A testimony of antiquity shewing the ancient faith in the Church of England, touching the sacrament of the body and blood of the Lord here publickly preached, and also received in the Saxons time, above 600 years agoe.

Here followeth the words of Aelfricke Abbot of St. Albons, and also of Malmsbery, taken out of his Epistle written to Wulfsine Bishop of Scyrburn. It is found in a book of the old Saxon tongue, wherein be XLIII. Chapters, of Ca∣nons and Ecclesiastical Constitutions, and also Liber Poeni∣tentialis, that is a Penitential book or Shrift book, divided into Four other books, the Epistle is set for the 30. Chapter of the Fourth book, Intituled in the Saxon tongue be preost sinothe, that is, a Synod concerning Priests: and this Epistle is also in a Canon book of the Church of Exeter.

SOme Priests keep the housel that is hal∣lowed on Easter day all the year for sick men. But they do greatly amiss, because it waxeth hoary. And these will not under∣stand how grievous pennance the Penitenti∣al book teacheth by this, if the housel become hoary and rotten: or if it be lost, or be eaten of Mise or of beasts by negligence. Men shall re∣serve more carefully that holy housel, and not reserve it too long, but hallow other of new for sick men alwaies within a week or a fort∣night, that it be not so much as hoary. For so holy is the housel which to day is hallowed as that which on Easter day was hallowed. That housel is Christs body not bodily, but ghostly. Not the body which he suffered in, but the bo∣dy

of which he spake, when he blessed bread and wine to housel a night before his suffering, and said by the blessed bread, This is my body; and again by the holy wine, This is my blood, which is shed for many in forgivness of sins. Ʋnderstand now that the Lord, who could turn that bread before his suffering to his bo∣dy, and that wine to his blood ghostly; that the self same Lord blesseth daily through the Priests hands bread and wine to his ghostly body, and to his ghostly blood.

Here thou seest good Reader how Aelfrick upon finding fault with an abuse of his time, which was that Priests on Easter day filled their housel box, and so kept the bread a a whole year for sick men, took an occasion to speak against the bodily presence of Christ in the Sacrament. So also in another Epistle sent to Wulfstane Arch-bishop of York, he reprehending again this overlong reserving of the housel, addeth also words more at large against the same bodily pre∣sence. His words be these.

SOme Priests fill their box for housel on Easter day, and so reserve it a whole year for sick men, as though that housel were more holy then any other. But they do unadvisedly, because it waxeth black, or altogether rotten by keeping it so long space. And thus is he become guilty, as the book witnesseth to us. If any do keep the housel too long, or loose it, or Mise or other beasts do eat it, see what the Penetential book sayeth by this. So holy is al∣together that housel, which is hallowed to day, as that which is hallowed on Easter day. Wherefore I beseech you to keep that holy bo∣dy of Christ with more advisement for sick men from Sonday to Sonday in a very clean box: or at most not to keep it above a fort∣night, and then eat it laying other in the place. We have an example hereof in Moses books, as God himself hath commanded in Moses law. How the Priests should set on every Saterday twelve loaves all new baked upon the Tabernacle: the which were called Panes praepositionis: and those should stand there on Gods Tabernacle, till the next Saterday, and then did the Priests themselves eat them,

and set other in the place. Some Priests will not eat the housel which they do hallow. But we will now declare unto you how the book speaketh by them. Presbyter missam cele∣brans, & non audens sumere sacrificium, ac∣cusante conscientia sua, Anathema est. The Priest that doth say Mass and dare not eat the housel, his conscience accusing him, is accursed. It is less danger to receive the housel, then to hallow it. He that doth twice hallow one Host to housel, is like unto those Hereticks, who do Christen twice one child. Christ him∣self blessed housel hefore his suffering▪ He blessed the bread and brake, thus speaking to his Apostles. Eat this bread it is my body. And again he blessed one Chalice with wine, and thus also speaketh unto them. Drink ye all of this it is mine own blood of the New Testa∣mant which is shed for many in forgivness of sins. The Lord which halowed housel before his suffering and saith that the bread was his own body, and that the wine was truly his blood, he haloweth daily by the hands of the Priests bread to his body, and wine to his blood in ghostly mysterie, as we read in books. And yet that lively bread is not bodily so not∣withstanding:

not the self same bodie that Christ suffered in▪ Nor that holy wine is the Saviours blood which was shed for us in bo∣dily thing, but in ghostlie understanding. Both be truly that bread his bodie, and that wine also his blood, as was the heavenly bread, which we call Manna, that fed forty years Gods people. And the clear water which did then run from the Stone in the wilderness, was truly his blood, as Paul wrot on some of his Epistles. Omnes patres nostri eandem escam spiritualem man∣ducaverunt, & omnes eundem potum spiri∣tualem biberunt, &c. All our Fathers eat in the wilderuess the same ghostly meat and drank the same ghostlie drink. They drank of that ghostlie stone, and that stone was Christ. The Apostle hath said as you have heard, that they all did eat the same ghostlie meat, and they all did drink the same ghostly drink. And he saith not bodilie but ghostlie. And Christ was not yet born, nor his blood shed, when that the people of Israel eat that meat, and drank of that stone. And the stone was not bodilie Christ though he so said. It was the same mysterie in the old law, and they did ghostlie signifie that ghostlie hou∣sel of our Saviours bodie which we consecrate now.

This Epistle to Wulfstane, Elfrick wrote first in the La∣tine tongue, as in a short Latine Epistle set before this, and another of his Saxon Epistles he confesseth thus. Aelfricus Abbas Wulfstano venerabili Arshiepiscopo salutem in Christo. Ecce paruimus vestrae almitatis jussionibus transferentes Angli∣ce duas Epistolas quas Latino eloquio descriptas ante annum vobis destinavimus, non tamen semper ordinem sequentes, nec verbum ex verbo: sed sensum ex sensu proferentes. Behold we have obeyed the commandement of thy Excellencie, in Transla∣ting into English the two Epistles which we sent unto thee written in Latine more then a year agoe. Howbeit we keep not here alwaies the same order: nor yet Translate word for word, but sense for sense. Now because very few there be that do understand the old English or Saxon (so muc h i our speech changed from the use of that time, wherein Elfrick lived) and for that also it may be that some will doubt how skilfully, and also faithfully these words of Elfrick be Translated from the Saxon tongue: we have thought good to set down here last of all the very words also of his Latine Epistle, which is recorded in books fair written of old in the Cathedral Churches of Worcester and Exeter.

QƲidam vero Presbyteri implent alabastrum suum de Sacrificio, quod in Pasca Domini sanctificant: & conservant per totum annum ad infirmos, quasi sancti∣or sit caeteris sacrificiis, Sed nimirum insipienter faciunt. Quia nigrescit, & putrescit tamdiu conservatum. Et Liber Poeni∣tentialis pro tali negligentia poenitentiam magnam docet: aut si a Muribus comestum sit: aut ab Auibus raptum. Tam sanctum est sacrificium, quod hodie sanctificatur quam illud

quod in die Pas••ae consecratum est. Et ideo debetis a Dominicae in Dominicam, aut per duas, vel maxime tres hebdomadas tenere sacrificium in alabastro mundo ad infirmos: ••e nigrescat, aut putrescat, si diutius servetnr. Nam in lege Moisi ponebant sacerdotes semper omni sabbato panes propositionis calidos in Ta∣bernaculo coram Domino: & in sequenti sabbato sumebant illos soli sacerdotes, & edebant: & alios novos pro eis ponebant▪ Fa∣cite & vos sacerdotes similiter. Custodite cautè sacrificium Christi ad infirmos, & edite illud, ne diutius teneatur, quam o∣portet. Et reponite aliud noviter sanctificatum propter necessita∣tem infirmorum, ne sine viatico exeant de hoc seculo. Christus Jesus in die suae saenctae caenae accepit panem: benedixit, ac fre∣git: dedit discipulis suis, dicens. Accipite, & comedite. Hoc est enim corpus suum meum. Similiter & calicem accipiens gratias ••git, & dedit illis, dicens. Bibite ex hoc omnes. Hic est sanguis meus Novi Testamenti, qui pro multis effundetur in remissionem* 1.1 peccatorum. Intelligite modo Sacerdotes, quod ille Dominus qui ante passionem suam potuit convertere illum panem, & illud vi∣num ad suum corpus & sanguinem: quod ipse quotidie sanctificat per manus Sacerdotum suorum panem ad suum corpus spirituali∣ter, & vinum ad suum sanguinem (Non sit tamen hoc sacrificium corpus ejus in quo passus est pro nobis: neque sanguis ejus, quem pro nobis effudit sed spiritualiter corpus ejus efficitur & sanguis: sicut Manna quod de coelo pluit, & aqua quae de petra fluxit. Si∣cut) Paulus Apostolus ait: Nolo enim vos ignorare fratres, quoni∣am patres nostri omnes sub nube fuerunt: & omnes, mare transierunt & omnes in Moisi baptizati sunt in nube & in mari. Et omnes e∣andem escam spiritualem manducaverumt: & omnes eundem po∣tum spiritualem biberunt. Bibebant autem de spirituali conse∣quenti eos petra. Petra autem erat Christus. Ʋnae dicit Psalmi∣sta. Panem coeli dedit eis. Panem Angelorum manducavit homo. Nos quo{que} proculdubio manducamus panem Angelorum▪ & bibimus de illa petra, quae Christum significabat: quotiens fide∣liter accedimus ad sacrificium corporis & sanguinis Christi.

AS the writings of the Fathers, even of the First age of the Church, be not thought on all parts so perfect, that whatsoever thing hath been of them spoken ought to be received without all exception, (which honor truly them∣selves both knew and also have confessed to be only due to the most holy and tryed word of God:) So in this Sermon here published, some things be spoken not consonant to sound doctrine: but rather to such corruption of great ignorance and superstition, as hath taken root in the Church of long time, being overmuch cumbred with Monkery. As where it speaketh of The Mass to be profitable to the quick and dead: Of the mixture with water with wine: and whereas there is also made mention of Two vaine Miracles, which notwithstand∣ing seem to have been infarced, for that they stand in their place unaptly, and without purpose, and the matter without them, both before and after, doth hang in it selt together most orderly; with some other Superstitious words, sounding to Su∣perstition. But all these things that be thus of some reprehen∣sion be as it were but by the way touched: the full and whole discourse of all the former part of the Sermon, and almost of the whole Sermon is about the understanding of the Sacra∣mentall bread and wine, how it is the body and blood of Christ our Saviour, by which is revealed and made known, what hath been the common taught doctrine of the Church of England on this behalf many hundred years agoe, contra∣ry unto the unadvised writing of some now a daies. Now that this foresaid Saxon Homely, with other Testimonies before alledged, do fully agree to the old ancient books (whereof some be written in the old Saxon, and some in the Latine) from whence they are taken: these here under written upon diligent perusing, and comparing the same have found

by conference, that they are truly put forth in Print, with∣out any adding, or withdrawing any thing for the more faithful reporting of the same, and therefore for the better credit hereof have subscribed their Names.

Matthew Arch-bishop of Canterbury, Thomas Arch-bishop of York.

• Edmund Bishop of London.
• James Bishop of Durham.
• Robert Bishop of Winchester.
• William Bishop of Chichester.
• John Bishop of Hereford.
• Richard Bishop of Ely.
• Edwine Bishop of Worcester.
• Nicholas Bishop of Lincolne.
• Richard Bishop of S. Davids.
• Thomas Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.
• John Bishop of Norwich.
• John Bishop of Carlile.
• Nicholas Bishop of Bangor.

With divers other Personages of Honor and credit sub∣scribing their Names, the Record whereof remains in the Hands of the Most Reverend Father Matthew, Arch-bishop of Canterbury.

FINIS.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The words inclosed be∣tween the two half cir¦cles, some had rased out of Worcester book, but they are restored a∣gain out of a book of Exeter Church.