BRother, for asmoch as our heauēly fa­ther by the mouthe of his true seruaūt Paule, hath cōmā ded al his adoptiue heyres plā ted in him by y^• p̄cious death & crosse of our sauiour christ, to exercise theyr tonge (whō God hath created to magnyfie hys name) in Gods holy & most sa­cred word, willīg vs y^e no other [Page] word shuld procede out of our mouth, but that which shal edifye whan neade is to geue grace to thee hearers, & greue not the holy sperite of god by whō we ar sealed in y^• daye of redēption: Our disobedience cā not Ephe, iiii, be hydde from the ryghtuous iudge, which wayeth y^e thoughtes, & sercheth y^e reynes of mās hart, yf we which couet this fe­lowshyp & societie of the eter­nall testamēt of god, go about not onlye to burden weakelin­ges wyth errours dampnable, but also to greue y^• holy spirite of god thorow our vayn drea­mes or Imagināciōs, beleuīge creatures before y^e creator, wherefore good brethren dyligētly marke you my wordes and not myne, but the wordes of the lyuyng god, whych are not sente to you at thys tyme for rebuke [Page] rebuke or occasion (God I take to wytnes) but for loue, y^t you shulde not be pertakers wythe the Ipocrites whose porcyō is Apoc, xxli leyed vp in the lake of hel, burning with fyer and brymstone, but for this cause they are sent vnto you assuredlye, y^• lyke as you whyche entende to leue in goddes feare haue sought a redemye for the imperfectyon of y^• fleshe, & frayle nature of goddes word, yf ye haue learned to satisfye it according to his wil without synne: euen so to helpe your weake iudgementes, and your vnperfight sperit (as touching the sacramēt of the bles­sed body & blood of Christ our sauiour, you may repayre vnto his word of him seking & pray­enge with the prophete, that he wyl establyshe your iudgementes [Page] in hys truth & make your pa­thes saue frō wycked mē, that they ouerthrowe thē not. For whan ye sought a phecision to ease your sycke flesshe, & to dis­chardge you of a carefull bur­dē & paynful yocke, that a law papistical had layed vpō your necke, you councelled not thee chyldrē of the world were they neuer so famous, no not mar­ten Luther, whō to be nothing elles, of thē self, but vanitie & lyes the prophete beareth you witnesse saying. Man is vpon the waughtes lyghter thā va­nitie it selfe. And in another place. All mē ar lyars, but you councelled him whō you knew could not lye, because it is tru­the it selfe, & condēpneth lyars saying. I wyl destroy all them Psalm. v y^• speake lyes, & therfore you [Page] were sure that y^• libertie which ye now possesse, was good, be­cause he graūted it that could not be reproued: Nowe moche more ought ye, for the disceate that troubleth your soule, na­mely false iudgemēt & erroure which is the best part of you, vnto whō your bodi must both obey and serue not to sticke to flesh & blood, which by vngodly lyuīg ar robbed of true iudgement in the misterye of god­des truth, but as y^• sperit being the best parte of youre bodye, who beyng lyghtened, your body cā perseuer in darkenes: E­uen so goo ye vnto him, which is moost chiefeste & myghty in operaciō able to make y^• blind to see, the deffe to heare, the dō me to speke, & to heale the woū des that errour hath maymed [Page] you w^tal, nameli goddes word, for hit al thinges were created, & w^tout it nothing was created no not luther, whom al though gods sperit ruled to speke som thinges right, yet whā he begā to loue hym self & set forth hys owne dreames not ruled by the sperit of god, he erred as some other of hys forefathers hathe done, so y^t this sower leuē being but litle in quātitie, yet in qualitie poyson sharpe, hath as the scripture saith, sowred his hole lompe of dowe. But good bre­thren syns ye stand fre, as tou­ching y^e fleshe, & that by goddes word, be ye not bound in y^• spe­rite to the iudgemēt of mē, call rather to your remembraunce, y^t as the potter excedeth y^e pot, the workemā the worke, & thee [Page] creator thee creature: Euen so the wysdō of god our creator & not only ours but luthers also excedeth our wysdo & Luthers too. Whose folyshnes is more wyser than the wysdom of mē. Wherfore as wisdom wold let vs repayre vnto him whych is hole wyse, hoole good, & truth it self, that he may by his word open your eyes, that you may knowe your disceate & be hea­led by the Gospell, Whyche as paule sayth is y^• power of god i, Corin, i. vnto saluacyon to all thē that beleue it. And who so denyethe Iohan, iii it, he is already condēpned for therfore are we called the son­nes of god because we haue be Gala. iii leued in Christe Iesus, whom god the father hath by his holy sperite sealed as wytnesseth Esaye the prophete to preache Esaye. li. vnto [Page] this gospel namely deliuerāce vnto the captiue & healinge of the sycke mens woundes, only that al they which beleue thys moost sacred word denying vngodlines shuld be made a rightuous plantinge wherein god shuld reioyse. For god hath called vs by his mooste glorious gospell not to allowe the Imaginacion of fleshe eyther to ac­quyet our consciēce according to theyr opiniō, polluting our faith whom hathe chosen to be his spouse with y^• adulterynne dregges of carnall wysdō whō we knowe leadeth vnto death. For Paule saith to be carnally Rom, viii mynded is death: but to be spirituallye mynded is lyfe: For carnall wisdom sauoureth not of god which is a sperit & wor­shipped in speryte & truth, and therfore it is vnable to iudge [Page] of the word whych is sperite & lyfe to them that sticke therunto with fayth vnfaynedly, and therfore let it not defyle oure sainctuarie & faythfull sperite vnto whō god wyl declare the se mysteryes that are aboue y^• grype of fleshe, for as a louing husband possessing a faythful wyfe, whose propertye is to be silent, doubteth not to communicate hys secretes vnto her, because his loue shuld appere Euen so our messias hath not feared to cōmunicate the misteries of his truth vnto a lowlie sperit & symple hart, whom he hath maryed vnto him self, by the lyuely fayth whych we ha­ue in the merites bloud & woū des of the anointed sauiour to this witnessing y^• prophet Ose as, saith in the person of god I Osee. ii [Page] wyl marrie the to me in fayth, and thou shalt knowe, y^e I wyl be the lorde, Wythoute fayth, therfore as it is vnpossyble to Esay, vii. Hebre. xi please god, as Paule wryteth: so is it vnpossible w^tout it, to enter, to enter y^• depth of gods truth. And therfore sayth y^e prophet. The wrath of y^e lord came vpon Israel, because they beleued psal, xviii not in God, nor trusted in hys sauing helth. Agayn wo be to y^e dissolute harte, y^e beleueth not god, nor trusted ī his sauīg helth, & therfore, shalt thou not be defēded of hym: But vnto y^• apostels whych in faythe were moued to him, he sayd with his own mouth. It is geuen vnto you to know y^• secretes, misteries of the gospel. Why? because ye haue not takē y^• wysdō of mē to be your scholemaster, but by a [Page] symple hart, forsaking syn, ha­ue takē the sperite of god to be your guyde. As for an example what scholemaster had Nathaniel whā at y^• fyrst syght he said Rabbi, tu es ille filius dei, tu es ille Iohan, i▪ Rex Israel, that is to say. Good mayster, thou art that sonne of god, thou art that kyng of Is­raell. What moued Peter to cō fesse Christ to be the sonne of y^• lyuing god, cōtrary to the opi­nion of fleshe & bloud, sondrye wayes Prophesyinge of hym. Doubteles men taughte them not thys doctryne, but the spe­rite of God, whyche spake in them, and to thys Christe hym selfe beareth wytnes sayinge. Blessed arte thou Symon Peter. Quia caro et sanguis non math. [...]i. reuelauit tibi, sed pater meus qui est [Page] meus qui est in celis. For fleshe & bloude hath not reueiled vnto the: but my father whiche is in heauē ▪ Contrary wyse what in structour had the high prestes and Pharisies whan they cal­led hym Carpēters sonne Samaritan & Beelzabub, sayinge in thee name of Beelzabub he dyd cast forth deuyls. Doubt­les fleshe and blood, which possesse not (as Paule saythe) thee Kyngdom of God. Quia carna­libus ad est zelus & contentio & ambulare secundum hominem. Because flesshiynges ar ful of i. Cor. xv. i, Cor. iii. contētion & stryfe, to walke af­ter mans doctryne▪ Therfore say I that god hath not called vs by his holy Euangelion to determyne our fayth vpon the dreames of men, for fayth is a perfecte gyfte, & al gyftes that [Page] are perfect & good done, come from god whych is perfyghte, and therfore they are not to be establyshed vpon mē, which ar without the grace of our hea­uenly father al vnperfect and synne, but rather vpō goddes truthe. For what a blyndenes were it (good brethren) to per­swade our conscyens to know the mysteryes of gods truthe, thinking that we possesse a ve­ritie infallible: whā we so opē ­ly stickīg vnto the iudgemēts of earnall men, blaspheme the truthe, what greater blasphe­mye, I pray you can there be more, thā whā y^e opynions of mē which be for y^• most part w^t the sperite of god more lyes & fables, shall out of the bosome of his creatures, shutt out the truth of our moost hye god, in [Page] whose lippes Dauid fayth, there was neuer foundgile, & sea­le vp theyr eares lest thei shuld heare the comfortable embassage of peace whō Paule calleth in the epystel vnto Tim. profi­table doctryne, saying. Euange lium gloria dei, quod creditum est Timo. 1 mihi sana doctrina est. The Euā gelions of thee glorie of God, whyche is delyuered vnto me, is an holesome doctryne. And also vnto the Thessaloniās he wryteth Verbum accepistis a nobis, non vt verbum hominē, sed si Thessa, 1. cut est Vere verbum dei. (that is to say) Ye haue receaued of vs the word, not as y^• word of men but as it is in dede, the word of god. Agayn vnto Tite he wry­teth thus, encoraginge hym in his endeuor. Verbū sanū, irreprehensible [Page] loquere, quod non blas­phemetur omnia, that is to say, Titum. 2. Speake the holesome & faure­lesse word which wyl not blas­pheme at al. Now brethren de­rely beloued, yf ye obey vnto y^e truthe, Euen as Ezechiel was moued of god, notwithstāding the stubbernes of the Israeli­tes, to preach & teache this his word, & sharpely to reproue thē of theyr frowardnes, in y^t they sawe hys wonderfull worke, & yet beleued not, neyther tour­ned from theyr wyckednes, to declare hys vnmesurable mer­cye that he wolde all to knowe and noo man to perysshe tho­roughe erroure, saythe. Verba mea loqueris ad eos, si forte au­diant & quiescant, quoniam irri­tarores sunt, (That is to saye). Ezeche. 2, [Page] Thou shalt speake my wordes vnto thē, that yf it wyl be, they Ezech. ii. may geue eare, for they ar men that prouoke me Euen so mo­ued by the sperit, I wyl yf god be pleased, set hys word before your eyes, y^• thereby you maye perceaue the mercye & grace of our heauenly father, that he is not wylling to se you perysshe thorowe thys your abhominable errour, euen the word that is of power able to saue youre soule. Cast away therfore thes mystes and cloudie phātasyes of carnal iudgemente, as tou­ching this word (For god hath sayde, my thoughtes are not your thoughtes, nether yours ar myne,) And desyre hartelye with me that the holy on of Is­raell may opē your gates, that the kyng of glory may enter in [Page] ther at to discusse by hys holye spirite the truth of thys youre doubte, that your weake cōscyens may no longer wauer and be compelled to hange vpō imperfectiō. But that you maye not only haue vnderstanding in thys, but to seke hys glorye whych hath to al them that be­leue the gospell reueled lyfe, & ii, Tim, i. immortalitie, the power of Satan, hell & death, beyng vaun­quyshed, yf you shal se for hys truth sake both confute youre errour, & breake in sonder thee basteliō, whose walles ar built with vntēpered claye, and therfore as a tottering wall muste come to nought: Frayte not your hartes wyth disdayn, willingly thorowe malice procu­ring your own destrucitō, but as the word louīgly exhorteth [Page] you, be meke and lowlye to heare thee worde of God, that you Eccle, v. maye vnderstande, and brynge forth a wyse and true answere. For euery worde of God is pure (as the wyseman saythe, and Prou, xxx a shyld of defence to them that put theyr truste in hit. For assure thy selfe that he cannot be of God, whych preferreth the durtye dregges of mens braynes, before goddes word, for as Iohan sayth, euery one that is of Iohan, 19 God, heareth the truth, and e­uerye one that heareth truthe, heareth god. For my shepe heare my voyce, and I knowe thē and they folow me, nether shal any of them perysshe, nor noo man shall take them out of my hande. Ieremy the prophet, because he wolde not haue vs se­duced by anye fonde Imagi­nacion, forbiddeth not only to Ierem. 23 [Page] heare those prophetes, that prophesye theyr own dreames, but also sayth in the voyce of oure heauenlye father, Take hede, Ierem, 7 that ye herken not to councels which īdeuour to disceaue you, and to do you no good. Nowe yf you wyll trye your selues to be as ye wold be reported, aby­de in the word, and then shal ye be partakers of y^• promes that god hath made by hys worde, that is, ye shal know the truth and it shal make you fre, for he Iohan, 8, y^t is of God, heareth his word.

THe disciple the fyrst Exodi, 12, day of swete bread came vnto Christe sayinge, where wilt y^u that wee prepare for y^e, the easter or passouer lābe to eate, for it was accostumed amōgest y^• Israelites, that they y^• [Page] fyrst moneth &. xiiii. day of the same at nyght the houshold of thee Isralites shulde thorowe oute all theyr costes & borders eate no leuened bread, but vn­leuened vntyl seuen dayes were clerely expired? And further that in the daye of swete bread a lābe necessarely shuld be kylled, whom they eate, the nyght luke, xxii, Exodi, xii before theyr delyueraunce out of bondage, which being a perpetual sygne & token of theyr deliueraūce was continuallye obserued among thē whych in verye dede was a shadowe and fygure of gods mercy & fauoure toowardes hys creatures, whā we were yet his enemies, that lyke as they whych were sealed wyth the blood of the lā be were preserued from daun­gerous plages y^• ouerwhelmed [Page] the fyrst borne of Egipt, & were couerd wyth the mercyful wynges of god, and set theyr fleshe, whych serued in most vyle ser­uitude, or cruel bōdage, vnder the vnbeleuing kyng Pharao, in fredom, wherof to assure thē he gaue the land of Canaan for theyr habitaciō vtterli, therout expelling y^• enemies of his people, that frely wythout checke, they myght possesse the promysed land, that floweth wyth milke & hony: Euē so that al soules which were in the yron cheynes of dānation bondaged to deth, & perpetual darkenes thorowe Adams transgression, shuld by the meanes of thys annoynted sauiour, appoynted of god the father before the foundaciō of the worlde was leyed, be made fre frō dampnacion which vn­faynedlye [Page] trusted in hym. For thys was the symple lambe, of whom Esay the Prophet spea­keth, Esay, liii. sayinge, that he shuld not stryue for hys flesshe. Yea, thee very same, that the Euangelist hathe appoynted all burdened consciēces to go vnto, for a dis­chardge, sayinge. Ecce agnus dei Christus qui tollit peccata mundi. That is to saye. Beholde the Iohan, i,. lābe of god. Christ that taketh awaye the synnes of the world. Wherfore that thou mayest by thee scripture be assured that y^• passouer lambe eaten at the de­liueraunce of theyr bodyes, frō a temporall bondage preached the death, and passyon of christ our lambe, that made hym selfe obedient to the moost reprochefull death of the crosse, by whose [Page] strypes as the Prophete saithe we were healed, and also the e­ternall delyueraunce of oure soules from death, marke well what is wrytten in the scriptu­re. Agni statuuntur in testimoniū veritatis & federis promis. that is Gene, xxi, to saye. Lambes ar appoynted for a wytnes of the truth, & the couenaunt promysed. And therfore Iohan sayth. Agnus occisus ab origine mundi habet librum feder is, in quo scripta sunt nomina Apoc. xiii. sanctorum, That is to say. The lambe that was kylled frō the begynnynge of the world: hath the boke of couenaunt, wherin be wryttē y^• names of the sayn­tes. Nowe to make his dis­ciples to be more apte to recey­ue thys mysterie, & to opē theyr [Page] eyes to perceaue the peace offe­ringe promysed by the prophe­tes, and now come to do the wil of hys father that sente hym, a lābe to be slayne, to appease his wrath, conceyued thorow Adās fal. That, as Adam couered al fleshe by his disobedience with damnacion, euē so the obediēce that was in christ, shulde couer it wyth saluacion: He sayd vn­to thē, go ye into the cytye to a certayn man whom ye shal me­te, and say you vnto him. Magi­ster vicit, tempus meum prope est Math, 24 apud te facio pasca cum discipulis meis, that is to say. The May­ster sayth, my tyme is at hande, I wyl kepe myne easter at thy­ne house with my disciples. As who shuld saye, the tyme is co­me that the heauenly wil of my father shulde be fulfylled, & by [Page] my passion wrought for the cō ­fort and consolation of Adam, & his posteritie, whos frowardnes, in y^t he disobeyed hys wyl, plucked hys indignatyon and wrathful vengeaunce vpō his head. But now beholde the ac­ceptable tyme that god my fa­ther thorow loue, lōgeth for an attonemente, & as a louing fa­ther glad to receyue the shepe, that were loste for synne, hathe not spared me, his onli begottē sonne to throwe me frō hys imperiall trone, into the bottome of the earth, that whosoeuer beleueth in me shuld haue lyfe e­uerlastyng, I am he, promysed by the prophetes to make thys agrement of whom Esay spea­keth. Ecce virgo concipiet & pari Esaye. vii et filium & vocabitur nomē eius Emanuel, that is to say. Behold [Page] a byrgyn shal conceyue & bryn­ge forthe a sonne, and hys na­me Math. i. shalbe called Emanuel. And as mathew sayth. Qui saluum faciet populum suum Israel, that is to saye. Whych shal make false hys people Israel. I am the sacrifice, yea, the onely sacryfyce that must in my bloud washe a­way mānes iniquitie and dreg­ges of corruptiō, and none but I alone. For where the priest & leuite hath passed by the wounded man, vnable to helpe him I am come to bynde vp hys woū des, yea to make hī hoole, I am the mediator appoynted betwene god and mā, euen the mā Iesus Timo. 2 christ, for this purpose chosen of God my father to heale the sycke that nede a phesyssy­on, and preache beliueraūce vnto [Page] the captiue, wythout me ther is no mediator, for I am come into the world for no other purpose, but to saue synners. I am that spirituall rocke sente into i, Corin, [...] thys wyldernes, of whom your fathers haue dronke, & so must you or els ye perysshe for thyrst I am that pure and liuely vy­ne, whos leaues neuer wyther Iohan, 1 [...] nor fal away: whoso is not plā ­ted in me, my father wil plucke him vp by the rootes. I am the Iohan, vi bread sent downe from heauen who so is replenyshed wyth me shal neuer tast of death, I am y^• Iohan, x. dore an opē entre to my father, vnto whom no mā cometh but by me. For he that clymmeth o­uer the walles is as the scripture saythe, a thefe or a robber. I onelye do geue lyfe vnto my shepe. I am the God of Abraham, [Page] Abrahā Isaac and Iacob, euen theyr sauegarde & mercy seate▪ Math, xxii, I am he, whych putteth a waye your iniquities euen for myne owne sake, and beyng the lorde your creator, for loue wyl remē bre them no more, for I am the Lord, and wythout me there is no sauiour, the pathe truly ha­ue I troden to god my father, Esaye, 43 that you seynge my foote step­pes shulde at noo tyme erre.

Thus good brethren, whan he had by preachyng of his death and merites, instilled into hys disciples hartes, vnderstāding that they might perceaue theyr saluatiō, and not theyrs alone, but also of the hole worlde, be­cause he had euen from the be­gynning chose thē witnesses of hys afflictyons, that after thee thing was fynished which they [Page] personallye behelde wyth more fyrme & stable faith, they might preache this desyre syght & vn­mesurable comforte of al fleshe among the gentyles and vnbe­leuing nacions: He dyd not only wyth expresse wordes decla­re hys goinge into Ierusalem, hys euel intreature amongeste the hyghe prestes, Pharisies & cruel bloud suckers, and fynally his death, that they hearing these wordes myght with more diligens attende to marke the experiens therof: but also whā the passouer lambe shuld be eaten, whyche as I before sayde, was the token of theyr delyue­raunce out of Egypt, and of y^e fredom of theyr fleshe, by y^• whiche delyueraunce theyr soules were not exempted from the tyrannos gulffe of hell, synne, & [Page] death, neyther y^• fathers wrath pacyfied dewe vnto thē for trāsgression, but continually han­ged, moost terryblie ouer theyr heades, so that they yet were y^e subiectes yf death, and dāpna­tion: he therfore to preache vn­to them a perfect delyueraunce or fredom of both body and soule, to be nomore vnder the ban­ners of deathe, but of lyfe and saluacion, at this hys last sup­per, whan the tokē of this body ly delyueraunce shuld be eaten which was but the sygnificatiō of thys lambe, that was nowe present amonge them, by whose death al mākynd shuld be low­sed from vtter darkenes, & vnquēcheable fyer, to satisfie this mysterye, & to make it euydent, he toke bread & after he had ge­uē thankes to God hys father, he brake it, saying. Take, eate, math, 26. Luk. xiiii [Page] this is my bodye whych shalbe broken for you, lykewyse he to­ke the cup, sayinge, thys is my bloud of the new testamēt, whi­che shalbe shed for many in the remissiō of theyr synnes, For yf the arme of god and hys myghty power was so hyghlye este­med in y^e delyueraunce of theyr mortal bodyes, from a mortall tyraūt, that it vouchsaued him to establyshe it wyth thys syg­ne or token, for a memoriall of hys grace towardes thē, being yet not takē out of the cheynes of darkenes, than whan soeuer the deuyll assaulted them cap­tyuating theyr wyttes with sensualitie, to make thē forget the lorde, that the wytnes of his benignite shulde alwayes accuse theyr ingratitude, & moue thē to repēt, how moch more ought this signe or sacramente of the Lordes death to be hyghly re­regarded [Page] amonges vs Christians, whych preacheth vnto vs a thyng farre better thā a bodyly deliueraunce, from a bodely tyraunt, namely the delyueraū ce from eternal dampnacion & the kyngdom of darkenes, thā whansoeuer the ramping lyon Sathan seketh to deuour our soules, by y^e enti [...]arg vnto syn, and desperacion, we by this holy sacramēt ar put in remēbraū ce that our sauiour Christ was the promysed sede of the womā whych shuld breake the serpentes head, whych moued our fa­ther to bannisshe vs from hys syght, and hath in hys death, & bloudsheding, slayne the leuia than that had power ouer deth Wherfore as the lambe was y^• sygne appointed to cōtinue tyl the euerlastinge sauiour, euen Christe [Page] our lābe came, to preache the deliueraūce of theyr body frō the paynefull seruitude, of the E­giptians: Euen so this bread & wyne is the sacrament, appointed by christ to preach his most precious death, our redemptiō tyl he come to iudge the quicke and y^• dead. And therfore good brethren after the immolacion of Christe Iesus, our passouer lābe the Israelites sygne ceas­sed, because the innocēt lambe in very dede, appoynted of god before the creation of the world (to be slayne) was come, whome it sygnified and hath to assure vs of his death, and commyng agayne, left vnto vs bread and wyne, as a sygne and token to confyrme vs weakelynges in fayth, that he hath died for our synnes to pacifye the wrath of [Page] hys father, and is rysen for ou [...] iustification, thee yron bandes of death, brast in sonder, and he wyth triumphante victorye, by the power of god, hath penetrated the cloudes to geue saluacion. So that the ryghtuousnes (as Paule saythe) that pleased Roma, iii god was the redemptiō that is in christe Iesus, thorough whō the terrible vengeaunce of god is passed ouer vs, and wee sea­led into redēptyon, and that ye shuld not doubt, but that God by hym is wonne to be our frende, marke wel thys his own te­stimony. Hic est filius meus dilec­tus in quo mihi bene cōplacui, ip­sum audite, that is to say: This math. iii, marke, ix is my beloued sonne, in whom I am well pleased, heare hym. As the lambe therefore was appoynted [Page] by Moyses theyr lea­der chosen of god, a memoriall or sygne of goddes goodnes, in that he made them fre men, as touchynge theyr bodyes from pharaos yocke the nyght befo­re, it came to passe: Euē so this bread and wyne was assigned, a perpetual sygne by our Moyses, chosen of god by hys preci­ous bloude to leade vs from e­uerlasting death, and dampnacion as a sygne of goddes mercy towardes vs, in that he hath sent hys only begottē sonne Iesus, in the shape of synfull fles­she beyng w^tout syn, to cōdempne syn in the fleshe, & to cōquere death for theyr sake, y^t of a pure loue trusted in hī, euē y^• nyghte before his deth, now by this signe bread & wyne, christ to instructe hys Apostles whom he had [Page] chosen to support stedfastlie a­monge the Iewes, the delyue­raunce of our soules frō death exhibited playnely before they eyes, that, that followed, namely hys passion, and the cōforte of the same, saying. Take eate, this is my bodye whych shalbe geuen for you, do this in remē ­braunce of me. That is to saye, euen as ye se this bread broken for the cōfort of your outward mā, and thys wyne dronke for the cōsolatiō of the same, being so necessary, y^• wythout it your outward mā perisheth, for honger, and hauing it, the body is defended from staruing. Euen so I, myne own self personally whom ye se, fele & know, beyng the mynyster of thys whych ye do receaue, euē as surely as ye behold the brekyng hereof and know [Page] kyng hereof, and know that ye haue receyued hit, so sureli shalbe crucified, rēt, and brokē for your synnes, and in hit shal deserue fre remyssyon of al youre iniquyties by whose merytes, thy vnryghtuous soule is ma­de rightuous, for euer, yf thou forsakest synne: for this was geuen for the comfort of your in­ward mā, whom god hated for synne, for to reconcyle it to thee fathers fauour agayn, & to de­fend it frō death eternal. Therfore, for asmoch as by necessitie we are enforced dayly to cōfort our bodye, with bread & drinke Euen so are we dayly enforced to comfort our soule with the e­ternal Testamente in Christes bloude, so that now whā soeuer our sperit, beginneth to faynte [Page] for hōger, that it behoueth vs to breake thys bread, & drynke thys wyne in the remembraunce of christes death and of hys comfortable testamēte to feade our soule w^tall. Hoc enim est bi­bere de plenitudine misericordie sue that is to say. For this is to drinke of the fulnes of his mercy. And thys opened theyr eyes & confyrmed theyr fayth to perfection to preache that whyche they afterwarde sawe come to passe, accordīg as y^• bread was brokē. Paul therfore īstructed by y^• sperit of god to vnderstād this misterie, sayde, y^• whych I receaued I deliuer vnto you, o ye Corinthians, The nyght before he was betrayed, he toke bread, & brake it, saying, this is 1, Cori. 11, my bodye, whych is broken for [Page] you, also by y^• cup he sayd, thys is y^• new testamēt in my bloud, as ofte as ye eate of this bread and drinke of this cup ye shall preache y^• lordes death tyl he come: Yf now y^e the personal bodi of christ, fleshe & bloud had ben ther (as ye dreame) than wolde not paul haue said, ye shal preache the lordes death til he come But rather he wold haue sayd, behold corinthes, here is christ ꝑsonal bodye amōges you, but paule assuredly taught by y^• holy ghost y^e this was not y^• body, but the sacramēt of y^• body, therfore he sayd, as oft as ye eate & drynke of this bread & wyne, ye shal preache his deth, whych is exalted aboue y^• cloudes, tyl he come agayn, for he is departed hens to be oure attorney befo­re the trone of Maiestye of the [Page] of the which departure y^e scrip­ture beareth vs wytnes, spokē by hys own mouth, saying. Va­do ad patrem paraturus vobis lo­cum, that is to saye, I go to my father, to prepare you a place. And agayn. Veritatē dico, expe­dit vobis vt abeam, Si non abiero cōsolator ille non veniet ad vos, Sin abiero, mitta ad vos, that is to saye, I say for truth. It is nedeful that I go hence, yf I goo not hence that comforter shall not come vnto you, but yf I go hence, I wil send him vnto you Whyche sperite is not sente to cloke our wyckednes, or to suffer vs to dwel in darkenes and in errour, but as Iohan sayth, to reproue the worlde of syn, of vnryghtuousnes and of iudgement. De peccato, quia non credi­dit Ioh, viii in me. De iustitia, quia ad pa­trem [Page] vado & post hac non videbi­tis me. De iudicio quia princeps huius mundi iam iudicatus est.

That is to saye. Of syn, becau­se it beleued not in me. Of iustice, because I go to my father, & after thys you shall not see me. Of iudgemēt, because the prince of this world is now iudged. And therfore sayth christ I ha­ue manye thynges to tell you, but ye are as yet vnable to beare them awaye, But I go vnto my father whych hath sent me, that according to my promes I may send you, y^e sperit of truth which shal without doubte leade you into all truthe, to do the wyll of my father. The sperite receaued Paule whan his eyes were opened, Whyche moued hym to testyfye in thys wyse of our mediator, saying. Christ is [Page] the bishop of our soules, which wyth an oblation of hys owne Hebre. 10, precious body, hath offered vp hym selfe ones for all on the altare of y^• crosse, wheron he hath made thē perfecte for euer whō he hath sanctified, beyng soche an hygh byshoppe whych hath gone thorowe the heauens and sytteth on the right hand of the trone of Maiestie, there beyng the admynystrator of the euer­lasting tabernacle, whom god hath made and not mā: Whose sperite hath taught paule thys doctrine, that so farre differeth from yours. Did not the sperit of god, whom christe promysed to lede al his, in al truth? Who taught you then this doctryne that thus rebellethe agaynste truthe? the contrarye vnto thee truth? Which is a lye of whom [Page] the deuyll is father as wytnes­seth the scripture. Come hether all ye▪ that so stoutlye stande in this Lutherian errour, and re­proue (as ye are shameles) thee sperit of truth, which speaketh in Paule. Debate the matter with him. Trye your selues, as ye most fondely endeuor, to be more wyser than the sperite of God, which hath manifest sayd that christ sytteth on the ryght hande of the trone of maiestie, to be an aduocate for mannes imperfection, you saye that his bodye is in the sacrament, vn­der forme of breade, flesshe and bloud euen as he was borne of the byrgyn Marye: O good brethren hit wolde pytye anye Christian hart to see, how with out shame ye goo about wythe your deuylyshe sophistrye and [Page] deceauable dreames to dysor­der the workes of thee lyuynge god, who hath cōmaunded hys sonne to sytte vpon hys ryght­hand, according to the testimo­nies of the prophet Dauid, sayinge, Dixit dominꝰ domino meo sede a dextris meis, donec posuero inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum, that is to say. The lord sayd vnto my Lorde, syt at my ryght hande, vntyl I shal ma­ke thyne enemies thy fote stole Alas what meane you thus willinglye to reioyse in darkenes, syns gods word, beyng y^• lyght of our feete, hath opēly shewed vs that no iote of the law or testymonyes of y^• ꝓphetes, shuld escape vndone in christ, the end mathe, v: of the lawe, & prophetes, whose mouthes were not open to speake thinges in vayne, wherfore, [Page] syns theyr testimonies ar true, whych of necessytie must be fulfylled by Christ, for asmoch as god had so ordeyned hit, howe dare ye agayne saye the sperite of truth, whych affyrmeth hym not only to be ther personallye on the right hand of his father, but also hathe appoynted hym to come agayn, in the confyrmation of the hole worlde, euen in the same, from that he departed to gather the corne into the barne, & burne the chaffe wyth vn­quencheable fyere, and yet saye you that he is here in the sacra­ment, horribly wyth your lyes, blasphemyng the sacred Testament, sanctifyinge in the bloud of thee lambe, beynge the lawe in dede, whom he hath delyue­red vnto his people, to directe them in theyr waye to perfectiō [Page] nomore wrytten in the table of stone, but in hys beloued tēple the symple hartes of the faythfull, as he hym selfe affyrmeth, sayinge. I wyl geue my lawes Hebre, 8 in theyr mynde, & in theyr her­tes wyl I wryte them, I wylbe theyr god and they shall be my people, euen this law vnadvi­sedly as I suppose, ye despyce, and frowardly deny this truth whom the sperit of truth hathe therin wrytten, beyng sealed w^t the precious blood of christ Ie­sus, but it is manyfeste in thee scripture, that he whych dispy­seth Moyses lawe, dyeth with­out mercye vnder twoo or thre wytnesses: Of how moch more sorer punyshment (suppose ye) shal he be counted worthy, whyche treadeth vnder fote the sonne of god, & counteth the bloud Hebre, 10. [Page] of the newe testament (whereby we are sanctified) and vngodly thing, and doth dishonour the sperit of grace. Alas what dis­honour can ther be more to the most hiest, that of mercy and of faythfulnes hathe sende vnto vs selye wretches his holy spe­rite to guide the starne of oure sences y^• at no tyme they shuld fal vpon the dāgerous rockes of erroure and false doctryne: than lytle regardyng his mer­cyful kindnes, not only to speake manyfeste heresye agaynste this truth, but also moost arrogantly to iudge our weake spe­rite able to confounde the wy­sedom of God mynistered vn­to vs by hys blessed worde and mooste stoutlye dysdayne to be ruled thereby▪ Coulde a shyppe beynge tossed hether and [Page] hether & thether in the tēpestu­ous sea, & ready of y^• vnmercy­full water to be ouerwhelmed, be scotfre frō danger, yf y^• rude and vnlerned marynors shuld agayn say, the wysdom of theyr pilate vnto whō god hath reueled the craft & polycye through his gracious ayde to leade her from perels? No truly. Verely nomore is your wysdō able, in these troubelous opynyons or disceatfull gynnes of Sathan where wyth he purposethe to o­uerthrowe the shyppe of youre vnderstāding, to rule her dan­gerles, yf ye agayn say the wis­dom of your lodesmā or sterer, whom God by hys almyghtye power hath instructed to leade you frō errour to knowledge, from darkenes to light, & fynally from a lye to infallible truth [Page] Therfore as the willing mary­nors that couet the sauegarde of y^e shyp (partely for the owner sake, whom they loue, & chieflye for theyr lyues sake whych stād vpon the shyppe) diligently do marke, and obediētly do folow the counsel of theyr pylate, ney­ther adde they, or dymynysshe they any iote of his wil, lest the shyppe perysshe. Euen so good brethren, yf ye loue god whych is the owner of your soules, yf they be faythfull, or yf ye haue any respect to your own lyues, whych standeth in the fulfyllinge of hys commaundementes, diligently bothe heare and fo­lowe gods worde, whō he hath geuē the to leade thy vnderstā ­ding into al truth, to whom ne­ther adde thou or dymynysshe any thyng, lest thy vnderstan­ding [Page] perysshe by errour. For it is wrytten in the scripture. Yf any man adde any thing to the worde of prophecye, I wyl ad­de vnto him the plages that ar wrytten in thys worde. And yf apoc. xxii any mā shal dimynysh any iote of this word, god shal take hys part out of the boke of life and out of the holy cytie. Alas why then runne ye this hedlong in­to your own confucion, louing your owne fantacyes so well y^• in cōparison vnto thē, ye moost vnkyndely vylypend the truth of thys his moost sacred word, whych teacheth vs that Chris­tes natural bodye, accordynge to the prophetual testimonye, was crucified, dead, & buryed, and the thyrde daye rose frome death to lyfe, and assended into [Page] heauē ther sytting on the right hand of god his father, and yet contrarye to thys truth: ye ha­ue added your opiniō, euē poyson vnto your owne soules, ex­cept ye repent, that thys natu­ral body, whom the holy ghost affyrmeth to syt on the hand of god, hath transubstāciat it self into bread & wyne. Thus phi­lantia hath be wytched you in soche sort that ye thynke truth to be a lye, and your abhominable lye, truth, but I wyl tel you one thing, which the holy goost wold in no cause shulde be for­gotten. That Christe came not to do his own wyl, but the wyl of hys father, whych sent hym▪ But hys fathers wil was that the natural body of christ, whiche was crucified dead and bu­ryed, after hys resurrectiō shulde [Page] assende into heauen and syt on hys ryghthande, therfo­re must it be graunted (yf your lye shuld be the truth, as ye suppose it) that christ hath not onely preuaricate his fathers wil, for that he hathe, (as you saye) disobediently forsaken hys fa­thers syde, and trone of celesti­al blesse & transubstanciat him selfe, beynge of a nature incor­ruptyble, into bread and wyne that shal peryshe, (For the scripture sayth) that all thynge sene wyth our eye, shal consume, pe­ryshe, & wyther a way, and that nothing is for euer but y^e word whyche continually preacheth christ oure sauiour, but also he hath (as youre truth testyfieth of hym) openlye dissembled in that he sayd he came to satisfye the wyl of hys father and that [Page] he hadde sente vs the sperite of truth, and now your truth hath both accused him of disobediēs for transubstanciatinge of hys natural body into bread & wy­ne cōtrary to hys fathers wyll, and also proued the holy ghost a lyar, whyche hath testified all flesshe, that faythfully beleued in the sonne of god to be saued by the obediens of Christ Iesu in whom god almyghtye is sa­tysfied. But suppose you (good brethrē) that god can suffer his sonne this to be reported of you of whō he hath so wel disserued or hys word thus to be sclaun­dered which is pure and truth, and that wythout any coherciō or tellyng you of your fault, no no, iudge not him to be a shrin­king god, or one that setteth pryce, by youre stoute lookes that [Page] therby he shulde feare any fote at al to stād in trial of his truth and tell you of your heresy: for hys longe sufferans whych lu­steth for repentans y^t his kynd­nes myght apere, is not so slen­der towardes you, that he wyll thus see you peryshe by erroure Whose conspiracie busylye se­keth your dāpnatiō, all though to you his most wicked purpose is vnknowē, yet hath gods mercy espyed hit, & reioyseth not in your deth, wherfore behold the grace y^e it offered vnto you by y^• holy goost which entendinge to stād in trial of goddes truth, by gradaciō refuteth your dāpna­ble errour & disorderīg of gods wil, & proueth y^• natural bodi of christ our sauiour after hys re­surrectiō to syt on y^• righthād of god hys father, & for y^• proffe of [Page] thys matter we call Luke th [...]ee Euangelist to wytnesse, where he wryteth that y^• Maries yearly in the sabothe daye came, ac­cordynge to the costume to em­brace y^• body of Christ, but whā they came to y^• monument, they founde the stone rolled a waye, whan they entered to se, the bo­dy was away wherw^t they we­re maruelously astonished, but in this sodayne traunse & fayntynes of hart, two men in whyt aparel apered vnto thē saying. Quid queris viuentem in mortuis surrexit nō est hic. That is to say Why seeke you him that liueth among the dead? He is rysen, he is not here. And also accu­sing them of forgetfulnes, sayd vnto thē, haue ye forgottē what he tolde you in Galilie, y^• it was expediēt for the son of mā, to be [Page] vnder thee poore of synners, to be crucified, and ryse agayn the thyrd daye, and so to enter into glorye, Yea, & because he wold not haue hys dyscyples vnex­pert of thys hys resurrection & what shuld become of this hys body, a litle before his death to reuele vnto them the mysery of his impassible body now glorifyed, he toke certayn of thē, w^t him, and sayd some of you shal math 17, marke. ix Luk. ix. not se death, vntyl ye se the son of man in hys glorie, and forth with vpon the hyl thabor in the presens of Peter, Iames, & Iohan, he transfigurated his na­tural body by the power of his godhead, not as ye dreame into bread and wyne which shal pu­trifie, but into an immortal shape, the phisnamy of a māremaynyng, Apoc. i. Dan, xvii cōmaundynge them that [Page] it shuld be vnknowen, tyl after the testymonye of the prophete, were fulfylled whyche spake in Christe to hys father, sayinge. Thou hast taken my soule out of hel, and hast not suffered thy sayncte to se corruptiō. And af­ter thys, they were called to te­stifie of Christ crucified & preache euen vpon the howse toppe the resurrection of our sauiour being the fyrst fruytes of them i: corin: 15: that slepte in hym, of the whych resurrection Paule speaketh in thys wyse, sayinge. Resurrexit Christus a mortuis per gloriam patris Roma, vi iam non moritur mors illi vl­tra non dominatur, that is to say Christ is rysen frō amonge the deade, through the glory of the father. Now dyeth he not, deth shall hence forth haue nomore power ouer hym. Now good [Page] brethren syns that the sperite of truth hath assuredly taughte, y^• the same body which was crucified, dead, & is rysen agayn ac­cording as y^• apostels haue witnessed of hym, yf you diligētely attēd, & awake out of your slepe he wyll also reueyle vnto you, what bodi this was after his resurrectiō, & what became therof so euidētly that except y^u repēt, & turne frō your wycked Imaginacion, & all other of your fac­tion of the clergye, whych thus spurneth agaynste gods truth, it wil plucke a hoode ouer your heades furred with fearful iudgemente & vnquencheable fyer, Wherfore geue eare vnto thee Euangelist whych more playne lyer expresseth thys bodye than ye haue cause to doubte. After these womē had thus talked a­mōg [Page] the disciples, that at theyr com­myng his body was absent out of y^• monumēt ther arose amōg thē a sodayne wonderyng how thys myght be, & behold. ii. of y^• cōpany that thus talked of Ie­sus, went from Ierusalem vn­tyl a certayn vyllage, called E­maus, vnto whō Christ apered beyng euen the last mā they talked of, asking thē what communication this was, &c, as follo­weth in the text. Reade & iudge In conclusion nyght drewe on, they compelling hym to tarrye wyth them. And it came to passe as he sate at thee table wyth thē personally he toke bread brake it, and gaue it them, wher vpon they knew hym, and so he vanisshed away, here note good frendes, that the scripture speaketh as yet of no transubstantiation, [Page] For the body that brake thys bread was a personal bo­dy, hauing flesshe and bones; & the sences of a naturall bodye. As you shal manyfeste percea­ue hereafter, appoynted wyth­out any alteration to enter into glory. They here vpon callyng to mynde thys sygne, wherein before his deth he vouchsaued to preache his precious death, the delyueraunce of our soules from eternal captiuitie, strayte forth they knewe hym, sayinge. Dyd not our hartes burne w^t ­in vs, whā he thus talked wyth vs of the scripture. Now good brethrē, because the subtyle ser­pent shal not by errour deceaue youre wyttes, to surmyce that whych is not, bryngynge vpon your selues swyfte dampnatiō, it hath to confyrme you in thys [Page] truth made playne what bodye thys was, farre otherwyse thā ye dreame, noo soche body that was willing to trāsubstancy at it selfe into a dead thyng, why­che could nether fele, tast, se, go nor speake, in whom ther is ne­ther lyfe, nor soule, marke ther­fore how the holy ghost hande­leth thys matter, by hys holye Euangely on. After these twoo mē, that were at Emaus, knew hym by the breakyng of bread, they returned vnto Ierusalem frō whēse they came, where ther were gathered together of the disciples aleuen in nomber cō ­ming & talkinge of theyr Mayster christe, lately rysed frō the dead and seyn of Peter, whose talke to cōfirme, these two begā to declare what hadde be fallen them in theyr iorney to Emaus [Page] as touchinge hys resurrection. And whyle they thus talked of him, he apered agayne amōgest thē, saying. Peace be with you: But thei somwhat fearful with thys straunge syghte, supposed hym to be some sperit, whom to put oute of doubte, he spake in thys wyse, sayinge. Why are ye thus troubled or what moueth your hartes thus foundly to I­magyne fantasyes, be holde my handes, my feate, am I not euē he, that hath cast your accompt & dischardged youre det betwe­ne my father & you, as my spe­rit at the houre of my most byt­ter affliction, vttered sayinge. Cōsummatū est, &c. Mā thy matter is at issue, thy saluacion is made perfecte, yf thou abyde in me. Yf you mystruste me proue handell me, and ye shall no lesse [Page] doo but confesse my body far to dissent frō a sperite, whych hath neyther flesshe, and bones as ye se me haue, whan he hadde thus destorbed hys natural body vnto them to confyrme theyr faith he shewed thē both feate & han­des: Yet not wythstanding this manyfest demonstratyon, some of them doubted, partly for ioy and partly for the straūge sight whom to set fre wythout suspy­tion, he demaunded of them, we ther they had any meat to eate, vnto whom, sone after hys de­maunde, they offered parte of a broyled fysshe and an honycombe, and in presens before theyr eyes he eate it. Thus you see that he hadde not onelye fleshe, bones, and a personall bodye, lyke vnto them, but also all the sences of a naturall bodye na­mely [Page] felyng, seyng, hearyng, tastynge, & goyinge. Et hec om­nia que scripta sunt ad nostrā doc­trinam fo, 15, scripta sunt vt per patientiam scripturarum spem habeamus that is to say, Al these thynges that are wrytten, are wryttē for our learnyng, that through the pacience of thee scriptures, we shulde haue hope. Whyche al­waye wylbe of force stronge y­nough to confute thys errour, whych by enchauntement wold haue ther a phantastical body, y^• is a bodye by coniecture whō ye saye, can nether be felt wyth hand neyther seyn with eyes of the body, but only wyth y^• eyes of your faythe. O good brethrē how longe wyl ye play the part of Iamnes and Iambres whi­che wyth moost disceatful sorcerye haue resysted the wil of god [Page] thynke you that the wrathfull vengeaunce of god, whych fell vpon them, can mysse you playinge the same part, no truly, for agaynst soch thar stouburnely wythstande the truth wythout repentaunce, god sharpeth his sworde and bendeth his lawe, & shal loke narowly w^t hys eyes, that he mysse not hys marke, but that he may hit thē a ryght for I am sure that ye ar not ig­noraunt, How that moyses rodde Psal, viii hath deuoured theyr feyned serpent and that dangerles, euē so shal truth vaunquishe your errour and condēpne your fol­ly, in that ye loue youre wyttes so wel, that shameles ye wyth­stande the glorious gospel and opēly accuse truth of a lie, hath not Christ euen wyth his owne mouth, lynyally descrybed hys [Page] body to be fleshe & bloud, & also to possesse al the sences of a na­tural body & that to the eyes of hys disciples, yet contrarye to thys truth, say you, that his bo­dy is in forme of bread, whyche is dead, and vade of sences, al­so he shewed hym selfe after his resurrectiō in the shape & statu­re of a mā, and yet agaynst hys own wyl, ye wyl compel hym to transubstanciat him self, into a new shape, brynging a mā with all hys mēbers into the strayte roume of a pece of bread, or synging cake (as ye better allow it) Iudge you now how your Sophistrie, and the sperite of truth agreeth▪ But with your paciēs suffer me, (I pray you) to reasō wyth your fātacye, that ye may perceaue the buylding of youre opiniō vnable to stād in trial w^t [Page] the scripture because it lacketh a groundfyll. Answere me ther­fore Luther & your adherentes, wold ye that Christes naturall body, borne of y^e vyrgyn Mary very fleshe & bloud shuld be trā substanciate into thys bread or no? yf ye so wold, manifest vnto me, I pray you the tyme of this alteraciō, for asmoch as nothīg can be w^tout instāce of time. Yf ye saye it was done at thys his laste supper, whan he instituted thys sacramēt by this text. Hoc est corpus meum, quod pro vobis traditurū. That is to say. This is my body which shalbe geuen for you. Thā the scripture blanketh you, for it teachethe vs y^• the natural body of Christ whiche brake this bread, afterward to be slain vpō y^• crosse, & buried Agayn, if ye affirme this alteratiō of his bodi to haue chāced after his [Page] resurrection, than the scripture replyeth agayn geuinge you a fayre checkmate, sayinge, that after he was rysen, he bracke bread amongeste hys apostels, in the forme of the crucified body, hauing nothyng thereof altered, sauing that nowe it was immortall nomore subdued to our carnall passyons. Then to conclude yf neyther before hys death, nor after his resurrectiō he entered into thys bread, thā is youre Imaginacion false, But now paraduenture ye wyl demaunde of me, whyche haue disproued thys magicall tran­substanciation, What became of this body thus rysen, y^e scripture maketh you thys answere After he hath continued in the yearth. xl. dayes whan he was rysen, the disciples, but then gathered [Page] together at Ierusalem, abyding as they were appoyn­ted, y^e coming of y^• promised cō ­forter, assone as he had repeted vnto thē the cōfortable ꝓmyse of y^• Testamēt, sodeynly, euē in theyr syght he entered into hys glorye, a cloud taking hym out of theyr eyes. And whyle they yet stode wōdering at the mighty arme, and incomprehensible power of god: to take from thē all occasyons of doubtynge or supposal what shuld folowe of Christ thus takē frō theyr eyes Beholde an angel apered vnto thē, instructīg theyr sperit with this cōsolatiō, saying, Ye mē of galilie, why stād ye here gasīg, the same christ which is nowtakē frō you, into heauē, shal in y^• same māner apere agayn, wherfore what is he y^• dare boldelye [Page] vsurpe the name of a Christiā & hateth to be reformed by y^• holy goost, whom god hath left vnto vs to instructe vs in Christ, by whō we heare opēly y^• his body is not onely in glorye w [...]he his father, in the euerlasting king­dom, exempt from trouble & mysery, in whō reygneth nothinge but ryghtuousnes & peace, where it shall reygne in power and glory vntyl he hath brought all hys enemies into subiectiō, whiche stouburnly vpon a froward spyte, wyth holde hys truthe in vnrightuousnes, but also according to the scripture shall come agayne, to iudge the quycke, & the dead, as dayly we lay in our crede, of whom y^• prophet dauid thus speaketh▪ Deus manifeste veniet deus noster & non silebit, Ig­nisin conspectu eius exaudestet & [Page] in circuitu eius tempestas valida quia deus iudex est. That is to say Psal. 49▪ The god that is oure god, shal come openly, and shall not kepe sylence. In his syght shal fyere consume, & roūd about him shalbe a myghty tēpest: because god is a iudge. And Paule sayth al­so in this wyse testifying of hys coming. Ipse dominꝰ cum hortatu & voce archangeli, ac turba dei, descendet Math, [...] Iohan. 5 Thessa: 4 2: Thes: [...] de celo & mortui in Christo resurgē [...] &c. That is to say. The lord him self shal descend from heauē, in the encoraging & voy­ce of an Archangell, & wyth the trumpe of God, and the dead in Christ shal ryse. &c. And thys comyng was also reueled vnto daniel the prophete in a vysion by nyght where he sawe one like to the son of mā comyng out of the [Page] cloudes, vnto whom the aged man gaue power and dignitie regall, that all people, trybes & Dani. vii apoca, i. Philip, ii tonges shuld serue hym, whose power is an euerlasting power which shal neuer be put down, and hys kyndgom endureth in corrupt. Because therfore that we shuld assuredlye pronounce hym to be the ende of the lawe, and of the Prophetes, that no­thynge testified in them shulde be lefte vndone, but fulfylled by him, to assure vs that he wolde come, that we myght at no tyme be careles, and vnprouyded as were the foolysshe vyrgyns, and so thorowe oure negligens be shutte oute, he gaue vs cer­tayne sygnes, and tokens that Ioel, xxxii Math, 24 Ierem 25, Esay, xiii marke, 13, luke. 21, shulde come to passe, before the daye of hys commyng euydently testifyed by thee prophetes & [Page] the Euangelist as the alteraci­on of the sonne and moone, and the decaye of the bryghtnes of the starres wyth soch lyke, ma­ny testified in the Scriptures: For lyke as the lyghtening goeth from the East, and shyneth math, 24 into the West, so shall the com­mynge of thee sonne of man be, and whā be cometh, he wyl not tarrie. Quē quidē aduentum (vt refert Paulus) narret tēporibus suis beatus & solus potens Rex regū & Timo. dominus dominantiū, qui solus habet immortalitatem & lucem habitat in accessibilē, quē nullus videt. That is to say, Whych coming (as Paule declareth) the kyng of kynges, & Lordes of rulers, who onely hath immortalitie & dwelleth in lyght, y^• noman can come to, whō nomā seeth. Paul therfore seynge the imperfectiō [Page] of our flesh, which is geuē to feade y^• lust of our corrupt afflicti­ons, exhorteth to loke diligentli for his coming of our sauioure saying▪ Conuarsatio vestra erit in Celo celis vnde faluatorem aduenturum spectatis. That is to say. Youre conuersation therfore shalbe in heauen, whence ye loke for a sa­uiour to come, If he be to come, he is not yet come, for whan he cometh he wyl not tarrye, Yf he be not yet come, he is not here, Yf he be not here, than it foloweth y^• his body is not reallye in y^• sacramēt. Now good brethren ye haue hero y^• doctrine of gods sperit, what it hath taught of y^• natural body of christ Iesu, how it was not only crucified dead & buried, & rose agayn y^•. iii. day, but also that ye shulde fantasye nothīg of thys body wyth your [Page] groose carnalitie it hath expressiuelye shewed, what bodye thys was, wether it wēt, where it is & from whens it shal come, for as moch therfore as this is y^• sperit of truth, whō christ at his departure promysed to hys faythfull folowers as a gouernour to leade them into al truth, we y^• couet to be called Christians, must of necessite beleue it, yf wyth christ we do entend, to haue any socie­tye, for who so beleueth not this his soule shal not prosper, but y^• a [...]at. [...] Gal. [...]3 Roma. [...] iust shall lyue by fayth. Christe therfore thus speaketh in Iohā Verely, verely I saye vnto you, whoso heareth my word & bele­ueth him that sene me, hath euerlasting life, and cometh not into damnatiō, but is passed thorow deth vnto lyfe. Iudge you now [Page] what shal becōe of those whych dispyce, and beleaueth not this truth. Now as touchinge Lu­thers errour, yf that vnder the forme of bread the natural bo­dy of christ shuld be, it apereth hys ciuilitie to be very slender for as moch as he hath so vnreuerentlye handeled thys bodye not according vnto hys worthines, but vnkyndly robbed hym of hys honour whych is his, as natiuelye, as the bryghtenes is the son, and as daungerous to be disceuered, Quia ipse est glorie Hebre, i splēdor & figura substancia patris, That is to saye. For he is thee bryghtnes of the glory, and the Image of the fathers substāce What is he therfore that wyll say Christes body to be inglorious lyns he is the brightnes of his fathers glorie, for in y^e scripture [Page] it is called y^• glorious day starre, and therfore Peter kno­wing assuredly, glory to belon­ge vnto thys body sayd. Gloria 2. Pet. 3. Christo, nunc & in diē eternitatis. That is to saye, Glorye be to Christ, now and euer. Agayne Iohan not entending to wyth­drawe any thynge frō thys bo­dy sayd. Gloriam honorem & virtutem dignus es accipere insecula, apoca. 4. seculorū. That is to say, Thou art worthy to haue glorye, ho­noure, & power for euer. Christ also hath sayd by the mouth of hys Euangelyste, that who so honoureth not the sonne, the same honourethe not thee father, for thys cause verely hath god geuen al iudgement to hys son mathe, 11 luke. 10, Iohan. 5. that all men might honour the son, euen as they honoured the father. Syns then y^• ye dreame [Page] christes natural body to be here presently [...]n the Sacramēt, why shal we not then fall down, and worshyp it. For yf at the name of Iesus al knyes shal bowe (as sayth the scripture) both in hea­uē and in yearth, how moch more ought they to bowe, yf they se hys body (as ye say) in the sacrament. for thys we se euen amōg vs mortal creatures dayly in experience, that whan the name of a prynce or emperour in any ci­uile matters apperteyning to a cōmō weale is named amōg his subiectes, they al vncouet theyr heades: But whan the person or body of the kyng is presente, they fall down vpō theyr knies and honoure him? Howe moche more oughte we, yf it were true as ye saye, Whych as is a very lye in dede, to fall downe & wor­shyppe [Page] the euerlasting prynce & immortal body of Christ Iesus But Luther hym selfe hath for­bid the worshippyng of this body, ergo, he must of force eyther deny the bodely presens of christ not to be in the sacramēt or elles robbed the bodye of hys nature and dishonour the sperit of grace, for glorye doth wyllingly fo­lowe thys symple and innocent body of Christ, because he hum­bled hym self to death, for the sauegarde of hys, as it becometh a good shepeherd, wherof y^• wy­semā hath thus testified saying Gloriā precedet humilitas. That Proue-15 is to saye, Humilitie goeth before glyrye, Towhom subscribeth the prophet in thys wyse saying Gloria dominum magna est, quia Psa, xviii Prou-15- excelsus dominus. That is to saye▪ Thee glorye of the Lorde, [Page] is great, because he is high▪ For hys body now is a glorified body, reuerētly to be worshypped of Christians. Therfore to conclude, it were very absurde and out of frame to saye, that there is his bodi, and deny him that, that his body hath deserued of vs vnto whom belongeth thee kyngdom, power and glory for euer, and euer. Amen. Agayne Luther wold haue the letter to be symplye vnderstande, wyth­out any interpretacion or troo­pe, that because Christe sayde. Hocest corpus meum, That is to say. Thys is my body. Therfore it is hys body. Surely yf the wyl of God had refuced the interpretacion of hys worde: than was he moch to blame to send hys hooly sperit to myny­ster soch gyftes vnto men. But [Page] who is he that accuseth the maiestie of god, or reproueth hym in hys doyinges, therfore they are not al fautlesse that repro­ueth the interpretacion whych agreeth wyth the wyll of God, For yf ye stand vpon thys na­rowe ebbe, that otherwyse than the letter, there shulde be no in­terpretacion, ye shuld not only accuse christ him self, whych to hys discyples mystically spea­king many thinges very hard, for them to vnderstande accor­dīg to y^• letter, to make it playn vnto thē dyuerse times and oft expounded vnto them: But al­so y^• sperit of truthe, for we rede that where as Mathew & Marke the Euangelistes haue wrytten of thys Sacrament in this wyse. Drynke hereof al, thys is my bloud of the newe testamēt, [Page] Luke and Paule are so bold by the same sperit to enterpret and make playner the same wordes saying, this is the new testamēt in my bloude, not that the sense differeth, but too interpret thee wordes more playner, to y^• fleshe & bloud which alwayes not led by y^• speryt of God, by false iudgemēt is a stōbling stock to hir self. If thou by the same speryt hath manifestly declared the same body, beyng now in glorye wyth hys eternal father, not to he in the sacramēt, but hathe by hys chosen mynister paul, interpreted the wordes of the euāgelistes saying, as ofte as ye eate of thys bread & drynke of thys cup, preache ye y^• lordes death, tyl he come, why rebelleth Lu­ther & hys adherētes agaynst y^• wil of god, or why preferre they theyr Imaginaciōs, before the [Page] the purpose of our heauenly father, seyng y^t he vnsealed Pau­les lippes, for this cause to pre­che this sayinge, vnto the rude corinthiās, y^e therby thei might vnderstād, for what cōsideraciō this visible signe bread & wyne, was instituted of christ our sa­uiour, namelye to preache thys inuisyble grace y^• the breaking of Christes body & shedinge of hys precious bloud, hath paci­fied y^• vengeance of hys father which was deuised agaynst A­dam Iohan. [...] ▪ & his of spryng, & clēsed vs frō our synnes, so y^e to thē y^e w^t assured affiance w^tout wauerīg are planted in thys hys bodye, Rom, viii ther remayneth no dānatiō, for he came to seke, and saue that was loste, that all that beleued [...]uke. ix. in him, shuld haue lyfe euerla­stynge, accordynge to the testy Iohan. 3. [Page] to the testymony of the prophet Oseas. Thy dampnation o Is­rael, came of thi self▪ but thy saluacion of our lord Iesus christ Yf the letter, good brethrē, shulde be symple vnderstand. Alas what shuld our carnal wysedō and dulle sences, make of christ our mercy seate and lyuing sa­uiour whych dayly noryssheth vs wyth hys aboundant grace hath he not called hym selfe in the letter, a dore, a vyne and a­waye wyth soche lyke phrases, in the scripture, ye truly I pray the thē good congregation, Answere me, Wherfore hathe he thus called hym self. Because thou shuldest iudge him a ma­terial dore, a vyne or waye? no truelye, wherfore than? doubt­lesse Osee. 14: because thy mortal eye perceaueth that the propertie of a [Page] dore is to opē the waye into the mansyon place, & wythoute the dore nomā can enter dangerles Euen so it vouchsaued Christe by hys holy sperit to instructe the immortall eye of thy soule, namely thy fayth, that christ is the onelye dore that leadeth vs vnto god his father, wyth whō as many as beleueth in hys only sonne shal [...]ātifye the euerla­sting sabaoth of endles ioy, for he alone hathe made thys entre by whom al christians must enter, and who so clymmeth ouer the walles, and goeth not tho­row the dore, surely he is a the­fe and a robber, and as a thefe or robber, for his transgressyō is subiect vnto iudgemēt. Euē so shal that soule be endāgered in iudgemēt that seaketh in a­ny otherway to god the father [Page] that christ Iesus, for by him we haue knowledge of god, & without hym we shall neuer knowe god, veryly thus hath he spokē with hys owne mouth. Yf any man knoweth me, the same knoweth him that sēt me, wherfore as the dore is the entery to the māsion place. Euē so Christe is our dore to y^• father, agayn: as thou dayly by experience seeste the branches of the vyne which taketh moosture of y^• body out of whō they issue neuer to dye, but cōtinually according to his nature, growe grene, & floryshe bryngyng forth y^• frute of y^• vyne. Euen so as many as ar vn­faynedly graffed in y^• precious body of christ our sauiour shall neuer taste of death, but perpe­tuallye by hys aboundant grace growe and florysshe in vertu [Page] and brynge forth frute in hym, agreing to his nature, that is, the denyinge of vngodlynes & doinge good, as y^• prophet wryteth, Declina a malo & fac bonum That is to saye. Declyne frō e­uyl, and do good. Last of al, as the way leadeth the pylgryme or wayfaring mā to his iorneys ende that he may ther rest from werines: so doth this our aduocate & mediator christ Iesu lea­de vs which here ar but pylgrymes in this straūge lande com­passed aboute wythe all myse­ryes and deathe to oure owne countrie whom he hath purchased, for his faythful flocke with hys holy and santyfyed bodye, offered ones for al, for y^e remis­syon of our synnes, which countrie endureth for euer exēpt frō all trouble, wherein reynethe [Page] the peace of god for euer. wher we shal enioy the fruyte of our laboure, and atteyne the goole whereat al the faythful euē frō the begynning that hath bene, are, and shalbe to the cōfyrma­tion of the whole world hathe wyllingly directed thee course of theyr lyfe, namely lyfe euer­lasting, the port of christiā, traueyle wythoute werynes tho­rowe Christ our lorde as saithe the euangelist Iohan. Hec scrip si vobis qui creditis in nomine fi­lii Iohan, v, dei, vt sciatis, quod vitam habetis eternā. That is to say. The­se thynges haue I wrytten vnto you that beleue in the name of the son of god: that ye maye know that ye haue euerlasting lyfe. Now to conclude christ is not a material dore, way, or vyne but hath in hym y^• qualities [Page] of these vicible thinges, & thus it pleased his mooste glorious Maiestie to enforme vs in the knowledge of the vertue of his most precious body by thys visyble sygnes to augment oure hope to saluacion. Euē so hath he done in thys hys sacrament sayinge. Hoc est corpus meum, That is to say. Thys is my body, not that hyt is his personal body, nomore thā hit is a dore or vyne, but as he hath y^• qua­lytye of a dore or vyne, so lyke casē hath he y^• propertie of thys bread, for bread by nature no­risheth the body, so christ by nature norysheth y^• soule. Yf therfore the letter shuld be symplye vnderstande without interpre­tacion, how moch shulde it ab­horre the sperit of god, whyche teacheth vs that Christ is our [Page] euerlasting priest, according to the order of melchisedeck, without begynning, & w^tout end Alpha, & Omega, yea how moche shuld it make faynt oure hope to beleue y^• incorruptible bodie of christ our sauiour to be transubstāciat into a massie peace, of bread w^tout lyfe or soule and made of corruptible elementes But here may you se good bre­thren as it were in a myrror or glasse y^• groose capacitie of our indocible iudgemēt of froward fleshe which seketh not hartely to be instructed in y^• truth or sauour of the light, but rather to be wyse in hys own cōceyt and worder at the wysdō of god, namely y^• truth of hys word. As y^• malicious pharaces or stubborne Iewes amōg thē selues wondred at y^• cōfortable wordes of christ, whāhe said his flesh was [Page] meate & his bloud drinke & that it gaue lyfe euerlasting, groosely pōdering the letter & not the spiritual entēt of christ, entēdīg to preach remissiō of theyr syns by the offering vp of his preci­ous body, wherby y^• tyrānous workes of cruel sathā were lowsed & hel syn & deth clerely vanquished: sayd how cā thys man geue his fleshe to eat & his bloude to drinke supposing as Lu­ther & his adherentes y^t they w^t theyr teth shuld eate the flesh of christe, & drinke hys bloud este­ming it only meate to feade the bely w^tal, but christ to cōdēpne theyr fonde suspicion & to ma­ke playne his meaning as tou­ching the eatīg of his precious body being y^• foread sent down from heuē to geue lyfe vnto al the worlde, sayd. Spiritus est qui [Page] qui viuificat, caro nō prodest quic quam verba que loquor spiritus & vita sunt. That is to saye. It is Iohan. vi the sperite that quickeneth, the fleshe profyteth nothinge. The wordes that I speke vnto you are speryt & lyfe. As who shuld say it is a spiritual matter that I speake of, nothyng apperteyning vnto the fleshe, for the sperite of god of nature endeuou­reth to instructe the selye poore and faynt speryte of man, to be apt to comprehende the wyl of hys creator, for thys speryt feadeth the soule, and maketh the hart of mā ioyful, and therfore maye it very well be assembled vnto thys worde meate, for as an hungrye stomack beyng by longe fastynge febled in strey­neth & out of corage, reioyseth whan it is satisfied with meate [Page] Euen so the harte, and soule of man, beyng long febled wyth y^• wrathfull displeasure of God, vnto whom it was subiecte by disobedience: after the aboun­dant mercy of Christ frely offered hir selfe, to appease thys wrathful indignacion, by whō it was noryshed, it ioyfully lo­ked vp, & praysed hys sauiour. And therfore it is a spyrytuall meate whych I speake of, geuē only of y^• sperit, whych feadeth nothing but mānes mind. And thus answered he the errour of the Iewes, whyche vnderstode hym to speake of hys personall bodi, because we shuld not dreame, as Luther hathe done any thyng of thys corporal presens to be in the sacrament. But in thys opynyon, Luther, & you all whych moost vnaduysedlye [Page] haue subscrybed vnto hys er­rour, haue with your carnal wisedom exceded the policie of the wicked worldlinges, which put christ to deth. For yf thei eyther by power or ꝓsuaciō could haue the multitude or commē sort of people beleue y^• his bodi had bene amōgest thē in form of bread they wold neuer haue brybed y^• knyghtes of y^• sepulture w^t money, to say y^t his body was stolē awaye by hys discyples in thee night: but bicause they were vnable to proue hys body to be in theyr possessiō: therfore they fy­ed thē w^t largition to bleare the peoples eyes y^t they myght ne­uer se but styl stād in vnbeliefe. Euē so you with might & mayn haue endeuoured to saue theyr eyes from the lighte of goddes worde, leste paraduenture they [Page] myght happely see & condēpne your heresy & for this ye thinke it no shame to set thys detesta­ble errour as a curtayn betwen the peoples eyes, & the spiritual eating of this bodye, wherfore vnderstand you al that labour of this phrenesy so that ye waxe wroth with y^e sperit of the moste hyest, for speakinge truthe, vn­derstand I say, what is meante by the eating of this spirituall bodye, verely not thee tearynge wythe the teth, nor dysmēbring of Christes body, but only that we shulde assuredlye trust that by hys owne bloude he entered ones for all into the holy place & hath found eternal redēption & also being perfect, became the cause of euerlastīg saluatiō vnto al thē, that obeye him by the [Page] sacrifice of hys precious bloud thorow the sperite offered without spot, vnto god, he hath ge­uen remissyon of al our synnes yf we repent, hatyng vngodlynes, & holy trust vnto this an­ker of our soule, sure & sted fast by hoope whyche leadeth vs to take thys holde, that where as our vnperfecte fleshe was vnable to do or satysfie the wyll of god the father, he hathe by hys precious death & crosse, not on­ly fulfylled the wyl of god, ap­peased hys wrath, and become lyfe euerlastīg to thē that trust in hym, but also is become the entrye of the eternal kyngdom of endles tranquillitie, the place dayly receaued of thē that ar santified in him, for here on stā deth the lawe & thee prophetes, Wherfore whā soeuer ye brea­ke [Page] thys bread & eate it, wherwyth ye assure your cōsciens y^e being turned into your substaunce, it norysheth your bodye, so at the breaking hereof ye must assure your conscience, that yf ye for­sake synne & vnfaynedly beleue that thee breakynge of hys bo­dy hath pourged away our syn by the whych we haue possessed all the merytes of his precious bodye, namely remyssyon of al our synnes and life euerlastīg, He is turned into the immortal incorruptyble and impassyble substaunce of soche a faythfull soule and wythout dout conti­nually norysheth it. Quicū (que) ergo panē hunc cōmederit & ex no­uo testamento in sanguine suo sāctificatio, hoc exhanserit, morte nō morietur sed viuent in aeternum, That is to saye. Who soeuer [Page] therfore shal eate thys bread, & shal drynke of thys newe testa­mēt, sanctifyed in hys bloud: y^• same shal not dye the death but shal lyue for euer. For whan he sayth whoso eateth my flesshe & drinke my bloud hath life euerlasting. And whoso beleueth in me hath lyfe euerlastīg. What dullard is ther that perteyneth not the eatyng of thys bodye, & fayth in hys bloud shedīg to be both one, except he wold moost wickedly appoynt vs. ii. wayes vnto saluacyon one by eatyng of the Sacramente, another by fayth, but yf by eatynge alone the dyscyples shulde haue had lyfe euerlasting, assone as they hadde receaued thys body at y^• supper, what hadde the crosse and death of Christe auayled, But god forbyd that the myn­des [Page] of godly men shuld at any tyme be entankeled wyth soche straūge lerninge & comberous doctryne: which I feare me wolde sone come to passe, yf y^• wor­des of our redemer shulde car­nally according to the letter be vnderstand, but Christ calleth hym selfe both helth & lyfe to al thē that trust in the cōsummate sacrifice of hys body ones offered for al synne & vnto them wil Hebre. ix apeare agayn without syn vn­to saluation sendinge vnto thē by hys boūtuous grace y^e only & most beautiful ambacetor of peace, the importible crowne of euerlasting glory which with a sure hope dylygentely loke for the aperaunce of hys most glo­ryous face, Who wil drawe vs w^t him to the immutable kyngdō of hys father wyth whō we shal with ioye inexplicable liue [Page] eternally, for he hath sayd thys worde, whyche retourneth not vnto hym emptye. Vbi ego sum ibi erit minister meus That is to saye. Where I am, there shall my mynister be, for he enioyeth glory, and lyueth for euer, and so shall we do that trust in hym for thys is the wyl of God, As Iohan sayth. Vt qui vidit filium et credit în eum habeat vitam ae­ternam & Christes resuscitabit eū in nouissimo die. That is to say That he that seeth the sonne & beleueth in hym, maye haue e­ternall lyfe, and christ shal ray­se hym in the last day, Christes flesshe therfore, that it was deliuered vnto death for oure fre­dom, is called the meat of oure soule & hys bloud, forasmoche as it was shedde vpō the crosse is called therfore thee dryncke [Page] most helthful and necessarie of our soule, w^tout whō our soule could not haue bene saued, but in this doctryne of the sperit of truth is foūd no trāsubstāciation into bread nor wyne, nether yet a personal body, therfore ye must nedes grāt al though it before agaīst your wylles y^t your Imaginacion cometh of your selues, and not of god, therfore it must be vntrue. Nā oīs homo mendax, deus verus est in cuius labiis nūcquā inventus erat dolus. That is to say. For euery man is a lyar, but God is true, in whose lippes was neuer found deceit. Good brethrē yet ones agayn paciētly suffer me to aske you a litle questiō y^• knowlege of whō cā by no meanes hinder you, ꝓffer you it may, to discerne your grief & be healed by the [Page] gospel, Haue ye forgottē good brethrē how y^t our sauiour chri­ste in his perigrinaciō in y^• erth to certify his faithful disciples of y^• wil of his father & of his fauour towardes thē in y^t he had sent y^• ꝓmised saluaciō to al thē y^• wold receaue hī & beleue ī his name, left, if. sacramētes to preache his p̄cious deth y^• lauacre of our soules, by whō alone we were purged frō syns, nameli baptyme, & y^• sacramēt of his body, for this case only y^• we alwayes shuld haue before our eyes and firmely print in our hartes his deth & passiō by whom we were sealed into redēption noo more vnder y^e dāger of y^• law whych offered vnto our cōsciēs for trāsgressiō, nothing but dāpnatyō but vnder libertie & grace, leste paraduēture y^• rāping lyō whi­che buseli seketh our destructiō [Page] shuld at any tyme, snatche this christ out of our remēbraū ce (as he is alwaies redi) by sondry inchynes y^t he leyeth to snare oure myndes wherebye they myghte forget theyr saluacion, therfore of, ii. necessarie thīges he made thē of whō we haue in this our mortal lyfe, soch neces­sarie vse, y^• w^tout thē we cannot susteyne our mortal bodies na­meli water & bread, whereby he shewed vs y^t as oft as we soughte by this outward thīges to cō fort our body to maynteyn life & y^• vital sperites therof, euē sowe ought by seing of this to preche vnto our soules y^e most glo­rious deth & passiō of christ our sauiour which susteyneth, cōforteth, & cōtinualli causeth it to lyue, Wherfore for asmoch as he before his deth istituted thes, ii sacramēts, I demād of you whiche [Page] of thē ye thīke most honorable or metest to be preferred before thother paraduenture ye wold saye, the sacramēt of the bodye is moost hiest to be estemed, but yf ye stand to that, ye ar lyke to haue a sodayn fall, for the scripture affyrmeth thē to be equall in this wise saying, theyr endes are one, and the promes annex­ed vnto them bothe, is one and therfore the sacramentes ar of equall forse, that they ar of one strenght the scripture proueth in thys wyse, saying, Quicun [...] credit & baptizatus fuerit saluus erit. That is to saye, He that beleued and shalbe baptised: shalbe Iohan. 6 safe. Agayn Qui manducauerit carnem meam & bibit meum sanguinem habebit vitam eternā. That is to saye. He that shall eate my flesshe, and drynke my bloud: shall haue euerlastynge [Page] lyfe. Now ye see y^• lyfe e­uerlastyng, is the ende of them bothe, therfore they are of one strength, and differ no iote, as touching theyr end. Yf ye grāt them both to geue one gyfte, & to preache one thyng, whereby accordyng to the doctryne of y^• scripture to be equal, thā I de­maūde of you, why bit stādeth not wyth truth to cal the water bloud, aswell as the bread thee bodye, but that ye iudge to be farre out of frame, and very absurde to be spoken and no mer­uel at al though ye so iudge, forasmoche as ye vnderstande the one, and not the other, for yf ye vnderstode y^• breaking of bread to be thee sygne that preacheth to our conscience the breakyng of hys body, as ye vnderstand the water to be a sygne y^t we ar [Page] washed in christes bloud, then wold ye not thus ymagine, but because ye wil not admyt the sacrament of y^• body to be a signe or tokē of the crucified body of christ but rather the very body it self makyng the signe to be y^• thing signified, therfore y^• mys­vnderstāding of thys word sa­cramēt is y^• cause of this youre forged lesynge, fauoure not so moch your enemy whyche more deliteth at your death, thā to so you lyue & enioye good dayes, suffer him not thus to corrupte both your groūd & y^• good sede offered thervnto w^t his most pestilēt & infectuous tares of vnbeliefe his treasure that furnissheth the stynkīg gulffe of hel, hys inheritaunce, lest ye at the coming of the husbandmā, whose entēt is to purge hys corne & gather it together into the garnard [Page] be w^t chaffe & weed burned in vnquēcheable fyer, Receyue the lyghte that ye maye walke therein, for he that walkethe in darkenes knoweth not wyther to goo. S. Austyne hath geuen you thys glasse to plucke oute y^• moote out of youre eyes, tha [...] causeth you to wynke at truth, & thus craftely to shut it vppe in hoodymocke, because the perel shuld not so ouergrow your eyes, that whan shame compel­leth you to see, ye cannot see, so moch is thys godly father and aunciēt wryter your frend, say­ing. Sacramētū est visibile sign um inuisibilis gratiae. That is to say A sacramēt is a vilible signe, of an inuisible grace, that is, a sa­cramēt is visyble, a signe of an inuisible grace & in another place he calleth it Signū sancti rei. [Page] That is to saye. A sygne of an holy thyng, the sygne of an ho­ly thyng. As for an example water is a visible thyng subiected to the senses of man to see, fele, and taste, whose propertie is to mundify and scoure the corruption, and froth that hangeth v­pon our visyble fleshe, & to ma­ke pure oure outward mā, so y^• our eye beyng iudge thereof is certifyed y^t it is cleane & w^t oute spotte, which water for these natiue qualities, being a thing sene with our eye is instituted of god to be a sacrament or sygne to preach an inuisible grace not sene w^t our bodely eyes, nameli y^• propertie of christes precious bloudshed for our redēption, & saluaciō, y^• only lauacre of our soule by whō it is escoured frō syn y^t so hath festered it to deth? [Page] our only hyloe which hath clensed our leprosy that had so enfebled our weake sperit so y^• we ar now regenerate into the lyuely hope of lyfe euerlastyng by the bloud of this vndefiled lābe in soch sort now, y^t yf y^e deuyl wold lay assault vnto our cōsciēce w^t his instrumētes of disperacion to make oure hope faynte y^• we haue brokē the lawe, & therfore must of force be cōdēpned, or y^t god is vnable to remyt our iniquities yf we repēt neuer so sore, we haue to vāquishe hys ty­rannous persuaciōs this ꝓmyses annexed vnto these visyble sygnes or sacramētes, which ar only sene w^t y^• eyes of our faith & tasted with soule, nameli that Roma. x▪ christ is y^• fulfilling of y^• law to iustify al y^• beleue, agayn, christ hath put out y^• handwryting y^• [Page] was agaynst vs cōceaued in y^• lawe writtē, & that hath he takē out of the way, & hath fastened it to y^• crosse, & hath spoyled ru­le C [...]l [...], ii & power, & hathe triūphed o­uer thē in his own person. And last of al paul sayth, that we ar Roma, vi not now vnder the law but vn­der grace, for it is wryttē, to the only consolatiō & comfort of al afflicted cōsciēces, that willingly repēt thē of theyr wickednes That christ for no other purpose i, Timo. i came into thys world but to saue synners. For he hath cōfessed hym self to be soch a god, so mercyful so kynd, & louinge to thē y^t repent theyr wickednes, y^t he wyl not remēbre theyr iniquities which they haue wroughte but they shal lyue because of y^• ryghtuousnesse that he hathe wroughte. And therfore, thus wryteth Ezechiel the prophet of [Page] of him euen in hys own person speaking. As truly as I liue, I Ezech, 33 haue no pleasure in y^e deth of a synner, but moch rather y^• y^• wicked turne frō his way & lyue, & to declare his mercy how it lu­steth to see al mē saued beholde how frendely he speaketh vnto Ierem. [...], Israel saying. Returne o thou rebel frō syn, & I wyl not turne my face from the, for I wyl not thē be angry wyth the for euer. Thus ye se good brethrē, howe mercifully y^• almyghtyest hath wrought wyth vs mortal crea­tures▪ beyng but dust & asshes, that it hath pleased his diuyne maiestie, so moch to tēder oure weake sperites cōpassed about wythe the pryson & infectuous dongion of flesshe and bloude, that in the receyte of thys vysyble sygnes, we haue wherwyth to comfort strengthē & augmēt [Page] augmēt our hope to saluacion, namely y^• promises of his most sacred worde, which neuer fay­leth y^• faythful y^• assuredly tru­steth therin, for god is y^• word, & the word is god, And as god is an euerlastīg god w^tout beginnyng & without end, euē so this word is a perpetual word, & endureth for euer: For he hath sayd y^• heauē & earth shal perisshe & come to ruynne, but y^• worde of y^• lorde endureth for euer Wherfore as y^• lord in this visible sacramentes hath preached vnto vs y^• inuisible grace mercy & fauour of his sperit, euē so with his spiritual cōsolaciō vnsene with our flesheli eyes hath he cōfyrmed y^• hope of our forefathers in the promyses of hys holy word by visyble signes or sacramētes. As for an example [Page] it pleased our heuēly father to leaue vnto Abrahā & his poste­ritie circūsitiō with certayn sa­crifices in moyses law to be sacramētes & tokēs, by whō they shuld be led, as it were by y^• hād to Christ of al fleshe, y^u trusteth in him y^• only sauiour. That as the sacrifices of y^• Iewes done with bloud wherwyth al thyn­ges in the tēple was sprinkeled being a visyble sacramēt vnto theyr mortal eyes, preached the inuisible grace of the promes y^• Esaye prophesied, namely that god wold send a lambe so pure, innocēt & symple into the earth that butter shuld not melt ī his mouth, neyther yet he shuld be able to breake a rede, whō hys wyl was to be slayne, a satisfactorye & perfyghte sacrifyce, for mans transgressiō & remyssion [Page] of his syns. Euē so circūsytion was a visible sacramēt to cōfyrme thē in this inuisyble grace. That god the father had prepared for thē an instrument to cut away y^• froth & corruptiō of A­dā, & of thē al that issued out of hys loynes, which instrumēt is Rom. iiii Christ the promysed seede to A­brahā in whome all nacyons be blessed. Therfore as it is euy­dēt by the scripture theyr sacramētes were of equal force with ours, sauing that theyrs prea­ched vnto them the commynge of Christe, and ours, that christ is all ready come and is assen­ded aboue the cloudes to geue saluacion vnto men, but all ac­cordynge to truth hath taught Iesus to be our peace offeryng and satisfaction. Thus is marten Luthers opynyon wyth all [Page] hys scholers in this poynt chieffely reproued that yf the bodye of Christ shulde really be in the sacramēt of the alter ▪as featly ye name it, then were not the sacramentes of equal force, But we only possesse thys Christe of whom theyr sacramentes testy­fyed and not they, & consequēt­ly that we only ar saued, because we ar only pertakers of this body, and not they, for theyr sa­cramētes ledde vnto christ, and our Sacrament is (as ye saye) Christ hym self, O blasphemye most horrible, that the precious bloude of Christe oure sauiour vnyuersallye shedde for all fles­she, shall thus by youre mooste deuylysshe Imagynacyon, be made insuffycyente? Thynke you that truethe can thus be [Page] thus be outfaced of your here­sye, no it wyl cōdēpne your wickednes iustely & proue you as ye ar vntrue in dede. And for y^• proffe of thys. What meaneth the mercye seate to be placed v­pō the arke, & y^• two cherubins to be set vpon this mercy seate one agaynst another, & both lo­king down into the mercyseate But that our forefathers, abrahā, Isaac, & Iacob, which slepte many a daye before christes in­carnatiō by fayth assured themselues to be purifyed in the precious deth & crosse of christ our sauiour & of theyr wretchednes, in him to haue fre remission, so that ther by euydently it is de­clared, that theyr sacramētes & ours are of one force, & as tou­ching theyr end they dyffer not for aswel theyr sacramentes as [Page] ours preache Christ crucifyed, whych wyth the onely sacrifyce of hys body hath made al them perfecte for euer, whom he hath sanctified. That ye may therfore vnderstande this example of the lawe, marke diligētly what it signifieth that thereby youre hartes maye be opened to bele­ue thee mooste sacred worde of God thee ioyefull tydynges of youre delyueraunce from deth thorowe. Christ Iesus. The arke fygured the law, which withoute parcialitie condempnethe all flesshe for synne, so that therby could no man be made ryghtuous, nether yet safe from the vyalles of Goddes wrathefull indignacion whome he powred as a iuste rewarde, vpon Adās dysobedyence for after that he hadde preuaricate thys lawe. [Page] Eate of all y^• frute wythin this garden, only excepted the frute of knowledge, of good & euell, straythforth wyth the appel, he deuoured death and dampna­cion, and coulde noo longer be herbored vnder the plesant shadow of the fruteful trees of E­den, but was bannysshed thee presens of y^• lord his god with glistering swordes of flaminge fyer as a traytour most rebellious, & disobediēt agaynste hys law. Now whā y^• law beyng by nature an exacte iudge & one y^• vseth noo percialitye in rewar­ding euery one accordīg to his desertes, had for syn dishereted Adam, & throwē hym into thys moost wretched vale of all my­sery, wher the curse of god with oute all resystaunce came vpon hys head, he coulde not for sha­me [Page] seke frendshyp of the lawe▪ whose straytenes he had tasted and so well knewe to abhorre, hate, and condempne synne, for the lawe entreateth no man frē dely, but hym which diligently obserueth all thing wryttē therin, to whom it hath made thys promes, that yf he shall doo all thynges conteyned therein he shall lyue in them and see good daies, but yf he breake this law and let the couenauntes therof be vndone, then wyll the Lorde beuyse agaynste hym thys pla­ges followynge for the abbrea­che thereof, he wyll vysyte hym shortely with feuers & swellin­ges which shal destroy y^• eyes & [...]etif, xvi [...] and, xxvi Ez [...]: xviii Deut [...]. 28. consume away the hart (y^• is to say) y^e soule which hath sinned against this law, shal dye y^• deth, Adā therfore for asmoche as he [Page] dysobeyed the statutes of thys lawe was nowe ouerwhelmed wyth deathe, and darkenes ha­uynge no frynde that wolde or coulde be found that was able to bruste thee intollerable and mooste paynefull yocke of thee lawe, whych hadde so greuous­lye wounded his conscyēce, vn­tyll soche tyme that God of his mere benygnytye, (not wylling that the adueysarye shuld pos­sesse the creature, whom he had made to magnifye hys name,) spared not hys onely begotten sonne Iesus Christe, to make hym partaker of oure vyle fles­she and all naturall infyrmyti­es therof synne excepte, that by hys gloryous death and resur­rectyon, he myghte treade hym vnder fote which hadde power ouer deathe, and delyuer them [Page] that sate in darkenes & in thee shadowe of death from this terryble captyuyte, and bynde vp the woundes of Adam and hys posteritie because therfore that the lawe by the meane of disobedience hadde couered all man­kynde wyth dampnation, he came as a lambe moost innocente and by hys obedience vnto the death of the crosse he exempted not onely al men from the curs­se of the lawe, but also he coue­red them wythe saluacyon that wythout wauerynge trusted in hym, and therefore he is called the mediator of God and mā in thee holye scripture, because he beyng bothe God and man not onely satisfied the lawe, but also mollyfyed the anger of God hys father, conceyued agaynste Adam for thee trangressyon of [Page] the law, for it was not one nature I meane man, that was able and of power too obserue thys law of hys proper strēgth, syns that the lawe hathe confoūded synne from the begynning, vn­der whō Adam an al fleshe that issued oute of hys loynes, was shutte in, but of necessitie there must some soch one be founde, whych beyng coupled together two natures & wythout spot of synne, shuld satisfye for synne & please god for trāsgressiō. Mercy therfore pytyfully lamēting the fal of Adam and very Loth to see thee Image of God thus bondaged to death, by the sub­tyll entycemente of thee cruell serpente, and an outcaste by the lawe, for asmoche as it percea­ued in earthe, thee impotencye of fleshe and bloud, how weake [Page] & vnable it was to breake thys serpentes head, it anoynted euē Christe Iesus to preache good tydynges vnto thee poore, hea­lynge vppe the woūded hartes and delyuer thee captyues frō Esaye, 61, deth destroyng that had power ouer death, that mākynd might be made a ryghtuous planting of the Lorde for hym to reioyse in. Christ therfore nothinge re­bellious vnto the wyl of hys father, who thorow hys fauoura­ble mercy had apoynted hym a sauiour before the foūdaciō of the world were leyed, came and was incarnate for our sake subiected vnto all oure myseryes wythoute synne that by the sa­crifyce of hys most precious body myght become a refuge and bastiliō vnto al faythfull & pe­nitent synners, that beleued in him [Page] so sure and stronge, that the deuyce of the lawe shuld not hurt them, that were marked wythe hys bloude, neyther yet the lo­custes whom the starre let out of the botomles pyt, shuld wor­ke theyr commyssyō vpon them nor spue out the deuysed vengeaunce of thee God of Iacob a­gaynst Apoca, ix. them, which he hath de­uised to fall vpon al fleshe that hadde not the seale of this lambe in theyr fore headdes. Ther­fore is he called in y^• holy scrip­ture, our mercyseat for asmoch as all they that beleue in hym, are defended by hys bloudsheddynge, Nowe is christe become oure peace offering and perfect sacryfyce: our mediator and onlye aduocate, whych hath dely­uered vs from vnder the lawe, and graffed vs in lybertye and [Page] grace, beynge so fyrmely & sta­ble a mersyate, that he not one­ly standeth betwene vs and the lawe, but also assureth the Che­rubyns of an euerlastyng seate whych neuer shal decaye because they haue hooped in hym, for these Cherubyns sat face to fa­ce vpon the mercyseate, sygny­fyeth the fathers, and theyr of­spryng that haue slept from the creacion of the world vntyl the mooste gloryous death of chri­ste Iesus. And all these that shall slepe tyll the apperaunce of the sonne of man in hys glo­rye at the consummation. And theyr lokynge downe into thee mercyseat, sygnifieth the confessyon of theyr fayth, that they in hym are both holye and ryghtuouse for asmoch as vnfaynedly they beleued that, that the pro­phetes [Page] haue testyfyed, that as [...]e [...]u, 13 many as trust in him shal haue remissiō of theyr syn, for ther is no helth in any other, nether is ther any other name geuen vn­der heuē vnto mē, wherby they myght be saued, but only y^• na­me of Iesu Christ, In conclusi­on the fathers & we, hooly cleue vnto this christ, for asmoche as in him we haue life euerlasting & without hym ther cā come no saluaciō vnto mē, for he is y^• geuer thereof as wytnessethe hys owne sperit, saying. Ego do vitā ouibus meis. That is to say, I geue lyfe to my shepe. Wherfore paul to declare y^t the fathers which slepe in y^• lord, to haue eatē y^• same body & haue dronke of the same cup which is preached vnto vs in thys Sacramente [Page] whereof we also are partakers sayeth, we haue al drōke of one spyrytuall rocke, and ar parta­kers of one bread, by whō we ar made one body. Et hic erat ille panis qui de celo descēdit ex quo, Si quis ederit viuet in aeternum. That is to saye. And this was that bread that came from hea­uen, wherof, yf any mā shal ea­te, he shall lyue for euer. Why­che is the head of the faythfull congregacion, Euen Christ the mediator betwene god and mā, in whom as many as faythful­ly beleue ar buryed from theyr synnes, and rysen agayne wyth hym in newnes of lyfe, and he that doubte the not thys, but wythe an assured affyaunce hopeth thereafter, hathe alreadye eaten hys body and dronke hys [Page] bloude and hath in hym lyfe e­uerlastynge. Contrarye he that beleueth not the mooste sacred and eternall Testament, sanctifyed in hys most precious bloude, but castethe it behynde hys backe as a word doubteful and not to bee trusted, let hym eate thys sacrament fyue thousand tymes where in ye fayne more lyke infydels thā faythful christians the body of christ our sa­uiour to be conteyned really, it shall asmoche auaylle hym to saluatyon as a dyrgies peny or a masse of requiem, for it is not thee sacramentall eatynge that geueth the saluation, but to beleue goddes worde, that is the sauegarde of the soule, neyther is it the Sacramental eatynge that condempnethe thy soule, but the vnbeliefe of gods word [Page] couereth the wythe death. For the eatynge of the Sacrament wythout fayth in the promesse aduexet there vnto, profytethe nothyng, but to eate the sacra­mente and stedfastlye to beleue the promes, he receaueth not only the Sacrament, worthelye, but hath also lyfe euerlastynge not for eatynge the Sacramēt but because he beleueth in hym whom the sacrament fygureth, who is lyfe euerlastynge as Iohan wytnesseth sayinge. God hath geuen vs lyfe euerlasting and thys lyfe is in hys son, he that hathe the sonne, hath lyfe, and he that hathe not the sonne of God, hathe not lyfe in hym, Wherfore to eate thys Sacra­ment i, Ioh, v. reuerently accordynge to the holye scripture, is in brea­kynge of the breade to preache, [Page] vnto our conscyence the lordes deathe, by whom we are sealed vnto redemption, And in drin­kyng of the cuppe, that is in o­beyng to hys worde, to haue remyssyon of all oure iniquities, and lyfe euerlastīg. Now good brethren, because I wyll not be tedious, I hartelye desyre you in the Lord Iesus, & yf by hys death & bloudshedinge ye haue receyued the hope of saluacyon do also requyre you not, as one hauyng any auctorytye of hym self, but as an instrument nowstered by the louynge kindnes of god to cal you from your heresye, to consyder the Embace­tour & hye prest of our professiō christ Iesus beyng y^• brightnes of gods glory & the very Ima­ge of his substāce, bearyng vp al thinges w^t y^• word of his po­wer how he hath in his own person [Page] purged our synnes & is set on y^e righthād of the maiestie on hye, being euē as moch more excellēt thē y^• angels, & also howe he hath sanctified y^e testamēt in his precious bloud to y^e cōfortable helth & spiritual reioysinge of al these y^• couet y^• immutable or euerlastyng heritage attay­ned by christ, for thē whō stedfaste fayth in his bloud hath ma­de y^• adoptiue heyres of god, in the whych testamēt ye may euydētly perceaue, yf the burden of syn hath not seduced you frō y^• grace of god, how this adulterian lerning, I wold saye, Lutherian doctryne is reproued therby, beinge the promysed sperite of truth sent of god to the cōso­lation of thē y^t trust in his name, the dispicing of whō killeth the soules drawing vpō thē the curses of god & hys hateful [Page] vengeaunce as is manyfest in the holy scripture spoken, both in the lawe and by the holy prophetes, for what a grieffe was it vnto Moyses, whan the chyldren of Israel wolde not heare hym, neyther beleue the m [...]ssiage from thee Lorde theyr God, whych he brought, thynke you that it petyed hym not to se the worde of hys maiestie in so lit­le regarde, yea trulye but howe moche more shall it greue thee lyuynge God whych of fauour humbled his onely sonne christ Iesus vnto death, for the saue­garde of mākynd to se the blessed Testament of hys kyndnes towardes vs, and moost heauē ly speryt so lytle estemed pronū ced by hym, whych far excedeth Moyses in worthynes and ho­nour euen Iesus Christ. Thinke [Page] you that he▪ cā suffer truth thus to loose his honour and be euel entreated at the handes of fles­she & bloud, no truly he can, for it abhorreth hys nature, & therfore he withdraweth not his indignaciō, but suffereth it, roote thē out of the earth that dispyse it. And to thys deareth the Prophete Esay. ii [...] Esaye wytnes, sayinge. Because they haue offended the law, chaūged the ordynaunce & made the euerlasting Testamēt of none effecte. Therfore shal y^• curse deuoure the earth for they that dwel theron haue synned & kyndled the wrath of the holye one of Israel, which shal so smyte the hylles that y^• karcases of the vngodly shal lye in y^• strete for because thei haue neglected this worde (sayth Ieremye) the Lord wyl send vpon the sword, [Page] honger & pestilēs for he hath already prepared hym self agaīst Ierem, 29 thē to battaile, & set vp y^• power of his voyce to declare hys ter­rible arme, with his angry coū ­tenance, yea & the flamme of the consumyng fyer, whom he hath made both large wide and depe the noryshing wherof is wodde innumerable, whō the breath of the almyghtyest shal kyndle as Esay, 30, a smatche of brymstone, what moued the lorde to threaten the vngodlye that he wolde make heauē vnto them as Iron, and the earth as brasse that it shuld not bryng forth her encrease to theyr sustentacion? thee dispy­syng of hys worde, what prouoked hym to sende wylde beastes to deuoure them, & make wayst theyr landes? the despysynge of hys worde, what caused him to [Page] to send a sword, & a consuming pestylens vpon thee stubburne to auenge hys Testamēt, the cō tempt of it, what drewe the wō ­derfull plage of penure vpon them, so that they eate the fleshe of theyr sonnes and doughters and causeth the soule of the lor­de to abhorre them, The despy­syng of goddes word: wherfore as Paule sayth, we ought to geue the more hede vnto thynges whych we haue herde, lest we perysshe, for yf the worde whyche was spoken by angels was stedfast, & euery trangression & dis­obediens receaued a iust recompence, how shal we escape yf we despyse so great a saluaciō, whiche (after it was begonne of the Lorde hym selfe to be preached) was cōfyrmed vpō vs by thē y^• herd it, god hearīg witnes thervnto, [Page] wythe tokens wonders & diuerse powers & gyftes of the holy ghoste accordynge to hys owne wyl, forget not good bre­thers, how sore y^• lorde was but to reueng the disobediēs of the cruel Pharao, & the wonderful plages that his soule had dyuised agaynste hym soo heynous they were & intollerable, that y^• poore beastes of the fylde & fys­shes of the see, yea the hole land was layd wast & became a wyl­dernes, for y^• syn of thys kynge Egypt most horrible in y^• syght of god, namely the despycynge of hys worde. Cal to your remē braunce the continuall captiuytie & most fylthy deth that hap­pened to passure the son of Emmerchief in the house of y^• lorde for the contempt of gods word Ierem, xx preached of Ieremy the lordes [Page] Prophete, where Iosyas, Ico­nias, & the false prophet Hana­ [...]nas which wyth soch vyolence reproued the prophet, & cast the word of the lord behynde theyr backes preserued frō perell, no truely, for the lord cōmaunded the earth by the mouthe of hys prophet that theyr names shuld be wryttē among the outlawes that in theyr life they might haue no prosperite, & that none of theyr seede shuld be so happy as to syt vpō the leate of dauid, or beare rule in Iuda, but shulde most shamefully dye amōg the Babylonians. Syns therfore god of his mere benignite hath left in hys most blessed word, y^• intreature of soch rebellions y^e hath so frowardli despised their own saluacion, & wyllingly for sakē theyr lord, & creator in that [Page] they haue presumptuously set y^• wytles Imaginacion of dust & ashes to contempne the wysdō of the god of Iacob, the creator of the whole world, in whose hā des standeth the borders & coo­stes therof to rule it as his mo­ste godly wyll is: only for loue sake, that we therof shuldbe nor tered, & take a dissiplyne not to cōmyt any soch offence against Christ our sauiour, lest as they came to naught, so we perysshe in our giltines, Turne therfore good brethrē frō your stubburnes & resyst not hys holy word, whych is of power so myghty & strong that he is able wyth the breath therof to cōsume you as lyghtly as fyer dothe drye kyc­kes or stubble but rent and tea­re your hartes & dayly bewayle your syn, magnifieng the liuinge [Page] God thorowe your aduocate & mediator Iesus christ that hys longe sufferance whiche loueth not to see your destruction, but rather that ye repent, and lyue hath so long wythhold the vio­lent arme & wrathful, displeasure of our heauenly father from you that sodayn destructiō had not deuoured you in your wyc­kednes, suffer not this hys mercyfull fauoure to cause you to be more careles than the foules of the ayre for the storke knowethe hys apyoynted tyme, the Turtyl, the swalowe, and thee crane, cōsyder the tyme of theyr trauell, shulde not then the people of God, both know & feare y^• tyme of the lordes vengeaūce? Now therfore yf ye wylbe thee shepe of hys pasture, and bee [Page] be fed of hys plēteousnes, har­dē not your hartes as the heddi people dyd in y^• wyldernes pro­uokynge thorowe your disobe­diens the God of al mekenes in hys heauy displeasure to swere vnto you as he dyd vnto them, whych there were ouerthrowen for theyr synnes, ye shal not en­ter into my reste, but gentyllye heare the voyce of your sheperde, (as is thee prophecie of hys chosen shepe) so louingly spea­kynge thus vnto your conscience. Chyldren yf ye wyll receaue my wordes & kepe my cōmaūdementes, thē shal you vnderstād the feare of the lord & fynd out the knowledge of god, thē shalt thou vnderstand rightuousnes iudgement & equitie and euery good pathe, for therby wysedō entereth into your hartes, who Proue, ii, [Page] by counsel, & vnderstāding preserueth you frō the euyl way & frō the mā y^t speaketh froward thynges. And therfore the pro­phet dauid saythe, Blessed is y^• mā whych seketh after the testymonyes of the lord & diligently obeyeth the word of god, whom he hath sente to heale them & to Psal, 17, delyuer thē frō destructiō that delyghteth therin. To this staf dyd Abrahā & al hys posteritie, (than were sanctified in the promysed seede euen Christ Iesus) leue vnto, in al aduersytye, and neuer were dysceaued of theyr hope, nor forsakē of the lorde in tyme of trouble, for thys worde causeth a fountayne of lyuing water to flowe out of theyr bel­lyes that trust therin & for this haue many taysted of mockyn­ges scorgynges, of bondes of [Page] of prysonment were stoned, we­re hewen a sonder, were tēpted, were stayne wythe thee sworde, And these all thorowe faythe in thys eternall testament, attay­ned in this lyfe not only a good report but haue receyued y^• promes of the word, life euerlastīg Wherfore denye synne and all vngodlynes, & wythout doute ye shall not onely haue the vn­derstanding of thys word wherby ye shal be able to vanquishe all assaultes of our mortal ene­mye the deuyll, but also shalbe able by it to dyscerne this your wycked errour and condempne it & wyth a pure hart magnifye the truth of our heauēly father whych thorowe hys sonne Christe oure lorde hath perdoned al oure synnes and in hym geuen [Page] all them that faythfully beleue the breakynge of hys precious bodye, and mooste gloryous bloudsheddyng vpon the cros­se to be the perfyghte sacryfyce of oure redemptyon, and the onlye attonemente betwene God the father and mannes consci­ences thee importyble crowne of euerlastynge glorye, wythe hym to reioyse in thee heauenly Kyngdome contynuallye, and thys is thee true and infallyble eatynge of hys body and bryn­kynge of hys mooste precyous bloude thee endeles comforte of oure soules, whyche wyll ne­uer suffer them to see death neyther corruption, but to be incorruptible and of the same immortall substaunce that christ oure sauyoure is, not wythstanding Luthers errour, whom he hath [Page] alreadye condempned wyth the promysed brethe of hys mouth, namelye the sperit of truth, whom he promysed all hys faytheful, to leade them in­to all truth beyng the Testament sancti­fyed in hys preci­ous bloud the soule & only effecte of our re­demptyon.

¶ Wherfore the God of peace that brought agayn frō y^e dead our lord Iesus Christ y^• greate sheperde of the shepe thorowe y^• bloud of the euerlastynge testamente, make you perfecte in all good workes, to doo hys wyl, workynge in you, that whyche is pleasaunt in hys syght tho­rowe Iesus Christ our lord, to whom be prayse, honour & glo­rye foreuer and euer. Lette all people saye. Amen. Amen.

¶ God saue the Kynge.

☞ Grace be wyth you.