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. ix. chapyter.

NOw good, Chrsten readers here you se by saynt Chryso∣stome, that though thapostles. vnder stode well that Chryste spake of the

very eatynge of his flessh: yet there was no cause why they shold eyther dowtfully wōder, stonne, or stagger or be by and by curyouse and inquysi¦tiue therof / & so destroyeth he playne mayster Maskers reason / but yf it be to suche as are dysposed for theyr pleasure, better to byleue mayster masker than saynt Chrysostome.

¶ For euery man may here well se, that saynt Chrysostom meneth here, that Chryste in those wordes bysyde all parables and allegoryes, spake and ment of the very eatynge of his very flesshe in dede. whyche thynge lest mayster Masker myghte as he is shamelesse, brynge yet in question and controuersye: I shall reherse you a fewe lynes ferther of saynte Chrysostome in this self same place. Lo thus there sayth he ferther.

Those Iewes at that tyme toke no commodyte / but we haue taken the profyte of that benefyte. And therfore is it necessare to declare how merue∣louse are these mysteryes (that is to wytte of the blessed sacrament) and why they be geuen vs, and what is y^t profyte therof. we be one body & men∣brys of Chrystes flesshe and his bo∣nys. And therfore they that are chry∣sten, are bounden to obaye his pre∣ceptes. But yet that we sholde be not onely by loue, but also in very dede turned in to y^t flesh of his, that thyng is done by the meate that his lybera∣lyte hath gyuen vs. For whyle he lon ged to declare and expresse hys loue that he bore towarde vs, he hath by his owne body mengled hym selfe wyth vs, and hath made hym selfe one wyth vs, that the body sholde be vned with the hedde. For that is the greateste thynge that louers longe for (that is to wytte to

be (if it were possyble) made both one) And that thynge lygnyfyed Iob of hio seruaūtes, of whom he was most hartely beloued. which to expresse the vehemēt loue that they bare towarde hym, sayde who coulde gyue vs the gyfte, that we myghte haue oure bo∣dyes euyn fulfylled with hys flesshe: whyche thynge Chryst hath done for vs in dede / bothe to thentent to bynd vs in the more feruent loue towarde hym, and also to declare the feruent loue and desyre that hym selfe bare towarde vs. And therfore hath he not onely suffered hym selfe to be sene or loked vppon by them that desyre and longe for hym, but also to be touched and eaten, and the very teth to be in∣fyxed into his flesshe, and all folke to be fulfylled in the desyre of hym. Frō goddes borde therfore let vs ryse like lions that blew out fyre at the mouth suche as the denyll maye be aferde to beholde vs / & let vs consyder Chryst

our hed, & what a loue he hath shew∣ed vs. The fathers and the mothers oftentymes put out theyr chyldren to other folke to nurse. But I (may our sauyour say) nuryshe & fede my chyl∣dren with myne owne flesshe. I geue them here myne own selfe / so fauour I them all. And suche greate hope I geue theym all, agayne the tyme that shall come. For he that in suche wyse gyueth vs hym selfe in this lyfe here: mych more wyll he gyue vs hym selfe in the lyfe that is to come. I longed (sayd our lorde) to be your brother.

And for your sakes I haue commu∣nycated and made comen vnto you my flesh and my bloud. The thynges by whyche I was ioyned with you, those thynges haue I exhybyted a∣gayne and geuen to you

(y^t is to saye the very fleshe and bloude, by which I was made natural man with you, that same haue I in the sacrament ex hybyted & geuen agayne vnto you)

Thys bloud causeth y^e kinges image to floure in vs. This bloude wyl not suffre the bewty and the noblynes of of the soule (whych it euer watereth & nuryssheth) to wyther or fade & fall. The bloud that is made in vs of our other comen meate, is not by and by bloude / but before it be bloude it ys somwhat ellys. But this bloude of Chryst out of hande watereth y^e soule & with a certayne meruelouse myght and strength seasoneth it by and by. This mystycall or sacramētall bloud

(that is to saye thys bloud of Christ in the sacrament)

dryueth the deuyls farre of and bryngeth to vs not an∣gellys onely, but the lorde of all an∣gellys to. The deuyls whan they by holde and se the bloud of Chryst with in vs, they fle larre from vs, and the angellys runne as faste towarde vs.

¶ And yet saynt Chrysostome cea∣ceth not wyth all thys, but goth forth with a lenger processe, declaryng the

great benefyte of this bloud, both by the shedyng on the crosse, and by the receyuyng in the sacrament / whyche whole processe I shall peraduenture hereafter in some other place reherse ¶ But for this mater good chrysten readers thus mych dothe more then suffyse. For by lesse than this ye may more than playnely perceyue, that thys olde holy doctour saynt Chryso stom, manyfestely declareth & shew∣eth, that our sauyour in those wordes that he spake to the Iewes, mency∣oned in the syxte chapyter of saynte Iohst, veryly spake and ment of the very eatynge of his flesshe. whyche thynge he promysed there, and which promyse he performed after at hys maundy, whan he there instituted the* 1.1 blessed sacrament.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Math. 26