A brefe confutatacion of this most detestable, [and] Anabaptistical opinion, that Christ dyd not take hys flesh of the blessed Vyrgyn Mary nor any corporal substaunce of her body For the maintenaunce whereof Ihone Bucher otherwise called Ihone of Kent most obstinately suffered and was burned in Smythfyelde, the .ii day of May. Anno Domini M.D.L.

SO ſubtile is ſathan, our Enemy Immortal, When hé is tranſformed into an angell of light He captiuates oure ſences, ſo fond and phantaſtical That we doubt not to deme the day to be nighte.Hiſtori. Eccleſi. Lib. iiii. ca. xiiii By Suche lieng ſpirites ſeduced is the ſight. And with pernicious opinions amaſed in a miſte Ace al they that beleue not, the incarnation of Chriſt. ¶ In the primatiue churche, within fortie yeres, After Chriſtes aſencion, this darnell begonne, To ſpringe vp by Marcion, his complices and feers Whom Policarpus called, the deuyls eldeſt ſonne. The Anabaptiſtes hold herein, an erronius opinion So did the wayward Virago, that wold not repent The deuils Eldeſt doughter, which lately was brent. ¶ Beware of ſuch errours, and reuerentlye reade Gods worde with humilitie, and modeſtie▪ of mynd, Geue faith to the ſame, and ſticke to thy Crede For the deuyll nowe beſtirs him, and doth but hys kind To hinder the Goſpell, many meanes doth he finde. He rages and raunges, the wyld worlde ouer He makes many loſe with ſhorte, and ſome with ouer. ¶ This the ſcripture is wreſted, and all to be Rackte Of Such as with ſpirites of errour are ledde Thaſſiſtance of God, and his meke ſpirite is lacte To teach them the true ſence, whan his word is redde It ſerues not to mayntayne fonde toyes in their heade.iii. 〈…〉 xix. And wher the proude ſpirite is halt, and voyde of goddes feare. Non ibidem dominus. The Lorde is not There. ☞ God promiſed to Eue, that the ſead of a womanneGen. 〈…〉 Shulde treade downe the head of the ſubtill ſerpente, This Promiſe was fully accomplyſhed than When Chriſt became man and made the attonemente. This ſeade was of his mother▪ and not from heauen ſente • at • . • . How can it be called the ſede of a woman truly Which taketh no ſubſtaunce, nor parte of her bodye? To Abraham and Iacob, the ſame ſead was promyſed The boke of Geneſys, is playne and manifeſt: In thy ſede, ſhall all the people of the worlde be bleſſed Not brought from aboue, but borne to performe the beheſt Was Chriſt of his mother, and not from heauen ſent To this ſence and meanyng thy wittes thou enclyne, And marke well what is meant by thys pronoune thyne How could it be their ſead, whiche take not their ſubſtaunce But came downe from heauen, and was not of their kind? The ſcripture. Conteineth no ſuch repugnaunce Who ſhalbe able by the ſame, to proue or to finde To warrant Chriſtes humanyty, or beleue it in his mynd? If ye make it vncertayne, of whom he did take it It appereth by thys opinion the deuyll is awaked. ☞ God promiſed to rayſe vp the ſame ſede to Dauyd Of the frute of his belly to ſit on his ſeat. In the ſecond of Samuell and the ſeuenth ye may haue it God is full Iuſt and did not forgette To conquere the dyuel and his deuiſe to difeate, To vanquiſh his iudgement and putt awaye ſynne, Chriſt was this ſede borne of his mother the virgyn. Eſaye the prophete confirmed the ſame A virgyn ſhall conceiue and brynge forth a chylde, With this the Goſpell of Mathewe doth frame The fruite did growe in the wombe vndefilde And the mother waxt greate, nature was begild This came not by fortune or caſuall chaunce That Chriſte toke of his mother his corporall ſubſtance. ☞ From the rote of Ieſſe procede ſhall a bud, And a flower of this rote, for ſo the prophet ſaies. This bud was Marye, of whoſe fleſhe and bloud, Came Chriſte the flowre, my fayth ſhalbe alwayes The fruite of her wombe whyche neuer decayes, And not as water which runnes to a Condit, And paſſes thorowe a pipe, as the Diuell nowe hath found it. ¶ To conceyue and beare a chylde what other thinge is mente, Than the mother to her child to geue and participate, As the tree to the fruit? for euen ſo dyd this parent, Of her body with thys chylde communicate. Nouriſhed him in her wombe where he was incorporate. And not as tayne comes from heauen as Martian ſpoke. Whyche is as true as an oringe ſpringes of an oke. Mathewe diſcribing the Lineall deſſente In his genealogye, thus he writtes of Marye Of whome is borne Chriſt, learne what he meant By this terme of, for he doth not ſaye by Whom, or through whom: the holy ghoſt cannot lye. Beleue than gods worde though the deuel be neuerſo loth And let thy wyl and thy wyt gaue place to the troth ☞ As touchyng the fleſh Chriſt was borne of Dauids ſede, And whan the tyme was perfourmed, God than did ſend His ſonne borne of a woman, let this be the Crede, And forget not the Aue, with what wordes it doth ende Bleſſed is the fruyte of thy wombe, pray to god he may defende The, from this errour, and ſo from al other, That thou may beleue, Chriſte toke fleſhe of hys mother. ☞ But if froward fondnes, haue ſo wedded the to thy wyl, Both piuyſhe and peruerſe, that theſe will not perſwade The fourth of the Galathians I wyl write in my bille The place is pithy, to tourne the from that trade. But when the ful tyme was come, God ſent his ſonne made Of a woman, the greke hath it made, written by Poulle, And not bourne: beleue this ſcripture, and dampne not thy ſoule. ☞ Tyme wil not ſerue to vtter the ſtore Of ſundry textes, which ſcripture contaynes Agaynſt this opinion, and moſt dyueliſh erroure, Lately maintayned by a ſort of Idle braines. And all to ſeme ſinguler but marke well their gaynes They are ſo ſturdy and ſtoute, they wyll be take for no ſtarters Thei had rather goo to the Dyuel, like ſtinking marters. ☞ Scripture diſdaynes not, to cal Chriſt the ſonne •• he. i 〈…〉 . ii. Of Marye his mother, in Luke and in Mathewe, But their hartes are ſo hardened they will not be wonne They make a tuſh at a text, be it neuer ſo true. They wyl beleue Paule no more, than a turcke or a Iewe, To aledge them ſcriptures, it greately ſkylleth not Ther is none ſo blind as they that can ſe, and will not. ☞ Thys doubte were diſcuſſed if they vnderſtode And wold rede and beleue, the ſecond to the Ebrues, Foraſmuch as the chyldren were pertakers of fleſh and bloude, He alſo him ſelfe likewiſe did not Refuſe But toke part with them, wherby he ſubduſe Through death the deuyll, our mortall aduerſary Where had Chriſte his fleſhe, but of his mother Mary? ☞ Chriſt toke the ſede of Abrahā, he toke it not of Aungelles So that be became like to his brethren in al thinges Synne only excepte, thus playnly Paule telles, Where came he by thys fleſh, which amongſt vs he brings? Had he fethers as well as fleſh, and came downe with winges? Chriſt came to be a mediatoure, it was requiſite that he Shuld be partaker of the godhede, and of our humanitye. Chriſte preached the worde, and ſowed forth good ſedes, The Apoſtles trauayled, and toke greate paynes, But Belſebub beſturred him, and vp came the wedes Whiche ſhortly ſprong vp in fantaſticall braynes. Suche Deuiliſhe deceyuers the Deuyll intertaynes. Many entred in Iohns tyme whyche woulde not confeſſe: That oure Sauioure Ieſus Chriſte was come in the fleſhe. ☞ It ſemed moſt mete to gods hyghe prouidence And alſo moſt neceſſarye for our redemcion, That wher the fyrſt mā in our nature cōmitted diſobedience. The ſecond Man Chriſte ſhoulde make ſatiſfaccion. Repayre and recompence in the ſame nature and parſon And paye the payne of ſynne this was not omitted In the fleſhe of man wherein it was committed. ☞ Howe ſtandeth to the Corinthyans Paules dyſputacion If Chriſt had not his nature common wyth vs? In whom now ryſen Paule proueth an vniuerſal reſurreccion It were eaſy to reply agaynſt the ſame thus: If it myght: be alledged (as it cannot) that Ieſus Broughte downe from heauen an heauenly body In to the wombe of the Vyrgyn Mary. ☞ What maruell is it, if an heauenly ſubſtaunce, Be vtterly voyde and exempte from corrupcion It cannot well folowe ther muſt be variaunce, That our bodies ſubiecte to putrefaccion, Shoulde ryſe vp agayne wythout corrpucion That we doute not hereof let vs beleue ſure That Chriſte toke parte wyth vs in our nature. ☞ Eſay the Prophet ſayd he was made Emanuell, The worde ſoundes and ſignifieth God is wyth vs, Howe it ſhould be other wyſe, I cannot tell. But I am aſſured that Dauyd in the parſon of Ieſus •• alme Reade the .xxii. Pſal. where he this doute doeth dyſcus Thou toke me from my mothers wombe to performe the beheſtes Thou waſt my hope when I hnaged vpon my mothers breaſtes. ☞ Let vs praye vnto god longe to mayntayne and defende The ſtate of this realme and goddes true religion, Let vs alſo geue thankes to god whiche hath ſende Vs a kynge to al princes a preſident and patron, 〈…〉 A counſell moſt catholike for a chriſtian congregacion. To ſurceaſſe al ſedicion to punyſhe falſe teachers And to ſtabliſhe true doctrine god ſende vs good preachers. ☞By me Edmon Becke.