[Page]pe thimbecilite and dwolnes of our fles­she. So graciouse is he to condescende vnto our weaknes / to make vs perfit in mynde. He did miracles some tyme by bare wordes / and eftsone by a sensyble instrument / as when he layd claye tem­pered with his owne spet [...] vpon y ^e bly­somes eyes to geue hym his syght Io. ix. And all to feed our exteriour senses / that they mought hau [...] to holde them by / hygher to clyme into our vnderstanding / and faith. Thus therfore doth his goodnes / by theis exteriour Sacra­ments or elements of water brede and wyne / serue our senses to moue / monis­she / and to counforte vs inwardly. So sayd he vnto the peple of Israel by Moses. Exo. xiij For this cause haue I commaūded you / this ceremonye (meaning the ea­ting of y ^• passh lombe) that I wolde put my power and beneficence (whereby I delyuered you / and brought you out of bondage) into your handis / & laye them present before your eyes / that w ^t your handis ye might grope and feel them / and with your eyes [...]se them / lest at any [Page] tyme ye shuld forget my benefyts / not hauing my lawe euer in mouthe and mynde. But & yf we were once (as we shalbe) al togither spirituall / immortall gloriouse et cetera / clogged nomore w ^t this carnall burden of our corruptible & foryetfull flesshe / then nedeth it not / vs any more to be thus fed / with siche sensible / elements / symbols / rytes or Sa­craments.

A Sacrament A sacra­ment. therefore is an outwarde sensible signe / whereby God declareth and testifyeth vnto the worthey receyuers thereof / his good mynde / beneuolence and fauour vnto vs: whereby also he sustayneth and hel­peth y ^e weaknes of our faith. Or a Sa­crament is a testimonye of his graciouse goodnes / declared vnto vs / by that sensible signe. Or els / Sacraments Sacra­ments. are not els but visible exemples / of the fa­uour of God / of his beneuolēce / & good mynde / towerd vs / instituted of God / and of noman / adsewered & certayne [Page] testimonyes / and holy rememberances of his promises: which vnder terrene & erthy sygnes / represent / and as it were before our eyes / layeforth celestiall gyf­tis / & call awaye our mynde euē frome the terrene sygnes & elemēts vnto heauenly thoughtes. Sacramēts But two Sacra­ments. also the­re ar but two / of Christis ordināce & in­stitucion / Baptyme & y ^• Lordis souper / euen the verye badges & cognyzances of y ^• Christē societe & fraternite. Ryght well therfore did Austen Austen. wryte in his .c.xvii [...]. pistle vnto Ianuarium. That as God the father did conseigne & gather vnto hym the Iewes by the badges & lyueryes of circuncision / & eating of the passouer lombe / So did Christ (as it were) with the newe lyueryes and cogny­zances / of Baptyme and the Souper / gather and retayne into his seruyce the societe & chirche of the newe peple / euen the Christianes. And the vse or action / or dewe ministraciō of these sacramēts Sacra­ments dewly ministred / excercise our faith/ do excercyse our faith and maketh vs the more adsewered of his good will towerd vs / as dothe y ^• seall added to the [Page] obligaciō adsewer vs more certaynely of the mans bōde & promise to be performed. God promised Abraham to be his God / & also y ^• God of his sead / Gen̄. xvij vpō this cōdiciō / y ^t he / & his / shuld walke innocētly before hym / which is / wholly to depēde by faith & hope vpō his plesu­res. Which promise had bene ynoughe / had Abrahā & his sead ben all spirituall / & not forgethfull / nor doutfull thereof / in their tēptaciōs / hauing euer in myn­de / bothe to haue beleued the promyse of God so fauourablye made without any deseruing before: & so to haue ben euer in will to performe his parte / that is to weit / to walke innocently before God: But because / the weakenes of our faith / namely in so stronge temptaciōs / & the oblyuiouse fraylte of our flesshe / requireth (as god well knoweth) some sensible signe or sacramēt / more presētly to certifye & confirme vs / to be put euer in mynde of his so ientle a promise: lo therfore a none he addeth y ^• sacramēt of cir­cūcisiō vnto Abrahā / as a seall added to god his promise obligatory nowe wrytē [Page] in Abrahams & his seadis flesshe. Pau. thus testifying / saying / And Abraham receyued the signe of circuncision / euen y ^• seall obligatory whereby God bown­de hym self to iustifye hym and all his sead for their feithes saak. [...]RO. iii [...].

NOwe / as vnder the grace of the Gospell / Baptyme succeded in the stede of circuncision: Our Sacramēts ar not blodye / as wer the olde. euē so doth the lordis souper folowe in the place of the olde passouer / as the more mylde / ient­le / and sweter sacramēts then were the olde blodye circuncision & passe lombe / which were neuer celebrated but blou­de was shed / bothe in the of kutting of the foreskyn of the chyldes preuey member / and also in the slaying of the passh lombe with whose blode the doors and wyndows wer strykē and crossed. Also as by Baptyme we be iniciated / we professe / and be cōseigned vnto the worship of one God / into the faith of one & the same Christen religion / euē so by the sa­me [Page] faithe and loue expressed at the lor­dis souper / we declare our selues to perseuer in our profession / now incorpora­ted into Christ as the very members of y ^t mystik bodye whereof Christ is onely the head. By the circuncision and the passouer eting / God marked and seal­led to hym the Iewes. By baptyme & the souper Christ gathereth & sealleth to hym / the gentyles and Iewes to / as many as wyl beleue.

UHer ar two maner of Baptis­mes: Two m [...]ner of b [...]ptymes. the vtwarde locion or wasshing with the water / and wordis of in­stitucion: And the inwarde wasshing of the soule with the spirituall water cal­led the holy gost. Of the first baptyme / it is wryten Matth. the last. Go your wayes & teche all maner nacions / bap­tyzinge them into the name of the fa­ther / of the sone / and holy gost. Of the seconde and inwarde bapty. The in­warde bapt. which stondeth vpon faith in beleuing the wordis of promyse. It is wryten Mar. the last. [Page] Whoso beleue and be baptyzed / shalbe saued. Of this inwarde spirituall bapt. called the regeneracion frome aboue of the spirit / or second birthe by faithe. It is wrytē Io. iij. Uerely verely I say vnto you except a man be borne frome aboue / that is to saye / of y ^• water / there cal­led y ^• holy gost (for so expowneth Ihon / hymself in the .iiij. & .vij. and Isaye .xliiij he may not come into the kyngdome of God. This birthe declareth Io. also in the .i. cap. of his gospell / and in .i. Io. v. saying / Euery man that beleueth Iesus to be Christ / is borne of God. The first baptyme may be withoute the seconde / as in them y ^• be cristened / & be not cho­sen: as was Symon Magns Act. viij. & Iudas. The one [...]aptis. [...]aye be [...]ith our [...]he to­ [...]ere. And the seconde without the first / as in the elect that dye before they be baptized with water / so that it be not neglected nor cōtempned of them. Ne­ther the first auayleth without the secō ­de. The first bapt. with water representeth & signifyeth the secōde / as it is sayd before. The sacraments ar sensible sig­nes / to cōuaye the spirituall thingis signifyed [Page] by them into our hertis & soulis. The ex­teriour bapt. brī geth in the in­warde. As did the circūcision of the flesshe bring in the circuncision of the spirit into the herte. Which saith Paule profiteth not / yf y ^u kepest not the couenāt smytē in the lawe Gen̄. xvij. seled w ^t the seal of circū ­cision Ro. ij. When we be baptyzed into the name of the father sone & holy gost: It is promysed by Crist / That whoso beleueth & is baptyzed / he shalbe saued. Here is a promyse of our saluacion / not for because we be baptized with water / for then shulde we be saued by the crea­ture of water and not by Crist: but be­cause we beleue the promyse of God promysing saluacion in Cristis bloude / whiche beleif bringeth vs into the se­conde birthe to be borne a new of the spirit Io. ii [...]. and .i. Io. v. Nowe whoso therowe the beleif in this promyse / is borne a newe / he hathe yet a nother to encrease his faithe from promyse to promyse / and from faithe to faithe / Rom. i. ca. that as the promyses come / so groweth our faithe as the mustarde sead / as in Galat. iij. cap. who so euer ye [Page] be that ar baptized of the spirit / ye ha­ue done Christ vpon you. To do Christ v­pon vs. To do Christ vpon vs is to be made lyke / or of one mynde with hym / to be incorporated or graffed into hym Ro. vi. for it folowth Galat. iij. all ye ar one in Iesu Christ: which doyng on Christ vpon vs was well fygured into the grete confort of Adam and Eue & vs all / Gene. iij. when God / to kouer their shameful nakednes made them shepes pylches / cotes of she­pes skynnes to endewer and defende them agenst all stormey tempestes / ad­ding vnto them saying / Lo / Adam is made as one of vs to knowe good and euill / Here they sawe by faith the secon­de persone Christ God & man / that in­nocent lombe / as Isay. prophecyed .lii [...]. and Io. bapt. poynted hym with his singer. Io. i. to come and to be slayne for their synnes / that they and we might be kouered and clothed w ^t his rightwy­sones holynes innocencye wysedome .i. Cor. i. Syn did sette God and vs at discorde / The mediatour or reconcyler y ^t agreeth God and man is Christ Iesus [Page] i. Timo. ij. By faith we ar graffed into Christ. The hyghest felicite & lyfe most blessed / is to be ioyned for euer vnto God the moste hyghe goodnes. Christ is comē into y ^• flesshe to ioyne all faith­full vnto the most hyghe god. wherfore he is come to geue vs this most ioyouse felicite. The some of the hole gospell / la­we & prophetis consisteth in this. The so­me of the lawe prophetis & gospell. That God the father hath restored his faith­full vnto lyfe by his sone Christ / in whō he hath ioyned and knyt vs vnto hym / that with hym / & for his sake only / we might be partakers of all thing y ^t good is. In this some stondeth forth all our saluacion before our eyes in euery fygu­re / ceremonye / sacrament / and in euery parte of the scripture / but yet diuerse wayes / nowe here in playne and aperte wordis / and there eftsone wrapped and kouered vnder figures and sweet simi­litudes. In playne wordis / as in Io. his first ca. of his .i. epistle and of his gospell saying / and that worde was made mā / and dwelt in vs / also that our felowship might be with the father and with his [Page] sone Iesu Crist. i. Io. i. That thei might be one also as ar we / saith Crist to his father. Io.xvij. that is to saye / that thei mought all be of one felowship with vs & partakers of our comon glorye. Oh holy father / saith Crist / now I praye y ^• / not onely for theis my apostels / but also for all them that ar to beleue in me tho­row their preching / that they mought all be of one faithe & spirit / of one cōsent into our glorye / as ye rede Ro .xb. That y ^• worlde might beleue y ^t thou hast sent me / & that I haue geuē them the glorye which y ^u hast geuē me / that they might be of one felowship & consent partakers of the same glorye that we haue Io. xvij Here ye se howe the gospell tēdeth into a vnite & knot whereby we ar ioyned togither with God the father & Crist / by his spirit. The Sa­ [...]ramēts [...]f [...]nite. Of the whiche vnite / Baptis­me and the Lordis souper ar the sacraments. Figura­ [...]ue spe­ [...]es ha­ [...]e their [...]roper [...]race. In figures also is y ^• same thing spokē in many places / which fyguraty­ue speches / as thei haue some obscurite / so haue they a certayne grace & ar mich pleasaunt in them selues. Is when Io. [Page] expresseth this vnite & societe of man / w ^t God & Crist vnder the names of fa­ther & sonnes / calling vs the sonnes of God goten by faithe in our seconde bap­tisme / of the sead of the worde thorow the spirit / as in Io. i. as many as haue receyued hym / he gaue them power to be made the sonnes of God &c. & in the first pistle of Io. v. & .iij. Also this vniō & coniunccion of vs w ^t God / is fygured in y ^• he calleth hymself the wynestok / & vs the braunches. Io. xv. Also by y ^• maria­ges in the gospell / calling hymself the brydegrome / & vs the spowse. yea & by y ^• eating of his flesshe & drynking of his blode Io. vi. he can drawe vs no nerer nor cow [...]le vs no faster to hym / then hymself to be in vs / & vs to dwell in hym Thus ye se howe the sacraments / that is to saye the faith annexed vnto gods promises / ioyned to the sacramēts / get­teth vs more grace & fauour / encreased & growing out of one promyse & fygure into a nother. For y ^• thīg signifyed by y ^• sacramēt / or figured by the figure / hath euer y ^• promise vpō it. As in baptisme / y ^• [Page] holy gost is promysed vs of Christ: and in the souper / his bodye to be brokē and his blode to be shed for our synnes ar promysed to vs y ^t worthely receyue them / And therfore our faith stayed vpō theis promyses / obtayneth vs grace and sor­geuenes of synne / once knowne y ^t God of his mere mercy / withoute all our desertes maketh to vs theis promyses for Christes sake onelye. And here by the waye / to the questiō whether childrē [...]hildern that dye before bapt. ar saued by election. dying before baptisme w ^t water / or aftyr / ere they by hearing the e [...]teriour wor­de conceyue faith / be saued or no? I an­swere / That for because they ar contay­ned vnder y ^• promyse of God made vnto Abraham Gen̄. xvij. to be the God of hym and of his sead / of whiche sead is y ^• childe / seing that God is nowe the God of the gentylis and of their sead / whom he calleth the childern of Abraham / for his elecciōs sake: therfore is euery Christen mans chylde contayned vnder the same promyse / and by goddis eleccion saued / dye it before or aftyr baptisme in his infancye.

[...] Nowe ye not (saith Paule) Ro. v [...]. that we who so euer be baptyzed into Iesu Crist / ar we not baptyzed into his dethe? when we ar bapti­zed into Cristis dethe. Dethe / therfore / is the significa­cion & effecte of the vtwarde baptisme / which God neuer made the popis holy water to signifye nor to put vs in myn­de of this baptisme / whose exteriour ac­te in doping into the water techeth vs to dye with Crist / y ^t is to saye / to morti­fye that olde Adam of ours / to represse our sensuall & carnall affectes / and then are we baptized into Cristis deth to dye w ^t hym. The ef­fecte of baptis. And when we thus dye from syn / then burye we our synnes in the holes of his woundes / as Paule saith / we ar also buryed w ^t hym / to ryse agen / euē to be reuyued in spirit and to lede a newe lyfe in repentance / nowe rysen a­gen with Crist. So y ^t baptyme bereth in it self Cristes deth / his buryall / & his resurreccion to be practyzed in our bo­dyes [Page] and soules perpetually whyle we ly [...]e. Which lyfe / what els is it then a perpetuall crosse / euen y ^• same that men call penāce / but yet not it that the preist inioyneth / Here ye see that repentance or changing of our lyfe / is included in baptisme / & is all one in effecte with it / hauing hir two partes / Mortificacion Mortifi­cacion & viuifica­cion. which they call contricion / out of which there foloweth viuificaciō / that is to ly­ue aftyr the spirit.

AT last ye se howe it is come vn­to theffecte of baptyme / the ve­ry mystery & doctrine thereof / which is the dethe / buryall & resurrecciō of Crist to be exercysed & practyzed in vs / which heuey lyfe is our perpetuall penance all one in effecte w ^t baptyme / as ye se / Ro. vi. what is Repen­tāce and where it begin­eth. Repentance therfore is the perpetu­al mortifiying of our flesshe & of our oldeman / whiche the very syncere fere and loue of God worketh in vs at the syght [Page] of our synnes seen and knowne by faith in Cristes dethe to bring for the hir worthey frutes / that is to saye / to lead siche a lyfe as correspondeth & declareth a repentant cōuerted herte. Penance ther­fore is the repentāce of our synnes with a chāging of our former lyfe into a newe and beter lyuing. Trew repentance seeth hir synnes in Cristes woūdes. Which beginneth of faith in Cristes dethe / whereinto we ar baptized by the spirit of faith / knowled­ging our synnes beholden in Christes woundes. For many as Cayn / Saule / Iudas did see their synnes in the ston­ney tables / throne agenst the grownde & broken of Moses / & were heuye with vnfrutefull repentance / in so miche that fore heuynes and shame they destroyd themselues: Which declareth it playne­ly that they did not see their synnes in Cristes dethe y ^• promysed sead to come / which had dyed for them in deed / had they so beleued in hym. But we that se them in his dethe / knowe and fele them by our faithe forgeuē / whiche faithfull knowledg effect [...]ouse by loue Galat .v. dryueth vs to repentance to lament / y ^• [Page] euer we shuld cōmitte that thing / which as it displeaseth our so louing & merci­full father / so did it bring his onely so derely beloued sonne that innocent lombe gyltlesse vnto the moste paynfull passion & dethe / Here here this corrasye frea­teth vs with fere & shame / trowblously grating vpon our consciences / syghing and crying for mercye & forgeuenes / y ^• euer we shuld do that thing whiche can not be forgeuen with oute the preciouse bloude of the sonne of God / Crist God & man. Aftyr this mortificacion & detes­ting of our former lyfe / our faith setting hyr sewer holde vpon this promyse of our fathers voyce oute of heuē adsewe­ring Mat. iij. vs that this is his derely beloued sone for whose sake he is apeaced & well pleased w ^t vs nowe receyued into gra­ce / we ar counfortably reuyued / feling & certifyed for our faithes saak in Crist / y ^• our synnes shall not be imputed to vs / nor we neuer more obbroyded of them before God. When Crist therfore is puerly preched / & our synnes shewd vs in his dethe / there verely and faithfully [Page] knowne / there foloweth in all the faith­full hertes Repentance w ^t hir two par­tes / as ye se Actes .ij. when Peter had preched Cristes deth & resurreciō / and remission of synnes in them / then were y ^• peple pricked & heuey in mynde / cry­ing vnto Peter and to the other disci­ples. ye men our brethern what shal we do? Repente ye (sayd they) and be baptized euery one of you into y ^• name of Ie­su Crist / into y ^• remissiō of your synnes.

[...]Hus passe we from baptisme vnto the passouer of y ^• Lorde com­pared togither / The first comparison. That as the vtwarde baptyme / dothe signifye the inwarde purging of the soule by y ^• holy gost tho­row our faith beleuing y ^• wordis of promise (for by faith hertis ar purifyed Act. xv.) Euen so doth the vtwarde breking of the brede & powering / forth of the wy­ne / geuen vs / eaten / & dronkē / signifye & put vs in mynde of the brekinge & cruci­fying of Cristis bodye & sheding of his blode / geuē for our synnes / eatē & dron­ken [Page] by faith / & not w ^t our bodely tethe & flesshely mouthes. The .i [...]. comparison. Also as y ^• visible wa­ter signifyeth the inuisible grace / so doth the visible brede brokē / & wyne powered forth and geuen vs / signifye & represent the inuisible fauour & beneuolēce of our heuenly father / whereby thorow Cris­tis deth our syns be forgeuē vs. The .iij. comparison. And as the vtwarde baptyme / byndeth vs by our owne profession to stonde to our promyse before God / to forsake the de­uill and all his suggestions / and to cle­ue to one God vnto whom we ar nowe consecrated to mortifye our flesshe / to pourge our spottes / to continewe and contende into a more pure and perfyt lyfe: euen so when we sit downe / at the holy souper / we bynde our selues / into one loue and beleif in the promyse there rehersed that he gaue vs his bo­dye to be broken for vs / And we bynde our selues to geue hym thankis per­petuall / and euer to perseuer in our re­ligion and faithe and in a louing Cris­ten concorde / that we all there present mought euer more be made one brede / [Page] one cuppe / one bodye ioyntly cowpled togither as members vnto Criste our onely supreme heade spirituall. ephe. iiij Col. ij.

FOr a more perfyt preparaciō vn­to our newe passouer lombe Criste. Ro. vi. ye shall knowe / that whylis we pas­se ouer this transitory lyfe / ether ar we vnder the lawe / or els vnder grace (as for them that ar vnder nether lawe nor grace / & yet wilbe called moste graciou­se and grace it self / nor yet of siche that so exalt them selues aboue God and his lawes that they suffer syn to haue siche dominiō ouer them that it ledeth them into what so euer they lust / frely w ^t oute all punisshmēt & for to do what they lys­te and desyer / I speke not of / fering ne­ther god nor man.) But yet ye shal note that there be two maner of lawes: Two m [...] ner of lawes A polityk lawe made by men / & a spiritual lawe which ar the commandements of God. A iuste ciuile m [...] A man may be a iuste ciuyle man / aftir a certayn ciuile iustice / as were the Haithen / Turkes and Saracens / and [Page] yet very infidelis. Also / a man may a­pere to hymself & to other / to be iuste / aftir the iustice & rightwysenes of the lawe of the commandementis / which Paule calleth our owne rightwysenes Ro. x. Rom. ix. Rom. x. Mat. v. and Crist calleth it the rightwy­senes of the pharisais / & yet before god / a very dampnable ipocryte / as were the pharisayes & Iuste phari­sayes. Paule hymself before his conuersion / & as nowe ar all y ^t wilbe iustifyed by their workis thīking themselues holyest of all men. The offi­ce of the polityke lawe. The offyce of the polityk lawe / is with fere of punis­shment by the swerde to refrayne euill men / from thefte / murther / aduoutry / iniuryes or trowbling of the comōpea­ce / which lawe is geuen / as saith Paule i. Timo. i. to the iniuste / wyked / & not to the iuste / iustitia politica et ciuili / af­tir the ciuile iustice. The offi­ces of the spiritual lawe. The spiritual lawe / emonge many offyces / hathe theis / euē to shewe a mā his synnes / then to feare hym for so offendīg god / & so to encrea­se syn / for where is no lawe there is no transgression. Ro. iij.iiij.v. It worketh wrathe and the punisshment of God. Nowe let vs [Page] se who is vnder this lawe.

Some there be that beleue / y ^• this lawe of the commandemēts (whiche is called spiritual because it requireth our affectes altogither mortifyed from all euill thoughtes & The first degre of the lawe. desyers / as baptisme techeth vs) they fulfil it / so lōge as they cōmitte no open or externe acte / wher­fore nether the ciuyle swerde / nor the ecclesiastical censure may punissh them / for as Moses faithe / they lyue by / or in them. Leuit. xviij. yea & they thus lyuinge in the externe face & vtwarde shewe of the do­yng the dedis of the lawe / think themselues holyest / most honest & perfyt of al men / How abhominable so euer their thoughtis & hertes be with in themselues / polluted with inwarde sheding of innocēt bloude / wronges / desaytes / falsehed / lying / pryde / enuye / malyce / concupiscence & almaner filthynes / vntyll theise secrete sores and venome breke­forth into lyght / & yet then ar they not with oute some fayer excuse & apparēt colour / no lesse then Adā & Eue pretex­ed their synnes with their brode fygge [Page] leaues / so far of ar these ipocrytes to cō fesse their faultes. Under this degre of the lawe ar all they y ^t apere to themselues and to siche lyke / to fulfill the lawe right well / & to do more to / to merit he­uen by their dedis & to breke into it like geauntes & sell their ouerplus of their merits to the .v. mat. xxv. [...]he fru­ [...]es of [...]hem [...]hat ar [...]nder [...]his de­ [...]re of [...]he lawe [...]s to per [...]ecute & [...]urn the cristens folisshe virgens which were shut out at the ga [...]es whyles thei went to bye of their ouerplus oyle. Un­der this degre of the lawe was Paule hymself / whylis he persecuted the Cristianes: and yet he lyued withoute the lawe Rom. vij. that is to saye / the lawe did not hir first offyce in shewing hym his syn. Werfore he saithe of hymself / in that state & of the lawe / That hym self was a lyue / but the lawe and synne were dead / because / the lawe / not yet doing hir office in shewing hym his syn / worked not the fere of god / nor shewed hym his wrathe / nor dethe nor punisshement for it / for the spirit of the lawe as yet moued not his penne vpō his herte. But nowe let the lawe come / not wrytē in walles nor stones nor papyr / but wryten [Page] in thyne herte with the fynger of the lawe geuer / and tell the thy synnes shewing the whose hygh maiestye thou hast offēded so greuously. The se­cōde de­gre of the lawe & to be vnder it. Let hir wor­ke in the hir seconde office in fering and trowbling thy consciēce / w ^t dethe dampuacion & hell / & then is the lawe and syn bothe a lyue in thy herte / & thyself ded / witnes is Paule Ro. vij. Here is a sodē contrary mutacion / sed dextere excelsi. but of the right hande of God. This is the seconde degre of beyng vnder the lawe / now y ^• lawe accuseth / it maketh angry bothe thyself with thyself with the iugements & punisshmēts of God / & it maketh / y ^t god apereth to be wrath w ^t the to / working now in the / as Isay saithe / Isaye .xxviij. a strange worke to worke his owne / whiche is to bring the frome vn­der the lawe to be vnder grace / but yet thou knowest it not / because y ^u art yet ded. So lōg as a man is thus wrought of the Lorde / he is in preparing hym vnto repentance & leading hym vnto gra­ce for the lawe / in this degre is the vs­sher or scolemaster Gala. iij. that ledeth [Page] or taketh forthe the trowbled conscien­ce vnto Crist: calling hym saying. Come ye vnto me all that ar pressed with bur­den & I shall ease you Mat. xi. Nowe is the grace of the gospell offred the / on the whiche yf thou settest fastholde by faithe / so art y ^u now vnder it / certifyed of the benevolent fauour & grace of god towerdes the so mercifully calling the continually his armes spred abrode to enbrace the. And yet to drawe the more nyghe vnto Crist & to his father. Thou hearest this thy fathers voyce saying vpon Crist. This is my derely beloued sone for whose saak onely I am apeaced & wel pleased with the. And for because / as one promyse foloweth a nother / so encreaseth our faithe lyke the musterde sead / aftyr many ioyfull & cōfortable promyses in Crist / he promiseth to geue vs his own body to be crucifyed and his bloude to be forthe drawne into the for­geuenes of our synnes. i. Cor. xv When our faith therfore apprehēdeth this promise sted­fastly / then may not syn nor deth fere vs nomore / for dethe is swallowed vp [Page] into victory / the sting of dethe is blon­ted / y ^• power & strength of syn / euen the lawe is enerued / one ioynte shakē from a nother / & all by the victory of Cristes deth & resurreccion / whiche victorye is geuen to vs by Iesu Crist.

To confirme this conflicte and pro­gresse of mā from vnder the lawe vnto grace / haue here playne examples of y ^• storye of the childern of Israel: exo. xiiij whiche so long as they sawe Pharao & his hoste at their tayles / they were afrayed and ded / baptyzed in the red sea / which was a shadewe and fygure / of our baptisme: i. Cor. x. but when thei sawe their goyde Moses before them / hearing this cōfortable gospell / y ^t is to weit / Be not afrayd / be you still: The Lorde will fyght for you / and so sawe y ^• waters smyten with Aarons staffe & diuyded before their eyes. psal. xxi Ro. xv. (the staffe of y ^• worde of God diuideth from vs the waters of adfliccion) they went thorow gladly & Exo. xv sewerly with grete glory and triumphe / synging on the tother syde / when they loking bak sawe their enymyes drowned with the same wa­ters [Page] that were their saluacion. Many siche passages had they / those .xl. yeres so often tempted & eftsone conforted a­gene. Siche dayly passages we feel in our selues / syn dethe & hell assaughting vs / to dryue vs vnder grace vnto the whiche we ar come so sone as we heare Crist saying / Take herte & cōfidence to you / for I haue ouercomen syn / deth & hell. Io. xvi. The waters of trowble must nedis be deuyded and geue place to as many as aspyre vnto the grace of the gospell. What els was fygured / by the turning of their eyes from the fyery stinging serpentes vnto the brasone serpēt exalted in the wyldernes? [...]. xxi. There was a grete wrestling all the night betwixt Iacob & the aungell / whiche fygured our state vnder the .ij. [...]enes. [...]xxij. degre of the lawe / whom Iacob wold not let go / tyll in the mor­ning the aungell had blessed hym / and tolde hym his name / & also changed Iacobs name for Israell / whylis we ther­fore se our synnes in our selues & in the lawe whiche worketh wrathe Ro. iiij. & maketh synne to abownde and encrea­se [Page] Ro. vij. we ar Iacobites wresteling in derkenes with an vnknowne messa­gere working a strange worke to do his owne in making vs Israelites / that is / trewe faithfull beholding and acknow­leging God to be our God forgeuing vs our synnes in Crist / This aungell of God / yf we perseuer in this derke and perellouse batayle with hym / vnder the lawe / wyll gladly geue vs y ^• victory vnder the bryght morning of the grace of the gospell / & at last aftir grete & longe affliccion cōfort vs with his name tolde vs to be our almighty one alone for all sufficient sauiour. As did Ioseph aftyr long trowbling / fering / & molesting his brethrē & father to / at last with teares & wepīg shewed hymself to be their owne brother Ioseph whom god had sent thi­ther before for their grete counfort. Let vs therfore fyght cōstantly & contende in this mightly batail / to excercyse our faithe / that we might be enstructe & ar­med with pacience & peace of conscience vntyll the morning of Cristis counfort & helpe be sprongen ouer vs / albeit yet [Page] we halt withe Israell one the one foot / that is to saye we feele our flesshe alto weak to walke vpright in Cristes pre­cepts / & our affects strogling yet agenst his spirit. This miche be sayd for the fe­ling & trying of our selues to be prepa­red vnto the worthey receyuing of the Lordis souper.

UUhen Crist sate at his last sou­per w ^t his disciples / he toke the brede in his handes / & gaue thankes to his father / and broke it / & gaue to eue­ry one of his disciples thereof saying. Take it / eat it / this is my bodye which is broken for you. And lyke wyse of the cuppe / saying / This cuppe is the newe testament or couenant in my blode. Se that ye do this / & as oft as ye shal do it / do it into the remembrance of me. Let vs now beholde & obserue diligently for our doctryne the accion with all the cir­cunstances of this souper / & we shall s [...]with y ^• eye of our faith meruellouse pre­sent consolaciō ▪ Wherfore this holy souper [Page] ought hyghly with all reuerence to be eaten & treated / Here we se with our bodely eyes the holy brede brokē / & the holy wyne powerdforth (for holy it is nowe cōsecrated into so holy an vse) but with y ^• eye of our faith / we se presently Cristis body broken & this bloude forth [...] powerd into the remissiō of our synnes. The eye of our faithe what it seeth in this sou­per. Agene / we see with our exterior eyes y ^• brede & wyne geuen to vs / but with the eye of our faith we se as presently his body crucifyed & his blode shede & geuen vs / Now is his body thus broken and his blode thus shed all togither ours foreuer. Now is Crist thus once suffering / rysen & sitting on the right hand of his father all ours w ^t is perpetuall prayer. For what thing is more frely ours then that whiche is geuen vs with his owne mouthe & delyuered vs with his owne handis into our hādis & mouthes? yea but wherefore is he thus geuen vs? ve­rely to eate and to drinke hym. That at we eate & drinke bodely / is receyued in­to our bodyes & conuerted into our substance made all one flesshe & blode with [Page] ours & we all one with it / And her must we ascende into that spirituall eating & drinking by faith whereof Crist spoke Io. vi. A spiri­tual ascē [...]e. saying / My wordis ar spirit and lyfe / the flesshe profiteth not / It is the spirit y ^t geueth this lyfe wherof y ^e iuste lyueth. Aba. ij. It is the soule that eateth & ly­ueth by this bread / & not our bodyes / of the which eting saith Io. Who so eteth my flesshe & drinketh my blode he dwel­leth in me & I in hym. Nowe therefore our soules thus eating hym by faith / haue Crist present / & he is in vs by grace gouerning vs with his holy goste. And he y ^t gaue vs hymself / it cannot be other wyse / but with hym / is geuē vs also all y ^t is his / ether done / or suffred of hym in his bodye. Ro. viij. Then ar we sewer by our faith in this worde. Dedit / dicens / acci­pite / he gaue it vs saying / take it / that he is ours w ^t all his. He was borne therfore for vs of his mother y ^t we shuld be borne agene by baptim of the holy goste. He was borne for vs the sonne of man / y ^t we thorow hym might be the sonnes of God / he was tempted for vs and bore [Page] awaye the victory / y ^t his victory might be ours / he fulfilled the lawe & was the most rightwyse / that his rightwysenes might be ours / his wysedom kouereth our folisshnies / his holynes correcketh our vnbeleif / his innocēcye swaloweth vp our wykednes / his redempcion set­teth vs in a spirituall libertye / he was made weake to make vs strong / mortal to make vs immortal. He descended in­to the erth that we shuld ascēde into he­uen / his deth is our lyfe & taketh awaye our synnes / & for deth & worthy damp­nacion / he geueth vs hymself in this present souper our euerlasting lyfe & salua­cion / he is made for vs of the father our rightwysenes / our redemptiō / satisfac­cion &c. i. Cor. [...]. Isa. liij. And as Isay saith / he was woū ded for our transgressions & so smyten for our vngodlynes / for the punisshmēt for our correcciō and peace making was layd vpon hym / and by his strypes and his hurt / we ar healed / the Lorde layd all our wykednes vpon hym to pardon vs / These therfore his present gyftis & Crist is our satis­facction. wordis cannot deceyue vs / Take it / eat [Page] it / this is my bodye which is for you broken / for in that / he biddeth vs take it / he certifyeth vs that he is all ours / And in that he biddeth vs eat it / he adsewerthe vs / hymself to be all one substance with vs / God and man deifying our souls & sanctifying our bodyes to be glorifyed w ^t his in the resurreccion of our flesshe. We muste therfore obserue diligently these wordes / he gaue it vs / bidding vs take it / eat it / and drink it / and especial­ly these wordis added / which is for you broken / which is for you geuē / which for your synnes is shed. For herein consis­teth the peathey waight & our present counforte / here is that heuēly spirituall fode of our soules wherewith we ar re­fresshed / dayly counforted / & confirmed for euer / So oft therfore as we do cele­brate this holy souper / we must do it in­to y ^• remembrance of his dethe / for this incomparable benefit & loue vnable to be expressed rendering to hym prayse glory & thankes immortal which lyueth and raigneth with the father and holy goste for euer. Amen.

[Page]Moreouer ye shal diligently obserue That in the scriptures / where .ij. or .iij. thinges be so inseperably knit togither / that ether one of them may not be diuyded from another / or els one muste ne­dis folowe the tother: It is attributed to the one / that at verely pertayneth to the tother / and one name serueth them bothe or all thre. As forbecause at the preching of the gospell / there foloweth some Cristen congregacion gathered togither in the beleif thereof / & at last thei possede y ^• kingdome of heuen / therfore / is the gospell / or the remission of synnes which foloweth the preching thereof called the kyngdom of heuen / as in Mat. iij. Repent ye for nighe is the kyngdom of heuen sayd Io. bap. where the kyng­dom of heuen is taken for the remission of synnes or for the gospell. And in the xviij. who is gretest in the kyngdom of heuen / there is it taken for the congre­gacion of the faithfull / And forbecause meat is not eaten without brede / ther­fore is brede takē for meat and for alma­ner bodely sustinance / In the persone of [Page] Crist / where the godhed is inseperably knit to his manhed / it is attributed to the manhed that whiche verely pertay­neth to the godhed as in Io. iij. Noman ascendeth into heuen but he that is des­cended / the sonne of man which is in he­uen / here the sonne of man is taken for thegod hed / for as yet / when he spake these wordis / his manhed was not as­cended / The scripture saith Crist dyed / when it was his manhed onely that suf­fered. Now to my purpose. In the sig­nes or sacraments ther ar many thin­gis inseperably ioyned togither / yf thei be of Cristis ordināce / as ye se in this diuisiō & order folowing / wherfore euery one is called by the same name / y ^t the to­ther is called / which sodē sondrely attributing of the same name & subsultatory speche not knowne nor obserued / make men to apere to speke strangely / yea er­roneously to some mē / when thei bothe beleue and speke trwly and godlye.

1 The Element is—water.

2 The worde of institution / is / Go [Page] your wayes and teche all nacions baptizing them into y ^• name of the father the sone and holy goste / Mat. xxviij. which wordes with the Element / make the Sacrament.

3 The worde of promyse / is Mar. the last ca. Whoso beleueth and is bapti­zed shalbe saued. Faith in this pro­mise maketh present the holy gost in y ^e beleuers hert now borne a newe.

4 The thing / is the holy gost making holy / purifying & renewing y ^e soule.

1 The Elemēts ar—Brede & wyne.

2 The wordis of institucion / ar these / When Iesus had soupt / he toke y ^• brede in his handis &c. ma [...]. xxv which wordis dewly spoken / it is the Sacrament.

3 The wordis of promyse / ar these / Whoso eteth my flessh and drinketh my blode / dwelleth in me and I in hym / Io. vi. The beleif in this pro­myse bringeth the thing present in­to the herte of the faithfull receyuer of the sacrament.

4 The thing is the bodye of Crist crucifyed / [Page] and his bloude shed into the re­mission of thy synnes.

Nowe ar these speches trewe. The sacrament of baptime is the regenera­cion and the renouaciō of the holygost / purifying and [...]euing saluation / so that it be attributed vnto the cheif thing in the sacrament / which is the holy gost.

Lykewyse yf it be asked / whether in the sacrament of the souper of y ^• Lorde there be the very naturall and reall bo­dye of Crist / thou seest it the fowerth in order / and is so called / for the insepera­ble vnion of it with y ^• sacramēt / wordis and element / so that the brede is so cal­led / the worde is so called / and y ^• thing it self / must nedis be called the same that it is. The brede and the worde / ar so called sacramētally: but the thing is so called verely really and naturallye.

And here is offered the questiō / whether an infidele or an vnworthey wy­ked persone eteth the body & drinketh the bloud of Crist at the souper? Infidels receyue the sacrament but not the thing. Unto the whiche Austen answereth very wel in his .xxi. boke of the cetye of God / put­ting [Page] difference betwixt the sacrament which standeth vpō the Elements and wordis of instituciō / & betwixt y ^e thing which stōdeth in the wordis of promyse and faith ther to ioyned. And agene in a sermone of the sacramēts of the faith­full. These ar his wordis. He that dwelleth not in Crist / nor Crist in hym / dowtlesse he nether eteth his flesshe nor drin­keth his blode / albeit vnto his own con­demnacion / he eteth and drinketh the sacrament of so grete a thinge. Here ye se that one maye receyue the elements as the brede and wyne & not the thing. As was Symon Magus baptyzed in water / receyuing the sacrament / & yet not the holygost renewing hym. And Iudas sitting at this souper / did eat the sacrament of the brede & wyne / but not y ^• thing / for satan (saith Io. xiij.) entred into hym aftir Crist had raught hym the morsell of brede.

FIrst ye shal knowe that there co­meth no frute vnto any recey­uers [Page] of any sacrament / but onely vnto them / that call into mynde the deth of Crist with holy & deuoute remembran­ce / y ^t he was crucifyed for their synnes & wassheth them awaye w ^t his blode / geuing hym thākis immortal / hygh pray­se & glorye in this sweet remembrance and faith. Onely vnto siche men Crist commendeth and hathe committed his body. Onely vnto these mē he draweth forth his blode / For these mē onely was he offred vp on the altar of y ^• crosse. So that they doutelesse slip from y ^• trwth / that beleue Iudas to haue had recey­ued the same thing that the other apostles receyued. For they eat not verely y ^• flesshe of the Lorde / which in hym dwel not nor he in them / for Io. euangelist euen the next gest at Cristis elbowe sit­ting at his messe testifyeth that assone as Iudas had receyued y ^e soppe / the de­uill entred into hym for his gest into his soule. Io. xiij. Item yong infantes and men be­straught / albeit they be the membres of Crist / yet may they not w ^t frute receyue it / for these persones may not rightly remember [Page] the mystery of their redēption / nor dewly examyn & proue themselues before / nor geue thākis therfore / which thinges ar cheifely required at the ce­bracion of this holy fea [...]te.

Paule biddeth euery mā proue / trye / inserche / and examyn hym self before he eateth of this brede and drinke of this cuppe: i. cor. xi. Of the prouing of our selues. for yf we had trwly examined our selues we shuld not haue had ben so punisshed of the Lorde. Whose mynde is that they ar with out perell that des­cende into their owne selues / and with grete detestacion of their synnes desyer to be the same that they heare / that is to saye the mēbers of y ^e bodye of Crist. Nether vnaptely is this probacion of our selues called the parte of the com­memoracion / when there can be no commemoracion with out the iuste probaci­on of our selues.

First therfore let vs examyn our sel­ues by y ^• twyche stone & Iaco. squyer of god­dis commandements / which as a glasse shall shewe vs to our selues to be no­thing els in all our dedis lyfe wordis & [Page] thoughtes but greuouse sinners / Then let vs trye our selues whether for our synnes we be sory in herte & vnfaynedly repentāt / ful minded to practize our baptyme in mortifying our affectes chan­ging our lyfe by faith burying our syn­nes in Cristes woundis / with hym to ryse agene into a new state of lyuing / Let vs trye our selues to knowe vnder what degre of y ^• lawe we be / as it is be­fore expressed. Serche whether y ^u beist as glad to forgeue all y ^• haue hurte the / euen as thou woldist be forgeuē of god? Loke whether y ^u canst espye thy nowne secrete birthe poyson and loue to thy self sought in all thy dedis thoughtes a [...]d wordis rather then the glory of God & profyt or edifying of thy neighbour? And nowe se whether thou haste / or de­syerst to haue that faith and loue / which God commandeth the to haue to hym and to thy neighbour / & be heuye that thou hast them not in y ^t perfecciō wherein thou arte bownde to haue them / that pacience / confidence / constancye / humi­lite / temperance / chastite and a wyll in [Page] all thingis cōformable vnto goddis wil. and yf y ^u aknowlegest theis thy nowne synnes & imperfeccion vnfaynedly / yet art thou a membyr of the body of Crist / as writeth Paule / and mayst sit downe with fere and reuerence / i. Cor. x. geuing thākis to God for this inestimable benefyt of our redempcion. But this iuste probaci­on as our papistis neuer practyzed it in themselues / so neuer yet taught it they their flockes.

Whylis we therfore thus expende & proue our selues / consydering: who we were by Adams fall / from what perel­lis and euillis we ar by Crist delyuered vndeserued of vs / what gyftis ar geuē vs vnloked fore / & agene what we pro­fessed at our baptisme / into whose disci­plyne we entred / what bataile we toke in hāde vnto what a capitayne & heerd man by it we were conseigned & anoyn­ted / called Cristiās of the name of Crist vnto whom we were professed and our selues yielded / and yet / in all this probacion and rememberance of our selues / & of our benefitis by Crist: we must apere [Page] to our selues insufficient / & vnworthely with condigne thankis to haue remem­bred and beleued all these benefyts: and we therfore in our selues euer to confes­se vs vnworthy w ^t the Centurion that Crist shuld entre into our houses. mat. viij But be it in case we might / w ^t any vtwarde fayned probaciō deceyue all men / before whom we testifye our indignite and declare our faith / yet cānot he be deceyued which onely sercheth & inseeth hertes and raynes / whiche also is the mynde and spirit of that bodye which is com­pacte and framed of the congregaciō of all faithfull men.

Also as the Apostle warneth vs to mortifye our bodyes / Ro. vi. to be buryed and to ryse with Crist / so exhorteth he vs to not suffer synne to raigne in vs. i. cor. v. Act. xv. He commandeth vs to purge and to make vs clene from that olde leuayne / and to be purifyed by faith. But verely full colde and vngodly is the probaciō that dependeth of mennis lawes and decrees: [...]ith he saith. They ought not to be rekened well proued which cōmende and prayse [Page] themselues / but thei whom the lorde cō ­mēdeth: ij. cor. x. which cōmendeth non but siche as allowe & approue his will / known by y ^• scriptures. Let not therfore this say­ing of Dauid neuer go from thy mynde Blessed is y ^• mā whom y ^u techest o Lor­de: Psa. xciij & oute of thy lawe enstructest hym.

And yet albeit y ^t in these men whiche thus proue themselues & so eat worthe­ly there is cōtinual batail w ^t syn / which they here aboute in their bosoms / yet eteth he not vnworthely / which takē & holden with the spirit of penance ende­uowreth & aspyreth vnto this one thīg / That as he is dede with Crist from syn / euen so / as I sayd before / he stryueth to aryse agene with hym into a newe lyfe / not yielding hymself to syn any more to haue dominion ouer hym / but ouerco­meth thinfirmite of his flessh with the vertewe & power of the spirituall lawe that mortifyeth affectes. Iob. vij. For a Cristiās lyfe is a continuall bataile.

And as it is a gloriouse thīg / to fight & haue victory / euē so to be ouercome / it is not onely shame in the tentes of the [Page] Cristen felde / but also dethe and damp­nacion. Wherfore the flesshe and bloude of Crist euē for this cause specially ar as­ked at the Lordis table of them that ar faithfull / that as waryers and soldiers ar fed and anoynted with oyle / euen so ar Cristis waryers fed & strengthened with the excellent vertewe of the sacra­ments / that they might continewe and be strong in batail / and resist the engins of temptacions / Ro. viij. so that ther be no con­demnacion vnto them that ar graffed into Crist Iesu: albeit there be syn / but not imputed for their faithes sake.

But now as faith is the fowndacion of all our rightwysnes and well doyng / [...]aith is the fown daciō of this pro­uing. euen so is it the grownde of our proba­cion: for who is it that hateth the domi­nion of syn / or syn it self hauing the do­minion ouer hym / and want the faith? or who can decerne or make difference of the body of Crist / that is to say / exa­myn and proue hymself / whether hym self be of the body of Crist / To make differēce of the lordis body and the trwe intiere hole mēber of his chirche / which ether know not Cristis lawe or institu­tion / [Page] or wil reiecte it? Wherfore the trw prechers teche that nether our lippes / ar to be prepared / nor mouthes and go­mes to be wasshed / that we might wor­thely receyue it / & miche lesse gloriouse & costly aparel / choise of day / nor nowm bir to be sought for it / nether to attri­bute any thīg to our selues for our own worthey preparingis / by confessions au­riculare / penance enioyned / satisfacciōs or other good merits. For Crist did not institute this table for men filled w ^t workis & trust in their owne merits / but for men fasting / Fasting men who they be. y ^t is to saye / of faith hum­bled / contrite / afflicte in spirit / nothing ascribīg to their owneselues / Thei hun­ger not for Crist y ^t ar full with in their owne iugement / nomore then they ad­mit & receyue y ^• phisiciō that apere hole in themselues. But it behoueth here to remember the reiecte pharisay puftvp with the bosting of his owne workis / & y ^• receyued publicane cōfessing his own synnes. who proue not themsel­ues a right. And in fewe wordis they proue not themselues a right which make cle­ne the vtwarde syde of the disshe / the in­syde [Page] alfowle: when in the onely mynde & herte / ether pure or vnpure / clene or fowle / it stondeth / whether we receyue the sacramēt worthely or vnworthely.

Furthermore / as Iohn to witnes there is noman without syn / so is there some synne vnto deth: i. Io. i. i. Io. v. & some not vnto deth / They syn vnto deth / that obstina­tely perseuer in open crymes / wetingly or els of an affected ignorance impug­ning the trwth / neuer examining nor prouīg themselues tryed at the worde of god / which eting this holy souper eat & drinke their owne condemnaciō. i. cor. xi. Two maner of vnworthy eaters: bothe punisshed but not a lyke. But the other that syn not vnto deth beyng penitent / albeit they be negligent in the prouing of themselues by the reason of the frayltye of their flesshe and of some ignorāce / for whom we & they ought to praye / yet for their indignite ar siche tryed & punisshed of the Lorde vnto their own correcciō lest they be cōdemned w ^t the worlde / when the indignite of the first that syn vnto dethe asketh deth perpetuall & condemnaciō / where ye se the gylte of the ether vnworthey is vnlyke / [Page] which cometh of the abuse of the sacra­mēt: For vnto y ^• one vnworthey parte / the faulte & gylte bringeth cōdemnaciō / & to the tother it bringeth but transito­ry punisshment for their correccion. For the Apostle techethe that at Corinthe there were many beleuers y ^t were pla­ged with trāsitory paynes for that thei behaued themselues at this holy souper negligētlyer then y ^• dignite of the thīg requyred / & therfore were they smyten not onely with deceases / but also with deth temporal / that other lyke rasshe & negligent vnworthey eaters fered at their ensample shuld be ware & admonisshed. For euen sodē dethe is a payne in­sticte for syn / Act .v. For in y ^t the Apostle sayd: Many sleape / we vnderstāde that siche punisshed persons shuld lyue agene in ioye. for the scripture saithe them to sleap which shal ryse into glory / & ther­fore he saith playnly that they ar correc­ted of the Lorde lest they shuldbe con­dempned w ^t the worlde. Of whose sorte doutelesse were they whom the Apostle rebuketh / partely because the congregacion [Page] of the pore / not taryed for / they did eate the souper / as thoughe it had ben theirowne priuate souper: so that they excedinge with a certayn excesse and superfluite / sought y ^• meat of theirowne bellyes rather then the meat of their mynde / nothing regarding the nede & pouertye of their owne members: And partely because they were puftvp with a certayne suppinite / sloughissh ease and idlenes / mixing themselues withe the haithen idollaters of their owne cyte / i. cor. viij & .x. eating & drinking with them at their tables before their idols / not remembring the sclawnder geuen to their weker brethern redemed with Cristes blode.

Sewerly their offences might haue semed but lyght / to themselues which had knowledge / as it were in thīges of themselues not hurtfull / & might apere in sight not vnlawful / but indifferēt / as some of our ceremonyes apere to some men this daye: But yet dothe saynt Paule prosecute & note them with siche ernest grauite / y ^t not onely the self sou­per but also y ^• mystery therof / he so layth [Page] it before our eyes / that he affirmeth / by siche offences / we prouoke the wrath of God vpon vs: & that he wolde therby so warne vs (bothe the excellēcye of the sa­crament & also the dignite therof so re­quyring) that we shuld haue this circū ­speccion / euen in euery acte of our lyfe & ryte to holde & kepe our selues wysely with oute all maner offendicle / within the limites of mesure and disciplyne.

When the congregacion therfore ad­mit not vnto this souper open criminouse persons except thei espye some euidēt tokens of repentance / they do it aftyr thensample of Paule / i. cor. v. delyuerīg vp vn­to satā y ^t incestuouse Corinthean which defyled his owne stepe mother. Of the vnwor­they re­ceyuers So y ^t it folowth yet / that of these men the brede & wyne is receyued most vnworthely / which albeit thei be not openly knowne of the congregaciō / yet vnto dethe & to their owne damnaciō may thei eat and drinke it for their own hid obstinate perseuerāce in syn wherby thei ar excluded from y ^• heretage of heuē / Of the which sorte ar thei that for fere of shame / for lucre [Page] & aduauntage fayne themselues of Cristes religion & of the gospell / as did Symon Magus pryse the powr of god to do miracles y ^t he might be the more estemed emōg his owne facciō. Act. viij. Beware papistes where­fore ye make your sel­ues preisstes. Or siche as for fauour or aduauntage to be este­med & retayned / dissemble their vngod­lynes cloked with holy orders succession of apostles with apostleship & bisshopryk as did Iudas the betrayer / whiche al­though he had made a bargayn with y ^• pharisais agreed bothe of the pryce of Crist & Cristians to be solde / yet he re­tourned vnto the same messe at the Lordis table to be partaker with his disci­ples of the same sacrament. At this messe with Iudas sitte they or stāde / all hi­pocrytes pharisayes / papistes / simoni­aks / filthey concubyne kepers / aduou­terers / prowd prelats / dronkerds / de­uowerers couetuouse persons / malici­ouse murtherers / & yet fayne thei a dayly eare confession / y ^t they might in sight worthely apere to come to the holy sou­per / nothing lesse ypocrytes concubyna­ryes fornicatours &c. so y ^t yf they shuld [Page] lye a dying / yet shuld thei not / vntyl the synnes forsake them leaue their abhominable prodigiouse beastely lyuing.

But in what place of the vnworthey receyuers / Unwor­they re­ceyuers. these men ought to be put / which not onely by their abhominable abuse haue changed & altered this most holy souper / by their own newe & strāge decreed vayne rytes & vngodly tradicions / haue so violated and brokē Cristes first instituciō / y ^t of the same souper that Crist celebrated & cōfirmed by his inuiolable ordinance / there is nothing / not so miche as the name / or very litle lefte / of what vnworthey sorte / ar these men / God se to it & be iuge. Cypria­ne. Cypriane in his pistle vnto Cecilium warneth ernestely & sharpely y ^t in the administraciō of the sacraments / we shuld not in any wyse / nor in nothing / swarue from y ^• precepts of the gospel. But the disciples shuld ob­serue that at their master Crist taught & did it. And he denyeth also / those men worthey to be called / ether the frends or disciples of Crist whiche violate or breke their masters commandemēt / or [Page] altere his ordināce / as did certayn men in his tyme / put onely water into the cuppe / when Crist cōsecrated wyne & Onely wyne is to be consecrated. no water / of whom Crist testifyeth in his gospell / saying / ye ipocrytes / ye cast a­way my cōmandements to setfast your owne tradiciōs. Mat. xv. I wylnot here tell y ^t at euery man knoweth / euen the licenciouse fraude of them / which to nourissh the­irown priuate filthy lucre & Gyltye the lor­dis bo­dy & blo­de. filthyer idyl bellyes / haue turned this holy souper / not without a grete mystery celebrated in the euening (which tyme the apostles euer aftir obserued) & this comon com­munion for many togither to receyue / into a priuate (I wilnot saye chorlissh) breakfast / selling it vnder y ^• cloke of the­ir owne merits. And somiche the more gilty of the lordis body & blode ar they / for that they entreate / handle / & behaue themselues so filthely & so cruelly / that y ^• scripture in euery place cryeth so out agenst them / y ^t their indignite & lothely vnworthenes / nether may / nor ought no lenger to be suffred.

Also Chrysostom saith y ^t they ar not [Page] only gyitye of the blode of Crist / whiche in tēples by the abuse of holy sacramēts seke & Chrysos­tom ho­myly. 3 [...] vpō mat. folowe terrene & vnlawfull lucre cōuerting y ^e honorable religiō into thoc­casion of vngodly merchandise / but also thei that bye & sell y ^e giftis of god / when thei shuld know it writē / That thīg fre­ly to be geuē which thei frely receyued: Mat. x. wherfore nedis must thei be giltye of y ^e body of the Lorde which inuyte & com­pell men / for their giftis in bying & sel­ling / to do that thing which violateth & subuerteth y ^• doctrine & tradiciō of crist.

And sewerly Ambrose speking of the vnworthey eaters saith. Ambro­se. Those men to be vnworthy of y ^• Lorde aftir thapost­les mynde / which wotherwise celebrate this mystery / then it was delyuered of the Lorde: for he may not be deuoute & godly which presumeth and taketh it o­therwyse then it was geuē of the firste autour. It wolde gladly be knowne what shuld be answerde vnto theis ho­ly fathers / which all with one voice de­teste & dampne this violated ryte & abuse of the sacramēt thus deformed / so prophanely [Page] abused / & popisshly celebrated / as ye se it this daye / which also vtterly denye it / y ^t it is lawfull (Cristis cōman­dement & instituciō abrogated & despy­sed) to be turned into y ^• doctrynes & de­crees of mē. And that thīge which was once done iustly according to the scriptures / in all chirches so manye yeres / we may not suffer it to be altered of men by no autorite of scriptures / by no example of the olde holy doctours / by no iuste cau­se / but onely for the filthy lucre & vnrea­sonable giftis of a fewe hyerlings / to stond still thus violated / deformed / and prophaned. Thei therfore vnworthely eat his flessh & drink his blode / whiche thirsting the innocent blode of Cristes pore chirche / persecute & sley those good men that speke or write agenst their blody actes & deadis / of whō the prophete I say saith / Swift ar their feet to shede blode. [...]say. lix. Nether take they the wordis of the apostle any lesse flesshly then did the blody caparnaites take Cristis / when they sayd / How may this man geue vs his flesshe to eate? [...]o. vi. It is therfore mani­fest [Page] that theise blodye & flesshly eaters & drīkers receyue Crist w ^t as vnpure her­tis & as filthy mouthes / as did thei that nayled him to the crosse / woūded his body / & gaue hym gall to drinke. Also it is manifest that the gylte & syn cōsist not / nor is not cōmitted in the bodely [...]ow­ching of his naturall bodye / but by the contempt & abuse of so holy a sacramēt / As contrary wyse / the frute therof stondeth not in the [...]owching & vse of his corporall present bodye / but in the spiritual enbrasing therof by faith wherby the spirit of faith e [...]eth verely the flessh of crist and verely drinketh his blode.

Aftir this maner somtyme mē were called gilty of the maiestye or traytours which contumeliously despysed the glorye or dignite of the Romās / And they called iniurio [...]se vnto y ^• emprowr that threwdown his image or rased his pic­ture / or any letters from hym / which thīg was as haynously takē as though thei had layd violent hādis vpon them­prowr himself. Gilty th [...] maiesty of the e [...] prowr. And euē so ar thei verely gilty goddis maiesty and traytours to [Page] hym whiche violate & cōtempne the in­stitucion & lawe of hym / & do contrarye to y ^t thing which he cōmāded & ordened So ar thei gilty y ^e bodye & blode of crist which coming to his table nether w ^t the dewe honour vnto the lorde / nor w ^t that discipline that the souper requireth / nor w ^t the same mynde & faithe y ^t the body & blode is receyued / prosecute not this mystery instituted of y ^• lorde / but ether negligētly litle regarde it or vtterly cō ­tempne it / as thei were wonte whiche as the Apostle writethe / Crucifye Crist a fresshe in themselues & set forthe the blode of the couenāt for a laughing [...]tok / tredīg it vnder fote by which they were sanctifyed / for it is sayd / That y ^• greter the maiestye is / y ^• greuouser is the syn / & the more is the indignite & vnworthi­nes committed agenst it. [...]acrifi­ers cru­ [...]fyers [...]f Crist [...]gene.

Also these Iewes & gētyles ar giltye of the mistik bodye of Crist which draw forth and shed the blode of his chirche / which is euē y ^• very blode of Crist: [...]nnocēt [...]lobe [...]heders And thus ar the wyked & Ezec. iij. couetuouse cura­tes called in scripture giltye the blode of [Page] Crist which fede not their flok with the fode of goddis worde but famisshe them for hunger. And thei ar innocent of the blode which w ^t all diligence fede Cristis chirch redemed with his blode / with the worde of God. Act. xx. And thei ar giltye of the body & bloud y ^• beleue not / for so is eting takē Ezech .iij. where he is cōmanded to eate the bok. And they ar vngilty aftir Austen y ^• eat the flesshe & drinke y ^• blode of the Lorde according to Cristis say­ing / I am that lyuing brede which am comedown from heuen / whoso eat of this brede he shall lyue euer. Io. vi.

And at last (as it were by y ^e waye) to take awaye y ^t carnal sense of the trāsele­mented symbols which the papistik sco­lemen cal transsubstanciaciō of the brede & wyne / that is to saye adnihilacion or naught making of them / destroying the substāce of them bothe / so y ^t their remay­neth nomore brede nor wyne / aftyr the preist hath breathed ouer them / ye shall knowe y ^t the vnworthy receyuing cōsis­teth not in any vtwardnes / so y ^t any mā shuld so eat & drinke his iugemēt / but it [Page] standeth in the inwarde offence / that is to we [...]t / in sleughful negligence / pryde / enuy / malice / concupiscence / couetuous­nes / vnfaithfulnes / wikednes &c. which infidelite with hir wyked frutes taken awaye / the sacramēt bringeth no hurte with it. For well techeth the Apostle / Those men to eate worthely that proue and examyn themselues shewing playnly that the well of all indignite and vn­worthynes depēdeth of the mynde and not of the exteriour & vtwarde signes. The vn­worthy­nes co­meth out of the mynde. And playn it is al thingis to be pure vn­to the pure / but to the polluted and infe­dels there is nothing pure / because the­ir mynde is polluted. Tit. i. And Crist saith / That at entreth into the mouthe defye­leth not the man / but that at gothe out of the mouthe vnpureth hym. Mat. xv. Which thing a non he expowning saith / yet vn­derstād ye not / that whatsoeuer gothe into the mouthe descēdeth into the bel­lye & is caste into the sege? But the thingis y ^• goforth of the mouthe come from the herte &c. playnly teching / the wiked and corrupt minde to be the fowntayne [Page] of all impurite. But contrary wyse we rede / that to the mynde enstructe with faith and knowledge of the doctryne of Crist these thingis ar pure / whiche to myndes euill taught and enstructe ar vnpure. Ro. xiiij In wyne there is no fawte of drunkenes / as nether in meates there is no fawte of surfaiting / but the minde seking tomich hirown plesure in eating & drinking is the autres of the synnes / wherfore the interiour thīgis purged / the exteriour muste nedis be pure. mat. xxiij

The appul of paradyse byten of Adā / had no venome i [...] it / but the fowntayn of euill was the venome cast of the ser­pent into their myndes / and therefore from thense came the euil / from whence came the venome. yea the set mynde to violate the lawe of God made them giltye of dethe ere he did byght or taste of the appul. For it cannot be but noysome and pestelent what so euer owr mynde enbrace at the perswasion of the deuill. The morsell of brede was venome and poyson vnto Iudas saith Austen / not that the brede in it self was venome or [Page] hurtful / but because he hymself be­ing euill / wykedly vsed so grete and holy a sacrament.

Prayse the Lorde.

At Grunning .M.CCCCC. XLI. Apryle xxv [...].