Certeyn meditations and thinges to be had in remembraunce, and well considered by euery Christia[n], before he receiue the sacrament of the body and bloude of Christ. Compiled by T. Broke.

Certeyn meditations and thinges to be had in remembraunce, and well considered by euery Christia[n], before he receiue the sacrament of the body and bloude of Christ. Compiled by T. Broke.

Table of contents

Title page

§

§

[Page]

[Page]

FIrſt it is to be noted, that all Sacramentes aſwell of the olde lawe as alſo of the newe lawe: were inſtituted and ordeyned of God to put vs in remembraunce of his moſt louing benefites and moſt mercifull kyndnes ſhewed and done vnto vs. Which benefites, theſe ſacramentes thorough gods worde doe offer vnto our mindes and not to our ſenſes and we receyue the ſaid benefites by faythe, into oure ſoules, and not wyth our ſenſes into our bodyes. Sacramētes be of ſuch cō ditions and nature, that they haue in them two thinges to be conſidered, the one is an outward viſible thinge which perteyneth vnto the bodyly ſenſes and is alſo-receiued therby. The other thing is not perceyued nor receyued wt any bodily ſenſes, but as a pure and mere ſpiritual thing, a benefite [Page] done by God vnto mā, perteinyng only vnto the ſoule, whyche ſpiritual benefite is geuen & done by god vnto man: becauſe it ſhold be had & reteyned in cōtinual memorye of the chriſtiā man. Theſe outward & ſenſible thynges, were inſtituted and ordeined to ſygnifie & repreſent the ſame, hauing in nature a propertie and condicion ſomewhat cōfirmable & lyke to expres, and repreſent the thing which thei declare and ſingnifie. As bread hath a natural properti to fede, cōfort, and ſuſtain the natural bodi: ſo Chriſtes bodi betraied and his bloud ſhed for the remiſſion of our ſinnes: feadeth, cō forteth, and ſuſteyneth, the ſoule of the chriſtian man, borught into greate feare and ſorowe, with the ſyght of the multitude and greuoſnes of his ſinnes. Which hungreth and erneſtlie thriſteth [Page] for the iuſtice of God, and remiſſion of hys ſayed ſynnes. And if theſe thynges be well noted and pondered, it wyll cauſe to ceaſe contencion moued about the maner of receyuyng of the ſacramēt for all chriſtean mē muſte condeſcend and agre, that euery faythfull Chriſtian, (thorough Gods word in ye ſacramēt, dulie to him exhibited and miniſtred) doth eat and receyue bi faith in Gods promyſe, Chriſtes fleſhe and dryncketh his bloude. So that ye thing is not in contencion. Whether we eate Chriſtes fleſh, or dryncke hys bloude or no in ye Sacramēt but the forme & maner of eatyng Chriſtes fleſhe and drynkyng his bloude is in cōtēciō. For ſome of the clergie ſtriue ſtowtly, and teache vngodlie that we ſhould eate and receyue Chriſtes naturalle-bodye wyth our teth, drynke and [Page] ſwallowe hys bloude wyth oure mouth and throte affirming veri groſſely Chriſtes natural bodie ſo to be naturally reallye, and bodeli preſent, in the ſacrament therof, and that euerie man whych receyueth the ſacrament, receyueth alſo the natural bodie of Chriſt: be he neuer ſo wicked & vnfaythful. An other ſort of teachers, preach, ye receiuing of the ſacrament, with our mouth and chewing it wyth our teth: we eate not nor receyue Chriſtes natural bodi: and drinking and receiuing the wine with our lippes & throt, we drink not Chriſtes bloude, except we faithfully and conſtantlie beleue Chriſtes bodie to be betrayed for vs: and his bloud to be ſhed for ye remiſſion of oure ſinnes, For the mouth (ſaye they) receyueth not nor taſteth, anie other thing then breade and wyne. But Chriſtes [Page] body ſlaine & his bloud ſhed for the remiſſion of our ſinnes (which is the ſpirituall gyfe and grace of God geuen to vs in the ſacramēt) the ſoule eateth and receyueth by fayth to his great ſpiritual comfort, cōmoditie, and profit: and the mouth: cannot receiue, nor taſt it. For cōfirmacion wherof, thei ſay that man conſiſteth and is made of a bodie and of a ſoule, the bodi is a natural and a materiall ſubſtance, which is fed with natural and corporal ſuſtenaunce, & noryſhement. And the ſoule of man, (which we cal the ſpirit & mynde) is a ſpiritual ſubſtaūce which cā not eate nor receiue anye bodelie meat & ſuſtinaūce. For the ſoule being a ſpiritual ſubſtaūce, hath no teth mouth nor ſtomacke, to receyue or degeſt anie ſuche bodelie ſuſtinaūce,Math. xv. for that which entreth into the mouthe defileth not the [Page] ſoule (which is in the inward mā) ſaith Chriſt. So in lykewiſe, that whiche entreth into the mouthe profiteth not the ſoule (beyng the inward man) which cānot receiue it So that the ſacrament, which ye vngodlie ſai) bi vertue of gods word ſpoken by the prieſt, is turned into the natural, reall, and corporal bodie of Chriſtes natural ſubſtaunce, leauyng ye nature of bread, is yet ſuch a natural ſubſtaunce that cānot enter into the ſpiritual ſoule, by bodelie eatyng and receyuynge therefore with ye mouth. For our ſoule is noriſhed fed, & liueth bi the ſpirit of Chriſt and not by the bodeli eatyng of his body with our teeth. For in ye maner of eatinge with the teeth, Chriſtes fleſh profiteth not (ſaith Chriſt) It is his holy ſpirit that quickeneth and maketh vs aliue, for ſpirit liueth not but bi the ſpirit [Page] of Chriſt. For whoſoeuer hath the ſpirit of Chriſt, ye ſame is Chriſtes ſaith Paul And as touching this bodeli eating of Chriſtes bodie, with the teeth of men, it differeth not from the fond & vngodli opinion of the Caperna [...]es reherſed in the .vi. of Ihon. Which hearyng Chriſt ſay: I am ye bread of lyfe and the bread which I wil geue you is my fleſhe. And further he ſayd, excepte you eate my ſleſh, & drink my bloud you ſhal not haue life in you. They ſayde, this word and ſayng is veri hard Who can heare hym? how can he geue vs his fleſh to eate? For thei thought that he woulde haue geuen vnto thē, perceles, and gobbettes of hys tural, and bodily fleſh to eate with their teeth, and to haue let out part of hys natural bloud for them to drink. Euē lyke as ſome of our clergie groſelie [Page] (and no leſſe fondlie) imagyne and without any feare of God, or worldlie ſhame preache, the ſame And althoughe Chriſt louyngly, myndyng and wyllyng to teache them, the profitable and ſpiritual eatyng and drinkyng of his fleſh and bloude, ſayde: doo theſe my wordes offende you? what and yf you ſhall ſee the ſonne of manne aſcēde where he was before? The ſpirit quickneth, the fleſhe profiteth not. Yet this his anſwer, did nothyng teach theym the godlye and ſpiritual eatyng & drinking of his naturall fleſhe and bloude becauſe as Chriſt ſayd there were ſom of them which did not beleue So that without true belefe no man can eate Chriſtes fleſhe and drinke his bloud,Iohn. vi. and then he eateth and drynketh it ſpirituallie to his godli profite. Alſo if the ſacramēt be turned into Chriſtes [Page] tural and real bodie (as the moſt part of oure cleargie vntrulie do preache, & teache.) then it weare alſo reaſon, that the ſame natural-and reall bodie ſhould alſo be receiued and perceiued with our ſē ſes. For Chriſtes natural bodie al though it be nowe glrified and immortal, yet it is not ſo ſpirituall that it is inuiſible, and that proued Chriſt, when after his reſurrectiō he appered vnto his diſciples, Luke. xxiiii. ſaiyng. Fele and ſe a ſpirit hath not fleſhe & bones, as you ſeme haue. Wherfor doubtles if his real, and natural bodie, were corporally preſent in the ſacramente it ſholde be both felt, and ſene. Becauſe ſelynge, and feinge, be two naturall properties, declared by-Chriſt, whereby a naturall bodie is perceiued and knowne to be viſible and to occupie place. For as ſaint Auguſtine ſayth to Dardanum. [Page] That doubtles Chriſtes natural bodie is in heauē. For ſaith he, take from bodies the roume & ſpace of places: and they ſhalbe no where, and if thei be no where, thē thei ſhall not be. Wherfore, if his naturall bodie were in the ſacrament: it muſt nedes occupie roume and place in the ſacramēt,Hebru. iiii. euen aſwell as it doth in heauen or aſwell as anye other naturall ſubſtaunce occupieth place. And thē Chriſtes bodie, beyng and occupiyng place in heauen: cannot alſo in one tyme, occupie place in the ſacrament. For hys naturall bodie cannot occupie two places bothe at one tyme. For Chriſt is like vnto vs his reaſonable creaturs in all thyngs (except onlie in ſyne) But our bodies after our reſurrection ſhalbe viſible: wherefore doubtles Chriſtes bodie ſhal alſo be viſible, wherſoeuer it be [Page] preſēt. Or eleſe he hath no natural bodie But a ſhadow, or fantaſticall bodi which is Marcians-hereſye. Iohn. xvi Chriſt alſo ſaith, you ſhal haue pore folkes alweis with you but me you ſhal not haue alwais wyth you. Alſo Ieſus knowynge that his howre was come, that he ſhould go to his father. How ſhal he go to hys father (excepte in his humanitie) which euer was preſent with his father in hys Godhead? Act. iii. Alſo S. Peter in the Actes ſayth, repent and turne you, that your ſynnes may be done awaye. That when the tyme of reſt ſhall come from the ſyght of the lorde, & he ſhal ſend him which is preached vnto you Ieſus Chriſt, whō the heauens muſt receyue, vntyl all thynges whiche were ſpoken bi the mouth of the prophetes be fulfylled. Alſo Paul ſayth, as often as we ſhall eate of the breade [...]. Cor .xi. [Page] and drynke of the cuppe, [...]. Cor. xi. we ſhall ſhewe the death of the Lorde vntyll he come, whiche wordes (vntyl he come,) declare to be ſpoken of one that is abſente, and not of one that is preſente. Wherefore, doubtles Chriſtes naturall body is abſente, in heauen, and not preſent in a corporall preſence in the Sacramēt of the aultare: which is no dyſcomeforte, nor hurie to vs, that hys naturalle bodie is preſēt in heauen. For as the ſone in ſommer whē he is moſt higheſt and diſtant from vs workethe in the earthe moſt effectuouſli, and yeldeth hys vertue moſt feruentlye and aboundantlye vpon all earthelie thynges: ſo in likewiſe Chriſtes natural bodie although he be in heauen moſt diſtaunt frō vs, yet not with ſtanding he workethe in hys people moſt effectuouſlie & geuethe hys grace moſt [Page] abundauntli to vs as he himſelfe wytteneſſeth to hys apoſtles ſaiyng, it is expedient and neceſſarie that I go from you to my father.Ihon. xvi For yf I ſhoulde not goo to my father, the hollye ghoſte ſhoulde not be ſent to you. Therfore ſeing that ſo many holi ſcriptures wytnes that Chriſtes naturall bodye is in heauen and alſo that it is no dyſcōmodie nor hurt to vs yt it ſo be I truſt euerie good chriſtian man, wyll holde hym content and ſatiſfied. And on ye other partie yf we ſhoulde graunt chriſtes naturall bodie weare ſo preſente in the ſacrament that the breade were chaunged into hys natural bodie and the wyne into hys naturall bloude leauynge ye nature of bread: then bothe the godlie & wycked, the faythful and alſo the vnfaythfull ſhould eate Chriſtes naturall bodie & drynke hys naturall [Page] bloude which is agaynſte all the aunciente wryters,Auguſtin vpō the .xx▪ vi. treatiſe of Iohn. that make a diuerſitie betwyxt, the eatyng of the ſacramēt, & the receyuing of the thynge repreſēted by the ſacrament. The godlie and ye vngodlie receyuethe ſacramente ſaye they, but the thynge repreſented in and bi the ſacramēt, which is Chriſtes bodie broken and his bloude ſhed out for the remiſſion of our ſynnes: no man cā eate excepte the faytheful by fayth. Alſo Chriſt ſaythe that he is the bread of lyfe whych came from heauen, yf a mā eate of that bread he ſhall lyue euerlaſtynglie.Iohn. vi. And he that eatethe my fleſhe and drynkethe my bloude, hathe eternalle lyfe. Whych wordes cannot be verified nor trulie ſpoken of the eating of the ſacramente. For many eate that to their eternal dānacion. [Page] by Chriſtes wordes of his promiſes made vnto vs, they could not do, if the breade were chaūged into Chriſtes naturall bodye. Alſo if the bread & wyne be not chaunged into Chriſtes naturall body and bloud, bi the word (as in ded they be not but the ſubſtaunces remayne in their nature) yet, yf we hearing ye promes of GOD declared vnto vs, that his bodye was betrayed for vs, & hys bloud ſhed for the remiſſion of our ſynnes, beleue the ſame, and receiue ye ſacramēt: we then eate Chriſtes naturall body and bloude in ſpirit and fayth to our euerlaſtinge lyfe, although, we beleue not any maner of tranſubſtancion of the bread into Chriſtes natural bodi and the wine into Chriſtes natural bloude. But by ſuch tranſubſtancion the receyuer of the ſacrament ſhould alſo receiue Chriſtes [Page] body and bloud. If the bread and wyne were chaūged into Chriſtes natural bodi & bloud, And thē as I haue ſayd, the moſt wicked Infidels myght, (eating the Sacrament) eat alſo Chriſtes fleſhe and drink his bloud which is not onli againſt the ſaiynge of the bleſſed martyrſ. Ciprian, Hillarius, and ſaint Auguſtine: but alſo againſt the ſaieynge of Chriſte, whyche ſayth, he that eatethe my fleſhe, and drinketh my bloude, he dwelleth in me, and I in hym, whyche no vnfaythfull can dooe. For as Chriſt ſayth the ſeruaunt dwelleth not in the houſe for euer.

¶Therfore the faithful beleuer in Chriſt is ſure to eate Chriſtes fleſhe and dryncke hys bloude, to hys eternall health, although he neuer beleue any ſuch groſſe trā ſubſtanciacion: And the vnfaythful, can neuer eate hys fleſh (as [Page] Saynt Auguſtine ſaieth) he whyche eateth my fleſhe,Auguſtin xxv▪ treateſe vpon Iohn▪ and drinkeeth my bloude, he dwelleth in me and I in hym. Thys is therefore to eate that breade, and dryncke yt dryncke, to dwell in Chriſt, and to haue Chriſt dwelling in him. And therfore he which dwelleth not in Chriſte: & in whom Chriſt dwelleth not, doubtles eateth not Chriſtes fleſhe nor drinketh his bloud although to his iudgmēt, he eate the ſacramēt of ſo great a thing. Alſo ye ſame doctour ſaint Auguſttine again ſaith, truly this bread, requireth the hongre of ye inward man.Auguſtine. xx▪ vi. treatiſe vpon Iohn▪ For bleſſed be they whych hungr and thyrſte for rightuouſnes, verily to beleue in hym, that is to eate the liuing bread: he whiche beleueth in hym, eateth inuiſibli and is filled becauſe he is inuiſibly borne againe.

¶Wherfore doubtles, the ſpirituall [Page] eatynge of Chriſtes bodye, (which is to beleue in him) is only ye godli eating of Chriſtes, fleſh and drinkyng hys bloud, and not thys outwarde bodilye eatynge wyth theyr teeth, fayne they neuer ſo craftelie. This falſe tranſubſtantiacion which repugneth agaynſt all the auncient writers, and alſo agaynſt the holie ſcriptures whyche be declared by the mouthe of Paule, [...]. Cor. [...]. ſaiyng, I wyll not brethren yt ye bee ignoraunt, that all our fathers were vnder a cloude, and all paſſed the ſea, and all were baptiſed in Moſes, and in the cloude, and in the ſea, and all dyd eate one ſpirituall-meate, and all dranke one ſpirituall drynke, they drancke of the ſpirituall rocke, whiche folowede them, the rocke trulie was Chriſt And if our fathers before Chri,ſtes incarnacion, and we that be [Page] leue nowe: do eate one ſpiritual meate & drink one ſpiritual drink (but oure Fathers dyd not eate Chryſtes naturall, and reall bodie, nor dryncke hys reall bloude, whych, two thouſande yeares after was not incarnated, nor had any naturall bodie) therefore we do not nowe eate hys reall bodie in hys bodelie preſence, in the ſacrament, as theſe by ther trāſubſtantiacion pretende. For we eate the ſame that our fathers did eate which eating was by faith. Ergo euen ſo muſte we eate by faythe Chriſtes fleaſhe and drynke hys bloude in the ſacrament, and not wyth our teeth reallie, if we wylbee ſaued by the eatynge of Chriſtes fleſhe & drynkyng his bloud as they were.

¶All the auncient writers writ and teach that we eate Chriſtes bodie and drinke his bloud in the [Page] ſacrament, in a myſterie, that is in a ſimilitude, whych cannot be eſtemed reallye, for they be contraies For to eate a reall thing is with the mouth to eate naturallie the ſubſtaunce, but al miſteries be receyued & eaten wyth the mynde and not bi anye bodelie meanes And therfore the ſacrament is called of moſt auncient writers, Panis miſticus, A myſticall breade which was ordeyned to feade and comforte the ſoules, and not for ye bodie.

¶Chriſoſtome ſayth that Chriſt gaue vs no ſenſible thynges but rather inſenſible thynges,Vpon the .vi▪ Iohn the xlvi. homelie▪ & thoſe thynges which were inſenſible or ſpirituall thynges,

¶Seynt Ambros vpon the .xi. chapiter of the fyrſt to the Corinthians, ſpeakyng to them whych ſhoulde receyue the ſacramente, ſaith that thei ſhould, iudge with [Page] them ſelues that it is the Lorde whoſe bloude they drynk in a miſterie, whych bloud is a witnes of the benefites of god. Alſo in his boke of the ſacramentes, he ſayeth becauſe we bee deliuered by ye death of the lord we remembring the ſame, in eatyng & drynkynge do ſyngnyfie the deathe of ye lorde

¶Alſo Euſebius ſaythe becauſe he would take away his bodi out of our ſyghte, and cary it aboue the ſtarres, it was neceſſary that in this tune, he ſhould conſecrate for vs the ſacrament of hys bodie and bloude, that it might be worſhipped in a miſteri,The xi. [...] vpon the .v. Mathew. which was offered for our price.

¶Alſo Chriſſoſtome ſaythe yf it be ſo perelous to occupie the halowed veſſels vnto a priuate vſe in whome chriſtes verie true bodi is not, but the myſtery of his bodie is conteynede: howe muche more [Page] ought we not to geue the veſſels of our bodies to the Deuyll that he maye do in thē what he wyll.Pſalm. lxxxx▪ iii.

¶Alſo Seynt auguſtine ſaithe you ſhall not eate this bodie whiche you ſee, nor drynke ye bloud yt they ſhal ſhede whiche wil crucifi me, I haue comended vnto you a ſacramente ſpirituallye vnderſtanded which ſhall quicken you and althoughe it be neceſſarie to be celebrated, and done viſiblye yet it muſte be ſpirituallie vnderſtanded, wherfore doubtles there is no ſuche fonde tranſubſtanciacion, as our clergie (whyche can not vnderſtād & perceiue ye godly & ſpiritual eateing of chriſts fleſh) haue grosli imagined. But ye godly & profitable eating is by faithe as I haue declared, wherin there is not required any tranſubſtanciacion: But in thys tranſubſtanciacion, Sathan hathe broughte [Page] hys wycked wyll and purpoſſe to paſſe whyche is that ther was neuer ſo godli a thing bi god ordeined for mā whiche ye Deuyl hath not other obſcured, or made darck the ſame by chaunging the ryght vſe thereof, into an abuſe, or Takyng awey, the vertue comoditie and profet of ye thing, leauing the name ineſtemation, or els peruertyng the thynge whyche was ordeyned of God, to be moſt godly and profytable to manne, that through the abuſe therof, it is be come moſt wicked and damnable to man. As for a lamentable example in this beggery and Anti chriſtian tranſubſtantiation, it is to manifeſt, wherein ſome of our Cleargie, haue moſt wickedli & blindly taught the people of this realme, that they ſhoulde beleue that in that they receiued the ſacrament, that they wythout any [Page] doubte dyd eate Chriſtes fleſhe & dryncke hys bloude, becauſe (by vertue of the worde ſpoken bi the prieſt) the bread is chaunged into Chriſtes naturall fleſh and bloud wherefore receiuinge and earyng the breade they ſhoulde eate Chriſtes fleſhe and bloud whiche they dyd nothynge leſſe. And ſo were ledde wt a falſe and fayned fayth to truſte to haue by eatynge the ſacramente eternall lyfe, euen for ye wor [...]ks ſake, or becauſe they eat it wt theyr teeth whiche onely dyd not profit them but alſo was their vtter dānation becauſe they receyued it wythout fayth.

NOw Chriſten reader, I truſt thou perceiueſt, that in euery ſacrament. Ther be two thinges to be conſidered, the one is the viſyble ſubſtance, whych is offered, to the ſenſes, & by and wyth the ſenſes, we maye [Page] receyue and vſe the cōmoditie of it. The other is, the Inuiſible grace, and liberall gifte of God, whych by the viſible ſubſtance & the promyſe of god, vnto ye ſame Ioyntely pronounced, is repreſē ted and geuen to al them yt faithfully, and conſtantely, beleue the ſame promeſſe. This ſpirituall gifte of god, is Chriſtes body broken and his bloude, ſhede, for the remyſſion of our ſynnes, whyche ſpirituall gifte, bycauſe it is geuen to vs by godes liberal promes? It can not be otherwiſe receyued, but of a ſpirituall herte, and that thorow, and by, faythe onely, in ye ſame promeſſe Suche faythefull beleuers doubtles do eate Chriſtes fleſhe and dryncke his bloude in ſpirite and truthe: That is to ſaye receyue all the cō moditie and profet of all Chriſtes paſſion, death, reſurrection▪ and [Page] aſcention, whych is, remiſſion of ſynnes, and eternall lyfe. In the receyuyng of this ſacrament we profeſſe not onely to be faythfull warriars agaynſt the deuel, the worlde, and the fleſhe, but alſo to be lyuely membres, of Chriſtes myſticall body, wherof Chriſte is [...]ade: wherfore aboue all thinge we muſt be circumſpecte & welware, yt we defile not oure ſelues wyth any fylthy luſtes & ſynnes wherby we ſhoulde be become a [...]ylthy, croked, and roten, member wherof our head Ieſu Chriſt ſhoulde not reioyce, but rather be a ſhamed, and ſo worthi to be cut of from the body. And then euen as ye braūch of ye tree whē it is cut of from the tre, receyueth nor taketh any more ſappe iuyſe or naturall moyeſtnes of the tree, and therfore widdereth, dryeth and becometh deade, apte only for the fyer. In like maner if we thorow [Page] oure obſtynate perſeueraunce in ſynne, be deuided from god, as ye prophets Eſai & Hieremy ſaith & be no myſticall mēbre of Chriſtes church his myſticall body:Hieremy. v. then can we receiue, no more fauoure grace nor lyfe, from Chriſte, but ſhal widder, die, and be apte only for the Hell fier vntyll it pleaſeth god of mere mercy and grace, Euen as it were by his grace and infinyte power, & no leſſe by hys myracles, contrary to our nature to graffe vs newly into Chriſtes myſticall body, & endeue vs with his, new and heauenly ſpirite. Of the other parte if we be faythfull warriars of Chriſt, and ſtriue cō ſtantly againſt the deuel, ye world and the fleſhe, and beleue faythefully that by and thorow Chriſte we ſhall ouercome the ſame, we ſhall doubteles be accepted and reputed and taken before god as [Page] his naturall mēbres, euen fleſhe of his fleſhe & bones of his bones Such as he cā not but loue, cheriſhe, and fauoure, for who dyde euer hate his owne fleſhe, but did noriſhe & cheriſhe it?Epheſ. vi. ſaith Paule. Seing than that we be his naturall membres euen fleſhe of hys fleſhe and bones of his bones: as Sinne hell and death could not preuaile, agaynſt Chriſt: So cā they not preuaile agaynſt vs, no wythholde vs from Chriſte, fowe be one wyth Chriſt, & we muſt nedes be where he is, accordynge to the prayer of Chriſt in the xvii of Iohn ſaying.Iohn. xvii. Holy father kepe thē in thy name whome thou haſt geuen me, that they maye be one, as we be, father whom thou haſt geuen to me I will, where I am that they be with me, that is to be in heauen, & to haue eternall lyfe as Chriſt there ſaythe, father the [Page] houre cometh, claryfy thy ſonne, that thy ſonne may claryfi the, as thou haſt geuen to hym, power ouer all fleſhe that all, that thou haſt geue to him: he may gyue to them, eternall lyfe. If we be one wyth our head Chriſt, and in heauen wyth hym to whome alſo he hath geuen eternall lyfe: Howe can ſynne hell or deathe preuayle agaynſt vs, his liuely membres? Doubtles it is Impoſſible, wherfore let oure earneſt ſtudy, prayer & laboure, be aboue all thynges, to kepe vs in his myſticall body, that we may be, lyuely members of the ſame, according as we profeſſe vs to be, by this holy cōmunyon in this bleſſed ſacrament of his bodye and bloude. Yea moſte diligently and circumſpectly beware what thou doeſt loke that thou diſſemble not, nor lye to the holy goſt, ther can be no greatter [Page] ſhame nor offence for the, than to profeſſe before thy friendes & the hole cōgregatiō, wyth thy mouth countenāce and behauiour to be a faithfull Chriſtian, And vtterly to deny the ſame in thy herte, wordes, & deades, And although thou canſte, thus colourably diſſemble, and falſelye diſceyue, the Chriſten congregation, yet canſt yu neuer deceyue Chriſte, whyche knoeth ye inward & ſecret thoughtes & fayned imagynaciōs of thy hert. Therfore I coūſel ye Chriſtē reader, that thou Iuſtely truely, and diligently, examen thy lyfe, and conſider well wyth thy ſelfe, whether thou be, a conſtant warry it agaynſt ſynne. Proue whether thou purpoſe erneſtli, and cō ſtantlie, ſo to continew vnto the death, & alſo whether thou haue vnite peace and herty vnfayued loue, towardes al ye congregaciō [Page] whych is moſt manyfeſtly expreſſed & ſignyfied by this ſacramēt of Chriſtes body and bloud. And thē laſt, try thy ſelfe whether thou beleue fayethfully to haue remiſſion of thy ſynnes and eternall lyfe thorow Chriſtes paſſion and death onely, and not by any other merits of ſayntes, prayers, or holy workes of thy owne, or of any other creature lyueyng or deade. If thou be fullye perſwaded and determyned in all theſe thinges before wrytten, then mayeſt thou boldely come to this holy table, & to confirm thy fayth, receiue this holy ſacrament of Chriſtes body & bloud, for a erneſte pledge of eternall lyfe. Whych graunte the that derely bought the to reigne wyth hym in eternall glory▪

FINIS

§

[Page]

[Page]

Certeyn Meditations, and thinges to be had in remebraunce, and well conſidered by euery Chriſtiā, before he receiue ye Sacrament of the body and bloude of Chriſt.

¶Compiled by T. Broke.

☞ Anno. M.D.xl.viii. The .xvii. of Auguſt▪

§

[Page]

❧ Imprinted▪ at London by Iohn Day and Wyllyam Set [...]s, dwellynge in Sepulchres Pariſh at the ſigne of the Reſurrection a litle aboue Holbourne Conduite.

☞ M.D. xlviii. the .v. of Auguſt

❧ Cum gratia & priuilegio ad imprimendum ſolum.

[Page]

Information about this book

Title statement

Certeyn meditations and thinges to be had in remembraunce, and well considered by euery Christia[n], before he receiue the sacrament of the body and bloude of Christ. Compiled by T. Broke.

Broke, Thomas.

Edition statement

1548

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A68996

ID [STC]

STC 3816

ID [STC]

ESTC S108982

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99844633

ID [PROQUEST]

99844633

ID [VID]

9466

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A68996)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 9466)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 27:12, 27:13)

Source

— Certeyn meditations and thinges to be had in remembraunce, and well considered by euery Christia[n], before he receiue the sacrament of the body and bloude of Christ. Compiled by T. Broke., Broke, Thomas..

Extent

[36] p.

By Iohn Day and Wyllyam Seres, dwellynge in Sepulchres Parish at the signe of the Resurrection a little aboue Holbourne Conduite],. [Imprinted at London :: Anno. M.D.xl.viii. the. xvii. of August. [1548]. (Place of publication and printers' names from colophon.) (Misidentified as STC 3815 on UMI microfilm reel 27.) (Signatures: A B¹⁰ (B10 blank).) (Reproductions of the original in the British Library (misidentifed as STC 3615 on UMI microfilm, reel 27), and the Cambridge University Library.) (Appears at reel 27, positions 12 (British Library copy, misidentified as STC 3615) and 13 (Cambridge University Library copy).)

Creation

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

Editorial practices

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.