The answere to the fyrst parte of the poysened booke, which a namelesse heretyke hath named the souper of the lorde. By syr Thomas More knyght

The. iii. chapyter.

IN the. xii. lefe to proue, y^t Cryst ment nothynge to geue his body to be eaten, mayster masker vp∣pon these wordes that the dyscyples whiche were offended with his wor∣des sayde, This is an harde worde who maye here hym, bryngeth in an other wise argument vnder colour of expownynge y^e texte in this wyse. These wordes dyd not onely offende them that ha∣ted Chryst, but also some of his dyscyples. They were offended sayth the texte and not meruayled as More tryfleth out of trouth. These wordes good reader of offendynge and mer∣uaylynge I shall answere anone in a more conuenyent place. whyche dyscy∣ples sayd, Thys is an harde sayenge who may here hym? These dyscyples stoke no lesse in Chrystes vi∣syble flesshe, and in the barke of his wordes, than doth now More byleuynge hym to haue spoken of his naturall body to be eaten wyth theyr teth

¶ Here mayster masker maketh as though the catholyke faith in the bles sed sacrament, were but my fayth. But lyke wyse as I do cōfesse that his heresye is not onely his, but that he hath felowes in the same falsed / not onely fryth and Tyndale, but Wicliffe also and zuinglius, & frere Huyskyn to, bysyde a lewde sorte of wreched heretykes moo: so must he confesse yf he wyll say trew, that my fayth is not onely my fayth, but that I haue felowes in the same fayth / not onely the comen hole multytude of all good chrysten cuntrees this fyftenne hundred yere, but specyally by name those holy saīts whose wor∣des I haue rehersed you before vp∣pon this same mater / as Theophy∣lactus, & saynt Bede, saynte Hyri∣neus, and saynt Hilary, and saynte Austayne, saynte Cyryll, and saynt Chrisostome / the playne wordes

of euery one of all whome, I haue here all redy brought you forth a∣gaynste mayster Masker, prouynge them selfe felowes of myne in my fayth all redy, now in this answere of this fyrste parte of his. And yet kepe I for mayster Masker mater inough bysyde, of holy sayntes autho rytees, as well the same sayntes as other, to fyll vp the messys at the se∣conde course. And where he bringeth forth for hym in his seconde parte, Austayne, Tertullyan, and saynte Chrysostom (For in all this his fyrst course he bryngeth forth neuer one) those thre dysshes I warraunt you shall whan I come to them, but ba∣rely furnysshe hys borde.

¶ But where mayster masker saith that More stycketh in the vysyble fleshe of Chryst, to beaten as those dyscyples and those Iewes dyd: he

is holde to saye what hym lyste by∣cause he goth inuysyble. For ellys how coulde he for shame say that we y^t are of the catholyke chyrth, thynke that Chryste geueth vs his visyble flesshe to eate, as those dyscyples & those Iewys thought / whan euery man 〈◊〉〈◊〉 woteth, that those dyscy∣ples and those Iewes, thought that they sholde receyue hys flesshe visy∣ble cutte out as saynt Austayne de∣clareth in visyble dede piecys / and euery man as well knoweth & may∣ster Masker to, that we thynke that we do (and so in dede we do) receyue and eate his flesshe inuisyble, not in dede pyeces, but his quycke blessed body whole, vnder the visible forme of brede. And therfore you se good readers what trouth is in this man.

¶ But now goth he forth and com∣meth to hys wyse wurshypfull ar∣gument

and sayth.

whyche offence Chryste seynge sayed, doth thye offende you, what than wyll you saye yf you se the sone of man ascende thyther where he was before? If it offende you to eate my flessh whyle I am herre: it shall myche more offende you to eate it whan it shalbe gone out of your syght ascended into heuyn, there syttynge on the ryght hande of my father, vn tyll I come agayne as I went, that is to iudgement.

¶ The exposycyon of these word{is} of Chryste, I haue good readers shewed you before, accordyng to the myndes of holy doctours and saynts that by those wordes of his ascencyō he gaue them warnynge before, that be wolde by his ascendyng vp to he∣uyn, make them a playne profe that thei were deceiued whā they thought it could not be that he was descended downe from heuyn, and by his ascen dyng vp with his body hole & vnmi∣nyshed, make them a playne profe y^t they were deceiued, whan they thou∣ght he wold in pyeces cut out, and so geue his fleshe to them as he sholde

gyue it from hym selfe, & therby lese it hym selfe. For hys whole body as∣cendynge, shold well proue y^t though his apostles had euery one eatyn it: yet had he it styll whole hym selfe / y^t they sholde therby not dowt after∣ward, but that as eche of them had it and dyd eate it, and yet hym selfe had it styll, and all at onys in. xiii. dyuerse places in erth, and hym selfe ascen∣ded after whole therwith into heuin: so sholde euer after all good chrysten folke receyue it whole here in erthe, and hym selfe neuer the lesse haue it whole styll wyth hym in heuyn.

¶ Thys beynge good chrysten rea∣ders y^e mynde of our sauiour in those wordes, as by the holy doctours and sayntes well doth appere of old: now cometh this new dronkē doctour mai∣ster masker, and with a wyse expo∣sycyon of hys owne brayne, wolde make vs wene that those wordes

with whiche (as the olde doctours testyfye) Chryste confermed the sa∣crament, in declarynge his power by whyche he wurketh that wonderfull miracle in the sacrament, our sauiour had hym selfe spoken agaynste his myracles in the sacrament. For thus lo doth maister Masker make Cryst expowne his owne wordes and say, If it offende yon to eate my 〈◊〉〈◊〉 whyle I am here: it shall mych more offende you to eate it whan my body shalbe gone out of your syght ascended into be upn, there syttynge on the ryght hande of my father vntyll I come agayne agayne 〈◊〉〈◊〉 I went.

¶ There were good readers two causes, for whiche those Iewes and those dyscyples were offended at the herynge of Cryste, whan he sayde they shold eate his fleshe. One was, the straungenesse and the impossyby∣lyte that they thought was therin / y^t tother was the lothsomnes that they had therto. Now yf mayster Mas∣ker mene here for the impossybylyte

by reason of the dyfference of his pre sence and his absence: I can not se why they sholde be more offended after his ascencyon than before. For yf it be possyble for hym to make his body to be in many dyuerse places at onys in erth: than it is as possyble for hym to make it at onys in those two dyuerse places erth and heuyn. For the meruayle standeth not in the farre dystaunce of the two places a sunder, but in the dyuersyte of y^e two places hauyng in them both one body be they neuer so nere togyther. And as for the dyfference of his presence here in erth, and his absence hense, by his ascensyon into heuyn: mayster Masker is more than madde, to put that for a dyfference, as a cause after thascensyon to make theym more of∣fended to here of the eatynge of hys body. For yf he make (as he can and

doth) his body to be as well here in erthe as in heuyn: than is hys body no more absent from hense thā from thense, as for the veryte of hys pre∣sence in the place, though it be more absent in consyderacyon to vs that se not his body here, but in y^e forme of brede. But the blessed 〈◊〉〈◊〉, se that one blessed body of his in heuyn and here in the blessed sacramēt both at onys. And thus you se that may∣ster Maskers argument hathe no pyth or strenght, yf he mene for im∣possybylyte.

¶ Nowe yf mayster Masker here mene, that after Chrystes ascensyon into hyuyn, it sholde be a thynge that sholde of reason more offende the Iewes to eate hys flesshe, than at y^e tyme whyle he was here, as a thyng that wolde be than a mych more loth some mete: what deuyll reason hath

mayster Masker to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that madde mynde with all, & to thynke that hys gloryfyed flessh shold be more loth∣some to receiue, than yf it were vn∣gloryfyed.

¶ And yet either he meneth thus / or els he lacketh the waye to fynde the wordes, with which he wold expresse his mynde. For these are the wordes, that he maketh Chryste to saye, If it offende you to ente my flessh whyle I am here: it shall mych more offende you to eate it whan my body shalbe gone out of your syghte.

You se now that he sayth it shal more offende you to eate it whan it is gone out of your syght into heuyn. Now yf he hadde ment in the tother maner for thimpossibylyte, he wolde haue sayd (except he can not speke) that it sholde more offende theym to here it tolde them that they sholde than eate his flessh, whā his flessh were so far absent from them, than to here it told

them that they sholde eate it whyle it were present wyth them / and not say it sholde than more offende theym to eate it. For they shall not be offended with the eatynge yf they eate it not. And therfore (yf he can tell how to speke and expresse his owne mynde) he meneth here whyle he sayth it shal more offend you to eate it, he meneth I saye that they sholde of reason thynke his flesshe than more lothely to eate after his gloriouse ascencyon, than it was ere he dyed. Thus it ap∣pereth that mayster Masker ment. And veryly yf he so mene, he hath a madde menynge. And yf he mene not so: than hath he a madde maner of spekynge. And yet hysyde that hys menynge is as madde that waye as the tother.

¶ For as I haue shewed you, the thyng is no more impossible to Crist,

to geue them his body to eate after his ascensyon than byfore / and ther∣fore is maister Masker a fole to say, that it sholde more offende them to here that they sholde eate it after his ascencyon than before. For by theyr eatynge he sholde not lese it / but both men may haue his body here in erth with them, and y^e angelys may haue it in heuyn with them, and hym selfe may haue it both in erth and in heuyn with hym, and all thys at onys.

¶ Wherin leste mayster Masker myghte make some wene, that I do as he 〈◊〉〈◊〉 I do, and as in dede may ster Masker doth hym selfe, that is to wyt mocke in this mater and lye: ye shal good readers here what holy saynt Chrysostome sayth,

Helyas lefte vnto Heliseus his man tell, as a very greate enherytaunce. And in very dede a great enheritaūce

it was, and more precyouse than any golde. And Heliseus was a dowble Hely / & there was than helyas aboue and helyas beneth. I knowe wel that you thynke he was a iuste and a bles sed man / and you wold fayne eche of you be in his case. what wyll you say than, yf I shew you a certayne other thynge, that all we that are seasoned with the holy sacramentes, haue re∣ceyued that farre excelleth helyas mantell. For helias in dede lefte hys dyscyple his mantell. But the sone of god ascendyng vp, hath lefte vntovs hys flesshe. And as for helias leuyng hys mantell to his dyscyple, lefte it of from hym selfe. But our sauyour Chryst hath bothe lefte it styll with vs, and yet in hys ascensyon hath ta ken it wyth hym selfe to. Lette neuer therfore our hartes fall for fere, nor let vs not lament and by wayle, nor drede the dyffycultees of the troube∣louse tymes. For he that neither hath

refused to shede his bloud for vs all, and hath also bysyde that, geuen vn to vs all his fleshe to eate, & the same bloude agayne to drynke: he wyll refuse nothynge that maye serue for our saluacyon.

¶ How say you now good chrysten readers? doth not saynt Chrysostom with these word{is}, afferme you play∣nely the substaūce of that that I say & as playnely destroye all that may∣ster masker sayth in his heretycall ex posycion of these wordes of Chryst / whych he constre weth so as he wold therby make a repugnaunce bytwen the beynge of Chrystes blessed body in y^e blessed sacrament, and the beyng of his body by his ascension in heuyn? For though mayster masker saye they canne not stande together, but is vtterly repugnaunt that his bo∣dy sholde be here in erthe before

domysdaye, bycause that vntyll do∣mysdaye it shalbe styll in heuyn: yet sayth saynt Chrysostome playnely, that mayster Masker in his exposy∣cyon lyeth. For he sayth that Chryste blessed body is bothe in heuyn & also in erth in the blessed sacramēt in dede.

¶ And therfore let mayster Masker leue his iestynge with me, & go ieste and rayle agaynste saynte Chryso∣stome. For he confuteth you mayster Masker you se well, a lytell more clerer than I. And than whyther of them twayne ye shal byleue and take for the more credyble man, mayster Masker or holy saynt Chrysostom, euery mannye owne wytte that any wyt hath, wyll well serue hym to se.

Notes

• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. hom. 2. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 popu 〈◊〉〈◊〉. m