¶ A proclamation against the vnreuerend disputers and talkers, of the Sacramente of the body and blood of Christ commonly called the Sacrament of the aultar, set furth by this Kyngys a [...]ie with the [...] and cōsent of his most deere [...]ncle, Edwarde Duke of [...] [...] of [...] moste royall person and of hys [...] amd subiectes [...] of hys highnes moste honorable pryuey coun­saill▪ .x [...]vii. daye of D [...] [...] the [...] yeare of his Maiesties most gratious reigne.

Where as the Kynges highnes hathe of late with thas­sent and cōsent of the lordes Spirituall and Temporall, and thecō ­mons in the Parliament, helde the .iiij. day of Nouember, in the first yeare of his most gracious reigne, made a good and Godly acte and estatute against those, who doeth comtēpne, despise, or with vnsemely and vngodly woordes depraue and deuyle the holy Sacramente of the body and blood of our Lorde, commonly called the Sacrament of y e Aultar, and in thesame estatute, hath most prudently declared by all the wordes & termes, whiche scripture speaketh of it what is vndoubtedly to be accepted, beleued, taken and spoken, by and of the sayd Sacrament: Yet this notwithstandyng, hys Maiestie is aduertised, that some of his subiectes not contented with suche woordes and termes, as scripture doeth declare therof, nor with that doctri­ne, whiche the holy Ghoste by the Euangelistes, and saincte Paule hathe taughte vs, do not cease to moue contentious and superfluous questions of the sayde holy Sacrament and soupper of the Lord, entering rashely into the discussing of the high mistery therof, and go about in their sermons or tal­kes arrogantly to defyne the maner, nature, fashion, waies, possibilitie or impossibilitie of those mat­ters, whiche neither make to edification, nor God hath not by his holy worde opened: Which person­nes not contented, reuerently and with obedient faithe, to accepte that in the saide Sacrament, accor­dyng to the saiyng of sainct Paul, the bread is the communiō or partaking of the body of our Lord, The wyne likewyse the partakinge of the blood of Christe, by the woordes instituted and taughte of Christ and that the body and blood of Iesu Christ is there, which is our comforte thankes geuing, louetoken of Christes loue towardes vs & of oures, as hys mēbres within our selfe, searcheth & stri­ueth vnreuerently whether the body and blood aforesayd is there, really, or figuratly, locally, or circū scriptly, and hauyng quantitie and greatnes, or but substantially, and by substaunce onely, or els but in a figure and maner of speakyng, whether his blessed body be there head, legges, armes, toes & nay­les, or any other waies, shape & maner, naked or clothed, whether he is brokē & shewed, or he is alwaies whole, whether the bread there remaineth as we se, or how it departeth, whether the flesh be there alone and the blood, or parte, or eche in other, or in the one both, in the other but only blood and what blood, that onely, whiche dyd flowe out of the side, or that, whiche remayned, with other suche irreuerēt super­fluous and curious questions whiche (how, and what, and by what meanes, & in what fourme) maye bring into them whiche of humaine and corrupt curiositie, hath desire to search out such misteries, as lieth did in the infinite and botomeles deapth of the wisedome and glory of God, and to the whiche our humaine imbecillitie cannot atteine and therfore oftetymes turneth the same to their awne and o­thers destruction, by contention and arrogant rashenes: whiche simple and Christian affection, reue­rently receyuing, and obediently beleuing, without further search, taketh and vseth to moost great cō ­forte and profite: for reformation whereof and to the intent, that further contention, tumulte & que­stion might not rise emonge the kynges subiectes, the Kinges highnes, by the aduise of the lord Pro­tector and other hys Maiestics counsaill, strayghtly willeth and commaundeth, that no manes per­son, from hensf [...]h do in any wise contenciously and openly argue, dispute, reasone, preach or teach, affirmyng any more termes of the sayd blessed Sacrament, then be expressely taught in the holy scrip­ [...] [...]

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