The vvhole workes of W. Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy martyrs, and principall teachers of this Churche of England collected and compiled in one tome togither, beyng before scattered, [and] now in print here exhibited to the Church. To the prayse of God, and profite of all good Christian readers.

¶ The consecration of the Sacrament.

NOwe as for an other quietnes of euery mās * 1.1 conscience this young man biddeth euery mā be bold, whether the blessed Sacrament be consecrate or vnconsecrate (for though he most especially speaketh of the wyne, yet he speaketh it of both) & byddeth vs not care, but take it for all that vnblessed as it is because the Priest (hee sayth) can not deceiue vs nor take from vs the profit of Christes institution, whether hee alter the woordes or leaue them all vnsayd. Is not this a wonderful doctrine of this young man? We wotte well all, that the Priest can not hurt vs by his ouersight or malice, if there be no fault vpon our owne partie, for that perfection that lacketh on the Priestes part, the great mercy of God as we trust of his owne good∣nes supplyeth. And therfore as ho∣ly Chrisostome sayth, no man can take harme but of him selfe. But now if we see the thyng disordered our owne selfe by the Priest and Christes institution broken, if we then wittyngly receiue it vnblessed & vnconsecrated, & care not whe∣ther Christes institutiō be kept and obserued or no, but rekon that it is as good without it as with it, then make we our selues partakers of the fault and leese the profit of the Sacramēt, and receiue it with dam∣nation: not for the Priestes fault, but for our owne.

I had thought that no Turke wold * 1.2 haue wrested a mans woordes so vn∣faythfully, for hee leaueth out all the pith of my matter, for my wordes are these. I will shew you a meanes how ye shall euer receiue it accordyng to Christes institution, although the Priest would withdraw it from you. First ye néede to haue no respect vnto the Priests wordes which ministreth * 1.3 it. For if ye remember for what intēt Christ dyd institute this Sacrament, and know that it was to put vs in re∣membraunce of hys body breakyng & bloud shedding, that we might geue hym thankes for it and bee as sure of it through fayth accordyng to his pro∣mises, as we are sure of the bread by eatyng of it: if as I say, ye remember this thyng (for which intent onely the Priest speaketh those wordes) then if the Priest leaue out those wordes or part therof, he can not hurt you. For you haue all ready the effect and final purpose for y^e which he should speake them. And agayne if he should wholy alter them, yet he cā not deceiue you. For then ye be sure that he is a lyer, and though you sée the Priest bryng you the wyne consecrated yet neuer sticke at that. For as surely shall it certifie your conscience and outward * 1.4 senses though he consecrate it not (so thou consecrate it thy selfe: that is to say, so thou know what is ment ther∣by and geue hym thankes) as though hee made a thousand blessynges ouer

it. And so I say that it is euer cōsecra∣ted in hys hart that beleueth, though the Priest consecrate it not. And con∣trarywise if they consecrate it neuer so much, and thy consecration be not bye, it helpeth thée not a rishe. For ex∣cept thou know what is meant ther∣by, and beleue, geuyng thankes for hys body breakyng & bloudshedyng, it can not profite thée.

Now where you say, that if we * 1.5 see the thyng disordered by the Priest, and Christes institution bro∣ken, and wyttingly receiue it, we make our selues partakers of the cryme.

I aunswer that if the reformation thereof laye in our handes, then sayd * 1.6 you truth, but sith it is written to priuate persons which may not re∣forme this matter, and that the refor∣mation therof resteth onely in y^e hand of your Prince and Parlament (for y^e erroure consisteth not in the misorde∣ring of the matter by one Priest only but rather of the doctrine of them all sauing such as God hath lightened) to these priuate persons I say y^• your doctrine should soner be the occasion of an insurrection which we labour to eshew, then any quieting of them by Christes doctrine. And there∣fore sith there is an other waye to wood (sauing all vpright) we will a∣uoyde that perylous path. But when ye sée Christes institution broken and the one kinde left out vnto the laye people, why are ye pertaker thereof.

How beit as for his beleife that * 1.7 taketh it no better but for bare bread & wine, it maketh him litell matter consecrated or not, sauing that the better it is consecrated the more it is euer noyous to him that receiueth it, hauing his conscience combred with such an execrable heresie, by which well appeareth that he putteth no difference be∣twene the body of our Lord in the blessed sacrament, and the comon bread that he eateth at his dinner, But rather he estemeth it lesse, for the one yet I thinke or he begyn, if he lack a priest, he will blesse it him selfe, the other hee careth not as he sayth, whether it be blessed or no.

What I reacon it more thē bread * 1.8 and wine I will shew you here after in declaring the minde of S. Paule vppon this sacrament, & that in the conclusion of this boke. And in the meane season I will say no more but that he belyeth me. And as for their blessinges & consecracion profit not * 1.9 me, except I consecrate it my selfe with fayth in Christes bloud, & with geuing him prayse & thankes for his inestimable goodnes, which when I was his enemy recōciled me vnto his father by his own death: This conse∣cration, must I set by, if I will haue any profit of his death which y^e sacra∣ment representeth vnto me. And if I my selfe do thus consecrate it, then shal I be sure of y^e fruite of his death. And I say agayne, that as y^e Priestes doe now vse to consecrate it, it help∣eth not the poore comens of a rishe. For their consecracion should stand in preaching vnto them the death of Christ, which hath deliuered thē out of the Egipt of sinne & from y^e fiery fornace of Pharao the deuill. And as for their wagging of their fingers * 1.10 ouer it, and saying, vj. or vij. wordes in latten, helpeth them nothing at all for how can they beleue by y^e meanes of his wordes when they know not what he sayth? And as touching the common bread that I eate at my dyn∣ner, whether I haue a Priest or not, I blesse it with my hart (and not with my fingers) and hartly geue God thankes for it. For if I haue an hun∣dreth Priestes to blesse it, yet am not I excused therby. For except I blesse it my selfe, it profiteth me no more then if it were vnblessed. And if I blesse it my ••elfe, then I care not * 1.11 what the Priest prate. For as long as I vnderstand him not it profiteth me nothing, but in good fayth I wene the bishops and their proctour wote not what a blessing meaneth. Therefore deare bretheren hearken to me. To blesse God, is to geue him prayse and thankes for his benefites: To blesse a king or a prince is to * 1.12 thanke him for his kindnes, and to

pray to God for him that he may long raigne to the laude of God & wealth of his comens. To blesse a mans neighbour is to pray for him and to do him good. To blesse my breade or * 1.13 meate, is to geue God thankes for it To blesse my selfe, is to geue God thankes for his benefites that I haue receiued of him, & to pray God that of his infinite goodnes he will increase those giftes that he hath geuen me & finishe his worke which he hath be∣gone in me, vnto his laud and prayse and as touching this fleshe, to fulfill his will in it, and not to spare it but scurge, cut and burne it, onely that it may be to his honour & glory. This is the forme of blessing, and not to wag two fingers ouer them. But a∣lacke, of this blessing our Byshops be ignorant.

But as for those that are good and faythfull folke, and haue any * 1.14 grace or any sparcle of reason in their heades, will (I verely thinke) neuer to be so farre ouerseene, as in this article (the truth wherof God hath him selfe testified by as many open miracles as euer he testified any one) to beleue thys younge mā vpō his barren reasons against the fayth and reason both of all old holy writers and all good Christen people this xv. C. yeares.

As for the miracles, I maruell not at them, neither may they make me * 1.15 the sooner to beleue it, for Christ told vs before that such delusions shoulde come, y^• if it were possible, y^• very elect * 1.16 should be deceaued by them. And S. Paule exhorteth vs to beware of such signes and wonders: And therefore * 1.17 I do as Moses teacheth me when I heare of such a wonder, then straight * 1.18 I looke on the doctrine that is annex∣ed with it. If it teach me to referre all the honor to God and not to crea∣tures, and teach me noghyng but that will stand with Gods worde, then will I say, that it is of God. But if it teach me such thynges as will not stand with hys word, then will I de∣termine that it is done by the deuill, to delude the people with damnable idolatrye. When Paule and Barna∣bas preached at Listra and had done a miracle among them, the people * 1.19 ranne and would haue done sacrifice vnto them. But the Apostles ranne among them and tare their clothes, crying vnto them, syrs what do you? we are euen corruptible men as ye are, and preach vnto you, that you should leaue thys vayne superstition, and worship the liuing God, which made heauen, earth, the sea, and all that is in them. &c. Here the Apostles refused such honour & worship. And therefore I am sure they would not suffer their images to haue it. Now when I see a miracle done at any * 1.20 image, and perceaue that it bringeth men to the worshipping of it self, con∣trary to the facte and doctrine of the Apostles, which would not receaue it them selues, I must néedes conclude, that it is but a delusion done by the deuill to deceaue vs and to bryng the wrath of God vppon vs. Euen so I say of the sacrament, sith the mi∣racles that are done by it, do make mē thinke otherwise then Scripture will, and cause men to worship it: I doubt not but they are done by the deuill, to delude the people. Thou wilt peraduenture say that God will not suffer hym to abuse the sacrament of hys body and bloud. Yes verely, God will suffer it, and doth suffer it, to see whether we will be faythfull and abide by hys worde or not. And maruell not therof, for God suffered hym to take vp the very naturall bo∣dy of hys sonne Christ and set him on * 1.21 a pinnacle of the temple. And after he tooke hym vp agayne, and lead hym to an exceding mountaine. And ther∣fore thinke not but that he hath more power ouer the Sacrament then he had ouer Christes owne body. And therfore whē they tell me, loe here is * 1.22 Christ, loe there is Christ (as Christ prophecied) loe he is at thys altar, loe he is at that, I will not beleue them.

Neuerthelesse if I should graunt that all y^e miracles which were done, and ascribed vnto the sacramēt, were very true miracles and done of God him selfe (as I doubt not but some of them be true) yet thereupon it doth

not followe that the sacrament should be the very naturall body of Christ. For we haue euident storyes that cer∣tayne persons haue bene deliuered from bodely diseases through the Sa∣crament of baptisme. And yet y^• wa∣ter is not the holy Ghost, nor the ve∣ry thyng it selfe whereof it is a sacra∣ment. The shadow of Peter hath * 1.23 healed many, and yet was not that shadow Peters owne person. We read also that napkins and handker∣chers were caryed from Paule vnto them that were sicke & possessed with * 1.24 vncleane spirites, and they receaued theyr health. And yet it were neuer∣thelesse madnesse, to thinke y^e Paules body had bene actually or naturally in those thynges. And therefore thys is but a very weake reason, to iudge by the miracles y^e presence of Christes body. And surely you might be asha∣med to make so slender reasons. For God may worke miracles through many thinges which are not hys na∣turall body. And as touchyng the olde Doctors, whom you fayne to make with you, and the truth of your opini∣on which you say hath bene beleued of all good Christen people this xv. C. yeares, is sufficiētly declared before, and proued to be but a poynt of your olde Poetrie.

Notes

• * 1.1

  More.
• * 1.2

  Frith.
• * 1.3

  A meane how we may re∣ceaue y^e sa∣crament ac∣cording to Christes institution, though the minister be negligent.
• * 1.4

  The wor∣thy recea∣uer of the sacrament may conse∣crate the same to him selfe.
• * 1.5

  M. More.
• * 1.6

  Frith.
• * 1.7

  M. More.
• * 1.8

  Frith.
• * 1.9

  The right consecratiō to hym that receaueth the Sacra∣ment is fayth in Christes death.
• * 1.10

  The Po∣pish conse∣cration in Latine is not worth a rish.
• * 1.11

  The By∣shops and their pro∣ctour can not tell what a blessyng meaneth.
• * 1.12

  ☜
• * 1.13

  Blessyng what it is?
• * 1.14

  M. More.
• * 1.15

  Frith.
• * 1.16

  Math. 24.
• * 1.17

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. Thess. 2.
• * 1.18

  Deutro. 13.
• * 1.19

  Actes. 24.
• * 1.20

  How you may iudge true mira∣cles from false.
• * 1.21

  Math. 4.
• * 1.22

  False Ante christes.
• * 1.23

  Actes. 4.
• * 1.24

  Actes. 12.