An aunsvvere by the Reuerend Father in God Thomas Archbyshop of Canterbury, primate of all England and metropolitane, vnto a craftie and sophisticall cauillation, deuised by Stephen Gardiner Doctour of Law, late Byshop of Winchester agaynst the true and godly doctrine of the most holy sacrament, of the body and bloud of our sauiour Iesu Christ Wherein is also, as occasion serueth, aunswered such places of the booke of Doct. Richard Smith, as may seeme any thyng worthy the aunsweryng. Here is also the true copy of the booke written, and in open court deliuered, by D. Stephen Gardiner ...

Caunterbury.

[ 1] I Desire the Reader to iudge my faith not by this short, enuious, and vn∣true collection and reporte, but by mine owne booke, as it is at length set out in the first part, from the 8. vnto the 16. chapter.

And as concerning holynes of bread and wine (wherunto I may adde the water into baptisme) how can a dombe or an insensible and liuelesse creature receiue into it selfe any foode,* 1.1 and feede thereupon? No more is it possible that a spiritlesse creature should receiue any spirituall sanctifica∣tion or holynes. And yet do I not vtterly depriue the outward sacramēts of the name of holy thinges, because of the holy vse wherunto they serue, & not because of any holynesse y^t lyeth hid in the insensible creature. Which although they haue no holynes in them, yet they be signes and tokens of the meruailous workes and holy effects, which god worketh in vs by his omnipotent power.

* 1.2And they be no vayne or bare tokens, as you would perswade (for a bare token is that which betokeneth only and geneth nothing, as a pain∣ted fire, which geueth neither light nor heate) but in the due ministration of the Sacramentes God is present, working with his worde and Sa∣cramentes.

And although (to speake properly) in the bread and wine be nothing in [ 3] dede to be worshipped, yet in them that duely receiue the sacramentes is Christ himself inhabiting, and is of all creatures to be worshipped.

* 1.3And therfore you gather of my sayings vniustly, that Christ is in deede [ 4] absent, for I say (according to Gods worde and the doctrine of the olde writers) that Christ is present in his sacramentes, as they teach also that he is present in his worde, when he worketh mightely by the same, in the hartes of the hearers. By which maner of speach it is not ment that Christ is corporally present in the voyce or sound of the speaker (which sound pe∣risheth as soone as the wordes be spoken) but this speach meaneth that he worketh with his word, vsing the voyce of the speaker, as his instrument to worke by, as he vseth also his sacramentes wherby he worketh, & ther∣fore is said to be present in them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Bread, wine, & water, be not ho∣ly, but holy to∣kens.
• * 1.2

  They be not bare tokens.
• * 1.3

  Christ is presēt in his sacra∣mentes.