Here is a shorte resytal or certayne holy doctours whych proueth that the naturall body of christ is not conteyned in the Sacrame[n]t of the Lordes supper but fyguratyuely, collected in myter by Ihon Mardeley

IT is marueled moche Mens myndes is soch To sow discorde In hande to take Any boke to make That dothe not accord Wyth Goddes holy worde That twoo edged sworde whych cutteth bothe wayes Frome that Testament They do dyscente Into prophane wayes For many whych lokes Upon soche bokes Playnly dothe see Wythe woordes confuse Suche doo abuse The verytye For where they saye Presente alwaye Is flesshe carnall As they defyne Under bread and wyne A bodye naturall That is easyer sayed Than can be proued By the scriptures For bread and wyne To all mens eyen Be two creatures

Of theyr probacion To make relation Where as they veryfye Christ at his maundye Gaue hys naturall body That scripture dothe denye They saye he is almyghtye And able for to supplye And performe hys sayinge Or els it shulde be counted In hym somwhat wanted And not able to do all thynge To answere thys The scripture is Heare my defence And Doctours auncyent Doo full consente To thys pretence Where Christ at hys maundye Spake these woordes truly It was but fyguratyuely When as he sayde Take eate thys bread Thys is my bodye Whych is for many broken when he had so spoken He toke the cup sayinge Thys cuppe here presente Is the newe testament In my bloude sheddynge

Saynet Augustyne doth saye Loke where ye haue allwaye Any scripture whych seameth to be Of any thyng commanded That muste then be applyed To be spoken but figuratyuely And also Orygen that clerke wylleth vs for to marke wyth our myndes spiritually Sayinge all soche scriptures That they be but fygures And not to be taken carnally Now take thys and eate Is after the letter meate For they dyd eate in dede that bread mistycally So eate we hys body Yf we be spiritually mynded Now to vse that ordynaunce Is but a remembraunce Of Christes payne and passion For by it we do knowe And to the faythful showe Hys deathe vntyll he come S. Augustyn also affyrmeth And to Bonyface wryteth Christes body and bloude to be Celebrated but vnder A shadowe and fygure Of a secret mysterye

So that thys holy mysterye Of christes bloude and bodye It is spirituall in operacion For it geueth lyfe ••y faythe Thus S. Augustyn saythe And of his death a representacion For to make relation Of the true signification Thys is hys sayinge He saythe a sacrifice playnly Is a thyng done whych is holy Or a holy thyng in doyinge For by a woorde mysticall It is consecrate in the memoriall Of the Lordes deathe and passion And to be called the bodye And bloude of Christ verely. Thys is hys declaration Thoughe it be made he saythe Of the fruytes of the earthe Yet is it made and sanctifyed A sacrament by worke inuysyble Of the holy ghost incomprehensible When that the worde is pronounced The Grecians they do call Thys sacrament eucharistia all That is by interpretacion Good grace, as nothing more holy then Christes bloude and bodye Fyguted in thys celebracion

Thys bread and wyne mystically Be compared vnto the bloud and bodye Of Christe, because the inuysyble Substaunce, of wyne and bread Doth inebriate norryshe and fead The externe man corruptyble By the woorde of god beleued Is that lyuely bread fygured By hys participation whych dothe the myndes recreate And the faythfull renouate To the memoriall of hys passion Thys he sayth that a mysterye Is the signification and certentye Of a seerete hid disposycion So that a deuyne vertue Dothe inwardly therin insewe By that visible operacion Thus declareth he in soome that the Lordes deathe and passion was ones done for all So that the remembraunce of it Is represented to vs yet In thys holy thynge sole mpnisal S. Ambrose wryting of thys mistery Of Christes bloude and body Sayth ther is a commutacion whych is maruelously wroughte Sayinge that it is broughte to an incomprehensyble alteracion

Now here sayth he let them the whych dothe not esteme This secrete vertue so hyd But thynke that the hole body to appere therin visibly And to carnally presented Thynke in what poynte and howe Here happeneth let them saye nowe Any soche holy commutacion For bread and wyne we fynde whych styll appere in kynde Before and after consecracion Therfore it is made internly By powre of gods spirite verely whych onely fayth loketh vpon that whych the soule fedeth And euerlastynge lyfe mynistreth Is beleued in that mutacion Wherfore yf ye saye I see Christes body and bloude to bee In order of nature here You coulde not then saye I beleue the body and bloude allwaye Of Christ for to be there Than for asmoche as faythe Loketh vpon the hole he saythe And the fleshe apprehendeth nothing So that the body and bloud of Iesu Be not in the forme but in vertue Of that sacramentall ministring

Affyrmynge also the ministrie suche Whych is done in the churche To be but a sacrament memoriall Of that fleshe wherin christ suffered And was crucified dead and buryed Whych was very fleshe naturall But thys fleshe saythe he In symilitude conteyned to be Of that very fleshe in mysterye Yet is it not fleshe in kynde Nor in forme we fynde But in sacrament verely Yet in this sacrament Christ is But yet he saythe not thys That wyne and bread is hys bodye For then Christ muste pronounciat Hys body for to be corporat And subiecte to mortalitye For what soeuer is perceaued And in meate corporly tasted That is subiecte to corruption But here it is spirituall And not tasted corporall Thys is saynet Ambrose conclusion Can then the worde sayd Transforme the breade Into fleshe naturall Then muste it bee That we shulde see A bodye anymall

For and yf it turne From the fryste forme Of bread and wyne Then must the bodye Appere to vs openly Before euery mans eyen Yf when a thynge Is brought from hys beynge And actually chaunged Into that whyche Hath bene none suche Neades must be perceyued A•• when qualities be altered As blake to whyte chaunged By wordes of consecracion So chaunged in colloure Sight taste and sauoure Then is transubstaunciacion But in thys permutacion Is made no innouacion Then in the fyrste certeigne For that kynde of creature Whych was theyr before Is knowen styll to remeigne Nowe yf we fynde No chaunge in kynde But as it was before Howe nowe let vs see Than can it bee That bread remayneth no more

For it can be no sacrament Yf the body be present that the whyche it dothe fygure S. Augustyn he saythe we apprehende by fayth that mysticall nature Other els it is playne Our faythe to be vapne Yf reason haue experience therfore the veritie Calleth it a mysterye Of a deuyne enfluence So that thys holy sacrament By olde fathers iudgement Is but a mysterye hyd As ther is in baptysme Doctours dothe defyne A promyse therto annixed Christes fleshe and bloude he sayes Is vnderstond twoo maner of wayes Makyng therof a distinction Betwext the body and bloude that suffered death vpon the rode And y^t which we receyue to our saluaciō For that fleshe and bloude he saythe whych the faythful receyue in faythe Is of a spirituall enfluence From that fleshe whych was crucifyed And bloud which on the crosse was shed He putteth a full great difference

As may be betwene thinges spiritual And thinges visible and corporall So moche they dyffer vndoubtedly From that fleshe whych was crucifyed And that bloude the whych was shead thys doctour affirmeth playnly For they be not all one sayth he For that Crucifyed fleshe pardy was made of the fleshe of a vyrgyn Compact of bones synewes and vayne with y^e liniamēts of mās mēbers playne And quyckened with the spirite deuyne Hauing also a reasonable soule thus the proper mociōs he doth exstole Of hys naturall fleshly body but this fleshe which fedeth y^e faithfull Hath hys forme of corne frutefull And is eaten of them spiritually Yet this body we do vnderstande Is made by an artificers hande without any reasonable substaunce Cōpact w^t nether synewes nor fingers distinct with no varietie of members nor able to exercise ani proper puissaūce But what substaūce soeuer geueth life parteyneth to a spirit intelectyfe which worketh an inuisible efficacye Now this is cleane an other thynge whych externally is perceyued be seing From that beleued in the misterye

Thus S. ambrose maketh distinctiō Betwene christes fleshe & the cm̄unyō As here I haue declared Yf ye doubt loke in hys comentarye Then shal ye se yf I do varye From hys sentences before resyted

Now S. augustyn sayth playnly Where as he spake of hys body It was a spirituall vnderstandinge For it saueth hym that beleueth where as the letter kylleth But the spirite quyckeneth all thynge.

Where christ saythe except ye eate My fleshe whyche is very meate Ye shall haue no lyfe in you It seamethe here saythe he To commaund a thyng to be Fowle wycked and vntrue

By these wordes ye shall knowe that christ ment it not soo to geue hys fleshe to be eate wyth your tethe, but thys vnderstande to heauyn whole he shal assende Up to hys fathers seate

Nowe syth he it called to be a fowle thyng and a wycked to eate hys flesshe naturall you maye perceaue playnly For to eate hys bodye were wycked and brutall

Seyng hys body is fleshe in dede then consequently must procede to take and eate must be taken But spoken mere spiritually Or els this is my body Muste be figuratyuely spoken

Now he that abydeth not in me And in whom I abyde not sayth he Let hym not saye nor thynke that he dothe eate My body as meate Nether yet my bloude do the drynke

Christ sayth they byde not in me Nor yet they my membres be Whych dothe theym selues blote In fylthynes beyng vncleane For then do they remayne the members of an harlote

S. augustyn & venerable bede sayth the vnfaythfull and wycked Whych be not mēbers to christ our bro∣ther they do not eate hys body Nor drynke hys bloud verely yet eat they the sacramēt as wel as the other

Therfore ye muste of necessite Graunte the sacrament not to be Christes body naturall But a fygure and token Of hys body once broken Therof to be a memoriall

Thus S. Augustyne doth deny That we eat not hys naturall body Wherfore it must neades insewe Yt is but a mistacall fygure Thus he approuethe by the scripture Representyng hys passion new

And also Bead that worthy prieste Saythe he eateth not Christ Whych is wycked in hys lyuynge Nor yet drinketh hys blood Nether hys flesshe doth hym no good Though he receyue so worthy a thyng

Yf thys be not true ye must deface Saynet Augustyn in this place And not to be approued A holy doctour of the churche. But I truste theyr be none suche That wyth hym wylbe offended

Nowe where he is almyghtye No man wyll that denye But he may do what he lyste At hys good pleasure all thyng Because theyr is no superiour power beynge Hable his might to resiste

Yet all thynke he cannot doo S. Hierome and S. Thomas sayth so Wrytyng of virginytie He cannot synne sayth Dunce at all He cannot deny him self sayth Paul In hys Epystle vnto Timothie

I thynke yet god by his sonnes blood Myght haue saued all men bad & good Yf he had so intended But the scriptures thus standinge He cannot now do that thynge And yf he were so mynded

Then hys woord he muste forsake And hys sonne a lyer make For he sayth the vnfaythfull is dāpned Nor the vnbeleuers shall no lyfe se But gods wrath is vpon them sayth he Coulde they then haue bene saued

Nowe here for to conclude I truste noo man is so rude To construe any thynge amisse Whyche playnly devulgate And also truely insinuate What these Doctours iuogementes is.

For seyng they do it call The Sacrament of a fygure mystical Of Christes bloude and body They ought to be beleued By cause theyr doctryne is receyued Of the Catholike churche verely

(Now bycause ye shall fynde More Doctours of that mynde Whych hath wrytten manyfestlye As {pro}sper, crisostim, Eusebi{us} & Tertuliā Fulgenti{us}, athanasi{us} Bartrā & Ciprian Al these declare it to be a misterie

Therfore all those whych be anoyn∣ted And by gods holy spirit appointed Iudge you here now indifferently Whether these fathers doctryne And the papisticall leuen To be beleued is moste worthy

FINIS

Notes

• mat. xvi▪
• Augu. in libro. iii de doctri¦na chri∣stiana si aūt flagi¦tiū ••ut fa¦cimus iu¦bere ui¦detur fi∣gurata locutio est. xvi Origēin leuit ho∣mi. vii agnosce {quam} figure sunt que in uolu∣minib{us}, domini scripte sunt. &c.
• Augu. in libro. ii. de doctri na chri∣stiana
• s. ysodo¦re in his boke of true sig¦nificati∣on of wordes saithe
• S. ambro〈…〉〈…〉
• S. Hiero in his co∣mentary of pau∣les Epist les to y^e Ephe▪
• Spirit{us} ante faci¦am nostram christes domin{us}.
• Augu in sermone ad intan¦tes. xix Quādo loqueba¦tur dn̄s nr̄ Iesus christus de corpo re suo &c
• Aug. de∣ciuitate dei libro xxi.
• s. Augu. and bed su{per}. Co∣rint. vi. et. 1. cor. x. Idem Cori. xi.
• Roma. v
• bed su{per} cori. 1. ••. x. chapt.
• Paule & eustochi¦us▪
• Ihō. iii.
• ({pro}sper •• lib. sentē¦ciatū. cri¦sostim su¦{per} mat. et ad hebre ho. xvii. Eusebi{us} qⁱa corp{us} &c. tertu¦liā lib. ii et. li. iiii ad merci¦one ful∣gēti{us}. ii li. de fide bartram ad care∣los empe¦ ratur Cyprian ad cecili¦um Atha¦na. iii. li q•• dix ver also dru thm ari{us} saith hoc est corp{us} meum in misterio