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.

FYRST, that as all men of them selues bee synners, and thorough synne bee in Goddes wrathe, banyshed far away frō hym, condemned to hell and euerlastyng damnation, and none is clearely innocent, but Christe alone: so euery soule inspired by God, is desyrous to be deliue∣red from synne and hell, and to obteyn at God∣des handes, mercy, fauour, righteousnes, and euerlastyng saluation.

And this earnest and greate desyre, is called in scripture, The hunger and thirst of the soule: with whyche kynde of hunger Dauid was ta∣ken, whan he sayde:

As an harte longeth for sprynges of water, so doth my soule long for the O God. My soule hath thyrsted after God, who is the well of lyfe. My soule thyrsteth for the, my fleshe wysheth for thee.

And this hunger the sely poore synfull soule

is dryuen vnto, by meanes of the lawe, whiche sheweth vnto her the horriblenes of synne, the terrour of Goddes indignation, and the hor∣rour of death and euerlastyng damnation.

And whan she seeth nothyng but damnation for her offences, by iustice and accusation of the lawe, and this damnation is euer before her eies, than in this great distresse the soule beyng pressed with heuynesse & sorowe, seketh for some comfort, and desireth some remedy for her mise∣rable and sorowful estate. And this feelynge of her damnable condicion, and gredy desyre of re∣freshyng, is the spirituall hunger of the soule.

And who soeuer hath this godly hunger, is blessed of God, and shal haue meate and drynke ynough, as Christ hym self said:

Blessed be they that hunger and thirst for rightousnes, for they shalbe fylled ful.

And on thother side, they that see not their owne synfull and damnable estate, but thynke theim selues holy ynoughe, and in good case and condicion ynough, as they haue no spirituall hunger, so shall they not bee fed of God with any spirituall foode.

For as almigh∣ty God feedeth them that be hungry, so doth he sende awaie empty all that be not hungry.

But this hunger and thyrst is not easily per∣ceyued of the carnall man. For when he hereth the holy ghoste speake of meate and drynk, his mynde is by and by in the kytchen and buttery, and he thynketh vpon his dyshes and pottes, his mouthe and his bealy.

But the scripture in sundry places vseth spe∣ciall wordes, wherby to drawe our grosse myn∣des from the phantasyeng of our teeth and bel∣ly, and from this carnall and fleshely imagina∣tion. For the Apostles and disciples of Christe, when they were yet carnall, knew not what was ment by this kynde of hunger and meate, and therfore when they desired hym to eate, to with∣drawe their myndes from carnall meate, he said vnto theim:

I haue other meate to eate, whiche you knowe not.

And why knewe they it not? Forsothe because their myndes were grosse as yet, and had not receyued the fulnesse of the spi∣rite. And therfore our sauiour Christ, myndyng to drawe them from this grossenes, tolde theim of an other kynd of meate, then they phantasied (as it were) rebukyng them, for that they percei¦ued not, that there was any other kynde of ea∣ting and drinkyng, besides that eatyng and drin¦kyng, whiche is with the mouth and the throte.

Likewyse whan he sayd to the woman of Sa∣maria:

Who so euer shall drynke of that wa∣ter, that I shall geue hym, shall neuer be thirsty agayn.

They that heard hym speake those wor∣des, might well perceyue, that he went about to make them wel acquaynted with an other kynd of drinkynge, than is the drynkynge with the mouth and throte. For there is no suche kynd of drynke, that with ones drynkyng, can quenche the thirst of a mans body for euer. Wherfore, in saiyng: He shall neuer be thirsty agayn. he dyd

drawe theyr myndes from drynkynge with the mouth, vnto an other kind of drinkyng wherof they knew not, and vnto an other kynd of thir∣sting, wherwith as yet thei wer not acquainted.

Also when our sauiour Christe saide:

He that commeth to me, shal nat hunger: and, He that be leueth on me, shall neuer bee thyrstye.

he gaue them a plaine watche worde, that there was an other kynd of meat and drinke, then that, wher∣with he fedde them at the other syde of the wa∣ter: and an other kynde of hungryng and thyr∣stynge, then was the hungrynge and thirstyng of the body. By these wordes therfore he droue the people to vnderstand an other kynde of ea∣tyng and drinkyng, of hungring and thyrstyng then that, whiche belongeth onely for the preser∣uation of temporal lyfe.

Nowe then as the thyng that comforteth the body, is called Meate and drynke, of a lyke sor the scripture calleth the same thynge that com∣forteth the soule, Meate and drynke.

Notes

• Chap. 9.
• The spiri∣tuall hun∣ger & thir∣stinesse of the soule.
• Ephe. 2. Rom. 3.
• Psal 41
• Ps. 62.
• Rom. 4.
• Roma. 7.
• Rom. 8.
• Math. 5.
• Luc. 1.
• Iohn. 4.
• Iho. 4.
• Iohn. 6.