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.

Wherfore as he••e before in the fyrste note is declared the hungre and drought of the soule,* 1.1 so is it nowe secondly to bee noted, what is the meate,* 1.2 drynke, and foode of the soule.

The meate, drynke, foode and refreshynge of the soule, is our sauiour Christe, as he sayd him selfe:

* 1.3 Come vnto me all you that trauayle and bee laden, and I will refreshe you. And, Yf any man be drye (saieth he) let hym come to me and drynke.* 1.4 He that beleueth in me, flouddes of wa∣ter

of life shall flowe out of his bealy. And, I am the bread of life (sayth Christ) He that com∣meth to me,* 1.5 shal not be hungry: and he that be∣leueth in me, shal neuer be dry.

For as meate and drynke do comfort the hun¦gry body, so doth the death of Christes body, & the sheddyng of his bloud comforte the soule, when she is after her sort hungry. What thyng is it that comforteth & norisheth the body? For∣sooth meate and drynke. By what meanes than shall we call the body and bloud of our sauiour Christe (whiche doo comforte and nouryshe the hungrye soule) but by the names of meate and drynke? And this similitude caused our sauiour to say:

* 1.6 My fleshe is very meate, and my bloud is very drynke.

For there is no kynde of meate that is comfortable to the soule, but onely the death of Christes blessed body: nor no kynde of drynke, that can quenche her thyrst, but only the bloudsheddyng of our sauiour Christe, whiche was shed for her offences.

For as there is a carnall generation, and a carnal feedyng & nourishement, so is there also a spiritual generation, and a spiritual feadyng.

And as euery mā by carnal generation of fa∣ther and mother, is carnally begotten and born vnto this mortall lyfe, so is euery good christiā spiritually borne by Christ vnto eternall life.

And as euery man is carnally fedde and nou∣rished in his body by meate & drynke, euen so is euery good christian man spiritually fedde and

nourished in his soule by the fleshe and bloud of our sauiour Christ.

And as the body liueth by meate and drynke, and thereby increaseth and groweth frō a yong babe vnto a perfect man, (whiche thyng experi∣ence teacheth vs) so the soule lyueth by Christe him selfe, by pure fayth eatyng his fleshe and drynkyng his bloud. And this Christ him selfe teacheth vs in the sixt of Ihon,* 1.7 saiyng:

Uerely verely I say vnto you, excepte ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man, and drynke his bloud, you haue no life in you. who so eateth my fleshe and drynketh my bloud, hath eternal life, and I wyl raise him vp at the last day: For my fleshe is very meate, and my bloud is very drynke. He that eateth my fleshe & drynketh my bloud dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the liuyng father hath sent me, and I liue by the father, euen so he that eateth me, shal liue by me.* 1.8

And this S. Paule confessed of him selfe, saiyng:

That I haue life, I haue it by fayth in the sonne of God. And nowe it is not I that liue, but Christ lyueth in me.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cha. 10.
• * 1.2

  The spiri¦tual foode of the soul
• * 1.3

  Math. 11.
• * 1.4

  Iohn. 7.
• * 1.5

  Ioh. 6.
• * 1.6

  Iho. 6.
• * 1.7

  Iohn. 6.
• * 1.8

  Gal. 2.