THe Prophette, Dauid in his forescore and nintēth psalme, exhortyng all people to synge prayse to almigh­ti god, to serue hī in gladnes, and reioyse in his sight, alledgeth thys as a sufficient cause thereof. Scitote quoni­am ipse est dominus, Psalme, cxix. ipse fecit nos et non ipsi nos. which is to saye. Know you that he is our Lord it is he that made vs, and we made not our selfes. And in dede, who y^t diligently wayeth y^e creatiō of man, can not but therin most highly laude, & prayse almighty god, his creator. For wher in the creation of al other visible thinges, he did but onely commaunde, & will that they should be made, and incontinēt they were made, in the creatyng of man, he vsed great solemp­nitie, and many notable circumstaunces. Fyrst tou­chyng mā,Genes. i. he said, let vs make mā, which words be as it were the wordes of god the father, to God the sonne, & to the holy ghost, spoken after the ma­ner of men, when they go about some great matter, at what time they take good aduisement or they be­gyn, and doo ioyne with the best, & wysest counsel­lours, [Page 3] that they can get. Thys circumstaunce (not beyng necessary of goddes parte, as withoute the which he might haue created man) doth most manifestly declare the special fauour, of almyghty god to­wardes mankynde: but that nexte circumstaunce, which doth immediatly folowe thys fyrst, is a more surer profe, and declaration of gods tender loue, towardes mā, whē he sayth. Let vs make man to our owne similitude & likenes, Now mark, good people, howe much god dyd for vs in our crea­tion. He made vs in very dede like vnto himselfe, & in so doynge what could he haue done more for vs? A wonderfull excellēt benefite & comfort is it vnto vs, to consyder that man was made like vnto god. And to vnderstand this thyng the better, you shall know that the similitude, and likenes of man to god, was not in the body of man (for this you must moost cer­tenly beleue, y^t the godhed is a spirite, & not a bodely substaunce) but this similitude and likenes was in y^e soule, which was endued, with most heuenly & god­like qualities, as vnderstandyng, memory, and wil, with sondry gyftes also of grace. And here is to be noted by the way, that where almighty god sayeth, Let vs make man to our owne similitude, & lykenes, he geueth vs to vnderstād, y^t there be three parsons in trinitie, & yet but one god. For in that he sayeth let vs make man, therein is signified, a plu­ralitie, or number of persones: agayne, in that he say­eth to our similitude and likenes, and not to oure si­militudes and lykenesses, by thys is signyfyed the [Page] vnitie also of one nature and substaunce. But to procede further concernyng the creation of man, ye shall vnderstand,Genesis. 2. that the second chapter of Moyses boke, called genesis, in speciall maner doth recorde the seuerall making, as well of the bodye of man, by it selfe, as also of the soule by it selfe. And as touching the body, scrypture doth there say, that. God four­med, or shaped it, of y^e earthe Noting therby the excellēcy of mans body, aboue the bodyes of other li­uynge creatures. For we rede not of anye other ly­uyng creature, that god shaped, or fourmed, the bo­dy of it, but onely that he made it, and that at the cō maundement of almighty god,Genesis. i. the earth brought fourth foure foted beastes, & the water, in like maner, brought fourth fysshes, & foules. Only of y^e body of mā scripture witnesseth y^t God shaped it. And as cōcerning y^e soule of mā, it is written of it, in the sayd second chapter of genesis,Genesis. 2. howe y^t god brethed it into the body, which .ii. circumstaunces, as they import a marueylous excellency of man, aboue other bodely creatures, so they most clerely declare thexcedyng great goodnes of God, towardes man. Now when god had, in such a singuler fashion, cre­ted man, he gaue hym souereigntie ouer all the fys­shes of the sea, ouer the foules of the ayer, and ouer the beastes of the lande, yea and made him a Kyng, and Emperour on the earth. And yet not satisfyed with al this, he placed man in Paradyse, that is in a most pleasaunt garden, where he had planted all [Page 4] kynd of frute, beautifull to beholde, and delicious to eate, for man to fede vpon, onely one kynde of fruyte he charged hym on payne of death, (and that not of the body alone, but of the soule also) vtterlye to re­frayne from, which was the fruyte of the tree called in scrypture, the tre of knowledge of good, and euyl. And lyke as in a most maruelous sorte he made A­dam the fyrste man, so in as marueylous, & straunge a sort he made Eue the first woman, euen of a rybbe taken out of Adams lefte syde, and her he made par­fytte, and furnyshed her with like gyftes as he had done Adame the first man: What canne we then thinke, or deuyse, that God might haue don more for vs in our creation, then herein he dyd: He made the soule immortall, that is such as shulde continue for euer without ende. He furnished it with moste sin­guler gyftes both of nature and of special grace also The body of man, in the estate of originall innocen­cie, had in it helth, strength, cumlines, and other like qualities, in the highest degre of perfection, it had in it selfe then, no fond lust, or concupiscens, no pronitie or inclination to euyl, no lothsumnes in doing good, no infirmitie or wekenesse, no lacke or want of any qualitie fyt and decent for it. The body of man was then obediente to the soule, the soule altogether obedient to God. So that on Gods parte, oure ma­ker and creator, there is nothyng towardes vs but all perfection, all great kyndnes, al fatherly loue, & fauour, Holy scrypture most euydently affyrmeth y^t al creatures were made good in their creation, say­ing. Vidit deus omnia que fecerat et erant ualde bona. Gene. i. Genesis. [...]. That [Page] is. God sawe al things which he had made, and they were very good. Which thyng as it is generally true in all creatures concerning their cre­ation, so is it in a certen degre of excellencye to be verified in man touchyng the estate of his originall innocency. Thus we may perceaue y^t in the creation of man, al was excellent & parfytte, whiche oughte greatly to inflame vs the more to loue and serue al­mighty God our most louynge creator. But for as­muche as that blessed estate is lost, & mankynd by y^e losse thereof, fell into extreme miserie and wretched­nes, it is consequently to be well considered of our part, by what meanes man was brought from soo good and blessed a case, to so euyll and miserable an estate, whiche poynte well wayed, is a sufficiente grounde to cause vs on the other syde vtterly to de­test & abhorre al synne. For that greuous fal of man came of synne. Synne it was, for which God thrust man oute of paradyse, synne it was that caused the fleshe to striue agaynste the spirite, and the spirite, agaynst the fleshe, synne it was that broughte vn­to mankynde necessitie of bodyly death, and all the infirmities and diseases, which man in thys tran­sitory lyfe sustayneth, synne fynally it was, that caused all the posteritie of Adam and Eue to be borne in state of dampnation. But some perchaunce are desyrous fardar to knowe, by what meanes man was fyrst brought to commytte synne. For the vn­derstandyng whereof,Genes. 3. lette vs haue recourse to the iii. chap. of Genesis, where it is wrytten: how that y^e wyly serpent the deuyll came vnto Eue and sayde [Page 5] vnto her: Why hath God gyuen you com­maundement not to eate of euery tree in pa­radyse? where vnto the woman answered and sayde: of the fruyte which is in paradise we eate, but of the frute of that tree y^t grow­eth in the myddest of paradyse, GOD hath charged vs not to eate or touche it? leste, per­chaunce we dye. Then sayde the serpente to the woman: Naye, you shall not dye. For God knoweth that whatsoeuer daye you shall eate thereof, youre eyes shalbe opened, and you shalbe like Gods, knowynge good and euyll. The woman therefore saw that the tree was good to eate of, and beautifull to the eye, and pleasaunte to beholde, and she tooke of the fruyte thereof and dyd eate, and gaue part to her husbād, who also dyd eate.

Thus through the prouocation of the deuyll, man first fell into synne. Wherefore as we must alwayes abhorre synne and forbeare it, bycause of the greate misery it brought vs vnto, so should we no les hate, and to the vttermost of our power, fly the deuyl and all his suggestions, knowing that thereby we were fyrst induced to commytte synne. For as thys oure aduersary was busye at the begynnynge with oure fyrst parentes, so is he no les,i. Peter. 5. but rather more busye with vs at thys present, as wytnesseth Saynt Pe­ter in the .v. chapiter of his first epystle, saying. [Page] Youre aduersary the deuyl, as a roryng lion goeth about, seking whom he may deuour. Thys aduersary of mankynde, disdaynynge at the greate felycytye that Adam and Eue were in, neuer ceasyd questionynge, and craftyng with the woman, being the weker and trayler vessell, vntyll he had made them disobey gods commaundement: by which their doyng, they lost the orygynall great innocency which they had at there creation, which being lost, nether the body woulde be obedient to y^e soule, nor the soule to god, but al was in man turned vpsidoune: yea therby they fel also into necessitie of temporall death of body, and (which is worst of all) into the estate of eternall damnation, and euerlast­ing death, both of body and soule. But now, because it maye paraduenture seme in some mans iudge­ment, that seyng the thing that Adam and Eue did; was but the eatynge of an appell, therefore their faut was not great, nor deserued so greuous punish­ment, let vs consider the circumstaunces, and we shall sone perceyue the offence not lyght, but verye sore and heynous. Fyrst the thyng which god com­maunded man to forbeare, was a thyng most easye for hym to forbeare, and so much was his faute the greater. Besides this, whan a man is tolde before of great peryll and daunger that shall lyght vpon him if he doo this or that, in case after such warnyng he offende therein, his fault is thereby made the gre­uouser. Thyrdly, the lesse inclination a man hath to any synne, the more he synneth yf he doo the same. Nowe Adam and Eue, had in them no inclination [Page 6] at al, nother to one vice nor to other. Fourthly, when a man hath late receyued great benefites at hys so­ueraygns handes, if he incontinently breake his ex­presse wyll, the contempt and disobedience is made therby the greater. The thyng that Adam and Eue dyd eate, was in dede but an appell, yet the eatyng thereof in that case, was an high disobediēce against god, and the corrupting of all mankynd, for as much as they two were the very route, whereof all men must ryse, and the route being once naughte, howe can the tree or braunches, cummynge of that route, be good? Therfore S. Paule in his Epistle to y^e Ro­maines in the .v. chapiter thereof saieth.Roma. 5. By the of­fence of one man, synne came vpon all men, to condempnacion, and in the same chapiter im­mediatly after, he sayeth to lyke purpose, throughe the disobedience of one man, manye became synners. And within a lytle after he saieth. Sinne came into this world by one man, & through synne came death, & so death passed to al mē. Thus haue you hard fyrste the louynge kyndnes of God to man, in that he created hym in so worthye a maner, nexte ye haue harde the myschyfe that com­meth to mankynd by synne, and thirdly what an ex­treme enemy also the deuyll is vnto vs. In an other homily hereafter, ye shal heare of the exceding great mercy of god, in deliuering mākind by a meruelous maner, out of the estate of this dampnatiō. Wherfore to conclude for thys presente tyme, this shalbe to ex­hort [Page] you, that you fayle not daylye and howrelye to geue most harty thankes to almyghty God, for that he of his mere goodnes created you, & created you, not without sense, as the stones, not without reason as the brute beastes, but hathe gyuen you all nota­ble qualities and powers that other corporall crea­tures haue, and besydes, hathe perticularlye planted in you reason and vnderstāding, and sondry goodly qualities of body and soule, seuerall to the nature of man only, and not commō to man, and other erthly creatures. This is furthermore also to exhorte you, that remembryng what miserye came to mankynde by synne, and by such a synne, as in some mēs iudge­ment might seme to be but very smale, it is to wytte, by eatynge of an appel, you wyl be circumspecte in a­uoiding of al kinde of synne, and disobedience, be the thinge in hys owne nature neuer so smale a thynge, whyche is by God hym selfe, or by suche as we owe obedience vnto, commaunded. Fynallye and laste of al, this is to exhorte you, to consyder dilygently that we haue a deadly ennemy, which is y^e deuil, who de­syreth oure destruction, and doth moost craftely and busely trauayle by all meanes wyth vs, to worke the same, of whose mooste subtyll and wilye traynes, we muste principally take hede of, whiche graunt vnto vs all, the blessed trinitie, the father, the Sonne, and the holye ghoste, to whome be all honoure and glorye worlde with­oute ende. Amen.

THe holye ghoste, in wryting the holy scripture, is in no­thyng more diligēt, then to pull downe mannes vayne glo­ry, and pryde, which of all vices, is moost vniuersallye graffed in mankynde, euen from the fyrste infec­tion of our fyrste fa­ther Adam. And therefore, we reade in many places of scripture, many notable lessons agaynst this olde rooted vyce, to teache vs y^e moost cōmēdable vertue of humilitie, howe to know our selues, & to remēber, what we be, of our selues. In the booke of Genesis, almyghty God geueth vs all, a tytle & name in oure great graunde father Adam, which ought to admo­nishe vs al, to consyder what we be, whereof we be, from whence we came, & whyther we shall, sayenge thus. In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo, Gene 3. donec reuertaris in terram de qua sūptus es: quia puluis es, et in puluerem reuerteris. That is to saye, In the sweate of thy face thou shalt eate thy breade, vntyll thou retournest into the earth, oute of whyche thou waste taken: for dust thou art, & into dust thou shalt retourne, [Page] Here (as it were in a glasse) we may learne to know ourselues, that we be but grounde, earthe, and dust, and that to grounde, earthe, and duste, we shall re­turne agayne, whyche name and title of earthe, and duste, appoynted, and assigned by God, to all man­kynde, the holye Patriarche Abraham, dyd well re­member: and therefore he calleth hym selfe by that name, when he maketh his earnest prayer for So­dome and Gomorre, saying in the .xviii. of Genesis. Cum sim puluis et cuius, Gene. 18 that is to saye, seyng I am dust and ashes. Iudith. 3. and. 9. Iob. 13. Hiere. 6. and .25. And we reade that Iudith, Hester, Iob, Hieremye, with other holy men and women, in the olde testament, did vse sacke clothe, and did caste duste, and asshes vpon theyr heades, when they be­wayled theyr synnefull lyuynge. They called and cryed to God for helpe, and mercy, with suche a cere­mony of sacke clothe, duste, and asshes, that thereby they might declare to the hole world, what an hum­ble, and lowlye estimation, they had of theim selues, and howe well they remembred theyr name, & tytle aforesayde, theyr vyle, corrupte, frayle nature, duste, earth, and asshes. The booke of wysedome also, wil­lynge to pull downe oure proude stomakes,Sapience. 7. moueth vs diligently, to remember our mortall, and earthely generation, which we haue al of him, that was first made: and that all men, aswell kynges, as subiectes, doo come into this worlde, and doo goo oute of the same in lyke sorte, that is, as of oure selues, full myse­rable, as we maye daylye see. And almyghtye God commaūded his Prophet Esay, to make a proclama­tion,Esai. 11. and to crye to the hole worlde: that all flesshe [Page 8] is grasse, and that all the glorye of man, is as the flower of y^e feilde, the grasse is wythered, and the flower doth fall away, for the winde of our Lord bloweth vpon it The people sure­ly is grasse, whiche dryeth vp, and the flower fadeth away, but the woorde of our Lord abydeth for euer. Accordynge wherevnto, the holye prophet Iob, ha­uynge in hym selfe great experience of miserable and synnefull estate of man, dothe open the same to the worlde in these wordes. Homo natus de muliere, Iob. 14. breui viuens tempore, repletur multis miserijs, qui quasi flos egreditur, et conteritur, et fugit velut vmbra, et nū (que) in eodem statu permanet et dignum ducis super huiuscemodi aperire oculos tuos, et adducere eum tecum in iudicium? quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine? That is to say Man beynge borne of a woman, lyuynge a shorte tyme, is full of manyfolde miseries, he spryngeth vp lyke a flower, & fadeth againe, vanyshynge away (as it were a shadow, and neuer contineweth in one state. And doest thou iudge it mete (O Lorde to open thyne eyes vpon suche a one, and to brynge hym to iudgement with thee? who can make hym cleane that is cōceyued of an vncleane seede? In dede all men of theyr euylnes and naturall pro­nes, were so vniuersallye gyuen to synne, that God (as the scripture testifyeth) repented y^t euer he made man. And by synne,Gene. 5. and. 7. his indignation was so muche prouoked agaynste the worlde, that he drowned all the worlde wyth Noes fludde (except Noe him selfe [Page] and hys lytle householde.) It is not withoute greate cause, that the scripture of God, dothe so many times call all menne here in this worlde earthe, sayenge. (O thou earth, thou earth, thou earthe, heare the woorde of oure Lorde. Hiere. 22.) Hiere. xxij. This, oure ryght name, vocation, and tytle: earthe, earthe, earth, pronounced by the prophet, sheweth what we be in dede, by what soeuer other style, tytle, or digni­tye mē doo call vs. Thus, he plainly nameth vs, who knoweth best, bothe what we be, & what we oughte of right to be called. And thus he describeth vs, speakynge by hys faythfull Apostle S. Paule to the Ro­maynes the .iii.Roma. 3. Chapiter, saying. All men, Iewes and Gentiles, are vnder synne: there is none ryghteous, no, not one: there is none that vn­derstandeth, there is none that seketh after God, they are all goone out of the waie, they are all vnprofitable, there is none that dothe good, no not one, theyr throte is an open se­pulchre, with theyr tongues, they haue vsed crafte and deceyte, the poyson of serpentes is vnder theyr lyppes, theyr mouthe is full of cursynge and bitternes, theyr feete are swifte to shed bloude, destruction and wretchednes are in theyr wayes, & the waye of peace haue they not knowen, there is no feare of God before theyr eyes. And in an other place, that is to wit,Gala. 3. Galathians .iij. S Paule wryteth thus: (God [Page 9] hathe wrapped all nations in vnbeleif, Roma. 11 that he myght haue mercy on all The scripture concludeth all vnder synne, Gala. 3. that the promise by the faythe in Iesus Christe, should be giuē vnto theim that beleue. S. Paule in many pla­ces, paynteth vs oute in our collours, callyng vs the chyldren of the wrathe of God, when we be borne: sayenge also, that we cannot thinke a good thought of our selues, much lesse, we can say wel, or doo wel, of our selues. And the wyseman sayeth, in the booke of Prouerbes,Pro. 24. the iuste man falleth seuen ty­mes a daye. The mooste tried and approued man Iob, feared all his woorkes: S. Iohn the Baptiste, beynge sanctifyed in hys mothers wombe,Luce. i. and prai­sed before he was borne, called an aungel, and great before the Lord, replenyshed euen from hys byrthe, with the holy ghoste, the preparer of the way for our sauioure Christe, to be more then a Prophet, and the greatest that euer was borne of a womā: yet he plai­nely graunteth, that he had nede to be wasshed of Christ: he worthely extolleth and glorifieth his lord, and mayster Christe, and humbleth hym selfe, as vn­worthy to vnbuckle hys shooes, and geueth all ho­noure and glorye to God. So doeth saincte Paule, both oft, and euydently confesse hym selfe, what he was of hym selfe, euer geuynge (as a moost faythfull seruaunte oughte to doo) all prayse to hys mayster and sauioure.Iohn .i. and .2. So doeth blessed sainct Iohn the euangelist, in the name of hym selfe, and of all other holy men, be they neuer so iuste, make this open con­fession: [Page] If we saye, that we haue no sinne, we deceiue our selues, and the truth is not in vs: If we knowledge our synnes, God is faith­full and iust, to forgyue vs oure synnes, and to clense vs from all vnryghteousnes: If we saye, we haue not synned, we make him a li­er, and hys woorde is not in vs. Wherefore, the wysemā,Eccles. 7 in the booke called Ecclesiastes, openly declareth, that there is not one iuste man vpon the earth,Psal. 2. that dothe good, and synneth not. And sainct Dauid is ashamed of hys synne, but not to confesse hys synne. Howe ofte, howe earnestlye, and how la­mentablye doeth he desyre Gods greate mercye, for hys great offences, and that God should not enter in to iudgement wyth hym? And agayne, howe well wayeth this holy man hys synnes, when he confes­seth, that they be so many in number, and so hydde, and harde to vnderstāde, that it is in maner vnpos­syble,Psal. 19 to knowe, vtter, or number them? Wherefore, he, hauyng an earnest, and depe contemplation, and consyderation of hys synnes, and yet not commyng to the bottome of them, maketh supplication to God, to forgyue hym hys priuye, secrete, hydde synnes: to the knowledge of the whyche, he cannot attayne. He wayeth ryghtlye hys synnes, from the originall roote, and sprynge heade, perceyuinge inclinations, prouocations, styrringes, stinginges, buddes, braun­ches,Psal, 2. dregges, infections, tastes, felinges, and sentes of them, to cōtinewe in him stil. Wherfore he sayeth: Marke, & behold, I was conceiued in synnes: [Page 10] He saieth not sinne, but in the plurel number, sinnes: for asmuche, as oute of one, as fountayne, spryngeth all the reste.

And oure sauiour Christ sayth,Math. 9 there is none good but God, and that we can doo nothing that is good, without hym, or no man can come to the father, but by hym. He commaundeth vs all to saye, that we be vnprofitable seruauntes, when we haue doone all that we can doo. He preferreth the penitente Publi­cane, before the proudeholye, and gloryouse Phary­sey: He calleth hym selfe a phisition, not to them that be hole, but to them that be sicke, and haue nede of his salue, for theyr sore. He teacheth vs in oure pray­ers, to reacknowledge oure selues synners, and to aske forgeuenes, and deliueraunce from all euyls, at oure heauenly fathers hande. He declareth that the synnes of oure owne hartes, doo defyle oure owne selues. He teacheth that an euyll woorde, or thought, deserueth condempnation, affyrmynge, that we shal geue an accompte, for euery ydle woorde: He sayth, he came not to saue, but the shepe that were vtterlye lost, and cast awaye. Therefore, fewe of the proude, iust, learned, wyse, perfite, and holy Phariseis, were saued by hym, because they iustified them selues, by theyr counterfeyte holynes, before men. Wherefore good people, let vs beware of such Hypocrisie, vaine­glorye, and iustifieng of our selues. Let vs looke vpō our feete, and then downe oure Pecockes fethers, downe proude harte, downe vayne claye, frayle, and brittle vessels. Of our selues, we be crabbe trees, that can bryng furth no Aples, we be of our selues, of such [Page] earth, as can bryng furth but weedes, nettels, bram­bles, bryers, cocle, and darnell. Our fruytes be decla­red in the fyfte chapiter to the Galathians. We haue neither fayth, Charitie, hope, pacience, chastitie, nor any thinge els that good is, but of God: and there­fore, these vertues be called there, the fruytes of the holy ghost, and not the fruytes of man. Let vs there­fore, acknowledge our selues before God, (as we be in dede) myserable and wretched synners. And let vs earnestly repent, and humble our selues hartelye, to crye to God for mercye. Lette vs all confesse with mouth, and harte, that we be full of imperfections. Let vs knowe our owne workes, of what imperfe­ction they be, and then we shall not stande folyshely, and arrogantly, in oure owne conceytes. For truely, there is imperfections, in our beste woorkes: we doo not loue God, so muche as we are bounde to doo, with all our harte, mynde, and power: we doo not feare God so muche as we ought to doo: we doo not praye to God, but with great and many imperfecti­ons. We geue, forgeue, beleue, loue, and hope vnper­fectlye: we speake, thinke, and doo, vnperfectlye, we fyght agaynst the deuyll, the worlde, and the flesshe, vnperfectlye.Luke. 5. Let vs therfore, not be ashamed to con­fesse playnely, oure state of imperfection: yea, let vs not be ashamed to confesse imperfection, euen in all our workes: Let none of vs be ashamed, to say with holye S. Peter: I am a synfull man. Let vs all saye with the holye prophet Dauyd:Psal. 160. We haue sin­ned with our fathers, we haue done amysse, [Page 11] and dealte wyckedlye. Let vs all make confessi­on with the prodigall sonne to oure father,Luce. 15. and saye with him: We haue synned agaynst heauen, and be­fore thee (O father) we are not worthye to be called thy sonnes. Lette vs all saye with holye Baruch:Baruch. 2. O Lord our God, to vs is worthely ascribed shame and confusion, and to thee, ryghteous­nes. We haue synned, we haue done wicked­ly, we haue behaued our selues vngodlye, in all thy ryghteousnes Let vs all say with the ho­ly prophete Danyell: O Lorde, rightuousnes belongeth to thee, vnto vs belongeth confu­sion. We haue synned, Daniel. 9 we haue bene naugh­tie, we haue offended, we haue fled from the, wee haue gone backe from all thy preceptes, and iudgementes.

So we learne of all good men, in holy scripture, to humble oure selues, and to exalte, extoll, prayse, magnifye, and glorifye God.

Thus ye haue hearde, howe euil we be of our selues, how of our selues, & by our selues, we haue no good­nes, helpe, nor saluation: but contrarywyse, synne, dampnation, and deathe euerlastynge: whyche, yf wee depely weyghe, and consyder, we shall the bet­ter vnderstande, the great mercy of God, and howe our saluacion commeth onely by Christe: for in oure selues, as of our selues, we fynde nothynge, where­by we may be delyuered from this miserable capti­uitye, into the whyche we were caste throughe the [Page] enuye of the deuyll, by transgression of Gods com­maundement, in our fyrste parent Adam. We are al become vncleane: but we al of our selues, are not ha­ble to clēse our selues, nor to make one an other of vs cleane. We are by nature, the chyldren of Gods wrathe: we are not hable of oure selues, to make vs the children and inheritours of Gods glorye. We are shepe that runne astray: we cānot without god­des grace,i. Peter. 2. and helpe, come agayne to the shepe folde: so great is our imperfection and weakenes. In our selues therefore, maye not we glorye, which of oure selues are nothynge but synnefull, neyther maye we bragge of our woorkes that we doo, whyche all be so vnperfecte and vnpure, that they are not of them selues, hable to stande before the ryghteous throne of GOD, as the holye Prophete Dauid sayeth: Enter not into iudgemente wyth thy ser­uaunte, O Lorde, for no man that lyueth, shalbe founde ryghtuous in thy syghte. To God therefore, muste wee flye, or els shall we neuer fynde peace, rest, and quyetnes of conscience, in oure hartes. For he is the father of mercyes, and God of all consolation, he is the Lord, wyth whome is plen­teouse redemption.Psal. 129. He is the God, whyche of his owne mercy saueth vs, and setteth out hys charitie, and exceadyng loue toward vs, in that of his owne voluntary goodnes, when we were peryshed, he sa­ued vs, and prouyded an euerlastynge kyngedome for vs. And all these heauenly treasures are giuē vs, of hys mere mercy, freelye. And for whose sake? Tru­lye, [Page 12] for Iesus Christes sake, that pure, and vndefiled Lambe of God. He is that dearely beloued sonne, for whose sake, God is fullye pacifyed, satysfyed, and set at one with man. He is the Lambe of God,i. Peter. 2 whyche taketh away the synnes of the worlde, of whome it maye be truely spoken, that he dyd all thynges well, and in his mouthe was founde no crafte, nor subtel­tye. Lykewyse he maye saye: the prynce of the world came, and in me he hath nothyng. He maye say also: whiche of you shall reproue me of anye faulte: He is that hyghe and euerlastynge priest, whyche hathe offred him selfe to God, when he instituted the sacra­ment of the Aultar, and once for all, in a bloudye sa­crifyce, doone vpon the crosse, with which oblation, he hath made perfecte for euermore, theim that are sanctifyed. He is the mediatoure,1. Iohn. 3 betwene God and man, which payed our raunsome to God, wyth hys owne bloude, and wyth that, hathe clensed vs from synne. He is the Phisition, whiche healeth all our di­seases. He is that sauioure,Math. 1 whiche saueth the people from al theyr sinnes. To be short, he is that flowing, and moost plenteous fountayne, of whose fulnes, all we haue receyued. For in him are all the treasures of the wysedome, and knowledge of God hydden. And in hym, and by him, haue we from God the father, al good thinges, perteyning eyther to the bodye, or to the soule. O how muche then, are we bounde to this oure heauenlye father, for these, his greate mercyes, whiche he hathe so plenteously declared vnto vs, in Christe Iesu oure Lorde, and sauioure: What than­kes, worthy, and sufficiente, can we giue to him? Let [Page] vs all with one accorde, burste oute wyth ioyful voi­ces, euer praysynge, and magnifyenge this Lorde of mercy, for hys tender kyndenes shewed to vs, in hys dearely beloued sonne Iesus Christ oure Lorde.

Let vs nowe learne to know our selues, our frayl­tie, and weakenes, withoute anye ostentation, or boastynge of oure owne good deedes, and merites. Let vs also knowledge the exceadynge mercye of God, towarde vs, and confesse, that as of our selues commeth all euyll, and dampnation, so lykewyse of hym, commeth all goodnes and saluation, as God him selfe saieth by the Prophet Oze:Oze. 13 O Israel, thy destruction commeth of thy selfe, but in me onely is thy helpe and comforte. If wee thus humbly submyt our selues in the syghte of God, we maye be sure, that in the tyme of hys visitaciō, he wil lyfte vs vp, vnto the kyngedome of hys dearely beloued sonne, Christe Iesu our Lorde: to whome with the father, and the holy gooste, be all honoure and glo­rye, for euer. Amen.

IT was declared vnto you, good chri­sten people, in y^e last homelye, howe oure fyrste parentes Adā and Eue, were by the synguler good­nes, and especiall fa­uoure of almyghtye God, created ryghte worthye creatures, and in the estate of parfytte innocencye. It was also shewed howe tho­rough disobedience to theyr creator, they broughte them selues, and all mankind, into the estate of euer­lastynge damnation. Nowe shall you consequentlye heare, of the delyueraunce of man, out of that damp­nable estate, that is, of oure redemption. For the vn­derstandynge whereof, you must perfytlye beare in mynde, that the whole nature of man, both in bodye and soule, was thorough orygynall synne, greatelye defiled. For the soule (which is the cheif part of man) loste thereby the especiall gyftes of grace, with whiche it was indued in the creation, and besydes that, it was also maymed in the gyftes of nature, as in memorye, intelligence, wyll, and other lyke. And the body (whiche is the inferior parte) it also was by the meanes of orygynall synne, brought to the neces­sarye estate of mortalitie, so that it muste nedes die, [Page] and was throughe that synne of our sayde fyrste pa­rentes, made weke, and brought to be subiecte, to sō ­drye kyndes of infirmities, and syckenes: and nother coulde God, of his iustice, receaue man agayne to fa­uor, and state of eternall lyfe (beynge thus in bodye and soule, by his owne defaulte defyled) vnles he were fyrst made pure, and cleane, againe nether man was able to helpe him selfe herein, no, nor yet anye angell at al. Wherefore, almyghty God (whose mer­cy excedeth all his workes) pytienge the wretched case that mankynde was in, dyd appoynt, euen from the begynnynge, his onely sonne, the seconde person in trinitie, to be the sauiour of the worlde, and to re­store man againe, to perfit clennes, both in body, and soule, and that, by the way of very iustice, in making a full amendes, and payinge a sufficiente raunsome for synne. And this sonne of God (accordynge to the wyll of his father,) dyd take vpon hym the nature of man, ioyninge to his euerlastynge Godheade, the whole, and perfyte nature of manhode, not making that nature of man, which he toke, a new of nothing, as he dyd heauen and earth, nor yet makynge it, of a clod of earth, as he dyd y^e body of Adam, but he toke the nature of man, of the very substaunce of the vyr­gyn Mary his mother, that lyke as Adam and Eue, brought them selues, & all theyr posteritie, through sinne, into the estate of eternal dampnatiō: so Christ, takynge vpon him, the very selfe same nature, beyng descended from Adam and Eue, vnto. the Vyrgin Mary, and of her beynge taken, and ioyned in hym to the godhead, in vnitie of person, should by his in­nocency, [Page 14] & through death, wyllyngly suffered in that his most innocent bodye, not only hym self, become immortal mā, & haue glory euerlasting, but make so many also, partakers of lyke blessednes, as shuld en­ioye the merites of his passion. Wherefore, it is a ve­ry pernicious errour, to thynke that christ tooke not his fleshe, of the verye fleshe of the blessed Vyrgyn Mary his mother. Howe could his death haue done me good, if it were not of the same nature that I am of?Heb. ii. & therefore S. Paule in his seconde chapiter of his Epistle to the Hebrues sayeth. Qui sanctificat, et qui sanctificantur, ex vno omnes, that is. He that sanctyfyeth, and they which are sanctifyed, are all of one: and within a lyttle after he sayeth farther, Debuit per omnia fratribus assimulari, vt misericors fieret, et fidelis pontifex, ad deum, vt repropitiaret delicta populi, that is, Christe muste in all poyntes, become lyke to his brethren, that he myght be a merciful and fruteful Bisshop to Godward, to procure mercy for the sinnes of the people. If Christ tooke not the flesh of y^e Virgin Marye, howe is that promyse fulfylled, which God made immediatly after the falle of our first parētes, when he thrust them out of paradise, at which tyme, he said vnto the serpente (as it is written in y^e thyrde chapiter of Genesis.) I wyl set enmitie betwixt the, and the womans sede, Gene. 3. and it shall treade downe thy hedde: Lo, how mercifully God dea­leth wyth mankynde, He promysed that one shoulde be borne of the sede and stocke of Eue, which should [Page] vanquyshe our ghostly enemy the diuell. Nowe in that he calleth hym the sede of the woman, he moste playnely declareth, that he must nedes haue in him the selfe same nature that the woman had. Agayne God makyng the second promyse of the same sede, to come of the stocke of Abraham the patriarke, said vnto Abraham, (as is wytnessed in the .xxii. of Ge­nesys) In thy sede shall all the nations of the world be blessed, Genes. 22 & many hūdred yeares after y^t, he promyssed lykewyse to Kyng Dauyd, that, that sede should come of hym to. Which promyses of almygh­ty God, were not to be verified in Chryst, if he toke not y^e substaūce of his flesh, of the Virgin Mary his mother. But here it may seme straūge to some, y^t al­mighty god (seing he intēded from y^e beginninge, to sēd his sonne into y^e world, to be incarnate for mans redēption) did defer the sendinge of hym soo longe, that is, the space of foure thousande yeares or ther­aboute. To whome it is to be aunswered, that the long taryinge of Chryste, before he was incarnate, came not of lacke of good wyl in god, towardes vs, but of vnredines, and lacke of good disposition, to receyue hym on oure partes. For if Chryste shoulde haue commen in the begynnyng of the worlde, men would haue thought, that if God had suffered them to vse theyr owne natural powers, they would haue attayned saluation well inough, without any other helpe on Gods parte. Agayne, thoughe after longe experience, and trauayle of man, folowing the onelye lyghte of nature, it was euydente, that he ne­ded a speciall ayde from God, to the attaynynge [Page 15] of euerlastynge lyfe, yet the worlde myghte haue demed, that in case God of hys goodnes, had geuen vnto manne some speciall lyghte, and knowledge of hys wyll and pleasure, that then vndoughtedlye, without farther helpe, he folowynge suche specyall lyght, and knowledge, myght be able well inoughe to attayne to euerlastynge lyfe. Therefore, to take all suche excuses awaye, and that we should plaine­lye vnderstande, that after we once fell into sinne, neither the light of nature in vs, neyther the know­ledge of the wyll of God, by speciall reuelation ope­ned vnto vs, was able to helpe vs, god suffred man­kynde to trauel, fyrst by the light of nature, secondly by the lawe of Moyses, and yet man ranne styll far­ther, and farther, into damnation. Whereby it appe­reth, that though knowledge of the truth be necessa­rye, to the attayninge of euerlastinge lyfe, yet suche knowledge (be it neuer so great) beyng in a man cor­rupted with synne, is to feble and to weake to purge him of sinne. For purgation & clensing of synne, com­meth by some other meanes, besides y^e knowledge of the truth: and therfore S. Paule in the fyrste chapi­ter of his epistle to the Romaines, most plainly affir­meth, that in the time of y^e law of nature, men knew inough of God, but yet, not withstanding theyr kno­ledge, they fell into abhominable idolatry. The wor­des of S. Paule, in that place are these. So much as may be knowen of god, is manifest in thē (that is to say, in those whiche liued vnder the lawe of nature, from Adam vnto Moyses) For his inuisible [Page] thinges, euen his eternal power, & god­hed, were sene of thē, being vnderstanded by the works of the creatiō of the world, so that they are without excuse, bicause, that when they knew God, they glorified hym not as god nether were thankeful, but becamful of vanitie in their imaginacions. And as y^e lyght whiche men had by the lawes of nature, was not of force, to kepe them from synne, so nether the lawe of Moyses, beyng opened from god him selfe by spe­cial reuelatiō, could suffice to ryde mā from sinne (as S. Paule in the second chapiter of his foresayde e­pistle testifieth saying) Behold thou art a Iew, Roma. 2 and thou doest rest in the law, and doest glo­ry in god, and doest know his wyl and plea­sure, & being instructed in the lawe, thou doest allowe that is best, and doest truste that thou art a guyde of the blinde, a light to thē which are in darkenes, an instructour of the folyshe, a mayster of the ignorante, and that thou knowest by the lawe the fourme of sci­ens & truth: but yet thou that teachest other, teachest not thy selfe, thou y^t prechest against aduoutri, art an aduoutrer thy self, thou that dooest defye Idoles, commyttest sacriledge thy selfe, thou that doest glorye in the lawe, through transgressing of the lawe, doest dys­honer [Page 16] God, for the name of God, throughe you, is blasphemed amongest the gentyles.

Thus it is euydente, by the doctryne of Saynte Paule, that nother by the common lawe of nature, nether by the special knowledge of the law of Moi­ses, man was able to auoyde eternal dāpnation, but that he neded, besides such knowledge, of some other helpe that is, of amendes, to be made for his sinnes, and thereby, to be reduced into the fauour of god a­gayne, and to haue aboundaunce of grace geuen vnto hym, by which grace he should both in his know­ledg be y^e better established, & be able also, according to knowledge of y^e truth, to walke in the truth. For this amendes to be made, the second person in trini­tie, being god immortal, became mortal man, & was made in all partes like vnto one of vs (sinne only ex­cepted) and he did vnite vnto his godhead, the body and soule of man, in vnitie of person, in such a merue­lous sort, that as in vs, the body being of one nature, and the soule being of an other nature, doo make yet but one person, so in hym the nature of God, and the whole perfect nature of man, doo make but one per­son. Of this incomprehensible vnion of y^e godhed, & manhed in Christ,Iohn. 1. S. Ihon speaketh in the fyrst cha­piter of his gospell, saying. Verbum caro factum est, et habitauit in nobis, the worde, (that is the sonne of God) Was made fleshe,) (that is man) & dwelt amōgest vs. he dwelt here on the earth, (as scripture decla­reth,) aboue .xxxiij. yeares, and when he had fulfyl­led al thynges, accordyng to the sayinges of the ho­ly [Page] prophetes, whiche were to be fulfylled of hym be­fore his passion, then he suffred death willingly, yea, the death of the crosse, by suche payne, (wrongefullye procured of the deuil against him) to raunsome man­kynde oute of captiuitie, whiche it sustayned vnder the deuyll moost iustly: and that this raunsome shold be perfyt, he suffred sondry sortes of mooste spytefull wronges, and intollerable paynes, & tormentes, in his most pure, and innocent body, as buffeting, bin­dinge, scourgyng, plattynge on his head, a crowne of thorne, hanginge on the crosse, pearcing of his handes and fete with nayles, openynge of his syde with a speare, and shedynge of his mooste precious bloude, whiche passion of his, as it is a moost parfyt myrrour, and glasse for vs, therein to beholde the ex­cedynge great loue of god towarde vs, whiche spa­red not his onelye sonne, but for vs all gaue hym to dye, so it is a sufficient occasion, to brynge all men in extreme hatred of the deuyll, and synne: from daun­ger of whome, mankynde coulde not be rydde, but onely by so paynefull a death, of the sonne of God. What can we loke for at gods handes, yf we synne from hence forth, but wrath and vengeaunce, seynge he hath once delyuered vs from synne, by so merciful a meanes? All that our sauyoure Christe suffered, he wyllingely suffered for our synnes, hym selfe hauing neuer deserued anye whyt of payne, as who neuer synned. And yet his passion, though it be in it selfe a sufficiente raunsome, for the synnes of the whole worlde, yet it taketh not place in all men: not for in­sufficiencie in it selfe, but for defaute in them, that [Page 17] shoulde condignely receaue the merites thereof. For this you must know, that God requyreth in vs cer­tayne thinges, to be accomplished by our owne wil, and consent, without the whiche, we can not be sa­ued, no more, than yf Christ had neuer dyed for vs. What thinges these are, shalbe hereafter declared vnto you. In the meane season, lyft vp your hartes, and open them awyde, to receaue in, vnto them, a great loue towardes God, who so nobylye created vs, and when we, through our owne defaute, were fallen into the estate of endles misery, and wretchednes, so mercyfully redemed vs, by the passion, and death of his onely sonne our sauiour Christ. Remem­ber that synne, and nought els, brought vs fyrst oute of Gods fauour, and that to take awaye synne, the sonne of God was incarnate, and suffered mooste paynefull death on the crosse, and therefore hereaf­ter, flee you all kynde of synne, and fight incessantly, agaynst your ghostly enemye the deuyll, who being vanquished by Christ, is not able now to ouerthrow vs, if we, in the right fayth of Christ, valiantly with­stande hym, whiche to doo, graunt vnto vs, the bles­sed trinitie, the father, the sonne, and the holy ghost, to whome be all honour, and glo­ry, worlde without ende. Amen.

ALthough the death and passion of our sauiour christ, be in value a sufficient raun­some for the synnes of the whole world, yet in effect it taketh not place in y^e whole world. For neyther Turke, Iew, nor infidell, wāting beleif in Christe, can take good by the death and passiō of Christ, the scripture most manifestly affyrming in the .xvi.Mar. 16. chapter of S. Marke, that Whosoeuer doth not beleue shall be dāpned. Agayne, euyll lyfe, bryngeth to the e­uyl lyuer, eternall death, beleue he neuer soo wel. As S. Paule witnesseth, in the .v. chapiter of his Epi­stle to the Galathians,Gala. 3. where he sayth: Walke af­ter the spirite, and fulfyll not the lustes of the fleshe. For the flesh lusteth contrary to the spi­rit, and the spirit contrary to the fleshe. These are cōtrary one to another, so that you do not what ye woulde: But and yf ye be led of the spirit, then are ye not vnder the law. The de­des of the fleshe are manifest which are these aduoutry, fornicatiō, vnclennes, wātonnes, [Page 18] ydolatry, wytchcrafte, hatred, variaūce, con­tencion, wrath, stryfe, sedition, sectes, enuye, murder, dronkennes, glotony, and such like, of which I tel you before (as I haue told you in tyme past) that they which commit suche thinges, shal not inherit the kingdō of heauē Thus you perceaue that to y^e enioying of the death, and passion of Christe, these two poyntes are requi­sit of our behalf, the one, to beleue rightly, the other, to lyue vpryghtlye, whiche two poyntes, no man is able otherwyse to knowe (except it be by speciall re­uelation from God) but onely by the catholike chur­che, whiche catholyke churche, our sauioure Christe hath appoynted, to be the onely scoole, for all men to come and repayre vnto, to learne suche truth, as is mete for them to know, for the attayning of euerla­styng life. This catholike church, and no other com­pany, hath y^e true vnderstandinge of scripture, & the knowledge of all thinges necessary to saluation. To this church, Christ maketh promis, in y^e .xvi. of Iohn,Ioh. 16. saying: Whē that spirite of truth shal come, he shal teache you al truth. To this churche also he maketh that other promis, written in the .xxviii. of Mathew, where he sayth:Math. 28. Beholde I am with you, to the ende of the world. This Catholyke churche, thus gouerned by the holy Ghost, & assisted alwayes, of Christ him selfe, neuer yet fayled, frō the tyme of the Apostles, hitherto, ne shal fayl, to y^e worl­des ende, nether can it be deceaued in any necessarye [Page] truth, accordyng as Chryst promyseth in the .xvi. of Mathewe,Math. 16. saying. That hell gates shal not preuayle agaynst the churche. where, by hel gates he meaneth errour, as yf he had sayd, that the catho­lyke churche shall neuer be ouercome with erroure. For this cause S. Paule in the third chapiter of his first epistle to Timothe,Timoth. 1. calleth the catholike church, the piller and grounde of truth. This catholike churche, must in al ages nedes be an open knowen churche, and such a company, as among whych, the trueth is openly preached, ells Chryst woulde not haue sayd, (as it is wrytten in the .v. of Mathewe) A citie that is set on a hyl, Math 5 can not be hyd, ne­ther do men lyght a candel, and put it vnder a bushel but on a candelstycke, and it geueth lyght vnto all that are in the house. Wherfore they do great iniury to Chryst, which saye, that the catholyke churche is an vnknowen churche, seing it is that citie, which our sauiour there ment, and that candell, of whiche he there speaketh. So manye as deuyde them selues frō this open knowen Churche of Chryste, and refuse the doctryne thereof, thoughe they be neuer so diligent in readyng of scrypture, yet shall they neuer truely vnderstande scrypture, but runne continually farther and farther into erroure, and ignoraunce, euē as a man that is once out of his way, the farther, and faster he goeth furth, the more he loseth his labour.2. Peter 1 Saint Peter therefore in the fyrst Chapiter of his second epistle, geueth vs a most certayne and sure rule, which if we folowe, we shall [Page 19] not fayle, ryghtly to vnderstande scripture: his rule is thys. We haue (sayth he) A ryght sure worde of prophecie, wherevnto yf ye take hede, as vnto a lighte y^t shineth in a darke place, you doo wel, vntyl the day dawne, and the daye starre aryse in your hartes. So that you first knowe this, that no prophecie in y^e scripture hath any priuate interpretation. For y^e scrip­ture came neuer by the wil of man, but holy men of God spake, as they were moued by the holi ghost. Here you se, how saynt Peter wil­leth euery man, fyrst of all, to knowe, that scripture must be vnderstanded after the generall meanynge of Chrystes churche, and not after the priuate inter­pretation of any seuerall man, or companye: And in the thyrde chapiter of the same Epystle,2. Peter. 3 he sayeth further, that in S. Paules epistles, are manye thinges harde to be vnderstanded, whych they that are vnlearned, & vnstable, doo peruerte, as they doo also the other scriptures, to theyr owne destruction: ye therefore beloued (seing you be warned afore hand) beware, leaste ye, with other men, be also plucked a waye through the errour of the wicked, and fall from your owne stedfastnesse. Lo here S. Peter telleth the very cause, why men mysvnder­stand scrypture, which is lacke of knoweledge, and [Page] lacke of constancie, when men ether thorowe igno­raunce, or thoroughe inconstancie, swerue from the catholyke meanyng, and folowe pryuate interpretation. Such men, he sayeth, do peruerte the scriptu­res to theyr owne destruction. Saynte Paule also wrytyng to Tymothe, and willing hym to be ear­nest in the study of scripture,1. Timo 9 geueth him withal this foresayd rule, saying in the very ende of his fyrst epi­stle: O Timothie, kepe sure that, whiche is committed to thy custody, and auoide newe fangled termes, and bosting of science, false­ly so called, which science whyle some dyd professe, they haue erred from the fayth. The thinge, whiche S. Paule sayth was commytted to Timothies custody, was the truth of the catholyke fayth, which he sayth, some fell frome, by reasone of new fangled termes, and by reason also, that they tooke vpon them knowledge, beinge in dede igno­raunte. And in the thyrd chapiter of his seconde epistle to Timothie,2. Timothei. 3 he farther sayeth. Contynue thou in the thinges which thou hast learned which also were commytted vnto the. S. I­reneus also (a blessed martyr, and very nyghe to the tyme of the Apostles, a man of greate learning, and no lesse vertue, and such a one, as by the consente of all men, had the perfyt knowledge and vnderstan­dynge of scryptures) in his third boke agaynst Va­lentyne the arche heretyke, and in the fowrth chapi­ter of the same boke sayeth,Ireneus in his third boke a­gainst Valen­tine, chap. 4. touchyng the catholyke churche in thys maner. We must not seke y^e tru­eth [Page 20] among other, seing we may easely take it of the church, for as much as the Apostels haue fully lefte with it (as in a rych tresury) all truth, y^t who so listeth, may thence take the drinkes of lyfe, for this is the entre to life. All other are theues, and robbers, wherfore them must we auoyd: & that doctryne that the church teacheth, we muste loue, & with great diligence embrace the tradition of the truth. For what and yf a controuersy should happen to ryse vpon neuer so smal a questiō ought not men in that case to haue recourse to the most auncient churches, in which the Apostles were conuersaunt, and ther learne the truth in that controuersy? ye, what & yf the Apostles had lefte behynde them no wri­tyng at all, must we then not haue folowed the order of tradition, delyuered by them to such as they committid the churches vnto? to which tradition manye barbarous nati­ons, beleuing in Christ, do giue credite, with out any other wrytyng, then that which is in their hartes wrytten. Al this wryteth Irene­us, and within a lytle after he sayeth. Yf to these barbarous nations, any man should preach in their owne language, these inuentions of [Page] heretikes, by and by they would stoppe their eares, and flye as farre as they could frō him and not once here his blasphemous talke, thus sayeth S. Ireneus. Now yf christen people at this presēt, would folow this trade, which this bles­sed martir here speaketh of, thē should no mā runne into heresy, but al mē shold cleue fast vnto y^e whole­some doctrine of the catholike church, & abhorre and detest, whatsoeuer any precher wold vtter vnto thē, contrary to the same. For whosoeuer preacheth any doctrine, not agreable to y^e general receiued doctrine in the open knowen church, he it is, & such as be like to him, of whō our sauiour biddeth vs to beware, saiyng in y^e .vii. of Mathewe. Beware of false pro­phets, Math. 7 which come to you in shepes clothing but inwardly they are rauenynge wolues. Our sauior calleth them wolues, for y^t they deuoure y^e soules, of so many as giue credite vnto thē, he say­eth fardar of them, that they come in lambes skins, because they pretend the woord of God, and there­with bleare the eyes of poore simple men, and make them beleue, that it is as they saye, where in dede, whatsoeuer is taught contrary to that, that al chri­stendome openly teacheth, and from tyme to tyme hath taught, is false, and cannot possible be true, vn­lesse we wold say, y^t christ him selfe were not true. For he promyseth y^t hym selfe wilbe for euer w^t y^e churche, and y^t the holy ghost, shal for euer gouerne the same. Forasmuch than, as there is no other schole on the [Page 21] earth, for men to learne theyr duety, towardes God, and the world, but the catholyke churche: nor no o­ther doctryne, auayleable to eternall lyfe, but that whiche the catholyke churche teacheth, therefore all christē people are requyred, to make a solempne vow at theyr baptisme, to beleue the catholyke churche. And he that so doeth, is in an assured trade of salua­tion, if in his conuersation, he folowe the same, but contrarywyse, he that beleueth it not, is in a mooste certayne estate of euerlastynge dampnation. Wherefore, that you maye knowe, what the ca­tholyke churche dothe in all poyntes beleue, there shalbe hereafter particularly, set forth vnto you, the seuerall matters, requisit to be beleued, and practised of all Christen people, that no man, maye haue iuste cause hereafter, to pretende ignoraunce, but all men beynge sufficiently instructed, maye, by folowynge suche doctryne, attayne to euerlastynge lyfe, whiche sende vnto vs all, the blessed trinitie, the father, the Sonne, and the holye Ghoste, to whom be all honoure, and glorye, worlde without ende. Amen.

FOrasmuch as the pithe, and summe, of all thinges, which be conteyned, eyther in the lawe, or in the prophetes, doth stād, and cōsist, in the loue of God, and in the loue of oure neygh­boure, as our sauiour Christ dothe plainely testifye, in the .xxii. Chapiter of sainct Mathewe,Math. 22. sayenge, One of the Pharises beynge a doctoure of the lawe, tēp­ting, did aske him, and say, mayster, what is the great cōmaūdemēt in y^e law? Iesus, an­swerynge, sayd vnto hym. Thou shalte loue thy Lorde God, wyth all thy harte, wyth al thy soule, and wyth all thy hole mynde, this is (sayeth he) the greatest, and fyrste com­maundement. And the seconde is lyke vnto it. Thou shalte loue thy neyghboure, as thy selfe, and of these two commaundementes al the lawe dothe hange, and the Prophetes. And forasmuche also, as we can not loue God well, except we doo loue oure neyghboure, in a due order ne yet loue oure neyghboure well, excepte we doo [Page 22] loue God, in that due order, that we oughte to doo, (Sainct Ihon the Euangelist so testifyeng, and de­clarynge,Iohn. 3. and 4. in the thyrde and fourthe Chapiters of his fyrst canonicall Epistle.) And finally, forasmuche as he that loueth not after this sorte, is (by the testimo­nye of the sayde sainct Iohn, in the sayde thyrd Cha­piter) iudged to be in death, therefore it is ryghte ex­pediente, and necessarye, to haue alwayes this loue, whiche nowe in oure vulgare tongue, and common talke, is ofte named, by the name of Charitie, but ve­ry megerly, and coldely practised, and set fourthe in dede, as it shoulde be. And of trouthe, yf we woulde iudge vpryghtly, and well, we ought to saye, that of all thinges that be good, to be taught vnto Christen people, there is nothynge more necessarye to be spo­ken of, and daylye called vpon, then charitie: aswell for that all maner of woorkes of righteousnes, be cō ­teyned in it, as also, that the decaye thereof, is the ruyne of the worlde, the banyshement of vertue, and the cause of all vice. And forasmuche, as almost euery mā maketh, & frameth to him selfe a charity, after his owne appetyte, and howe detestable so euer his lyfe be, bothe vnto God, and man, yet he perswadeth with hym selfe styll, that he hathe charitye: There­fore you shall heare nowe a true, and playne descrip­cion of charitie, not of mens ymagination, but of the very woordes, and example of oure sauioure Iesus Christe. In whyche description, euerye man (as it were in a glasse) may consyder hym selfe, and see plainely, without errour, whether he be in the true Cha­ritye or not.

charitie is to loue God, with all oure harte, withall our life, with al our powers, & with all our strength. With all our harte, that is to say, that our hartes, mynde, & studie, be set to beleue his woorde, to truste in hym, and to loue hym aboue all other thynges, whyche we doo loue best in heauen or in earthe. Wyth all oure lyfe, that is to saye, that our chief ioye, and delyte, be sette vpon hym, and his honoure, and oure hole lyfe gyuen vnto the seruice of hym, a­boue all thynges: wyth hym to lyue, and wyth hym to dye, yea, and to forsake all other thynges, rather then hym. For he that loueth hys father or mother, sonne, or doughter, house or lād, more then me (saieth Christ) is not worthy to haue me. Wyth all oure powers, that is to saye, that with our handes, and feete, wyth our eyes, and eares, oure mouthes and tongues, and wyth all other partes & powers, bothe of body and of soule, we shoulde be gyuen to the ke­pynge, and fulfyllynge of hys commaundementes. This is the fyrste, and the principal parte of charity, but it is not the whole. For charitie, is also to loue euery man, good, and euyll, frende, and fooe: And what soeuer cause be gyuen to the contrarye, yet ne­uertheles, to beare good will, and harte vnto euerye man, to vse oure selues wel vnto thē, aswel in woor­des, and countenaūce, as in all our outeward actes, and dedes. For so Christ hym selfe taught, and so also he perfourmed in dede. And of this loue that we ought to haue amongest oure selues, eche to other, he instructeth vs thus. (Mathew. v.) You haue [Page 23] harde it taught in tymes paste? Thou shalte loue thy frende, and hate thy fooe: but I tell you, loue your enemyes, speake wel of them that diffame you, and doe speake euil of you: doo well to them that hate you, praye for thē that vexe and persecute you, that you may be the children of your father, that is in heauen. For he maketh the sunne to ryse bothe vpon the euyl, and good, and sendeth rayne to the iuste, and to the vniust. For if you loue them that loue you, what rewarde shal you haue? Doo not the publicans lykewyse? And yf you speake well onely of them, that be your brethren, and derely beloued frendes, what greate matter is that? doo not the heathē the same also? These be the very woordes of oure saui­oure Christ him selfe, touching the loue of our neigh­bour. And forasmuche as the Phariseis (wyth theyr moost pestilent traditions, false interpretacions, and gloses) had corrupted, and almooste clerelye stopped vp, this pure well, of Gods lyuely woorde, teaching that this loue, and charitye, pertayned onely to a mans frendes, and that it was sufficiente for a man to loue them whyche doo loue hym, and to hate hys fooes: therefore Christe dyd open this well agayne, purged it, and scoured it, by gyuynge vnto hys god­lye lawe of Charitie, a true and clere interpretation, which is this: that we ought to loue euery mā, bothe [Page] frende, and fooe: addynge thereto, what commodity we shal haue thereby, and what in cōmodity by doo­ynge the contrarye. What thynge can we wysshe so good for vs, as the heauenlye father, to repute, and take vs, for hys chyldren? And this shall we be sure of (sayeth Christ,) yf we loue euery man, without ex­ception. And yf we doo otherwyse (sayeth he,) we be no better thā Phariseis, Publicans, and heathen persons, and shall haue oure rewarde with them: that is, to be excluded from the number of gods elect chyldren, and from hys euerlastyng inheritaunce in heauen. Thus of true Charitye, Christ taughte, that euery man is bounde to loue God aboue al thinges, and to loue euery man, frende, and fooe.

And thus lykewyse, he dyd vse hym selfe, ex­hortynge hys aduersaries, rebukynge the faultes of hys aduersaryes, and whan he coulde not amende them, yet he prayed for theim. Fyrste he loued God his father, aboue al thinges, so muche, that he sought not hys owne glorye, and wyll, but the glorye, and wyll of hys father:Iohn. 5. I seke not (sayde he. Iohn. v.) myne owne wyll, but the wyll of hym that sent me: Nor he refused not to dye, to satysfye hys fathers wyll,Math. 26. sayeng. Math. xxvi. Yf it may be, let this cuppe of death goo from me, yf not, thy wyll be doone, and not myne. He loued also not onely hys frendes, but also hys enemyes, whyche in their hartes dyd beare exceding great hatred, agaīst hym, and in theyr tongues spake all euyll of him, and in theyr actes, and dedes, pursued hym wyth al their [Page 24] myght, and power, euē vnto death. Yet al this not­wythstandynge, he withdrewe not hys fauour from theim, but styll loued them, preached vnto them, of loue rebuked theyr false doctryne, theyr wycked ly­uynge, and dyd good vnto them, pacientlye accep­tynge what soeuer they spake, or dyd, agaynste him. When they gaue hym euell woordes, he gaue none euyll agayne, when they dyd stryke hym, he dyd not smyte agayne: And when he suffred deathe, he dyd not slea them, nor threaten them, but prayed for thē, and referred all thynges to hys fathers wyll. And as a shepe that is led vnto the shambles to be slayne,Esai. 53. Act. 8. and as a lambe that is shorne of hys flese, dyd make no noyse, nor resistence: euen so wente he vnto hys deathe, wythoute any repugnaunce, or openynge of hys mouthe, to saye anye euyll. Thus haue I des­cribed vnto you, what charitye is, aswell by the doc­tryne, as by the example of Christ hym selfe. Where­by also, euery man may without erroure, know hym selfe, what state and condition he standeth in: whe­ther he be in charitye, (and so the chylde of the father in heauen) or not. For, althoughe almoste euery man perswadeth him selfe to be in Charity, yet let him ex­amyne none other man, but hys owne harte, his life, and conuersation, and he shall not be deceyued, but truly decerne, and iudge, whether he be in perfyte charitye, or not. For he that foloweth not hys owne appetite, and wyll, but gyueth hym selfe earnestly to God, to doo all hys wyll, and commaundementes, he maye be sure, that he loueth God, aboue all thyn­ges, and els suerlye he loueth hym not, what so euer [Page] he pretende:Iohn. 14. As Chryste sayd: If ye loue me, kepe you my cōmaundementes. For he that kno­weth my commaundementes, & dothe kepe them, he it is (sayeth Christ) that loueth me. And agayne he sayeth: He that loueth me, wyl kepe my woorde, and my father wyll loue hym, and we wyll bothe come to hym, and dwel wyth hym. And he that loueth me not, wyll not kepe my woordes. And lykewyse, he that beareth good harte and mynde, and vseth well hys tongue, and dedes vnto euery man, frende, and fooe, he maye knowe thereby, that he hathe charity. And then he is sure also, that almyghty God taketh hym for hys dere beloued sonne, as Saincte Ihon sayeth, in the thyrde Chapiter of hys fyrste canoni­call Epistle. Hereby, manifestlye are knowen, the chyldren of God, from the children of the deuyll. For who so euer dothe not loue hys brother, belongeth not vnto God. But the per­uerse nature of man, corrupte wyth synne, and desti­tute of Gods woorde, and grace, thinketh it against all reason, that a man shoulde loue hys enemye, and hathe many perswasions, whyche induceth hym to the contrarye. Agaynste all whyche reasons, we oughte aswell to set the teachynge, as the lyuynge of oure sauioure Christe, who louynge vs (when we were hys enemyes) dothe teache vs to loue our ene­myes. He dyd paciently take for vs many reproches, [Page 25] suffred beatynge, and moost cruell deathe. Therfore we be no members of hym, yf we wyll not folowe hym. For as S. Peter sayeth,i. Peter. 2. Christe suffered for vs, leauynge vs an example, that we should folowe him. Furthermore we must consider, that to loue oure frendes, is no more but that which the­ues, adulterers, homicides, and all wycked persons doo: in so muche that Iewes, Turkes, Infidels, and all brute beastes, doo loue them that bee theyr fren­des, of whome they haue theyr lyuynge, or any other benefytes. But to loue our enemies, is the proper cō ­dition onely of them, that be the children of God, the disciples and folowers of Christ. Notwithstanding, mans frowarde and corrupte nature, wayeth ouer depely many times, the offence and displeasure done vnto hym by enemyes, and thynketh it a burden in­tollerable, to be bounde to loue them, that hate him. But the burden shoulde be easye ynoughe, yf (on the other syde) euery man woulde consyder, what dys­pleasure he hath done to hys enemy agayne, & what pleasure he hathe receyued of hys enemye. And yf we fynde no egall recompence, neyther in receyuing pleasures of our enemy, nor in rendryng dyspleasure vnto hym agayne: then let vs ponder the displeasu­res, whyche we haue done agaynste almighty God: Howe often, and howe greuously, we haue offended hym. Whereof, yf we wyll haue of God forgyuenes, there is none other remedye, but to forgyue the offē ­ces done vnto vs, whyche be very small in compari­son of oure offences done agaynste God. And yf we consyder that be, whych hath offended vs, deserueth [Page] not to be forgyuen of vs, let vs consyder againe, that we muche lesse deserue to be forgyuen of God. And althoughe our enemy deserue not to be forgyuen for hys owne sake, yet we oughte to forgyue hym, for gods loue, consyderynge howe great, and manyfest benefytes we haue receyued of hym, withoute oure desertes, and that Christe hathe deserued of vs, that for his sake, we should forgyue them their trespasses, commytted agaynst vs.

But here may ryse a necessary question, to be dys­solued. If charity requyre to thinke, speake, and doo well vnto euery man, bothe good and euyl, how can magystrates execute iustyce vpon malefactours, with charitye? Howe can they caste euyll men into prison, take away theyr goodes, and sometime their lyues, accordynge to lawes: yf Charitye wyll not suffer them so to doo? Herevnto is a playne and brief answere, that plages and punishementes be not euel of themselues, yf they be well taken of innocentes: and to an euyll man, they are bothe good and neces­sarye: and may be executed accordynge to charitie, and with charitye should be executed. For declaraci­on whereof, you shall vnderstande, that charity hath two offices, the one contrarye to the other: and yet bothe necessarye to be vsed, vpon men of contrarye sorte, and dysposition. The one office of Charitye, is, to cheryshe good, and innocent men. Not to oppresse them, with false accusations, but to incourage them, wyth rewardes to doo well, & perseuer in well doo­ynge: defendynge them wyth the sworde, frō theyr aduersaryes. And the offyce of Byshops, and [Page 26] pastours, is to laude good men, for wel doynge, that they maye perseuer therein, and to rebuke and cor­rect, by the woorde of God, the offences, and crymes of all euyll disposed persons.

The other office is, to rebuke, correcte, & punysh, vyce, without acceptation of parsons, and this is to be vsed, against theim onely, that be euyll men, and malefactours. And it is aswell the offyce of charitye, to rebuke, punyshe, and correcte them, that be euyll, as it is to cheryshe, and rewarde them that be good, and innocent. Sainct Paule soo declareth, writing to the Romaynes, and sayenge, the hyghe powers are ordeyned of GOD,Roma. 13. not to be dreadefull to them that doo well, but vnto malefactours, to drawe the swoorde, to take vengeaunce of hym that commytteth the synne. And saincte Paule byddeth Tymothye constantlye,i. Timo. 5 and vehement­lye, to rebuke synne, by the woorde of GOD: So that bothe offyces shoulde be dylygently execu­ted, to impugne the kyngdom of the deuyl: the prea­cher wyth the woorde, and the Gouernoure wyth the swoorde. Els they loue neyther God, nor them whome they gouerne, yf for lacke of correction, they wylfully suffer God to be offended, and them whom they gouerne to perishe. For as euery louynge father correcteth his natural sonne, when he dothe amysse, or els he loueth hym not: So all gouernours of Realmes, Countreys, Townes, and houses, shoulde louynglye correcte them, who be offendours vnder theyr gouernaunce.

And cheryshe them who doo liue innocently: yf they haue any respecte, eyther vnto God, and theyr office, or loue vnto them, of whome they haue gouernaūce.

And suche rebukes, and punyshementes, of them that doo offende, muste be done in due tyme, least by delaye, the offender fall headlinges into all maner of myschiefe, and not onely bee euyll theimselues, but also doo hurte vnto many men, drawynge other by theyr euyll example, to synne, & outrage, after them. As one theef maye bothe robbe manye men, and al­so make many theues, and one sediciouse person may allure many, and noye a hole towne or countre. And suche euil persons, that be so great offenders of god, and the common wealth, charitie requireth to be cut of, from the body of the common weale, lest they cor­rupte other good, and honest persons: like as a good surgeon cutteth away a putrifyed, and festred mem­ber, for the loue he hath to y^e hole body, least it infecte other members, adioynynge to it. Thus it is decla­red vnto you, what true charitie, or christian loue is, so plainely, that no man nede to be deceyued. Whyche loue whosoeuer kepeth, bothe towardes God (whom he is bounde to loue aboue al thinges) and also towardes hys neyghboure, aswell frende as fooe, it shal surely kepe hym frō all offence of God, and iuste offence of man. Therefore beare wel away this one shorte lesson, that by true christian charitye, God oughte to be loued, aboue all thynges, and all men oughte to be loued, good and euyll, frende, and foo, and to al suche we ought (as we may) doo good: those that be good, of loue we ought to encorage, and [Page 27] cherysh, bicause they be good: And those that be euil, of loue, we ought to procure vnto them theyr correc­tion, and dewe punyshement, that they may therby, either be brought to goodnes, or at the lest, that god, and the common welthe maye be the lesse hurte, and offended, hating alwaies, the vyce, or offence, but lo­uynge the person alwayes, as the creature of God, and as one who by nature is ioyned in kynred vnto vs. And yf we thus directe oure lyfe, by christian loue and Charitye, then Chryste doothe promyse, and assure vs, that he loueth vs, and that we be the Chyldren of our heauenlye father, and re­conciled to his fauor, being very members of Christ, and that after the shorte tyme, of this presente and mortall lyfe, we shall haue with him, eternall lyfe, in his euerlastyng kingdome of heauen: Ther­fore to hym, with the father, and the holy Ghost, be al honor and glorye, nowe & euer Amen.

OVr Sauiour Christ in y^e .v. of Mathew, setteth forth an vni­uersal doctrine,Math. 5. that is, a doctrine, apper­teyning indifferent­ly to al Christen mē, and there he decla­reth, how great per­fection of lyfe, ought to be in one of vs, sayinge in this ma­ner. Nisi abundauerit iustitia uestra plus quam Scribarum, & Pharisaeo­rum, non intrabitis in regnum coelorum. That is to saye: Except your rightuousnes excede the righ­tuousnes of the Scribes, & the Phariseis, ye cannot entre into the kyngedome of heauē. For the ryght vnderstandynge of whiche wordes, it is to be noted, that rightuousnes in this texte, doth signifye all kynde of vertue, and goodnes, and that by the Scribes, and Phariseis, Christe doth here meane, certayne companies, whiche were amonge the Iewes, and dyd lyue accordynge to the letter of Moyses lawe, so vpryghtly, in the face of the world, that they were commenly taken for parfyt men. Oecumenius,Oecumenius vpon the fifte of Mathevve. an auncient father of y^e greke churche, doth so declare the foresayde wordes. Wherefore, when our sauioure requireth of vs, that we, in righ­tuousnes, [Page 28] shoulde passe the Scribes and Phariseis, he meaneth, that we Christen folke shoulde not one­ly outwardely, seme good in the sight of the worlde, (as did the Scribes, & the Phariseis,) but inward­lye also in our hartes, shoulde be lykewyse good, in the syght of almyghtye God, whiche they were not. And because no faute is more greuouse, then the breache of Christen Loue, and Charitie, therefore immediately after the foresayde generall sentence, he instructeth vs, afore all other thinges, in our du­tye, touchinge Charitie, sayinge: Dictum est antiquis, non occides, qui autem occiderit, reas erit iudicii, Ego autem dico nobis, quia omnis qui irascitur fratrisuo, reus erit iudicio. That is to saye: It was sayde to them of olde tyme, Thou shalte not sleye whosoeuer doth sley, shalbe in daunger of iudgemēt. But I saye vnto you, that whosoeuer is angry with his brother, shalbe in daunger of iudgement. Behold, good Christē people, how perfit a charitie Christ requireth in vs. For to vs he maketh the leaste breache of Cha­ritie, as daungerous, as in olde tyme, was the grea­test breache to the Iewes. The greateste breache of Charitie, is murdre, and the punyshmente thereof amongest the Iewes, was iudgemente. The leaste breache of Charitie, is anger, and yet the punyshmēt appoynted for it to vs Christians, by oure sauyoure hym selfe, is lykewyse iudgement. Howe greate dif­ference of lyfe then, I pray you, must be betwene vs, nowe lyuynge vnder the newe lawe, and them that of olde tyme, lyued vnder the olde lawe, that is vn­der [Page] y^e lawe of Moyses, when as, the selfe same paine that was then prescrybed vnto them, for the hyghest degre of vncharitablenesse, is nowe dewe to vs, for the lowest degre therof? Howe is it that men flatter themselues, wyth the pleasaunte name of Christian libertye, and thinke that, because Christ saieth in the xi. of Mathew.Mathe. 11. Iugum meum suaue est, et onus meum leue. That is to saye. My yoke is swete, and my burden lyghte, that therefore suche streytnes of lyfe, and paynefull trauell is not requyred of vs, as was be­fore tyme of the Iewes? True it is in dede, that Christen men are not at thys presente, bounde to be cyrcumcysed, or to offer vp vnto almyghtye GOD, calues, oxen, shepe, and Gotes, or to goo thryse a yeare to Ierusalem, or to forbeare swynes fleshe, or to kepe other lyke obseruations of Moyses lawe, but as touchynge the tenne commaundemen­tes, and all morall Preceptes contained in the olde testamente, we Christians are bounde to the obser­uation of them, & of all other thynges, belongyng to the estate of the new testamente, and so bounde, as that in perfourmance, and fulfyllynge of them, we muste be muche more perfyt, and more exacte, then euer was the Iewes in obeyng Moyses lawe. Ne­ther is the yoke of Christe called swete, nor his bur­den lyghte, for anye ease or remission, that we maye take in oure condition, but for two other consydera­tions, of whiche the one is, the abundance of grace, gyuen nowe in the tyme of the newe testamente, farre excedynge, the measure of grace gyuen to the Iewes, folowynge Moyses lawe: the other is, the [Page 29] greatnes of rewarde, promysed to vs, aboue the Ie­wes, as wytnesseth amonge manye other aunciente fathers, Oecumenius also,Oecumenius vpon the fifte of Mathevve. who wrytynge vpon the v. of Mathew, sayeth after this sorte. Quoniam infantia in virilem iam transierit etatem, et copiosa hominibus data sit gratia, et maxi­ma proposita sunt premia (neque enim iam possessio terrae terrenorum, (quam) bonorum, aut prolis faecunditas aut longa vita, seu victoria contrahostes promittitur, sed regnum caelorū, adoptio et victoria contra daemones) me­rito magna exiguntur certamina. That is to saye. Foras­muche as nowe, infancy is passed into mans age, and grace is plenteouslye giuen to men, and mooste greatest rewardes are promysed (for now nether possession of earth, and earthlye gooddes, nor longe lyfe, nor fecundite of chyldren, nor victory agaynste oure mortall enemyes, is promised, but the kyngdome of heauen, adoptiō to God, and victory against deuels) therefore of good reason, great fygh­tes are requyred of vs. Thus sayth Oecumenius, concludynge that we christen men must more pain­fully, and manfully, fyght agaynst oure ghostly ene­mye, then dyd the Iewes, bycause we receaue more grace then they receaued, and haue promise made to vs of greater rewardes, thē they had made to them. For these two causes, we christen men muste thynke the yoke of Christe, swete, and hys burden easye, be the thynges which are requyred of vs, neuer so hard to doo, as this is one, that we may not breake cha­ritie, so muche as in the lowest degree that can be, that is in anger: whych woord, in the foresaid place [Page] of Mathew, dothe sygnify, a violation, or breache of charitye, not vttered or shewed forth by any sygne, but onely conceaued secretlye in the harte, and there lyenge hyd, from knowledge of man, but open, and manyfest to the eye of almyghty God, who seyth euē the inwarde thoughtes of the harte: thys breache of charitye, thoughe it feme to many a smale faute, yet Christe declareth it to be a greuouse faute, and ma­keth it in the payne, equall with murder, committed of olde tyme by the Iewes. Nowe yf Christen men, hauynge conceyued anger in theyr hartes, do not by and by suppresse the same, but proceade to a fardar breache of charitie, that is, to vtter theyr anger by a­ny signe or token, than is this ther faut greater then the other, and the punyshemente due for the same, greater also, accordynge to the woordes of Christe, who in the .v.Math. 5. of Mathew saieth. Qui autē dixerit Racha, re­us erit concilio, (that is to saye. He that saieth to hys brother Racha, shalbe in daunger of counsel. Where, by Racha, we muste vnderstande an oute­warde sygne, vttered by the mouth wyth breache of charitye, and yet suche a sygne as dothe sygnifye, no expresse or particular reproche as, to thou our brother, or to tushe at hym. And by councel we muste vnder­stand a greater punyshement, then was iudgement. After this our sauiour procedeth to the thyrd degree of vncharitablenesse, which is in woorde to call our neyghboure, by any euyll name, as to call hym foole. Of this thyrde degre, Christ sayeth. Qui autem dixerit fra­tri suo fatue, Math. 5. reus erit gehennae ignis, that is to saye. He that calleth his brother foole, shalbe in daunger of hell fyre.

Beholde Chrystian people, your lyfe in thys lesson, as in a glasse, and you shall see what daunger you stande in. Who is there almoost emongest vs, but y^t vncharitably calleth his neighbour foole, or som like euyl name? yea who is there in maner that doth not far passe thys degree of vncharitablenes? And yet our sauiour nameth no mo degrees, partely, bicause the paine of this thyrde degree beinge hell fyre, no greater paine coulde be named, for suche as shoulde passe the same degree: partly, bycause the Chrystyan man should at the least be soo wary, & circumspecte, in kepyng of brotherly loue, and charitie, y^t thoughe he dyd, perchaunce so farre forgette hymselfe, as to call his brother foole vncharitably, yet fardar than so, he should not so much as thinke, throughout his whole lyfe. It is written of one Solon an infidell,Cicero in his oratiō for sext Roscius, Amer inus. but yet a very politike man, howe when he made lawes for the gouerment of y^e famous citie of Athēs, he in all his lawes, appoynted no punyshment for a parricide, that is for such a one, as shoulde kyll hys father or mother: and when he was demaunded, why he prouided not for that case, he aunswered, y^t he veryly, thought and beleued, that no one beynge broughte vp in Athens, vnder hys lawes, wolde at anye tyme attempte suche an heynous synne. Euen so may we say of our sauiour, that he speaketh but of those foresayd three degrees of vncharitablenes, for that it is not lykely, christen men, being traded in Chrystes most parfyt religion, woulde at anye tyme procede in the violatyng of charitie, fardar then so. But here may be moued a question whether our sa­uiour [Page] hath so forbydden vs to be angry, to saye Ra­cha, or thou foole, one to an other, that in no wise any man may so doo, but thereby he falleth in daunger of iudgement, of councell, or of hel fyre. For aunswer to thys question, it is to be noted, that our sauiour in thys place, forbiddeth vs all kynde of vncharitable­nes, and nothyng els. Forasmuch then, as in y^e third of Mathewe.Math. 3, S. Ihon Baptist calleth the scrybes and pharisies, adders brode, and S. Paule calleth the Galathians fooles,Gala. 2. and men without vnderstā ­ding, in the second chapiter of his epistle wrytten to them:Luc, 24, yea Chryst himselfe in the .xxiiii. of Luke cal­leth his dere beloued apostles, fooles, and sloo of be­lefe, and the thyng which they dyd, cannot be iudg­ed vncharitable, therefore we must saye, that when such as haue aucthoritie, vpon a good and Godlye zeale, rebuke trespassours, and offenders, thereby to make them ashamed of there euyl doynges, and the rather to leaue the same, that thys kynd of rebuking is laweful, and in no wise ment in the foresaid talke of Chryst. But the onely thing that is there forbyd­den, is the breache of charitie, when one man mea­neth no good at all, to an other, but for the onelye satisfyeng of his vncharitable harte, wysheth hym hurte in his harte, or vtteryng his secret vncharita­ble mynde, doth thou hym, or tushe at hym, or finally speaketh contumelious wordes, expresly vnto hym, callyng him, foole, idiot or by other lyke opprobrious names: Wherefore to conclude, seinge you nowe know what parfytte loue and charitie, our sauiour Chryst doth requyre to be in vs, lette all accustomed [Page 31] rancor and malyce from henceforthe be vtterlye ba­nyshed from emongest vs, that we dwellyng in cha­ritie, may dwel in God, and haue here in this lyfe, GOD dwell in vs, and in the worlde to come, dwell in heauen with hym for euer, which graunte vnto vs, the blessed trinitie, the father, the sonne, and the holye Ghost, to whome be all honor and glory world without ende. Amen

WHosoeuer (good people) wyll call to hys remembraūce, y^e inestimable good­nes of almightye God, and his inesti­mable mercye, to­wardes vs nothing deseruing the same: yf ther be any spotte of heuenly grace, in that person, he shall be ashamed of hys owne vnthankefulnes, and diso­bediens, and be compelled to fal downe in body, and soule, before our Lorde, to aske pardon for his trans­gression. Of the which goodnes, and mercy of God, you haue a sufficiente, and moost euident declarati­on, in these godly, and deuoute homelies, that are set fourth to you, of the creation, and redemption of mā: Neuerthelesse, for your further instruction, & ghost­lye comforte in this behalfe, I haue thought good to lette you vnderstande, an other hye benefyte, geuen to vs, by our sauioure, and redemer, Iesus Chryste, that we, hauynge perfyt knowledge of God, maye euermore prayse, and magnifye hym, accordynge to our moost bounden duetye. And this hye, and hea­uenlye benefyte, is the holye catholyke churche, whi­che our deare, and dreadfull Sauyour, both before, [Page 32] and after his paynefull death, dyd ordeyne, and ap­poynt, to be for euer to vs, a moost louynge, & tender mother, a perpetual preseruation for our soule helth, and a pyllar of truth, in al oure doubtfull daungers. Whiche churche, forsomuche as it hath bene latelye assaulted, by sundry sectes, and heresies, and so sore shaken, that many (more is the pytie) hath separate them selues from the same, and wylfully haue runne a straye, beynge ledde, and caried with euery waue, and wynde of newe lernynge, I purpose, by Gods grace, to open shortely to you, what this churche is,☜ what maner of churche it is, and what commoditie we haue by it.

Fyrst, the churche is a conuocation of all people throughout the whole worlde, professynge one fayth of God, and one vse of all the holy sacramentes: whi­che churche, because it is purchased, and sanctified, by the death of oure Sauyoure Iesus Christe, it is moost derely beloued to God the father, and is cal­led in holy Scripture, by most hie, and excellent na­mes, as Corpus Christi Sponsa Christi, Regnum coelorum. &c. that is to saye: The bodye misticall of Christe, the spouse of Christe, the kyngedome of heauen. For S. Paule, speakynge of Chryste, fayth:Ephes. 4. That he hath appoynted sundry officers, to main­tayne the holy ones, into the worke of mini­stration, to the edifieng of the body of Christ. And kynge Salomon, taught by the holy ghost, did forsee the dignitie, and beutye of this holye churche, and sayde in the name of GOD therebye.

Vna est columba mea, perfecta mea. That is to saye: One is my dooue, Cantic. 4. and my perfyt one. With many other such louyng wordes: as my syster, my spouse &c. And saynt Paule byddeth husbandes to loue there wyues,Ephes, 5 euen as Chryst loued the churche, Lykewyse in the holy Gospell, our sauiour Chryste, doth compare the churche, to sondry thynges, vnder the name of the kyngdome of heauē,Math. 20 as vnto a king, which made a maryage for his sonne: sometymes to tenne Vyrgynes,Math. 25 and many such other: by al which names, and callyngs, we may lerne that the churche is a high and excellent thing, and dearely beloued to almyghty God, who for hys churche sake, dyd giue hys onely sonne, to most vyle death, and for y^e which also he hath prepared the kyngdome of heauen.

Nowe, forasmuche as we rede of an other churche in the holy scrypture, which is called Ecclesia malignanti­um, Psalm. 25, The churche of the malingnant & nough­tye people. And yet of late, a great number of scis­maticall persones, being in verye dede members of thys malygnant churche, haue vsurped to thē selues the name of the true churche: I intende to gyue you sufficient instruction, to dyscerne and know the true churche of Chryst, from all hereticall and scys­maticall congregations. Fyrst this holye and true churche of Chryst, is called in our Crede, as it is in dede, the catholyke churche. That is to saye, the vniuersal church, bycause it is not lurkyng in anye corner, or any one country, but is in all countryes dyspersed: neyther is thys catholyke churche, hid [Page 33] from vs, or inuisible, or vnknowen: but we may ease­ly dyscerne, and know the same. For christ doth call it, Ciuitatem supra montem. A citie vpon an hyll. Math. 5. And in the Gospell of Saynt Mathewe also, teachynge the order of brotherly reconciliation, he saythe. Yf thy brother trespasse agaynst the, go and tell him his faute, betwene hym, and the alone, but yf he hear not the, Math. 18 yet take with the one or two: yf he heare not them, than tell the churche. Oh Lorde, howe shall he tell y^e church, yf it be not knowen, as the euyll doo contende Lykewyse Saynt Paule speaking, to the preystes, and elders at Ephesus,Actu, 20. doth warne thē to take hede to them selues, and to al the flocke, amonge whome the holy ghost (sayth he) hath placed you to rule the churche of God. Thus playnely the scrypture decla­reth that the catholyke churche, is and oughte to be, manyfestly knowen, yet lest you should anye thynge doute of the vnderstandynge of these scryptures, heare I besech you, howe playnely, Saynt August­yne, doth wryte hereof. Sicut per uerba dei nouimus, ubi sit plā ­tatus paradisus: sic per uerba Christi, ubi sit ecclesia, didicimus. Contra Petil. lib, 2. Cap. 13.

As by the woordes of God we know wher paradyse was planted, so by the woordes of Chryst, we haue learned, where the churche is. Marke here (good people) that Saynt Austen, in thys place, doth write, agaynst an heretike, being one of the donatyste secte: who denying the catho­lyke churche, dyd ascrybe the fayth, of chryst, and al [Page] saluation, to them selues onely, being a smale parte of Aphrica, lyke as all scismatical congregations, in thys late tyme, haue done: some saying in germany, here is Chryst, here is the churche: some in. Heluetia, here is christ, here is the churche: other in Bohem, here is Christ, here is the churche: and we in Eng­lande, here is chryst, and here is the churche. Wher­of euery one dyssentyng, from an other, and that in maters of great weyght, doth declare, that the spy­ryte of God, which is the spirite of truth, and vnitie, promysed by Christ, to the catholyke churche, dothe not leade nor gouerne suche sectes: neyther oughte they to mayntayne, and set furth, false doctryne, to the people, vnder the name of the churche, yet sainte Austen in y^e same place, addyth hys, or rather gods threatnyng,Ibidem. saying, Ab isto uniuerso, ad partem, quamlibet, quis­quis separat hominem, ille diaboli filius, & homicida conuincitur. Whosoeuer doth seperate one man, frō thys whole, to anye parte: he is proued to be the sonne of the deuyl, and a very manqueller. Alas than in what heauy case, are those, that haue separate from the catholyke churche, not one man onely, but many thousandes? surelye in heauye and miserable case: vnlesse, they doo speadelye and in due tyme repent, and doo penance. Moreouer to knowe more manyfestly, the catholyke churche, of Chryst, we ought to consider what Saynte Paule wryteth, of the foundation thereof. For al scismaty­call congregations, though they grounde them sel­ues, apparantly, vpon the holye scrypture, yet haue [Page 34] they there profession, seuerally, taken, of some noug­hty man, as saynt Augustyne sayth They are cal­led euery one by proper names, August de. uitilitate. cred. Cap. 7. whiche they dare not denye. But the catholyke churche thou­gh heretykes haue named it papysticall, yet recey­ued it neuer any other name, but catholyke, and chrystian: but al mē that rede, may se how gloriously, some haue vsyd the name of Marchion. Ebion, Arrianus, Manicheus. Pelagius. Donatus. and in our tyme lykewyse the name of Luther, Zwinglius, Carolstadius, wyth thousandes such other: which hereticall fashion S. Paule doth rebuke, in hys epystle to the Corinthy­ans, who were euen in lyke case: and bostyng vpon men sayd, Ego Pauli, Ego apollo. I hold of Paule, 1 Cor 3 and I of Apollo. But the holy apostle rebuketh them saying. As longe as there is amonge you, en­uying and stryfe, or sectes, are you not car­nall? So that euerye chrysten man, and woman, may playnely se by the scrypture, that these hauynge suche diuision, and sundrye sectes amonge them sel­ues, are by S. Paule, accompted altogether carnal, and farre vnworthy to vse the name of the churche, whiche is the onely, and chaste spouse, of Christ.Ephes. 2 But of the catholyke churche, saynt Paule sayth: Now therfore, ye are not straūgers, and foreyners: but you are citisens with the saynctes, and of the housholde of God, and are buylded vpon the foundation of the Apostles, & prophetes, [Page] Iesus Chryst hym selfe being the heade cor­ner stone. And further, bycause saynt Paule thro­ughe the holy Ghost in him, dyd forsee, that all he­retykes would callenge to them selfes the aucthori­tie of the Apostles, & prophetes, and that they wold with out authoritie or knowlege, wraste theyr wri­tinges, euery one to there owne sense: therefore this holy apostle,Ephes, 4 in the same epystle, tellyth vs the order whych Chryst hath apoynted to be obserued in hys church: for he sayth, that Chryst ascending into hea­uen, dyd gyue gyftes to men, and that he made some apostles, some prophetes, some Euangelystes, some shepardes, and teachers, declarynge thereby, that in the catholyke churche, there are orders, and offycers, some hyer, some lower, whom the rest ought both diligently to heare, and humbly to obey. So dyd the same S. Paul,1 Timot 4 Tit. 1 before hys death, apoint Timothe, to the offyce of a Byshoppe, and also Tite he dyd leaue in Creta, that he shoulde ordeyne pre­stes in euery citie, whiche preistes, and Byshoppes should not be dysdained, or litle regarded (as in this tyme of manye they are) but they shoulde (dooyng there duetie) haue double honoure, and faythfully gouerne the church,Actuo, 20 Tit. 2 as saint Paule sayeth. And wri­tyng to Tite, he byddeth him exhort, and rebuke, with al feruentnes of commaūdyng, by these places of the holy scrypture, you may easely see, and vnder­stand: that in the catholyke churche, there are and ought to be degres and orders, and that whosoeuer doth breake, contemne, or deny the same, he denieth and forsaketh the verye truth, and ordinaunce of [Page 35] Chryste, and his Apostles.

Nowe further, we oughte to consider, that as S. Paule dyd ordeyne Timothe, and Tyte, yea and other byshoppes, and Preistes, in his tyme, so they by his commaundement, dyd in theyr tyme, or­deyne other, delyueringe also to them, the doctryne whiche they haue receaued of Paule, and by conty­nuall discurse of tyme, euerye one hath deliuered the fayth, that they from the Apostles haue receaued, and so euen from Chryste, to this presente daye, one fayth hath euer stande stedfaste. Whiche thoughe it hath sundry tymes bene assayde, and sore pynched, yet euer hath it preuailed at the last, and had the vp­per hande, accordynge to Christes promyse,Math. 16 neyther ought anye man lesse to credyt the catholike church, because there are in the same, dyuers euyll, and wic­ked synners. For Christ hym selfe,Math 13 doth compare the churche to a nette, caste into the sea, whiche taketh both good and bad fyshes, but at the ende, the good shalbe reserued, and the euyll cast awaye. Was not twelue chosen by Christe, yet one of them, he calleth a deuyll? Doth not Christe also saye,Math 23. that Scribes and Phariseis, doo syt in Moyses chayre, neuerthe­lesse, he woulde the people should obey theyr lessons? Euen so, thoughe some members of Christes catho­lyke churche, doo not lyue accordynge to theyr vo­catyon, yet oughte no man therefore the lesse to re­garde the fayth and doctryne of the same churche. These thynges, good people, thoughe they are suffi­ciente, to declare the holye Churche, what it is, [Page] and howe it may be knowen, yet I besech you most diligently, to note, and carye awaye one rule, which shall neuer deceaue you, but is a sure tryall of the ca­tholyke churche, and the fayth thereof. This rule is not myne, but taken out of a learned, auncient, and ryghte godlye father in Christes Churche. He sayth There are thre meanes to trye a churche, Vincentius Lirenensis. or doctryne, the fyrst is antiquitie, the second, is vniuersalitie, the thyrde, is vnitie. By the fyrst, we are taught, that a true doctrine must be knowē, by that it is not lately spronge vp, or rysen, but com­meth from Christ, and his apostles, and hath conty­nued styll in the churche. By the seconde, we maye vnderstande, that a true fayth, or doctryne of the churche is that onelye, whiche vnyuersallye, in all countreys hath ben taught, & beleued. By the thirde we ought to learne, that a true doctryne, or fayth of the church, doth alwayes agre, and is alwayes one. Nowe those three thinges well noted, may instruct and teache any Christen man, to knowe the catho­lyke churche, whiche euer synce the Apostles tyme, and in all countreys, with one consent (in al thinges concernyng our fayth) hath shewed her self the wor­thy spouse of Chryst. Contrary wyse, false doctryne, and heresye, euer hath doone, and shall doo to the worldes ende, lately arise, & lurke in priuat corners, & neuer agre with itselfe. Which thyngs I myght easelye at large proue, and open to you, by playne and manifest demonstration. But because in the nexte homelie, I intende to speake of the auctho­ritie [Page 36] of the churche, and also of the commoditie, and profite that we haue by the same, here I wyll make an ende,Roma. 12 besechyng all you (good and godly people) to geue your bodyes, and soules, an humble and ho­ly sacryfyce to almyghtye God, prayinge euermore, that we may be altogether lyuelye membres, of oure sauyoure Iesus Chryst, and of his catholyke churche here vpon earth, and after this lyfe, partakers of the ioyfull kyngedome of heauen, through the same our Lorde Iesus Christ, to whom with the father, and the holy ghoste, be all honoure and glo­rye worlde without ende. Amen.

LYkewyse, as in the laste homelye, it was declared to you (good chrysten people) what the churche is, and how it maye be knowen: soo nowe ye shall learne, the auctho­ritie of the same ca­tholyke church, and the commoditie, or profyt that ensueth to vs all, beynge members of the same churche. Fyrste, whan oure sauioure Iesus Christ, dyd send forth the twelue apostles to preach, who were, and are, the cheife, and pryncipall pyllers of this catholyke churche, he dyd geue to them great power, and aucthoritie, as saynt Mathewe beareth wytnes,Math. 10 sayinge: Iesus dyd call together the twelue disciples, and gaue to them power ouer vncleane spirites, that they shoulde cast them out, and shoulde heale all maner of dis­eases, and infirmities. And sondrye tymes we do rede in the holy Gospell, that our Sauiour Chryste doth speake to his Apostles, after this maner. Qui uos audit, me audit, & qui uos spernit, me spernit. That is to saye: [Page 37] He that heareth you, Mathe. 10. heareth me and he that dispiseth you, doth dispise me. Meanynge,Iohn. 13. and wyllynge thereby, that all the worlde shoulde know and confesse, the aucthoritie of the catholyke church, whiche Christ him selfe dyd buyld in, and vpon these hys holye Apostles. And to the same purpose he sayd to them, Iam non dicam uos seruos, sed amicos &c That is to say Nowe I wyll no more call you seruauntes, Iohn. 15 but frendes: for al thinges that I haue herde of my father, I haue declared to you. Iohn. 20 And agayne he sayth: As my father sente me, euen so I sende you. By these, and many such other pla­ces, we maye see, that our louynge sauiour, dyd giue greate aucthoritie to his Apostles. But nowe it is expediente, and nedefull, to declare, in what specyall poyntes this aucthorytie doth consyste, and that the same aucthorytie was not onely geuen to the Apo­stles of Christe, but also to theyr successours, in the catholyke churche, euer to endure. Whiche auctho­ritie, thoughe it be greate, and manyfolde, yet these are the chefest partes thereof, that hereafter doo fo­lowe. Fyrste, almyghtye God, hath geuen power,The churche hath the true sence of the scripture, and is iudge therof. and aucthoritie, to the catholike churche, to haue the true sense, and vnderstandynge, of the holye Scrip­ture, yea, and to approue also, or reproue al wryting, as Scripture, or no Scripture. Whiche thynge, good christen people, you may well vnderstande to be moost true, yf ye cal to remembraunce, who is the guyde, and gouernour of the churche, that is to wit, the holy Ghost: as Christe dyd promyse, sayinge. [Page] Ego rogabo patrem et alium paracletum dabit vobis, vt maneat vobiscum ineternum, Iohn. 14. that is to saye, I wyll aske my father, and he wyll giue to you an other comforter, that he maye abyde wyth you for euer. And after that our Lord and sauiour had rysen frō death, he dyd breathe vpon hys Apostles, and sayde Accipite spiritum sanctum Take you the holy ghost and also,Iohn. 20. after hys ascension into heauen, accordynge to his merciful promise, he did sende downe the holy Ghost vpon his Apostles,Act. ii. as saincte Luke writeth. Nowe that the holy ghoste was not gyuen to the Apostles onely, but also to the catholyke churche, to the worl­des ende, it is manyfest: forasmuche as Chryste dyd promyse the conforter, vt maneat vobiscum inaeternum. That he should abyde (sayeth he) wyth you for euer. Nowe we are mooste certayne,Iohn. 14 that the Apostles of Christe dyd suffer deathe, for the faythe of Chryste, and that within fewe yeres, after they thus had re­ceyued the holy ghoste. Neuertheles, Christ sending furthe hys Apostles to preache, and baptyze, sayd to thē:Math. 28. Ecce ego vobiscū sum omnibus diebus vsque ad consūmationê seculi. That is, Behold, I am with you at al tymes, euen to the ende of the worlde. Wherefore we maye playnly see, that the holy ghoste beynge promi­sed to the Apostles, to abyde for euer, and to the very ende of the world, was promised and giuen to them, and to their successours in y^e churche, where he doth, and shall abide for euer. Now forasmuche, as the ho­lye ghoste is the gouernour and ruler of the catho­lyke churche, we ought there onely, and in no other [Page 38] corner, to serche the true vnderstandynge, and dys­cernynge of the scryptures. And for this cause, the aucient fathers (were they neuer so godly, and so wel learned) yet woulde they neuer presume vpon theyr owne iudgementes, but euer referred them selues, to the vnderstandyng, and interpretacion of the catho­lyke churche before them. Therfore the godly lerned, and ancient father Ireneus, Ireneus li. 3 capi. 4 wryting agaynste schisma­ticall heresyes, sayeth thus. Quid enim si qui de aliqua modica, questione disceptatio esset, nonne oporteret, in antiquissimas recurrere, Ecclesias. &c. that is to saye, but what and yf there were contencion concerning some smal que­stion, were it not necessarye to returne to the mooste auncient churches, and immediatly af­ter, he sayeth: Quid autem si ne (que) apostoli quidem scripturas reli­quissent nobis, nonne oportebat ordinem sequi traditionis, quam tradide­runt hijs, quibus committebant Ecclesias? What (sayeth this holye father) yf the Apostles had lefte to vs no scripture at all, had it not bene necessarye to folowe the order of that tradition, whyche they delyuered to those, to whome they dyd bequethe the churche? Alas (good people) howe farre are manye in these dayes gone from this olde, and aunciēt rule? this blessed martir, here exhorteth, or, rather commaundeth, that yf any small dyscorde, (thoughe it be in a matter of lytle importaunce) doo chaunce, that we woulde not, accordyng to our fan­tasy, iudge therein, but though we haue no scripture for the same, yet (sayeth he) we ought to folowe, kepe, [Page] and obserue the tradition of the aunciente churches. Where as in these late dayes, the impudente proce­dars, haue taughte the zely people, that euery man shoulde, and may be a iudge of controuersyes, and that we oughte to obserue no tradition, nor ceremo­nye, other than we fynde in the holy scrypture. Of suche, the same holy Ireneus dooeth speake thus, af­ter many other notable lessons to the same purpose. Omnes autem hij decidunt a veritate, Ireneus li. 4 Cap. 43. et heritici quidem alienum ignem afferentes ad altare dei, id est, alienas doctrinas, a celesti igne conburen­tur. &c. All these (sayeth he) doo fal from the tru­eth: and the heretykes truely, bryngynge straunge fyre to the aulter of God, that is to saye, straunge doctrine, shalbe brent with the heuenly fyre. With suche lyke threatnynges in the same place, to those that disobey the authoritie of the churche. Lykewyse sainct Augustyne speakynge of the baptysme of chyldren, and howe that sacrament, can profyte them, seynge many die before they know the effecte of the same: affyrmeth, that the faythe of those that brynge the chylde to christenynge, shall profyte the childe that is broughte: but for his proba­cion,August. de. li. arb. lib. 3. Cap. 23. he bryngeth thys. Hoc commendat ecclesie saluberrima au­thoritas. This thynge the mooste holsome auc­thoritye of the churche doethe commende. And euen wyth lyke reuerence, the same saincte Au­gustyne, dooth many tymes submytte all hys iudge­mentes,Epist. 7. In proemio Li. 3. De. Tri. and woorkes to the catholyke churche. And fynally to declare hys iudgemente, concernynge the aucthoritye of the catholyke churche. He saieth thus. [Page 39] Ego vero Euāgelio nō crederem nisi me catholicae Ecclesiae commoueret authoritas, y^t is to say, Truely, August. contra epist. Manich. Capi. 3 I would not beleue the Gospell, onles that the aucthoritye of the catholyke churche dyd moue me thereto. And we ought here to consyder, that after the ascen­sion of our sauioure Christe, for the space of certayne yeares, there was no gospell at all wrytten: but all thynges, concernynge the faythfull christians, were ruled, and gouerned by the dyscyples of Christ, beyng than, the heades of the church. Afterwarde, we rede that dyuers of the dyscyples of Christe, dyd wryte Gospelles: as sainct Bartylmew, Nicodemus, and an other Gospel was called Euangelium Nazareorum. But the authorite of the churche, dyd onely admitte those fower euangelistes: which nowe the whole churche dooth retayne. Whyche thing might well seme mar­uelous, seynge that bothe saincte Bartylmew, and Nicodemus, were present, and dyd see the woorkes of Christ, and also dyd here hys doctryne, where as sainct Luke dyd learne hys gospell of saincte Paule, and other, and so lykewyse dyd S. marke but here­by it dooeth moost playnly appere, that the catholike churche onely, hathe this hye aucthorite, to dyscerne scriptures, and that scriptures allowed by the church shoulde not be refused of anye particulare persons. Nowe therefore, seynge that the catholyke churche, bothe hathe delyuered, to vs the scripture, and in all ages and tymes, hath bene taken of all Godly lerned men, for the true iudge thereof. I exhort, and beseche all you (good christen people), that in all doutes, opi­nions, and controuersies, ye would resort to the holy [Page] churche, and there learne what the same catholyke church hath beleued, and taught, from time to time, concernynge doutes, or controuersies, and yf wyth lowly and meke hartes ye wyll so doo, surely the ho­ly ghoste wyll instructe you, he wyll comforte you, and he wyl leade you, into al trueth. But yf in suche case, ye wil fly from the catholike church, & aske coū ­sell of your selues, or of any that dooth swarue from the sayd churche, than for so muche as the holy ghost is not your guyde, you shall fall from ignoraunce to errour, and from doutyng, and dysputyng, to playne heresy, and so from one, to another, to the vtter con­fusion,An other auc­thoriti of the churche. of bothe body and soule. Yet beside this great authoritie of the churche, whereof you haue hearde, there is an other gyuen by God, of mooste hye excel­lencye, that is, power to forgyue, and pardon, the pe­nitent synner, and to punishe, and correcte, the obsti­nate or frowarde synner: which power and auctho­rite,Leuit. 13. as it was fygured in the preesthood of the olde lawe, as in Iudgynge of leprose persons, and in pu­nyshynge to death, those that did not obey the priest: euē so is it giuen by our sauiour Christ in very dede,Deut. 17. in the gospel, to his Apostles, and to all theyr succes­sours. For after that our sauioure hadde rysen from deathe: he came amonges hys Apostles, and brethed vpon them, and sayde Accipite spiritum sanctum, quorum dimi­seritis peccata, Iohn. 20. dimittuntur eis, et quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt. (That is,) take you the holy ghost, whose sin­nes you shall forgyue, they are forgyuen to them, and whose synnes you doo retayne, [Page 40] they are retayned. Whyche aucthorite, by playne woordes gyuen by Christ, though some hath, or doo, contemne, and set at noughte,Ciril in Iohn Lib. 12. capi. 20. yet saincte Cyrill byd­deth them cease to merueyle, that Christ should giue, suche power, for he sayeth, Certe absurdum non est, peccata re­mitti posse ab illis, qui spiritum sanctum in seipsis habeant. Surelye, (sayeth he) it is no absurdyte, y^t synnes are for­gyuē by thē which haue y^e holy ghost in thē. Nowe yf you wyll marke, that not the preest onely, but also the holy Ghost dothe woorke, in remitting, and pardonyng synnes, than I trust you wyll see, & graunte, this aucthoritie of Christes catholike chur­che, which thyng euery chrysten man dothe confesse dayly in his crede, saying, not onely I beleue the ho­ly catholyke churche, the communion of saynctes, but addyth also, the remyssion of synnes, to be in y^e same catholike churche.i. Timo. 1. Doo not we rede that saynt Paule dyd vse this aucthoritie, whan he did excom­municate Hymeneus and Alexander? dyd not the holye Byshoppe saynt Ambrose, vse this aucthoritie in euery poynt, vpon the emperoure Theodosius?Theodorit Lib. 5. hist. Eccle. ca. 18 Which holy byshoppe perceyuynge the emperoure had greuouslye offended, dyd not spare to excom­municate hym: yea and though he offered him selfe obedientlye to be receyued, yet was it after longe penaunce, that he was absolued, this holy byshoppe dyd vse the authoritie giuen to him by God, & thys christen emperoure, knowing, the same, dyd with al humilitie obey. Yf the bishopes and preistes in time past, and also the layitee, had lerned and practsied [Page] there duetyes and vocations, by this example, sure­lye the churche of Chryste shoulde not haue come to such great disordre as we see, neyther shoulde vyce and wyckednes, so frely haue bene vsyd: but bicause this mater, is largely and lernedly, set fourth in the sacramēt of penance, I wil cease to speake any more hereof, and nowe it remayneth to declare, what cō ­moditie and profytte we haue by thys catholyke church, our lorde and mayster chryste in the gospell, of saincte Iohn,Iohn. 15. doeth compare hym selfe to the vyne tree, and all vs to the braunches: and sayeth. Manete in me, et ego in vobis. Abyde you in me, (that is to saye, in the faythe of my churche.) And I wyll abyde in you. Oh mercyful Lord, what comfort, and com­moditye is this, for a christen man, to haue Christe to abyde w^t hym? And farther he sayeth. Yf you abide in me, & my wordes abide in you, aske what you wyl, & it shalbe graunted to you. Here are we sure, y^t if we abyde in christes catholike churche, & embrace the faythe, and doctryne therof, both Christ hym selfe by grace, wyll abyde in vs, and also oure prayers, shal euermore be hearde. And wythoute all doute, there is no abiding in Christe, vnles we abide in the vnyte of hys catholyke churche. For as saynct Cipriane sayeth:Ciprianus de simpli. prelat. Non potest habere deum patrem qui non nouit Ec­clesiam matrem: He cannot haue God hys father, y^t knoweth not the churche to be his mother: But a child of God, knowīg y^e churche to be his mo­ther, & lyinge in the bosome thereof, may be sure that Christ the spouse of the churche,Gene. 7.8. wyll neuer forgette [Page 41] hys nedefull requestes. And as no lyuely crea­ture, was saued from death, but suche onely as were in the arcke of Noe,Gen. 7, 8. so is there none saued from dampnation, but those that are in the vnyte of Christes churche. And therefore, to gyue vs warnynge, the holye doctoure Saincte Augus­tyne, speaketh in thys maner mooste playnlye. Quisquis ergo ab hac catholica ecclesia fuerit seperatus quā tū libet lauda­biliter se uiuere existimet, August. epist 152. hoc folo scelere quod a Christi Vnitate disiunctus est nō habebit uitam, sedir a dei manet super cū That is in englysh, Whosoeuer therfore shal be seperatid frō this catholike church, although he think himself to liue neuer so worthely, yet for this onelye crime y^t he is separated frō y^e vnitie of Christ, he shal not haue life, but y^e wrath of god abideth, vpon hym. But what nede is it, to allege saincte Augustine, or any other auncient father herein, seing almyghty God by hys prophet Esay, hath set furthe to vs a lytle picture of hys churche,Esai. 5. vnder the name of a vyneyarde, and the house of Israell? There maye we see, that thynge that we by experience doo knowe. For almyghty God, in that parable decla­reth by hys Prophete, howe muche he had doone for the house of Israell, a fygure of Christes churche, in that he had planted them in a batsome, and frutefull countrey, and had gyuen to them good gouernours, and orders, wherein they myghte haue lyued, and pleased hym, but forasmuche as they dyd wylfullye breake the lawes of God, & hys ordinance, he threat­ned them saying: Auferam sepem eius, et erit in direptionem. &c. Ibidem. [Page] I wyll (sayeth oure Lorde) take awaye the hedge of my vyneyarde, that it may peryshe. Euen so hathe our sauioure Christe dealed wyth vs, y^e people of his churche. For where as by his preciouse deathe and passion, he dyd purchase vs, and lefte vs in the custodye of his catholyke church, as is before sayde, leauynge also to vs, lawes to obserue, and sa­cramentes, wherewith we should be preserued. And we naughty people, haue dyspysed al his moost god­ly, and holsome decrees, and ordinances, he hathe of his iustyce, and accordynge to hys promyse, euen in oure tyme punished vs: and hath suffred the wicked, to plucke downe the pale or hedge of his vineyarde: I meane all good order, as well in the churche, as in the common wealthe, and that for the space of many yeares paste. Nowe here christen people, thoughe you doo not consyder the plage of sundrye synnes, that hathe in this late scysme, possessed manye mens soules, yet doo not dyssemble, nor forgette the mi­serye, that we all haue suffered outewardelye, synce we were separate from the churche of Christe: alas, what Christen bloude wythin this Realme, euen by oure owne countreimen, hath bene shed? Oh Lord, how many poore wydowes without comforte haue bene lefte? Howe many fatherlesse children without soccoure? I leaue here to speake, of the vnshameles breakynge of the deade mennes testamentes, and theyr mooste godly intentes, & ordinances: Abbais, are poulled downe: Collegis, and Chantrees are ouerthrowē: churches are robbed, and poore Christ, (that is to saye,) the hungry, and nedefull people, fa­myshe, [Page 42] and crye oute therefore. All these surely, wyth many mo, haue come vpon vs, bicause we haue bene oute of the house of God. Wherefore, in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christe, let vs all togyther lament, and be sory for oure goynge astraye, let vs come, and fal downe before God oure father, and confesse oure transgression, and humblye desyre,Luce. 15. that we maye be receyued into hys house, whyche is the churche, thoughe we shoulde all the dayes of oure lyues, be but hyrelynges. Quia melior est dies vnus in atrijs tuis super milia. Psal 83. One daye (Oh Lorde) is better spente in thy house than a thousande otherwyse.

Fynallye yf we contynew obedyente chyldren, in the bosome of our mother, the holye churche: we shall be fedde wyth lyuely faythe, oute of whyche wyll sprynge in vs, muche holynesse of lyfe, and quietnes of conscience: and yf at any tyme throughe our frail­nes, we happen to fall, we haue readye, to rayse vs vp agayne, the holye Sacramentes: throughe the comfortable helpe whereof, we be made stronge: and so daye by daye more able to procede in al kynde of vertue: and thus hauynge vpon earthe oure mo­ther, the holye churche, whiche is the spouse of Iesus Christe the Sonne of God, we maye be bolde to call vpon GOD our father: and be assured, that he wyll heare vs, as hys dearebeloued chyldren, and gyue vs the inheritaunce of heauen, whyche is prepared for vs, through our sauiour Iesus Christe. To whōe wyth the father, and y^e holy ghost, be honour, prayse and glory, world without ende. Amen.

AS in euery natu­rall, and polytyke body, so in the chur­che militāt, (which is a misticall body) superioritie, and in­feriority, must nedes be amōgest y^e mem­bers thereof, or ells it cannot endure. And for thys cause speciallye, our Sa­uiour Chryste, when he was here conuersaunte, on the Earth, dyd, hymselfe, appoynte his Apostles, & Disciples, and there successours, to haue the ouer­syght, cure, and high gouernement of his church, to the worldes ende. And to the intente, that no man should contempne theyr aucthoritie, he doth saye in the thyrtenth of Saynt Ihon, Amen, Amen, Dico vobis, qui accipit si quem misero, Iohn. 13 me accipit. Qui autem me accipit, accipit eum qui me misit That is to say: Veryly Veryly, I saye vnto you, who that receyueth him whome I sende, receyueth me And he that receiueth me, receyueth hym that sent me. And in the tenth of Luke he sayth, Qui uos audit me audit, & qui uos sper­nit, me spernit. Qui autem me spernit, spernit eum qui misit me. Luce. 10. [Page 43] That is to saye: He that heareth you, heareth me, and he that dispiseth you dispiseth me, and he that dispiseth me, dispiseth hym that sent me. Of the Apostles also and theyr succes­sours, and of theyr charge ouer Christes flocke, doth Saynt Paule speake, in the fourthe chapiter to the Ephesyans, saying.Ephes. 4.

Ipse dedit quosdam quidem Apostolos, quosdam autem Prophetas, alios uero Euangelistas, alios autem pastores, et doctores, ad consummationem sanctorum, in opus ministerii, in edificationem Corporis Christi, donec oc­curramus omnes in unitatem fidei, & agnitionis filii dei, in uirum perfec­tum, in mensuram etatis plenitudinis Christi, ut iam non simus paruuli fluc­tuantes, ne (que) circuferamur omniuento doctrine, in nequitia hominum, in astutia ad circumuentionem erroris. That is to saye:

He (meanyng Chryste) hath giuen or ap­pointed some to be Apostles, some, Prophets some Euangelistes, some pastores, and tea­chers, to the perfytynge, or consummating, of the holyons, to doo the worke of the my­nistery, to edyfye the body of Chryst, vntyll we all come together, in one vnitie of fayth, and knowledge of the sonne of God, vnto the estate of a perfecte man, after y^e measure of the age of the fulnes of Chryst, that from henceforth, we should not be as babes, wa­ueryng, neyther should we be caryed aboute with euery blaste of doctryne, in the wickednes of men, in the wylynes of them, who go [Page] aboute to deceyue vs

This place of Saynt Paule most playnelye set­teth before our eyes, the authoritie, and gouernemēt which our sauiour hath appoynted, to contynue to the ende of the worlde, in his churche, and howe y^e Apostles, Prophetes, Euangelistes, Preachers, and teachers, are giuen of Chryst, to his people, to go­uerne them. And therewith al Saynt Paule, in the sayde place, sheweth to what ende, suche gouerne­ment, and authoritie is instituted, it is to wytte, for the spiritual edifieng of the hole body, in the fayth, & for the defense of the hole bodye, from the poyson of heresye. And in dede no one thing can so muche sup­presse heresye, as yf the Authoritie, and gouernment Ecclesiasticall, be accordingly therevnto estemed, & obeyed, as witnesseth Saynte Ciprian, the blessed Martyr, in hys fyrst boke, and third Epystle saieng. Ne (que) aliunde hereses obortae sunt, Ciprian. Lib. i. epistle, [...]3. aut nata sunt scismata, (quam) inde, quod sacerdoti dei non obtemperatur. Nec unus in ecclesia ad tempus sacerdos, & ad tempus iudex, uice Christi cogitatur, cui si secundum magisteria diui­na, obtemperaret fraternitas uniuersa, nemo aduersus sacerdotum colle­gia quic (quam) moueret. That is to saye: Neyther other where, or by other meanes, are heresyes sprong vp, and scismes rysen, than hereof, y^t obedience is not gyuen to the preist of God. Nor one is considered, or thought, to be in y^e churche, for the tyme, the preist, and for the time the iudge, in Christes stede, vntowhich one, yf the hole fraternitie dyd (according to the heauenly commaundements) obeye, no [Page 44] man woulde stirre, or moue anye thinge against the Colleges or cōpanies of preistes. Hereby you may perceyue, that saynt Cypryans cō ­clusion, or iudgemēt is, that the gouernment Eccle­siasticall, and especially of one, to be taken, and re­puted as Christes vicar, is the best meane, to let and suppresse heresies, and that such one gouernor, is to be obeyed, of all chrysten people, which thinge maye be proued very playnely, and euidently, by the holy scryptures themselues. For the scryptures doo wit­nesse, that our sauiour appoynted S. Peter, to thys high rowme, and charge, ouer his hole flocke, and no one of the Apostles els. In the .xxi.Ioan. 21 of S. Iohn it is wrytten, howe, our sauiour, after his resurrec­tion, appearing at y^e sea of Tiberias, to certen of his Apostles, amongest whome was Peter, dyd fyrste take breade, and fyshe, and gaue vnto them, And when they had refresshed them selues, he sayde vnto Peter. Simon Ioannis diligis me plus hiis? Dicit ei, Etiam domine tis scis, quia amo te. Dicit ei. Pasce agnos meos. Dicit ei iterum, Simon Ioannis diligis me? Ait illi. Etiam domine tu scis quia amo te Dicit ei Pasce agnos meos Dicit ei tertio. Simon Ioannis amas me? Contristatus est Petrus, qui­a dixit ei tertio, amas me? & dixit ei. Domine tu omnia nosti, tu scis, quia amo te. Dicitei, Pasce oues meas. That is to saye: Symon the sonne of Ioannes, doeste thou loue me more then these doo? He answered vnto him: Yea Lorde, thou knowest that I loue thee. He sayde vnto him: Fede my lambes. Then he spake to him agayne, and sayde: Symon the sonne of Ioannes, doeste thou loue me? [Page] He aunswered: yea Lorde, thou knoweste that I loue thee. He sayd vnto hym againe: Feede my lambes. Then spake he vnto him the third tyme, and sayde: Symon the sonne of Ioannes, doest thou loue me? Peter was sorie, because Christ sayde vnto him now the thyrde time, doest thou loue me, and he aun­swered and sayde: Lorde thou knoweste all thinges, thou knowest that I loue thee. He sayde vnto him feede my shepe. This processe of Scripture, hath in it, many circumstaunces to be noted. The fyrst is, that (other Apostles beynge than present, and amongest them, euen he of whom Christ did euer make very much of, that is to say, S. Iohn) yet our Sauiour Christ, dyd dyrecte his speach, and talke, but to Peter onelye, signifienge the matter, wherof he dyd speake, to appertayne to Peter chief­lye, and pryncipallye, and not in so speciall a sorte, to anye one of the apostles els. Another, and seconde circumstaunce to be here considered, is that oure sa­uioure, dyd aske Peter moost earnestly, whether he loued him, more than did the other apostles. And the thyrde cyrcumstaunce is, in that Christe dyd com­mytte both his lambes, and his shepe, vnto hym. These cyrcumstaunces (I saye) and other suche like, well considered, doo conuince, and clearelye proue, that the hyghe charge, ouer all the churche militant, was especially committed, to Peter.

And to this purpose, maketh, and serueth, an o­ther talke, of our sauiour, vnto S. Peter, written in the .xvi. of Mathew, where y^e texte is in this maner. Venit autem Iesus in partes, Caesareae Philippi, Math. 16. & interrogabat discipulos suos dicens. Quem dicunt homines esse filium hominis? At illi dixerūt: Alij Ioannem Baptistam, alij autem Heliam, alij uero Hieremiam, aut unum ex prophetis. Dicit illis Iesus, uos autem quem me esse dicitis? Respondens Si­mon Petrus dixit. Tu es Chrictus filius Dei uiui. Respondens autem Iesus dixit ei. Beatus es Simon Bariona, quia caro & sanguis non reuelauit tibi, sed pater meus qui in coelis est. Et ego dico tibi, quia tu es Petrus, & super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam, & portae inferi non praeualebunt aduersus eam. Et tibi dabo claues regni coelorum. Et quodcun (que) ligaueris super terram, erit ligatum & in coelis, & quodcun (que) solueris super terram erit solutum & in coelis. That is to saye: Iesus came into the coastes of Cesarea Phi­lippi, and he asked his disciples, sayinge: Whom doo men say the sonne of man to be? And they aunswered, some Iohn Baptiste, some Helias, some Hieremias, or one of the prophetes. Iesus sayd vnto them. But who saye you that I am? Then Simon Peter made aunswer, and sayde: Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuinge God. And Iesus an­swered and sayd: Blessed art thou Simon, the sonne of Ioanna, for fleshe and bloude hath not this reueiled, and opened vnto the, but my father whiche is in heauen. And I saye vnto the, that thou arte Peter, or a rock, and on this rocke I wyll buylde my church, [Page] & hell gates shal not preuayle agaynst it. And I wyl gyue vnto thee, y^e keyes of y^e kingdō of heauē: & whatsoeuer thou shalte bynde vpon earth, shalbe boūd also in heuē, & whatsoeuer thou shalt lose vpō y^e earth, shal be loosed also in heauē. These wordes of Christ were spokē longe before y^t Christe gaue y^t other cōmaūdemēt to Peter, to feede hys flocke, and that thynge, whyche is per­fourmed in the other woordes, is here promysed, in these woordes. In the other woordes oure sauioure dothe presently, put him in authoritie, saying. Feede my Lambes, feede my shepe. In these woordes, he dooeth but promyse the sayde authority vnto him, sayenge. Vnto thee wyll I gyue the keyes of the kyngedome of heauen, and what so euer thou loosest, or byndest in earth, shal be loosed or bounde in heauen. The lyke of this, did our sa­uiour neuer speake to any one of the Apostles els, se­uerally, but onely generally. For generally to Peter, and to the reste, being al together, (sauing Thomas, who was absent,) Christ sayed the woordes whyche are writtē in the .xx.Iohn. 20. of Iohn, it is to witte, Receyue you the holy ghoste, whose synnes ye remyt, they are remytted, and whose synnes ye re­taine, Math. 18. they are retained. And in the .xviii. of Ma­thew, Christ sayeth vnto the twelue. What so euer thynges you shal bynde vpon the earthe, shal be bounde also in heauen, & whatsoeuer you shal lose vpō y^e earth, shalbe losed also in heauē [Page 46] Yf our sauiour Christ had not intended to gyue vn­to Peter a speciall authoritie, aboue the rest, what nede was there to speake this, seuerallye, vnto Peter, seing he had spoken it generally to them all before? And what thing ment he els, when, in y^e pre­sence of al the twelue, he promised to gyue vnto Pe­ter the keyes of the kingdome of heauē, sauing a spe­ciall priuilige, or prerogatyue to Peter? Our Saui­our through his heauenly wysedome, perceyuynge, that it is most necessarye, one to be ouer a hole mul­titude, specially being a multytude congregated of so infinite a number of people, and of so sondry nati­ons, as is the catholyke churche, did appoynte S. Peter, to that offyce, and Peter hauinge receyued such charge at Christes handes, did incontinentely practyse and exercise the same: and all the rest of the Apostles dyd gyue place vnto him.Act. i. And therefore in the first of the Actes it is written, howe that after Christes ascension, incontinently S. Peter rose vp in the myddest of the faythfull, and moued them to goo to the election of one, that should succede in Iu­das rowme, which offyce he vndoubtedly woulde not haue taken vpō him, but that our sauiour Christ had Authorised him in such sorte, as is before decla­red. In the .ii.Actes. 2. of the Actes it is wrytten howe that in the presence of all the Apostles, S. Peter tooke vpon him to speake in all their names to the people on whitsonday in the morning, streighte after that they had receyued the holye Ghoste, in the likenes of clouē tunges. In the third of y^e Actes, it is writtē,Actes. 3. how y^t S. Peter healed a lame mā, which was lame from [Page] his mothers wombe, and that when the people won­dred at so straunge a myracle, the sayd Peter made an oration vnto them.

Act. 4.5.6.In the fourthe of the Actes, and in the fyfte, and syxt there is the lyke, and in manye other places of the same booke. All whyche places of scrypture oughte to perswade euery godlye harte, to thynke that oure sauiour dyd gyue vnto sainct Peter, that authoritie, aboue all the reste of the Apostles, vpon hys hoole churche, for an vnytye, and good order, to be kepte in the same. And yet for your better contentation here­in, you shal here the authorities of the Aunciente fa­thers in this behalfe.

Origene,Origenes a greeke wryter, whyche was wythin two hundred yeares after Christe, in hys exposition, made vpon the .vi. Chapiter of S. Paules Epistle, to the Romaynes, wryteth thus. Petro cum summa rerum de pas­cendis ouibus traderetur, et super ipsum tan (quam) super terram fundaretur ec­clesia, nullius confessio uirtutis alterius, nisi charitatis exigitur. (That is to saye,) when the hyghest authoritie, or fee­dinge of christes sheepe, was committed vn­to Peter, and the churche was builded vpon hym, as vpon a sure grounde, there was re­quyred, or exacted of hym, the profession of none other vertue saue onely of charitie.

Ciprianus.The blessed martyr, sainct Cipriane, in many pla­ces, affyrmeth the same, and amongest other, in hys Epistle written. Ad Iubatanum. sayeth, Manifestum est, vbi, et per quos, remissio peccatorum dari possit: Nam dominus primum Petro, su­per quem edificauit ecclesia suam, et vnde vnitatis originem instituit, et [Page 47] ostendit, potestatem istam dedit: That is to saye. It is ma­nyfest where, and by whome, remission of synnes maye be gyuen, for oure Lorde fyrste vnto Peter (vpon whome he buylded hys churche, and from whome he dyd ordeyne, and shewe, the begynnynge of the vnitye, to procede) dyd gyue that power, or authoritie. And in the same Epistle, (within a whyle after) he sayeth. Ecclesiam, que vna est, fundauit super vnum, that is to saye, He dyd founde his churche, which is but one, vpon one.

Sainct Basyll,Basilius. in hys booke against Tauonius writeth thus Per hanc vocem intelligimus Ionae filium, qui fuit ex Bethsaida, An­dreae fratrem, qui ex piscatore, in Apostolatus ministerium vocatus est Qui quoniam fide praestabat, ecclesiae in se aedificationem suscepit. That is to saye, by this voice, we vnderstāde the sonne of Ionas, which was of Bethsaida, the bro­ther of Andrewe, which sonne of Ionas was called from a fysher, to the ministerye of the Apostleshyp and bycause he excelled in faith, he had the churche buylded vpon hym.

Sainct Ambrose in hys fourthe sermon sayeth.Ambrosius Petrus deni (que) pro soliditate deuotionis, ecclesiarum petra dicitur, sicut ait dominus. Tu es petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam. Petra enim dicitur, quod primus in nationibus fidei fundamenta posuerit, et tanquam saxum immobile, totius operis Christiani compagem molem (que) con­tineat (That is to saye,) Fynally, or for a conclu­sion, Peter, for the soundenes, or substancial­nes [Page] of his deuotion, is called the rocke of the churches, as oure Lorde sayeth Thou arte Peter, or of a rocke, and vpon this rocke wil I buylde my churche. In dede he is called a rocke, bicause he was the fyrste that did laye the foundation of faythe amongest the gen­tiles, & as a stone, or a rocke, that cannot be moued, he doeth conteine or kepe, the frame, and weight of the hole christen woorke.

AugustinusS. Augustine hath the lyke in his syxe and twenty sermon, de sanctis, and in his .xvi. sermon de tempore, but moost notably in hys .124. sermon de tempore, where he maketh a large processe of sainct Peter, and emōgest other thinges, speakyng of Peters denial of his mai­ster, he wryteth thus of hym. Totius corporis morbum in ipso capite curat ecclesie, et in ipso vertice componit membrorum omnium sani­tatem, That is to saye, He (meanyng Christ) doeth cure in the very heade of the churche (meaning Peter) the dysease, of the hole body, and in the very crowne, or toppe of the head, he frameth the healthe of all the members. Here ommyt­tynge infynite, other authorities of the aunciente fa­thers, touchynge the primacye, or hyghest authoritie ecclesiasticall, to haue bene gyuen vnto sainct Peter of our sauiour Christ hym selfe, I exhorte you in con­sideration, partely of these testimonyes, some wherof are taken out of the very scripture, somme out of the aunciente and famous doctours of the churche, and [Page 48] partly, and mooste especially, in consyderation of the cōsent of the hole catholike church herein, nothing to doute in this matter, but y^t the holy Apostle S. Pe­ter was Christes vicar on earthe, and had hygher, and more authoritye generall, then anye one of the Apostles els, and that the speciall purpose, why that Christ woulde haue suche authoritie to be in one mā, was, & is, for the preseruation of vnitie in his church, whyche churche, is but one, and thus muche for thys tyme, shall nowe suffice you. In the nexte homely, you shall heare fur­ther of this matter.

Act. 8. IT is wrytten in the .viii. chapiter of the actes, how Si­mon Magus, dyd offer vnto Saynte Petermony, to giue him power, that on whome soeuer he shoulde laye hys handes, the same parson might ther­by, receiue the holy Ghost. But being for this his most wicked request, greuously reproued, and fearyng withal, to conty­nue any lōger, in those parties, that is to say, in Sa­maria, so nighe thappostles, he, the sayde Symon Magus fled to Rome, and there by his enchaunte­mentes,Iustinus Martir. dyd greately delude the people, as Iusty­nus the Martyr, a very auncient writer, in his se­conde Apologie, directed, or sent, to the Emperoure Antonius, doth playnelye testifie: IreneusIreneus. also in his first boke Contra hereses. doth recorde the same. And the said Simon Magus, dyd so delude & blind the people, that they dyd esteme him for a God, and dyd set vp his image, in the Citye, with this inscrip­tion, Simoni deo sancto That is to say To Simon the holye God. But it was not longe, after those [Page 49] prankes, played by Simon Magus, thus seducyng the inhabitātes ther, but God sent his great Apostle saynct Peter thyther, (that is to saye, to Rome) who bothe did confounde the sayde Simon Magus, and dyd also conuert a great number of the people there, vnto the faythe of Chryste, as is at large, set fourthe in the .xiiii. chapiter, and seconde booke of Eusebius,Historia Ecclesiastica Eusebij Ecclesiasticall historye. Nowe this Apostle sayncte Peter, by the wyll, and prouidence of God, beynge brought to Rome, dyd there continue, byshop of that Sea .xxv. yeares, and there also dyd suffer a glorious martyrdome, in the last yeare of the reygne of cruell Nero Themperoure, whyche thynges Sayncte Hierom in the verye begynnynge of hys woorke,Hieronimus De Ecclesiasticis scriptoribus dothe wytnes in this maner. Simon Peter, the sonne of Ioannes, of the prouince of Galile, and of y^e towne of Beth­saida, the brother of Andrewe the Apostle, af­ter his byshopricke in Antioche and after his preaching in Pōtus, Galatia, Cappadotia, Asia, and Bithinia, to the Iewes whiche were dyspersed abrode in sondrye contries, came to Rome, to ouer throwe Simon Magus, and there dyd kepe his sea, fyue and twenty yeres, vntyl the last yere, (it is to wyt the .xiiij. yere) of the reigne of Nero, by whome he was crucifyed, and so crowned with a crowne of martyrdome, his heade beynge turned downe to the grounde, [Page] and his feete vpwarde, bycause he sayde, or accompted hym selfe vnworthy, to be crucy­fyed in suche forme, and maner, as hys may­ster Christ was.

AmbrosiusS. Ambrose in hys .lxx. sermō speakyng of y^e martyr­dome of sainct Peter, and saint Paule, at Rome, sai­eth thus. I thinke it not done without a great cause, that in one day, in one place, and vnder on persecutoure, they bothe dyd suffer. In one daye, for that they should come to Christ together. In one place, that neither of theym bothe, shoulde be destitute of Rome, and vn­der one persecutoure, that lyke cruelty should slaye them bothe. The day was for their me­rite, the place for theyr glory, the persecutour, for theyr vertue. And in what place I praye you dyd they suffer martyrdome? Euen in Rome, whiche is the heade, and chyefe citye, of the worlde, to the intente that where the head of superstition was, there should rest the heade of holynes, and where the prynces of the heathen did dwel, there the princes of the churche shoulde lye.

Thus sayeth saint Ambrose, wherevnto agreeth Egesippus, Egesippus an auncyent wryter, in his thyrde booke, of the distruction of Hierusalem, and lykewyse, Dionisius Dionisius the byshop of Corinthe,Corinth. and Caius also whiche lyued [Page 50] in y^e dayes of zepherinus, Sepherinus the Byshop of Rome, as more at large appeareth, in the .xxv. Chapiter, of the fore­sayde seconde booke of Eusebius,Eusebius Ecclesiasticall hy­story. Nowe that we haue in the homely, goyng next before this, declared, that our sauioure dyd appoynt Saincte Peter to a greater, and hygher offyce, then he dyd any other of hys Apostles, and haue in this homely intreated, of the abode of saincte Peter, and martyrdome at Rome, we wyll consequentlye proue, that the Byshoppes of Rome, haue alwayes, in the catholyke churche, bene estemed, iudged, and taken, for sainct Peters successours, euen in that hys special, and hyghest offyce, and that to hym, and thē, by the wyll of God, doeth appertayne the gouerne­ment of Christes hole flocke, on earthe. And fyrste I wyll begynne wyth the aunciente Authour, Ireneus, Ireneus 3. Lib. aduer­sus hereses. who in the thyrde Chapiter of hys thyrde booke, a­gaynst heresyes, doeth say, that the church of Rome, is the greatest, the eldest, and the best knowen, of all churches, and that it was foūded, by the moost glo­rious Apostles, Peter, and Paule, and that through the succession of the byshops of Rome, frō sainct Pe­ter, vntyll hys tyme, the trueth was deryued, from hande to hande, & that it might there easely be foūde, and had. And herevpon he sayeth further these wor­des. Ad hanc enim ecclesiam propter potentiorem principalitatē, necesse est omnem conuenire ecclesiam, hoc est eos qui sunt vbi (que) fideles. That is to saye. For vnto this churche (meanyng, and poyntynge the sea of Rome) for the more mighty principalty of it, al y^e hole churche of Christ, y^t [Page] is to saye, all the faythfull, where soeuer they be, muste assemble, or repayre vnto.

AugustinusAnd sainct Augustyne, agreably herevnto, doth, in his .162. Epistle, saye: that in the churche of Rome, the primacy of the Apostolike Sea, did euer florishe. And the same sainct Augustyne, wrytinge agaynste one Petilianus, whyche dyd blaspheme the sea of Rome (as heretykes doo nowe a dayes) doeth more ouer write in this maner. Yf all the byshoppes of the worlde, were suche men, as thou dooest moost falsely reporte theim to be, what hath the sea of Rome hurted the, where Peter dyd syt, and nowe Anastasius sytteth? or what hath the sea of Hierusalem hurted the, where Iames did sit, and now at this presēt, Ioan­nes dothe sit, with whome we are in the ca­tholike vnitie ioyned, and from whome ye haue deuyded your selues, in youre wycked rage, or fury, why doest thou cal the Aposto­like sea, the sea of pestilence? If thou doo it for the mēs sake, whō thou thinkest to preache the lawe, and not to fulfyll the lawe, dyd our sauiour I praye the, any suche iniury to the sea or chaire of the scribes, and Phariseis, of whome he sayeth. They say, but they doo not? &c.

Moreouer, the holye Martyr, sainct Cipriane in the thyrde Epistle,Ciprianus. of hys fyrste booke, speakynge a­gaynste [Page 51] certayne, whyche dyd disobey, & contempne, Cornelius, the byshoppe of Rome, writeth in this maner. Ne (que) enim aliunde hereses oborte sunt, aut nata sunt scismata, (quam) inde quod sacerdoti dei nō obtemperatur, nec vnus in ecclesia ad tēpus sa­cerdos, et ad tempus iudex, vice Christi iudicatur: Cui si secundum magis­teria diuina obtemperaret fraternitas vniuersa, nemo aduersus sacerdotum collegium, quic (quam) moueret. That is to saye. Of none other cause are heresyes spronge vp, or scismes ry­sen, than of this, that the priest of GOD (meanynge Cornelius; the byshoppe of Rome,) is not obeyed, and one is not taken in the churche, to be the hyghe priest for the tyme, and for the tyme in Christes stede a iudge, or Christes vicar, vnto whome yf the hole fra­ternitye were, accordynge to Goddes com­maundementes, obediente, no man woulde any thing moue, or styrre agaynst the colled­ge, or companye of priestes.

Sainct Augustyne also wrytynge agaynste the Epistle of a Maniche, whyche Epistle is intituled,Augustinus. or called, Fundamentum, giueth to the sea of Rome, a mer­uaylous prerogatyue, and dothe buylde hys faythe, amongest other thinges, vpon the succession, of the Byshoppes of Rome, who after sainct Peter dyd fo­lowe orderly, euen to hys tyme, whych was .300. ye­res after Christe. And he wryteth in this maner. Multa sunt, que me in ecclesie gremio iustissime tenent: Tenet me consen­sio populorū, at (que) gentiū, tenet authoritas miraculis inchoata, spe nutrita, charitate aucta, vetustate firmata, tenet ab ipsa sede petri Apostoli, cui pascendas oues suas post resurrectionē suam dominus commendauit, vsque [Page] ad presentem episcopatum, successio sacerdotum. That is to saye, there are many thinges, which of very good reason, doo kepe me, in the lawes of the catholyke churche. The consent of so manye people, and nations, or cuntries, dothe kepe me: the authoritie of the churche, begon with myracles, nourysshed with hope, encreased with charitye, and confyrmed with antiqui­tye, doeth kepe me: the succession also of bys­shoppes, from sainct Peter the Apostles seat, or tyme (to whome oure Lorde dyd after his resurrection, commyt hys shepe to be fedde) vnto this presēt Bishopricke (meanyng Rome) doeth kepe me in the catholyke churche.

Sainct Hierom also in his Epistle to Damasus, doeth set fourthe very notably,Hieronimus. the primacye, and su­premitye, of the byshoppe of Rome, as beyng sainct Peters successours, and amongest other thynges, he sayeth thus. Si quis cathedrae Petri iungitur meus est. That is to saye. Yf any man be ioyned to Peters chayre, or hold of Peters seat (meaning the sea of Rome) he is myne, and I receyue and ioyne wyth hym.

AmbrosiusSainct Ambrose also in his thyrd booke, of the sacramētes, and in the fyrst Chapiter, doth say thus. Ecclesia Romana hanc consuetudinem non habet, cuius tipum in omnibus sequimur. That is to saye, the churche of Rome (whose forme, or trade, we doo folowe in all [Page 52] poyntes) hath no suche custome Other lyke autorities of the auncient fathers, for the primacye, and supremacy of the Sea of Rome, there are, and y^t infinite: But what nede many autorities, eyther of scripture, or of the fathers, in this behalfe, seyng very experience, hath this thousande yeres, proued, that suche, as dysobeyed the sea of Rome, did fal sone after into abhomynable heresy, and therevpon into deui­sion amongest them selues, and consequently, to de­structiō, or els, in processe of time, were gladde, and faine, to returne to their dewe obedience againe. Yf you be desyrouse to haue exāple in this matter, looke but on those countryes, and those parsons, that now be in captiuitie vnder the great Turke, who in tyme paste, agreeing with the sea of Rome, did floryshe in christen religion, & all welthe, looke also vpon Ger­many, and take example therby, how they prospered amonges theym selues, synce they declyned frō the obedyence of the sea of Rome. And it is a worlde, to see howe those, whome they tooke for theyr greatest doctours, haue abused, seduced, and mocked theym, euen in this matter of the primacye, for where as Luther, especiallye, and aboue all other,Lutherus. was theyr ryngleader in this matter: yet when he was emon­gest lerned men, and shoulde talke of this matter, wyth theim, he was so driuen to the wal, that open­lye in wrytynge, to be shewed at this daye, he dyd in a booke of hys, intituled. Resolutio Lutheriana super propo­sitione sua. 13. de potestate Papae, confesse and saye playnlye, as hereafter doeth folowe.

Primum, quod me mouet Ro. pontificem esse alijs omnibus, quos saltem no­uerimus se pontifices gerere, superiorem, est ipsa voluntas dei, quam in ip­so facto uidemus. Ne (que) enim sine voluntate dei, in hanc monarchiam unquā venire potuisset Ro. pontifex. At voluntas dei, quo quo modo rota fuerit, cū reuerentia suscipienda est, Ideo (que) non licet temere. Ro. pontifici in suo pris matu resistere. Hec autem ratio tanta est, vt si etiam nulla scriptura, nul­la alla causa esset, haec tamen satis esset ad compescendam temeritatem re­sistentium, et hac sola ratione gloriosissimus martir Ciprianus, per multas epistolas cōfidentissime gloriatur contra omnes episcoporū quorū cum (que) aduersarios, sicut. 3. Re legimus, quod decē tribus Israel discesserūt a Roboā, filio Salomonis, et tamen quia voluntate dei, sine autoritate factum est, ra­tum apud deum fuit. Nam et apud theologos omnes, voluntas signi, quam vocant operationem dei, non minus quam alia figna voluntatis dei, vt prae­cepta, prohibit. &c. metuenda est. Ideo non uideo, quomodo sint excusati ascismatis reatu, qui huic voluntati contrauenientes, sese a Ro. pontificis autoritate subtrahunt. Ecce hec est una prima mihi insuperabilis ratio, quae me subijcit Ro. pontifici et primatū eius cōfiteri cogit. That is to say The first thing, which moueth me to think, or beleue, the Romayne Bysshoppe to be su­perior to all other, whom at the leaste wyse we doo know to accompte them selues for Bysshoppes, is the very wyll of God, which we doo see, euen in the very facte, or matter. For in dede without the wyll of God, y^e Ro­mayne Bysshoppe, coulde not at any tyme haue commen to this monarchy, or supreme rule, and the wyll of God, by what meane so euer it be knowen, is to be receyued, or ta­ken with reuerence, and therefore it is not lawefull, folyshly, or hedely to make resi­stence [Page 53] vnto the sayd Romayne Bysshope, in his Bysshoppryke. And this reason is soo great, or of suche force, that althoughe noo scrypture, nor no other cause were, yet thys were sufficient ynoughe to brydle, or kepe vnder, the temeritie, or madnes, of them, y^t make resistance. And by this reason alone, the most glorious Martyr Cyprian, in ma­ny Epystles doth most boldely glory, or re­ioyse, agaynst all the aduersaries of anye of the Bysshoppes, accordyng as we do reade in the third boke of the kynges. Where all­though the x. tribes of Israell, dyd departe from Roboam, the sonne of Salomon, yet bycause it was done by the wyll of God, it was without other authoritie firme, & sta­ble. For also emongest all the deuynes, the wyll of the signe, whiche they doo call the workyng of God, is to be feared no lesse, thē other signes of the will of God, as precepts and thinges forbydden &c. And therefore I doo not se howe they be excused from the of­fence, or synne, of scysme, who doing, or cō ­minge agaynst this will, doo withdrawe, or pull them selues, from the Authoritie of the Romaine Bysshoppe.

Thus much sayth Luther himselfe, and soo shall you fynd it, if ye reade his sayde worke, in the place aforesayd: and the thing so being, you may se, what a holy father that marchant was, to deceyue the peo­ple as he dyd, and to bryng them to that wonderfull calamitie, that the thirde or fourth generation (if y^e world so longe doo contynue) shall feele, and smarte for it, as other also shall, that be in the same case. And now to retourne to our owne country of Eng­lande, this may be truly spoken, that of all realmes christen, there is none that hath (besides the gene­ral dutie) so special cause to fauour that see of Rome, as England hath. For from that see, came the fayth into this Iland,Beda. Eccles. hist. Angl li. i, in the daies of kyng Lucius, about an hundreth and fyftye yeares after Chryste. And vi. C. yere after Christ, whan the Saxons wer spred ouer the hole realme, and were infidells, there were sent most notable, and godly preachers, hither into England: who conuerted and tourned many thou­sandes, to the fayth. And what benefites we haue in our dayes receyued of that see of Rome, all men doo perceyue, and feale in them selues, & do thanke god therefore, or ells the deuyll hath wonderfullye blynded and seduced them. Nowe on the other side, what miseries haue be faine emongest vs, synce our disobedience agaynst the see of Rome, and synce the tyme, that temporall princes dyd take vpon them, that offyce, which is spirituall, and not belongyng to the regall power, but greatly distant, and diffe­rent from the same, I nede not in words to declare, forasmuch as you haue felt the smart therof in dede, [Page 54] and to this day are not quyte of Gods plage for the same. Wherfore to conclude in this matter, this shal be to exhort you, and in Gods name to requyre you, to esteme the primacy, and supremitie of the sea of Rome, as an authoritie instituted by Chryst, for the quyetnes of the christen people, and for the preserua­tion of chrystendome, in one catholyke, true fayth, & for the defence of it, agaynst all heresie, and wherby quyeting your selues, to serue God, in the catholike truth, you shall sonest appease his wrath, and pur­chase his fauour, and grace, in this lyfe, and hereaf­ter obteyne the euerlastyng lyfe, whyche sende vnto you all, the father, the sonne, and the holy Ghost, to whome be al honor, and glorye, worlde wythout ende Amen.

AFter that men are once graft in Christ, and be made parta­kers of his death, & passion, amonge o­ther theyr dueties, one of the cheife is, diligētly to prepare them selues to the worthy receauynge of y^e blessed Sacra­ment of the aultare, wherevnto are two thynges on our partes requisit (as sayeth saynt Basell,Basill in his rules. & good reason confirmeth) the one, feare, the other, fayth. The feare whiche men must haue, when they prepare them selues to come to this sacrament, ought to be grounded vpon that terrible sayinge of saynt Paule, in the .xi. chap­ter of his fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians, where he sayth:1. Cor. 11. that whosoeuer doth participate therof vnworthely, doth eate and drinke his owne dampnation. The fayth, whiche we must haue in oure hartes, when we come to Gods borde, is to be buylded lykewise, vpon the vndoubted aucthorities of scripture, whiche declare moost playnly vnto vs, what meate it is, that we there eate. For the parfyt vnderstandyng wherof, let vs consider, that our sa­uiour [Page 55] Christe, beynge here on earth, dyd fyrst make a solempne promyse of a meate, whiche hym selfe woulde geue vnto vs, and afterwarde in dede, he dyd geue the same, accordynge to his promyse. In the promyse makynge he sayde (as it is wrytten in the .vi. chapter of S. Iohns Gospel.) The breade, Iohn. 6. or foode that I wyll geue vnto you, is my fleshe, whiche fleshe I wyll geue for the lyfe of the world: and in the same chapter he also saith. My flesh is verily meat, and my bloud is ve­rely drincke. And as he then promised, so he after­warde perfourmed, euen the very laste nyghte that euer he companyed with his Apostles, before his death, at whiche tyme, he toke breade into his han­des, and gaue thankes, and brake it, and gaue it to his disciples, and sayde: Take eate, this is my body, whiche shalbe geuen for you. Yf we cō ­pare the wordes spoken by Chryste, when he made the promyse of a meat, to be by him geuen vnto vs, w^t those other wordes, whiche he vttered in geuyng of y^e same, we nede not doubt of the thynges which he gaue. In the promysse makynge, he sayde: that he woulde geue vs his flesshe, in the perfourmynge of the promise, he geueth the same, sayinge, take eate, this is my bodie. Agayne, in the promise making, he affyrmeth, that the fleshe, whiche he would geue vs to fede on, should be the selfsame flesh, that sholde be geuen for the lyfe of the world, and in the perfor­maunce of his promyse, he said, that the thing which he [Page] gaue, was his bodye, whiche shoulde be geuen to death for vs. Nowe the circumstaunces beyng wel consydered, which our sauiour vsed in the instituti­on of this most blessed Sacrament, shal greatly cō ­fyrme al godly hartes, in the true belefe of the same. The tyme was the night before he suffered deathe, to signifie vnto vs, that this meate, being differred to the last day, that euer our Sauiour was conuer­saunt with his Apostles, must nedes be his very bo­dy, and bloude in dede, and such a meate as no other can be in any wyse comparable vnto it. Agayne, in that our sauiour dyd eate of the paschal lambe with his Apostles, immediatly before he did institute this sacrament, it most playnely declareth vnto vs, that this sacrament is a marueylous worthye mysterye, and that very thing, which the eatyng of the paschal lambe, in the olde lawe did prefigurate, for whiche cause, whē this was instituted, that was abrogated Nether is it with out a meruelouse consideration, that Chryst at that heauenly banket, would of pur­pose, nother haue the blessed Vyrgyn Mary his mo­ther, presente with him, nor anye other of his dyscy­ples, saue onely the .xii. Apostles, whome he appoin­ted to be the heade ministers of al his misteries here on the earth, and specially to be the ministers of this most blessed sacrament, and the instructours of al o­ther, touching the same. Now what meneth it, that our Sauiour was not content to offer them this sa­crament onely, but with the offeryng therof, he said also vnto them. Take eate, take and drinke? Do mē vse, to offer to other, meate and drinke, for anye o­ther [Page 56] purpose, but onelye that they shoulde eate and drynke thereof? but bycause it was his bodye, and hys bloude, therefore he fyrste byddeth them take, and not feare to eate and drynke the same.

Besydes this, it is to be well noted, that y^e three Euangelistes, Mathew, Marke, and Luke, doo all three agree in the maner of the institution of thys sacramēt, they wrytyng all thre their gospeles at sō ­dry tymes,Chrisosto. and Theophilact. as Mathew eyght yere after the ascen­cion of our sauiour Christ. Marke .x. yeares. Luke xv. yeares. And where in doubtefull speaches of our sauiour Christ, some one or other of y^e Euangelistes, euermore openeth plainely the very meaning of the speches, yet touching these words, this is my body, no one of them, maketh any declaration vpon the same, but they all leue them to be takē of vs, as they sound, and (as of most plaine wordes) they make no exposition or interpretation of them at al. Whyche poynte must be well consydered. And therfore note, that where Chryst sayde. It is impossible for a rych man to entre into the kingdō of heauē, (bicause y^e meaning of these wordes may be diuer­sly taken,Marke. 10. thereof) S. Marke in his tenth chapyter declareth the very meanyng of them, saying: It is harde for them that trust in there substaunce to be saued. Agayne Christ at another tyme sayde to the Iewes, loose you this temple, & in three dayes shal I buyld it agayne. And for that the sense of these wordes is doughtfull S. Iohn there expoundeth them and sayeth, that Chryst by the tē ­plement [Page] his body, whiche should be by the Iewes put to death, and by him the thirde daye shoulde be raysed from death to lyfe. In the .vii. of Ihon,Iohn 7. oure sauiour sayeth: He that beleueth in me, as the scripture sayeth, there shall, ryuers of quicke water flowe out of him. And bicause this saing is obscure, S. Iohn to make it open, sayeth, that he spake those wordes, of the spirit, which they that be­leued in him should receyue. In the .xii. chapyter of S. Ihon, our sauiour saieth in this maner. If I belyfte vp from the earth, Iohn. 12. I wyl drawe al thinges vnto my selfe. And S. Iohn by and by ge­ueth vs the exposition, saying, that hereby he signy­fyed, what kynde of death he should suffer. Manye other lyke places are there in the newe testamente, the matter of which places, is not so highe, nor soo nedefull to be ryghtly vnderstanded, as y^e meaning of these wordes, this is my body, and yet of these wordes, no one Euangelist maketh any exposition, bycause the wordes are playnely, and symply to be taken as they were spoken. Besids al this, we haue in S. Paule in the .xi Chapiter of his first Epystle, to the Corinthians, a goodly, and a large processe touchyng this Sacrament, and yet in that whole processe, no matter to instructe vs otherwyse, to be­leue of it, than that there is in it the very bodye and bloude of our sauiour Chryst. For fyrste he vttereth the wordes of our sauiour euen as y^e Euangelistes do, as that he sayd this is my body, and he ma­keth no declaration vpon y^e same. Secondly where [Page 57] none of the Euangelists make mentiō, of any paine due to the vnworthy receauer. S Paule affirmeth that the vnworthy receyuing of this Sacrament bryngeth iudgement, and dampnation. Thirdly, he telleth, that for the vnworthy receauing herof, God plageth cities, and countryes, with sondry greuous plages, as with infirmity, with syckenes, and with death also. Forthely, he geueth vs counsell diligent­lye to examine and trye our selfes, before we come to gods borde. If the very body and bloude of oure sauiour Christ, be nat in dede in the sacramēt of the aultare, why shold our sauiour so speake as he spake in the promysse made thereof? why dyd he, as he did in the instituting therof? why dyd none of the Euā ­gelists so declare christes wordes? why dyd sayncte Paule so terribly pronounce of the vnworthy recea­uynge of it, and so ernestly warne vs, of due prepa­ration to be made therefore? It is then most vndou­tedly to be of all christen people beleued, that in the Sacrament of the aultare, there is the verye body and bloude, of our sauiour Chryst, worthy of all ho­nour and glory, the selfe same in substaunce, that is in heauen: which thing for Chryst to bryng to passe, is a thing most easye, he being God almighty, ma­ker of heauen and earth: and for him to do, is moost semely, that as he gaue that bodye, to deathe to re­deme vs, so he should giue the same in this heauenly bankitte, to fede vs, that he mighte be all in all. The body of our sauiour Christ to be in very dede in hea­uen, in the visible fourme of a mā, and in the Sacra­ment of the Aultare, inuisibly vnder the visible four­mes [Page] of breade and wyne, nether is impossible to hys power, that made all thinges of noughte, nether vn­semely for his exceadyng great loue towardes vs, who so loued vs, that for vs, he did not refuse to suf­fer death, and that the death of the crosse: neyther yet is it agaynst his wyll, who of his onely mercye, so promysed, and wyth hys omnipotent word, so in­stituted it, nother is it fynally vnfytte for his wyse­dome, seyng he hath so ordeyned, that euery natu­rall mother, nourysheth her children, wyth the sub­staunce of her owne body. And why then shold chri­sten men refuse to beleue it? why do we not rather embrace it, and gyue God most hartye thankes for it, being the greatest iewel, that euer was amonge mortal men: why do we not prepare our selues wor­thely to receaue it, and as in all other poyntes of the christen religiō, so in the belefe of it, geue credite to fayth, and bryng reason, and our senses, in subiectiō vnder fayth, but suffer our ghostly enemy by carnall reasons, to bryng vs away into heresie, & quyte and cleane to pull the ryghte faythe out of oure hartes? Let vs all, good people, from hence forth be constaūt in the trueth, and as all the catholyke churche bele­ueth, and hath alwayes beleued, let vs vndoutedlye perswade our selues, that in the blessed sacrament of the Aultare, there is vnder the fourmes of breade & wine, the selfe same body of our sauiour Christ in substaūce, which was borne of the Vyrgin Mary, and suffered death on y^e crosse for vs, to whō w^t the father & the holy gost, be all honor & glory, world wythout ende Amen.

THere are in the sacrament of the aultare, ii. thinges speciallye to be considered, the one is, the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ, ther really cō teined, y^e other is the fourmes of breade & wine, vnder whych the said body & blud are cōteined. Of the first parte ye hard in the last homely. Touching y^e se­cond, the general belefe of the catholyke Churche (if there were nothing els) ought, and may be a suffici­ent grounde, for euery godly man, to build hys con­science vpon, which churche, doth beleue, that there is no substaunce of material bread, and wyne remaining: but onely the fourmes of breade and wyne, & the substaunce of Christes body and bloude, there so contayned. And yet, because some haue vainely, and curiously, of late yeares talked of this second part, and haue put many fonde doutes, and scruples into peoples heades, concerning the same, ye shall nowe at large, and fully (I trust) be instructed therin. And fyrst this is to be noted, that God hath from the be­gynnyng of the worlde, manye tymes appeared to man, some tymes in one sorte,Gene. xviii. and somtymes in an other. In the .xviii. Chapiter of Genesis it is wryt­ten [Page] howe God, and two Aungelles with him, dyd appeare vnto Abraham, in the lykenesse of men, and howe Abraham feasted them. Howe vaine a matter were it, (I pray you) for vs here buselye to reason, howe God or Aungell, coulde appeare lyke man? and whether they had true bodyes or no? and whe­ther they dyd eate in dede or no? and yf they hadde not true bodyes in dede, howe the appearaunce of bodyes coulde be, where the substaunce of bodyes was not? In the thirde chapter of the booke called Exodus, we rede, that God appeared to Moyses in the lykenes of flamynge fyre,Exod. 3. and that oute of a bushe. In the .v. of Iosue it is recorded, how one so­denly appeared vnto Iosue lyke a man,Iosue. 5. hauynge a sworde drawen in his hand. What can anye manne saye, howe God shoulde appeare in a flame of fyre, or what substaunce of a sworde was, in that which appeared to Iosue? Hereby it is easy to vnderstande how daungerous a thing it is, to go about by mans wyt or reason, to discusse y^e maner of y^e workes of al­mighty God. Who seyth not, that by the meane of such presumptuous curiositie, men haue of late fallē into moost detestable errours, touching the mooste blessed Sacramente of the aultare, and haue moost spytefully rayled agaynst the same, and with moost vyle termes haue gested thereof, and finallye, moost vily haue vsed the moost precious bodye and bloude of our sauiour Chryst in the same? In which doing, how can they loke for anye fauour at the handes of their heauenly father, seyng in such dispituous ma­ner, they entreate the Bodye and bloud of our saui­our [Page 59] Christ his sonne? But now to procede forth, tou­ching y^e declaration of the secōd thing, to be conside­red in the blessed Sacramēt of the aultare: Ye must knowe that the presence of our sauioure Chryste in this sacrament of the aulter, is not to y^e intente, that Chryst should be conuersaunt with vs here in thys Sacrament, in such sort and maner, as he was with his Apostles when he liued here on earth, that is to saye: in the visible shape and fourme of a mā, but his presence in the Sacrament, is to the intent to be to vs an heauenly fode, and therefore he is presente in the sacramēt, vnder the fourmes of bread and wine so that our outwarde eyes and senses, are certifyed with the outwarde fourmes, and sensyble quality­es, and the whole man with al, receaueth the verye bodi and bloud of our sauiour Christ. S. Augustine (as is writen in a boke called Sententie prosperi) dothe say,Auguste in Sentētie Pros­peri. that christen men do honour vnder the formes of breade and wine, which thei see with their bodely eies, the bodie and bloude of our Sauiour Christ, which they do not see. Eusebius Emissenus. Euse­bius Emissenus also, an aūcient father of the Greke churche, speaking of the foresayd two partes contei­ned in the Sacrament of the aultar, sayeth in thys maner. This is the thing which bi al meanes we intend to proue, that the Sacrifice of the churche doth consist, and is made of two partes, that is, of the visible fourmes of y^e elemē ­tes, and of the inuisible body & bloud of oure [Page] Sauiour Chryst. S Ciprian in his treatise en­tituled,Cipriane de coena domini, De coena domini, doeth most playnelye saye, that the bread which our Lord did giue to his disciples, was by the omnipotēcie of god made fleshe, & was chaūged in nature, but not in fourme. Eusebius Emissenus in a ser­mon of the bo­di of Christ. The forenamed Eusebius in a sermō of his made of the body of Chryst, dothe farder saye: that Christ the inuisible priest doth tourne visible creatures bi his word, through his secret po­wer, into the substaunce of his body & blud. Now for to signify this chaunge, or turning of bread and wyne, into the substaūce of Christes bodye and bloude, the catholyke church vseth this word, Trās­substanciatiō, which is as much to say, as the chaū ­ging of one substaunce into another: Nether is it to be counted vnfyt, that there should in the Sacra­ment of the aultare, be the fourme of bread, & yet not the substaūce of bread, seyng God is the doer & wor­ker therof,Exo. 20: to whom nothing is impossible. We read in the nynetenth Chapiter of Exodus, how y^t when God came downe frō heauen vnto Mounte Sinai, there was heard a soūd of a trumpet, and yet mate­rial trumpet was there none.vii. chapiter of the fourth of the kinges. In the fourth boke of the Kynges, & the .vii. chapiter, God caused a soūde to be heard in the tentes of the Sirians, as if it had bene of horses, charets, and of a greate armye, & yet was there nother horse, charet, nor armye. In the thirde chapiter of Daniel, it is recorded, howe the three chyldren were in the myddest of the flamyng furnes, and yet felte no heate, soo that there was the substaunce of fyre, and yet it dyd not bourne, [Page 60] which to nature is impossible, but to GOD is an easye matter. In the .xvii. of Mathewe we reade,Math. 17. howe that Chryste was transfygurated, and that hys face dyd shyne as the Sonne, and that hys apparel was made as whyte as snowe. In the .xxiiii. of Luke,Ln. 34. Chryst appeared to two of his dys­ciples goyng to Emaus, like a straunger. In al these foresayd examples, we see as straunge a woorke as is transubstantiation, & yet no man douteth of them bycause God is the worker, nor anye man asketh howe this, or that coulde be, but beleuethe it, and soo oughte we to doo, concernynge the chaunge of the substaunce, of breade and wyne, into the sub­staunce of Christes bodye and bloude, and not aske howe it may be. The blessed martyr Iustinus, affyr­meth that this question, howe,Iustinus mar­tir. is a token of vnbe­lefe, and S. Ciril, writing vpon the .vi. Chapiter of S. Iohn, blameth the Capernaites,Ciril vpon the Vi. of S. Iohn. bycause they dyd aske howe Chryst was able to giue thē his fleshe to eate. The wordes of saincte Cyryll be these. They aske not without great impietie how canne this man geue vs hys fleshe, and they remember not that nothing is impossible to God, but let vs (sayeth he) haue firme faith in the misteries, and let vs neuer in so high mat­ters, eyther thincke, or aske this, how. Whē God is the worker, let vs not aske how, but let vs leaue the knowledge of his worke to hym selfe. Chrisostome vpon Iohn the Vi. S. Chrisostome lykewyse vpon the sayde .vi. Chapiter sayeth, that when this questi­on, [Page] howe any thing is done, commyth into our myndes, then with all, there commeth vnbelefe also But bycause in scrypture the thyng that we receyue, when we come to the sacramente, is called bread, therefore men haue fansied with thē selues, that there must be the substaunce of materi­al breade, deceauing themselues, by mystakyng, the signification of this worde, breade. For thoughe in our common speach we vse to signify by this word, bread, that one kinde of materiall substaunce which is made of corne or graine, yet in scripture, it signifi­eth all kynde of fode, whether it be the fode of the body, or the fode of the soule, and so dothe also the la­tyne worde, Panis, elles when we desyre god in our Pater noster, to geue vs our dayly bread, we shold make an vnperfytte petition, which yet is a mooste perfyt petition,Iohn. 6. wherby we aske of our heauenly fa­ther, all necessary fode. In the .vi. of Ihon, Manna is called breade, and yet was it made of no kynde of corne, or grayne, and in the same chapiter Christe is called breade, bycause he is the fode of the soule, and there lykewyse, the fleshe of Christ in the sacramēt, is called breade, and not there onely, but in S. Paules Epystle also to the Corinthians, for that it is the fode, whereon we fede, when we receaue the sacra­ment. Agayne it is a commen trade in scripture, to cal thinges by the name of that thinge whyche they once were, as Adam is called earth, because he was made of Earth,Math. 11 and Chryst sayeth, the blinde see, the lame walke, y^e deafe heare, the dumme, speake, mea­nyng by the blynde, lame, deafe, and dumme, suche [Page 61] as before had bene soo, but then were otherwyse. Thyrdlye, for that the fourme of breade doeth re­mayne, it is in that respecte too, called breade. For these causes, good faythful hartes, are nothyng gre­ued wyth the callynge of it breade in the scrypture, but groundynge them selfes vpon the woordes of oure sauioure Christe, when he sayde, thys is my bodye, and knowynge that it to be bothe breade, and hys bodye also at once is impossyble, they vn­doutedlye beleue, that by the power of GOD, the substaunce of bread, is turned into the substaunce of Christes bodye, and so muste all men beleue, that wyll be lyuely members of the catholyke churche, and in that there belefe, they muste honoure the bodye and bloude of oure sauioure Christe, in the sa­cramente of the Aultare, as alwayes christen peo­ple haue vsed to doo.

Saincte Austin in hys exposition made vpon the .99. PsalmeS. Augustine vpon the .99. Psalme. sayeth: that it is synne, not to ho­noure the bodye of Christe, meanynge in the Sacramente of the Aultare. And (as it is before in thys Homily alledged) he also sayeth in the name of all men. We doo honoure vnder the four­mes of breade and wyne, whyche we se, the bodye and bloude of Christe, whyche we do not see. Wherefore, good christen people, knowing nowe what is the ryght belefe, touchynge the Sa­cramente of the aultare, embrace, and folowe the same, and cleaue faste to the catholyke churche, the [Page] spouse of Chryste, that you maye be true members of Christe, to whome wyth the father, and the holye Ghoste, be all honoure, and glorye worlde wythoute ende. A­men.

MEte it were, dearely beloued in our saui­oure Christ, that we all should so fully, & wholy, cleaue to the faith of Christes ca­tholike church, y^t no appearaūce of rea­sō to y^e cōtrari ther­of, shoulde cause vs once to doute or stagger, in any part part of the same. For such a kinde of faith, doth God requyre of vs, and for suche kynde of faythe, good christen people, are in scripture called Abrahās chil­dren:Roma. 4 which Abraham (as it is wrytten in the fourth to the Romaynes) cōtrary to hope, beleued in hope, that he should be the father of many nations, accor­dynge to that, which was spokē. So shal thy sede be. And he fainted not in the faith, nor yet cō ­sidered his owne bodi, which was now dead euen when he was almost an hundred yeare olde: nether yet that Sara was paste chylde bearynge, he staggered not at the promyse of god, through vnbelefe, but was strōg in the [Page] faith, and gaue honor to god, fully certified y^t what he had promysed, the same he was a­ble to make good. Yf we then wilbe the childrē of Abraham, we muste not faynt in faith, nor consy­der gods woordes after the course of nature. Saint Paule in the .x.2. Corin. x. chapiter of his seconde epistle to the Corinthians, geueth vs an example in hym selfe, howe we shoulde alwayes brynge reason in subiec­tion to faithe, sayng. The weapons of our war­fare are not carnall, but mighty in God, to ouerthrowe stronge holdes, to destroy coun­selles, and euery hyghe thynge that exalteth it selfe agaynste the knowledge of God, and to brynge in captiuitye vnto the seruyce of Christe, all vnderstandinge: What (thinke you) is the cause why the Iewes beleue not on Christe? Verely fyrste, because he was borne of a Vyrgyn, which is contrary to the course of nature. Second­ly lykewyse, he was in vnitie of person, God & man, whyche how it may be, no mans wyt is able, by na­tural power, to conceaue: thyrdly, because he beyng God and man, suffered the death of the crosse, which for God to be content to do, semeth to naturall rea­son a thynge moost absurde, but good christen folke geuyng place to faith, do most vndoutedly beleue on Christ, God & mā crucified, according to y^t, S. Paule writeth in his fyrste Chapter of his fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians,i. Corin. 1. saying: We preache Christ cru­cifyed, to the Iewes a stumblyng blocke, to [Page 63] the gentels, a folishnes, but to so many of y^e ie­wes & gētels as ar called, Christ the power, & wysedome of God. And agreably here vnto, he sayeth also in the nexte Chapiter folowynge. My talke, & my preaching was not in y^e per­suasible woordes of mans wysedome, but in shewynge of power, and of the spyryte, that youre faythe should not rest in the wisedome of man, but in the power of God. This gene­rall aduyse and counsel of S. Paule, may and ought so to staye vs in the faythe of the catholyke churche, that nether carnall reasons, grounded vpon the fe­ble intelligence of mans natural wyt, nether the de­ceatfull iudgement of oure senses, shoulde make vs once to doute, of any one trueth in Christes religiō, were it neuer so contrarye to the course of nature, neuer so farre aboue our capacities, and neuer so ab­surde to the appearaunce of our outwarde senses. But forasmuch, as throughe the iniquitie of these la­ter euyll yeares, dyuers haue hadde sondrye fonde dowtes and scruples, put into theyr heades, especy­ally, agaynst the presence of Christes body & bloude, in the Sacrament of the aultare, and throughe such dowtes haue swarued from the true belefe therein, therefore here shall folowe aunsweres, and soluty­ons, to such dowtes as haue ben most commen, that from henceforthe no man shall nede to be seduced by them, or other lyke.

Obiection. ¶ Fyrst it hath bene obiected, y^t our sauiour Christ, immediatlye after that he had instituted, and dely­uered [Page] to his Apostles the sacramente, dyd say vnto them. Do this in remembraunce of me. Vppon which wordes some haue concluded, that the bodye of our sauiour Christ, cannot be in the sacramente. ¶ But let vs duely waye y^e wordes,Aunsvvere. and meaning of the same, and we shall moost plainly perceaue theyr erroure, and mysvnderstandyng. Saincte Paule in hys fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians,1. Corin. xi. and in the .xi. chapter of the same Epistle, intreating of the institu­tion of the Sacrament of the aultare, and ther ope­nynge the true sense of that commaundemente of Christ, saythe in this maner. As oft as you eate of that bread, and drinke of that cuppe, you shal shew forthe the Lordes death vntil he come. So then the remembraunce whyche oure sauioure there requyreth of vs, is the remembraunce of hys death, which is past, and not presente, and therefore after most proper maner of speache, may well be re­membred. Now this remembraunce, can in no wyse possibly be so lyuely, and so effectually worke in oure hartes, as when we most certenly beleue, that in the sacrament of the aultare, is veryly the selfe same bo­dy in substaunce, which died for vs, and therfore the Prophet Dauid, foreseyng in spirit, this so excellēt a memorye, sayeth in hys .cx. Psalme.Psal. 110. Oure mercy­full gratious Lord, hath made a memory of all his merueylous workes, and by & by, decla­ring in what maner he maketh that memory, he ad­deth those woordes, he hathe geuen a foode to [Page 64] suche as feare him. This fode (which y^e Prophet sayeth, that Christ should leaue in remembraunce of al his maruelous workes, that is, of his incarnatiō, his passion, his ascension, and glorye in heauen, and other lyke workes) moost chiefely is to be verifyed of the body and bloud of our sauiour Christe, in the sa­cramente of the aultare. Besydes this, the body and bloude of our sauiour Christ (as it is in the sacramēt, vnder the fourmes of breade and wine) maye in that respecte also very well be a remembraunce of it selfe, as it honge on the crosse, in the vysyble fourme of a mortall man, and as it is nowe in heauen, in y^e forme of an immortall man. Farthermore, when our saui­our sayde. Do this in the remembraūce of me, he ment they should do the whole ministratiō, which he then dyd in remembraunce of hym, which whole ministration, cannot be accordynglye, doone other­wyse, but that there must nedes be present, the verye body and bloude of our sauioure Christe.

Obiections. ¶ Another common obiection, there is gathered of the woordes of Christ. Mathew. xxvi.Math. 26. When he said: Poore men ye shal haue alwayes with you, but me shall ye not alwayes haue with you. Some haue vpon these woordes concluded, that the body and bloude of our sauioure Christ, cannot be in the sacrament of the aulter for then (saye they) Christ should be alway with vs. whereof hym selfe saythe the cōtrary. ¶ But yf those mē so concluding,Aunsvvere would no more, but confer sainct Marke, and saincte Ma­thew together, touchynge the foresayde woordes of [Page] Christ, and by y^t the one Euāgelist sayeth, would sin­cerely iudge what the other ment, they shoulde sone perceue this their obiectiō, to be of no force or strēgth at al, to proue, that they thereby goo about to proue. For sainct Marke in his .xiiij.Mar. 14. Chapiter, fyrste telleth the story of the woman, whiche came to Christe, and brought with her an Alabaster boxe of moost preci­ous oyntment, and poured the ointmēt on his head, next he telleth howe certen of the dysciples did mur­mure, and grudge at that facte of the woman, and sayd: What meaneth this losse, and waste of oyntement? Might it not haue bene sold for more then thre .C. pence, & geuē to the poore? Thyrdely he telleth, howe oure sauioure beynge of­fended wyth the dysciples, for theyr murmurynge agaynst the woman, and how withall he allowyng and commendynge her facte, dyd say in this maner. Let her alone: Why are ye greuouse vnto her? she hath done a good dede: for alwayes shal you haue poore men amongest you, and when ye shall please, you may bestowe your charitie on them, but me shall ye not haue al­wayes amongest you. This woman hath bestowed on me that she had, and she hathe preuented to anoynt my body, against it shal be buryed. By this processe of S. Marke, it is euy­dent, that our sauiour in al that his talke, had a res­pecte to the charitie, whiche that woman then she­wed vpon hym, when she poured the precious oynt­ment [Page 65] on his heade, the lyke whereof, he sayeth, no man should be able to shew on him in time to come, meaning, that when he should once ryse from death to lyfe, and haue an immortall bodye, that then he woulde not looke to receyue the lyke at anye man­nes handes, but that then men myght at their plea­sure bestowe on the poore, who alwayes are in the worlde in the mortall estate, and may by charitye of good folke, be releued and comforted. In such sorte in dede, our sauiour is not nowe amongest vs, but the beynge of hys body and bloud in the Sacramēt of the aultar is after another sorte. For in the Sa­crament he is, to fede vs with his body and bloude, and not vysybly to shewe him selfe vnto vs, as he thē did to his apostles, nor to haue ointment poured on him, as he then had. ¶ Obiection. Another obiection is there gathered, partely of S. Paule in the .x. of his firste Epystle to the Corinthians (where he speaketh of a spirituall meate,1. Corin. [...]. and spirituall drynke) partelye of Christes wordes in the .vi. of IhonIohn. 6. (where he saith that. It is the spirite which geueth lyfe, and that the fleshe profyteth nothyng) partly vpon the common maner of speakyng, vsed of the Catho­lyke churche, whiche calleth the Bodye and bloude of our Sauiour Chryste, in the sacrament of y^e aul­tar, a spirituall meate and a spirituall drynke. ¶ For aunswereAunsvvere. to which obiection, it is fyrste to be vnderstanded, that one selfe thing may be bothe spirituall, and yet neuerthelesse of a corporall sub­staunce to.

As for example, the body of man after the resurrec­tion, shall (as S. Paule wytnessheth in the .xv. cha­piter of his fyrst Epystle to the Corinthians) be spiri­tual,i. Corin. 15. & yet it shalbe then the same in substaūce, that it is nowe. Agayne, Manna a meate which God sēt to the children of Israell in wyldernes, is bothe in Scripture, and of the catholyke churche also, called a spiritual meat, and the water lykewyse which god gaue them out of a rocke, is called a spiritual drinke, and yet as well Manna, as the water, were of a bo­dily substaunce. In the .vi. to the Galathians,Galath. 6. sainct Paule calleth mortall men, liuing then on the earth, spiritual. Wherefore spirituall, is not so to be taken alwayes, as to exclude corporall, but that thynge whatsoeuer it be, may be called spirituall, wherin is a worke wrought by god, aboue nature. For as god is a spirite, so are his supernatural workes called spirituall, and the thinges also, on, and in whome, such workes are wrought, are named spiritual thynges: and therefore Manna, though it were of a bodelye substaunce, yet for that it came miraculouslye from aboue, by the onelye power of God, and not of na­ture, is, and may wel be called, a spiritual meate. And the dryncke whiche issued oute of the rocke, albeit it was insubstaunce very water, yet for that God by his omnipotency, made it sodenlye to issue out of a rocke, it is named a spirituall drynke. Oure bodyes lykewyse after the resurrection, shal haue in them immediatly of God, aboue y^e power of nature, immortalitie, incorruptibilitie, w^t other lyke super­naturall qualities, and for that cause, they shal after the resurrection, be spirituall bodyes. Nowe then [Page 66] what necessity is there, that because the body of our sauiour Chryst in the Sacrament of the Aultar, is a spirituall meate, therefore it shoulde not be also the corporall substaunce of his body? When the catho­lyke churche doth saye, that the bodye of Chryste in the Sacrament, is a spirituall bodye, it meaneth, that it is there onelye thoroughe the almightye po­wer of God, and not by the power, or manoure of nature. Lykewyse, when the catholyke churche say­eth, that the body of Chryste is to be receyued there spiritually, it meaneth not that therefore the verye body of Chryst is not there to be receaued really & in very dede. For this worde, spiritually, dothe signi­fye onely the maner of the receauyng, and doth not importe the substaunce of the thynge so receyued. Besides this, the catholike churche, beleuynge that in the Sacrament of the aultare, is alwayes reallye the body and bloude of our sauiour Chryst, doth yet put a difference in the maner of receauyng thereof, and vseth to saye, that when good men receaue the sacrament, that they receaue the bodye and bloude of Christ, both sacramentally, and spiritually to, but when euyll men receaue it, that they receaue the body of Chryst sacramentally only, & not spiritually, because they come vnto it vnworthely, and there­fore do they procure thereby, to theim selues damp­nation. But nowe to open fardar the very meaning of those wordes of Chryst. It is the spirit that geueth lyfe, the fleshe profiteth nothing, you shal vnderstande, that these wordes are taken of the ca­tholyke church, in two most godly senses, the one is, [Page] to meane by the spirite, the godhed, and by the fleshe the nature of man, as yf he had sayd, it is the god­hed that causeth my fleshe to be able to gyue lyfe, ne­ther is my fleshe the fleshe of a bare man, for then it beyng eaten coulde not profyt you, but my fleshe is vnited in vnitie of person to the godhed, so that it is thereby able to brynge lyfe to the worthy eater ther­of. Thus doeth CyryllCirill. vpon the .vi, of Saynte Iohn expounde these wordes. And to lyke purpose saincte AugustyneAugustine. sayeth vppon the .vi. of Ihon, that as knowledge beyng seperated from charitie, maketh men proude, but beynge ioyned with charytye doth edyfye: euen so mans fleshe not vnyted to the Godhed, and beyng eaten, doth not profytte, but the fleshe of Chryst, which is in him, in vnitie of person, inseperably vnited to the godhed, being worthelye receaued, must nedes hyghly profyt. The other sēse of those wordes, to meane by the spirit, a spirituall vnderstandyng of Christes promyse, made in Capernaum when he sayde,Iohn. 6. the foode that I wyl giue vnto you is my fleshe, which wordes be then vnderstanded spiritually, whē they be taken, to meane that thing which passeth the power of nature to doo and mans wyt by naturall reason to comprehende: lykewyse by the fleshe, is to be ment a fleshely vnder­standynge of the sayde promysse, as to vnderstande without fayth in Christes deitie, as the Capernai­tes did, which toke Chryst but for a bare man, & so conceaued no otherwyse of the eatyng of his fleshe, then of commen meat bought in y^e shambles. Thys sense hath S. ChrysostomeChrisostome. wryting vpon the .vi. of [Page 67] Iohn, and S. Augustyne wryting vppon the same Chapter. ¶ Obiection An other obiection is ther, by occasion that this truth is not expressed in the commē crede, ¶ Which obiection doth procede of an ignoraūce,Aunsvver. & lacke of knowledge of the fyrst institution of y^e crede. For in the primatyue church, when men of all ages dyd sodenly turne from gentility, to the christiā re­ligion, and yet then were not by and by, vpon suche there turne, admitted to any sacramente, but fyrste were instructed in artycles, necessary for them to be­leue, before they were baptised, this common crede was taught them, and they were for that tyme cal­led Catechumini, that is younglynges in Chrystes religion, and begynners admytted, but to the fyrste principles of the chrystian faythe, durynge whyche tyme they were not suffered, so muche as to be pre­sent at the masse, but after the gospel, were quyte ex­cluded from the same, as by the vndoubted wrytyn­ges of the auncient fathers in christes church, maye most euidently appeare: So that this reason is fōd and to no purpose to say, that because it is not in the commen crede expresly set fourth, that in the sacra­ment of the aultar, is the very bodye and bloude of our sauiour christ, therfore no christian man is boūd to beleue it so to be. S. Chrysostome,Chrisostome. and S. Augus­tyneAugustine hauyng occasion many tymes in their sermo­nes made by them, to speake of this Sacrament, for asmuch as amōg theire audience were as wel yong­lynges, not yet baptysed, as other faythfull, already christened did vse oft to say. Quod fideles norūt, y^t is, which y^e faithful, or they y^t be al redy baptised know or such lyke thing, and would not then expreslye de­clare [Page] the trueth, touching the sacramente of the aul­tare, for that it was not the maner to reueyle such misteries to those yonglinges: but to them was in general, as sufficient for saluation, prescribed in that common crede, that they should beleue the catholike churche: which not onely was sufficient thā for thē, beleuynge the other articles of there crede, but is sufficient at this present also for vs, cōfirminge oure selues in all poyntes to the common belefe of the ca­tholyke church, which is the surest pyller that men may lene vnto, be they learned, or vnlearned, and such a pyller, as who that most strongly cleueth to, is in most assured state of euerlastyng lyfe. ¶ There are other obiectionsobiection. vppon .iii. particuler artycles of our crede which are, that Christ is ascended, and sytteth at the right hand of God the father, & from thense shall come to iudge the quicke and the deade. ¶ Which articles yet being rightly vnderstanded,Aunsvvere. should rather confyrme vs in the true catholyke be­lefe, of the presence of christes body in the sacrament of the aultare. For as it is aboue nature for a mans bodye to ascende, and aboue the worthynes of mans nature, to syt at the ryghte hande of God the father, that is, to be of equall power, and glory with God the father, and fynally, as it is aboue the auc­thoritie of mans nature, to gyue sentence of eternal death, and lyfe, vpon all mankynde, and yet euerye good manne stedfastly beleueth al these supernatu­rall powers in Christ, touching his manhed, bicause he is both God and man, and to god nothing is im­possible, euen so shuld we with like belefe, knowing that Christ is omnipotent, credite al other thynges [Page 68] done, or spoken by Christ, and be moost certen, that how so euer they seme in appearaunce to our reason, yet in very dede they agree, and stand ryghte well with those foresayd .iii. articles of our crede, & that though we cannot by oure wittes conceaue, howe Chryst is ascended, and is neuertheles in the Sacrament also, yet they must nedes be both beleued, by­cause gods worde doth affyrme them bothe, and y^e catholyke churche dothe beleue them bothe, whyche churche hath alwayes taught that Chryst is in hea­uen, in the visyble fourme of a man, and in the sacra­ment, vnder the visible fourmes of bread and wine, hys wysedome so ordeyning, that with our hartes we shoulde beholde hys glory, as he sytteth in hea­uen, at the ryghte hande of the father, and wythall should fede on his very body in the sacrament, to receaue the more grace, and thervpon so to be gouer­ned with his spirite, that hereafter we also myghte be partakers of the lyke glory in heauen.

And albeit these solutions mighte sufffise, and instructe sufficientlye the vnlearned people, to aun­swere, bothe to these, and all other common ob­iections, made agaynste the Sacramente of the Aultare, troublynge moche the heades of the sim­ple people, by their folye, in crediting euill, and per­nicious scholemaysters, to theyr destruction, wher giuing credite to the catholike churche, they myght auoyde all daunger, and meryte a great deale, yet to open further the falshed, and noughtines of the heretique teachers, in our tyme, and howe glad, & willinge they are to abuse the simplicitie of the vn­lerned people, ye shall haue here added, some moo [Page] obiections, and solutions geuē to them, to this ende that if the sayd symple people haue bene infected with the sayd obiections, or such like, they maye be wel satisfied in their conscience, & therevpon adhere vnto the catholyke faythe, maynteyned, and ob­serued in the catholique churche, out of whych, there is no saluation. Obiection. And to procede herein, this is one o­ther common obiection that much troubleth the ig­norant people, it is to witte. ¶ How can y^e body and bloude, of our Sauiour Chryst, be in the blessed sa­crament of the aultar, seing that not only euyll men do many tymes receue the same, but fyre also maye consume it, and other like chaunces may happen vn­to it? ¶ Ansvvere. For aunswer to which obiectiō, it is fyrst and principally to be sayd, that this obiection procedeth of a vayne curiositie of them whiche rather delyte, fondly to talke of this high mystery, then to prepare them selues to receyue the same accordyngly. Sure we are that our Sauiour Chryste is nowe man in­corruptible, and impassible, & nether by fire, nor by ought els, can suffer violence, and therefore where it pleaseth hym of hys tender mercy and goodnes, & for our great comforte and soule helth, by hys omni­potent worde, to tourne the substaunce of bread and wyne, into his most precious body and bloude, in the sacrament of the aultare, and yet so to make thys turne, that neuerthelesse he suffereth the fourmes & sensible qualities of the breade and wine to remaine in there nature, as they were before the consecraty­on, it is to be vnderstanded, that the violence or force that is, or may be done to thys sacramente, is [Page 69] done onely to the fourmes, and qualities sensible, whiche in dede are subiecte to passibilite, & corrupti­on, but in no wise, to the vncorruptible body & bloud, of oure sauioure Christ, vnder them conteyned. Doo we not reade, I pray you in the fourth of Ma­thew, howe that our sauiour suffered the deuyll, to take hym, and carye hym vp into the pinacle of the temple, & afterwarde to the toppe of an hygh moun­tayne, and yet who doth not knowe that he suffered no vilany thereby at all? The sonne beames also ma­ny tymes, do shyne on thynges impure, & vncleane, yet are they no whyt thereby defyled. The bodye of mā is with a greater vnion ioyned to the soule, then are the fourmes of breade and wine, to the body and bloude of our sauiour Christe, in the Sacramente of the aultar, and yet we know that mortification, pu­trifaction, and other suche lyke thinges chauncynge to our body, the soule hath in it no suche passion, for that it is immortall. The very Godhed of oure saui­oure Christ, was in vnitye of person, vnited to hys manhod, & yet none of the passiōs, paines, or griefes, whiche he sustayned in hys manhod, broughte vio­lence, alteration, or chaunge to hys godhed. For the godhed is in alterable, & vnpassible. The simplicity of Christen people, in the primatyue churche, was suche, that they beleuynge mooste certenly, the body and bloude of our sauiour Chryste to be in the sacra­ment of the aulter, vnder the fourmes of breade and wyne, dyd wythout al curious talke of the fourmes, & accidentes, bende thē selues to be present at masse, wherein the myghtye woorke of consecration is [Page] wrought by god, and wherin our sauiour Christ also is, in fourmes of breade and wyne, offered vp to the heauenly father, by the priest, for the soner obteinyng of mercy, and fauoure towardes vs, and the sayde people beynge at masse, they wyth moost feruent de­uotion, dyd praye, and dyd honour, the blessed sacra­ment of the aulter, the body and bloude of oure saui­our Christe: and besydes this, they dyd oftentymes, wyth feare and tremblynge, prepare them selues to the worthy receyte thereof, and by suche theyr godly behauiour, they dyd purchase to them selues greate abundaunce of grace, where we by the cōtrary, and moost vnchristian behauour, prouoke gods wrathe dayly, more and more, vpon our selues, and y^e whole realme. For nothyng soner styrreth God to auenge­aunce, then the presumption of suche as wyl curious­ly enter into hys hydden secrettes, and therevpō doo contempne all that, whiche by theyr feble wyttes, they are not able to vnderstande.

¶ Obiection Another obiection is of the woordes of our saui­oure, in the .vi. of Iohn,Iohn. vi. where he saieth. Qui manducat meam carnem et bibit meum sanguinem habet vitam eternam. That is to saye. He that eateth my fleshe, and drinketh my bloude, hathe euerlastynge lyfe. Vppon these wordes they gather, that if in the sacrament of the aulter, be really the body and bloude of oure saui­oure Christ, then who so receueth the sacramēt, must nedes enioye euerlastyng life. But the scripture wit­nesseth, that Iudas receaued it, and sainct Paule in the .xi.1. Corin. xi of his fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians saieth, [Page 70] that. Who so receueth the sacrament vnwor­thely, receaueth it to his dampnation.

¶ Obiection To this obiectiō, it is to be aunswered, that many sentences of scripture, are to be vnderstande, wyth a certayne restraynte, or limittation, as for example the scrypture sayeth. Qui credit in me habit vitam eternam. That is to say. He y^t beleueth in me, hath euer­lasting lyfe. And in the fyrst Epistle of S. Iohn,1. Iohn. 4 & the fourthe chapter it is written. Quisquis confessus fuerit quoniam Iesus est filius dei, deus in eo manet et ipse in deo. That is to saye. Who soeuer shall confesse, that Iesus is the sonne of God, in him dwelleth God, and he in God. There haue bene, and are thousandes whyche beleue in Christe, and that Christe is the very sonne of God, and yet shall not for all that be saued, but either for lacke of true belefe, in other arti­cles of the christian religion, or for lacke of good lyfe, shalbe dampned. This condition than is to be added to the forsayde sentences, yf in suche beleif a mā dye, and therewith is faythful, in the necessarye articles, and out of state of all deadely sinne, he shall thā with out any doute inherite the kyngedome of heauen. So in thys present obiection, we muste make a li­mitation, and saye, that who so eateth, and drynketh worthely. &c. ¶ To the cōfyrmacion hereof.August ser­mon .xi. De verbis domini. Sainct Augustine saieth, in hys eleuēth sermō. De verbis domini. Profecto est quidam modus manducandi illam carnem quomodo qui manducauerit, in Christo manet, et Christus in eo. Non ergo quocum­que modo quisquā manducauerit carnem Christi, et biberit sanguinem Christi, manet in Christo, et in illo Christus, sed certo quodam modo: quem [Page] modum vtique ipse videbat quando ista dicebat. That is to saye. Verily, there is a certayne maner of eatynge that fleshe, after whiche maner, he that shall haue eaten it, doeth dwell in Christ, & Christe in hym. Wherefore, note in what maner so­euer a man doeth eate Christe fleshe, and drinketh hys bloude, he dwelleth in Christe, and Christe in hym, but he that eateth, and drinketh after a certayne speciall maner, to whiche maner Christ had respecte, when he spake the foresayde woordes. Idem contra. Cresco. gra­maticum. li. i. Capi. 24. The same saincte Augustine in his fyrste boke. Contra Chrescouium gramaticū and the .xxiiii. Chapiter sayeth thus. Quid de ipso corpore et sāguine domini, vnico sacrificio pro salute nostra, guamuis ipse dominus dicat Nisi manducaueritis carnē filij hominis. &c. non ne idē apostolus do­cet etiam hoc perniciosum male vtentibus fieri? That is to saye. What of the very body, and bloude of our sa­uioure, the onely sacrifyce for our saluation? thoughe there of our Lord dothe saye, vnles ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man. &c. doeth not y^e same Apostle (meanynge Paule) teache that it also is pernicious to them, that doo vse it not duely, and ryghtfully?

Obiection. ¶ An other obiection there is also, and it is thys, Christ.Iohn. 10.15. (Iohn .x. and .xv.) dothe say, I am a dore, I am a vyne, i. Corin. 10. and sainct Paule. (Pri. ad. Corin. x.) vseth suche lyke speache, whiche speache of Christe, and of sainct Paule, in those places, doth not import, [Page 72] that Christ in euery dede, by that saying was a dore, or a vyne, or suche lyke, but speakyng after that figu­ratyfe speache, or maner, he dyd meane that he was a fygure of a dore, of a vyne, and suche lyke, and that he had the propertie, of a doore, of a vyne, & so forthe. Semblably (saye they) when Christ at his laste sup­per (takynge breade, and blessynge it) dyd saye. This is my bodye. And takyng the cup, & giuing thankes, dyd saye, this is my blood of the new testamente, &c. hys speache soo pronounced, and vttered, dyd not import, that Christe thereby dothe make of the breade and wyne, his body, and bloude, but eyther he ment, that the breade and wyne was sygnes, and tokens of his bodye, and bloude, or els that they should be fygures of hys body, and bloude, and not hys very body, and bloude in dede, and con­sequently therefore, they saye, that in the sacrament of the aulter, there is neyther the bodye, neyther the bloude of Christe, but bare material breade, & wyne, beyng onely sygnes, tokens, and fygures of Christes body and bloud there. ¶ For soluciō of this obiectiō,Aunsvvere. this maye be sayd, that it is trouthe, that Christ, and saincte Paule in the places before alleged, doo soo saye, as is deduced in the begynnynge of this argu­mente, or obiection, and trouthe it is also, that the speache of Christ, I am a dore, I am a vyne &c. dothe not importe that Christe, by that speakynge was in very dede a doore, or a vyne, but that he was a fygure of a doore, and of a vyne, and had the pro­pertye of the doore, and of the vyne. But when it is sayde that the semblable is of Christes woordes, [Page] This is my bodye, this is my bloude, that is neyther true, nor dothe folow, eyther by the rules of reason, or of scripture: for concerninge reason, eyther muste we reason, and saye, that Christe alwayes in hys speakynge dyd vse fygures, metaphores, and tropes, (which to saye, is moost false, as it appeareth in the .xvi. of S. IohnIohn. 16), eyther els we must say, that Christe dyd but onely sometymes speake in fygures, and not soo alwayes, whiche beyng true, and there­fore to be graunted, it foloweth not in reason, that thoughe Christe in the .x. and .xv. of sainct Iohn. &c. dyd speake fyguratiflye,Iohn x. and .16. that therefore, here in these woordes of Christ, this is my bodye, this is my bloude, he dyd also speake fyguratiflye, wherefore, let these sely soules, that haue bene seduced by thys kynde of argumentes, aske theyr teachers, whe­ther they can mayntayne, and defende this theyr owne argumēt, with soo feble a consequent, or noo. And yf they can not, then tel thē y^t they be very var­lettes in dede: and as for the rule of scriptures, that is of the circumstaūce of y^e letter, and of other places of scripture, cōferred w^t the same, to gather therof y^t very meaning of the thing, an example, whereof we haue.Iohn. 2. and .16. Iohan. ii. and .xvi. And here the vnlearned are to be taughte, that althoughe in the prophetes, and the histories of the olde testamente, tropes, and fy­gures are receyued, and allowed, forasmuche as by suche tropes, and fygures, the thing spoken, is more vehemently declared, and set forth, yet (as the excel­lent prelate, and notable great clerke, the Lorde by­shop of winchester, nowe most worthy Lord chaun­celer [Page 72] of England, in his learned booke of confutaciō of heresies, against the sacrament of the aulter, doth prudētly aduertise vs, & clerly affyrme) in y^e doctrine, & preceptes of the now militāt churche, al thinges of our religion, & faith, ought to be taken symply, & plai­nely. And in very dede, yf in the sacramēt of y^e aulter were not y^e true body of Christ, but a figure, & a signi­ficatiō onely of it, thā y^e sacramēts of y^e new testamēt shold haue nothing more, but rather lesse, thē y^e sacra­mēts of y^e olde testamēt had, which is against y^e catholyke doctrine of the churche, & against al good reasō. ¶ Obiection. An other obiection is this, Christ at his laste sup­per, takynge the chalice, or cup into his handes, dyd after y^t he had blessed it, saye. This cuppe is the newe testament, in my bloude. And seyng these woordes must nedes, as they say be taken fygurati­uely, inasmuch as the very material cup it selfe, was neyther the newe testamente, ne yet the bloude of Christ, therefore lykewyse, these wordes also whych Christ, takīg bread into his hādes, blessīg it, saying. This is my body, must nedes be takē figuratiue­ly. ¶ For answer whereunto, we may say,Aunsvvere as we did say before, to the same obiection, y^t this argument is noughte, & very euyl framed, for thoughe we did ad­mit a figure to be herein y^e cuppe, yet it foloweth not therby, y^t we must nedes take y^e other speche, touchīg y^e body to be fyguratyue also, especially for y^t in y^e one speache, it is to wit, touchyng y^e body, al the circūstā ­ces of the texte, & course of scripture, doo enforce vs to take y^e speache, properlye wherein y^e other speache touchynge the cup, al the circumstances of the texte, and course of scripture dothe importe the contrary. [Page] ¶ Obiection. An other obiection is, that Christe hathe but one true natural body: nowe (say they) one true natural body can not truely be but in one place, therefore say they, seynge Christes body, is truely in heauen, it can not be truely also in the sacrament of the aulter.

¶ For aunswereAunsvvere. whereunto maye be sayde, that in dede it is true, that Christe hathe but one true natu­rall bodye, and where they saye, that one true natu­rall body, can not be, but in one place, it is also true, after one, & the selfe same maner of beyng, but after dyuerse maners of beyng, one body, maye be sondry where, yea, and at one time to, it is to wyt, in heauē, in the visyble fourme, and maner of man, and in the sacrament of the aulter, vnder the forme, and maner of breade and wyne, and in eueryche of them, really, and truely to, in those respectes, God beynge therein the doer, who is omnipotent.

¶ Obiection. There is also an other obiection, and that is this, God can make man, but man can not make God: nowe saye they, yf the true body of Christe were, re­ally, and in dede, in the sacrament of the aulter, than the priest which is a man, should therby make God, but mā can not make God, therefore in the sacramēt of the aulter, ther is not the very true body of Christ. ¶ For aunswereAunswere. whereunto, is to be saied, that this obiection procedeth of a greate ignoraunce, for he that maketh this obiectiō, taketh that y^e priest saying masse, and pronouncing the woordes of cōsecracion, doeth make God, where in very dede, the priest go­eth aboute no suche thynges, and yf he dyd, neyther he, ne yet god him selfe can make God, but the trueth [Page 73] is that the preist being the minister of God, and god beyng ther the worker with his worde, by the preist pronounced, there is caused the very body of Chryst to be ther present, wher it was not ther before, & yet no new body ther made, but y^t body ther presēt which lōg ago was borne of the Vyrgyn Mary the, same (I say) in substaunce is there presente onelye, vnder the formes of breade, and wyne.

¶ An other obiectionobiection, there is, and that is thys S. Luke, in the .xvii. chapiter of the actes, doth testifye that S. Paule, beyng at athens, and in mars strete, before the councell there, did saye, amongest other wordes, that God doth not dwell in temples made with handes, wherevpon the vnlearned, vnlernedly doth gather, that seyng the material temple is made with handes, and the sacrament of the aultar is in y^e sayd materiall temple, it foloweth (say they) that the body and bloude of Chryst, can not be in it, because God doth not dwell in temples made with handes, And this obiection hath bene soo muche liked, and commended amonges the proceding preachers abu­sing y^e ignoraunt, y^t they thought it ineuitable, & ther­fore abusing the sayd people they caused it to be sette vp, and paynted for a gaye shew in the temples.

¶ For aunswereAunsvvere. whervnto, this is to be tolde you, y^t there is a great difference betwene beyng, & dwel­lyng in a place, for a greate manye of you, (I doubte not) haue bene both in the cheape syde, in Paules churche yarde, yea and Paules churche to, wher ye haue not, with moost due reuerence, vsed, and beha­ued your selues, and yet I am sure that ye dwell not [Page] there. In dede, God is properlye sayde to dwell in heauen, because he there doth shew, and manifest his great glory, and in the hartes of iust, and good peo­ple, he is also sayde to dwell by grace, but as for o­ther places, he is in them beyng, but not dwellyng. And as concernyng the beyng of God in the sacra­ment of the aultare, forasmuch as there is the verye substaunce of chrystes natural, and true bodye, and bloude, taken of the Vyrgyn Mary, and that the di­uinitie is, in vnitie of person, inseperably vnited, and ioyned to the sayd bodye and bloude, therefore we must say and beleue, that the godhed of Chryst is in the sacrament of the aultar, with his humanitie, in a very speciall sorte, and doth not thereby dwell in the sayde sacramente, and soo this obiection is not worth a good button, for all the bragges that hath bene made of it.

Other fond, and folysh obiections, there are, which are not worthy to be answered vnto, and therefore are not nedefull to be touched, exhortyng you ther­fore in Chryst, fyrmely, and stedfastly, to beleue the doctrine of the catholyke churche herein, and so shal you auoyde daunger, please God, profit your selfe, and (lyuinge well) come at the last to ioy euerla­styng, which graunte vnto vs the father, the sonne, and the holy gost, to whom be honor and glory for euer AMEN.

Domine saluos fac regem, et reginam et omnes, qui eis bene uolunt.