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 ...

Winchester.

* 1.1Origens wordes be very playne, and meaning also, which speake of manifestation and exhibition, which be two things to be verified thrée wayes in our religion, that is to say, in the word, and regeneration, and the sacramēt of bread and wine as this author termeth it: which Origen sayth not so, but thus (the flesh of the word of God) not mea∣ning in euery of these after one sort, but after the truth of the Scripture in ech of them. [ 1] Christ in his word is manifest and exhibited vnto vs, and by fayth that is of hearyng [ 2] dwelleth in vs spiritually, for so we haue his spirit. Of Baptisme S. Paule sayth as ma¦ny as be baptysed, be clad in christ. Now in y^e sacramēt of bred & wine by Origens rule Christ should be manifested and exhibited vnto vs after the scriptures,* 1.2 so as the sacra∣ment of bread and wine should not onely signify Christ, that is to say, preach him, but also exhibite him sensibly, as Origens wordes be reported here to be. So as Christes [ 3] wordes (This is my body) should be wordes not of fygure or shewing, but of exhibiting Christes body vnto vs, and sensibly, as this author alleageth him, which should signifye to be receiued with our mouth,* 1.3 as Christ commaunded when he sayd: Take eat &c. di∣uersely from the other two wayes, in which by Christes spirite we be made participant [ 4] of the benefite of his passion wrought in his manhode.* 1.4 But in this sacrament we be made participant of his Godhead, by his humanity exhibit vnto vs for food, and so in this mistery we receaue him man and God, and in the other by meane of his godhead be par¦ticipant of the effect of his passion suffered in his manhod.

In this sacrament Christes manhode is represented and truly present; whereunto the godhead is most certaynly vnited, wherby we receaue a pledge of the regeneration of

[ 5] our flesh, to be in the general resurrection spirituall with our soule, as we haue bene in baptisme made spirituall by regeneration of the soule: which in the full redemption of our bodies, shalbe made perfect. And therfore this author may not compare baptisme with the sacrament throughly: in which Baptisme, Christes manhode is not really [ 6] present, although the vertue and effect of his most precious bloud be there: but the truth of the mistery of this sacrament is to haue Christes body, his flesh and bloud exhibited, wherunto eating and drinking is by Christ in his supper apropriate. In which supper, Christ sayd, (This is my body) which Bucer noteth, and that Christ sayd not, This is my spirite, This is my vertue. Wherfore after Origenes teaching, if Christ be not [ 7] onely manifested, but also exhibited sensibly in th•• sacrament,* 1.5 then is he in the sacra∣ment indede, that is to say, Really:* 1.6 and then is he there substancially,* 1.7 because the sub∣staunce of the body is there: and is there corporally also,* 1.8 bycause the very body is there: and naturally,* 1.9 bicause the naturall body is there, not vnderstanding corporally and naturally in the maner of presence, nor sensibly neither. For then were the maner of [ 8] presence within mans capacitie, and that is false: and therfore the catholique teaching is, that the maner of Christes presence in the sacrament, is spirituall and supernatu∣rall not corporall, not carnall, not naturall, not sensible, not perceptible, but onely spirituall, the (how) and maner wherof, God knoweth, and we assured by his word know onely the truth to be so, that it is there indede, and therfore really to be also re∣ceaued with our handes and mouthes: and so sensibly there, the body that suffered, and therfore his naturall body there, the body of very flesh, and therfore his carnall body, the body truely, and therfore his corporall body there. But as for y^e maner of presence, that is onely spirituall, as I sayd before and here in the inculcation of these wordes. I am tedious to a lerned reader, but yet this author enforceth me therunto, who with these wordes, carnally, corporally, grosely, sensibly, naturally, applying them to the maner of presence, doth maliciously and craftely cary away the reader from the simpli∣citie of his fayth: and by such absurdities, as these words: grosely vnderstanded import, astonieth the simple reader in consideration of the matter, and vseth these wordes, as dust afore their eyes, which to wipe away, I am enforced to repeate the vnderstanding of these words oftener then elswere necessary. These thinges well considered, no man doth more playnly confound this author then this saying of Origene, as he alleageth it, whatsoeuer other sentences he would pycke out of Origene, when he vseth libertie [ 7] of allegories to make him seme to say otherwise. And as I haue declared a fore, to vn∣derstand Christes wordes spiritually, is to vnderstand them, as the spirite of God hath taught the church, and to esteme godes misteries most true in the substaunce of the thing so to be, although the maner excedeth our capacities, which is a spirituall vnder∣standing of the same. And here also this author putteth in for figuratiuely, spiritually, to deceaue the reader.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Origines.
• * 1.2

  Origen hath (fa¦cte ad faciem) but I take this author as he alleadgeth Ori∣gen.
• * 1.3

  Errors.
• * 1.4

  When I say (by his manhood) I mean corporally as Cyrill spea∣keth.
• * 1.5

  Sensibly.
• * 1.6

  Really.
• * 1.7

  Substancially
• * 1.8

  Corporally.
• * 1.9

  Naturally.