A defence of the true and catholike doctrine of the sacrament of the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ with a confutacion of sundry errors concernyng the same, grounded and stablished vpon Goddes holy woorde, [and] approued by ye consent of the moste auncient doctors of the Churche. Made by the moste reuerende father in God Thomas Archebyshop of Canterbury, primate of all Englande and Metropolitane.

* 1.1Fourthly it is to be noted, that the true know¦lege of these thynges, is the true knowlege of Christ,* 1.2 and to teache these thynges, is to teache Christe, and the beleuyng and feelyng of these thynges, is the beleuyng and felyng of Christe in our hartes. And the more clerely we see, vn∣derstande and beleeue these thynges, the more clerely we se and vnderstande Christ, and haue more fully our faithe and comfort in hym.

And although our carnall generation & oure carnall nourishement, be knowen to all men by dayly experience, and by oure common senses, yet this our spirituall generation and our spiri¦tuall nutrition, be so obscure and hyd vnto vs, that we can not attayn to the true and perfecte knowledge and feelyng of theym, but onely by

faith, whyche muste bee grounded vpon Gods moste holy worde and sacramentes.

AND for this consideration our Sauioure Christe hath not onely sette forth these thynges moste playnly in his holy woorde, that we maie heare them with our eares, but he hath also or∣deyned one visible sacrament of spiritual rege∣neration in water, and an other visible sacra∣ment of spiritual norishment in bread and wine to the intente, that as muche as is possible for man, we may se Christ with our eies, smell him at our nose, taste hym with our mouthes, grope hym with our handes, and perceue him with all our senses. For as the word of god preched, put¦teth Christ into our eares, so likewyse these ele∣ments of water, bread and wine, ioyned to gods word, do after a sacramētal maner, put Christ in to our eies, mouthes, handes and al our senses.

And for this cause Christ ordeyned baptisme in water, that as surely as we se, fele and touch water with our bodies, and be washed with wa¦ter, so assuredly ought we to beleue, whan we be baptised, that Christ is veryly present with vs, and that by hym we bee newly borne agayn spiritually, and washed from our synnes, and grafted in the stocke of Christes own body, and be apparailed, clothed, and harnessed with hym, in suche wyse, that as the dyuel hath no power agaynst Christe, so hath he none against vs, so long as we remayne grafted in that stocke, and be clothed with that apparel and harnesed with

that armour. So that the washyng in water of baptisme, is as it wer shewyng of Christ before our eyes, and a sensible touchyng, feelyng and gropyng of hym, to the confirmation of the in∣warde faithe, whiche we haue in hym.

And in lyke maner Christ ordeined the sacra∣ment of his body and bloud in bread and wine, to preach vnto vs, that as our bodies be fedde, nourished, and preserued with meate and drink, so (as touchynge our spirituall lyfe towardes God) we be fed, nourished and preserued by the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ, and also that he is such a preseruation vnto vs, that no∣ther the deuils of hell, nor eternall deth, nor syn, can be able to preuaile against vs, so long as by true and cōstant faith, we be fed and nouryshed with that meate and drynke. And for this cause Christ ordeyned this sacrament in bread & wine (whiche we eate and drynke, and be chiefe nutri¦mentes of our body) to the intent, that as sure∣ly as we see the breade and wine with our eies, smell theim with our noses, touche theym with our handes, and tast them with our mouths, so assuredly ought we to beleue, that Christ is our spirituall lyfe and sustinance of our soules, like as the sayd bread and wyne is the foode and su∣stinaunce of our bodies. And no lesse ought we to doubt, that our soules bee fedde and lyue by Christe, then that our bodies be fed and lyue by meate and drinke. Thus oure sauiour Christe, knowing vs to be in this world (as it were) but

babes and weakelynges in faith, hath ordeined sensible signes and tokēs, wherby to allure and drawe vs to more strengthe and more constaunt faith in hym. So that the eatyng and drinkyng of this sacramentall breade and wyne, is as it were a shewyng of Christ before our eies, a smel¦lyng of hym with our noses, a feelyng and gro∣pyng of hym with our handes, and an eatyng, chawyng, digestyng and feedyng vpon hym to our spirituall strength and perfection.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cha. 12.
• * 1.2

  The sacra¦mēts wer ordeyned to cōfirme our faithe