfore all the cōmunicantes or receauers ther­of, receyue but one thynge, and euery mā receaueth as muche, as the whole mul­tytude. And agayn, as much is receaued in the leste sensible portion, as is recea­ued in īnumerable hoostes & no lesse, for Christ is whoole in the whole, & in eue­rye portion therof. This may we some­what perceaue, by the naturall example of the soule, which is in the hoole body, and yet is neuer the lesse in all, and in e­uerye parte of the bodye. For the soule is as well in the lytle fyngar, as in the harte, or in the whole bodye, and there no more nether any lesse, thē in y ^e whole bodye, and no more in the whole bodye, then in the leste parte of the bodye, for the soule is al whole, in y ^e whole body, and all whole in euery parte. But per­happes, he, that wyl be more curius, thē faythfull, wyll saye. That the soule is a spirituall thynge, but y ^e body of Chrst is materiall. Yet let the same remember [Page] that y ^e body of Christ is now glorified, A glasse, or myrror broken, resembleth & represen­teth as many faces, when it is loked in, as it hath peces, for in euery pece we may se our face, and whyle it is whole we se but one face. & therfore also is it now a spiritual body, & hath lefte the material cōdycions, for it is deputyd and clarefyed from al ma­teriall grossnes, and is in moche more noble estate and dignite, then is anye o­ther passyble bodye: for as moche thē as the soule may be whole in the body and whole, and altogether, in euery parte of the body, by goddes worke and institu­cion. Why shulde it seme vnto vs impossible, that the glorefyed body of Christ, god & man, (by goddes synguler handy worke) shulde be in y ^e whole, and in eue­rye parte of the hoste, & there also, wher euer there is any consecrate hoost or sensible portion thereof. And that really, after a supernaturall and ineffable ma­ner of beynge, the whiche maner of be­ynge, is appropriate and peculiar, vnto y ^e moost precyous body onely, geuē vnto that bodye, by specyal prerogatiue, and to none other bodye, eyther passible, ey­ther impassyble, neyther vnto angel, neyther spirite, as vnto the bodye of God & man, and moste excellent creature, and moost worthyest. And althoughe that we can not brynge forth, the lyke myra­cle in the scriptures, for the confyrma­cyon of the same, yet we shall brynge some, as farre excydīge & aboue nature as this is. And fyrst let vs cōsider, howe [Page] incessauntly, swyftly and vniformely, the Sōne and Moone hath their mociō by nature, wythout ceassynge whych is the vegetation and in maner the lyfe of all thynges, and there ceassyng, semeth the dyssolution & corruption of al thin­ges. Iosua. 10. Yet at one worde of Iosua (as goddes pleasure was) the Sonne and the Moone stode styll ceasynge theyr natu­rall mocions, & yet the inferior creatu­res were preserued frō dissolutiō or vn­naturall alteration. More ouer howe mōstruous vnto nature was it, that in the tyme of kynge Ezechie, 4. reg. 20. 2. par. 32. Esa. 38. the Sonne shulde go backe, (agaynst her naturall and perpetuall course .x. degrees. And howe myraculous was it, that at the noone tyde, Math. 28. Mat. 15. Luce. 22. (when Christ was vpon the crosse) the Moone shulde (agaynste the vniformitie of her motion) come sodeinly out from the East into the southe, & so settynge her selfe, dyrectly betwene the earthe and the Sonne, cause an vn­naturall & an vniuersall eclyps of the Sonne, Dionisius in epistola ad policarpum. as saynt Denyse sayeth. For he (beynge in Egypte) dyd see, when the Moone wyth wonderous celerite arose from the East, and entered betwene the Sonne and the earth, causynge y ^e great Eclyps, whych continued syxe houres. The monstruous wonders, and myra­culous workes of God, shewed in these [Page] incorrupt bodyes aboue, (that is to say the Sonne and Moone) are, as impossi­ble and as incredible vnto nature, as is the myraculous beynge, of Christes bo­dye in the sacrament. Wherfore yf we beleue the one, let vs then beleue the o­ther, for he that wrought the one, hathe also wrought the other. Moreouer, im­mediatly after, y ^t the wordes of cōsecration are duely spoken (by the preest) o­uer the breade, then, that whyche was breade before, is nowe the very body of Christe, whych taketh his myraculous beynge in that glorious sacrament, not leuynge heauē, and yet is really and ve­rely in the sacrament. Nowe we muste not grossely ymagyne, that he shulde descende from heauen, passyng corpulent­lye or bodely through the cloudes, and so to enter & conuey hym selfe vnder the lykenes of breade, or into the sacramēt, and so to be there. Thomas Aq [...]i is in sūma q. 75. arti. 7. Hec cōuersio fit vir­tute infi­nita cuius est subito operari. But we muste vnder­stande, & beleue w ^t the catholyke church, that in one instaunt, and time vnperceaueable, he is present ineffablye, in that glorious sacrament, wythout bodelye motion out of heauen, and yet styll re­mayninge in heauen, is also, verely and really in the sacrament. As we maye be taughte, by the spedye motion of the Sonne, whyche in tyme imperceptible spredeth her beames, from the East vn­to [Page] the Weste ouerthwarte al the earthe Euen so spedelye, is the naturall bo­dye of Christe in the holye sacramente, and is not letted, by the great dystance, betwene heauen and earthe. For the playne demonstracion, of the possibili­tie of thys verite, we can aske no stron­ger or more euidente example then the myraculous workes, that Christe she­wed. euen in that verye same bodye of hys. Fyrste in an instaunt, and tyme imperceptable, that precious & diuine bodye, toke perfecte forme, shape, and lyfe, in the virgineal wombe. And yet wyth more myracle, that same blessed babe, was borne, of hys immaculate mother Marye, into thys worlde, not vnloosinge the virgineal gyrdel, or clausure, of her pure maidenhed.

Secondlye howe soone and soden­lye, was the shyppe at the shoore, when the disciples, Ioh. 6. wold haue receiued christ walkynge on the sea, (as saint Iohn̄ reporteth in hys syxte chapiter) there we maye perceaue, howe spedye and my­raculous mocyon, the shyppe, and also the bodye of Christe, hadde (yet beynge passible and mortall.) Howe maye we doubte then, Mathei Marci [...]ltimo. that thys bodye, maye be here sodenlye, wythout any meane pas­sage, or corporally penetratyng the cloudes, or other meane places, sythe that [Page] also the same bodye slayne, Angelus aūt dn̄i descendit de celo & accedens reuoluit lapidē. and deade) dyd aryse, the thyrde day from deathe, and passed out, from the graue of stone, couered; sealed and watched wyth sol­dyers, and that not breaking the stone, neyther vnsealyng neyther vncouering, the graue. For we may not thynke that the angell (y ^t descended frō heauē & rol­led y ^e stone) dyd let out Christe. For cer­tainly he was myraculusly rysen ear y ^e angel apered. And y ^e same day, the same bodye entred in, amonge the dysciples, where all the dores were shutte. Why shulde we thinke it, vnbeleueable or impossible then, Ioh. 20. that the same glorifyed bodye, shoulde so sodeynlye be reallye and verallye present, in the holy sacra­ment, sythe that we rede and beleue (by the holye scripture) these myraculous mocions, of the verye same bodye. Fur­thermore, the faythfull and catholyke cristiane oughte, to retayne as an arty­cle catholyke, & as an ineffallible veri­tie, (as the church of Christe teacheth) that in thys mooste holye blessed sacra­mente, are the naturall quantitie, qualities, and the other accydentary proper­ties of bread, subsystant, or alone by thē selues, myraculouslye, wythout any staye, or ayde, of the substaūce of breade, where in, they were before the conse­cration. For that substaunce is not [Page] there (as we haue sayde) neyther any o­ther substance is there, (where in these accydentall propertes shulde be) saue only the substaūce, of the body of Christ, the whyche bodye, is not subiect vnto them, but they are subsistente, wyth out the staye of any substance, by the myght and omnipotent power of God. Not wythstandynge, that the faythfull are fully perswaded in this verite, & wyth constant fayth, ledeth captyue all theyr senses, vnto the seruice of Christ, in this myracle, & sayth wyth Dauid, (agaynst all reason) made to the contrarye. All thynges (what euer he wold) God hath wrought, Psal. 134 bothe in heauen and in erthe, Yet for lake of fayth and trewe beleue, of this one article, many of weak fayth do oft staggar. And many of late dayes are prostrate, & fallen flat downe (whi­che is to be lamented) in to detestable dūgeon of herises, for whiles they gros­sely stycke vnto y ^e principles of nature, consyderynge, that nature hathe gyuen vnto bread and fleshe, and vnto euerye substaunce, his dystincte and peculyar quātite, qualytes, as color, fygure, tast, wyth other accydentall properties, and where euer are founde, all such naturall properties together, is naturally found the substaunce, whose properties these are, suche grosse reasonars, finding also [Page] in thys blessed sacrament, al y ^e ꝓperties of bread, as coler, quantite figure, taste, wyth all other, & on the other syde, fyn­dynge in the sacrament no maner of propertie of fleshe, they collecte and cōclude that there is only the substaūce of bread & not the bodye of Christ, of the whyche number Frythe was one, as it aperethe in hys boke. This is the chefe and only cause of theyr errour. But vnto thys argumente, and vnto al suche carnall, and blasphemous dyscussers and dys­puters of the myraculous workes of God I shall make answere in the ende of my thyrde sermon. And though that thys artycle semeth, and is, impossible and incredible by nature, yet shall I shewe it very credible and possible, vn­to the power of God, and that by these examples, whyche al readye are credy­ble. It is as an vnnatural a thinge that the Sonne (whose) chiefe & moost natural propertie is, to gyue lyghte, beynge created for that purpose) shulde, at the myddaye (hauynge no interposition or lette) gyue no maner of lyghte, but ra­ther horrible and palpable darkenes.

Yet the scripture teacheth, that when God plaged Egypte, the space of thre dayes, the Sonne and the Moone gaue no lyght vnto the Egyptians, but there remayned Huge and horrible darkenes [Page] for, by the myghtye power of God, the propertye of illuminacyon was wyth holden and suspended, not onely, in the Sonne, Moone, & Starres, but also in all other thynges that naturally shulde haue shewed lyghte, for neyther candel, neyther fyer, gaue them lyghte, no more then the fyer of hell, gyueth lyght vnto y ^e dampned spirites there. Forthermore is it not the naturall propertye of fyer to bourne, to incynerate and brynge to asshes, Dani. 3. all thynge combustyble, spa­rynge none. And yet we reade in Da­nyell, that when y ^e .iii. yonge men (faste bounde) were cast, in to the whote bur­nyng furnesse of fyer, there y ^e fyer burnt a sonder theyr bondes, and burned not theyr bodyes, nether dyd it, any molestacyon vnto them, but they walked vp & downe in the myddest of the flammynge furnesse, as it had byn in a fresshe colde dewe. Beholde then. In Egypte y ^e sonne geueth no lyght. In Caldey, the fyer (an element of moste actiuitie) & yet it burneth not. Lyke as in these myracu­lus workes of god, the natural ꝓpertes of thynges, were suspended agaynst na­ture, euen so, in the holy sacrament, are the naturall propertyes of breade and wyne, myraculously sustayned, wyth out any sustentacyon of any substaunce eyther of bread or wyne, eyther of anye [Page] other, for there is not the substaunce of bread, neyther any other, but onely the substaunce of the naturall bodye and bloode of Christ, whyche is vnder, and with, these properties of bread & wyne, and yet these propretyes are not in that (moost impassible substaunce) and, precious bodye. Moreouer the faythe catho­lyke affyrmeth, y ^t these accidētarie ꝓperties of breade, and wyne (though there be not the substaunce of bread or wyne) yet haue they (by the power of God) al the natural operacyons of breade, and sustayneth all the naturall passyons of bread, and therfore these propertes, Thomas Aq̄nas Citas her gregorii verba. Species sacra­mentales sunt [...]arū rerum vocabula, q̄ antea fue rū [...] .sz. panis et vi­ni. In sūma q. 77. [...]i. primo. do norysshe, they do replete, satisfye, they are brokē, eaten, they are dygestyd, they maye be mouldye, burnt, and generally sustayne al y ^e other corruptiōs as thou­ghe, y ^e very substāce of bread were there. Therfore it is not bread, y ^t is so brokē, eatē, digested norisheth satisfyeth & reple­ieth, & is burnt, mouldy, or suffreth any other corruptions, for there is no sub­staunce of breade, (as I haue sayd) nei­ther, in the bodye of Christe, are any of these acciōs or passions. For that body is impassible and can suffre none suche, but lyke as y ^e soule of mā (which is spi­ritual) is neyther burnt, slayne, neither corrupt, whē the body (wherin the soule is) is burnt, slayne, or corrupted, euen so all these accions and passions are in [Page] the accidentarye properties of breade onely, and the body of Christe, (whych is verely vnder those properties) suffe­reth none of all those corruptible acci­ons or passions. Yet to conuince the he­resies and blasphemes (about thys blessed sacrament) there hath bene sene, ve­rye bloode to issue out of an hoost consecrate, when it hath ben violently strykē cutte, or broken, and that by myracle.

Yet y ^t blood hath not issued out of that īpassible bodye, but god almighty hath declared by that myracle, the presens of hys blood. It is a very facile & an easy thynge vnto the infinite power diuine, to gyue vnto the accidentall properties of breade, might, and power, to do al naturall operations and acciōs and to sustayne all the passions, that very bread shulde. For the same Lorde God, gaue power vnto the drye wā, or rode of Aa­ron, (wythout sappe or iuyse) in one nyght, Nume. 17. to budde, to sprynge, & to brynge forth leues, flowers and almondes.

Therfore, lyke as god gaue the natural accions of sappe or iuyse vnto a drye staffe or rodde, euen so he gyueth (by myracle (to the properties of bread, the ac­cions of very bread. Furthermore why shulde we maruayll, to se the acciden­tall properties of breade, eaten, broken, cutte, burnt, or corrupted, & yet the bo­dye [Page] of Christ vnder these qualyties, vnharmed for nature teachethe (almooste as much) in the soule of man, for when the bodye of man is eaten, cut, broken or brunt, yet is the soule voyed and free from all those passions, by cause it is impassible. So is also, the īpassible bo­dy of Christ in thys sacramēt, free and voyde of all these passions, that are suffred in the sacrament. Exodi. 3. Lyke as the bus­she (oute of whom God spake to Moy­ses) was not perisshed, though the fyer were in it, and rounde a boute it, yet the bushe remayned both grene and freshe, the beutye therof vnpayred, euen so the bodye of Christ in the sacrament, sustayneth no passions, that are wrought in y ^e properties of bread, thoughe that the body be really and verelly there. That omnipotent Lorde God gaue power, Sara, Anna, Eliza­beth. Maria mater xp̄t vnto y ^e barrē, (aboue y ^e course of nature) to be with chylde, and vnto a virgin hys mother, (whych is much more myracu­lous) to bringe forth a childe, she remaynynge mayden immaculate, and mooste pure virgin. What is more vnnatural, thē out of the harde stony rock the wa­ter to gushe and flowe, in wonderful ꝑlē tye. Exo. 17. Yet (at the touche of Moyses rod) this was wrought (by God) that oute of a rocke, issued an exceding streame of water. Ys yt not monstruous to see, the [Page] great lōpyshe grauitie of yrō, Reg. 2. to swym­me. And yet so dyd the Axe, at Helyse­us commaundement, as we reade in the boke of Kynges. And lyke as these are vnto nature monstruus and impossible, & yet very easy and facile, vnto the infi­nite power of the lorde of nature, euen so it is incredible and impossible vnto nature, that the properties accidentall, shulde stande & be subsistent without a­ny substaunce, & yet to be subiecte vnto all passyons, and to execute all natural actions of theyr naturall substaunce.

Yet vnto goddes omnipotent myght, it is very possible and easye. We must not then seke, the institutiō and order of nature, where y ^e auctour of nature lysteth, myraculously to make transposition & alteration. And in suche alteration su­pernaturall & diuine workes, the blynd reason and fond fantysie of man, shulde leue hys presumptuous serche and scru­tacion, of the cause of goddes archaue workes, and suffer fayth to take place, subduynge all wytte and reason, vnto goddes myghtye wyll and pleasure.

And not to be so curious & inquisitiue, howe, or what wayes, God maye do thys or that. Neyther in suche myracu­lous workes, to counsell nature, no more then the moste blessed and fayth­full [Page] fathers Patriarkes and prophetes Whose mooste excellent fayth and cre­dulitie (in all thynges that God spake vnto them) maye be, a moost perfect president and example vnto vs. The which faythfull fathers, (in the myraculous workes and promises of god) consellyd not wyth nature, neyther serched ney­ther skanned them, wyth blynde reason But w ^t mooste humble & obedient fayth they receyued them, constantlye bele­uynge, that he (that hadde spoken the worde) was able also, to performe the same, vnto whome ther is nothynge impossible. For that thynge (whyche na­ture can not) that can the omnipotent power diuine. Yea nature muste gyue place, vnto godes power. Dyd Abram counsell wyth nature, howe it myghte come to passe, that which God dyd ꝓmyse? No truely. For scripture sayth, that he reasoned not wyth nature, (consy­derynge that he was aged and Sara baren. But was stronge in faythe, Rom. 4. (and gaue glorye vnto God) beleuynge that he, was able to performe it, that hadde made the promyse. Dyd Moyses rea­son wyth God, in the innumerable wonders, and monstruous plages that God wroughte by hys hande? No. But when he was commaunded, he deuyde the redde wylde Sea, wyth one stroke [Page] of hys rodde. How redely beleued this holy prophet, y ^e promise of God, whē yt rayned Manna and quayles, from hea­uen, to satisfye the glottonous and murmuryng Iewes. The valyant captayne Iosua, set a part al naturall power and reason, and (by stronge fayth) deuyded y ^e ruffe and stormious floode of Iordan, and by fayth, he dyd se, the sturdye and strong walles of Ieryco (with the only blaste of the trompets) ouer throwen, he see also, the stones raine from heauē, vpon his enemyes, and in hys tyme he vanquyshed .xxxi. kynges. What shulde I, or nede I, reporte any moo, of the in­numerable wōders, that almightie god hath wrought, (by the hādes of y ^e moost faythfull fathers the prophetes) sythe that the breuenes of a sermon, can not containe, so great a number of thinges. Excepte that I wolde, of a quere make a iust volume. Yet may I not passe ouer wyth sylens, all the infinite number of myracles, y ^t our maister Christ wrought here. The whyche were a playne euy­dence and an euydent tryal, of the possibylitie of the myracles, that y ^e christiāe fayth beleueth, God to worke, in the moost holy sacrament of the aulter.

Howe possyble is it to hym, of bread to make his body, syth y ^t he, (with fyue loues and .ii. fyshes) fedde .v. thousande. [Page] Why cā not he of wyne, Ioh [...]. make his blood which of water made wyne. Why shulde not he be hable to sette, the very presens of hys owne naturall bodye, vnder the shape of breade, and yet not sene of vs, syth he made the same bodye inuysyble vnto the Iewes, Iohn̄. 8. that wold haue stoned hym, passynge throughe the thyckest of them vnsene, and also shewed, vpon the mounte of Thabor, Mat. 17. the same passyble bodye, vnto Peter, Iames, and Iohan, in an heauenly shape, and in a glorifyed forme. How can it be impossyble vnto Christ, to geue (agaynst all natural phylosphye, vnto accydental qualytes, perfect subsystens, sythe he, (agaynst al natural power) gaue lyfe to y ^e dead, syght to the blynd borne, heryng to the deaffe, and health, vnto all vncurable desea­ses. This lytle nūbre of myracles (most deare reader) that I haue collected, out of the moost sacrate byble, are suffcyent to induce and lede a christiane harte, (in whome is anye sparke of faythe remaynynge, vnto a beleue and faythe, of the myracles and supernaturall workes of God, the whych the catholyke fayth hathe euer beleued, to be wroughte in this moost sacrate sacrament, and to cō fesse faythfully, that the vnmesurable myghte of Goddes power, infynytlye can do more, then y ^e in fyrme and weake [Page] inbecilitie of nature can do. And the wysedome of God, infinitly excedeth, the small and narrowe compasse and capacitie, of mans wytte or reason. Wherfore fayth is it, that maketh these thynges credyble. Esaye the prophete sayth Nisi credideritis non intelligetis. Esay. 7. Ex­cept you beleue, you can not vnderstād. Let vs then, beleue them, not onely pos­sible, (lest we shulde derogate the infi­nite power of God) but also, to be of a very truethe, so wrought of God. For thys fayth, hath the catholyke churche of Christe retayned, continually, from the apostles tyme, hetherto. Also here vnto, both the scriptures gyueth testy­monye and wytnes, and also the moost auncient wryters, mooste apertlye and euidently testifyeth the same, as shall be manyfestlye declared in the nexte two sermons (by Goddes adiu­torye and assystans.) To whome be immortall glorye, power, ray­gne, and impyre worlde with out ende Amen.

AMonge ma­ny thinges, ap­pertaynynge & concernyng the sublimitie and dignite, of this mooste venera­ble and holy sacrament, thys maketh not a lytle for the worthynes, and the catho­lyke veritie hereof. That ther are more fygures, lefte vnto vs wrytten, vnder the lawe naturall, and the lawe Moy­saical (y ^e which prefigured thys blessyd sacramēt) thē are of ani of y ^e other sacramentes. The which figures (by the synguler wysedō of god) were preordeyned & set in vse, lōge before the institutiō of this holy sacramēt, as a preāble, & an introductiō, towardes the cōmyng of the more holy, & more ꝑfect sacramēt, Thre cau­ses, why ther were so many figures of the blessed sacramēt. & that for .iij. causes. The fyrst is, that where, the wōderful excellēcie, & manifold vertues of this blessyd sacramēt, could not be sufficiently expressed, by one fygure, it was, therfore necessary, that in many & sōdry figures, they shuld be signified.

[Page]The second is, by cause that there be in this holy sacrament, many moo har­der thynges to be beleued, then are in anye of the other sacramētes. Therfore the hyghe wysedome of god, of his mercyfull clemencye, hath sent before, very many fygures, to in structe y ^e stubburne and rude hart of man, towardes y ^e faith and beleue of thys mooste wonderfull, and sacrate sacramēt. The thyrd cause is, that where almyghtye God, by hys fore knowlege, seyng a farre of, y ^e great and manyfolde assautes, that the deuyl (by his false preachers, and lewd ꝓphetes) shuld make agaynst the treuth, and veritie, of thys holy sacrament, he pre­paryd therfore, that, by these (as by ve­ry propheties) the people, myght be sta­blyshed agaynste the greate number, of those detestable heresyes, that shulde be styrted vp, by indurate Iewes, and ob­stynate herytykes, agaynst the true and catholyke fayth, of this moost sacrate, & venerable sacrament. For whiles we, se, and reade (in the holy scryptures) so many fygures, of this holy sacramente, we are led, and trayned to the beleue of the very thynge it selfe, whiche must nedes excel these figures, as the body doth y ^e shadow, & the verytie y ^e fygure. Wherfore this is, as manifest, as the sonne, y ^t they swerue cleane oute of y ^e way of the [Page] fayth of Christ, y ^t say, or beleaue, that in thys sacrament, is not y ^t veray bodye of Christ, but (as it were) in a fygure: For so shulde not, the verytie excell the fy­gure, and Manna, shuld be as good as y ^e sacrament of thaluter. The redde sea, as good as baptysme. Thus shulde we e­quall the synagoge, wyth the church of Christ. For the bodye of Christe was in Manna, as in y ^e figure, and baptisme in y ^e red sea, as in y ^e fygure. But certaynly the fygures are passyd & abolyshed, and theyr verites are substituted, and set in theyr place. Except y ^t we wyll (I saye) make equal, (& not rather preferre) the sacramentes of Christes church, aboue y ^e fyguratyue sacrifices, of Moyses sina­goge, as y ^e erronious germanians doth. But agaynst y ^e error, I wyll sette saynt Paule, who, wrytyng vnto y ^e Hebrews, putteth an euydent discriminacyon & differens (in fewe wordes) betwene the olde figuratiue sacrifices of y ^e sinagoge & the effectual sacramentes of Christes church, sayng. Heb. 10. The lawe hauyng y ^e sha­dow, of y ^e good thynges to come & not y ^e veray image or fashyō, of y ^e thynges thē selfe: Here saīt Paule sayth, y ^t the sinagoge had nothīg but y ^e only shadow, & not y ^e very image of y ^e good thīgꝭ. But y ^e church of christ, hath y ^e good thyngꝭ, in their owne fasshyon. By y ^e which good [Page] thynges, paule ment not, only y ^e effusiō of Christes bloode (y ^t one moost perfect sacrifice) but also, al the other holye sacramentes, y ^e which, in y ^e vertue of that sacryfice, worketh y ^e remissiō of sinnes, or conferryth grace, and the benyfyttes of god vnto vs. These saynt Paule cal­leth the good thynges to come. Also, vppon this texte of saynt Paule vnto the corinthiās. 1. Cor. 10. Al these thinges hapened vnto them in a fygure. The golden & elo­quent mouth Crysostome, Crisosto­mus in primam Pauli, epi [...]tolā ad Cyrinthi. sayth, y ^t ✿ we readinge how seuerly & regorously, god hath punyshed, the abusers of the fygures, shulde stand in feare, of a greatter plage & punyshmēt, yf we mysuse y ^e ve­rities, as those, y ^t haue receaued, y ^e greatter & more excellēt giftꝭ & benifities. ✿ It appereth mooste clearelye, by these wordes of Crisostome, y ^t y ^e sinagoge had onely y ^e barren figures, (which are now abolyshed) & the spouse of Christ, y ^e cat­holyke churche, possesseth the verities. In this matter, Origenes 7. homilia super nu­meros. also w ^t vs Origene re­cordeth, vpō y ^e booke of numbers, sayng ✿ Moyses & his were baptized in y ^e red sea, y ^e figure of baptysme, but we chrystyās are baptised in y ^e water & spirite, y ^e verite of y ^e figure. The israellites dronk of y ^e water, y ^t the rocke & stone did minister myraculously, vnto thē, but we receaue y ^e water of eternall lyfe whiche [Page] gusshed out of the syde of Christ: as out of y ^e meritorious welhead, the very true chosen corner stone. The Iewes were fedde w ^t angelical Māna, Ioh. 1. the fygure of Chrstes bodye, but the church of Christ hath his very body in the sacrament of y ^e aulter. ✿For as saīt Ioh. sayth. The law was geuen by Moyses (the which lawe had only the shadowe of the good thynges that shulde folow) but grace & verite by Iesus Christ. The which was aminister and the intercessor of the new testament, as Moyses was of the olde lawe. Wherfore the sacramētes, whych were instituted by Christe, are so moche more worthye & excellēt, as y ^e ministerie of Christ, excelleth y ^e mynisterie of Moyses: and as y ^e gospell (whych is y ^e cleare lyght & open verite) doth excel y ^e mosaycall lawe, which was but in maner of a shadow prefiguratyue, of the verities to come. Vnder y ^e typical or fyguratyue lawe, the carnall & grosse Iewes were taught & led, by shadows & fygures, to­wardꝭ christ, but in y ^e spiritual law of y ^e holi gospel, y ^e vayle is takē a way, y ^e shadows & figurꝭ are al passed, & y ^e verities are set in place Such is y ^e ꝑfectiō of christis church, aboue y ^e sinagoge of moises That y ^e excellēce & veritie of this blessed sacrament, might somewhat be, more manyfest and credible, I purpose (a­monge manye fygures, that prefigured [Page] thys excellent sacramēt, longe tyme be­fore the institution hereof) to recite .iii. or foure of them, that these fygures myght shewe them selues, to argue and proue some veritie, to be correspondent vnto theyr signification. And whyles I shewe, theyr significatiō to be fulfillyd & accōplished, in thys mooste venerable sacrament, as in theyr veritie, it maye soone apere moost euidently, that thys holy sacrament, is not onely a fygure, but rather contayneth the verytie it selfe, Genes. 14 signifyed by these fygures. The fyrst is, (which we read in Genesis) the oblation of Melchisedech, vnder y ^e law of nature. This Melchisedech, the prest of the Hyghest, offered breade & wyne, as the scripture sayeth. Thys oblation of breade and wyne, was an euident & a manifest figure, of the oblatiō, that our sauiour Christ made, vpō maūdy thurs­daye. amōge hys apostles, whē he gaue vnto them, hys very bodye and bloode in y ^e blessed sacramēt, vnder y ^e kyndes of bread and wyne. For we reade not, that he made any other offerynge, in breade and wyne, where in he shulde answer so expressely, vnto the oblation of Melchisedech, as he dyd in that. The holy pro­phete Dauid sygnified no lesse vnto vs. And in manyfest wordes declared, that the preesthode of Melchisedech prefigured, [Page] the perpetuall presthode of Christ, saying, in the person of God the father, vnto Christ his eternal sonne. Psal. 109. Thou art a prest for euer, after the order of Mel­chisedech. And the very same sayeng of Dauid, (for the same purpose) is al­leged also, of the holy apostle s. Paule, in the epystle vnto y ^e Hebrewes. Hebre. 7. Where he, (dysputynge wyth y ^e Iewes, for the excellent perfectiō and dignitie of Christes Presthode, aboue the Aaronical and Leuitical presthode) sayeth, in this ma­ner. This preest, (meanyng Christ) after the order of Melchisedech, remayneth a preest for euer. Sygnifying, that the preesthode of Christe was perpetuall, whych was so prefygured by the prest­hode of Melchisedech. By these wordes of the prophet Dauid, & of saint Paule, it is manyfest, that y ^e preesthode of Melchisedech prefygured the preesthode of Christe. And for as muche, as the offyce of preesthode consysteth, in offeryng vnto God oblations & sacrifices, (as saint Paule is wytnes.) Euery byshoppe, Hebre. 8. taken from amonge men, is ordined to of­fer giftes and sacrifices, it is necessarie, that Christ haue, some oblation or sacrifyce to offer, the whyche oblation or sa­crifice was prefigured also, by the oblation of Melchisedech, syth he is a preest after that order. And for as muche as, [Page] ther is none other oblacyon (where in he answereth vnto y ^e sacrifice of Melchisedech) saue only, y ^e sacrifice of his bo­dye & blood, in y ^e forme of bread & wyne, y ^e which is y ^e venerable sacramēt. Thē it foloweth ryght wel, that the offryng of Melchisedech, was a very euident fy­gure of the holy sacrament. And where, a subtyl & a craftie Caphernaite myght iudge, thys argumēt to be of no force or strength, bycause he wyl thinke, that I haue reasoned, vpon a false grounde.

For where I sayde, that ther was none other sacrifyce, that answered to the fyguratyue sacryfice of Melchisedech, Leui. 16. Hebre. 10. saue only the sacrifice, of Christes body and blood in the formes of breade and wyne. This, (wyl he say) is very false. For the bodie & blood of Christ, (whych was the ende of al figuratyue sacryfy­ces) offered vpon the crosse, by death & passiō, were prefygured & were the veri­tie of y ^e tipical oblaciō of Melchisedech. But to this I answere, & playnly saye, y ^e, Christ, in y ^e oblatiō made vpō the cros­se, by the effusion of his precious blood, fulfylled rather y ^e bloodie sacryfices of the olde law, whyche were y ^e effusyō of beastes blood, & in y ^e crewel slaughter of calues & gootes (offered vp yerely in the feast of expiacyon) was very euidently p̄fygured Christes sacrifice vpō y ^e crosse [Page] and that moche more playnly, then cold the offrynge of bread & wyne by Melchisedech. And thus there is no more reasō, why Christ (by thys sacryfice) shuld be called a preest accordyng to the order of Melchisedech, then after the order of Aaron. Yeas certaynly, (wyll he saye) for saīt Paule sheweth reasō why. For in y ^t he was kynge of salē, (y ^t is to say of peace) he figured Christ, Hebre. 8. our onely peace maker. Again like as melchisedech had neyther father neyther mother, begyn­nyng neither endyng, (expressed in scripture), is likened (as saint Paule sayth) vnto the sone of god, which remayneth for euer. Euē so Christ, (as concernyng his godhed) hath no begynnyng neither endyng, but remayneth for euer. For these causes (sayth he) he was called a preest after y ^e order of melchisedech. But I beseche y ^e (diligēt reader) expēd & way wel y ^e wordes of Dauid, whervpō y ^e dys­putaciō of saynt Paule is groūded, ther by thou shalt ꝑceaue, y ^t the simylitude & comparisiō betwene Melchisedech and Christ (as betwene the fygure & the ve­ritie) lyeth not onelye in these poyntes, that Melchisedech was kynge of Sa­lem, and had no begynnyng neyther en­dynge and so semeth to be euerlastynge, for Melchisedech fygured Chryste, [Page] not only in that he was kynge of salem (that is to say of peace) and in that he was eternall, but he fygured also, the preesthode of Christe. And this maye playnly apere, by the wordes of Dauid. For he sayde not onely. Thou art euer­lastynge or eternal, accordyng vnto the order of Melchisedech, but he sayde.

Thou art a Preeste for euer, accordyng vnto the order of melchisedech. The appostle Paule, in that place, in tendeth to proue, the cessacion and necessarye translation, bothe of the lawe, & of the leuity call presthod, in to the newe euāgelycal & perpetual preesthod, accordyng to the order of melchistedech. Certaynly it ap­pertayneth nothing, vnto the presthode, of Melchisedech, to be kinge of Salem, ether to haue, neither father or mother, neyther begynnynge neyther endyng.

For it folowyth not. By cause y ^e Mel­chisedech was king of Salem, and had, neyther father or mother, neyther be­gynnyg neyther endynge, therfore he was a preste. Wherfore, in these thingꝭ, Melchisedech fygured the perpetuite and eternite of Christes persone, who hath, neyther begynnynge neyther en­dynge (as concernynge hys diuynitie) rather, then the preisthode of Christe, and therfore saynt Paule sayth, these expresse wordes. He is compared vnto y ^e [Page] sonne of God, Hebre. 7. sygnifying the diuinitie of Christ, whyche is eternall. And thus saynt Paule proueth Christe to be eter­nally a preest accordyng to the order of Melchisedech, & y ^t thys preesthod shuld not be for a tyme, as the other leuiticall preesthod was, but shulde remayne for euer. But here saynt Paule left out, the declaraciō, how the sacrifice of Melchisedech, prefigured the sacrifice of christ, whych cheflye appertayneth, vnto the preesthod of Christ. The cause hereof, he sheweth in y ^e fyft chapt (ur) of thys epistle, where he declareth, Hebre 5. how Chryst was ꝓ­mysed of god, to be a preest according to y ^e order of Melchisedech of whō (sayth he) we haue many thynges to saye, whyche are hard to be vttered, by cause ye are dull of hearyng. For where, (as concernynge the tyme) ye oughte to be tea­chers, yet haue you nede agayn, that we teache you, the first preceptes of y ^e word of God, and are become suche, as haue neade of mylke & not strong meate, for euery one, y ^t is fed yet w ^t milke, is vnperfect in y ^e word of ryghtwysnes, for he is but a babe. But strong meate, belōgeth vnto them, y ^t are perfect, which through custome, haue theyr wyttes excercysed to iudge, bothe good and euyll.

By cause (therefore) that the he­brues were weake in fayth, and lacked [Page] excercised wittes, the apostle Paule let passe & wolde not entreate so hyghe and harde a mystery, amonge suche baby she people. And for this cause, the holy apostle thought it sufficiēt for the purpose, in that place to proue, the preesthode of Christe ꝑpetual, by the prophecie of Dauid, and though it also conuenient, a­monge suche lewd & ignoraunt people, to leaue the declaration, of so hyghe a matter. For vndoubtedly, lyke as Mel­chisedech, hauyng no begynnynge ney­ther endynge, fygured Christes eterni­tie (wherof thappostle intreated) euen so dyd he also, prefigure Chrestes preesthode in his figuratiue sacrifice of bread & wyne, of the which thapostle spake no thinge, bycause of the weaknes of their capacitie and the hardnes of so hyghe & matter. And yet certaynly, Christe ful­fylled the fyguratiue sacrifice of Mel­chisedech vpō maūdye thursday, when he (eatynge the paschall lābe with hys disciples) made an ende, both of y ^e passe ouer & preesthode, & set in place the ꝑfect sacrifice of his bodie & blood in the for­mes of bread & wyne, and the perpetual preesthode, accordynge to the order of Melchisedech. And as Christe, in thys, vncrewell sacrifice; fulfylled the figu­ratiue sacrifice of Melchisedech, euen so, in the sacrifice (that he made, by the [Page] crewell effusion of hys blood (vpon the crosse) he fulfylled, al the bloody sacri­fices of the Mosaical lawe, & thus was one Christ, the ende of all fygures, and hys sacrifice, the ende and veritie of all fyguratiue sacrifices. Wherfore I conclude, that Melchisedech offered bread and wyne (the fygure) of Christes bodye & blood, & Christ (in his supper instituted & offred, his very body & blood, in forme of bread & wyne, y ^e sacrifice y ^t the church of christ retayneth, & offereth for euer, accordyng to the order of Melchisedech. The secōde figure is, Exodi. 12. y ^t (which we reade of in Exodo) the Paschal lambe, whom god dyd gyue in cōmaundement vnto Moises, to be offered, of al the people, & that yerely, in memorie & remem­braūce, of the moost happye, & myracu­lous deliuerye, frō the fearful plage of god, whē the āgel of god, went thorow al. Egypte by nyght, sleyng the fyrst be­gottē, both of mā & beast, where god mercyfully delyuered the people of Israel, frō y ^t horible plage. And as y ^e eskape fy­gured our moste blessed delyuery, (by y ^e death of Christ) frō the spiritual Pha­rao, y ^e deuel, synne, death, & hel. In lyke sort also, the paschal lābe (offred yerely) dyd fygure & sygnifie, the verye trewe & innocēt lambe Christ, Ioh. 2. y ^e taketh away the synnes of y ^e world, who was ones offred [Page] by death and passion, and there by dely­uered he, vs christianes, from the tyrā ­ny of the dyuell, synne, death and hell. And in memorie of thys our moost bles­sed delyuery, the same Christ is offered vncrewelly (in the blessed sacrament) yerely & dayly, for the trewe and fayth­full christiane people, as theyr Paschal lambe (as saīt Paule wytnesseth vnto the Corinthiās). 1. Cor. 5. ✿ Christe is offered vp for our passeouer or paschall Lambe. Ieronimꝰ suꝑ Mat. 26 ait. Finē car­nali ce [...] ­nitati vo­lens impouere, vm­bra (que) [...]rā ­scunie pa­sc [...]e redde re verita­tem, dixit. Desiderio desidera­ [...] hoc pascha mā [...]u­care vovis cū ante (que) patiar, eten [...]m pascha n [...] ̄um im­mola [...]us est xp̄s, si tamen cō ­medimus illud in azi mis since­ritatis et veritatis. ✿ Wherfore oure sauioure Christe, (who came to fulfyll and make perfecte the lawe,) after that, he had eaten (wyth hys disciples) the figuratiue lambe, (accordyng to the p̄script of Moyses law) eft soone after the wasshynge of theyr feete, at the same supper, he instituted this holy sacramēt. And ther in, he sig­nifyed, that the Paschal lambe of Moyses: there toke an ende, & the more ꝑfect sacrament, was set in place, the fygure was abolyshed, for the veritie was co­me. And therfore saynt Paule remem­brynge the excellent dignitie, and wor­thynes, of this blessed sacramēt, exhor­teth diligently the Corinthians, to the condigne and worthye eatynge & recey­uynge of the same, And sayeth. That it shulde not be eaten, eyther receyued, w ^t the olde leauen, neither with the leauen of malyce, neyther wyth the leauen of [Page] wycke ones. That is to say, in obstinate Iewyshnes or froward heresie, neither wyth wycked mynde, or vnpure lyfe.

But wyth swete flower of synceritie & veritie. That is, wyth syncere fayth & catholyke veritie, wyth godly lyfe and pure mynde. The thyrde fygure, Exo. 16. is Manna, of whome we reade in Exodo, that God therwith fed, the people in desert fortye yeres. Thys Manna resem­bled the blessed sacrament, and that, Sapt. 16. Panem de celo presti­t [...]sti eis si­ne labore, oē delecta­mentū in se haben­tem. &c. Iero. suꝑ Malachi. Num. 21. Locutꝰ est populꝰ cō ­tra dn̄m. aīa nt̄a. &c Exod. 16. Nec am­plius q̄ ā ­plius pa­rauerat, nec minus q̄ minus. in many thynges. Fyrst thys manna con­tained and had the delitiusnes and taist of al maner of delicate meate, & sauere­red (vnto the good people) most pleasātlye according vnto theyr desyre, and ap­petyte. Euen so thys, blessed sacrament contayneth (as saynt Ierome sayth) the vertue and power, of al other sacri­fices, and the abundaunt plentie, of all grace and vertue. Secōdly, this (which was swete and delicate meate, vnto the good) was also lothsome and vnsauery vnto the bad & wycked people. In lyke maner, thys blessed breade (whyche is lyfe vnto the good people,) vnto y ^e wyc­ked people, and obstinate heritikes, it is lothsome and vnsauerie, & vnto thē it is nothing but bread, yea it is p̄sent death, vnto the vnworthy receiuers. Thirdly, thys manna was measured equally by myracle vnto euery man. For euery one [Page] had, no lesse neyther any more, then one gomer, gathered he neuer so lytle, or neuer so muche, & this gomer was suffici­ent for euery mā. In lyke sort it is; in receiuing of this blessed sacramēt. For he that receyueth innumerable hoostes, receiueth no more; then he y ^t receiueth, the least hoost. Neyther he receyueth lesse, y ^t receyueth the least portiō, thē he doth, y ^t receiueth innumerable. For all & euery one, receyueth the whole body & bloode of Christ god & mā. Fourthly this māna ceassed & fel not downe, on the sabboth day, neither after y ^t they had eaten, of y ^e frutes of the lande of promyse. Iosua. 5. In lyke maner, whē we come vnto the kyngdōe of heauē (which is our lande of ꝓmise) & haue made holy day in y ^e blessed reste, frō out of this barren desert, then shall thys blessed sacrament ceasse. For there we shal se openly, y ^e blessed body, euē as he is. Fyfthly, like as there were of the people, many wycked ꝑsons y ^t dyd eate of this māna, & died both bodely & goost lye. (As Christ sayde). ✿ Your fathers eate māna in the desert & they are dead. Euē so, Ioh. 6. as many as do receiue this blessed sacrament vnworthely (as S. Paul recordeth) they eat & drinke theyr owne iudgement. 1. Cori. 11. These thynges were suf­ficient, to proue thys Manna to be a fygure, of thys blessed sacrament, saue [Page] that, our maister Christ also, in the syxt of Iohn̄, layeth them both together, & sayth. ✿ Moyses gaue you not, Ioh. 6. y ^e trew very bread frō heauē, but my father gy­ueth you, the very or trew bread, frō he­uen. For I am y ^e bread of lyfe, y ^t gyueth lyfe to the world. And in the same chapter. ✿ And the bread, that I wyl geue it is my fleshe, y ^t I wyl geue for the lyfe of y ^e worlde. ✿ Here we haue, y ^t Moyses gaue not y ^e very bread, but only y ^e figure But the father & christ, geueth the very true bread of life. The father gaue this bread, in the shape of māhed, and christ gaue the same very bread of lyfe, vnder the shape of bread & wyne. Exodi. 26. The fourthe fygure was, the shew brede of the tēple, this figured also, this blessed sacramēt in thys. That lyke as it was not law­full for the vncleane, to eate of that, no more is it lawfull (wythoute greate daunger) to eate of this blessed sacra­ment, wyth vncleane soule, or corrupte consciens. This bread was alway stan­dynge warme, vpon the aulter in the temple. Euen so, thys gloryous sacra­ment, is reserued alway redie (by the in fynte charytye, of Christ our sauyour) vpon the aulter to be receaued in oure vrgente necessytyes. Here vnto apper­taineth y ^e bread, 3. Reg. 19. that the angel brought [Page] vnto Elyas, whyche was a verye fy­gure, of this blessed sacrament. And in this, it beareth y ^e figure. That lyke as Elyas eatynge that breade, walked in the strength hereof, fortye dayes wyth out ony other foode, vntyll he came vnto the hyl of God called Oreb. So doth the holy sacrament (as our viatycall & wayfarynge vytaill) strengthe vs, vn­tyl we come vnto, the hygh hyll of heauen, the mountayne of perpetual felicyte. Thus dyd the holy goost signifie, to the former fathers of the old lawe, the excellent dignitie of this moost blessed sacramēt, and that by these (and many other) a dumbracyons and figures. And by diuers & sōdrie figures, did signifie, sondrye and diuers thynges herein. As in the sacryfice of breade and wyne of Melchisedech, was fygured, the kyn­des, or outward apparens of thys blessed sacrament, whiche bearyth y ^e shape of bread & wyne. In the paschal lambe, was figured, the very substance, that is contayned in the sacrament, whych is y ^e substāce of Iesus Christe, y ^e very lambe of God, that taketh away the sinnes of the worlde. And in the Manna, whyche was excedyng delectable & swete, was figured the ineffable swetnes and sua­uitie, that the soule (of the worthye re­ceyuer) taketh, by the blessed presens of [Page] Christ, the fountayne of al goostly swetnes. In the bread, (ministred by the an­gell) vnto Elias, was figured, the end and effect of this blessed sacramēt, whiche is, to strength vs, in the tedyus pyl­grimage and iurney, of this present and troble some lyfe, vntyll we be broughte vnto the hye hyll of euerlastyng blesse.

After the fygures, we wyll subnect and ioyne here vnto, the testymonies of the scriptures. That where (in the for­mer sermō) we haue proued the verities of this sacrament, possible, by the examples of holy scripture. And also nowe, we haue shewed y ^e same, to be lykelye, by the fygures in the scripture, it is ne­cessarie, that we do proue that same possyble and lykely thyng, to be so in very dede, by the scryptures. And thys wyll we do, by goddes mercyfull adiutorie and helpe. Fyrst we take to witnes, the prophitycal sayng, of pacient Iob, written in the thyrtye and one chaptre. ✿

The men of my house sayd. Who can geue vs of his fleshe y ^t we myght be sa­tysfied. ✿ The which auctoritie, Iob. 31. thou­ghe Ecolampadius derydeth & laugh­eth to scorne, the allegacyon hereof, for this matter. Yet I thynke y ^t it maketh very euidently for this purpose. And by cause that holy Crisostome recityth it, as a plain and an euydēt testimonie, [Page] in thys matter, we, (leauyng the erro­nyus iudgement of an herityke) wil fo­lowe the sinceare iudgement of an holy catholyke & excellēt doctor, who shall declare, how moche, this place of Iob, maketh for this veritie. Crisostōe wry­tynge vpon the gospel of saynt Iohā, & entreatynge of thys blessed sacrament, sayth. Crysosto. supꝑ Ihēm Home. 45 ✿ One bodye we are wyth hym, & membres of his fleshe & bones, where­fore, such as ben instructed in hys pre­ceptes or comaūdemētes, ought to obey, That we myght be turned & conuerted, in to hys fleshe, not onely by loue, but in very dede. This same is done & brought to passe, through out the meate, y ^t we do eate, y ^t he hath geuē vs. And by cause y ^t he wold extend & set forth, his exceding great loue towarde vs, by hys body he hath mengled him selfe w ^t vs, and hath made & browght all in to one w ^t vs, that y ^e body myght be made one, w ^t the head. For that is the special propertie of io­uers. And thys same thynge, dyd holy Iob signyfie, by his seruauntes, which loued hym very intyrelye, & these seruā tes, wyllynge to expresse, there vehe­mente and ardente loue towardes hym sayde. Who can geue vs, of hys fleshe that we myghte be satysfyed. The which request, Christ hathe ꝑfourmed. For, by cause y ^t he wolde bynde vs [Page] w ^t more ardēt & vehemēt loue, vnto him selfe, & bycause he wold shewe his most louely desire toward vs, he hath, suffe­red him selfe, not only to be sen (of such that longeth after him) but also, to be towched to be eatē, and also, there teth to be set in to his fleshe, y ^t they al might be satisfyed wyth the desyre or loue of hym. ✿ By these wordes of Crisostome we may redely perceaue that, these wordes of Iob, were a very prophicie, of y ^e blessed sacramēt. The which prophicye Christ hath fullfyllyd, in that he hath fulfylled this request of Iobes seruan­tes, sufferyng and permyttyng vs, hys seruantes, to be satisfyed of hys fleshe, not by fayth onlye, but as Crysostome sayth, in that we eate and set oure teath in to hys fleshe. ✿ Next vnto Iob I place the prophet Malachie, who, after that he had rebuked (in the voyce of God) the olde ieweshe sacrafyces, and auaricie, as well of the prestes as of the people, shewynge them howe, they had poluted the name of God, in that they had offered, poluted breade, vpon the aulter of God, sayd. Mala. 1. ✿ I haue no mynd or wyll toward you, neather wyl I receaue any offeryng at your handes, from the east vnto the weast, my name is great among y ^e heathē. And in euery place, a clene & pure sacrifi ce or oblatiō [Page] is sacrificed and offered vnto my name, for my name is great amōg the heathē, sayth our lorde of hoostes. ✿ This sa­cryfice, that the prophete speaketh of in this place, can be none other, then y ^e blessed sacrifice of the aulter. For there is no man (beynge of meane lernynge & iudgement) that wyll vnderstande it, of any of the sacryfices of the old lawe of Moyses. But rather wyl vnderstāde it thus. That the holy ꝓphete ꝓphicied the ende, of al the imperfect carnall sa­crifices, of the leuiticall lawe, and the institucyon, of one moost perfect and holy sacrifice, of the bodye and bloode of Christ. But here a subtyl sacramētarie wyll saye, that this prophecie ought to be vnderstand, of y ^e oblacyon only, that was made vpon the crosse. But this maner of vnderstandynge, wyll not stande with the veritie of the letter. For that oblacyō made on the crosse, was offered but in one place only, and that was, vpon the mounte of caluarie But the sacrifice, that y ^e prophete speaketh of here, (as he sayth,) shulde be offered and sa­crificed, in euery place, sygnifyenge (w ^t out doubt) y ^e sacrifice of the aulter, sacrificed euery where in the churche of Christe, whyche is the very bodye and bloode of Christ. Now, by cause that Christ shulde seclude, and abrogate, the [Page] olde and imperfect sacrifyces of the le­uitical lawe, and shulde set, one mooste purest, ꝑfect and sempiternall sacrifice of his bodye & blood, in place, as y ^e end and perfectiō, of the former sacrifices, therfore the ꝓphet called the blessed sa­crament, a pure and a cleane sacrifyce offered in euery place vnto his name.

Certaynly thys could not be, so pure & clene a sacrifice, that it shuld be preferred, and set in place, of al the other mosaicall sacrifices, yf it were nothynge els, then bare bread. For the deuout fa­theres of the olde testament, dyd offer vp as pure & as cleane bread, and as de­uoutly, as we do. And then also shulde y ^e bread of proposition, in the mosaycall temple, haue ben as cleane and as pure a sacrifice, as is the sacrament. Yf it were so, thē what neadeth the exchang and permutacyon. Wherefore, we must nedes vnderstande in this sacrifice the presens of the blessed, mooste pure and immaculate bodye and blood of Christ sacryfised and offered vp, in the blessed sacrament, vnto the name of god euery where. But yet a craftye herytike wyll vnderstande, (or rather wreast) this ꝓ­phecye, vnto the oblacyon or sacrifice of faith, of prayer, and of al other godli dedes. That can not be so, after Luthers opiniō, for al our good dedes (with him) [Page] are synfull, whyche is a detestable he­resye, wherfore (diligent reader) remē ­ber wel y ^t y ^e ꝓphete (in these his wordes) doth ꝓmyse here, that a sacrifice shulde come, that shulde succede in the place, of the olde mosaical sacrifices (whom he rebuked as vncleane) but y ^e sacrifice, cā not be fayth, prayer, eather, such other good dedes. For these were not ordeyned to take the place of y ^e old sacrifices, for these were vnder y ^e old law & sacrifices who doubteth, but y ^t, the old faithful fathers, offered vp busilie, mooste perfect faith, most deuote prayers, & godly dedes innumerable. wherfore it is manyfest, that this prophecie was spoken & ment of the blessed sacrament, whiche yf it were but onely bread (as I haue sayde) it cold not be the pure & cleane sacrifice y ^t the ꝓphete promyseth here. Bycause therfore, y ^t it cōtayneth y ^e very immaculate & pure bodye & blood of Christ, therfore it is y ^e pure & cleane sacrifice which is offered ī euery place, bycause y ^e name of Christ, is great amōge y ^e heathē. Yet least, our obstinate aduersaries myght say, y ^t these auctorites of scripture be to farre fet, to geue any euident profe, of y ^e real presens, of y ^e body of Christ, in y ^e holy sacramēt▪ we wyll therfore, bring in, to cōfirme, & ratifie this verytie, more euydēt & more playner testymonies of y ^e [Page] scripture. And we call fyrst to record w ^t vs, y ^e wordes of y ^e ꝓmise, y ^t our sauyour Christ, had vnto his disciples, writtē in y ^e sixt of saynt Iohan, wher christ, most playnly made this ꝓmise. Ioh. 6. And y ^e breade (sayth he) y ^t I wyl geue, it is my fleshe, for y ^e life of y ^e world. And in y ^e same chap My fleshe (sayth he) is verely meate, & my blod is verely drīke. But y ^e īuincible strēgth of this place of scripture, y ^e gret craftie & subtil wyt, of herytikes, wold fayne escape, by a false glose, (rather by an opēly and manifest lye) sayng, y ^t our maister christ mēt nothīg in these wordꝭ of y ^e blessed sacramēt. Where, I wold y ^e christane reader shuld wel way & cōsider diligētly (for y ^e true intellection of this place) howe this place of the scripture hath ben vnderstāded, of the churche of Christ, (who is only y ^e true interpreter of the scryptures) and not, to geue cre­dens, to rashely, vnto the erronyus ex­positours & very corruptures of y ^e scriptures, as are al suche Iewyshe Capher­naites, and obstinate sacramentaries, whiche are voyd of the trueth, lackyng the spirite of Christe, by cause that they are seperated, frome the churche by theyr detestable herysies. But ra­ther, leaue vnto the exposition, & vn­derstāding, of y ^e catholike church of y ^e lyuīg god which is (as saīt Paul sayth) 1. Tim. 3. y ^e [Page] pyller & groūd of veritie & trueth. How the church hath vnderstande it, frō the begynnyng, we shal soue gather & per­ceaue, by y ^e aūciēt catholyke wryters, & interp̄tours. Who wryt, in theyr tyme, not contrarye vnto the churche, but as the holy goost instructed them, special­lye, Clemens in libro 10. recogn̄. Ad Iaco. fratrē dn̄i Oportet, ab eo intelligentiam discere scriptutarū, qui eam a maioribꝰ, secundum veritatem sibi tradi­tam, et­nat. in so weyghtye a matter. And we maye be sure, that the churche hath al­waye, the true vnderstādyng of the scri­pture, for as muche it is alwaye gouer­ned, by the spirite of veritie. Wherfore the expositions of suche catholyke and auncient wryters, are to be thought, of muche more trueth, then are the false & newe fangled expositions, of those that (wyth theyr gaye gloses) confoundeth the text, and swarueth from the whole churche of Christ. The auncient wry­ters, vniformely doth vnderstande this place of saynt Iohn̄, to be ment of the blessed sacrament, as you shall see (that lysteth to reade, and can iudge) in theyr workes. And for the trial hereof, I shal recyte here some of the mooste auncient of them. Origenes super nu­merū. Ho­milia. 7. Origene wrytyng vpon the nū bers, allegeth the same texte of S, Ioh. vnderstandyng it, of the holy sacramēt, whose wordꝭ be these. ✿ Those thyngꝭ that were done before, were done obscurelye, but nowe are they, in theyr owne nature and veritie accomplished, before [Page] baptisme was obscurely, in the cloude and in the sea, but nowe the generati­on is, in the own nature, in water & the holy goost. Then was the meate obscu­rely ī māna, but now it is in y ^e owne nature, and the fleshe of the sempiternall worde of God, is very meate accordyng as Christ said. My flesh is verely meate and my bloode is verely drinke. Criso­stome also sayth vpō the .vi. of s. Iohn̄, in this wyse. Ioh. 6. Crisost [...] ̄e in Iohēz. ✿ Christe (sayth he) in these wordes. I am the bread of lyfe, spake of the breade of hys diuinite or Godhed, but by and by he wyl entreate of the mysteries (sygnifinge the sacra­mēt, for so doth Criosostome cal it) Yet. First he here disputith of his diuinitie, sayng. I am the breade of lyfe. For this was not spoken of that body, of whom about the ende of this chapter, he spea­keth of, sayng. And y ^e bread, that I wyl geue, it is my fleshe. For y ^e diuini [...]ie of him, was bread bycause it was god the worde (or the second person in trinitye) euen as this bread is made by (cōmyng therunto of the holy ghost,) the celesti­all bread. Now be holde (good reader) how diligently & apertly, Criosostome maketh distinctiō and puttyth differēs betwene the wordes, that were spoken, of the diuinitie of Christ, and the wor­des, that Christe spake, appertayning-vnto [Page] his bodye vnder the mysterie of y ^e holy sacrament. And sayth, that from these wordes (in the syxt of saint Iohn̄, And the bread that I wyl geue it is. &c. and so vnto y ^e ende of the chaptre, Christ speaketh of y ^e blessed sacrament. Nowe where our peruerse herytikes denyeth, that anye worde, in this chapter, apperteynyth, or was ment of the sacrament, they haue here Crisostome (an auncient wryter) ther aduersarie, who expōdith the latter part of thys chapter, vnder­standyng it, of the blessed sacrament.

Cyrillus in Iohēz.Cyrill vpon saynt Iohn̄ declaryng the vi. chap. vnderstandyth it also of y ^e blessed sacrament, whom he nameth, y ^e mi­sticall benedictyon, and saythe, vpon thse wordes of Christ. Except you eate y ^e fleshe of y ^e son of man, and drynke his blood, you shall haue no lyfe in you. ✿ And how he wyll geue (sayth Cyrill) hys fleshe to be eaten, he teachith them not, for thei cold not perceaue yet, how greate benefites they sholde obtayne, yf they eate it in faythe. He declareth ones or twyse, that by the loue and de­syre of eternall lyfe, they myght be forced vnto faythe, whereby they myghte be the easelyer and soner taught. For thus sayth, Esaie the prophete. Yf you wil not beleue, you shal not vnderstād. Wherfore it was neccesarye firste to [Page] radicate faith, in the mynde, and thē to aske the thynges that a man ought to seke and enquyre. But they, before they beleued, inquired and asked importunely. For thys cause oure Lorde (howe it shulde come to passe) dyd not declare, but exhorted thē to enquire it by fayth But whē his disciples had firme fayth then he brake breade, and gaue them saynge. Take, & eate, this is my body, the cuppe also, he gaue aboute saynge. Drynke of thys al, this is the cuppe of my blood, that shalbe shede in remission of synnes. Nowe thou ꝑceauist, that he declared not, y ^e difficultie of the misterie vnto them, askyng without faythe.

But when they had faythe, he declared vnto them without askyng. These are Civil wordes. ✿ Saynt Cipriane, Ciprianꝰ suꝑ orati­onem do­minicam. the martir, expoūding the pater noster, vpō this peticiō. Gyue vs this day, our dayly bread, saythe, Christ, whose body we do touche, is our cottidiane bread, this bread, we do desire, to be geuen to vs, e­uery day, lest we, y ^t are in y ^e church &, do receyue oft times, y ^e holy sacramēt of y ^e aulter, for y ^e bread of our helth, by anye great, or notorius cryme abstainīg & se­perated frō y ^e celestial bread, shuld be seperated frō y ^e bodi of christ, (he p̄achīge & warning vs him selfe). I am y ^e bread of lyfe, y ^t came frome heauen, yf anye [Page] eate of this, he shal liue euer. The bread that I wyll geue, it is my fleshe, for the lyfe of the world. Then where he sayth that he shall lyue euer, that eateth that bread, it is manyfest, that he speaketh of them that toucheth, Hyllarii de trinita te lib. 8. his body. And after the maner of cōmunion receyuith the blessed sacrament. ✿ Hillarie in his eight boke (De trinitate) vnderstandith this sixt chapter of Iohn̄, to be spoken, of the sacrament, and so doth he allege it. I wold haue brought in, saint Augustine, with manye moo holy wry­ters, but the breuenes of a sermon wyll not suffer, so longe matter. Wherefore I refer y ^e reader, vnto saynt Augustines fyrst boke, against Cresconium, the .xxv chapter, also to y ^e fyrst boke (De preca­torū meritis, et Remissione) the .xxx. and .xxiiij. chapters, and vnto many o­ther of his workes, wherin, he playnly declareth him selfe, to vnderstand this syxt chapter of Iohn̄, of the blessed sa­crament. And so doth all the catholyke wryters vpon the scriptures, take and vnderstande vniformely, thys place of scrrpture. For they expound & interpret the same, of the blessed sacrament. Vn­to whose expositiōs, any cristyane man (yf he be not besydes hym selfe) wyll geue more credite, then vnto the erronyous, and false gloses, of blasphemus a­postataes [Page] frome Christes fayth. For in such serious matters of the fayth, Augustinꝰ post Yre. Eligo in bis verbis hoc intelligere quod oīs, vel pe ne oīs frequētat ec­clesia. y ^e fathers wold neither flater, neither faine but (in the feare of God, speake the ve­rite of scrypture, accordyng as they be­leued, to be the truthe, theyr conscience berynge wytnesse. Whose fayth & vn­derstāding, was none other, but y ^e fayth and the vnderstanyng of the churche of Christ, which cold not erre. Wherefore firmely stādeth y ^e veritie of thys text, & maketh most euidently, for the real presens of the body and blod of Christ in y ^e sacramēt, by cause that christ him selfe sayd. Ioh. 6. Theophilactꝰ supꝑ Iohēz. ✿ The bread that I wil geue it is my fleshe ✿ And as Theophilact sayth He sayth not, that it is, a fygure of my fleshe, but it is my fleshe, for the life of y ^e worlde. More ouer, let the indyfferent reader examine well, and consider dili­gently, the processe of the text, & circumstans of the matter, & ther by shal he, e­uidētly ꝑceaue, that this place of saynt Iohn̄, is not wreasted or detorted, vnto the sacramēt, (as y ^e heretykes doth falsly charge vs w ^t al) but is mooste iustely applyed vnto y ^e same thyng, whereof it was both ment & spokē. In y ^e ꝓcesse of this chapiter, we haue first declared vnto vs, y ^e greate meracle, of y ^e .v. loffes of bread. And sone after foloweth, as great a meracle, how y ^e Christ by might [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] walked vpon the vnstable water, of the see of Tyber, and that in a storme tyde. Thyrdlye, howe sodenlye (by myracle) the shyppe, and they all wyth Christe, were at the shore, when they were .xxv. or thyrtye furlonge of from the shore, & wolde haue receyued hym, into theyr shyppe. And the nexte daye after these wonderfull factes, when the people, y ^t had fedde and eaten, of hys myraculus breade, were come into Caphernaū vn­to hym, then beganne he, hys disputati­on of thys blessed sacrament. And he hym selfe offered, Ioh. 6. the fyrst occasion of the same, and sayd. You folowe me, by cause you haue eaten of my bread. He mynistred not thys cōmunication, vn­to the people, by chaūce or fortune, but of certeyn sciens, foreknowledge, and purpose. And therfore he wrought, the­se myracles before, to gyue ētre, by one myracle and wonder, vnto a more my­racle, and a greater wonder. Therfore also, he wrought thys myracle purpo­sely in breade, hereby, to make preparation and introduccion, towardes the fayth, and credulitie of the wonderful and moost necessarye doctrine, that he entended to open, & to declare vnto thē, of the bread of his body, that shulde be eaten, in the holy sacramēt. That they, seyng so late (w ^t theyr eyes) suche expe­rimētes [Page] of his diuine power, they might y ^t rather giue credite vnto his doctrine, & beleue y ^e miraculꝰ bread of his body. For he y ^t could fede, suche a great multitude, w ^t so smale a nōbre of loffes, & w ^t his blessed word cause the few lofes to encrease, & to be multiplied, vnto such great habū dās, y ^e .v. thousand mē, (besydes womē & childrē) were fully satisfyed, & yet to re­maine .xii. baskets ful of y ^e fragmentes. How much more was, & is he able, to make of bread his fleshe, & to gyue it, to be eaten w ^tout any diminutiō of it. The mira­cle of the multiplied bread, they se wrought before theyr eyes, bycause they shuld beleue the other, which they shuld not se Wherfore, Cyril rebuketh the Caphernaites, in this maner. 1. Cor. 10. Cyrillus in Iohēz. ✿ Where as those (y ^t had sene euidētlye, the deuine power of our sauiour, & y ^t might of his signes & miracles) ought to haue receyued, redely & wyllingly, & haue beleued his word, & yf there had apered there in, any difficile or hard thyng, they shuld haue enquyred of hym, the resolution therof. Nowe all in the contrarie, they, all together, crye out vpō god, & that, not w ^tout great wicked­nes. Howe can thys felowe, gyue vs hys fleshe, to eate. Neather remēbred they y ^t there is nothyng impossible to God. Luce. 1. But bycause they were beastly, or carnall (as Paule sayth) they could not vnderstand, [Page] the spirituall thynge, but so great a my­sterie, semed vnto them a very folyshnes. But let us, (I pray you) collecte & take, no smale profite, by the example of theyr offences, retaynynge a firme and stable faith. And in these (so hygh & sublimius mysteries) let vs neuer, eather thinke, eather speake, that worde. Howe. For it is a Iewyshe worde. ✿ Crysostome also gyueth lyke reproche, vnto those people, that had sene Christes former miracle, in the multiplication of the breade, and asked no question there in, and yet wolde be so inquisitiue, in thys myra­cle of hys body, in the blessed sacrament, saying vnto them. ✿ Yf thou (sayeth he) doiste inquire and aske thys question in thys thynge. Why dydest not thou aske the same, in the former myracle of y ^e fyue lofes. Howe coulde he, encrease the lo­fes, to so great a quātitie, (perhaps the people had more mynde, of theyr bellyes, then of the myracle.) But yet was, the thynge it selfe, very playne, & dyd teache you euidētly. Thē by that myracle, thou shuldest haue beleued these thinges, to be very facile, and easy for hym to do. And thefore, dyd he these myracles, bicause y ^t the people shulde not, be vnfaythfull, in suche thynges, that he entēded to preach and teache, vnto them afterwarde. ✿ It is then very euident and playne (by the [Page] order of the facte done of Christ) that, in thys dysputation wyth the Capherna­ites, he mente of the hye misterie, of the myraculous bread, of hys bodye & blood in the sacrament, and with the other myracle of the fyue lofes of bread, he made (as it had bē) a preāble or a p̄paratiō, vnto the belefe of the doctrine, that he entē ded to gyue vnto them, as concernyng y ^e very heuenly breade of hys bodye, myraculously in the holy sacrament. Yet the sentence that cheffely maketh, for the veritie of the sacrament, (amonge manye other) is thys. Ioh. 6. The breade that I wyll gyue, it is my fleshe, the whyche I wyll gyue, for the lyfe of the worlde. (Thus hath the greke texte.) Wherfore yf we diligentlye do marke well, and iustelye waye these wordes, we shall perceyue verye redely and playnly, that they were, (and muste nedes) be spokē, and ment of the sacrament. In thys texte we haue these wordes twyse spoken. ✿ I wyll gyue. ✿ And for as muche as, Christe spake no worde vaynly, nether any tytle in the scripture, can be frustrate. Then was there some cause, why Christ shulde saye twyse. ✿ I wyll gyue. ✿ And plainlye so was there. For Christ, in these wordes, made ꝓmise to gyue twyse, his fleshe for vs. Fyrst he ꝓmysed y ^t he wolde gyue it, as breade vnto vs. Therfore he sayd. [Page] The bread y ^t I wyll gyue, it is my fleshe. Secōdly, he promysed to gyue his fleshe, for the lyfe of the worlde vpon the crosse, to death. And therfore he added & sayde. The whych fleshe I wyl gyue, for y ^e lyfe of the worlde. Christe can not be false in hys promyse, therfore hath he (wythout doubte) geuen vs hys fleshe twyse.

Ones on y ^e crosse vnto death, for our lyfe, And the other (as our cotidiane & supꝑ substanciall breade) in the sacrament of the Aulter. For we haue not reade, that he gaue hys fleshe for vs, any were els, as bread, sauynge onely vpon Maūdy thursdaye, when he gaue hys fleshe for vs, in y ^e sacrament, where he gaue to hys apost­les, not bread onely (as the sacramenta­ries do say) but as he made promyse, the same tyme twelue moneth before, that the breade that he wolde gyue, shulde be he hys fleshe. For playnlye in these wor­des, Christe made a promyse of hys bles­sed bodye, to be eaten as breade, in the holye sacrament. The whyche promyse, the Euangelistes S. Mathew, S. Marke, & s. Luke, sheweth how it was ꝑformed at y ^e latter supper of Christ. And thus doth the one place of scripture open thother. Vnto thys sence & vnderstanding of this place of S. Ioh. all the aūcient wryters subscribeth cōcordātly (as I haue sayd) vnderstādyng it, of the corporal eatynge, of y ^e body of Christ, in y ^e holy sacrament. [Page] For yf we shuld vnderstād it, We must not vnderstande the promyse of Christ, to be mēt only of i. Cor. x. the spiri­tuall ea­tynge of hys fleshe in the sa­crament. only of the spiritual eatyng of y ^e body of Christ, by faythe, then had Christe made vnto vs christanes, no greater ꝓmyse, thē Moyses made vnto y ^e Iewes, whē he ꝓmysed thē Manna. For they dyde eate, in Mā na, y ^e body of christ spiritually by fayth (as saynt Paule recordeth. ✿ All they did eate (sayth he) the same meat &c. To what purpose shuld thē christ, p̄ferre y ^e bread, y ^t he ꝓmised to geue aboue y ^e bread y ^t Moises gaue vnto thē syth the Iewes (in Manna) dyd eate y ^e bodye of Christ, as wel, as we, and we no more thē they, as cōcerning y ^e spiritual eatyng. It aperith thē (by these p̄misses) y ^e christ speaketh, in this chapiter, of y ^e eating of his fleshe & body corporally in y ^e sacrament Whō they shuld eat, not only spiritually, in fayth, but verely & really, euen as his, fleshe is there that very same that shuld be geuē, for y ^e life of y ^e world. For so he ꝓmised, to geue it, vnto vs to be eaten. The which ꝓmise, he hath ꝑformed as thre of the Euāgelistes, w ^t S. Paule, recordeth. And y ^t, y ^e thing maye apere clerely, I wyl recyte the narrations of y ^e Euāgelistꝭ, & therby we shall ꝑceyue, how plaīly & opēly, they affirme, this ꝓmis of christ, to be accōplished. Thus y ^e euāgelist S. Math. declareth the mater. ✿ As they were (saith he) at supꝑ, Iesꝰ toke y ^e bread & whē he had geuē thākes [Page] he brake it & gaue it vnto his disciples, and sayd. Math. 26. This is my body. And taking y ^e cuppe, he gaue thākes, and gaue it vnto them & sayde. Drynke you all therof This is my blood of the new testamēt, that shalbe shede for the remyssion of synnes. What more plaine, & more eui­dent wordes, can there be spoken, to sig­nifye and declare the presens of his blessed bodye and blood, in the holy sacra­ment. He could not spake more playnly in so fewe wordes. Saynt Marke also (with as playne wordes) concordantly settith forth the same verytie. Mar. 14. Reade (good crystiane) and marke howe agre­ably and concordantly, the narracions and histories of these euangelistes agreyth, & are corespōdent, vnto y ^e promises, that Christe made, in the syxte of saynt Iohn. Where he ꝓmysed (as thou hast harde) y ^t the bread that he wolde geue, was his fleshe or bodye. And here, he sayth vnto his dysciples, (when he had taken breade and blessed it.) Take, and eate, this is my bodye. As who wolde say. This is the bread, that I promy­sed, when I sayde. The breade that I wyl geue, it is my fleshe, for the lyfe of the worlde. And agayne. My fleshe ve­rely is meate, and my bloode verely is drynke. This he promysed before. And nowe in fact and dede, takynge breade [Page] & geuing thākꝭ he geueth it, to his discyples, & sayth. This is my body. Here he geuith thē his fleshe as meate. And ta­kyng the cuppe he geuyth it thē, sayng. This is my bloode, & here he gaue also his blod, as drinke. Doth not this facte & dede of Christ, Luce. 21. playnly accomplishe y ^e promise of Christ. And (on y ^e other syde) doth not the ꝓmysse of Christ, when he sayd. The bread y ^t I wyll geue, it is my fleshe, ratifye these wordes of Christe. Take eate this is my body. Yes plaīly. What neade we then, to seke any other sence or vnderstāding, of these places of scripture, sith y ^t the one so plainly, ope­nyth & declareth thother. The euāgelist saint Luke cōfirmeth, y ^e testimonyes of saynt Mathew & Marke, in this wise. And he toke y ^e bread, & gaue thākꝭ brake it and gaue it them, & sayde. Luce. 22. This is my body, which shalbe geuen for you. This perticle, (whiche shalbe geuen for you) was added, for none other cause, then to signyfie & shew, that the same body, that he gaue vnto them, shulde (y ^e same nyght) be geuen for them, into the han­des of y ^e Iewes, vnto death. And after he had supped, he toke the cuppe in like maner, and sayde. This cuppe is the testament, in my bloode, whiche shalbe shed, for you. Here we haue other wordes, thē saint Mathwe or saint Marke [Page] had. Yet certaīly all is but one meanīg, and vnderstadyng. For where they said This is my bloode of the new testamēt, and saynt luke saythe. This cuppe is y ^e newe testament in my blood. Both he, & they sayth & singnifieth. That y ^e same cuppe contaynith, y ^e very same bloode, wherewith y ^e newe testamēt shuld be, & was (the next day) ratifyed and cōfir­mid. And this was none other bloode, but the moste p̄cious blood, Exo. 24. Hebre. 9. of the innocent and immaculate lambe Christ. For lyke as Moyses, when he had read, the commaundemētes of the law, vnto the people, he toke the blode of calffes and gotes with water, purpull wol, & ysope and sprynkled the boke and all the peo­ple, sayng. This is the blod of the testament, whche God hath a poynted vnto you. Athanasius in pri­mā ad Corinthios. 10. Sanguis enun iste qui calice cōtinetur, ille est qui Christi la­tere ꝓ [...]lux it &c. And so confirmed he, the olde testament. Euen so hath oure sauiour christ ratifyed and confirmed, this the newe testament, wyth his blood, and y ^e same blood, that was shede vpon y ^e aulter of the crosse, and sprenkeled vpon vs, to ratyfy the new testament, that very same he gaue vnto his appostles, at y ^e supper Therfore the euangelystes saynt Ma­thewe and saynt Marke calleth it, the bloode of the newe testamente, And saynt Luke calleth it, the new testamēt. [Page] Saynt Iohan the euangelyste, Similia habet, et Crisosto­mus. (who wrote last of the foure) doth passe ouer and speaketh nothynge of thys, oure lordes supper. No meruel hereof. For so doth he, the moste thynges, that any of the other euangelistes dothe speake of, as thynges sufficientlye declared by them. Therfore this thynge he touched not. For it was sufficientlye declared before, by the other thre euangelystes. Now thynke I longe, or I here, the te­stimony of the appostle Paule, in whōe christ spake. And therfore in this mater he spake none other, thē he receaued of our lorde. This same holy apostle, wrytyng vnto the Corinthians, (after that he had rebuked theyr vncharitable mysuse of oure Lordes supper) declareth thys matter, in this wyse. 1. Cor. 11. That which I receaued (sayth he) of oure Lorde, I delyuered vnto you. For oure lorde Ie­sus, the same nyght, that he was betrayed, toke breade and gaue thankes, and brake it and said. This is my body whych is broken for you, this same do you in the remembraunce of me. In like maner when he had supped, he toke the cuppe and sayd. Thys cuppe is the newe testament in my bloode.

The same do you (as often as you shall drynke here of) in the remēbraunce of me. Here saint Paule y ^t was instructed [Page] & receyued hys doctrine & learnynge of no man, [...]ala. 1. Augustinꝰ ad Ianu­ariū epist. 117. Cōtinuo (quippe) cū dixis [...] et Iudicium sibi māducat, et vi­bit, addi­dit, vt di­ceret. Nō d [...]iudicās corpus, domini quod sa­tis toto ipso loco in epistola ad Cor. 1. si diligenter atien­batur, ap­paret. but by y ^e reuelacion of our lord Iesu Christe, & therfore taught he no o­ther (in thys matter) then he had recey­ued of Christ, affirmeth plainly in these wordes, the very reall presens of Chri­stes body and bloode, to be in the sacra­ment. And nameth it, at no tyme, eather fygure, mystery or sacramēt, but twyse (in the same chapiter) he calleth it, the bodye of our Lorde. And yf our Lorde & mayster Christ, wolde haue had any fy­guratiue speache, to be vnderstanded in these hys wordes, & had not ment, that hys bodye shulde be in the sacrament, (but as in y ^e fygure) certaynly he wolde haue sygnifyed, by some other wordes, that he spake fyguratiuelye, as he dyd in al suche lyke fyguratiue, and parabolycall speches, or els certaynly he wold haue instructed Paule the apostle, more largely and clerely herof. Or els at the least, Paule (who was so ware and cir­cumspecte) that he wolde not leue, any ambiguous sentens, in hys wrytynges rawlye) wolde not haue lefte, so neces­sary a lesson vntouched, but wolde haue rather opened, the playne and clere vn­derstandynge and sence herof, least any thynge shulde haue escaped hym, wherby any occasion of erroure, myght haue bē takē of hys wordes. Neyther is it to [Page] be thought, that so necessarye, and also so daūgerous a lesson (in so weyghty a matter, of our saluacion) shuld be lefte vntaught, bothe of Christe & of the ap­postles, and also (hetherto) of the holie goost, who cam to teache the appostles, and the church, all verytie & vndough­tedly so he dyd, & styl doth, & shal, vntyl the worldes ende. For what offēce were it vnto god, & horrible error in y ^e church of Christ (and hath ben syth the appost­les tyme, hetherto) that the churche of christ shuld worship y ^e creature of bread instead of god there creator (for so doth the churche now, & hath done this fyf­tyne hundreth yere and aboue) yf y ^e vn­der the shape and fourme of breade and wyne, be not verely and ryally the bo­dye of Christ God & man. There was no suche fearfull threatenynge, for the vnworthye receauyng or of Mā na, eather of the paschal lābe rather of of any of the Mo­saical sa­crifices. For they were but onely ba­re figures Forthermore where Paule in y ^e same place thretneth dampnatiō vnto y ^e vnworthy receauers of this sacramēt. Yf there be nothīg els ther in, but bare bread, it were to seuere & rygorus sentens, and harde Iugemēt to thretten or execute dampnacion, for eating of a peace of bread. But verely y ^e holye appostle Paule maketh, a more worthyer thynge of thys, then breade. For he sayth, that he that eatith of this breade and drynketh of thys cuppe vn­worthely, eatyth and drynketh hys one Iudgemente, or dampnacion. Not [Page] Not by cause y ^t he doth mysuse a peace of breade or a cuppe of wyne. But by­cause, he putteth no differens, betwene bread, and the body of christ. Therfore sayth saynt Paule, he eateth and dryn­keth his owne dampnacyon, bycause he putteth no dyfferens, (he sayth not, be­twene bread and breade) but, betwene the breade (that is but onely and very breade and) the breade that is the very body of our lorde. By these it may ma­nyfestly appere, howe playnly the holy apostle Paule affirmeth, with the euangelystes, the very and reall presens of Christes body in holy sacrament.

1. Cor. 10.Moreouer in the same epistle in the x. chapter, the appostle Paule, after y ^e he had set forth, the terryble plages of God, executed vpō the mysusers of the mosaycall figures, he sayth. That all those thynges happened vnto them, for an example, & are left wryten in y ^e scrip­tures, to be a warnyng for vs. In this wyse, the apostle Paule exhorteth the corynthians, and in them, al faythfull chrystians, by these terryble and seuere punyshmentes, to be warned and ware that we (mysusynge the greater be­nefites of God) shewe not oure selues vnthankful, vnto so liberal a lord, leste we (prouokynge hym vnto wrathe) su­stayne at hys hande more worser and [Page] more greuous plages, then dyd the Ie­wes, whose feareful examples, we may cede of, in scrypture. By causse that we haue receaued, the more excellent and greater benefytes. And in this parte of this chapter, he doth specially auocate and call the Corynthes, frome the par­tycypacion of the table of ydols. Whi­che was none other, then to eate ydoll offerynges (meate or flesshe offered vp, vnto ydolles) and that for rely­gion or deuocyon, and in honor of the ydoll, hopyng thereby, to attayne holynes. Frome this enormyte, the appostle feareth them, by the examples of y ^e pla­ges of God, executed vpon his elect people, the Israellites and sayth that.

✿ These ware wrytten to warne vs ✿ And at the lengthe he shewed a iuste cause why, they shulde leaue false re­ligion of ydolles, in partakynge of the table of the deuylles, saynge. ✿ Is not the cuppe of thankes geuynge, 1. Cor. 10. wherewyth we geue thankes, the par­takynge of the bloode Christe? Is not the breade that wee do breake, the partakynge of the boodye of Chryste? In these, cleare and mooste in manyfeste wordes, saynte Paule speaketh no­thynge, of anye fygure or sygnyfyca­cyon onelye, that shulde be in thys breade or cuppe. For he saythe not, that [Page] the breade or cuppe signifyeth, or is, onlye a fygure, of the partakynge of Christes bodye and bloode. But in mooste playne and manyfeste wordes he sayth, that it is the partakyng of Christes bo­dye and bloode. As who wolde saye.

why seke you to cōmunicate, & to eate, of the sacrifices offered vp vnto ydols, and to partake the table of deuelles, for religion and sanctimonie. Haue ye not the table of Christ? which is not the partakinge of the fleshe and bloode of bea­stes. But the partakinge of the fleshe, & the innocent bloode of Christe, offered vppon the aulter, vnto the liuinge God, the father, And in the partakyng of this table, is the true religion and possession of sanctimonie. That this, is the trew sense of the Appostles wordes, in this place, Chrisostome shall wytnes wyth me. Crisosto. in Paulū Who wrytyng vpon the same place hath these wordes. ✿ That which is in the cuppe, is the same, which flowed out of Christes syde. And therof are we partakers. Therfore he calleth it also the cuppe of thankes geuynge. For bycause that, when we haue it in our handes, (w ^t admiration and tremblynge feare: of so ineffable gyfte) we laude & thanke hym, that he hath shede hys bloode for vs, to delyuer vs out of error, & hath not only shede his blood for vs, but he hath made [Page] vs therof ꝑtakers. And therfore if thou desyrest blood (sayeth Christ) seke not, the aulter of the slaughter of brute bea­stes. But seke my aulter & be springleth wyth my bloode. ✿ Saynt Paule (in this place) rebuketh the Corinthiās bycause they dyd participate or partake, y ^e ydoll offeringes, & that for religion and holynes, the which could gyue no suche holynes, vnto the eaters hereof, as saīt Paule in the same place prouyth vnto them. ✿ For there is no suche diuinitie (sayth he) in the ydolle, as the heathen falsly supposeth, but that whych is of­fered, is offered vnto deuels, who can cō ferre no sanctimonie, vnto the eaters of the ydoll offerynges. Crisosto. ibidem. ✿ As yet (Cryso­stome sayth) when the Iewes (in tyme paste) were so weake and readye to seke (by ydolatrye) suche falfe religion and sanctimonye, god permytted and ordeyned (for the tyme) the bloode of beastes, and carnall sacrifices, to be donne vnto hym. But nowe he hath called vs, not onelye from ydolatrye, by the institu­cyon of the blessed sacrament. But al­so from al carnal sacryfyces, and blood of brute beastes, vnto the communyon and partakynge of the bodye and blood of Christ. Which (as Crisostome sayth) is a more admirable & magnificēt sacrifice, thē euer was, the slaughter of bea­stes [Page] in the olde lawe. And it is a more noble & worthier exchaung & permuta­cyon, to call vs thus, from the blood of beastes, vnto y ^e ꝑticipacion of hys owne bloode. Thē when he called the Iewes, frō ydoll offerynges, vnto y ^e carnal sacrifices, in slaughter of beastes. For nowe (as S. Paul sayth) he hath takē away, Hebre. 10. the former & vnꝑfecte (legal sacrifices) & hath placed in ther rowme, the new & verye ꝑfecte sacrifice of hys bodye and bloode. Playnly it were, but a symple ꝑmutation & exchaunge, to cal vs, frō ꝑ­takyng of the fleshe & bloode of beastes, vnto the ꝑtakynge, of a peace of bread & of a cup of wyne. And also yf there be nothyng in y ^e sacrament, thē bread & wyne. What nedeth Paul to make so much, of the table & cuppe of our Lord. For y ^e ta­ble of māna in deserte, was the table of god. Yea & if y ^t, in this our table of christ be set before vs, no other delicates then bare bread & wine, thē may we say, that y ^e table of Moises in desert, was a more noble & costlier feaste, a great deale, thē is this. Psal. 77. Panem celi dedit eis Panē an­gelorū mā durauit homo. For y ^t was myraculus, for māna came, frō god by myracle, mynistred by angels, and therfore it is called angels foode, it had the taiste of al swetnesse, accordynge to euery good & faythfull mās apetite. Euery one had lyke, and equall measure therof, gathered he neuer so [Page] much, or neuer so lytle. And where it putrified, on the other dayes in the weake (yf it were reserued aboue a day) yet on the sabboth daye, it dyd not putrifye, it was kept many yeres after, & dyde ne­uer putrifye. Is not thys a muche more gorgious & more noble banket, then to feast vs with bare bread & wine? For (as oure Caphernaites saythe) there is no­thyng done myraculously, in the supper of our Lord. But bycause that they can brynge, no euident nether playne scrip­tures, (as they requyre of vs) to proue thys erroure, therfore we (as redely & as sone) denye it, as they do affirme it. Yet perhaps they wyll saye, that in the supper of Christ, is had the speciall me­morie of Christes death, and in that cō ­memoration of Christes passiō, we do ꝑ­ticipate or partake (in fayth) the body & blode of Christe. And in thys consystith the excellencie of the supper of Christe. Euen so were also the other oblaciōs of the mosaicall lawe, the memory of the passion of Christe, whom they in faythe loked, for. As y ^e Manna, put them in re­membraunce of Christe the lyuelye breade. The slaughter & shedynge of the brutall blode, put them in mynde of the effusiō of y ^e blod of Christ, whych shuld make ꝑfect expiaciō of sin. And y ^e pascal lambe slayne and eaten, wyth his blod [Page] paynted vpon the postes of y ^e dore, warned them, of y ^e death of the innocēt lābe Christ, slayne for vs, whose blood was paynted vpon the postes of the Crosse. Playnly yf the sacrament be but a me­moryall fygure, of Christes deathe (as the herytykes sayen) then were the fy­gure of Moyses (of y ^e sheding & offering of the blode of the pascal lambe) moch more euident figure and apter sacramēt of Christes death, then bread and wyne And as concernynge the spirituall ea­tynge & participation, of the bodye and blood of Christ by fayth in y ^e sacramēt. Yf y ^t be al. There is no cause why, that this sacrament shulde excell, the other figures. For who doubteth y ^t the faythful fathers of the other testamēt dyd receyue (in fayth) euē as moch as we. For S Paule wyttnesseth no lesse for them, sayng. ✿ They al eate of one spirituall meate, & they all dyd drynke of one spi­rituall drynke. And were thus spiritu­ally, the partakers of the body & bloode of Christe, 1. Cor. 11. whome they beleued, shulde be y ^e very sacryfice for theyr sinnes.

Thus it apperith y ^t the exchaūge of the olde sacramentes mosaical, for y ^e sacramētes of y ^e new testamēt, brought vnto vs, no auayle neyther auauncemente & consequentlye the institution of them by Christe, was in vayne. For he hath [Page] not permuted and chaunged for the better. For as good and as profitable it had ben for vs, to haue kepte the olde pascall lambe, as to haue the sacramēt of the aulter, excepte you wyl say, that there is lesse charge, to prouyde for a peace of bread, thē to bye, a whole lābe God for byd, that a Christen man shuld thinke, that our sauiour Christ (so wise and so louyng a lorde god) shuld do any thyng frustrate, and not rather, for our great & inestimable cōmodite. But cer­taynly thys moste fortunable exchaūg, of the pascal lābe, for this blessed sacramēt, was vnto vs, an inestimable ꝑfite, & auaūcemēt. For as much as we haue, not suche a sacrament, whiche is onely the figure, of the body of Christe, but it contayneth really and verely, the naturall body of Christe, and therfore when this our sacrament is eaten worthely, it doth incorporate vs not onely vnto y ^e mystycall bodye of Christ by fayth, but it doth also, incorporate vs vnto the natural body of Christ.

In the same .x. chapter the holy ap­postle hath also, these wordes. We ma­ny (sayth he) are but one bread, and one body, euen as many as, partake of one breade. In these wordes the appostle sheweth, that as many as, doth partake of that one bread, so many are one body [Page] in Christe. Yf the apostle shulde vnder­stāde, by thys one bread, material bread, it had neade to be, an exceadynge greate loffe, that shulde fede corporally, all the whole bodye of Christe, spred and spar­keled abrode, in so many and sondry places of the worlde. It can not therfore be anye one materiall breade, whereof, all the lymmes and membres of Christ, do partake, and are (thereby) made one bodye. But it is one celestiall breade, the verye bodye and bloode of Christe, whome all the whole congregacion of Christ, doth partake in euery place, and thys is but one breade, but one (& the very same) body of Christe, partaken of so many in so many places, & is whole (& is receyued, of euery man) euery where. And thys bread (whorthely eaten) ma­keth them all (by that partakynge) but one, where euer they eate it. And it incorporateth thē vnto Christ, and maketh them the membres of hys bodye, & to be of his fleshe and of hys bones. And that (I saye) by thys corporall eatynge and receyuynge of hys bodye and bloode in the holye sacrament. ¶And certaynly (mooste christen reader) it maketh not a lytell, for the veritie of the reall pre­sence, of Christes bodye in the sacra­mēt, that it is not sufficient for vs, to beleue, that we (receyuing this sacramēt) [Page] are fedde, wyth the bodye and blood of Christe, onely by fayth, spiritually par­takynge it. But we muste beleue also, that we (receyuynge it worthelye) are fedde, and are partakers corporally, of the body & bloode of Christ. For ther by are we incorporated vnto y ^e very natu­ral body of Christ, as we are (by fayth) spiritually incorporated vnto his misticall bodye. But yf there be, none other thynge in the blessed sacramente, then onelye bare breade, then coulde not we be thus incorporated, vnto the naturall bodye of Christe. For there is no mate­rial meate, that cā geue vnto vs that in corporation, but onely the very bodye & bloode of oure sauiour Christe. The whyche (beynge eaten) is not cōuerted, into our fleshe and bloode, as other oure materiall meates are, but (by hys suꝑ-excellent power) he altereth, & conuer­teth our fleshe & blod, īto his. And yet neuerthelesse y ^e natural ꝓperties of bread and wyne, norysheth vs also, as wel as though y ^e very substaūce of breade & wyne were there. Thus by the worthy re­ceyuyng of thys blessed sacrament, the body and bloode of Criste our sauiour, conuerteth oure fleshe into hys fleshe, and the qualities of breade, in the sa­crament (myraculouslye) neuerthelesse norysheth oure bodyes.

[Page]¶Thys corporall eatyng, and incorporacyon of vs, vnto Christes very natu­rall body, is not newly fantysed, of late yeres, but it hath ben taught, wryten, and beleued, syth the time of S. Paule. whome I call fyrst vnto wyttnes wyth me, in this matter. For he, wrytyng vnto the Ephesiās, sayth these playn wordes. ✿ No man euer yet, hated his owne fleshe, but chereshith & noryshyth it, euen as our Lorde, doth the church. For we are membres of hys bodye of fleshe and of hys bones. ✿ By these wordes, saynt Paule teachith vs, that Christe dothe feade and cherysheth hys church, not onely spiritually, but also corporally, & that may wel appere, by the wordes of S. Paule. For he nory­sheth his church (sayth he) as euery mā cherisheth naturally, his owne fleshe. But euery man doth not cheryshe natu­rally, his owne fleshe, with spirituall foode (for the fleshe is not fedde wyth ymaginations & beleue of good meate) but rather with the corporall receate & eatynge, of very and naturall meate. Then doth not Christe fead hys church onelye wyth spirituall foode, but also he feadeth corporally hys church, with the very meate of hys fleshe and blode. Furthermore, y ^e ꝓcesse of y ^e letre, ledeth vs directly: thus to vnderstād this text [Page] For S. Paule (in this place) exhortith the men to loue theyr wyfes, as Christe loueth hys church, and to noryshe and cheryshe them, as there one fleshe, and as Christ doth also, his spouse y ^e church But it is oute of doubte that saynte Paule dyd not intende here, to exhorte the men, to cheryshe and noryshe theyr wyffes, onely in soule, instructyng them the faythe and dewty vnto God and man (as they are also bounde) other, y ^t they shulde cheryshe theyr bodys wyth imagynacyons or thoughtes of necessary foode. But rather he exhorted y ^e men to cherishe corporally, theyr wyffes, provydyng for them, not onely spirituall, but also corporal, meate & necessaryes euen so, as Christ doth also, for the congregacyon. Not onelye feadynge the churche, wyth spiritual foode of fayth & charytie, & suche other graces, & ver­tues, but he also, feadeth & cherysheth it, w ^t the very meate, of his natural bo­dy and bloode in the blessed sacrament. For (as it foloweth there in the letter) we are (sayth saynt Paule) the mēbres of hys bodye (not of hys mysticall body onely) but of hys naturall body, of that bodye, that hath fleshe and bones. And that cōmeth to passe (without doubt) by the eatynge of that meate, y ^e Christ doth noryshe vs with al, for y ^t is the effecte of [Page] that myghty meate, and moste delecta­ble foode, to transforme the eater, into his mooste blessed fleshe and bones. And certaynely it is, not breade (as I haue sayd) eather any other meat, wherwith Christ fedeth, and cherisheth vs corpo­rally, and that can (by eatynge therof) incorporate vs, vnto the naturall body of Chryst, and make vs of his bones, sauynge onely, the natural body and blod of our sauyour Christ. And thys we re­ceaue not corporally, in any other thing saue onely in the blessed sacramēt. Thē must we nedes graunte, that the natu­rall body of Christe, is in the sacramēt, wherewyth, that moste louyng lorde, & deare husbāde of the church, norysheth & cherysheth his īterely beloued spouse the church, & wyth this moste precious and moost delycious meate of hys very and natural body & bloode, incorpora­teth her & vnto hys very natural bodye And thus is made of the blessed man Christ, and his holy wyffe, the churche, one body. And be made (as saynt Paule sayth) two in one fleshe. For this is the great mystery, Ephesi. 5. (that Paule speaketh of in that place) of Christ, and the church. Lyke as Christ of his infinite goodnes, and inestimable charitie, Chrisostōe in Iohannem. became a mē ­bre, of our corupt nature, receauing our fleshe, which was a greate knot of loue, [Page] Yet in tokē, of a greater vnion, Vester e­go frater esse volul, coīcaui carne propter vos et sanguinē. Hoc est, vestrā carnem et sauguinē curaui mi hi vobiscū fieri cōmunem. Et ꝑ q̄vobis cō iunctꝰ sū, ea russus vobiserhi hui. Yreneus lib. 5. ad­uersus hereses. & knot of his loue, he wolde that we shulde be also, of hys fleshe and bones, (as saynt Paule sayeth) we are membres of hys bodye and of hys fleshe and bones.

And thys mooste blessed vnion and in­corporation we do attayne, onely (as I said) by eatyng, of his very body & dryn kynge of hys very bloode, in the blessed sacrament, wherewyth he feadeth and norysheth vs.

✿ Yreneus that holy and auncient wryter recordeth also, wyth vs, in thys matter, in hys fyft boke (aduersus hereses) where he speaketh very manifestly of thys oure incorporacyon vnto Christ by receuyng the sacramēt, & sayth. The mengled cuppe & the bread brokē, when they haue receyued the worde of God, then be they made the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ. Of the which body and bloode, the substaunce of oure fleshe, is augmented & subsistent. How can they deny, that our fleshe, is not partaker, of the gyft of God, which is eternall lyfe, for as moche as oure fleshe is fedde, wyth the bodye and bloode of Chryste, and made the membre of hym, euen as the appostle sayth, in the epistle vnto y ^e Ephesians. We are y ^e mēbres of his bodye & of hys fleshe & of hys bones [Page] Se now (good cristiane) how this holy catholyke, and verye auncient wryter, playnly affirmeth wyth apostle Paule, that our fleshe is fedde wyth the bodye and bloode of our sauiour Christe, & by that, we are made the mēbres of his bo­dye, not spirituall membres onely, but of hys fleshe and of hys bones. Cyrel al­so shall recorde wyth vs, whyche affir­meth the same, wrytynge agaynst a cer­tayne heretyke, Cyrillus in Ioh. 15 vppon the .xv. of saynt Ioh. ✿ We do not denie, (saith he) y ^t we (by trewe fayth & syncere charitie) are vnyted and knytte to Christ. But that we haue no maner of coniunction wyth hym corporally, that, we vtterly denye, and that sayinge is besydes, and contrarye to all scripture. For who euer doub­ted, Christ to be (in suche sorte) the vyne tre, that we be braūches, which receiue lyfe thereby. Herke euen the same of Paule. We are all one bodye (sayth he) in Christe, and though we be many, yet in hym we are but one, for we do ꝑtake all one breade. Dothe he thynke that we knowe not the power, of the mysti­call blessynge, the whyche is done or re­ceyued amonge vs? Dothe it not cause Christe corporally to dwel in vs, by the cōmunion or cōmen receauynge of Christes fleshe? Wherfore els be the mēbres of christen men, the membres of Christe. [Page] Knowe you not, (fayth he) that out mē bres be the membres of Christ) shall I make then the membres of Christ the membres of an harlot? God for byd.

Oure sauiour also, sayth. Ioh. 6. He that ea­teth my fleshe, and drynketh my bloode dwelleth in me, & in I him. In eodem ✿ Thys is the wytnes of Cyril. Wherein you here playnely, how that, (he sydes the spirituall coniunction of vs, vnto Christ (as his membres by fayth and by charyte) there is, a another vnyon, by the whych, Christ is ioyned, and vnytyd vnto vs corporally, and we are made here by, y ^e membres of hym corporally. A simili­tude of ware, where by Cyrill proueth, the corporall coniunction of vs, vnto the naturall bodye of Christe. Crysosto, in Iohēn Home. 46 And yet Cyrill sayth moreouer. ✿ Wherfore we must consyder, that Christ is not in vs spiritually onelye, by charite. But also he is in vs, by a certayne naturall and corporall particypatyon. For lyke as yf a man shulde take waxe, and melt it and myngle the same, wyth other waxe melted, ther shulde be made, but one ware, of them bothe, euen so, by re­ceauynge of the body and blod of christ he is in vs, and we in him. Vnto y ^e same subscrybeth Crysostome, vpō Iohn̄. ✿ After that he had sayd, that we are one bodye wyth hym, and the membres of hys bodye and of hys fleshe, and of hys bones, he layde the reason thereof, by and by sayng. By cause that we myght [Page] be conuerted and tourned (not onely by loue) into his flesh but in very dede, that same is done & brought to effecte, by y ^e meate, whiche he hath geuen vnto vs.

And by cause he wolde set forthe, or de­clare, vnto vs his ītyre loue. He (by his own body) hath mīgled him selfe, with vs.✿ How playne a thinge is thys, to confyrme our sentence or sayng. For he sayth that, the meate that Chryst gaue vnto vs, (that is the body of Christe in y ^e blessed sacramēt) is that same, where by, he hath mengled hym selfe, with vs And that same maketh vs, one body corporally wyth hym. Not onelye spiritually (for that doth faythe and charitye cause) but by this, we are made mem­bres of hys body, and of hys bones.

Hereby this, we are may perceiue, that be sydes the spirituall coniuncyon (whyche faythe and charytie causeth and therby maketh vs spirituall mem­bres of hys mysticall body) howe necessary it is, to be knyt also vnto christ corperally, by y ^e eatyng of his body in the blessed sacrament. Whereby we do not only, participall Christ spiritually for so do we partake Christ, as ofte as we (with perfect faythe and charitie) re­membre the deathe of Christe. But also we do partake Christes fleshe corporal­ly, and verely we be come the membres [Page] of hys bodye and be of hys fleshe and of hys bones. And in thys poynte we are in better state and in more blessed cō dytyon, then were the people, vnder the former lawes, eather of nature ey­ther of Moyses. Thoughe the fayth full and holy (amonge them) were in graffed, and knyt, vnto Christes mysty­call bodye (as all other are) that re­tayneth, perfect faythe and charytye, (wythout receyuyng of the sacrament) yet none of them, dyd partake the very fleshe and bloode of Christe. For as yet the eternall and omnipotent worde was not in fleshe. But bycause these faythefull people beleued, that thys fleshe shulde come, and be theyr redem­ptyon, by there faythe, they receaued and dyd spiritually eate, thys fleshe, and where (thereby) partakers of the merytes thereof, and so counyted and knyt, vnto Christes mysticall bodye, as membres spirituall thereof. Christ had a mysticall bodye, before that he toke vpon hym, oure nature, and he hathe now also (by hys incarnatyon) a natu­rall bodye. And nowe he hathe two bodyes, a spirituall body or a mystycall body, & also a natural body. It was sufficiēt (to saluaciō) befor his death & passiō (by fayth & charite) to apꝑtaine, & to be knyt vnto his mystycal body, & so to [Page] partake hys merytes. But nowe out sauiour Christe sayth vnto all (of suffici­ent age, and discretion, hauynge no im­pediment. Ioh. 6.) ✿ Except that you eate my fleshe, & drynke my bloode, you can haue no lyfe, in you, So that nowe, we muste be connexed, and ioyned, (not onely vn­to hys spirituall & mysticall bodye) but also vnto hys naturall body, by the cor­porall, receyuynge and eatynge, of the same fleshe and bloode. There in (as I haue sayde) standeth the great worthy­nes, preferment and dygnitie of the ta­ble of Christe, aboue the table of Moy­ses. For Moyses set on his table, onely the myraculous breade Manna, the fy­gure of Christes bodye. But Christ set­teth before vs, vpon hys table, the reall and verye presens of hys natural bodye and bloode, Theophi. in Iohēz. Quomodo (inquit) nō apparet nobis ca­to sed pa­nis? Vt nō abhor­reamꝰ ab eius esu. Nam si q̄ dem caro apparuis­set, insua­uiter affecti essemus erga cō [...]o­nem. Nūc autem condescendēte dn̄o nr̄e in firmitati. Talis ap­paret no­bis misti­ens tibus quali ali­oqui assue ti sumus. in the shape and forme of breade and wyne, condescēdyng herein (as Theophilact sayeth) vnto our infirmitie and the custome of our nature, the whych delyteth in breade (as in the conuenient and customed foode & abhorreth rawe fleshe and bloode, as a token of no table cruelnes & vncustomed, vnto oure maner of fedynge. Therfore this neces­sarye foode (to our soule) of his blessed fleshe and bloode, Christe hath vouche­safe to gyue vnto vs, not in theyr owne lykenesse and forme, but in the forme & [Page] lykenes, of our cotidyane fode of bread and wyne. And here by, he moste gracy­ously, mynystreth vnto vs the lyfe eter­nall of the whyche he sayde. Except ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man, and drynke his blood, you can haue no lyfe in you. For lyke as the earthely Adam our carnal parent, (in that we partake his synnefull and corrupte fleshe (is cause and occasyon of death vnto vs.

Euen so is, the celestiall Adam Christe, causse of lyfe in vs, by that, that we partake hys blessed bodye and fleshe.

For loke as Eue was formed, of y ^e fleshe of Adam, euen so are wee (that are the uery church of Christ) by eatyng of his fleshe in the blessed sacrament, made of his fleshe, and membres of hys bodye. And thus of two (of the church & christe is made one body and fleshe) as I haue sayde. Ephese. 5. The whiche wordes though they be wryten of the fyrst Adam and Eue.

Yet in thys place (of thys hys epistle) saynte Paule allegeth and applyethe them, vnto Christ and the churche, for as sone as he had spoken, these wordes vnto the Ephesians. And thus of two persons is made but one fleshe, he put­teth therto these wordes. Thys is (saythe he) a greate mysterye I speake or meane it, in Christe and the churche. Howe the Churche and Christe be come [Page] one fleshe, Ephe. 5. is not to be vnderstanded by the incarnatyon. For Christe (by his incarnatyon) receaued fleshe of vs, and not we of hym, as Eue dyd of adam.

For we must vnderstande, that he is, the heuenly Adam, and we (his church) are y ^e spirituall Eue. As Adam and Eue were of one fleshe, bycause that Eue was formed oute of the body of Adam, and not Adam formed of y ^e fleshe of Eue Euen so Christ and the church, be come one fleshe, by cause that Eue (that is y ^e church) taketh fleshe of Christ that he­uenly Adame. And therfore S. Paule referreth thys mystery, of the coniun­tion of Adam and Eue, not vnto the in­carnatyon of Christe, whereby he toke fleshe of vs. But referreth it, vnto y ^e eatynge and communion of the blessed sacrament, wherein (Christ) geueth his fleshe and he norysheth vs, and feadeth vs with it, and so we take fleshe of hym Suche is the most gracyous and mercyfull restitutyon (that God hathe made for vs) vnto lyfe, thorowe oure Lorde Iesus Christe, that where as Adam by eatynge of the forbedden frute of the tree, hathe procured and mynystred deathe, vnto all hys posterytie. Euen so (as Ruperte saythe) it was verye congruente, Rupertus that by the eatynge of the frute, of another tree, lyfe myghte be [Page] procured, and mynistred agayne, vnto the posteritie of Adā. Certaynly, there is none other frute, that mynystreth & restoreth lyfe agayne, vnto y ^e posteritie of Adam, but onely the frute that hōge on y ^e tree of the crosse, (which is Iesus Christe) the blessed frute, of the imma­culate wombe of Marye. This frute muste be eaten corporallye, for Adam dyd eate corporally, of the frute, that brought death vnto vs, so (of cōgruēce) we must eat corporally, this frute, that rendereth, and restoreth agayne, lyfe. Not onelye the lyfe of grace, whereby the soule of man lyueth, and is streng­thed to godwardes, in this present mortalitie, and moste myserable lyfe. But also, it mynistreth vnto vs, Cyrillus in Iohēz. Dedit vo­bis Moy­ses māna sed qui comederunt, russum esu ri [...]tūt, produrit copiosa, de la­pide flumina, sed qui bibebant russus si­tlebant. the lyfe eternall, bothe of body and soule, as Christ saythe. He that eateth my fleshe, and drinketh my bloode, hathe eternal lyfe, and I wyll rayse hym vppe at the lat­ter day. By eating and dryngking, this bodye and bloode, the celestyall Adam Iesus, worketh in vs, eternall lyfe, vn­to oure soules, and at the latter daye he wyll worke, and brynge, euerlastyng lyfe vnto the bodyes also. That, as we haue eaten, that blessed frute in soule (by syncere faythe, perfecte hope, and charite) and in body, by the corporal receite, [Page] of that blessed fleshe. Quid er­go rp̄s policetur: Quid cre­dentibus adferi? Corrupti­bile certe nihil, sed benedicti­onem quā cōmunicatione cor­poris et sā guinie as­sequimur, vnde ad cam incorruptionē integre reducemur, vt cibo et potu cor­porali nō indigeamꝰ Viuificat enim cor­pus Chri­sti, et ad in corruptionem, sua participa­tione reducit. &c. Euen so shal it worke lyffe perpetuall, as wel in the body, (as Cyrill sayth) as in the soule. That, by thys Adame celestiall, myght be no lesse restored, then by the other Adam was loste. The earthely Adam lost for vs, lyfe, both of body and soule And so hath, y ^e heuenly Adam, rendered vnto vs, lyfe of grace in thys present worlde. And in the worlde to come, the lyfe, of perpetual glorye, both of the body and soule. The whyche he graunt vs, that therein reyg­ueth, wyth the father and y ^e holy gooste, one God mooste gloryous, now and for e­uer Amen.

THe catholy­ke veritie, of y ^e real presens of Christes body in the holy sa­cramēt, taketh no lytle corro­boratiō & strengthe, of the promisses, y ^t our sauiour Christe made, vnto hys deare be­loued spouse the churche, (which is) as saynt Paule sayth. ✿ The pyller and grounde of trenth. 1. Tim. 3. ✿ The whyche pro­myses, yf theybe infallible and trewe, (as vndoubtydly they be) thē maye we iustelye collect thys, for a moste assured veritie. That oure Lorde and mayster Christe, hath not suffered hys churche, so many hundred yeres, to erre so blyndlye, in so weyghtye a matter of y ^e fayth, and to remayne so longe, in so detestable blasphemy, as to worship the creature, in the steade of the maker and creator.

Yf the church of Christe hath not erred, in that she beleueth, the reall and verye [Page] presens of Christe in the sacramēt, and therin worshyppeth verely Christ, as y ^e infallible promyses of Christe shall de­clare, then are they abhominable and in tollerable, that beleueth the contrarye. The constant beleue, & infallible fayth of the churche, is ratifyed, by these pro­myses of Christe. Fyrst Christe promy­sed, that he wolde not leaue the church, vnto the worldes ende. Math. vltimo. ✿ Behold (say­eth Christe) I am wyth you for euer, vntyll the consūmation of the worlde. ✿

Howe hath he ben, so many yeres with hys churche, and hath not reformede so great an error. And syth that he (of all other enormities) hateth and detesteth moost, the nepharious cryme of ydola­trye. Why hath he, or how could be, suffer, hys churche (whome he washed frō all spotte and wryncle, Ephe. 5. wyth hys moste precious bloode) to be so fylthelye all arayed, wyth the fylthery of ydolatry. Secondlye Christe made promyse vnto hys churche, that the holye goost shulde come, and remayne wyth her for euer, and teache her all veritie, saynge.

Ioh, 14.✿ I wyll entreate my father, and he wyll gyue you, another comforter, the spirite of veritie, and he shall remayne wyth you for euer. And agayne, he say­eth. Ibidem. ✿ When he shall come, (that is the spirite of verite) he shall leade you, into [Page] all veritie. ✿ Also in another place.

✿ The comforter, Ioh. 16. whyche is the holye goost (whome the father wyll sende, in my name) he shall teache you all ve­ritie, and brynge into your remēbraūce all thynges, that I haue spoken vnto you. ✿ Yf Christe be trewe, of these hys promyses (as certenlye he is and wyll be) then hath, and doth, the holy goost, the spirite of veritie, abyde wyth the church, for euer, and hath taught her al veritie, and bringeth her, into the knowlege and vnderstandynge of all thynges that Christe spake, were they neuer so ambiguous and doubtful. Nowe for as muche as thys texte. Mar. 14. ✿ Thys is my bo­dye ✿ was spoken of Christe, therfore (by Christes promyse) the spirite of ve­ritie hath taught the churche, the trewe vnderstandynge hereof. And the church hathe, and dothe, vnderstande it, of the verye reall presens of Christes bodye in the sacrament, then is that a veritie, and the contrarie an heresye.

Thyrdlye, Christe promysed, Luce. 22. that ✿ the faythe of the churche, shulde ne­uer be extincte, neather fayle. And that ✿ the yates of hell shulde not preuayle agaynste it. Math. 16. There can no man thynke the contrary, but that the fayth of the holye churche, hathe fayled [Page] greatly, in retaynynge so longe tyme, so open an error, yf the body of Christe, be not verely and really in the sacramēt sythe the churche hath allway so bele­ued. And the yates of hell, hathe grea­ly preuayled agaynste her, and that so mygytely, that they haue ouerthrowen her, into so greate and moost pestilent an herysy (or eather a blasphemy) as to honor breade, for her spouse Chrst, that dougther so dearely, and herein to commyt suche a detestable fornycatyon of ydolatry, mooste hated and detested w ^t, her husbande and lorde God Christ.

By these promyses of Christ (well pondered and expended) we may easely perceaue, that the faythe (the whiche the church euer hath, and doth retayne, as concernyng this blessed sacrament) is y ^e mooste assured veritie. And by cause that the churche (gouerned and taught by the hooly goost) hathe and dothe re­tayne, for a veritie in fallyble, that the body of oure sauyour Christ, is verely and really, in the blessed sacramēt, therfore oughte we to take the same, for a catholike & a trew veritie, and to refuse the contrary eas an heresy moost dete­stable & odyus. That the churche hath retayned this, for a catholyke verytie, that shall we shewe mooste many festly, both by the generall consells (wherin y ^e [Page] holy goost was president) and also, by y ^e testimonies of y ^e fathers, in whom the same holy goost spake, as in his pecu­liar orgaynes or instrumentes. For where shall we collect and learne, the faythe of the churche in suche ambigu­ous and doubtfull matters, but of the conselles, wherein lernedly were dys­cussed and determyned, all matters of doubte, by the presidens and regiment, of the holy goost. And of the auncient wryters, whose wrytynges & workes, spyreth & breatheth out, the verie pure and syncere fayth, that the church had, in there tyme. For they (as trew and faythful membres of the church) wold in no wyse, willyngly swerue, from the trew fayth of the churche, but brought greate illustratyon, and dignytie there vnto, by theyr mooste godly lyfe, and conuersation, and many of them sustayned great tormentes and deathe, in the defence hereof. Wherefore the auc­toritye of them ought to be, Igna. ad Heronē. Ois igi­tur qui direrit, preter ea que tradita sunt, tam etsi ieiu­net, virgi­ginitatem fernat, sig [...]a face at, ꝓphete [...], lupus tibi appareati grege ouium corrupti­o [...]em fa­ciens. The coū ­sell of E­phesus. not onelye equalled, but to be preferred moche, aboue the auctoritie of oure seditious, & new wryters now a days, by cause that these new wryters are, not only mē (as y ^e fathers were) but also they are moch worser men (then they were) in godly­nes, not only beyng voyde of good lyfe but they are also, deuyded frome the [Page] churche of Christ, by theyr heresies.

And therfore I wolde, that men shulde suspecte, all that commeth from out of theyr handes, yea though they were ne­uer so holy, in theyr outward apparēs.

These conselles folowyng, doth ratifye our fayth, as concernynge the re­al presens, of Christes bodye and blood in the sacrament. ✿ Fyrst the holy con­sell of Ephesus, where vnto were gathered together, two hundred fathers, for the condempnation of Nestorius here­sies, who denyed, that y ^e fleshe of Christ (in the sacrament) was not able to giue lyfe. For he playnly affirmed Christ, to be but pure man, & therfore the fleshe of hym coulde gyue no lyfe. Agaynst thys (wyth other mo hys heresyes). ✿ Cyril the byshop of Alexādria, called a synode of two hundred byshoppes. Thys coun­sel was, and is, of great estimation and auctoritie, wyth the anncient fathers, in so muche that saynt Gregorie allo­wed and approued thys, wych the counsell of Nyce, Constance, and Calcedone as the foure Gospelles. In thys coun­sell it was defyned, that we do receyue in the sacramente, the verye fleshe, the whych gyueth lyfe.

The coū ­sel of Vercellis.✿ In the counsell, whome Lyon (the nynthe of that name) called and caused to be celebrate in the cytie of Vercellis, [Page] agaynst y ^e same pestiferous heresie, thē by one Berēgarius ꝑuitiously taught, the same heresye was vtterlye condem­pned as Platina also wytnesseth. The coū ­sell of Turone.

✿ The counsell also of Turone, celebrated vnder Victor (the secōde of that name.) In the whyche counsell one Hil debrandus (then Archedecon of Rome) was presidēt, who (wyth great learned men) dyd conuince Berengarius, the auctour of this habominable heresie, who remayned styll, obstynatlye in thys hys detestable error.

✿ Then Nicholas (the seconde) conuocated a counsell vnto Rome, The coū ­sell of Rome by Ni­colas the seconde. of a hundreth and thyrtye byshoppes, and sent for thys Berengarius thether, and there he (wyth aduysed & expresse wor­des) abiured thys heresye. The forme of hys abiuration, ye maye reade in the decrees, the seconde dystinctiō, De consecra. Yet after thys he fell efte sone, (not to that heresye) but vnto the here­sye, that Luther doth holde, affirmyng, that in y ^e sacrament of the Aulter, with the real presens of Christes body, there is also, The counsell of Rome vnder Gregorie the .vii. the substaunce of breade styl re­maynynge. ✿ Then was there a consell called, vnto y ^e citie of Rome by Grego­ry (the .vii.) whereunto also came Berē garius, & opēly reuoked thys hys here­sye, as Sabellicus wytnesseth in hys thyrde boke, the .ix. Eneades.

[Page] Pretereo concilium sub inno­centio ter­tio celebratum.Fynallye, the counsell of Basyll, and also the counsell of Constaunce, (whome I do passe ouer) dyd most openlye, condempne this heresye. Thus ma­ny counsels haue we, that ratifieth the veritie of Christes bodye in the sacra­ment, and condemneth the contrarye, as an horryble heresye, where the sacramentaries (for theyr syde) can not shew one, that eather ratifyed theyr opinion, eather condemned oure fayth, as an er­rour or heresye. Wherfore it is mooste manyfeste, that they haue framed, and fashioned this new faith, of theyr owne blynde and fonde fantasye (or rather) they haue newe furbushed olde heresies and thus deluded and deceaued by the spirite of pryde and errour, are nowe brought cleane, from the trewe catho­lyke fayth of the churche of Christe, do­wne into the darke dongion and hel, of errour and heresye.)

Yet I haue thought it somwhat ne­cessarie, (for the more credite to be gy­uen vnto the auctorities, and sayinges, of these moste holy and catholyke wry­ters, (whome we shall cyte and allege, in thys present sermon) to preuent the christiā reader, wyth these thre verities folowynge.

The fyrst veritie.The fyrst is, y ^t none of all these aun­cient fathers (whome I shal name here [Page] for testimony of this blessed sacramēt) (with innumerable moo catholyke wryters) but that constantly beleued, that the blessed body & blood of christ was really in the blessed sacrament. The seconde veritie. The se­conde is that none of all these (neyther anye other, catholyke wryter) eather taught, eather wryt, y ^e contrary of thys beleue and veritie, of the holy sacramet The thyrde (whiche I collecte of both these) is, that whatsoeuer he be, The thyr­de veritie. that receyuith not, or beleueth not, this ar­ticle of y ^u blessed sacrament, that same is none, of the churche of Christe, and therfore is the same, in ieoberdy of dā ­pnaciō. The certaynte of these verities is very manyfest, vnto such, as hath di­ligentlye sene & red theyr lucubratiōs & workes, where is to be gathered y ^e faith y ^t they were of, for it were, more thē sa­crilege to thynke y ^t so faythful fathers (void of al flattery of mā) shold wright cōtrary to theyr owne cōsciēce & belefe. Forthermore who cā iustly thinke, that these (so gelous fauorers & ernest fren­des of the trewe honour of God) wolde haue suffered, (and not resysted rather, wyth worde, penne, and bloode) suche an heynous & horrible heresie, as thys were (yf Christes bodye were not, re­ally in the sacrament) whereby, men shulde be led, not onely into an open heresy, [Page] but also, īto y ^e detestable enormitie of ydolatry, the whyche had ben impossyble, to haue ben wynked at, or borne wyth all, amonge so many, and so dylygent, vehement, and moste circumspecte defenders, of the Christen fayth. Who wolde iudge, that so great and pernytious an error, shulde haue byn noryshed, and escaped the taxation and controlement, of so eloquēt and catholyke wryters, and namely, forasmoche as, cer­tayne of them, layde and employed ther chefest labore, and industrie, to cōuince hereses, as it may appere by theyre workes, wherein, is litle matter els, then y ^e confutatyon of hereses of theyr tyme. For there coulde no man, ons stere vp an heresy, but as sone as he was perceaued to put forth hys hed, the same was dysputed with all, conuinced, and con­futed, and his heresy abolyshed. Example of these same, we haue, of Theodo­ritus in the tripertitie historie, who wryteth, that there a rose, certayne he­retikes, (in valentiniane y ^e Emperours tyme) called The Massians, y ^e whiche erred in y ^e blessed sacramēt, & affyrmed (sayth he (y ^t y ^e deuyne meate, of whome Christ sayde. He y ^t eatyth my fleshe and drynketh my blod, shal lyue euer, dothe neyther ꝓfect, neyther harme at all, & y ^e same, denied y ^t y ^e sacramēt of baptysme was ꝓfitable for christē people, & y ^e prayer [Page] onely, was sufficēt. The which here­ses were immediatly (of y ^e excellēt learned mē byshopes at y ^e time cōuinced & cō dēped. After this, Nestor stered vp an error, agaynst y ^e verytie of Christes fleshe in y ^e sacramēt, & in y ^e consel of Ephe. (of whō we spoke before) he was charged, by .CC. fathers, to leue his abhomina­ble heresye, or els he shulde be accursed, out of the church of Christ. Then came Berengarius. This Berēgarius (as platina wryteth) (as I sayd afore) was cō dempned by Leo, the .ix. bys. of Rome, After whose death, Berengarius cōti­nued obstinate in hys heresy, vntyl y ^t, at the synode of Turone, one Lanfranke bysh. of Cantorbury cōuinced hym. Yet ꝑuersly continued he in y ^t opinion. And at y ^e length, Berengariꝰ abiured opēly his heresye. After this Berengariꝰ, fo­lowed Petrus Halebardus, a mā of an halt mynde, & luciferyne pryde, whō S. Barnard accused & cōfuted, of y ^e heresie about this sacramēt. Thē succeded wycked wycclyf, y ^t taught opēly thys here­sie abominable, of y ^e sacramēt, & he was cōdēpned, by two general counsels as y ^e cronicles of that tyme reporteth. Thus these apostolyke fathers, most ernestly, & mooste assiduously wresteled, against the hateful enemyes of the euangelical and catholyke faythe. Wherfore, yf they hadde beleued, that the bodye [Page] and blode of Christe, had not byn really in the blessed sacrament, they wold not haue cōtended, and labored so vehemētly, to conuicte and to confute the con­trarye opynion. Neather wolde they in open synode, and generall consell, haue condempned it, for an horible he­resye. Wherefore it is then, very ma­nifest, that they beleued, the very reall presens of Christes body and bloode, in the sacrament.

The second veritie is, y ^e none of these fathers, neather any of the other catholyke wryters, eyther taught, eyther wryt, that the body and blode of Christ was not really in the sacrament, and y ^t we ought not, so to beleue, but paynly they wryte the contrarye, as shall ap­pere here after. ✿

Yf we well ponder, way, and con­sider, what carefull feare, and what assyduous dilygens they had towardes the pure readynge, and trew teachyng, of the flocke of Christ, commended vnto theyr charge by the holy goost, we shal soone perceaue that they wold not, ea­ther teache, eather wryhgt, that thynge whereby the flocke of Christe, shulde be led frome the pure and synceare faythe of Christes churche. For I suppose that there is no honest cristiane harte, y ^t can Iustely iudge thē, eyther necligēt w ^tout [Page] regarde, eyther remysse and voyde of care, but rather, mindeful of the great charge, very vigilant and circumspect what they taught, and howe they led the christiane flocke (whome Christe bought wyth his most precyous blod) Specially, for as moche as, Actuū. 20. they were not ygnorant, of the greate and mooste streyght accompte, that they shall geue and rendre for them, at the day of iud­gement. Wherefore, withoute doubte they, ryght prudently pondred and considered, what great danger, and ieoberdy it shuld be, chefely vnto theyr owne soules, and also vnto y ^e christian flocke yf by theyr peruerse preachynge or teachynge or by theyr wycked wrytyng, y ^e christen people shuld be broughte, into so great an error, as to beleaue that thyng, whiche is very false, and to fall (thereby) into so detestable blasphemy that they shulde worshype, and honor bread, in the steade of christe. But cer­taynly we maye be well asswered, that they wolde not preache, teache, neither wryte, anye other thynge, then they thought moost assuredly trew. For vn­doubtydly, these wise and moost circū ­spect fathers, had incōsideracyō, y ^t, yf they shuld haue taught y ^e people, y ^t they ought not to beleue, y ^e real very p̄sēs of y ^e body & blood of christ, in y ^e sacrament [Page] (syth that it is there in dede, Augustinꝰ in psal 88 Suscepit enim de ter [...]a terram quia caro de terra est & de carne, marie car nem acce­pit, et quia in ipsa car ne hic am­bulauit, et ipsam car nem nobis māducan­dā dedit. Nemo aūt illam car­nem man­ducat nisi prius ado cauerit, inuentum est quēadmo­dum adore tur tale scabellum pedum dn̄i: et nō [...]. verely and really, thē by thys theyr doctrine, they shuld haue led the people, not onely into an heresye, but also into y ^e syn of cōtēpt of goddes gyfte & worke, & into y ^e synne of excedyng great vnthankfulnes, in y ^t, they so lytle regarded, so noble a gyft, & y ^e specially, geuen of so magnificent & in cōparable lord god, & wolde not rather receiue y ^e same, w ^t al honor, worship, ad­miration, & thankes geuyng vnto God. And on the other side they consydered, y ^t yf they taught y ^e people, to beleue y ^t the bodye & blood of Christ, were in y ^e sacramēt verely & really, & yf it were vntrew & not so, then shulde the people haue benled, (by them) into the detestable cryme, & abhominable enormitie, of ydolatrie, in worshippynge y ^e creature of bread, in steade of Christ. Wherfore, it is vnmete (truely) & farre from christian charitie, to thinke, these most reuerēde & godly fathers, to be so rude, dul, & vncircūspect, that they coulde not se & perceyue, these great peryls to aryse, amonge the chri­stian flocke. And wold not, eyther with all cautele & wysedōe, deuyte & exchewe them, eyther wyth al policie industrie & celeritie withstande thē. Lest that these heresies & blasphemies, shuld, or myght be imputed, vnto theyr ouersyght or necgligens. But w ^tout doubt they were ful [Page] wel ware, what they eather taught, or wryt, lest any word, eather in theyr preachynges or teachinges, shuld escape thē, wherby y ^e rude people (prone & redy to suꝑstition & ydolatry) shuld take, any no­table occasiō, vnto so great an heresye. Moreouer, where the historie of our lordes supꝑ, was oftē tyme red in y ^e church opēly, y ^t which historie, is set forth by y ^e euāgelistes & by S. Paule, in wōderfull playn wordes, of y ^e real presens of Chri­stes body & blood, in y ^e sacramēt. It had ben very necessarye, for these lerned mē, to haue expoūded these wordes, in theyr trew sence, (yf they were not to be vnder stāded as they soūded & were spokē) lest y ^e vnlerned people, by occasiō of so plaī wordes, myght haue fallen, into mysbeleue, of this blessed sacramēt, & cōsequētly into abhominable ydolatrye. But certaynly, they neuer gaue other expositiō vnto y ^e text, (Thys is my body, as y ^e sa­cramētaries doth) but as a sentēs moost plain of it selfe, they vnderstode it, as it lay & was spokē. These fathers also, in theyr tyme, oftimes opēly celebrated, sacrificed & adored, worshipping y ^e very p̄ ­sens of Christes body & blood in y ^e sacramēt. And in this theyr facte and exam­ple they taught the people, to honoure Christ in the sacrament. Euen as saynt Augustine teacheth, vppon thys verse [Page] of the .lxxxviii. psalme. Adore and worshyp his foote stole, for it is holy. This I haue noted before in the margyn.

✿ Wauerynge or doubtful (sayth saint Augustyne) I conuert and turne vnto Christe, for hym I do seke. And here I fynde, howe wythout impietie or wyc­kydnes, hys foote stole is worshypped wyth godly honoure. For he toke earth of earth (for fleshe is but earth) and of the fleshe of Marye, he toke fleshe. And in the same fleshe, he was here cōuersāt, and gaue vs the same fleshe to eate, for our health. There is no mā, that eateth that fleshe, but wyll fyrste worshyppe it wyth godlye honoure. And thus is it founde and perceaued, howe the foote­stole of our Lord, is honoured with godlye honoure. And not onlye, we do not offende, in so honourynge it, but we do offende, yf we do not so honour it. Thus dyd, these mooste godly and deuout fa­thers, teache the people, where in they playnly signified and shewed, that they beleued, the reall presens of the blessed bodye and bloode of Christ in the sacrament. And it is not to be thought that they taught colorablye one thynge, and wryt another, neither can any mā read, in any of theyr monumentes or wrytin­ges, that they eyther taught or wryt the contrarye, of the catholike fayth, of the [Page] very reall presens of Christe in the sa­crament. But that they wryt moste ma­nyfestlye, for the same veritie, (as shall appere here folowynge. Then standeth this veritie, as an vnfained trueth, that none of al these aūcient wryters, eyther wryt, or taught, the contrarie of our ca­tholyke fayth.

The thyrde veritie is, that what so euer he be, that beleueth not, the reall & verye presens, of Christes body & blood, in the sacrament, that same pertay­neth not, vnto y ^e trewe church of Christ, but is, rather of the synagoge of sathā, and therfore in the state and peryll of dampnation, for he that retayneth not, the whole faythe catholyke of Christe, y ^e same is none, of the trew membres of Christes churche. And he that beleueth not thys artycle, retayneth not y ^e whole faythe of Christe, for he fayleth in this, and consequentlye, he beleueth none of the other, how can suche a one be the mē bre of Christes church. Whereof, yf he be not, vndoubtedlye the same is, in the peryll of dāpnation. Furthermore, who that beleueth not this artycle, beleueth not as y ^e churche hath, and doth beleue, syth the Apostles tyme, but he that beleuyth not as the churche doth, and hath belyued alwayes in thys artycle, that same pertayneth not to the churthe of [Page] Christ, and therfore can he not hope, of any saluation (for wythout the church there is no saluation) but hys parte is to be loked for amonge infideles and y­pocrites, excepte that he be reconcyled, vnto the churche vnfaynedlye, & do constantlye receaue, and retayne, the catholyke fayth. Yf any man wyll desyre to knowe howe that the church doth, and hath beleued, or what is the fayth, that the churche hath, and doth retayne, (as concernynge thys article) let this same vnderstande, that the fayth of the aun­cient church, is to be collected, of y ^e most auncient writers of eche tyme, from the apostles, vnto our tyme, who wryt (in maters of fayth) vndoubtedlye, accor­dynge vnto the catholyke fayth, of the churche, at theyr tyme. And all they wryt moost apertly, and mooste playn­lye with, and for this article, as it may appere here after. Thē hath the church beleued, and receyued thys article, syth Christes tyme. Thē who that receyueth not thys article, is separated and diui­ded from the church, & consequently (as I haue sayd) he is in ieoberdye, of per­petuall perdition and dampnation.

Yet (good christiane) here thou arte to be admonysshed & instructed (where by thou mayste wyth more facilitie, [Page] and ease, and wythout perplexitie, and doubte, perceaue and more redely vn­derstande, these auctorities and sayn­ges, of these auncient wryters,) y ^t thou shalte, fynde and reade, sondrye and dyuerse names, geuen vnto the blessed sa­crament, yet shall thou not suspecte, the vnifourme faythe, and opynyō, of these cathholyke fathers, to swerue, eyther frome them selfes, either from y ^e church For thoughe they name it dyuersly, yet they meane al one thynge The cause, of so many and sondrye names, and dystincte appellacyons, of thys blessed sacra­ment, is. That lyke (as saynt Dyonyse saythe) God hath many names, yet the great varyete of so manye names, can not suffycyentlye, expresse vnto vs, the infynyte profundite, of so greate a ma­iestye, power, wysdome, goodnes, beningnite and marcye, in lyke maner, the infynyte and ineffable ryches, of the de­uyne goodnes, and the mooste precyous treasure, of the innumerable graces, contayned and hydden, in thys blessed sacrament, can not be sufficyentlye ex­plycate, and layde forthe, vnto vs by one name, therfore these holy and bles­sed fathers (hauynge respect and consideratyon, vnto dyuerse and sondrye thynges in this sacramēt) they gaue it [Page] sondrye names. And not bycause, that they had dyuers beleffes, or any other, then the churche hath now, (as Ecolā ­padius falsly ascrybeth vnto them) and more falslye vnderstandynge them, he mooste falslye allegeth them, to mayn­tayne and ratifye, hys detestable & blasphemous heresye.

The sa­cramēt is called (ād cōtayneth in verye dede) the body and bloode. of oure lorde.✿ Thys blessed sacrament is verye oftymes (of the fathers) called, the bo­dye and bloode of our Lorde, and thys, haue not they inuēted, them selues, but bycause that it, verelye and really, con­tayneth, the bodye and blood of Christ. And thys they haue receyued, at the mouthe of Christe, whyche sayd of the sacrament. Thys is my bodye, and this is my bloode, and of saynt Paule who sayeth. Who that eateth and drynketh of that breade and cuppe vnworthelye. shalbe gyltye of the bodye and blood of our Lorde. And agayne. He that eateth and drynketh vnworthelye, eateth, and drynketh hys owne iugement, not put­tynge difference, or not decernynge, the lordes bodye. Thys sa­crament is named breade. 1. Cor. 10. et. 11. The blessed sacrament is named also, breade. Saynt Paule, in the fyrst epistle to the Corinthians so nameth it. Not bycause that it is anye materiall, or corporall breade. For so doth not he name it. Yf that he had na­med it bread, wyth thys addition, cor­poral [Page] or material, or any suche lyke, thē had he made somewhat, for y ^e sacramē ­taries. But saint Paule called it bread, as our sauiour Christ dyd cal hym self, whych sayd. I am the bread of lyfe. Ioh. 6. Al­so saynt Augustin, and the fathers also, do sometyme cal it bread, not y ^t, whych passeth thorowe the belye (as saynt Au­gustyne sayth) but the super substācyal, Ciprianꝰ. In sermone de cena Et sicut panis co­munio, quē quot­tidie edi­mus vita est corpo­ris ita pa­nis iste su­persubstā tialis vita est aīe et sanitas mentis. Cyprianꝰ in eodme the mysticall, or celestiall breade, suche additions the auncient wryters do oftē tymes vse. And saynt Cipriā sayth, that Christe doth call the sacrament, somty­me hys bodye, sometyme hys fleshe, and somtyme breade. Therfore dothe saynt Cyprian hym selfe, name it breade. And in so namynge it, both he, and S. Paul, wyth the other, do obserue, the maner of the scripture, whych, in suche muta­tions and chaūges of thynges, vseth to gyue, vnto the thynge (so changed) the former name. As for example. The rod of Aaron, whē it was cast on the groūd, & chaunged in to a serpent, the scripture calleth it a rod styl, as it was called, Exodi. 4. by fore the miraculous mutacyon. For the scripture sayth. The rod of Aaron de­uowted, the roddes of Pharoes inchāuters. In lyke phrase the wyne, y ^e Christ made of water, is called water, after y ^t it was made wyne, as we reade in y ^e gospell of saynt Iohn̄. After y ^t, Ioh. 2. y ^e master [Page] of the feaste had tasted, the water made or turned in to wyne. Lyke as the rodd whyche was changed in to a serpent, & yet was called a rod styll. And lyke as y ^e water, beyng changed (by miracle) in to wyne was called water. Euen so the blessed sacrament (where in, of breade is made the blessed bodye of oure sauy­our Christ) is called styl bread, though it be not now breade, but the very & re­all body of Christ. The blessed sacramēt is called also, a sygne or a sacramēt, of the body & blood of Christ. Not (as y ^e sacramētaries sayth) only, or but, a sygne of the body of Christ. For y ^e only a signe or but a sygne, they can neuer reade, neyther in y ^e scripture, neyther in any, of y ^e catholike wryters. Therfore, this only is a lye, of theyr owne, y ^e calleth y ^e holy sacramēt, only a sygne. Saynt Augustē (wyth many other) doth frequent & vse oft tyme, to name y ^e sacramēt, a sygne or sacrament. Yet they neuer name it, only a sygne. And vndoubtedly, it is a moost sacrate & blessed sacrament, y ^t is to say. A sygne or a token of an holy thynge. Thys blessed sacramēt (godly reader) hath too significations, or it signifieth vnto vs too thingꝭ. The one is, y ^e verye body & blod of our sauiour Christ which verely & really is cōtained ī y ^e sacramēt. For y ^e blessed dody & blood vnderneath y ^e [Page] kyndes of bread & wyne sinigfyeth and representyth vnto vs (by those two dy­stynct kyndes of breade & wyne) y ^e death & passiō of Christ, wher in, y ^e body, hong vpon the crosse wan & pale w ^tout blood, & the blood was (by crewell effusion) dyuided, from y ^e bodye of oure sauiour. The body and blood of Christ, vnder y ^e shape or kynde of bread, represēteth vnto vs, y ^e self same body, as it hong dead vpō the crosse, frō whō al y ^e p̄cius blood was seuered & diuided, by mortal payne & passion. And y ^e same body & blood, vnder y ^e kynd or shape of wyne, represēteth vnto vs, y ^e same very bloode, as it was diuyded & parted, out of the blessed bo­dye, in y ^e tyme of his passiō. Thus, this blessed body and bloode of Christ vnder the kynde & shape of breade & lyfted vp ouer the prestes hed (at y ^e masse) into y ^e ayre, calleth vs vnto remembrans, how Christ was lyfted vpon the crosse, and hong in the ayer, vntyll all hys bloode was spente. And the bloode & bodye of Christe, vnder the forme of wyne, lyf­ted vp (also at the masse) admonys­sheth vs to remember, the effusyon of the same bloode, vpon the crosse.

And thus verye lyuelye, it sygnyfyeth and representeth vnto vs in the sacry­fyce of the masse, the holy memoriall of the precious death & passiō of Christ. [Page] The other significacyon of the sacra­ment, is the mystical bodye of Chryste, that is to say, y ^e whole church of Christ For in the forme or shape of breade, is represented vnto vs, the vnion and con­iunction of al the menbres of Christ, vnto theyr hed Christ, and the vnyon and conexion of eche membre vnto other, in that mysticall bodye. For lyke as, of many granes of where ariseth one lofe and of many grapes, ysseweth one ly­quore of wyne, so of many distynct persons of Christen men and women resul­teth and cometh but one mystical body of Christe (as saynt Paule saythe) we many are but one bread and one bodye, 1. Cori. 10. in that we al be partakers of one breade This mystical bodye of Christe, is not onelye signified and represented vnto vs, in the blessed sacrament, (for so myght, any other prophane breade, be a sacrament or signe) and such a sacra­mēt was the shew bread, of the temple but also this blessed sacramēt (worthely receaued) doth effectually cause y ^e v­nion & kepeth that body, for it knytteth and kepeth to gether the lyuely mem­brers of Christe, and knytteth thē also. vnto the hed christ, and combynyng the members together with the hed, it ma­keth but one body of christ & his church Not only, spiritually (for y ^t dothe also [Page] fayth and charitie, wythout the receauynge of this sacrament) but also (by y ^e admirable power of God) it cōuerteth oute nature in to the naturall bodye of Christe, and so maketh vs, Ephe. 5. the mēbres of hys body (as saint Paule sayth) and of hys fleshe and of hys bones.

These are y ^e two sygnifycatyons of the blessed sacrament. The one (that is the reall body of Christ) is not onely signy­fyed, but is also contayned, in the sacrament. The other (that is the mystycall bodye of Christe) is not onely sygnified but is also (in maner) caused and con­tinuyd by the worthye receauynge of this holy sacrament. Thus is the bles­sed sacrament, a sygne or a sacrament, but yet, a great deale more worthier and a more excellent sacrament, then were any of the olde sacramentes, of the olde lawe, for they neyther contayned, ney­ther wrought, that thinge that they signyfied. August. de 17. ciuita­te dei. cap. 20. ✿ The fathers also hauinge re­spect vnto the thyng that is chestye sygnifyed, in the sacrament, whyche is the naturall bodye and bloode of Christe) they named y ^e sacramēt (as they myght ryght well) a sacrafice. This sa­cramēt is named, & is a sacri­fice. ✿ By cause it is, the onely sacryfice, that succeded in place, of al the figuratiue sacrifes (whiche were offered vp in figure & significaciō of this most ꝑfect sacrifice y ^t was offered [Page] vpon the crosse and redemed the worlde. And the very same now also is, the, busie, contynual and dailye sacrifice of the church. Ciprianꝰ 2. lib. epist. epistola. 3. ad Ceciliū ✿ Saynt Cipriane, in many places, (but specially in hys second boke of epistles) callyth it a sacrifice, whose wordes are those in the se­cond epistle ad Cecilium. ✿ The sacra­ment, of the sacrifyce of oure lord, was prefigured, in Melchisedech the preest, accordynge vnto the scripture, whyche sayth. Gene. 14. And Melchisedech brought forth bread and wyne, for he was the preiste of the hyest, and he blessed Abra­ham. And that he beareth y ^e figure of Christe, the holy goost declareth, in the Psalmes, by the persone of the father vnto y ^e son sayng. Be for lucifer I haue begotten the. Oure Lorde dyd swere and he repenteth not). Thou art a prest for euer, accordynge vnto the order of Melchisedech. The whyche order, commyth by the same offeryng. For hereof it procedeth, and comyth. By cause that Melchisedech (beyng the preeist of the hyest) offered bread, & wyne, & bycause y ^t he blessed Abraham. For who is more rather, or more aptly y ^e preeist of y ^e hyest then our lord Iesus Christ. The whych offered sacrifice vnto his father, & he offered y ^e same, y ^t Meschisedech dyd offer, y ^t is, bread & wyne (y ^t is to say) his body [Page] & bloode. I do omyt (of purpose) Crisostome & diuerse other, by cause I wold be breue. Collect now (diligēt reader) of these former thingꝭ, what we do honor & what we do offer, in this blessed sacramēt. Note what thynge we do honour and what it is that we do of­fer in the blessed sa­crament. We do not ꝓperly honour y ^e oute­warde aparens of y ^e sacramēt, which is y ^e forme & shape of bread, & wine, but we do honour y ^e thing couered & verely contained vnder y ^e formes & shapes of bread & wyne, which is none other, thē y ^e very & real body & blod of our sauiour christ We do not offer (at the masse) proprely those formes or shapes of bread & wyne as a sacrifice (for they are no sacrfyce neyther do we cal or name thē a sacry­fice) but we offer vp vnto God y ^e father (at y ^e masse) y ^e very blessed bodie & blod of our sauior christ (not crewelly sleyng him, for so he was offered but ones (but w ^t a lyuely & louely memorie of chirstes death & passiō, we p̄sent) in maner of an oblatyon, y ^e same very bodye & bloode (now impassible) geuynge thankes vn­to hym, for that inestymable and ineffable mercye, that he hathe shewed vnto vs mysers and synners, in reconsy­lynge vs (hys ennymyes) vnto hym selfe, by the deathe and passyon, of hys onelye sone Iesus Christe oure Lorde. And w ^t this bodie & blood of our sauior [Page] Christ (our hed) we offer vp also, vnto our father celestiall, the whoole bodye mystycall, of Christes churche, geuynge vnto hym thankes also, for the creatyō redemptyon; and iustificatyon hereof. Commyttynge it, vnto hys mooste godly and mercyful tuition, besekynge him that he vouchsafe, to pacifie, to kepe, to knyt to gether, and to gouerne & rule it thoroughout al the hoole world.

The sacrament is named Dynaxis.Saynt dyonyse the grecyan namyth thys sacrament synaxis that is, com­munyon, or cōmen pertakyng, by cause there is sygnifyed, & effectuously wroughte (by this blessed sacramēt) not on­lye, the vnyon and knot of Christes mē ­bres, vnto the hed Christ, but also there is sygnyfyed, and in verye dede there is (by it) a cōmen partakynge, of al gostly goodnes, whyche is in eche of the membres, or in the hoole. For as much as by the condigne and worthye receauynge, of thys blessed sacrament, we are made one with Christe, and incorporated vn­to hym, therfore by this coniunctiō and incorporatyon, we are made commen partakers (wyth the other membres) of the grace and goodnes, as well of the whole body, as of the hed Christe. And heare vnto agreyth, the artycle of oure fayth, where in, we saye, and be­leue, the communion of sayntes.

[Page]Trewly thys commen partakynhe, of the graces & gyftes of God, can not be better, or more effectuously exibyted, or geuen to vs, then by the receauynge of thys blessed sacrament, for by it, we be incorporated vnto Christe, from whom descendeth, and commeth, (as from the welhed) all grace and goodnes, in to e­uery membre, and that whyche is geuen vnto the membre, dothe not a vayle and profyt onelye that member, but it is for the profyt & helpe of al the, other mē bres. Therfore is this sacrament iustly called the commen partycipatyon, for as moch as, by it, the members are knit to y ^e hed, & eche vnto other wher by they all partake of y ^e hed, and eche of other.

✿ Of some of the fathers this sacra­mente is named, Eucharistia, The sacrament is called Eu­sharistia. whome Orygene agaynst Celsus, dothe expond The good grace, and playnly it may be called, the good grace, and that congruently, for as moche as, it dothe con­tayne in it selfe the plenitude and well of all grace (that is Christe) of whome Iohn̄ wyttneshethe. ✿ Full of grace and veritie, and of hys plentyfullnes we all haue receyued. ✿ Where (de­uout Bernard sayth) we do receaue not one grace, but we receaue all grace.

And some do interprete Eucharstia. Thankefulnes, or, geuynge thankes, [Page] and thys is not ilicōgruent. For ther is no thynge, that we haue a greater cause to geue thankes to God, then for thys oure daylye, and mooste necessarye cele­stiall foode. Neather can we geue vn­to God, more acceptable thankes, then by the frequent and of receyuynge of thys mooste blessed sacrament, the blessed memoryall of Christes deathe and passyon. The sacrament is called our Lordes foode or meate. But amonge al other) saynt Hyllary callyth it, the meate of oure lorde, or oure lordes foode, and playnly he affyrmeth, that we eate and receaue (in this our Lordes fode) the fleshe that is y ^e sempiternall worde of God, by the whyche meate, he collecte the, that we are made one wyth God the father, for by eatynge of this meate, we are (sayth he) incorporated, and made one wyth Christe, and Christe and the father be one, therfore we beynge (by this meat) made one, The sacrament is called our vytayll or waifaring meate. wyth Chryste, we must nedes be made one wyth the father. Saynt augustyne, in his second loke intituled (of the uisitacyon of the sicke) nameth it oure vitayll or wayfarynge meate, bycause, that this blessed vytayll, ge­ueth, incomparable strenghe, vnto vs trauelynge, in the tedious iornaye, of thys myserable lyfe, and helpeth vs, vnto a mooste perfeete and fortunable consummatyon, and end, of so werye a ior­nye. [Page] Wherefore this is, the consell of saynt Augustine. O my sone, refuse not to receaue, that heuenly supplement, of oure Lordes bodye, but rather, mooste gredely, and mooste ernestly speake for it, and eate it mooste faythfully for it is meate incomparable, meate inestable and it shalbe, to the, thy vyatycall or wayfarynge vytall, a meate mooste helthsome, the pryce of thy redempty­on, the monument or memorye of thy redemer. Hetherto appertayneth, The sacrament is called the banket or feast. that Ierome calleth y ^e blessed sacramēt the banket or feaste, for thus, wryttynge, to Hedibian he sayeth. Moyses gaue you not the verye or trewe breade from heauen, but our lorde Iesus. He is both the geaste and the feast, he eateth and is eatē. Thus saynt Ierome nameth thys mooste sacrate mysterye, in the whyche he playnly sheweth, that we do eate, the heauēly delicates, that is our very lord Iesus, and there can be no meate, more delitious, more pleasant, or more plen­tyful of suauitie and swetnes, thē this is. For yf Manna (the shadowe of this heauēly meate) had (in it) al delitious­nes and comprised (in it selfe) all ma­ner of suauitie & swetnes, howe muche more, hath the veritie it selfe (whych is the well [...]grace, and all goodnes) suꝑ aboundantlye, all maner of delectable [Page] swetnes. The sacrament is named the mysticall benedictiō ✿ Cyrill, (amonge the rest, of the names) peculiarly nameth it, y ^e my­stical benediction, or the spiritual bles­synge, bycause that Christe wyth his diuine benediction, at hys supper, iustitu­ted, the blessed sacrament. And therfore (also Paule) doth call it the cuppe of benediction Vpon the whych place of Paul, Crysostome wryting sayth. It is no lytle or smale thing, y ^e Paul nameth, it the benediction, for when I name. Benedictiō, I name the good grace (which is the sacrament) and in namynge that, I open all the treasure, of the benigni­tie and goodnes of God. And I also do remembre (wyth the cuppe) the great, & innumerable gyftes, and benefites, and what so euer, that we haue receyued, at the hande of God. ✿ It may ryght wel be called the spirituall blessynge. For vndoughtedlye, God almyghtye dothe blesse, y ^e worthy receyuers hereof, wyth all spirituall blessynge, that is, he replenysheth them, wyth inestimable gyftes of hys grace, and augmēteth the former vertues and graces, & wyl bringe them, at the length, vnto the blessynge of eternal lyfe. For thys is the blessynge, that Christe promysed (the whyche Manna could not bring, neather gyue the eaters therof.) For they that dyd eate thereof, dyed in deserte, but yf any eate of thys [Page] breade, he shall not dye for euer. Nowe (gentle reader) thou haste herde a parte of y ^e inestimable treasure of grace, that lyeth hydden, in thys blessed sacramēt, sygnifyed by these dyuers and sondrye names, that these auncient and holy fa­thers gaue, vnto this ineffable sacra­ment; Yet of the varietie and dyuersitie of y ^e names thou muste not iudge diuer­sitie of opinion, (as concerninge this sacrament) amonge them, but (as I haue sayd) they hauynge dyuers respectes, & considerations, gaue (accordynge, to theyr considerations) to thys blessed sacrament dyuers names. And thus they (meanynyge one thynge, and beleuyng vnyformely one thynge, in expressynge theyr fayth, in that one thynge) vsed dyuerse names. And certaynly that one thynge, that they beleued of this sacrament, was none other, then that the ca­tholyke fayth of the churche (whyche in theyr tyme and sythe) hathe and dothe yet beleue, that is, the reall presens, of the naturall boodye and bloode of Christe, in the blessed sacrament, as shall apere mooste euydently, by the te­stymonyes, of the sayd auctient and holy wryters, that I shall recyte here fo­loynge, to the numbre of .xxiiij. & he y ^e wryt lateast of them lyued not this .vi. C. yeare. These haue I broughte in, [Page] for wytnes wyth me, not by cause, that theyr were no me wryters, in all the o­ther tyme of these .vi. hundered yeare syth, but by cause, that I haue not seen theyr workes, and they are not (so com­menly) had, as these are, whose wor­kes I haue named, I lefte oute also all the wrytters that hathe bene in the church this .vi. hundred yere, bycause, that they be so well knowen and be so many of them, that I myghte be tedy­ous, to the reader, in recytynge onelye theyr names.

Ireneus.✿ Ireneus, in hys fyrst boke, that he wryteth agaynst heresies, sayeth.

When the chalice (wyth water & wyne myngled) and the breade broken, recea­ueth the worde of God, it is made the blessed sacrament, of the bodye & blood of Christe. Of the whych, the substance of our fleshe, encreaseth, and consisteth. Howe can they, then denye, y ^t the fleshe is partaker of the gyfte of God (which is euerlastinge lyfe) syth that it is noryshed, wyth the blood and body of Christ and is made, the member of the same, as the apostle sayth, in the epistle vnto the Ephesians. For we be members of hys body, and of hys fleshe, and bones. Not speakynge these thinges, of the spiritu all and inuisible man. For the spirite hath, neather fleshe, neather bones, but [Page] speakynge of the connection and dispo­sition of the naturall bodye, the whiche consysteth of fleshe & bones, the whiche naturall disposition of y ^e body, is fedde and encreased, with the cuppe, whiche is his blood, and with the bread whych is his body, ✿ There can be, no playned wordes spoken, for the veritie of the reall presens of Christe, in the blessed sacrament.

✿ Ignatius, Ignatius. In episto. ad Roma. that glorious martir the disciple of saynt Iohn̄ Euangelist and the thyrd byshop of Antioche after saynt Peter, In episto. ad Ephe. in hys epistle that he wry­teth vnto y ^e Romaynes hath these moste deuoute wordes. I wyll not eate (sayth he) corruptible meate. I desyre not the voluptuousnes of thys worlde. But I desyre the breade of God, the breade ce­lestiall, the bread of lyfe, whiche is the fleshe of Iesu Christ, the sonne of the lyuyng God (the which was borne of the seede of Dauid and Abraham in the latter tyme) & I desyre the drynke, which is his blood. Therfore he exhorteth the Ephesiās in thys wyse. Make you hast (sayeth he) to approche oft tyme vnto the sacrament of the Aulter, the glorye of God. For when that, is ofte frequen­ted then are the powers of sathan expelled. And in the ende of the same epistle. Breakynge the breade, the which is the [Page] medicine of immortalitie, the tryacle, not of dyenge, but of the lyuynge in god by Iesu Christ. These are wordes plain ynough to perceaue what beleue he had of the blessed sacrament.

✿ Tertullian in hys boke, intituled (de Resurrectione carnis) wryteth, in thys maner. Tertullianus. Nowe let vs see, and be­holde, the forme and bewtie of a christē man, what, and how great prerogatiue hath, this, our frayle and fylthye fleshe wyth God. Although that thys, were dignitie ynoughe, there can no soule at all, attayne helth or saluation, excepte that (whyles y ^t it is, in fleshe) it beleue, or receaue the fayth. The fleshe is so necessarye thynge of our saluation.

When the soule of the fleshe, is knyt to God, it is y ^e fleshe that maketh, that y ^e soule, maye be so knytte. For the fleshe is washed, that the soule maye be puri­fyed. The fleshe is anoynted, that the soule myght be consecrated. The fleshe is signed, that the soule might be strengthed. The fleshe is shadowed with laing on of handes, that the soule myght be illumined with the holy goost. The fleshe eareth, the bodye and bloode of Christ, that the soule myght be fedde, with god

✿ Here we may ryght wel perceaue, the belefe of Tertullian, of thys sacra­ment, whych confesseth opēly here, that [Page] the fleshe doth eate the bodye and blood of Christe, and not the fygure of the bo­dye and bloode. And bycause that, saint Cyprian was so diligēt a reader, of Tertuliā, I shall place hym, Ciprianꝰ lib 2. epi­stola. 3. next vnto Ter­tullian. ✿ That blessed martyr saint Ciprian, wrytyng vnto Cecilium in hys seconde boke the thyrde epystle sayeth.

That the blessyng of Abrahā, (by Mel­chisedech the preest) might by dewly celebrated, the fygure of y ^e sacrifice, went before, in breade and wyne. The which thynge, our lorde, accomplyshynge and fulfyllynge, offered breade, & the cuppe (myxt with wyne) and he, that was the fulnes, hath fulfylled the fygure prefygured. Behold, there went afore in Melchesedech, the fygure of the sacryfice of breade and wyne, but Christe (whych is the plenitude it selfe) fulfylled the ve­ritie, of the fygure prefigured, namelye in the supper. And after, he sayth also, De cena domini. vpō y ^e lordes supper. ✿ Our lord Christ (whose bodye we do touche) is breade That thys breade, myght be gyuen vn­to vs, we praye daylye, lest we that are in christe, and receaue the sacrament of the aulter dayly, as the meat of our saluation, (by meane of any great offence) abstaynynge, beynge forbydden, from the hauenly breade, we shulde be separated in dede, from the body of Christe, he [Page] preachynge and mouyshynge vs. I am the breade of lyfe, that cam frō heauen, yf any eate of thys bread, the same shal lyue euer. The breade that I wyl gyue, it is my fleshe, for the lyfe of the world. Therfore when he sayeth, that he shall lyue for euer, yf he eate of hys breade, it is manyfest and playne, that they shall lyue, whyche toucheth hys bodye, and receaueth the sacramēt of the Aul­ter, after the maner of cōmunion.

Origenes comes [...]elsum.✿ Origene wytnesseth (wrytynge a­gainst Celsus) & saith. Let Celsus (igno­raunt of God) gyue thākes vnto beuels But we thāke, the creator of al thinges for the benefites y ^t he hath gyuen to vs. When we (geuynge thankes) do eate y ^e breade, the which bread (by oration, supplication and prayers) is made a more holyer bodye, the whyche body also ve­rely maketh vs, more holy, y ^e receaueth the same, with a whole & pure herte.

Origenes suꝑ Nu­meros vt supra.✿ And in the seuenth homilie (vpon the boke of Numbres) he more playnly wryteth, and sayeth. Those thynges which before tyme were done in figure, nowe are they accomplyshed in the veritie and in dede. Before baptisme was in the see and in the cloude, but now the generation is in very dede, in water and in the holy goost. Then was Manna the meate, as in the fygure, but nowe the [Page] fleshe of the worde of God is in dede is very meate, as he hym selfe sayeth. My fleshe is very meate, and my blood is very drinke. By these his wordes we may perceaue that the Iewes had y ^e fygure, but we christiās haue now the thynge it selfe, that is, the very bodye and blood, in very dede,

✿ Iuuēcus also (in hys verses) sayeth. As sone as he, had spoken, Inuencus in carminibus. he (wyth hys owne handes) brake the bread, and geuynge thankes, he taught and tolde, his disciples, that he gaue his owne proper bodye. And then he toke the cuppe, replete wyth wyne, he sanctifyed it (geuynge thankes) and gaue it, and taught them also, y ^t he had deuided vnto them. hys precious bloode, and sayd. Thys bloode shall remytte, the synne of y ^e people. Drynke it, and beleue nowe these trewe and vnfayned wordes.

✿ Hyllary (whome saynt Ierome calleth the trompe of the latyn tonge a­gaynst the Arrians) agreyth fully with this catholike veritie, Hyllarius in lib. 8. de Trinitate. and sayth (in the eyght boke of the Trinitie.) We maye not speake, or cōmon in the matters of God, after the manlyke or worldly ma­ner. Neather ought there, peruersitie eather vnhoneste preachyng to be extorted by violence (vnto a wycked and vn­godly intelligence or vnderstandynge) [Page] out of the helthesome, & celestiall saynges, let vs reade the scriptures, but let vs vnderstande, those that we reade.

Then shal we do, the offyce of a perfect christiane. For, as concernynge the na­turall veritie of Christe in vs, the thing y ^t we hereof do lerne, excepte we learne of hym, we, both folyshely and wyckedly, do learne. For he hym selfe saythe.

My fleshe verely is meat, and my blood is verely drinke, & he y ^t eateth my flesh & drynkyth my blood, dwelleth in me and I in hym. As cōcernyng then the verite of the fleshe and bloode of Christe, there is no place lefte, to doubte at. For nowe, bothe by the wordes of oure lord hym selfe, and also by oure faythe, it is very fleshe and bloode. And these (receaued, and dronken dothe cause, that we be in Christ, and that Christe is, in vs.

✿ What can be more euidently and manyfestly spoken, then these wordes. ✿ Saynt Basyll (who not onelye, Basilius in regulis monacho­tum. lede hym selfe, a monastical and Godly lyfe but also he taught a certayne trade of suche sorte of lyfe) in that boke where he entreateth, of the [...]ules of mo­nastycall lyfe, he is demaunded of hys brethrē. Wyth what maner of feare, fayth, & affectyon, the grace of the body and bloode of Christe, ought to be receaued. Verey (sayth he) the apostle saynt [Page] Paule teacheth vs, wyth what feare, saynge. He that eateth and drynketh vnworthely, he eatheth and drynketh his owne iudgement, or condempnacyon, not puttyng dyfferens betwene y ^e body of oure lorde and other cōmon meates. But y ^e wordes of our sauiour Christ teacheth vs fayth, whyche sayth. Thys is my bodye the whych is geuen for many do thys in y ^e remembrans of me.

✿ Thys is the fayth that faynt Basyll wolde that hys brethren shulde retayne as concernyng the blessed sacrament.

✿Gregory Nysene, the brother of saynt Basyll, who (for his excellente learnynge and Godlynes) was called the deuine, Intreatynge the lyfe moy­saycall, mystically, or spiritually, he geueth consel, that we shuld receaue (with a pure and cleane mynde) the celestyall breade, whome (sayth he) no sowynge nor tyllage, hath brought, forthe, but it is breade, whych is prepared, for vs, w ^t ­oute tyllage, and wythout any helpe of man. Thys is founde flowynge, frō a­boue vpō the earth. For y ^e bread y ^t came from heuen, (the which is very meate) whyche is fygured also by thys hystore of Manna, is no spirituall or vncorporall thyng. For how can, an vncorporall thynge be come meate? and the thynge, whyche is not vncorporall muste nedes [Page] he a very body. And surely the breade of hys bodye, neyther plowynge, neyther tyllyng, nether housbandmanes worke hath brought this forth. But an earthe remainyng vndefyled, & yet was y ^e earthful, of this bread, w ^t the which y ^e hūgry, (y ^t knoweth y ^e misteriꝰ birth of a dgin) maye sone be satysfyed. ✿ These wor­des of thys dyuine doctor, were playn­ly ment, of y ^e sacramēt, as it may appere in y ^e ꝓcesse of y ^e same, y ^t he ther entreated

Ambrosiꝰ in primam Pauli E­p stola ad Corinthi­os.✿ Saynt Ambrose, wrytynge vpō y ^e fyrst epystle of saint Paul vnto y ^e Corinthyans the .xi. chapitre, saythe. For bycause that we are redemed w ^t the death of our lorde, wee beare in remēbrans y ^e same thyng, in eatyng & drynkinge, the fleshe & blood, y ^e whych he offered vp for vs: And we do singnifie y ^e death of oure lord Christ, in these thynges, obtayning now y ^e new testamēt, (the which is the new law; y ^t brīgeth vnto heuē, euery one y ^t cruely is obedient to it, Here apertely saynt Ambrose affirmyth y ^e verytie of y ^e body & blood of Christ in the blessed sacramēt & sayth y ^t we do eate & drynke y ^e fleshe & blood of christ. And in many o­ther places, he writeth as openly, as he doth here, Ieronimꝰ in epistolā Pauli ad Titum. & specially in his boke of the sacramētes ✿ Also S. Ierom, in his cō mētareis vpō y ^e epistle, at Titū, shewīg y ^e vertues, y ^t belōgeth vnto a byshoppe, sayth in this maner. Yf it be cōmaūded [Page] vnto y ^e laymen, y ^t they abstaine frō theyr wylies, for praiers sake, what shuld we suppose, of y ^e byshop, which for his own synnes, & for y ^e synnes of y ^e people, must offer vnto God, vndefyled hoostes, let vs reade y ^e bokes of y ^e kyngꝭ, & we shall fynde, y ^e abymelech, ther wold not geue vnto Dauid, & hys seruaūtes, y ^t shewe breade, before y ^t he had knowē, whether they were cleane, frō womēs cōpany, or no. Not of harlotes, but of their one wiues. And vntyl, y ^t he had knowē certainly, y ^t they had abstayned frō y ^e marytall copulation, he wolde not graūt thē the bread, which he denied thē before. Ther is as moch dyfferens, betwene the shew bread of y ^e tēple, & the body of christe, as is, betwene y ^e shadow & y ^e bodye, y ^e yma­ge & the veritie, y ^e exāples or figures (of y ^e thingꝭ to come) & y ^e thingꝭ, whiche by these exāples were prefigured. And as for mekenes, paciēs sobryetie, softenes, abstynens frome monye, hospitalitie, & also benignitie, shulde chefely be in a byshop, and shulde excell in hym, aboue all the laytie. Euen so, pure chastitie, & (as I myght saye) a preestly shamefa­stnes, shuld be in hī. That he shuld, not only abstaine hī self, frō y ^e vncleane dede but also his mīde (which shal cōsecrat y ^e body of christ) shuld be fre, frō y ^e casting of his eye, & error of euyl cogitacion.

This testimonye of saynt Ierome is so [Page] playne that it neadeth no monytyon. Crisosto­mus in homilia de Iude tradi [...]ione.

✿ Crysostome wryteth in thys sort, in the homelie of the treason of Iudas. Speake Iudas (sayth he) whome dyd­dest thou sel for thyrty pences. Thys is the bloode, of whome thou dyddest bargayne. euen nowe wyth the pharisees. O the mercye of Christe, O the madnes of Iudas. He was at a poynt to sel him for thyrty pences, and Christ offered vnto him, the bodye (whych he had solde) that he moght haue remission of synnes And after a fewe wordes, Crisostome sayth agayne. And nowe is he here pre­sent, that adorned that table, and the same dothe also, consecrate this table. For it is not man, that of the thynges set before the, on the consecrate table of God, maketh the bodye and the bloode of Christe, but he whych was crucifyed for vs, Christe. The wordes are spoken by the mouthe of the preest and the thinges set forth before vs, are consecrated, by the grace of the power of God. This is (sayeth he) my bodye. And lyke, as y ^e voyce, the whyche sayde (encrease and multiplye) spoken ones, & yet it taketh effecte, at al tymes in generation, where nature is workyng. Euen so, thys voice Thys is my bodye, was ones spoken, & yet, at al tables or aulters of y ^e churche of Christ, vnto thys daye (and shal vnto Christes commynge) geue, vnto thys sacrifice, [Page] strength. ✿ These wordes of Crisostome are to playne, to be detorted or wreasted, frō theyr true meanīg, which is that when the wordes of Christe, are duelye spoken by the preest at masse, thē are the breade and wyne consecrated & made the very bodye & blood of Christe by the secret myght & power of god & so is Christes body & blood really, in y ^e sa­crament. ✿ Saynt Augustine, Augustinꝰ ad Cresconicū gra­mancum. thought that he hath, innumerable, playne & euident testimonies, for this veritie, yet, a­monge many, I wyll recyte one or two. Fyrst he sayth in his fyrst boke (ad cres­conicū gramaticū (what shall we saye, of the very bodye & bloode of our lorde, the onely sacrifice for oure helth. For though that he hym selfe sayth. Except that a man eate my fleshe, & drynke my bloode, he shall haue no lyfe in him. Yet dothe not the apostle Paule also, teach, that the same is pernitious and dedly, vnto suche as misuseth it. For the apo­stle Paule sayth. Whosoeuer eateth y ^e breade, and drynketh of that cuppe of our lorde vnworthely, he shalbe gyltye, of the bodye and bloode of our Lorde.

Agayne, saynt Augustine (ad Iulianum comitē) wryteth these wordes. The mercye of our lord Iesu Christe, delyuer vs from these thynges. And he graunte or gyue vnto vs him selfe to be eatē, which [Page] sayde. I am the lyuely breade, whych came from heauen. And he that eatythe my fleshe, and drynketh my blood, hath eternall lyfe in him selfe. But let euerye man examyne hym selfe (accordyng vn­to the precept of the apostle) before that he receaue the bodye and bloode of our lorde Iesus Christe & so let hym eate of that bread, & drinke of y ^e cuppe. For he that eatith the body & blood of our lord vnworthelye, he eateth and drynketh it, vnto his owne iudgement, makynge no differens, of the bodye of our lorde.

For when we shall receaue hym, we ought to haue recourse vnto confession, and penans, and to dyscusse curiously, all oure actes, and yf we perceaue mor­tall synnes in vs, we ought speadely to make haste to washe them a waye, by cō fession and penans, lest we (lyke Iudas that traytor hyding the deuyll w ^t in vs, do perishe. ✿ These are the wordꝭ of S. Augustyne. The which shewith verye playnely, Cyrillus in Iohēz. what beleue he had, as cōcer­nyng y ^e blessed sacramēt. ✿ Cyrill the patriarche of Alexandria, vpō y ^e syxt of Iohn̄, wryteth very playnly for this veritie. Whose wordꝭ are these. They can not be ꝑtakers (in holynes) of y ^e lyfe et̄ ­nal, which hath not receyued Iesus, by the mistical benediction. And againe he sayth. Christ is not w ^t his worde onely, [Page] but also w ^t his touching, he araiseth vp the deade, that he myght shew & declare that his body coulde also, rayse vp the deade. Yf then by onely towchynge, the corrupte are restored & the dead araysed How shuld not we lyue, or receaue lyfe, which doth taste, & eate, his fleshe. For playnly he wyll reforme, vnto hys im­mortalytie, suche, as be the ꝑtakers of hym, and after a few wordes he sayth. For it must nedes come to passe, that not onely, the soule of man (by y ^e holy goost shuld assend vnto blessed lyfe) but also y ^t this rude & terrenal body) by lyke tast & touchīg, of lyke meate (as it is it self) sholde be brought, vnto immortalytie. Damascene in hys .iiii. boke, of the ca­tholike fayth in the .xiiii. Damasce­nus lib. 4. cap. 14. chapter sayth these wordes. As cōcernyng the veritye of y ^e body & bloode of Christe, in y ^e sacrament. That body verely, is ioyned vnto the diuinitie, the which body he toke of y ^e immaculate virgine. And not y ^t the body assumpted, shold come downe from heauen. But that the breade and wyne, are trāsmuted and changed, into the body & blod of god. Thou wylt aske y ^e maner howe that maye be? let it suffyce y ^e to heare, how that by the holy ghoste, in a mooste Godlye vyrgyne he, (by hym selfe and in hym selfe) recea­ued fleshe, and wee can saye no more, [Page] but that, the worde of God, is trew, ef­fectuous, and omnipotent, but the ma­ner howe it is. That is intractable or vnsearcheable. Neyther can thys be re­dely tolde, how breade (by eatyng) and wyne and water (by drinking) are chaū ged naturally, into the natural body of the eater and drynker, and not into a nother body, but into the very same bodye that the eater or drynker had before.

Euen so, the purposed breade, wyne and water (by inuocation and commyng of the holy goost) are chaunged supernaturally, into the body and blood of Christ and there are not two bodyes but onely one, and the very same.

Iohēs Cassianꝰ collatione [...]2. capi. 12✿Iohn̄ Casiane, hath these wordes in the .xxii. collation the .xii. chapiter. Wyth so greate dilygens of humylytie we ought to kepe our hart, y ^t we kepe al waie this one thing stable & cōstantly in oure remembrans. That we cannot at­tayne, to so greate puritie and cleanes, al though that by y ^e great gyft of God, we do al these thynges, that I haue spoken of before. Yet let vs Iudge our sel­ues, moche vnworthy, to cōmunicate or receaue, that holye & sacrate bodye. For fyrst, the maiestye of that heuēly Manna, is so great, that no man (compassed abought with this claye and fleshe) can worthely, and condyngly, receaue that [Page] meat, but onely of the mere and benefycyall gyft of Godes grace. Here in these wordes Cassian confesseth, the maiestie of the celestiall Manna, and the veryte of the bodye of Christe, whome no man can receyue worthely, Athanasi. ad primā Pauli ad Corin. but onely he that thynketh hym selfe vnworthy.

✿Athanasius vpō the fyrst epistle vnto the Corinthians, confyrmeth the veritye of the reall presens of Christes bodie and bloode in the sacrament.

For we (sayth he) hauyng that cuppe in our handes, we geue thankes (without doubte) vnto hym, that shed his bloode for vs, and haue uoutchsaf to indew vs wyth ineffable gyftes. He sayd not onelye, y ^t it is the partakyng, but rather y ^e communion, bycause he wolde expresse some greater thyng. That is the won­derful very nye coniūction, And this is the sence of that whych he spake. Thys same blood, whyche is contayned in the cuppe, is the same, that floued oute, of the syde of Christ, and (when we receaue it) we do partake it. y ^t is to say, we be cō nexed, and knyt vnto Christ. And the breade that we breake, is it not the communion of the bodye of Christe? That bodye, whych our lorde dyd not suffer, to be broken vpon the crosse, (for there was no bone broken of him) that same (for oure sake) he suffereth nowe to be [Page] brokē. Athanasius in these wordes ma­nyfestly sheweth y ^t the blessed sacramēt brokē for vs, is the same bodye y ^t honge on the crosse & had no bone brokē therof. ✿ Cassiodorus sayth vpō this text, Cassiodo­rus ī psal­mum. 110. of y ^e psalme. Thou art a preest for euer accordyng to y ^e order of melchisedech. Thys thyng (sayth he) doth the ꝓphete tell, y ^t the father hath ꝓmised to his sōne. For vnto whom, can this be truely & plainly applyed, sauyng only vnto our Lorde & sauiour. The whych, moste helthsomly hath cōsecrated, hys bodye & bloode in the gyfte or erogation of breade & wyne Euen as he, in the gospel, sayth. Except that you eate, the fleshe of the sonne of man, & drynke his blood, ye can haue no lyfe in you. But in thys fleshe and in thys bloode, lette not mannes mynde ymagyne, any thynge crewell or cor­ruptible. Leste, as the apostle saythe, he that eateth the body of our Lorde, vnworthely, he eateth & drinketh it to his iudgement. But let the mynde of man thynke, ymagyne, & vnderstād the same substance, that gyueth lyfe, and helthe. That same (I saye) whych is made the verye body & ꝓpre substāce, of the word eternall, by the whyche both, remission of synne, and the gyfte, of eternall lyfe, are gyuē. ✿ Thys blessed father Cassio­dor sayth y ^t we shuld not thynke or ymagyne, [Page] in the sacrament, to beholde & see, the cruel or mortall bloode or bodye, in theyr owne shape & fashion, but we must vnderstāde (sayth he) the helthsome substance, that gyueth lyfe, & the substance whych is Christes substāce, the whyche gyueth lyfe, remission of synnes, & eter­nal lyfe. ✿It can not be the substāce of bread, y ^t can gyue remission of synnes.

But y ^e substāce of Christe, Fulgentiꝰ ad Monimum. y ^t dyed for the synnes of y ^e world. ✿Fulgētius answeryng vnto a question (as concernyng the sacrifice of y ^e bodye & bloode of Christe) y ^t one Monimus (a frende of his) demaū ded, whether it were offered onely to the father, or no. Vnto hym thus he sayd (amonge muche more matter.) Thys same (I saye) spiritual edification, can not be asked better, or more oportunely, thē whē in the sacrament, of the breade, & cuppe, the very body & blood of Christ, is offered vp of his bodye, the churche. For the cuppe y ^t we drynke of, it is y ^e cō ­munion of Christes bloode, & the breade y ^t we breake, it is the cōmunion of Chri­stes bodye. ✿Here expressely sayth Fulgentius y ^t the body & blood of Christe is offered, in y ^e sacramēt. ✿ S. Gregory, Gregoriꝰ primo dea logorū, lib capi. 58. in hys fyrst boke of hys dialoges, y ^e .lviii. chap. wryteth in this sort. We ought, w ^t al our hert, to cōtēpne this p̄sent world, for bycause we may ꝑceaue, y ^t it wasteth [Page] and to offer dayly vnto God. sacrifices of teares, and to offer dayly, hoostes of hys fleshe and blood. For thys is the sin guler and speciall oblation, that saueth the soule, frō death eternal. The which oblatiō, representeth vnto vs, (in a my­sterye) the death, of the onely begotten sonne of God. For though he (rysynge from death) dyeth nomore, and death hath no more, dominion ouer hym, & is immortaly, and vncorruptibly lyuynge in hym selfe. Yet in the mystery, of that holy sacrifice, he is offred vp for vs, for there is hys body receaued, there is, his fleshe diuided, for the helth of y ^e people, there hys bloode, is distributed, & pow­red (not into the handes of infydells) but into the mouthe, of the faythefull. ✿ Se deuout reader howe expressly he sheweth that Christe (remaynynge im­mortall and impassible in him selfe) yet he is, in the blessed sacrament really, receaued of the faythful.

Cedulius presbiter in carmini bus.✿ Sedulyus the preeste, in hys verses (of the deuyne maruayles) saith.

Our lorde (sayth he) geuynge bread vnto Iudas, dyd knowe afore hande, hys dysceatful mynd, & bewrayed his treason, by geuynge hym bread, which lorde was the breade hym selfe, after that he had stablyshed, y ^t two gyftes of his bo­dy & blod, he gaue there, vnto his dyscyples, [Page] the meat and drynke, whereby the faythful and cleane soules, Beda in Lucam lib. 6. shuld neuer thurst ether hunger hereafter.

✿ Beda, in his syxt boke vpō S. Luke writeth thus, where it shuld moue any, wyth doubth, for asmoche, as Christe gaue, hys body and blood vnto his dis­cyples, when they had supped, why we shulde be taught, (by the costome of the vniuersall churche) to receaue the same sacrament, fastynge. Let the same per­ceaue, in few wordes. The appostles (therfore) dyd receaue it, whē they had supped, for it was necessary, the figuratyue passeouer to take an ende, & to be consumed, & so to approche vnto the sa­crament, of the veritie, of y ^e trew passe­ouer. It hathe pleased the maysters of the churche, in the honour of so great & terrible a sacramēt, y ^t we, shuld fyrst be strengthed, w ^t the partitipacion of oure lordes passion. & bothe inwardely and outwardely, to be sāctified w ^t the goostly & spirituall meates, and thē the hun­grie body, to be refreshed w ^t the vyle & earthely meates.

✿ Haymo also vpō the epistle to the Corinthiās wryteth in this sort. H [...]ymo in Paulum Hic virit ciriter an­num dn̄i 832. As y ^e fleshe of Christe (the which he receaued in y ^e wombe virginyall) is his very bo­dy (slayne for our saluacyon) euenso, y ^e breade, whych Christ gaue vnto his disciples, [Page] & to al that be elected to the euerlasting lyfe, the which also, the preestes dayly do cōsecrate in y ^e church, by y ^e mi­ghte & power of the diuinitie (the which diuinitie repleteth the same breade) is the very body of Christ. Neither are the body y ^t he toke in y ^e wōbe virginial, and this bread, two bodyes, but they make, but one very body of Christ. In so much that when it is broken and eaten, thē is Christ offered a sacrifice, & eatē & yet he remayneth whole, & alyue. And lyke as the bodye (put vpon the crosse) was offered vp, for our redēption, euen so dayly for our helth, is offered vp thys breade, y ^e which (though it seme bread) yet is it not bread, but y ^e body of Christ. For our lorde & redemer (helpinge our frayltie) bycause he knewe, how frayle we are toward synne (he hath gyuē vnto vs, thys sacramēt, that) where he can not suffer death dayly (& we dayly do offende) we myght haue, a very true sacrifice, wherby we might haue expiaciō, & be purged And therfore, bycause y ^e same (whyche was offered on the crosse) & thys in the sacramēt, make but one body, & are offe­red vp for our redēptiō, he sayd. This is my body, y ^t shalbe gyuen for you. These wordes of Haymo, are so plaine, y ^t anye mā may right sone perceaue, what thys blessed father, beleued of this blessed sa­cramēt, [Page] whose auctoritie, is not to be suspected, syth it is .vii, hūdreth yere ago­ne, syth he wryte. And yet syth his tyme there hath also many (both godly & ex­cellēt learned mē) writen. As Theodore the gretian, y ^e scole maister of bede. Alcuinus, scole maister to Charles y ^e great S. Bernard, Rupert, Hugh desctō Vic­tore w ^t a great nūbre mo, whō to name it can not greatly ꝓfyt, the vnlearned reader (for whom I haue ꝑpared specially this homely thinges. Therfore, I haue thought these, a sufficient testimonie, to declare the fayth, of the holye churche of Christ fro .vii.c. yeres agone and vp­warde vntyl the apostles tyme. And as for al the tyme, syth the yere of our lord viii.c.xxxii. vntyll these our dayes, no­mā doughtyth (no not our aduersaries) but y ^t the church, moste cōstātly hath re­tayned & defended the fayth & beleue of the reall presens of the blessed bodye & blood of Christe in the holy sacrament, and hath alwaye condempned the con­trary as an heresye horrible. I thought it therfore neather necessarie neather ꝓ­fytable to be to prolixe in cytynge or al­legynge any auctours of so late yeares. For by these few (amonge a great num­bre) moste godly & catholyke fathers, a­ny honest harte (y ^t is not more desyrous [Page] of cōtention, then of the treuth) may be satisfied, as touchynge the faythe, that the churche hath retayned, in theyr ty­mes. And he that is not satisfyed wyth these, that same, wyll not be satisfyed, yf I had recyted, ten tymes so manye mo, yea scantly, wolde the testimony of scripture, satisfye suche one, but that he wolde, eather gyue it hys owne glose, eather denye it to be scripture, as the ꝓ­pertie is of all heretykes.

Cyprianꝰ sermone 5. de lapsis quedā re­fert que et nouerat ipse. Ambrosiꝰ in funebri sermone ꝓft̄e sa [...]yrot Item Gregorius intertio dia­logorum. Augusti. in .22. lib. de ciuitate dei capite. Beda in histo a gē tis A glo­rum.I myght, in thys place, bringe in, for the corroboration and confirmation, of thys our fayth, y ^e myracles, wherwyth, the speciall goodnes of God, hathe sta­blyshed and confirmed, thys out fayth, in the hartes of many deuout and fayth full christians. The whych myracles, are not fayned of late yeares, but were wrytten, many hundred yeares agone, & that by classicall and auncient wryters But I can not, within the compasse of a sermō, comprise without tediousnes, so muche matter. Suche myraculous workes can not iustlye be thought, lyes fayned by men, eather illusions of the deuell. For as muche, as the auctours that reporteth them, are of so great an­tiquite, godlynesse and of so exacte iugement. The auctours are these. ✿ Saint Cypriane, saynt Ambrose, saynt Augu­styne, saint Gregorie, & venerable Beda [Page] Eusebiꝰ in the syxt boke of the ecclesia­stical hystorie. Certaynly in suche myracles (as at reported by these auctors (w ^t many moo) God hath sygnyfyed vnto vs, howe, thys oure faith, of the blessed sacrament, hath pleased hym. Where y ^e sacramentaries hathe, not one to shewe for them selues to corroborat, their new fashyoned fayth. Excepte they take it for a miracle, (as they, and we also may mooste certaynly) that suche obstinate blasphemars and horryble herytykes hath eskapyd so longe, the greate ven­geans of God. The which maye ryghte well be ascribed vnto the ineffable mer­cie of the dyuine benignite, whyche, Roma. 1. wyth thys longe pacyens, prouoketh them vnto repentans. I iuge it no lesse myracle also, that God hathe suffered them, to be so farre diuided, a monge them selues, suche as seketh and rea­cheth, a newe & a strange way of beleue, and saluacion, 1 Pet. 1. Quando expectabāt dei patientiam in diebus Noc cum fabri­caret (ur) arca ī qua pau­ci. 1. octo ale salue facte sunt Quod et vos nunc similis forme saluos facit bap­tisma. other then the church of Christe, hathe receaued of Christe, and retayned alwaye, and buildeth to them selues a nother babilon, forsakyng, de­ridynge, and contempnyng the shyp, of the catholike church, whome God hath ordened to preferue vs frome the greate stood of perdicyon. For lyke as al­myghtie God (in tyme paste) dyd myraculously and iustly diuide the tonges & [Page] languages of the proude and presūptu­ous Babellonians, Euen so hathe God diuided these sacramentaries, that ther are (almoost) as manye beleues, as ther be preachers or teacheres. There is no maner of agrement (in maner) amonge them, sauinge onely, that, as Sampsō tayed the foxes to gether by the tayles to dystroye the corne, euen so are these vulpyne and craftye herytikes tayd to gether, to one end & purpose, that is, y ^e distructyon, and subuersyon of the pure & syncere corne, of the catholyke fayth of Christ. But eaer these fradulēt foxes shall accōplyshe theyr deuelysh purpose in fyeryng al the corne, they may be (ex­cept they repent and be conuerted) incē sed and consumed to cooles them selfes Thus Haue we, on oure part, (as you haue harde). The fygures of the olde testament. The playne and manyfeste scriptures. The promyses of Chryste made vnto the church, for the knowlege and continuans of the pure fayth. The conselles general The whole and vni­forme consent, of the mooste auncyent wrytters, for the cōfirmacyon & many­fest profe of our belefe, wher y ^e sacramēttareis, can shew neather manyfest scripture, neyther classical & catholyke wry­ter (syncearely & treuly vnderstāded) ne­ther general cōsel, to mayntayne ther detestable [Page] error. They can shewe no place of scripture, y ^e sayth, y ^t y ^e bodye of Christ is not in y ^e sacramēt, neither y ^t y ^e body of Christ is only in heauē, neyther y ^t the sacramēt is but only a figure, or a signe of Christes body. Wher we haue, in manyfest wordes, spoken by Christ. This is my bodye.

¶Cōsel haue they none wher in, they cā shew, eyther y ^t this our beleue hath ben cōdēpned, eyther y ^t it was susspected or doughted of. Yet ther herysie hathe not only ben susspected & doubted of, but also, by y ^e generall cōselles (as you haue hard) it hath ben openly conuinced ab­iured & cōdēpned. Which of all y ^e aūciēt catholike writeres can they shewe, that sayth, either y ^t y ^e body of christ is not, in y ^t sacramēt, eather y ^t y ^e sacramēt is, but only a figure, They can fynd, no such sē tens, neather in y ^e scriptures neather in y ^e aunciēt catholyke wryters. Yet you haue hard, how playnly & cōcordantly y ^e aunciēt fathers, maketh for our fayth ¶Is it not a case, both meruelous & lamentable not only, to se, howe redely y ^e people be to receaue this dāpnable doc­trine, but also to cōsider how obstinatly these heritikꝭ doth defēd, & dye ī this herisie, syth y ^t it is grōded, neither vpō manyfest scripture, nether vpō any auctoritie of y ^e church, but toke y ^e origīal fūda­cion [Page] of wylfull and wycked peruersitie, and obstinate and sensuall syngularitie.

¶Yeas (you wyl say) they brynge, both the scriptures plentyfully, and also the auncient wrytters very busely, & suche reasōs, that semeth inuincible, vnto vs that are vnlerned, and not acquaynted, wyth the craft of reasonyng, and the dysceat of theyr subtyle wytte. Wherfore, (you wyll saye) thoughe that you haue the manyfest scriptures, the conselles, and the auncient wrytters, yet are we, that are vnlerned, troubled and combe­red in consciens, wyth theyr persuaciōs and reasons, and also bicause that theyr opinion, semeth more possible and agreable vnto reason. For thys cause (deare christian reader) I haue thought it very profitable vnto the symple and rude people (for whome onely I haue prepared thys homlye thyng) to shewe what scriptures, auctorities of aūcient wryters, and what reasons, that they allege, for the mayntenaunce of theyr heresyes, & in answerynge vnto them, to shewe bre­uely, howe they disceaue, and are disceaued. Yet I wyll not brynge in, all suche auctorities and places, that they allege For I truste in God, so to answere and declare, suche as I shall reherse here, y ^t it shalbe easye, for a diligent reader, to perceaue y ^e craft and disceat of them in [Page] all other. For certaynly, suche scriptu­res as they brynge in, eather they serue nothynge vnto the purpose, eather they be glosed wyth theyr owne fātysed and false expositiōs. And as for the testimonies of the aūcient wryters, they bryng in very few. But they are alleged as sincearely & as faithfully, as they allege y ^e scriptures. For eather they be truncate and be but lompes of y ^e wrytters sayngꝭ lackynge the parte, that shulde make y ^e reste playne & open, eather they be infarced and patched, wyth theyr additions and lyes, so that they brynge not them, whole, faithfully and sincerelye.

¶Yet for the more easyer and facyle vnderstandyng, both of theyr argumētes, and also of myne answers, I shall gyue vnto the reader, certayne necessarie in­structions and documentes. Where by he shall more perfectly perceaue, the falseyt of theyr reasons, & hereby also, be more redyer to make answere to other lyke reasons.

The fyrst documēt is, that we ought not to seke, to proue wyth reason, The fyrst document the matters of our faith. For yf we shulde be so grosse and carnall, that we wolde beleue no more, then we can proue by naturall reason, we shulde sone dyscharge our selfes, of all the artycles, of oure fayth, and consequently we shuld haue [Page] no fayth, for it is agaynste the nature of faythe (which is of thynges y ^t appeare not vnto reasō or sense) to be proued by reasō. But in such matters, a trew christiane hart ought obediently to receaue the verytie of Goddes worde, 1. Cor. 2. Non in ꝑ­suasibili­bus humane sapien­tie verbis, sed in operation espiritus & virtutis, vt fides vr̄a nō sit in sapi­entia hoīm sed in vir­tute dei. sekyng no persuasible reasons, but only to persuade to hym selfe y ^t (al y ^t Goddes word affirmeth) vndoubtedly to be trew, by cause that God (who can not lye) hathe spoken it, be it neuer so impossible, vnto natural sense & reason. A faythful chri­styane man, ought to truste more, vnto the infallible veritie of goddes worde, then he wolde do, vnto hys syght, hys felyng, tastynge, eather any of hys sen­ses or reasō for al those may dysceaue, & be disceaued But y ^e word of god is more stable thē is, eather heauē, eather earth And for as moche as, the myraculous workes of God, excedyth incōparably, the wyt and reason of man (and be therfore ineffable) therfore we ought not to be, to inquisityue, to knowe howe, and why, God hath done this, or that. For there can no man tell, neather geue rea­son, of Goddes vnserchable and inuestigable workes. Therfore no man can tel howe, Christes bodye and bloode can be and is, verylye and really in the sacra­mēt, and in euery part therof, and also in so many places, were this blessed sacrament is. No more then he can tell, how [Page] that bodi was borne, of an immaculate virgyn, & yet her virgyniall clausures, kept inuiolably shut. Or how, y ^e bodye dead, could come alyue out of y ^e graue, the stone vnsealed & vnmoued. Or how y ^e bodye cold come in, (through y ^e stone walles) among the apostles. And yet y ^e holy word of God, teacheth these thin­ges to be true, but y ^e worde of God she­weth no reason howe. For God wolde haue his wonderfull workes hydden, from our wyttes & reason, y ^t our fayth myght haue place, & y ^e greatter meryte ¶The second is, y ^t the glorifyed bodye of Christ is, in moch more noble state, The .ii. document & cōdition, then oure corruptible bodyes are. Therfore we must not esteme, & iudge a lyke, of y ^t spiritual & heauēly body & of our grosse mortal, & corruptible bo­dies, for though such grosse & corrupti­ble bodies, cānot be inuisible, vntoucheable vntastable, so that they be suche, that where euer they be really present, they maye be seen, felte, touched, and tasted, yet the glorious bodye of Christ can not be seen, felt, or tasted, but onely when, and where, it shall please hym and maye be when and where him pleaseth, inuysbly, and vnpalpablye.

The bodye of oure sauyoure Christe, in the fortye dayes (after hys blessed resurrectyon), was not sene, at [Page] al tymes, neyther of all men, sauyng only suche tymes, and of those, to whome he wold apere, visible. Wherfore, thoughe we do, neyther see, feale, neather taste, the boodye and bloode of Christe in the sacrament, yet vndoubtedlye, bothe the bodye and bloode, of Christe, are verely, and really in the blessed sa­crament. For that bodye and blode may be, and is, there verely inuisible, vnpalpable & vntouchable, for so it hath pleased Christe.

The .iii. document.The thyrde is, that thoughe it be repūgnant vnto nature, that one bodye shuld be in many places at ons, by cause that the lorde of nature, dyd a poynt, vnto nature, that euery natural body, wher it is present, it shuld repleate the place and that one body, shuld fulfyl but one place at ones, therfore the order of na­ture is broken, where there is present any naturall bodye, and yet doth not occupie that place, or where there is anye one bodye, whooly in sondrye places.

Yet is not this, repūgnāt, neither aboue the power of God, that the bodye and bloode of Christe, sholde be whooly and reallye present, in the sacrament, and yet not occupie, or fulfyl, that place, for the quantite, of the breade and wyne miraculously do repleate, that place, being subsistēt alone, w ^tout y ^e substās of bread [Page] euen as well, as thoughe the substance of breade, were there. Therfore it is not repūgnant, vnto y ^e power of God, that the body of Christe, may be verely and realy in innumerable places, after this myraculous maner of beynge, whiche maner of beynge, is apropriat vnto the mooste precious bodye and bloode of our sauiour christ, & is aboue the course and order of nature. Wherefore though Christ be in heauen, yet neuerthelesse he is also, in the holy sacrament for the holy scripture affirmeth bothe. And ther­fore we are bounde to beleue bothe.

✿The fourth is that we muste not, The .iiii. document so carnally and so grossely take y ^e scriptures, y ^t teacheth vs, that Christ sytteth on the ryght hād of the father as thou­ghe we wolde imagyne, that God the father, had a ryght hande and a left, & suche other corporall membres (as it hath pleased the paynters to setforth) & so Christ materially to syt, on the ryght hande of the father. Thus to ymagyne of God (who is mooste spirituall) it is more then, very barbarous, and heathē rudenes. Wherefore we ought to vnderstand, that God is (as Christe sayth) a spirite, and hath no suche corporall mē ­bres, wherefore whē, the scriptures at tributeth or assigneth vnto God, anye such corporall mēbres as namynge, the [Page] hande, y ^e arme, y ^e eye, y ^e eare, or any such other, suche maner of speche is Methaphoricall. For it doth not signifye vnto vs. any such bodely mēbres in God, but it doth signifie vnto vs (by those mem­bres) y ^e inuisible thynges of god, as his power, knowlege, maiestie & glorie. As by the eyes, & eares of god, is signifyed, his moost open & certayne knowlege, y ^t he hath of all thinges. By the hande or arme of god is signified the oīpotent & inuincible myght of god. After thys maner speaketh Salomō. Pro. 15. The eyes of god beholdeth y ^e good & y ^e bad, euery where. And in the boke of wysdōe. Sapi. 1. The eare, of the gelous heareth al thinges. Esay sayeth in the voice of god. Esa. 66. Al thynges hath my hande wrought. And the holy pro­phete Dauid in the psalme. Psal. 118. The ryght hande of our lord hath wrought powerfully, the ryght hande of our lorde hath exalted me. The ryght hāde of God thē signifieth vnto vs, the magnificent po­wer, & the glorious maiestie of God, as saynt Steuen sayd in the actes. Behold I se the heauens open & Iesus stādynge on the ryghte hande, Actu. 8. of the power of God. Then Christe to set, on the ryghte hande of the father, is none other, then that Christ (cōcernyng hys diuinitie) is (in euery poynt) of equall power, maiestie, & glorie, with the father. And (as cō cernyng [Page] his manhed) he hath y ^e ful & moste perfect possession, of the suꝑexcellent ryches, of the glory & blysse of heauen, and hath also the soueraintie preeminens, & dominiō ouer al creatures, Ephe. 1. as S. Paule sayth. God the father hath set hym, on hys ryght hāde, in heauenly thinges, a­boue al rule power, might, & dominatiō & aboue al y ^t may be named, not onely in thys worlde, but also in the worlde to come. The fyfte document And he hath put al thinges vnder his feete. The fyfte is. That it lettyth nothynge at all Christ, to be verely & re­ally in the sacrament, though he be syt­tyng in heauē on the ryght hāde of y ^e fa­ther. For what can it let oure sauioure Christ to be realy in y ^e sacramēt, though he hath (as concerning his humanitie) the suꝑexcellēt glorie, & blysse of heauē, & vn̄ion ouer al. The possession of these thynges, are so firme & stable in hym, y ^t where euer he be, these be neather taken away, neather diminished in him. wherfore he (beyng in the sacramēt) loseth nothynge of his souerainte, or glorie. No more then doth our angles, whyche are wyth vs here, and yet neuerthelesse, Math. 18. see they, ✿ the face of the father celestiall whyche is in heauen. Or what can it lette Christe, to be verelye and re­ally in the holy and blessed sacrament, thoughe he be (as concernynge hys [Page] diuinitie) of equall power, maiestie and glorie wyth the father, for so was he, vpon Easter daye, whē he was in earth, and sayd vnto hys disciples. Math. 28. ✿ All po­wer is gyuen vnto me, in heauen and in earth. And though he were present in earth then wyth his disciples, yet was he neuer the lesse, of equall power, ma­iestie, and glorie, with the father. Euen so nowe, though he be present verely, in the sacrament, yet is he, neuertheles of equall power, maiestie, and glorie, with the father, and therfore we worship his blessed presens in the sacrament.