Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.

Doctor Glin in his first conclusion.* 1.1

TThe misteries of fayth (as August. witnesseth) may ve∣ry profitably be beleued, but they cannot well be sear∣ched forth, as sayth the scripture, I beleued, therefore I spake and he that confesseth me before men, him will I cō∣fesse before my father which is in heauen, We beleue euery man in his arte, therefore much more Christ our sauior in his word. Maruell not most honorable Lordes and wor∣shipfull Doctours that I speake thus nowe, for once you your selues spake the same. But peraduenture some wyll say beleue not euery spirite. I aunswere charity beleeueth all thinges, but not in all thinges. If those thinges whiche I shall vtter, be conuinced as false, I shall desire you to take them as not spoken at all. But these are the wordes of of trueth hoc est corpus meum, this is my body, Christ spake them, therefore I dare not say this bread is my body,* 1.2 for so Christ sayd not, Christ sayd thus, this is my body, and ther∣fore I but duste and ashes, yea a worme before him, dare not say this is a figure of his body: heauen and earth (saith he) shal passe but my word shall not passe. Whatsoeuer our old father Adam called euery creature, that is his name to this day, y^e new Adam (Christ Iesus) sayd this is my body, & is it not so? he neuer sayd this is a figure of my bodye, nor eat you this figure, or signe of my body. And therfore whē y^e paschall lambe was set before him, he sayd not, this is my body. Wherefore if at y^e day of iudgemēt, Christ should say vnto me, why hast y^u beleued y^t this is my body? I would

aunswere him, because thou hast so called it▪ I beleued it not to be a figure, because thou saydst not, that it was a fi∣gure: Other reasons to auouch I know not. Of the worde it self. I contend not, but the thing it selfe I defend, for we must speake regularly. Thus Christ, thus the Apostles, thus all the ancient fathers haue spoke, our fathers hadde but onely figures and shadowes, but the Churche of God hath the truth itselfe with the signes. Tertullian sayth one fi∣gure conteyneth not another, but Melthizedech was a figure, ergo this is the body. The Sacramentes of the Ie∣wes weare signes and tokens, but ours be both the signes and the thing signed also. Luther himselfe confessed that the body was present with the bread, and could not denye it: Oecolampadius tooke it for a figure onely Chrisostome de∣maunding wherefore Christ gaue his body before his pas∣sion,* 1.3 rather then at any other time, aunswereth; that hee might tye the trueth to the figure, saying, t••ke, eate, this is my body, not a figure of my body. And the same Chrisostome sayth agayne, if it were but bare bread, or but a figure, wherefore should his Disciples haue bene offended in ea∣ting a fygure? Agayne in his 83. Homely vpon Mathew. They are not any humayne workes, which he did worke at his last supper, he it is that worketh, he maketh perfect, we are his ministers, but it is he that sanctifieth, and chaū∣geth the elementes of breade and wine into his bodye and bloud. Agayne doest thou see bread and wine? doe they passe into the priuy like other meates, God forbid. &c. The∣ophilus Alexandrinus vpon these wordes of Marke the E∣uangelist this is my body, sayth. This whiche I geue, and which you receiue, ••s not onely bread, or a figure of Chri∣st••s body, but the trueth it selfe, for if it should appeare as it is, in forme of flesh & bloud, we should loth it, and there∣fore the Lord condescendyng to our weakenesse, reteyneth the formes of bread and wine, and yet conuerteth the same into the trueth of his body and bloud. Theophilactus sayeth the bread and the wine is the very body & bloud of Christ, and not a figure onely. If you stand in suspēse of the author, or approue him not, yet know you that he is counted and taken amongest all the learned for a most faythfull inter∣preter of Chrisostome, the bread sayth he is transelementate, and transmitted into an other substaunce then it was be∣fore. Augustine sayth there was great heede taken in the primitiue Church, least any part of the Sacrament should fall downe to the grounde. &c. Cyrillus sayth, leaste wee shoulde abhorre fleshe and bloud in the Sacrament of the Aultar, God humbleth himselfe to our weakenesse pou∣ring and infusing the force of life into it, and making it the very trueth of his owne blessed body and bloud. Dama∣sce••e calleth it a diuine body, or a body deifyed. Origene, Ireneus, Eusebius Hieronimus, with al the rest of the auncient Catholicke Fathers are of the same opinion with me, all which to produce it were too long.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Misterie•• may 〈◊〉〈◊〉 be belee•••• then cu••••••ously sea••••ched.
• * 1.2

  As 〈◊〉〈◊〉 called 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the brea•• figure, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 speaking ••••••guratiue at other tymes ca••••led the•• not pla•••• figures though they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 so.
• * 1.3

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