The Confutation of the Misshapen Answer to a Wicked Ballad

The preface to the reader.

The confutation

In this preface of yours I note .iii. things First that you say the sacrament hath many en • mies. Secondly, that you father your fond opinion upon the scripture. Thyrdely and last that you go about to make that thing plain whereof never man doubted.

For the first, It is easy to be coniected what manner of men you accompt for the enemies of this sacrament, even the author of the ballad that you brabble about and all other of his mind (I doubt not) are those you mean of, But for as much as it is no small reproach to a christiā man to be accōpted an enemy of Christ's sacraments: it shall be good to bring this matter ne • e the light, that all such as have eyes that can abide the light, may judge whether of both the parties, your sort or ours, be the enemies that you spal • of, It shall be necessary therefore first to describe the enemy of Christ's sacraments, setting him forth in his lively colors and then set him up between both parties, that other men may iuge which▪ of thē both he doeth most resemble.

The enemy therefore of Christ's sacraments is such one as by any mean endevoreth to diminish or take away any parte of the virtue and strength of the same, as for example, he that will take away from baptism the virtue & pour to declare unto us by the eternal and outward wassheynge of the body, that the soul is (by the blood of the immaculate and unspotted lamb) washed and purged from all the fylthe and corruption of sin: the same is an enemy unto baptism and denieth it to be a sacrament. For lenger thē it is the visible sign of invisible grace, it is no sacrament.

In like manner, he that endevoreth, to take a way from the most blessed sacrament of the body and blood of Christ the virtue & pour to declare unto us that as the bread is made of many grains and the wyne of many grapes and yet is but one loofe or piece of bread and one cup of wyne, so we being many faithful believers & professers of christ are but one body the head whereof is y ^• same our savior & redeemer Christ: doeth no less thē deny these moste worthy sacraments, bread & wyne, to be any sacraments at all, or at the lest way he taketh away from them their chiefest and principal office, leaueinge them as it were things scrueynge in manner to no purpose. For not withstādeynge that they signify unto us, that in like manner as they are the food of the body, so is Christ the food of the soul: yet the chi • feste thing that they were ordained for, was to declare the unite of the faithful m • mbres of Christ's musticall body, the church and congregac • on of Christians.

What so • uer he is therefore, that taketh away from these sacraments the pour to signify this unity: denieth them to be sacraments, and therefore is an enemy to Christ's sacraments.

Now let them that have the spirit of god wellinge in them: judge whe • there of both parties be these enimes▪ We that say they be bread and wyne, and therefore made of many graynes of corn • & many grapes, whereby is signified the unity of us the menbres of Christ's mystical body: or you that deny them to be either bread or wyne, and therefore to have any such signi • ication? You are to young (master Hoggarde) to defe • de this matter. You know not on which side your bread is buttered, You toke your 〈◊〉 to be an high friend to Christ's sacraments and now you are proved to be their mortal enemy.

Now for you secounde parte. You say (and true it is) that Paul teacheth all things that be written, to be writ • en for our learneing. Frēd Hogg • rde, I cun you thank that you have learned some what at father Latimers sermons, thought your coming thither were for like purpose as you have heretofore haunted other mens sermons to • ere and note and bear tidings you wot whether. But I would wish that you had learned a little more, and then I doubt not but you would have been atrayde eythere to bely God's moste holy boke or to set any of gods scriptures on the • acke or else to crxampe them. Where find you it in gods boke y ^• Christ's body and blood, is the • ode of our bodies? Dyd not Christ rebuke the Capernaties for this your gross & carna • l opinion? did he not bid them work the meat • that remaineth forever and not that which perisheth? And whā they asked him what they might do to work the works of God: did he not make answer y ^• to beli • ue in him whō God hath sent, is the work of God? Is Christ's immortal body become the food of our mortal bodies? Oh more then owlieshe blindness, Wher find you in all gods boke, yea in a • y foude Philosophers writteinge, that mortal bodies can be fed with food that is immortalle? The time would fail me, if I should not leave writing til I had declared your beastly blindness to the worthiness.

But I will leave you to the judgment of them y ^• shall read your words, which are so open blasphemy, that every man that hath any little spark of godly knowledge may easily judge whose spirit you are.

Then do you proceed to heap error upon • rrour, and thus you say. The perfect faith wherein this sacrament must be received: is to be lieue that Christ is there, body and soul.

To scan these your words to the worthiness I can do not less then judge your meaneinge herein to be all one with that wicked article for the not belieueinge whereof so many have ben most cruelly murdered, even one of the syx which God hath now confounded. For what other thing can you make of your ioyneing of body and soul to the sacrament: but to mak • it natural man which consisteth of these two partes. And then it is easy to be coniected what arguments you will ground upon this sand. Forsoth even the same that the great patrons and defenders of this articles have heretofore framed to their purposse. And had if not ben for fear to encure the danger of the late proclamacion. I doubt not you would have lashed them out as fast as never did any of them. But you think • your • else to have escaped all these dangers & yet to have placed your words so that all your frindes may perceive your meaneinge to • e nolesse but that the sacrament is not bread nor wyne, but •• eshe, and blood and bones bec • use it is body and soul. But if you remember the words of the proclamacion well, you shall s • that you have over shot yourself a little as w • rely as you have walked. As I remember, the proclamacion permitteth none other names to be given to the sacrament. But such as are expressly found in the scripture, And I pray you where find you in the scripture, that the sacrame • t is called the soul of Christ? Se you no • into what case you have brought yourself Well shift for yourself as well as you can. I • ear me the proclamacion will be laid in your neck. And if it be, take it for a plage, for amongst those things that be wryiten for our learning: are found these true sayeinges. Who so striketh with the sw • rde sha • l perish with the sw • rde. He that showeth no mercy, shall find no mercy.

And the same measure ye make unto other shall be made unto you again.

Remembre yourself (frynde Hogherde) how • many you have set forward toward 〈◊〉 in the time of persecution. Men thy • ke that from the • yme of John Fri • h to 〈…〉 of (the constante witness of gods truth) Anne askwe, there was no blood shed in Smythfylde, but your parte will be in it at the last day▪ Repēt therefore and acknowledge your • aute, God is merciful to the penitent, He is able to take from you your stony heart and to give you one of •• esh. But if you will be still stubborn, he will make you utter you • own folly further yet, & at the length to renne into the red sea with cruel Pharaoh.

Now▪ in the third and last parte of your preface: you labor greatly to make that thing plain y ^• never mā doubted of, that is y ^• god is able to make his body & blood of bread & wine.

Who ever doubted of gods omnipotency & almyghtie pour? Who believeth not certaynelye that he which was able to make heaven, the earth and all that is therein of naught: can also make his body and blood of bread and wyne? You bid us captivate our reason, because it surmunteth reason to know how god worketh this wonderful work above teasō Surelye I never hard reasonable beast braylle with less reason. For what resone leadeth you to conclude. Aposse adesse, that is if you understand not the terms of logic (as I coniect by your wryttynge that you do not) to affirm a thing to be done. because it is possible it may he don▪ It is possible that you (being to your pour) a cruel Saulle should be converted & made aperfecte Paul and preachers of y ^• way which you have long persecuted: but y ^• you are so, doeth, not yet appear wherefor I dare not conclude because it is possible and God is able to change your heart therefore he hath done it. But if I did percei • either by any manifest sign or • oken or else by the testimony of godes holy word that you we • converted: I would forth with believe it without asking any questiō howe it might be Ryght so do I say of the sacraments of the body & blood of Christ If I might perceive that God had (accordeinge to his pour) changed this bread & wyne into his body & blood or if the word of God did tell me that Christ had made this alteracion or change: I would and so would we all) be as ready to believe it as you on any of your doctors thought it we my Lord of Winchester whose arguments you use in your answer. But here you begin to prepare yourself to speak. You have an objection ready at hand, I pray you sir (say you) what plainer words would you have then those which Christ spake to his disciples when he instituted this blessed sacrament? did he not say this is my body? How say you sir to this, was it his body that he gave them or did he make alye to them? For one of the boeh you must needs grant me. Not so syr by your l • eaue Nether did he lie unto thē nor yet was the bread that he gave them his body other wise thē the cup was the new testament or covenant established by his blood shed on the cross, that is to say in signi • i • acion and not in substance a • d so we believe more firmly than all my Lord your masters faggottes can remove out of our hearts. We shall speak more largelye of this matter in the confutation of your answer to the ballad.

The confutation.

You enter into your matter, as though you had been at school with Tertullus y ^• ora • our that accused Paul before Felyx the debtie, A faulse Christian, you say, hath made a ballad, a fond talker, a wrytter of diuillishe doctrine, one that hath spent his time wickedlye in writeynge this ballad. But your master 〈◊〉 had one caste that you lack. He had substantial men even of the auldermen of Ierus • lem to wittynesse with him that all was true that he • ayed. I am a f • ade the auldermen of o • don will not do so by you.

Well you say he is a false Christian, but because you have no record I dare not believe you. For if ye be remembrede, you complained in your preface of the great number of enimes that the sacamentes of Christ have: and ye • in conclusion it was proved that their was none so great and enemy as yourself. Even so 〈◊〉 this point I will not swear for you. For he that is tried to be an enemy to Christ's sacramen •• s, is not like to be a true Christian.

Come nere the light therefore that we may deserne whether your hear be natural or conterfaite. A woulfe may have a shepes fell one his back: and so I fear me you have. But we shall not be desce • ued in you, for our master Christ hath appointed us tokens to know you By their fruits (saith he) you shall know them, They do the works of their fath • r the devil who was an homiside or manquellar even from the beginning. The great desire that you have to shed man's blood declareth your nature. The name of a Christian cannot make you aper • it christiā & a sheep of his flock.

No though ye go in company with the sheep of Christ even to their pasture and feadyng: yet so long as ye be ashepebyter, we can not take you for other then a woulfe, though you were lapped in .iiii. sh • pe skynes,

The true Christians are in this world as lambes in the middes among woulfes, All they therefore that be as woulfes among lambes, are false Christians. If you therefore do know the Author of this Ballad to be such one: thē may you iustby call him a false Christian, other wise you slander him.

Certain fruits there be whereby these false Christians be known, which if I find in you ye must pardon me though I translate this name from him to you as to him that is most worthy to bear it.

The first of these fruits, is delight in outward holiness, which Christ reprehended in the phariseis, An other is the faruent zeal to set forth man's doctrine, and to measure the scripture therb • , which was rebuked in them also, The third and last, is the gloriyng in their own Justice and merits, sekeynge satisfacions besides Christ, either by thē selves or other Whyche was the commune faute of the Jews

Whether these fruits may be found in you (friend Hogarde) let them judge that know your opiniō in all matters, which (I doubt not) as many as shall diligently read and mark your answer shall▪ do.

And to make the matt • er more plain I shall upon occasiō given, some what note in the cōfutation of that, that folowethe, And when I have shown your fruits I shall desire you not to • stomach the matter▪ though I say (as the trneth is) that a false Christian hath defamed a faithful brother. As for the scanninge of his matter (madly as you say) shall appear in the progress. In the mean time I shall desire you to cal to your remembrance your Deprofundis, setting it before your eyes as a matter madly scanned, till: I have scanned your mysshapen answer, and then if you lust, put of your thymble and take your pen in hand and scane the matter with your learned counsel (you wot whom I mean) and declare your self to be no writter of deuyllishe doctrine, and say that you were not the father though you bear the name. Yet tell them that did it, that if they write again they shall be answered.

The ballade.

〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉

The answer

The confutation

Your answer declareth that to be true • that 〈◊〉 w • itten by Paul to the Romayns, The nature • ll man perceyueth not the things that be of the spirit of God, You comp • it no strange sight to se the sacrament honored with divine honor, because in your time it hath ben so ho • oured. I deed to the bodily eye this sight is nothing • strange because it is a continual object and dayelye re • ued Image in that christ • lli •• humor: But so many as have the eyes of the inward man opened wherewith they s • the true honourers and that honor God in spirit and truth, may well call thy • a strayng sight. For sense the beginning of creatures, th • re was never such honor seen to be g • uen to any creature among the honors that the spiritual eye behouldeth. Wherefore when it chanceth the spiritual man to behold the abominations of this world he may • ight well cal them strang though they be continually in the eyes of his body. Justly and true • lie therefore saith the author straynge 〈◊〉 in mine eyes there do appear, yea and th • t defen • ed with l • es, For what • rueth can you have to def • nde the thing that fyghhteth with all truth? All truth agreeth that the true honourers of God shall honor him 〈◊〉 the spirit and truth, and not at Ierusal • m nor yet in the hyl of Samaria. That is to say, nother with cerimonial worship prescribed by a law, nor yet with any outward worship invented of their own brains. If you have any truth against this truth then stand up & declare howe these strange syghtes be defended therwyth.

The balad

The answer.

The confutation.

Here you will hange yourself and ask me no leave, you will not walk out of the reach of the proclamacion. You will still be sayeing that scripture denieth, and deny that scriptur affirmeth. I am sorry that I was not of your counsel before you published your answer, for if I had I would have shown you this daynger before. Well now it is to late, for I am sure you cannot stop it but it will be shown to the maiestrates, and then you know their charge already. The best counsel that I cā give you now, is to make haste and recante. For so shall you yet save some parte of your honesty though it be but a very little.

You say no christen mā doth honor br • ade and wyne Hitherto you say • • rue, for to honor bread and wine, is the work of an infidele. But then you show a good, cause why men honor not bread and wine. because the • is none to be honored.

Here is occasion offered of moe questians then ever you would be able to solute even with the help of all your secrete counsalours I might ask you what thing that is which the bodily eye seeth, that the hand feleth, that the taste discerneth, that is broken, that wa • th •• a • mye when it take • weate, that will putrefy and rotte if it be kept longer time then bread may endure, finally what that is which must be burned when it is muldie so that▪ the stomak abhorreth it, I am sure you will not say it is the body of Christ, for that is not nor can not be otherwise seen with the bodily eye) thē as it was, is and shall be, in the form of man it cannot be broken, for it is impassible, it can not wa • slymye nor clammye, for it is purified from all slymie nature, it cannot putrefy, for it is w ^t out all corruption, it cannot be burned▪ because it is immortalle. But here you will say that you have allredie answered to these questians, It appeareth (you say) to be bread or wyne but faith defyneth another manner of thing. That is that whole Christ as there, and that the godhead also is ioyntlye knytte unto the same Christ being there, so that of duitie we must ho • our him in these forms Then note you in the margent, Blessed be they that believe and se not. Wher you fall • ifie the text, which hath. Blessed are they that saw not and b • leued, spoken in reproach of the herd belyue of Didimus that would not believe the resurrection of his master Christ by the report of them that saw him risen (not wythstandynye he knew that Christ had promised before his death that he would rise again the third day) but said he would first se the fastening of y ^• nails in his hands and put his finger in the holes and his hand into his side: yer he would believe. But when he had seen and confessed sayeinge. My Lord and my God: then Christ said unto him. Because thou hast s • ne me Thomas, thou hast be leued. Happy or blessed are they that saw not and believed▪ meaneyng thereby the fathers and prophets of the old law which saw him not, with the bodily eye, and yet believed all that they writ of him concerning his cominge in the flesh which Thomas would not b • leave till he saw it.

Thus you declare your knoledge in the scritures to be but base, as theirs is that are of your counsel. But now let us return to yo • r answer. It appeareth to our eye (you say) to be bread and wyne but faith defineth whole Christ to be there by his pour divine Here you speak subtyllye. You think you have plenty of startynge holes in this piece of your answer. Faith defyneth (you say) that whole Christ is there by his pour divine so y ^• if we would charge you w ^t the proclamatiō and say that you affirm the natu • all, real▪ and to • all presence of Christ God and man flesh blood and bones, toth and naiale and all together: then you will say no syr▪ I mente no such thing. He is there by his pour divine even as he hath promised to be with his church unto the ende of the world. You are answered Not yet friend hogherde. For this presence that you speak of which Christ promised to his sayethful is an invisible assistance of g • ace as appeareth by the circumstance of the text where this promise is mentioned. For after he had given them in commandment to preach unto all nations, and to baptize them in the name of the father the son and the holy ghost •• achinge them to keep all things that I have given you commandment: he said Behold I am w ^t y • u even unto the ende of the world meaneinge none other thing then he did whē he said where so ever to or three be gathered together in my name, there am I in the middes of them That is to say, be you never so few in number, be you never so little regarded of the world and worldly wys • : fear not to t • stifie and witness my truth unto all nations baptiseynge and teaching them to keep all things that I have commanded you, not your own dreams, not your own phantasies for then you go in your own name and▪ not in mine, and be hold I am with you all the days even to the ende of the world, I will confound your enemies, they shall not be able to re • iste the spirit that shall speak in you I myself which am all one with my father will be continua • lie with you.

Thus you se (friend Hoggarde) that this pre • ence of Christ with his church is not anatural and invisible presence under a visible form, as my Lord of Wynchester teacheth you, but it is a merciful assistance of, the immense, and in comprehencible godheade wych is present in all places, but assistent to his elect only. So that if you will not have Christ naturally, really and carnally present: you must not say • that whole Christ is there that is to say God and man, for so (as saint Augustine witnessethe w ^t express words) he was on the earth and not in heaven • where he is now, in as much as he was man) whan he said. Noman ascendeth into heaven, but only the son of man which is in heaven and did also des • ende from heaven. One person (saith the same Augustine) is • oeth God and man, and both these natures are bu • one Christ, by y ^• he is God, in all places, but by that he is man, he is in heaven. And yet more playnelye. One and the self same Christ (saith Fulgentius according to his human substance, was absent from heaven whē he was upon erth and left the earth when he ascended into heavē

By this you may perceive howe far you are deceived in your opinion of y ^• total presence of Christ in the sacrament. But because I would gladly you should forsake your ex • our and embrace the truth: I shall open unto you one other doubt that might chance to trouble your mind.

The godheade you say is ioyntely 〈◊〉 to the manhood and cannot be separate whereupon you conclude that as the one is i • mensse and fylleth all places so must the other neades be. To this objection, saint Augustine shall make you answer. 〈◊〉 followeth not saith he that the thing that is in god, should be in all places as he is. For the scripture doeth moste truly report of us, that we do live, move and • e in him: & yet be we not▪ in all places as he is. But man is in God after one sor • and god in him after another sort▪ After a certain proper and peculiar sort. The manhode therefore being jointly knit unto the godhead is not in all places as is the Godheade, but the scripture teacheth and we do constantly • believe: that the manhood of Christ haueinge finished the purpose of his coming in the flesh (that is to say offered him self one the cross for our redemption and risen again for our justification) is ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the father whence he shall come to judge the quick and dead. As for his presence in the sacrament we believe it to be such as it is in us his faithful members whom Paul calleth his members, of his flesh and of his bones. And yet is not the presence of Christ in us such, that we ought thereby to be honored as gods: No more is he so present in the sacrament that it ought to be honored as God.

Thus largely have I spoken of this matter because I desire more to wynne you to Christ then to confound you before the world For If I had not desired your cōuerciō frō y ^• Romeyshe way: I would have opened your fond assercions whrein you af • irme that there is nother bread nor wyne in the sacrament though both appear to our eye, and so have left you to yourself. It had ben easy so to have done. Boeth for that the eye is the instrument that God hath given to judge discern and know all visible things by: and also because the elect vesse of God Paul, and our • savior Christ him self, do call them both bread and wyne, and that even after the consecracion (if there be any) as I shall hereafter prove more at large.

The Ballad.

The answer

The Confutacion,

You go about to make the matter plain by a similitude, It is wonderful (you say) to a pagane) howe a vyrgyne should bring forth a child: but to a Christian it is no wonder at all, his faith you say, putteth away all wonder. So if this man (say you) would captivate his reason, he would believe (as you do) that the hosts can speak.

Fyrst I will examayne your similitude and tri how it serveth for your purpose. The whole meaneynge of your similitude is no more but this. In like manner as achristian will not wonder howe a virgins can bring forth a child • : so will he not wonder howe the hosts in the pyxe should speak. Or for the first parte.

As it is a point of a pagane to wonder how a virgyne should bring forth a child: so is it to believe that the hosts in the pyxe be dumb. But I pray you syr with your pa • nce. Are not you a Christian man? Yes mary s • ye you I would you should know it. And I pray you sir, if your daughter should bring forth a child, would you think she wer a virgyn? It were not like sure. Well, if you wer • certain that sh • were a virgyn would you not wonder how she should be conceived? Yes verily. For it to contrary to the course of nature, and therefore to be wondered at. Howe say you • o your similitude thē. Apply it to you purpose, and se howe it a greeth. As it is to be wondered how a vyrgin should be conceived with child, so is it howe the hosts in the pyx should speak. Ah syr, this maketh somewhat for our purpose. But here you will say, that by your • ayth you will captivate your reasone & believe it to be done because you se it to be so. But howe it should come to pass, you will ask no questiō. Then you believe it because you se it and so youre faith is grounded upon the knowledge of the senses. All this maketh against you Well yet once again let us asaye another way. Grant your daughter be with child & you know not wheth • re she be a virgin or not. What will you say than? Wyll you straight way captivate your reason and sense • because you are a Christian and believe that your daughter is a virgyn? Tushe say you all this is nothing to the purpose, all my meaning is of the virgyn Mary of whose virginity all Christians are certay •• . But I pray you Howe are christe • men certified of Mary's virginity? By▪ the words of the prophet say you, which wer spoken longe before. Behold a virgins shall conceive and bring forth a son, and • is name shall be called Immanuel. A ha, thē y • u do not captivate reasonne but reasonne leadeth you to believe i • , because the Prophet of 〈◊〉 had spoken it long before that it should come to pa •• e. Howe know you that this prophecy was fulifilled in Marie?

I know that (say you) by the testemonies that I find in the scripture, where by Christ (who was the first borne of the same Ma • ie) was declared to be that son that should be borne of a virgy • e. And the testimonies he these. The words of the angel spoken to the virgins in the time of her conception. Fera • e not Mari • (said the angel) for thou haste found favor with God, Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb & bring forth a son, and thou shalt cal his name Jesus. Thys shall be great a • d shall be called the son of y ^• highest and the Lord God shall give him the • eat of David his father and he shall reign in the house of Iacobe forever & his king • dome shall have none ende, An other testimony, y ^• words of the angel unto Joseph when he had thought to have put away his despoused wife privily because he perceived hir to be with child, knoweynge that he never compayned with her. Joseph (said the angel) thou son of David fear not to take to y ^• Mary thy wife. For the thing that is bourne in her is of y ^• holy ghost she shall bring forth asonne and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall make salfe his people from their sins. Agayne the angel of the Lord said unto the herd men in this wise. F • are ye not, for lo I preach unto you great joy which shall chance unto all the people For this day is borne to you a savior which is Christ the anointed Lord in y ^• City of David. Simeō An y ^• prophets, y ^• wismē y ^• of • ast the witness of John the Baptist & the voice o • y ^• father from heavē: do declare this same son of Mary to be the son of the virgyne spoken of before by the prophet. Wherefore I believe that Marie brought forth a child without loss of virginity because Jesus the first borne of hir body was by these testimonies declared to be the some seed that was promised to be borne of a virgyne. Well, by all this it is plain that in this point reasonne is not captivated, but driveth us to believe because the spiri • e of truth hath prophesied it and so many wytnessed with one assent confirmed it. Ryght so do I say of the sacrament. If you can find me but one of the prophets that hath said that any thing that seemeth not to have life should speak, and that the hosts in the pyxe be, by the testimonies of the scriptures, proved to be the same: then will I not captivate reason, but will be led by reason to believe that the same hosts (as you cal them) be not dumb other wise you must pardon me though I believe not that they can speak, • ill such time • o I do either hear them speak myself or else learn it by the report of some credible person that hath heard them speak.

Thys have I spoken to con • ent your expectacion for the dombnesse of your gods: because I perceive by your similitude that you are altogether • leshely and perceive not the spirit that is in the author of the ballad

Dombe he calleth them, because (as you use them) they be taken for gods, and are but dōbe ceremonies or signs, That is to say, haueynge no lyu • lie signification, whereby the people that should receive them might be edified Theyr natural propritie is, to preach and declare unto us the unity of Christians in the body and blood of Christ by faith more plainly then can be declared with words. For wha • • onge can be able to declare the mystery of the mystical body of Christ (his church and congregation) so plainly with words: as it is declared by the bread being but one bread made of many graynes, and the wyne being but one cup of wyne made of many grapes? Take a way these lively signifi • acions therefore and what other thing shall remain but dumb ceremonies and signs declareinge nothing to the edificacion of the receivers, but holdeynge them still in superstition under the name of gods? Trulye and justly therefore hath he called them dumb gods, for that they are without significacion, and bear the name of gods being in deed neither gods nor gods ordinances, as you and your miscreaūt faith fellows do use them.

Then conclude you upon an inconvenience saying. If Christ might • e sen in the sacrament as he walked here: then could not our faith merit any thing in beleueinge that we se not.

Graciousely considered. You are loeth we should loss the merit of our faith, You would rather we should believe that good is iuell & iuil good, black white, & white black, that light is darkness and darkensse light yea that god is bread and bread God. But now it were wisdom to make a distinction of meriteinge and then to know howe this faith of yours meriteth that we may be bold to cal for our reward whē the universal judge shall give to eche one accordeynge to his merits. Ther be .ii. kinds of meritinge therefore, y ^• is to say of good and of iuel. The good kind of meriteynge, is by Christ, thorough Christ for Christ, and in Christ. That is by casteing all our 〈◊〉 upon him o • elye, 〈…〉 continually beaten and crucified before our e • es and crucifiynge our selves to the world haueinge o • or trust in our • else, any, work that we can do, or any other for us, setting up any in heaven erth or hell to be equalle or partener with him: but beleueings and confesseing him • o be all in all thing • s, the on • lie creator and maker the only and tree giver of all goodness, and the only peac • maker between God and us. The other kind of meriting • , is by Satan, the world and the flesh, contrary in all points to this.

That is to say, taking all care upon oureselues sekeing • way • to cru • i • ie and offer up Christ again • , and refu • eynge to crucify our 〈◊〉 , haueynge all • ruste in our own work •• and other creature • s merits, making the deabe saync • es opteiners of mercy through their prayers and merits Yea making them mediatou • s & peace makers between god & us.

Now let the godly learned judge by which of these • ow ways this faith of yours meriteth. You captivate reason, you say, & believe that in the sacraments of the body and blood of Christ: remaineth neither bread nor wyne, but the very body and blood of Christ. yea whole Christ god and man, body and soul And then I dou • te not (your rea • one this captivated) you will (with your forefathers the founders of this your opinion) make it a sacrific • propicia • orye for the quick and dead for plage, penury and all kinds of diseases▪ For hauei • ge the inmaculate and unspotted lamb (as you say) even the son of the lyueyng God conceived and borne of the immaculate virgyne: what should let you to • effr him 〈◊〉 God his father • placable sacrifice for 〈◊〉 these things, to content the inevitable wrat • of God bent towards us for the iniquity tha • reigneth in the world? And so doeth this faith of yours drive you to seek other way • s of salvation then by the only Sacri • ice of Christ once offered for all. You wyllbe still offering of him whom none can offer but him self. And all because you have cap • iuated your rea • one, to believe that you have him here upon yearth in such manner that you may Sacrifice him.

Now tell me what this faith of yours meriteth. It leadeth you from the sure true • te in the only sacrifice that Christ made once for all. It driveth you to open blasphemy, causing you to take upon you the office of Christ that is to say, to take a way sin by sacrifice yea and to sacrifice him whom none can sacrifice but him self.

What merit is it then that this faith shall have? Forso • h the merit of unbelief because it is not assertayned that the son of God is come in the flesh, and hath performed the ende of h • s comeinge, that is, hath by his death and passion, satisfied for the sins of all the world, making perfec • e forever, as many as believe in him. Yea it shall be rewarded among those blasphemous lym • nes of Antichrist, that take vpō them to be the forg • uers of 〈◊〉 (which is the office of God only) makeynge them selves, gods. Delyuer your reasonne out of prisonne therefore, and let her consider howe your supersticiouse faith hath merited.

Put away this fōd perswaciō of yours where by you are led to think that unless you captyuate reason and become a brute beast, you cannot believe the chief point of your religiō Consider that Christ bade not his Apostles captivate reasonne and so believe that he was risen when he appeared unto them, but said • ele and se, For spirits have not sleshe and • ones as you see that I have, He bade them not go preach unto men wylynge them to captivate their reason and then believe, for then he might have said go preach to the brut beasts for they have no resone to refuse your doctrine. For what other thing is it to captiuat reason then to debar hir of her office and to keep hir Idle so that to be altogether without reason were better, then to be troubled with the capti • ua • inge of her that she let not belyefe Let reason therefore lead you to confer y ^• scriptures together and try that doctryn of yours whether it be of God or not.

The ballade.

The answer.

The confutation

Here you answer as though Paul in the • vii. to the Hebrews where he speaketh of Chri •• es separacion from sins had meant none other thing but his bodily ascencion into heaven. A • d then you der • de the authors conclusion, as though it were no sufficient prou • nor good argument to say, he cannot be made with sinful hands because he is ascended. As who should say though he be asended, yet is he here •• ill. And for the making of him with sinful hands: you say that never man sa • ed nor defended it, nor doeth at this time say or defend it. In very deed you are now all a shamed to say it, & far unable to defend it. But y ^• it hath been preached I w ^t many other which are yet on live can wittnesse, And y ^• it hath ben written, resort to the answer that Anthony Gylbie made to my Lord of Whinchesters diuillishe detection: and you shall lear • e that he hath half a lease that he tar • out of a boke in Lyncolne minister, wherein are written these words in latin. O sacerdos, nonne creauite, • t dedi tibi potestatē creandi me? Quare si non sacrificas etc. That is to say (to your ledwe▪ understanding) O priest, have I not created the and given the power to create me? Wherefore if thou do not sacrifice. &c. If you credit not this, resort to the cau • iles of the mass & then learn of some experte master of grammar, what this latin word Conficere, signifieth. I shall recite you one of y ^• cautyles to give you occacion to desire some prist of your acquayntaūce to show you y ^• residue, for I am sure you dare not come so nygh the secretes of the mass yourself for fear of losing your sight. Si ante • ō sacratio • em sanguinis (saith the cau • il) per • ipiat aquam non esse in calice: debet statim apponere et conficere. That is to say. If he (mean • yng the priest) do verceyue before the conse • acion of the blood that there is no water in the chalice, he must in continent put wat • r into the chalice & make it. If this be not the significaciō of 〈◊〉 , in this place: then take your pen in hand and declare the meaning of this • a • • yle, and the other which have the same word In the mean time I shall persuade myself that you think nolesse (what so ever you say) but y ^• by the • reathinge out of the words upon the bread, the priste make • h it the body of Christ and th • wyne his blood. For you say it is a truth avowed and holden of all christiā 〈◊〉 , that after the words spoken there is christe • flesh that for us was broken. But let this matt •• r pass we have some what to say concerning the 〈◊〉 of Paul, Seperate • rō syniners, 〈◊〉 he whole course of Paul's epistle to y ^• Hebrews is none other but to prove that all the ceremonies and sacrifices of the law were but • ha • owes of Christ and his one oblation once offered for all, and that the Levites, high priests and • y shope • (who had need to offer sacrif • ce for them selves) could never take away syn by their sacrifices. And after many words and strong arguments aplyed to the same purpose, he saith. It was convenient and meet that we should have such an high pri • ste or bishop, holy, innocent undefiled, segregate from s • nners and made higher then the heavens not haueinge need (as the priests have) daily to offer, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. For that he did once in offer • ing him self. The law appointed men priests. &c.

Now se what it is to be separate from sinners and to be higher then heauenes Forsoth, not 〈◊〉 be after the sort of sinful priests which entered into sancta sanctorum once in the yere with the blood of gotes and 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 the tabernacle not made with man's hands, that is to say the true tabernacle which god made and not man the eternal couenaunte an Image whereof God commanded Moses to make the material tabernacle Into this tabernacle did Christ enter offering up him self once for all thereby finisheynge the rede •• ysion of the synn • s of the world and now sitteth at the ryghthande of God his father for ever. Wherefore sinful hands can in no wise make him, No they cannot handle nor touch him he is separate from sinners He is none of those byshopes or priests which did yearly sacrifice and yet remain upon y ^• areth still and after their death rotted in the ground, for his flesh saw not corruption but rose again from the dead and was by the godheade takē up into heaven and there sitteth at the righthād of his father sep • rate from sinners.

But here you think yourself a subtle s • phister & able to confound yourself (I judge you by your counsalours whom I know well enough) for I am sure you will say as your counsaylours do, that for as muchas God's right hand is in scripture called his pour, and his power is in all places at • ncent must needs follow, that Christ setting at the rygt • hand of the father must needs be in all places at once, and per consequence in the sacrament • of the altare reallye and bodelye eu • n as he sitteth at the right hand of his father and ascended into heaven and shall come again at the last day to judge the world by feyre for so he • itteth at the right hand of his father which • you say is power. Think you these coū •• lour • of yours could not if need • er prove bi y ^• same 〈…〉 little Image or Idole sith gods pour is there present: But howe standeth this with the consecracion by the virtue of the words spoken over the br • ade and wyne? If Christ be really present in all places then is he so at all times. Then I pray you tell me (to your cōsaillours I speak now • how the words chaūg the bread & cause real presence of y ^• thing y ^• was there before? By this your argument you prove y ^• we ought to honor all, things y ^• we se in the world with divine honor, because Christ is there really present. Se whether you be not those same false prophets that Christ gave us waneyng of. For you say lo here is Christ and • o there is Christ But we a warned that we shall not believe you Behold (say you) he is in the desert behold he is in the privy chaumbres. But we know you well enough.

The balad

The answer

The confutation.

Well answered and much to the purpose You ieste as thougt it were nothing like the truth that your priests should say or think them selves to work this seat by their con • nge. 〈…〉 shall s • that cunning is agreate thing, and helpeth as much in this matter, as quick conue • aunce doth in ledgardemayne. For when qui • conue • ghaunce faileth: the budget must serve. And so saith your ca • tyles o • your actual habits, that is to say gestures, if they fail, yet Christ the high priest shall play the budget and help out with the matter, so be that the intention • l habit be not lost. Be not ashamed of your master and father therefore who is and ever hath hen the father of liars. y ^• devil your good Lord and master, who keepeth you still slepeinge in the drowsy dreams of your dearly beloved father of Rome.

The Ballad.

The answer.

The confutation▪

You say you will prove here after that those priests lack no true judgment which have • ared that it is not their act to make the body and blood of Christ, of bread and win • And thus you say y ^• the priest doth but execut • by authority spiritual as a minister, and God it i • (you say) y ^• doth his creature 〈◊〉 Clarkly handled and like a man well 〈◊〉 in the Scriptures. They lack no true judgment, but wherein I pray you? In the scriptur • you will say. I deny it. For a great number of them you speak of, have no true judgment in the scriptures. Yea, they scarcely know whether there be any scripture or not. Well, grant they do know that there be scriptures. Yet cā not this so true judgment of theirs be in them for Scripture knoweth no such transmutation. Wherein is it then that these men have so true judgment? It is in por • ouse and Miss all matters, I am sure, that you mean. For therein hath been their most study. Well they lack no true judgment, you say, for so it is even as they say, which thing you will prove, in this sort I trow. Bycause the Priest doth by authority spiritual, execute as a Minister, and Christ doth transmute his creature. A sira, here is pithy gear, and strong arguments. Your words sown as much as if you should say, it is so, and whi is it so? Forsoth because it is so. I would all the subtle Sophisters of Oxford and Cambrige, would prynte these your arguments in their minds, and by occasion thereof, enlarge the limyttes of their art. For in all their subtleties, they find no such subtlety as yours is.

But in that you say that the priest executeth and God transmuteth: a man might demand you this questiō. Whether of these two, is the chief workman, the priest or God? Your old fathers of Italy would say the priest, for they would alway have the most worthy first named. But what shall we say to the matter? Is not the priest the chief workman? Yes truly, in mine opinion, for he receiveth all the money for the work when it is done. Yea, & God never medieth with any transmutation, till the priest set him a work. Yea, and when any mā setteth the priest on work, and couenaunteth with him for certain wages. God must wait at an inche that there be no let when the priest will have his trinckets transmuted. It shall be best for you therefore, •• her to sai that the priest doth all himself, or else let the priests from hensfurth, execute no more till God bid them, and when the work is finished, let God play the chief workman, and receive money for the whole.

The Ballade.

The answer.

The Confutacion,

An answer (you say) is made without great study. And so say I, a fol • s bolte is sone shot out. Then answer you after this sort. Methinke • say you, that you presume very high to tell Christ that he lieth, whē he saith, this is my body. And than you answer in the person of th • author, sa • yng, Not so sir, say you, that word say not I And then you think to 〈◊〉 him kyndelye. Your woe • des sir, say you, by youre license, show that to Christ you give 〈…〉 . But now syr with yo • re license I shall with great study declare unto yo • that the author giveth a great deal more credit to Christ's words then you do. Thys is my body saith Christ, when he had divided bread among his disciples, declareinge thereby the unity of all them that should beli • ue in him, his mystical body and menbres the church and congregation of the faithful: and that all these faithful should be partakers of all that he should deserve in that body which he had takē of y ^• immacula • e virgins, even as there were partakers of that bread which they had eaten.

Thus do we credit Christ's words which you credit not for when he saith, this is my body, you • ynd him to chaung the substance of bread with those words or else you comp • him but a found • talker for you say that before those words be spoken the bread is but bread, and so you compel Christ in transmute his creature in his Apostles hands, mouths or healies For certain it is that Christ had delivered it before he spake those words. And concerning the wyne Mark saith, that thei had all drunken thereof before the words wer • spoken so that here you are driven into a straight other you must say that Christ had some oth •• cast to transmute his creature then you know • of, or else that he transmuteth none at all. For I am sure you will not say that he delivered it before it was transmuted.

The ballad.

The answer

The confutation

Not much unlike is this your Answer, unto the answer that Cayph • s gave in the coūsail house at Jerusalem when the high priests and bishops consulted howe to bring Christ to confucion. It is expedient, quoth he▪ that one die for the people, l • st that all y ^• whole nation should perish, meaneynge that it were •• uche better that Christ, being a seducer; • hold suffer death, then that all the people • hold by his doctrine be seduced and perish. But yet his words were true in another meaning, that is. That it was expediente for one to die to redeem the sins of the people for other wise the whole people should have perished, Even so in your answer you mean • hat Christ did first bring in these words Hoc est corpus meum, to the intent to turn the bread into his body by the virtue of the same words, and that he gave his disciples power to do the same bi the pronouceing of the sam words which your said meaning is very false as Caiphases was but in another meaning it is very true that you say.

Christ was the first that brought in these words Hoc est corpus meum. And he gave his Agostl • s power, yea commanded thē to do▪ the things that he him self had done. But herein lieth all the matter. What it was that he had done, Chaunged bread into his body, say you. But the Evangelists say • that he had divided bread and 〈◊〉 amongst his discipl •• And these words are stronger then either castle or tower, and shall endure even to the last day, when all you gods enemies shall vanishe a way.

The ballad.

The answer

The confutation

Here you think to show a point of great learneing and knowledge. Christ promised before, you say, that the bread which he should give was his flesh.

And this promise you say, he fulfy • led first at his maundye, where he gave them his very natural body, and secondly one the cross but at the last you add as it were, a correccion of your former words, and say. Not at the maundye as on the Cross, but under the fourmes of bread and wyne.

Well, then Christ 〈…〉 •• crament • about two years before he did institute it. Y • a marry say you. And I pray you what said he? For soeth these very words. The bread that I shall give you, is my flesh. • sy • a, • owe you have us at a shrwede baye, Christ told his Disciples longe before that the bread which he would give them was h • s flesh, and upon this Prophecy did in very deed give them'bread at his maundye. Howe can it be then but that this bread was his flesh • • Who is able to with stand this reason, thought • you? Forsoeth everyone that savoreth those things that be of the spirit of God.

And if you will apply yourself a while, I shall teache you to wythstand it also. And first I shall demand this questian was not christe as well able to perfo •• me his word then as he was at the time of his maundye? Yese forsoeth. For he had before that time fed five thousand and mo • , with .v. barley loves and .ii • ishes▪ And did he not say as much of the bread then as he did at his maundie? Yese marie say you▪ for he said these plain words. The bread that I shall give you, is my flesh. A syra thē I se well this bread was not to be traunsmuted (as you cal it) whē Christ came to the maundy for that was done two years before. For I am sure you will not say Christ lied when he said the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for if you would, your former words should be turned to your • reproach. But here youre counsayloures perchance will now give you counsel to renne to intent of Christ when he speak those words and to say that he intended not then 〈…〉 the bread • 〈…〉 did after ward. And that is true for he meant nothing less then the sacrament in those words. But if you once enter into the intent, thē must we have liberty to declare Christ's intent when he distributed the bread sayeinge this is my body. And then I doubt not but your intent will be proved a • olyshe intent, when you say that Christ gave his natural body unto his disciples two manner of ways, that is to say first in form of bread, & again on the cross. For the Scripture witnesseth that Christ was always found in the form of man, and very man in all points (sins only •• cepted) and therefore could he no more be in the form of bread then we may. And it is as well to be gathered of the scriptures that the priest • ourneth the bread into his own body when he saith this is my body: as that Christ did by the same words chaūg it into his.

The ballad.

The answer.

The confutation

You answer even as you have learned and form your arguments, I po •• e ad esse, as you are wont to do. Go • could make y ^• his body, whereof he said this is my body, wherefor you conclude and say that it is so in veri deed, meaneinge, I am sure (as you have said before) his natural body. For in significacion we grant and defend that it was and is his body, his very natural body therefore you will have it, and because we say nay to that, you charge us with denieynge that Christ affirmeth, because reason will not thereto agre. And then to declare yourself to be none of thē that followeth reason in youre dooinges, you bring fourth an unreasonable similitud to declare your unreasonable faith. And you bring your similitude a minorie admaius. Moses, you say, was commanded to caste down his rod, and so he did, haueynge no word of consecracion at all, and yet it was turned into a Serpente. And taking the serpent by the 〈…〉 the commandment of god, it 〈◊〉 to a rod again. This was done you say • thorough gods divine power w ^t out any word • t all, Muche more able therefore is god to do the like with his word. And then you triūphe and say you have laid reasonne flat on the ground. Ualiantlie fought.

But now after your triumph let us return to your similitud and se how it serveth for this purpose. Moses thinking it far unlike that he being a man without eloquence or goodly utterance of speech, should anything prevail among the Egyptians whō he knew to be men of great learneinge and wonderful arts: was by this means encoraged. God commanded him to cast down his rod, and incontinent as he had so done, it was turned into a serpent. Here I my • ht demand, of you howe this proveth your purpose: seeing that the rod was turned into a very serpent in nature form and shape, color, quantity and all other utter appearance, and not into a serpent in the form of a rod, as you say of the bread. This doth your foleishnes appear so plainly y ^• a mā would wonder how it should come to pass that you or any other reasonable creature might be so blind in judgment. But considering that your reason is in prison and captive to your fond opiniō, I marvel so much the less • at your blind ignoraun •• , both in the pykeynge out of your similitudes so far vn • mete for your purpose, and also in answering so slenderlye to things that you would seme to have utterly confounded.

The ballad

The answer

The confutation

I cā not a little marvel at your folly which driveth you to take in hand to answer to that you understand not yea & that more is, to deride and laugh to scorn your own folly, making as though you understood the matter thorough lie, when in very deed you utter yourself to be in the clean contrary way.

I pray you what do you mean by your merry talk about your dōbe beast? I think you wuld say a brute beast which hath not the gift of resone to deserve & judge things & therefore you say you durst depose y ^• he could scātly understand y ^• authors words if he should hear them But I pray you how standeth thye with the captiuatinge of youre reason. Is it not all one to have reasonne captivated and to be a brute beast? An infaunt that hath not yet the use of reason, what differeth it from a brute beast? And yet hath i • reason, but not at liberty that she may do hir office. Even so the man that hath his reason captivated to any opinion, is • conserneinge that opinion) even as a child or brute beast. So that in your skoffes and geste's wherein you would seme to be pleasant, you make an ape of yourself, and toyewyth your own shadow

And thē (wyttily and like an Hosyar) you lyken the example of the author, to the appointtynge of a man to know his l • gge from his hoose. This done, you turn to your grave st • le again as though your former words had ben excedeynge merry and pleasante. And madly you say the author meaneth by his example, that Chrste pointed to his natural body when he said Thys is my body and in this you declare yourself not to understand his meaneing, and yet you would s • me to answer him to the full, saying that you would gladly know what Scripture the Authoure hath to prove that Christ meant nothing of the bread when he spake those words. For if it will not be found in the scripture: you are not bound to believe it (you say) for it is but his fantacie. And so you conclude, that the author saith by his example, that if Christ meant not of his natural body, he made a falsely.

I amsorie friend Hogard that your judgment is so slender, that knowing this to be an example you cannot perceive where of it is an example, What r • sonable man would be so mad to brabble about a thing so folyshely as you do unless he were either a very fole or else had his reason so captivated and were so married to his opinion, that he could se nothing that maketh against him? The Author intendeynge to declare that these words (Thys is) are not words wherewith ought may be made: bringeth this example of him self. If I tell the saith he, that this is my head. These words, this is do not make it so: But it was so before I spake those words. Other wise I should not say truly when I say Thys is my head.

For if the speakeynge of the words should make it my head: then should it not be my head till the words were spoken. And so wet it a lie to say it is my head, when in deed it wer but in turning frō some other substance to be my head And this example proveth that it Christ had ment by these words (Thys is my body) y ^• the bread was turned into his body: no doubt it was his body before he said it, or else he had, lied in s • sayeinge, which thing is not possible, that is that the verity it self should lie wherefore he meant no such thing. But in sayeinge this is my body: he intended to declare unto his faithful disciples & in them to us) the mystery of his church and congregaciō which is of many made one even as the bread is of many graynes, and the wyne of many grapes. As you mought have easily gathered of the sta • e next foloweinge if your reason had not ben captivated.

The ballad.

The answer.

The confutation

Yet you harp still on one strenge and that sowneth all a garre. He triumpheth (you say) as one that had proved all that he had said, as in deed he hath sufficiently, and then your vnderstandeing is no better but to burden him with the affirmeing of that which he never thought, and no marvel for you have captivated your reason to your fond flyshly opiniō, and •• icke fast upon your commune argument, A posse ad esse. And then you conclude that who so ever denieth the thing to be done, denieth that god is able to do it, declareinge yourself to taste nothing of the spirit of God but altogether of the flesh even as the fleshely Caparnaites did which would have eaten him even as he went on the ground, because he said that they could have no life in them unless thei did eat his flesh, meaneinge thereby the belief that thei should have in him to be y ^• spiritual food & so ea • e him by faith. For if he had spokē there of the eateinge of his natural and real body in the sacrement it should follow that all such as die before they receive the Sacrament • should have no life in them, that is should be dampened. And contrarywyse, all that 〈◊〉 once receive the sacrament, should never dy • that is, never be damned. For he saith. He that eateth my flesh and drincketh my blood tareth in me and I 〈◊〉 him, And again he shall 〈…〉 . I would you would credit saynte Augustine upon these words or else yourself put of your carnal cies and put on the spectakles of the spirit, and know that the words which Christ spake in the .vi. of John are spirit and life, and not gross and carnal as you take them.

The ballade.

The answer

The confutation

Yet once again you will not beware of the proclamaciō. ye will always have one kn • ck of your own inuencion Christ consecrateth his body flesh and fell now, before it was body • soul, but now it is flesh and fell. It aueyleth not to lay the proclamacion anymore to your charge for you are at a point already which way you will avoid all the dayngers thereof. It was told me that the same day that you were sent for to the counsel for your misshapen anwer: you were at diner in graciouse strete with a man of no smalle reputaciō, a friend of your • (I will not say a mayntayner of you in your found fleshly faith and th • r you d • d not a little glory in your great conquest as you though • ▪ in so much y ^• by your bold brags, you brought a man of the contreye who was there present, so far in love with your boke, that he bought one of them of you, thynking his money well 〈…〉 he saw the messengre that came to • etch you to the counsa • le, but then he began to repent him of his bargen, and belike wished his money in his pursse again Howe now master Hogherd, quoth he. • ushe man quoth you. Al shall be well enough. For once I am sure of this. Before Maye day, they can take no vantage at anything that I have written. And then if the worst fall, I can deny it again. If this be true (as I am • redibly enfourmed that it is) in consience I would wish that you would do that you say you can do, If you will not: I would wish that you were compelled to do it, that men might se all your • unnynge both in cantinge and recanting.

But now to our purpose. In your answer you ēdevour to prove, that these words (Hoc est corpus meum) pronounced by the priest, are of strength to • ourne the bread into the body of Christ. Howe well you perform that purpose, shall be easy enough to be perceived of them that lust to scan your words to the worthiness. Fyrst you would seme to make answer to the objection which the author maketh against this argument, Christ did it •• go the priest may do it. Graūt (saith he) that there were in scripture any one line written wherewith Christ made his body of b •• ade should, it follow that thou canst with the same words do the same? yea forsooth (say you) for Christ made his Apostles priests for the same purpose, giving every of them power to consecrate his body after his departeinge. And this you ground upon this text of scriptur. Do this in remembrance of me. The godly learned, need not to have your words made 〈◊〉 plain then they be of them selves. But for their sakes that be yet weak, and to confound the obstinate and hard herted I will open them to the uttermost, that if you have any shame in you, it may drive you to acknowledge your lack of knowledge and misbeleue. Or if you be utterly without grace: it may cause your counsalours (not being altogether desperate) to take better advise ere they encourage you to the like folly as you have herein declared. Firste therefore I note, that you say Christ made his apostles priests to the intent they should consecrate his body. And herein I might doubt whether Christ made them priests at all or not, yea I am certain that you have no scripture to bear you in this assertiō that thei should be made consecrateinge priests to consecrate and offer sacrifice, more then every Christian mā is to offer up his own body a lively sacrifice to God by beareinge the cross of Christ and crucifiynge the flesh to the world. And after this sort. I rede that he made all them that he washed in his blood priests. That is to say all the faithful believers of his death and resurrection. Other priestehode I read of none in the new testament nor of any other priest then only Christ who is the eternal and everlasting priest, and other priest or priesthood, is there one named in the new testament. I read in Paul's Epistle to the Corhinth. that God hath appointed certain members in his congregation, to whō he hath given certain singular gifts. Fyrste he hath ordained some Apostles, some prophets or preachers, some doctors or teachers, some prowres or maiestates, some curares of dseases, some succurers of the nedie or kepers of hospitality, some governors or 〈◊〉 , some haueinge diverse kinds of tongues, and some interpreters of lāguages: but amongst all 〈◊〉 I find no mention of these cons • rat • inge priests. And the same Paul, writteynge unto Timothy conserninge the choseinge of ministers: calleth them bishops and deacons, that is to say wachmen and ministers, and not sacrificers. But here perchance you will say, that by this deacon or minister: is mente your priest, your consecrater, & sacrificer. Not so syr. For Paul described him not to be such a fellow as your sacrifier is described to be in y ^• cautils of your Mass, The first cautile (saith your Mass boke) is that the priest which will celebrate Mass, do after the beast manner prepare his conscience through pure confessiō, that he do vehemently desire the sacrament, and intend to work his seat, that is to consecrate or make Christ's body and blood. That he know by heart howe to be have him self in all his doings. And that he have than • rlie and devout gesturs. Thys is your sacrificer. But saynete Paul's man is another manner fellow He must be chaste, not double tonged, not given to much wyne, not foloweinge filthy lucre, having the mystery of faith in a pure conscience. Yea he saith not he will have his mā confessed before he minister, but he will have him proved and tried and so to minister, having no faute whereof he may iustely be rebuked. Thus se you frind Hogarde, that in scripture you have no testimony for your sacricer • and consecrateinge priests. But yet I know well you cā not as yet persuade yourself to be confuted in this behalf, for you have placed apiece of scripture to the contraie do this in the remembrance of me (say you) was a plain commandment to the apostles to cōsecrat christs body, and by this commandment, hath every of them power to do it, as well Judas as Peter, And then I am sure if a man should ask you the questian, you would say that the most vilanouse creature in the world being a priste (as you cal them) hath full power to do y ^• same by breathynge out a few words out of a covetous heart and blasphemous mouth, with a mind full of all abhominable and wicke • thoughts. Tushe tush you say he is but a minister. It is god y ^• doeth the deed. But I pray you syr by your leave. Whose member is he? Paul saith that who so toupleth him self • with an harlot, is the menbre of an harlot, and he that worketh vice is the seruante of sin then tell me, I pray you, whose minister he is, The menbre of an whore, the servant of sin and the minister of Christ? Non coherent.

The • e things agre not. It is necessary, that they be first menbres of Christ and afterward • ministers. But here your counsailours will say (for I take them to be more subtle then you bi reasō y ^• they are trained in a more subtle kind of living then you are) that the wicked ministers in the church are the ministers of God as well as the godly For Judas who was by the testimony of Christ, a dyuel: was notwithstandeynge Christ's minister and Apostle. Ye • he cured diseases and wrought other miracles as well as the othere Apostles did. Cracke me this nut say you. Forsoeth syr you shall son • have it cracked, and I beseech God the kernel may do you good. I grant that as Judas was the minister of Christ and wrought miracles: so are all priests that do resemble Judas the ministers of Christ as Judas was and may do all that Christ hath comaunded them even as he did. Judas was a devil but not 〈…〉 (Judas being present) that one of them which put his hand into the dishe with him should betray him: the disciples began to • ske him one after another, which of them it was. Is it I said one, is it I said another. They saw nothing in Judas his conuer • acion, wherefor they should suspecte him more then them selves. But your sacrificeinge priests are so far gone that their conversation declareth them to be the members of the devil, and the ministers of ba •• e. They are of those priests to whom God saith by his prophet. You offer defiled bread on my altar, and yet you say. Wherein have we polluted the? Even in that (saith the Lord) you say the table of the Lord is but a vile thing. What other thing I pray you do your sacrificeing priests? They • an not a bide the Lord's table, nor the Lord's supper, they must have an altar and sacrifice, Thei cannot be content with communion • t the Lord's table accordeinge to the first institution in honest apparayle: but they must have a private Mass in masking cot • s bashed full of turns & halte turns, be • keinges duckinges, crosseyng • s, kysseynges, tosseynges and tumblinges, besides the irreuerent breathynge out of words upon bread and wyne, and thē holdeynge them up to be worshiped as gods,

Yet once again mark the words of the prophet. Which of you (saith the Lord) shetteth the doors and setteth fire on mine aultars •• thout her? I have no delight in you saith the Lord of hosts, and will receive no gift at your hand Now tell me whether these words agree not with your priests proverb. No penye no pater noste • . Let me se if your 〈◊〉 will do this heavenly work of theirs without hire. Yea will they not compel men to give thē wages for doing it? Howe say you by the Masses at burialles, are not men constrained to have them and to pay for them? It shall not need to rehearse their dirige grotes, marriages monie, christeninge crisomes, beadrolle bribes, and such other pillage. If the king should take of every hoseling person (as they cal thē) yearly .ii. pēce. as they do at easter: what would be said trow you? If he should suffer none to be married without a tribute: what gurdgeinge would there be among the people? Well I say no more but the plage of God shall fall upon th • se hir • lings, and make them despised of all nations, because they have not kept the ways of the Lord.

But now for your text of scripture (do this in the remembrance of me) whereupon you grounded your foolish faith of consecratinge and sacrifi • eing priests: we must first consider what it was that Christ bade them do in his remembrance. Consecrat his body and blood say • you, for that was the thing that he him self did. But they that understand the thing aright, say that he commanded them to devide bread and wyne among them as he had done immediately before. For Paul, speaking of the same thing saith. So often as you eat this bread and drink this cup: you shall declare the death of the Lord till the come. The eateinge of the bread therefore and dryackeing of the cup: are the things that Christ commanded his Apostles to do in his remembrance, and not the consecrateinge of his body and blonde as you say. So oft as ye shall do these things (saith Christ) ye shall do it in the remembrance of me. As though he should have said So often as you shall come together and be partakers all of one bread and cup to thentente to declare yourselves thereby, to be all members of one body through the faith you have conceived in me: you shall do it in the remembrance of me: the only head of the body whereof you be menbres, calling to your remembrance this thing that I have here done to certify you of your redemption by my death & blood shed • ing and that everyone of you, is as well partaker thereof, as you are of this bread & wine, which I have divided amongst you. This is y ^• true meneing of, do this in the remembrance of me, & not as you phanta • ie geueing pour to priests to consecrate Christ's body and blood.

Well now you proceed & think to wine your spores by vanquisheing a mā of arms of your own appointing. For I never knew any that was so foolish (o • less it wer one of your teaching) y ^• would say y ^• this sacrament was noght else but a sign of christs passiō. For we (aga • st whō you fight so manfulli) do believe & confess that it is in significacion the veri body & blood of Christ, y ^• is (the natural proprites thereof cōsidred) spiritually applied, & do declare unto us the efficacy & strength of y ^• body and blood of Christ in geueing life to our souls: & the couplinge of us together into one body by faith. These a • things of great importaūce & valure in y ^• cies of y ^• spiritual menbres of christ, though in your fleshely eyes which cannot dicerne the thing of y ^• spirit, thei be vile and of no valure. Well, you go forward with the trial of your mastries with your own man and lay sor • to his charge with certain exampls. The pascall lamb you say which was offered in the old law, was an only figure of christs offering wherein you help • the scripture, for it was als • a remembrance of the deliverance out of Egypt. But to our purpose, another example you b • inge of the rock of stone out of the which flowed water, and that stone you say figured Christ, and that is true But I think it a mā should ask you how the stone figureth Christ you would shape him bu • a slender answer, Well I will answer for you this once, and say, that in that the water ishued out of the Rock t • elye without any labor of man's hand by dygeinge or heweinge therein: it signified Christ, the rock and fountain of living water, who giveth y ^• water of lyte for naught without any of our merits or deserueinges. And right so doeth the pascall lamb being without spot and offered up by the whole multitude of the children of Israel, eaten gredely with wild 〈◊〉 and unleavened brcade: declare that Christ our pascall lamb should be without spot of sin, offered up by y ^• who • multitude of the house of Israel, •• at is for and through their • inns. For the sins of the people were the cruci • iers of Christ. The gredie eateinge of it, with wild lettise (an herb nothing pleasante but bitter) and vnlcuended bread (a thing unsavory) declareth the • aruent saith whereby the fa • ethfull do •• te this lamb • hriste, and bear the betternesse of his cross, nothing • regardeynge the werishnesse and the vnsauiourie taste of the 〈◊〉 which lemed to be utterly destroyed on the cross.

Now apply these .ii. • xamples of yours to the 〈◊〉 , & tell me what inconu • nience th • ugh in 〈…〉 they be accommpted as good as the • acr • ment. For even as it was said of the sacrament, this is my body: so was it said of the pascall lamb. Thys is the passover of the Lord, and of the rock, y ^• rock was 〈◊〉 . So that it this word is 〈…〉 to chance substaūcent hath changed the substance of the lamb and rock also.

But to be bri • fe in this 〈◊〉 your fond all • ercion that the sacrament is both the sign and thing signified: I think it scarte worthy to be spoken of. But yet cō • id • ring that it hath ben a commune error, and certain men of godly zeal and knowledge have gone about to defend it: I will somewhat lay in i • , to the con • entacion of the consciences of the weak.

The sign and the thing signified, are as the father and the sonne, or the may • ter & the • eruaūt are. That is to lay contrary, after • uch sort that the one can by no means be th. same that the other is, in one and the same respect. As the master, in the respect of the seruante, by whom he b • areth the name of a master, can not be truly called a servant, nor contrariwise: right to the sign of any thing cā not (in the respect o • y ^• thing) be a thing 〈◊〉 , Wherefore I conclude, that the bread being y ^• • ign o • y ^• natural body of christ: cannot be y ^• sai • natural & real body. I am not ignorant what fond cauillacions some mē use about this matti •• , referringe the sign to the accidents of bread and the thing signified to the sustaūce of the bread turned into Christ's body. But to make accidē • es the signs of substaunces, when they be not visible nor otherwise sensible, and a sign must necessarily be sensible: I think it not worth the speak • inge of. Some hau • gone about • o prove by a similitude, that one thy • ge might b • both • igne and the thing signified also. The bread (say they that the baker setteth forth for a sign, is 〈◊〉 b • ead and yet signifieth unto us that there is bread • to sell, so that that bread being the sign of bread: is both the sign and thing signified. This reason is apparent, and hath some similitude of the truth, But if a man weygh it well, he shall perceive that the bread which standeth in the window for a sign of bread within to be sold: is not that bread which is within to be sold. And otherwise is it not a sign. For as it standeth in the windome to be sold • it is bread to be sold, & not y ^• sign of bred to be sold. And where you charge us with incredulity of the Jews: we charge you with no less For as they could not believe that Christ's flesh might be eaten by faith: so cannot you but loke to have him grossly and (even as thei did) that he could no other wise perform his words, thē if he should convey his body into such creatures as mē do use to feed vpō. But we believe, and are by our faith assured, that he is able and hath given us his flesh to eat bi faith according to the fathfull words of Augustine Beleue and thou hast eaten. And so eating him we shall never die, Whereas you fleshemongers y ^• do daielie (as you think) devour him flesh blood & bones, are not like • o escape the death everlasting (unless ye reap̄t) because ye have handled the most worthy sacraments of y ^• body & blood of Christ so unworthily. Is making it a sacrifice for y ^• quick & dead for all diseases of men and beasts, for all pla • es the (evident tokens and signs of gods just wrath towards us) Yea makeinge it utterly a matter of merchandise, togather money together and the ministracion thereof a kind of occupacion and work for money to maintain Idel bellies, y ^• nether can nor will learn to be profitable to the public weal.

The ballad.

The answer.

The c • nfutacion

Here you would seme to se far in a millstone You have espied (you say) that though we talk never so • eolilie, we do not confess (which you confess plainly) that we have the same word wherewith god made all things

And your proof is substantial, for you say that, that word is the seconde person in Trinity whō we have not because we believe him to be in heaven. But you have him you say in the sacrament, And thē you use a figure of Rhe • orike called preoccupacion, but I think you knew not his name before. You prevent your adversary and solute his obicetion before it is made. And wittelye you say, yesse. Yea, saith your adversary, Then is all your matti • r quit gone, except your priests can help and stand stoutly by it. Well hi • say you than and like • clarke you brawl after your accustom manner till you have declared yourself, as well seen in the scriptures as ever you were.

But some what to open your ignorance, I shall in few words declare unto you, howe we confess that we have the word wherewith God made the world. In the first of Genesis it is written that God said. Let the light be made, and forth with it was made, & right so of all his other creatures. This is the word wherewith we know that god made all thing of naught. But you would seme to be o • a more fine opinion, and like an Ape you imitate the thing that you cannot attain to. You would gladly seme to be of the opiniog of them that affirm God and▪ his word to be all one. For you say the word wherewith God made the world, is the seconde person • n trinity. And 〈…〉 you thrust him in to the sacrament and say that we have him there, as though there were no way but that, whereby we might have him present. And truly after such • orte as you dream him to be present, it is not possible to have him present other wise then in some material substance.

For you are not content to have him present as the Israelites had in the wilderness, but you will after their exem • ple 〈◊〉 vn to Aaron to make you gods that you may se with the carnal eye: for the Israelites were not so gross but they knew that the caulfe which they had made was not God, but thought they could not honor nor call upon God otherwise then in a visible form. Thei were not persuaded of his invisible presence in all places. Even so you though you confess the invisible presence of God in all places: yet you appoint the second person in trinity to his place in the sacrament, thinckeinge that you cannot otherwise have the fruishion of his presence then by a visible shape, the cause whereof is none other, but the lack of gostly sight which should show him you in his word, although in the mean time I do not deny (yea I protest and defend) that the spiritual eye seth him in his sacraments also, the substance of the sacraments remaineinge in their natural property of substance Thus much have I said for the haueinge of the word wherewith God made all things of naught. Now you conclude upon the author sayeinge. Sir, you take not the scriptures aright. For you say God made all this world of nothing. And doeth it follow th • rfore▪ that man cannot by God's might turn things frō their nature God being willing they should • o do. In this piece you utter your own ignorance & lack of lea ••• ing. Who would be so made as once to surmise so fond a conclusion as you inveigh against as gathered by the author upon this infallible truth, God made all the world of nothing. Doth it follow thereupon, say you, that man cannot by the might of God turn things out of their nature? As though there had ever ben any so made as to cōclud so fōdli. The author endevoreth naught else but to disprove this argument • , We have the word where w ^t god made all y ^• things of naught, why should we not thē do the same by pronoūceing those words? And you clean contrariwise inveigh against him as though he had fourmed his argument in this wise. We have the word where • with god made all world, • rgo man cannot by gods might alter things out of their nature. Thus you proceed in your blindness & after your notes set in y ^• mergēt to confirm your saying, you sai you have told us before by the plain words of Christ▪ For the priest you say is but a minister & like a parr • t speaketh Christ's words again, evē as christ himself bad (sai you) but there, with your leave you lie, I can nolenger forbear you whē you bely my master. For he never bad any priest or Apostle to speak those words again, No if he had biden thē speak them again: he would not have bydden thē (as the cauteles of your Mass do teach) breath thē out w ^t one breath w ^t out any pauseing or stop, as though y ^• pronounceinge of the words might make or ma • But he • ad, say you, and y ^• not in vain. For after the words spoken our lord doeth by his pour create no new thing but bringeth there the presence of our savior. You were so loath to mayme your ryme that you have well moste 〈◊〉 your reason For howe agreth this w ^t that which you have sayede in the beginning? The Lord did by his word tourne the bread into his body, & the wine into his blood. And here you say y ^• after the words spoken ou • e Lord bringeth there the presence of our savior. A man might here demand of you what Lord and savior you talk of. But it is but follye to content about the mone shine in watter (as the english proverb goeth) I will therefore leave you to your wise reason • s, till you have answered this confutation according to your brags.

The ballad

The answer.

The confutation

You seme to accōpte reason enemy to faith and to think that the brute beasts which are not troubled with reason: may soonest apprehend the perfection of faith. You do but contend by reasone to keep faith at a baye charge 〈◊〉 men with that they do not de fende (with that you cannot defend, you should have said) but if we said (say you) that the making did depend either upon the priest or of God, which we deny (whom we deny, you should have sayede) then had we some cause thus to spend our time. But for as much as you neither believe, that it dependeth of the priest nor of God but of y ^• devil as it seemeth for one of thē must (bear the stroke in the matter) you can say no more but so it is, Christ is there, How it is w • cannot tell, nor are desirouse to know. Yet yernestly you exhort us to leave y ^• we never used (sense it pleased god to open our eyes for it is against your catholic & true faith, you say, that Christ should be created a new. Here is neither head nor tail, but only an heap of words to fil out the line & make the • ime. You have said before, y ^• the priest as a minister pronounceth the words, & god doth his creature transmut, And now ye deni it. It depend • th you say of neither of them. Yea you conclude before y ^• our Lord's dodie is there flesh and fell, and in another place you say body and soul & bisides y ^• god and mā: but here you say he is there, but how, you seek not to spy. But I cōiecte yet another meaneinge in your words (though in deed they sown no less thē I have said) you will say perchaūce, y ^• in your saying that you seek not to espy how he is there, you mean y ^• you seek not to know whether he be there passable or impassible, mortal or immortal whether he be there in such sort y ^• the mose may eat him, the fire burn him, or the weat corrupt him. Thoughe you se all these things chance to the cake which you call consecrate & turned into the body of Christ, yet you▪ will not seek to spy whether Christ suffer these things or not Well then, if a man should demand of you whether the body of Christ do suffer these things eateinge of the mouse, burneinge an • corruptynge: what answer would you make? You will not go frō that you have written I am sure you will not seek to spy. I will believe it, but I will not serche it. And I pray you what will you believe? That Christ is there naturally and reallye, & that there remaneth nosubstaunce, but only the substance of Christ God & man.

Is there none other su • staunce there? What is it then that filleth the mouses bealye, & burneth in the fire changeth color and putrifieth? My Lord of Winchester saith 〈◊〉 dentes for substance he saith there is none but Christ, who can suffer none of all this, and you say you will not seek to spy. Well then I leave you as one uncertain of his faith not knowing what to believe, nor willing to learn And as you exhort us to leave that is not in us because it is against your • aith: evē so I exhort you to seek for that you have not, that is the true understanding of Christ's sacraments For it is a gayust our belief (which is the one only faith which is grounded upon the sure foundation of the scripture) that Christ should be naturally and reallye present in an • e other place then heaven, till he come to judge y ^• world

The ballad

The answer

The confutation

No man might worse have complained of the blindness of them that will not se, then you yourself (friend Swynharde) for if you would but once open your eyes, and read the places of scripture that you bring for your purpose and weigh them with the circumstances: I doubt not you would be ashamed to wrest them • o far out of tune. And where you do now gather of Christ's longynge before his supper, and his thirstyng on the cross, that the first body, that is (as you say) the bread, and y ^• last, which died on y ^• cro •• e, are all one: I doubt not but if you would way the places with worthy judgment, you would sone be ashamed of your writing, and of all your fond resonyng about the same words. For the first Luke saith When the hour of supper was come, he satte down and his. xii. Apostles with him, and he said unto them. With great desire have I desired, to eat this passover with you before I suffer. For I say unto you, from hensfurth I will not eat it, till such time as it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. &c.

What spiritual eye can se any other thing in these words of our savior: then that he desireth greatly to declare unto them before his death by the eating of that lamb which was the remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt, and the figure of himself, being the unspotted lābe that was preordinated to take away the sins of the world: that from thence forth they should no more use any such sacrament or ceremony to declare his coming in the flesh, because the time was then come where in this sacrament and all other should be fulfilled by his death upon the cross, which was, is, and shall be our deliverance out of the spiritual Egypt, and the sufficient ransom for our sins. This was the fulfyllyng of the figure by the verity, and not as you fantasie the old to be fulfilled by the new, in that you say that Christ ordained his law to fulfil that law So that you make one law figure of another and one sacrament to be the thing signified by another. But you sai, that lamb was himself which he ordained to be offered in the remembrance of his bitter death and passion. Here might I ask you which lamb? you will sat. I am sure, the true lamb that the prophets saw which is himself. Well then hath he made himself a remembrance of his own death. But I pray you, esteem you him so little as so? Do you occompt his death of more, valure thē himself? No sign or remembrance of a thing, can be so good as the thing itself, more then the goodness of the shadow can be equal of value with the body. If Christ therefore daily offered up, be the remembrance of his bitter death: then is his bitter death better then he himself. And yet you have not all done with Christ's longyng. One thing you say, you would have noted by the way. And that is that Christ longed to eat the passover with his disciples, not only to fulfil the law, but also to show them more of his will, which was, that he would give thē a perfect pledge of eternal life, according to his promise made to them before (as is mentioned you say in the. vi. of John) giving his flesh to be communicate, that they might thereby be incorporate in him and he in thē. And thē you join hereunto, his thrustyng on the cross. And vpō this longyng and thurstyng, well and clarkely you gather the great desire that Christ had to full • ill his promise that he made when he said The bread that I shall give is my flesh.

Men of learning and judgment in the scriptures, may easily perceive your ignorance in this matter. I will not therefore go about to opē it to them. But for their sakes that be not yet fully grounded in the true understanding hereof, I will take sonwhat more pains in the opening of this ignorance of yours, nowithstandyng that I have spoken somewhat largely of the matter in the confutation of the former parte of your answer, where you claimed this, promise of Christ as you do here.

Mark therefore good Christian brothers, to you I speak y ^• ar not yet so fully instructed in Christ, but that you savor somewhat of the Pharisees leaven, & yet would gladly be delivered from the blindness of error, mark I • ay how far wide this man is from the true meaning of Christ in this place. He hath non other occasiō at all, to appl • e this piece of scripture to his purpose: but only for that there is bread men • ioned. It fareth by him even as it doth by the patrons & defēdours of Purgatory. For wheresoerver he findeth bread named in the scripture, there he laith a straw, as a mark to 〈◊〉 his commune places by: evē as thei did whē th • i found ani menciō of fire. Ihō Frith hath opened their folly at large in his dispu • atiō vpō Purgatori Would God I were able to do hal • e so much in this matter▪ But take it in good parte (dear brethrē) that I shall writ. And if you shall find it consonāt & agreeable to the scriptures: then embrace it, and give God the thanks, otherwise, hold it accur • ed, and do not once opē your eyes upon it. For the mo y ^t should embrace my doctrine being vngodl • : the greater should my dam nation be. But being assertained by y ^• spirit of truth, that I teach nothing but that I find in the boke of truth: I am bold to bid you mark and learn the true understanding of these words of our savior Christ: The bread that I shall give, is my flesh. Our savior Christ, perceiving y ^• the fleshly minded Jews, • oloed him more for y ^• thei had eat̄ the loves which he had multipli • d, then for the miracle or wonder y ^• he had wrought: • oke occasion at • he questiā which thei asked him saying, Rabbi or Mayster, when canmest thou hither? as who should say we have sought and laid wait to know howe and whan thou shouldest pass the sea, but we could not perceive any ship prepared for thy passage. Hast thou therefore cōueighed thyself over by miracle as thou diddest multiply the five loves? He toke occaciō I sai here a • , to declare unto them that all his words and deeds are to be looked on with the spiritual • ie and not with the carnal. And even at the first he saith unto them. Ye follow me not because you have seen the wonders. But because you have eaten of the breads and are satisfied. As who should say you pretend a woēderous desire to se the wonders that I work▪ as men that would thereby be allured to embrace and follow my doctrine: but youre intent is none other but to be fed at my hand and so to live Idlely without labor and travail more then to wander up and down after me. But I shall tell you what you shall do if you will follow me. Work for the meat that perisheth not, but that remaineth into life everlasting which meat the son of man shall give you. For this is y ^• meat that god the father hath appointed. Then said they. What may we do to work the works of god? He answered unto thē in this wise. This is▪ the work of God that you believe in him whom he hath sent. Thē brake they out in their own likeness, and against their wylles, uttered their faulse dissimilacion, sayeinge. What miracle workest thou therefore, that we may se it, and beleuethe? What works dost thou? Our fathers eat Manna in the wilderness, as it is written. He gave thē bread frō heaven to eat. But our savior said unto thē. Moses gave you not 〈…〉 or very bread in deed frō heaven. For y ^• is the true bread y ^• descended frō heaven, & giveth life to the world Then said they, Lord give us this bread always. These men's mind was altogether upon material bread. Let us never lack this bread, say they. Well Christ maketh them answer. I am the bread of life, saith he, who so cometh unto me shall not hunger, and he that believeth in me, shall never thurste. But I have told you, that you have both seen me, and not believed. Here may you learn to eat the bread y ^• Christ speaketh of. It needeth you not to prepare tooeth and throat, nother bealye nor stomach, but believe & you shall not • onger nor thurst. You shall have plenty of his heavenly food. He that cometh to me saith Christ & he that believeth in me. To come unto Christ and to believe in Christ, is all one thing, as appeareth by the words following. Every thing that my father giveth me shall come unto me, and I will not caste him out that cometh unto me. For I descended from heaven, not to do my will, but his will that sent me. And this is the will of mi father y ^• sent me: that I should not lose ani thing y ^• he gave me, but that I should • ayse it again in the last day. Yea, this is the will of my father y ^• sent me: y ^• everyone that seeth the son and believeth in him, should have life everlasting, & I will raise him at the last day He that seeth the son and believeth in him. To see and to believe, to eat and come to Christ is all one thing. The Jews therefore murmured at his words in that he said. I am the living bread that descended from heaven and they said. Is not this the son of Joseph whose father and mother we know.

How saith he thā y ^• he descended frō heaven? Behold these carnal Jews, how grossly the • applied all thing • s to the flesh. They were altogether flesh, & could perceive no • hing of the spirit. Christ endeavored to teach thē the misteri of his incarnacion, who being the form of God thought it nor obbri to humble him self into the form of a servant, & they would needs understand his words to bespokē of y ^• body whi • h thei knew to be borne of Marie the carpē • ers wife. Is not this Joseph's son said they whose father & mother we know? Howe standeth this then with his words when he saith I came from heaven? But he answered their fleshelye talk saying. Murmure not among yourselves. For no man can come unto me, except my Father which sent me draw • im and I shall raise him in the last day. It is written in the Prophet. All shall be taught of god. Euer • e one that hath heard of the father and hath learned: cometh unto me.

Not y ^• any man hath seen the father, save only he y ^• is of god. He hath sen the father. By this seeing of the father, may you easily (most dear brithern) perceive, what seeing, what eateinge & coming unto Christ it is, that is meant in all this Chapi Even the gostly eateing, seeing and coming unto Christ. For though a mā be never so much of God: yet shall not his fleshely eye see God. And to declare his meaning more plainly he saith. He that believeth in me hath everlasting life. Al that he hath spokē before of the eating, coming & seeing, & all that he speaketh afterward, is contained in those few word • s he that beleleueth in me hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life: Your fathers did eat manna in wilderness and are dead, Thys bread is it y ^• cane frō heavē, y ^• if any mā shall eat of it, he shall not die. I am y ^• liueing bread, which came frō heaven. If any man eat of this bread he shall live forever. And the bread y ^• I shall give: is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. Here is the whole matter, here have we a plain promise (say thei) y ^• the bread that Christ should give to his disciples at his maundie was his flesh. Oh blind asses. How long will it be ere you pierce the flesh & enter into the spirit? Because his outward words so • ne flesh. You will not once think upon any spirit, but even as the Jews did, stick still in the flesh & fleshly eating. But because you will not seme to murmur & contend as y ^• Jews did saying, how cā this mā give us his flesh to eat: You will believe (you say) that it was a thing very easy to do. And thē you reprove y ^• Jews of vnbeleue: because they wer not so gross as you, to believe that Christ would thrust his natural body into a piece of bread, that thei might without grudge of stomach eat it. You declare yourselves neither to savor the spirit, nor yet to understand the phrases of the letter. The Jews could take the phrase a right, & say howe • ā this mā g • ue us his flesh to eat? Thei doubted not how he should give thē his flesh in the fourm of bread: for thei knew, y ^• after y ^• phrase of the Hebrew tongue, he meant by bread food. As though he should have said. Youre fathers were fed in the wilderness, with Manna, and yet they are dead, but the food wherewith I shall feed you is my flesh, not that you shall eat it as your fathers did Manna and so die, but I will give it for the life of the world, so that if you will believe and put youre trust herein (for that is the eating of my flesh) you shall never die the death of the soul, for the body is mor • all and must needs die. That this was his meaning, is plain by the answer that he gave to their contention. Certes (saith he) I say unto you, except ye eat my flesh & drink my blood: you shall have no life in you. Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. And then he openeth the phrase of the Hebrew more plain and saith. My flesh is very food, and my blood very drink, he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, tarrieth in me, and I in him. And as my living father sent me, and I live through him: evē so he that eateth me, liveth through me▪ Now tell me (you fleshmongers) if the Jews had then torn Christ in peaces with their teth, and eaten him every morsel, should they have lived through • him? Oh beastly blind. This is the food that came from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: but such as • ate • his tode shall never die. If this be spoken of the sacrament howe agreeth it with the words of s. Paul to the Corinth? who so • ateth this bread and drinketh this cup unworthily eateth & drinketh his own judgment. Howe chanced it y ^• Judas was not saved by it? Howe can youre priests that break they fast with it daily, be damned? Yea if this be spoken of the sacrament then is that also spoken of the sacrament when he saith Excepte you eat my flesh & drink my blood, you shall have no life in you. And thē how could the thief y ^• was crucified w ^t Christ be saved? For I am right sure he never received the sacrament. Yea in what takeinge be all the children & yonglinges that die before they come to years of discrecion to receive this sacrament. Thus may you se (dear bretheren) howe 〈◊〉 these men are from the spirit, and yet they would seme so spiritual y ^• they have captivated all their senses & reason also to believe the thing that was never taught, and that after such sort, that they declare them selves therein to be most f • eshely nothing perceyueinge the words of Christ when he saith The words that I speak, are spirit and life. It is the spirit that giveth life, y ^• flesh profiteth nothing.

Now frinde Hoggherd. I think you be ashamed of your misreporting of this piece of scripture, or if you be pas • e shame: yet I trust the godly minded do so plainly perceive your slender judgment herein that they will g • ue you leave to lie till your tongue fail you ere thei will credit your words. But now cometh the hardest piece of work into hand. Yea and so clearkly handled (as you think) that no mā can be able to avoid your reasons. At his last supper you say, Christ toke bread, blessed it, brake it, and gave it to his disciples and bade them take and eat, this is my body. And then to show them what body it was (say you) that he meant: he added these words. Wh • ch • for your sins shall be broken. Then (subtle, lie) you ask this question. What body (say you) was it that was broken for our trespass? And then you fantasy with yourself, that we will not say a fantastical body, but even the same body that was borne of the virgyne Marie. It seemeth by your words that you think the Apostles to be of your opinion concerneing the plurality of Christ's bodies. To show them you say, what body it was that he mente: he said, y ^• body which for our sins was brokē. And still thinkeing every mā to be of your own opinion, you ask us y ^• same questian. Wherunto we answer even as you coniecte, no sign of a body, but the self same body y ^t was borne of the virgins Marie. Uoide this if you may, say you. Alas pore fole, why triūphest thou before the victory? Thou thinkest y ^t all is overthrown with this one weak argument. Which in veridede is none argument but a mere cauillacion, as shall moste plainly appear to as • many as know how to form an argument. Your argument (or rather cauillaciō) is fourmed in this wise. Thys is my body which shall be broken for you, but the body that shall be brokē for you was borne of the virgins Marie, Ergo this body was borne of the virgins Marie. I think a man had need to have you to y ^• university to teach you to understand your error in this argumēte. For I perceive you have persuaded yourself y ^• every thing y ^t may be brought into tourme of argument is infalliblie true. Other wise you would not triumph upon this argument I am sure. Consider I pray you, your major prosicion, if you know what a major or proposicion meaneth, & then tell me wherther it be not a doubtful proposicion, for a man holdeinge bread in his hand or rather having delivered bread unto other to say this is my body which shall be brokē for you Is it not as like y ^• he should by y ^• proposiciō, mean y ^• the bread is his body in significacion, as in substance. Yesse verily, & more like, considering the party that spake the words, and the cause why that natural body of his was conceived & borne of the virgins Mar • e: & again the hears to whō the words were spokē & the bread delivered. For there be in y ^• bread two things which do plainly declare these 〈…〉 by y ^t the bread is the principanl food of the body yea & in the language y ^t he spake, all kinds of food are called bread Christ therefore being the only & universal food of the soul: is right well declared & signified unto us by this bread. The other thing is the making of the bread of mani grains being but one bo • i whē it, is made. And thereby is well declared y ^• unity of all faithful believers in Christ, who being many in nūbre, are in faith but one mystical body of Christ. Lo here is your major proposicion, Ask your coūsalours how your conclusion followeth herupon, I pray you, & thē tell me more of your mind. I will spend no more time w ^t you now about this argumēte, because I think you may say by the terms of the art, as a certain priste in the city of Londō said by this term trāsubstāciacion, I could never know (quoth he) what this word trāsubstāciō should mean. Well you labor to prove by y ^• same argument, y ^• the wine is y ^• natural blood of christe and thē you descant upon Christ's (this) when he said, Do this in the membraunce of me.

What this was it y ^• he bade them do, say you, was it not to bless, to break, to give, & to speak the same words y ^• he spak • ? No fole no. But by those visible signs bread & wyne, to cal to remembrance the heavenli fedeing of th • ir souls and y ^• inseparable unity of thē selves by faith Neither be the words y ^• Christ's spake, the words of cōsecraciō, or able to • ourne the substance of creatures: more thē the name Pe • tus which Christ gave unto Simon, was able to turn Simon into a rockey or s • onye nature, when Christ said. • ues Petrus et Supper h • nc petram et cetera. The words therefore art the words of Christ, but to cal the words of consecracion, is a mere inuencion of mē, As for your note in y ^• magine, is so well applied to the purpose: y ^• I leave it for men to laugh at thinkinge it no need to confute y ^• which fighteth with itself, and is ready to • ourne again and take you by the face in diverse places of your Answer.

Then ye call to remembrance (you say) yet one other thing, Christ takeing y ^• cup, you say, intended to fulfil the moysaycal law in all pointes that is to say, to make the wyne his blood which was prefigured by all the blood that was offered in the old law. Wherefore (you say) if the wine remain still, he fulfilled the law • with the figure of blood, so that one figure was the fulfilling of another. Lord god, wha • beast could be so blind as you show your sel • to be, wer it not that the spirit of error reigneth in you? It appeareth by your words that follow, that you have read the Epistle to the Hebrews, and yet you are not ashamed to say that Christ instituted the sacrament to fulfyl • the law • Paul saith the offering of him • self on the cross, was the thing that was pre-figured and you say it was the sacrament. I • this your phantastical opinion, be the truth: howe chanceth it that in all the writteinges of the Apostles: cannot be found one word of any such fulfilling of the law. Paul wryttin • of the sacrifices of the old law even of p • rpose, to declare the meaneing of thē, declareth thē all to be fulfiled in the one only offering 〈◊〉 of Christ on the cross. Also to the Corin. intēdeing to declare the true meaning of the yerel • passover lamb, he saith Christ is offered 〈◊〉 our pascall lamb. Let us therefore bancke 〈◊〉 not in the leaven of old malice and wickedness, but in the sweet breades of sincerity and verity. Loo, here he applieth the passover Lamb, unto Christ offered for our sins, and the sweet breades to our godly conversation and liueing. And yet (as one thoroughly blinded with affections) you will conclude upon an inconvenience. If the wyne be not turned into very blood (you say) it is not so much to be esteemed as the figur • s of the old law▪

For they were no fygures of blood but very blood in deed Here you declare yourself not to have captivated your senses, for if you had, you would not judge the wyne to be a figure of blood because it is red (for other cause 〈◊〉 is none why you should so cōiect) but you would with us confess that as Paul teach • th, the wyne representeh unto us the wonderful union of all the faithful believers in christ that they being infinite meanie in number, are • et but one body through the faith in Christ Jesus which knitteth them to gether even as • he sin • es do the body. And this is declared (saith Paul) by that the wyne is made of ma • ye grapes, and is yet but one cup of wyne, even one body, so compact together, that it can 〈◊〉 no manes be diseuered. Thus do we se that 〈◊〉 wyne is the figure, not of Christ's blood • ecause it is red or lyquid as blood is: but of • he inseparable unity of Christ's mystical mē • res, his faithful church and congregation of • aythful believers, We se also that it is the fi • ure of Christ's bloudsheding because it is one of the two principal kynds of food wherewith • ur bodies be fed, For therein it declareth that • he belyefe in Christ's blood shed for our sin • es is one of the two principal kinds of the food of our souls. For other food hath the soul none, then the lively word of god, wherein are taught these two things only. The flesh of Christ brokē & his blood shed for our sins These things only (I say) are taught in y ^• scrpture. For who so lerneth not these things learneth nothing in y ^• scripture. What other thing doth the old law thē bring us to Christ? And then what doth the new testament other then teach us this lesson. We grant you therefore, that Christ did forse this sacrament to be a great confort to his people, after such sort as I have said. Yea we grant y ^• Christ did also forse your lyeynge miracles whereby you establish your fleshly presence: when he said. Beware of false proph • tes which come unto you in shepes clotheing, for inward they are ravening woulfes. Yea he giveth us warneing of your lying signs, and of your busy demonstracions, when you say, lo here is Christ, lo • there is Christ. Beleue thē not, saith he. Tha • was meant of the pigrimages, say you, but whē they were used you denied it, as you do now • of the sacrament. So loath you are to be drive • from your startynge holes.

Thē come you out w ^t Melchizedek. God a •• pointed him, say you, a priest & a king, even to figure this same o • fering. And then a while 〈◊〉 bustle blindly about this kingdom & priesthood so long til you fall • e into your old flesh again • and thus you say. Melchizedek brought forth bread & wyne unto Abrahā in the way & in 〈◊〉 same act scripture, you say, calleth him y ^• 〈◊〉 of the high god eternal. Thē applieng the mat • tier to your purpose you say christ did likewis • give the form of bread & wyne, of the whic • Melchizedek was but asigne. Well hit maiste Hogard. melchidech brought forth bread & wine unto Habraham to refresh him after his great travail in the recovering of his kinsfolk and cōtry men: & you, like a divine of the grosseste, sort, say y ^• Christ did the like thing, when he gave to his disciples, the tourmes, as you say, of bread & wyne. Thus your words sown, if a man take thē as the lie, but I am right sure you would say, if you were de maunded your meaneing, y ^• as Melchizedek offered up • read and wine in sacrifice: so did christ y ^• fourmes of bread & win▪ For you say a little before y ^• sriptture accōpteth Melchizedek y ^• priest of y ^• highest in y ^• he brought fourth bread & wyne to Habrahā. And in so saying you should amend the matter well. for if Melchizedek wer y ^• priest of the highest in y ^• deed thē was Habrahā y ^• highest god for he offered bread & wine to none▪ other but Habrahā. Then do you for se an obietion & preti • ie ye prevent y ^• might be said against you. And in soluteing y ^• , as you think, you say y ^• in bringing fourth bread & wyne unto Habrahā Melchizedek gave thanks unto God for Habrahames victory. And that, you say, was a 〈◊〉 of his office. As who should say he made a sacrifice of bread and wyne, & in very deed in that he refreshed Habrahame and his company with bread and wyne, when after their great trauille their bodies needed refreing: he offered an acceptable sacrifice unto God, and so did Christ when with his body and blood offered one the cross, he refershed our very souls But for the thanks that Melchsede • he gave unto God, if you▪ consider the places well, were done with a thankful heart and Godly words for he sayede Blessed is Habrahame unto the highest God that hath made heaven and earth: and blessed be y ^• high GOD by whose help the enemies are in thy hands. But for your objection. A man might ask you • you say) howe this deed of Melchisedeche may be thus applied, s • inge that, neither the proyhet nor Paul • maketh any mention of bread or wine, where Paul noteth thē thus to agre, meaneinge of Melchizedek and Christ. But Paul (say you) doeth apply Melchisedeches preisthod unto Christ, in that he offered up his flesh and blood unto his father. Thys ye say is palayne scripture. And yet if a man should go roundli to you: I think it would trouble both you and your counsaylours to find it in scripture that this should be Paul's meaning. For the place to the Hebrews that you build upon: maketh rather against you therein. First (saith Paul) Melchesedech, is interpreted the king of justice, and then the king of Salem, that is the Kynge of peace, whose parents and kynred are unknown, neither having beginning of days, nor ende of life. For being compared or likened unto the son of God, he remaineth a priest forever. If you had any little spark of the spirit of God in you: it were very easy for you to judge wherein Paul compareth Melchesedech unto Christ: Evē in that he was without begynny • ge, without endeinge, desended of unknown parents, & remained a priest, forever But you are still in the flesh, and harp still on one stringe, as appeareth by your melody. And you dream y ^• because Paul maketh no menciō of bread & wyne we will say y ^• he denieth Christ's pristehode. For your fleshely understanding will not suffer you to understand any other pristhod 〈◊〉 Christ, then that should stand in the offryng of material sacrifice, as bread, wine, fat lambs kiddes, gotes, & such other. And by the same understanding you say that the bread & wyne that Melchesedech offered (for so you place your terms of the bread and wyne that he gave unto Abraham) figured Christ's flesh & blood offered on the cross Which assertion, how it agree •• with the scriptures: is ease •• to be seen of all 〈◊〉 that are spiritual & have the spirit of God dwelling in them. As for your pretty note y ^• you • et in the marge: I leave it to yourself, as a def • niciō of your own making. For w • l I wot it is not to be found in any writter worthy of fai •• but in such as you are yourself, besides that it is contrary to the true meaning of the scriptures, in as many places as this sacramen • is mencioned.

The Bal • ad.

The answer.

The confutation

This sta • e (you say you have answered before For all is (you say) but the sown of one string And therefore you will answer no more. And then overcome with charitye, ye, brast out in a prayer and wish that God will bring y ^• author out of his error, not much unlike to him that having a beam in his own e • e: goeth about to pul a mote out of his brothers eye. And then straight way ye decla • e a shamful error of my Lord of Winchesters▪ which you use as yours own concerning the understanding of this place of Isaiah, except thou believe, thou canst not understand. For the right understanding whereof: I could • emyt you to the Answer that Anthony Gylbe hath made to my Lord's Deuelish Dete • tion in the C.x. vii. leaf of the same. But because you should put no lack in this confutation: you shall have it here. The words you wrest to your purpose, yea you falcify the text which hath. If you will not believe the cause is y ^• you are instable. So that here the prophet speaking unto the rulers of the people of Israel, {pro}misynge the deliverance frō the force of their enemies, and perceiving that they did not credyt his words: saith, If you will not believe this deliverance from your enemies: the cause of your unbelief, is none other but that you are unconstant and will not be faithful. This is y ^• interpretation of them that follow the Hebrew The common translacion giveth another interpretation, and that is this. If you perish or be vanquished of your enemies: know y ^• your unbelief is the cause thereof And this interpretation 〈◊〉 to follow of that which the prophet had said before, confor • yng king Achaz against his enemies, who had conspired against him. Thus saith the Lord God (said y ^• prophet) their counsel shall not stand, their purpose shall not come to pass. And after few words he addeth If you will not believe: you shall not endure▪ As who should sai. If you will not believe this mi {pro}mes: I will suffer you to be • o • ed out by your enemies, you shalt not continue though you escap these dangers y ^• you be in now. Take it which way you will therefore, and you shall not make it for your purpose, unless you wrest it to far out of tun • (as you do) by the example of my lord of Winchester. But now for that you say that you have answered this staff before▪ I would gladly know where. I remember you say that never man taught or held it, and yet your own Doctors are full of that opinion. Which you shall find if you cā entreat some of your councelers to expound unto you a piece of the boke called Sermones dis. In y ^• . Cxi. sermō on xiiii. • onday after Triniti: ar these pretty words, cited out of s. Banard, as you call him. O veneranda dignitas sacerdotsi, quorum manibus, tan • in vtero virginis filius dei incarnatur. That is to your lewd understanding. Oh y ^• dignity of priests, worthy to be had in reverence, in whose hands (evē as in the v • rgins woēb) the son of God is incarnate. And alitle before is said. Octauo deus honorauit sacerdotes in hoc quod sacerdos aliqualiter similis est Marie beatissime virgini. Primo, sicut beatissima vir go Maria cōcepit per quin{que} verba, verū corpus christi. Luce. i Fiat mihi secūdū verbū t • ū) sic sacerdos cōficit per quin{que} verba, verū corpus. &c That is, eig • lie god hath exalted priests in y ^• the priest, is after some sort lik unto Mari the most blessed virgin. First, as the most blessed virgin Mary did by .v. words, conceive the very body of Christ (Luke. • Be it unto me according as thou hast said) so the priest doth w ^t .v. words make the very body of Christ. &c What should I rehearse anymore of this blasphemous gear. But in the beginning of the same sermon in the first dignity, of priests, is this more then devilish affer • ion grounded vpō the first of Jeremiah. Ego constitui te hodie super gentes et regna. I have ordained the above • acions and kingdoms. The words are these Unde breuiter, deus exaltauit sacerdotes super omnes homines & super omnes creaturas. Unde quida •• doctor dici • . 〈◊〉 conditione estis homines, dignitate estis super omnes homines. Thē doctor. Sacerdo • all • ior est regibus, felicror angelis, creator sui creatoris. That is in english Brieffely therefore God hath exalted priests a bon • all men, and above all creatures wherefor a certain docter saith. If so be y ^• ye be mē: yet are ye of dignity above all men. And the same docter. A priest is hier then kings, more happy then angels, and the creature of his creature. The • okes ar to be had wherein is more thereof thē any Christian ears cā abide.

The ballad

The Answer.

The confutatiō.

The words of your, prayer, soune well for your self. What the meaning is, ye know best your self. If god grant sight to the blind (you say) you trust to se the authors conversion. And doubtless so shall you, for so longe as you be so blind as you be: It is not possible that you should se how y ^• author was • onuerted frō your gross opinion though you mean another manner of conversion for as you say yourself,, there is none blinder then they that will not se, And here you say you can find none blynder then the author is in his opinion, which you call mad (as fools do wisdom) vmbradynge him with the criyng upon all other people 〈…〉 the scripture, when no man is farther frō it they he is himself. Thus you have said, but such as have judgment in • cripture, shall easily perceive by both your writings, how falsely you bely him.

The Ballad.

The answer.

The confutation

The author wisheth none other thing unto you (friend Hogharde) then that which Paul himself exhorteth all men to do, that is to be his foloers as he was the folower of Christ But this part of Paul which he wisheth them to play, in following of him, is to convert (as he himself saith) from the Romish way even as Paul converted from the persecuting of the Christian faith, & with a meek hert to obey▪ gods truth. But as for one, nothing con • ented with the thing that he wisheth for you: you stomach the matter, and deny that you receive • d it of the popish see. But yet you show not whence you received it, Neither do you bring any proves (other then your bare assersion) that you received it not of the popish see. I think you to be one of them, that use to affirm things, without any argument or reason for the probation thereof. I will therefore minister you occasion in seek up youre arguments and reasons against you make answer to this confutation And by your leave, I will prove that you had it from the Romish see. I would have you therefore, first to consider, what thing it is that we talk of.

It is not the Lord's supper: but that toye of yours which you cal the blessed Sacrament of the altar. Whence that came is evident to thē that lust to se: for throughout the whole Bible there is not so much as one word of that popish inuentiō. The supper of the Lord, we have there mentioned, & so declared, that comparyng this toye of yours thereunto: we may easily perceive y ^• they be clean contrary. The Lord at his last supper, toke bread, gave thankes & brake it Your Apes take bread & blow vpō it breathinge out certain words in the manner of enchaunters & sorcerers, to turn the substance thereof, & they offer it up for a sacrifice. Christ distributed the bread among his disciples, and eat none himself, but your Apes devour all thē selves, and give the people none. Christ celebrated his supper at the table with his disciples, even in his common apparel: But youre Apes must have goodly garments made for the nonse, of all the colors, of the rayn • Bowe and at sundry rymes sundry colors. Christ made no fond iestures: But your Mōkers must have crossyng kissynge, beckynge, douckynge, turnynge, trippynge, with many pretye tricks, and at the last • osse up all slouenlye, and bless the people with the empty cup. Se you not howe these two agre?

Now let us se whense all this grare of yours cometh. Selestinus the pope ordained the pray •• y ^• the priests (your Godmakers) say when they rauysh thē selves to mass. Pope Damasus ordained Confiteor. Pope Gregory cau • ed Kyri • eleson to be said .ix. times together, Gregory and Gelasius gathered the Col • ctes, good gere I warrant you, if they be well weighed. The Grayle was of the same men's doing I trow. Telesphorus, invented the Tract, Notherus the Sequences, Anastasius, the standing up at the Gospel, Eutichianus the Offertory, Gelacius the Preface, Sextus the Sanctus, Pope Leo the .iii. ordained the Incense. Also y ^• Secretes of the mass, are they not popes parches clouted together to make the matter more salable. Gelasius made Te igitur, Siritius, added Communicantes, Pope Alexander made Qui pridie. Pope Leo, Hanc igitur. Gregory made the petitions, Dies{que} nostros. The first Innocen • ius ordained the Pax▪ Sargius, the Agnus dei The first Alexander ordained that the bread should be unleavened. And thē as you think, whence have we this your bable, so tossed and tombled from this side to that, hoysed up and laid down again. You must pardon me though I speak plain: for I take all such things as foles delight to play wythal: for no better then babbles. • ut • o put the weak brothers out of doubt y ^• I contemn not the Lord's supper: I {pro}test, y ^• among the things & ordinances y ^• our savior christ hath left w ^t us. y ^• lively word of God only excepted, there is none more profitable, & for our souls comfort, then it is. And that therefore we ought to frequent & use it w ^t all faithfulness, tree • blyng & fear of y ^• lord knowing y ^• if we being the members of the d • ust, should enterprise to come to the Lord's table as partakers w ^t him: we shall have our reward with the hypocrites, even in the utter darkness

I exhort you all therefore (that glory to be the members of Christ and called Christians) that in no case ye presume to receive this holy communion: unless you be inwardly the same thing that this holy misteri declareth them to be, that use it worthily.

Say not therefore (friend Hoghard) that I rail upon the blessed Sacraments of Christ's body and blood (for I take God to witness and mine own con • ience, I reverence them as much as God's word willeth them to be reverenced) but that which I have writ̄ is against that abuse which the Romish Ruffians have set up and would mayntayn in the stead thereof.

The ballad

The answer

The confutation

Here you would seme to make a prayer for the king, contrary to that which the author • aketh, and yet against your will (I think) it is the same, as it is easy to be seen to all them that cā judge vpō writtinges. But afterward you put men out of doubt of your meaning, and say that you marvel the author durst be so bold as to appoint his prince to such an office, as to bury the dead God that is pixte. And by the same your admiracion, you declare yourself to be altogether fleshely. For what spiritual mind could think it a thing unworthy a Christian prince to bury, that is to extinguish • and put utterly out of memory, that moste detestable Idole, which being a thing dead and without any lively significacion: is named and taken as God? But no marvel though you be so fleshely in this matter, for the chief of your counsel, are not ashamed openly to affirm that the godhead is a corporal substance, because the • find in Genesis that man was made to the similitude and Image of God.

The ballad

The answer

The confutation

You have no more to say here, but that the author maketh this sacrament no more but a sign, where as the catholic faith (you say) leadeth us to believe that Christ is there present, flesh & blood. Which thing is very true but not as you takeit (For your words de • lare▪ your meaneinge to be that Christ's steshe and blood should be there after such sort that it might be eaten & sualowed in to our bodies by the orgains of the same, pointed for y ^• office of eateing. But our belief is, and that according to the catho like faith of the apostles & fathers of the primative church that the substance of the bread wherein those accidents which we se do remain: is no mor but a sign (as Paul teacheth) of the wonder full couplynge together of all the members of Christ in one mystical body, as the bread being made of many graynes is but one body, and in like manner the wyne. But the spiritual present of Christ's body in these sacraments, we never denied, kno • nge that as many as (being the unfeigned members of Christ) do with sure faith in the promises of Christ use these sacraments bread and wyne accordeinge to Christ's institution and first ordinance are at the same supper of the Lord as certaynely made partakers of Christ's body and blood and all y ^• ever he did or deserved for us in the flesh: as theye are partakers of that sacramenttal bread and wine To this faith do we consent wishing y ^• it would please the Lord to open the eye of you and your councollour that you may se and consent to the same

Imprînted at London by John Day and William Seres, dwelling in Sepulchers Parish at the sign of the Resurrectiō a little above Holbourne Conduite.

Cum gratia & priuilegio adimprimendum sol • n.