¶ The consecracyon of the Sacrament.
|More.| Now as for a nother quyetnes of euery mans conscyencethys yonge man byddeth euerye man be bolde, whether the blessed sacramēt be consecrate or vnconsecrate (for though he moste specyallye speaketh of the wyne, yet he speaketh it of both) and byddeth not care, but to take it for all that vnblessed as it is, because the Preste (he sayeth) can not deceyue vs nor take from vs the profyte of Christes instytucyon, whether he alter the wordes or leaue them all vnsayde. Is not thys a wonderfull doctryne of thys yonge man. We knowe well all, that the Preste can not hurte vs by hys oversyght or malyce, yf there be no faulte vpō our owne partye, for that perfectyon that lacketh vpon the Prestes parte, the great mercye of God as we truste of hys owne goodnes supplyeth it. And therfore as holye Chrisostome sayeth, no man can take harme but of hymselfe. But now yf we see the thynge dysordered our owne selfe, by the Preste, and Christes instytucyon broken, yf we than wetynglye receyue it vnblessed and vnconsecrated, and care not whether Christes instytucyon be kepte and observed or no, but reaken it is as good wythout it as with it, then make we our selfes partakers of the faulte and lose the profyte of the sacrament, and receyue it with dampnacyon: not for the Prestes faulte, but for our owne.
|Fryth.| ¶ I had thought that no Turke wolde haue wrested a mannes wordes so vnfaythfullye. For he leaueth out all the pythe of my matter, for my wordes are these. I wyll shewe you a meanes how ye shall euer receyue it accordynge to Christes instytucyon, although the Prest wolde withdrawe it from you. Fyrste ye neade to haue no respecte vnto the Prestes wordes whiche mynystreth it. For yf ye remember for what entent Christe ded instytute thys sacramente, and knowe that it was to put vs in remembraunce of hys bodye breakynge and bloode sheadynge, that we myght geue hym thankes for it, and be as sure of it through fayth accordynge to his promyses, as we are sure of the breade by eatynge of it: yf as I saye, ye remember thys thynge (for whiche intēte onelye the Preste speaketh those wordes) then yf the Prest leaue out those wordes or parte therof, he can not hurte you. For you haue already the effecte and fynall purpose for the whiche he shulde speake them. And agayne yf he shulde whollye altre thē, yet he can not deceyue you. For then ye be sure that he is a lyer, and though you se the Preste brynge you the wyne vnconsecrated, yet neuer stycke at that. For as surelye shall it certyfye your conscyence and outwarde sences though he consecrate it not (so thou consecrate it thy selfe: that is to saye, so thou knowe what is ment therbye and geue hym thankes) as though he made a thousande blessynges ouer it. And so I saye that it is euer consecrated in hys harte that beleueth, though the Preste consecrate it not. And contrarye wyse yf they consecrate it neuer so moche, and thy consecracyon be not bye, it helpeth the not a ryshe. For excepte thou knowe what is ment therby, and beleue, geuynge thākes for hys bodye breakynge and blood sheadynge, it can not profytte them.
|More.| ❧ Nowe where you saye, that yf we see the thynge dysordered by the Preste, & Christes instytucyon broken, and wetynglye receyue it, we make our selfes partakers of the cryme.
|Fryth.| ¶ I answere that yf the reformacyon therof laye in our handes, then sayde you trouth, but syth thys is wryten to pryuate parsones whiche maye not reforme this matter, and that the reformacyon therof resteth onelye in the hande of your Prynce and Parlyamente (for the erroure consysteth not in the mysorderynge of the matter by one Preste onely, but rather of the doctryne of them all, sauynge suche as God hath lyghtened) to these pryuate persons I saye that your doctryne shulde soner be the occasyon of an insurreccyon (whiche we laboure to eschewe) then anye quyetynge of them by Christes doctryne. And therfore syth there is an other waye to the woode, sauynge all vpryght, we wyll auoyde that parellous pathe. But when ye see Christes instytucyon broken and the one kynde lefte out vnto the laye people, why are ye partaker therof?
|More.| ❧ How be it as for hys beleue that taketh it no better but for bare breade and wyne it maketh hym lytell matter consecrated or not, sauynge that the better it is consecrated the more it is ever noyous to hym that receyueth it, hauynge hys conscyence combred with suche an execrable heresy, by which well apeareth that he putteth no dyfferēce betwene the bodye of our lorde in the blessed sacramēt and the comō breade that he eateth at his dyner. But rather he esteameth it lesse. For the one yet I thynke or he begynne, yf he lacke a Prest, he wyll blesse it hym selfe, as for the other he careth not, whether it be blessed or not.
|Fryth.| ¶ What I reaken it more then breade and wyne I wyll shewe you herafter in declarynge the mynde of S. Paule vpon thys sacrament, and that in the conclusyō of thys boke. And in the meane season I wyll saye no more but that he belyeth me. And as for their blessynges and consecracyon profyte not me, excepte I consecrate it my selfe with fayth in Christes bloode, and wyth geuynge hym prayse and thankes for hys inestymable goodnes, whiche whē I was hys enemye recōcyled me vnto hys Father by hys owne death. This consecracyon muste I sette by, yf I wyl haue anye profyte of hys death which the sacrament representeth vnto me. And yf I my selfe do thus consecrate it, then shall I be sure of the frute of hys death. And I saye agayne, that as the Prestes do now vse to consecrate it, it helpeth not the poore comons of a ryshe. For their consecracyon shulde stonde in preachynge vnto them the deathe of Christe whyche hath delyuered them out of the Egypte of synne, and from the fyerye fornace of Pharao the devell.
And as for their waggynge of their fyngers over it, and sayenge syxe or seauē wordes in Latyn, helpeth them nothynge at all. For how can they beleue by the meanes of hys wordes, when they knowe not what he sayeth? And as towchynge the daylye and commō breade that I eate at my dynner, whether I haue a Preste or not, I blesse it with my harte (ād not with my fyngers) and hartely geue God thankes for it. For yf I haue an hundreth Prestes to blesse it, yet am not I excused therbye. For excepte I blesse yt my selfe, yt profyteth me no more then yf it were vnblessed. And I blesse yt my selfe, thā I care not what the Preste prate. For as longe as I vnderstonde hym not, yt profyteth me nothyng. But in good fayth I wene the Byshoppes and their proctoure wote not what a blessynge meaneth. Therfore deare bretherne harken to me. To blesse God, is to geue hym prayse ād thankes for hys benefyttes: |To blesse.| To blesse a Kynge or a Prynce, is to thanke hym for hys kyndenes, and to praye to God for hym, that he maye longe reygne to the laude of God and wealth of hys commons. To blesse a mās neyghboure, is to praye for hym and to do hym good. To blesse my breade or meate, is to geue God thankes for it. To blesse my selfe, is to geue God thākes for the greate benefyttes that I haue receyued of hym, and to praye God that of hys infynyte goodes he wyll increase those gyftes that he hath geuen me, and fynyshe hys worke which he hath begonne in me, vnto hys laude and prayse. And as towchynge thys fleshe, to fulfyll hys wyll in it, and not to spare yt, but scourge cutte ād burne it, onelye that it maye be to hys honoure & glorye. Thys is the forme of blessynge, and not to wagge two fyngers ouer them. But alacke, of this blessynge our Byshoppes be ignoraunte.
|More.| ❧ But as for those that are good & faythfull folke, and haue any grace or any sparcle of reason in their heades, wyll (I verely thynke) neuer be so farre overseane, as in thys artycle (the trouthe wherof God hath hym selfe testyfyed by as many opē myracles as euer he testyfyed any one) to beleue thys yonge man vpon hys baren reasons agaynste the faythe ād reasō both of all olde holy wryters ād all good Christen people thys xv.C. yeares.
|Fryth.| ¶ As for the myracles, I mervell not at them, neyther may they make me the sooner to beleue it. For Christe tolde vs before |Mat. 24.| that suche delusyons shulde come, that yf it were possyble, the very electe shulde be deceyued by them. |2. Tes, 2.| And S. Paule exorteth vs to be ware of such sygnes ād wōders. And therfore I do as Moses teacheth me |Deu. 13.| when I here of suche a wonder, then strayght I loke vpon the doctryne that is annexed wyth it. Yf it teache me to referre all the honoure to God and not to creatures, and teache me nothynge but that wyll stonde with Goddes worde, then wyll I saye, that it is of God. But yf it teache me suche thynges as wyll not stonde with hys worde, then wyll I determyne that it is done by the deuell, to delude the people with dampnable Idolatrye. When Paule and Barnabas preached at Lystra |Acte. 24.| and had done a myracle amonge them, the people ranne and wolde haue done sacryfyce vnto them. But the Apostles ranne amonge them and tare their clothes, cryenge vnto them, syrs what do you? We are euen corruptyble men as ye are, and preache vnto you, that you shulde leaue thys vayne superstycyon, ād worshyppe the leuynge God, which made heauē, earth, the see, and all that is in thē et c. Here the Apostles refused suche honour & worshyppe. And therfore I am sure they wolde not suffer their Images to haue it. Now when I see a myracle done at any Image, and perceyue that it bryngeth mē to the worshyppynge of it selfe, cōtrarye to the facte and doctryne of the Apostles, whiche wolde not receyue it them selues, I must neades conclude, that it is but a delusyon done by the deuell to deceyue vs, ād to brynge the wrath of God vpon vs. Euē so I saye of the sacramēt, syth the myracles that are don by it, do make mē thynke otherwyse thē scripture wyll, ād cause mē to worshyppe it: I doubte not but they are done by the deuell, to delude the peple. Thou wylt perauēture say, that god wyll hym to abuse the sacrament of hys bodye and bloode. Yes verelye, god wyll suffer yt, and doth suffer yt, to see whether we wyll be faythfull and abyde by hys worde or not. And mervell not therof, |Matt. 4.| for God suffered hym to take vppe the verye naturall bodye of his sonne Christ and set hym vpon a pynnacle of the temple. And after he toke hym vppe agayne, and ledde hym to ā exceadynge moūtayne. And therfore thynke not but that he hath more power over the sacramēt thē he had ouer christes owne bodye. And therfore when they tell me, lo here is Christ: lo there is Christ (as Christ prophecyed) lo, he is at thys aultre, lo, he is at that, I wyll not beleue them.
Neuerthelesse yf I shulde graunte that all the myracles whiche were done and ascrybed vnto the sacramente, were very true myracles and done of God hym selfe (as I doubt not but some of thē be true) yet there vpon yt doth not folowe that the Sacrament shulde be the verye naturall bodye of Christe. For we haue evydent storyes that certayne persones haue bene delyvered from bodelye dyseases through the sacrament of Baptyme. And yet the water is not the holye Gost nor the very thynge yt selfe wherof it is a sacramente. |Actes. 5.| The shadowe of Peter healed many. And yet was not that shadowe Peters owne parson. |Actu. 19.| We reade also that napkyns and hande kerchers were caryed from Paule vnto them that were sycke and possessed with vncleane spiretes and they receyued their health. And yet it were neuerthelesse madnes, to thynke that Paules bodye had bene actuallye or naturallye in those thynges. And therfore thys is but a verye weake reason, to Iudge by the myracles the presence of Christes bodye. And surelye you myght be ashamed to make so slender reasons. For God maye worke myracles through manye thynges which are not hys naturall bodye. And as towchynge the olde doctoures whome you fayne to make wyth you, & the trouth of your opynyon which you saye hath bene beleued of all good Christen people this xv. C. yeares, is suffycyently declared before, and proued to be but a poynte of your olde poetrye.
¶ Doctoure Barnes ded gracyouslye escape Master Mores handes.
|More.| And also Fryre Barnes, albeit that as ye wote well he is in many other thynges a brother of thys yonge mās secte: yet in this heresye he sore abhorreth hys heresye, or els he lyeth hym selfe. For at hys laste beynge here he wrote a letter to me. Wherin he wryteth that I laye that heresye wrōgfullye to hys charge. And sheweth hym selfe so sore greved therwith that he sayeth, he wyll in my reproche make a boke a gaynst me. Wherin he wyll professe and proteste hys faythe concernynge this blessed sacramente. But in the meane season it well contenteth me, that fryre Barnes beynge a man of more age, and more rype dyscrecyon, and a doctoure of dyuynyte, and in those thynges better learned then thys yonge man is, abhorreth thys yōge mannes heresye in thys poynte, as well as he lyketh hym in many other.
|Fryth.| ¶ The more your mastershyppe prayseth Doctoure Barnes, the worse men maye lyke your matter. For in many poyntes he doth condempne your dampnable doctryne, as in hys boke appeareth. And therfore yf suche credence must be geuē to hym, then moche the lesse wyll be geuen to you. But peraduenture you wyll saye, that he is to be beleued in this poynte, although he erre in other. Wherevnto I answere, that yf you wyll consent vnto hym, I wolde be well apayed and wyll promyse you to wryte no more in that matter. For in this we both agre, that it ought not to be worshypped, yea and (blessed be God) all the other whome you call heretyckes. And so both of vs do avoyde the Idolatrye which you with so greate daunger do daylye cōmytte. And therfor yf you folowe hys learnynge, then am I content that you dyssent from me. For lette it not be worshypped, ād thynke as yow wyll, for then is the parell paste. And syth we agre in thys poynte, doubte not but we shall soone agre in the resydue, ād admytte eche other for faythfull brothers. And where your mastershyppe sayeth, that he wrote you a letter protestynge that you laye that heresye wrongfully to hys charge, I thynke it was more wysdome for hym twyse to haue wryten to you, then ones to haue come hym selfe ād tell you of it. For it was playnelye tolde hym, that you had conspyred hys death, ād that notwithstondynge hys saue conduyte, you were mynded to haue murthered hym. And for that cause he was compelled both beynge here, to kepe hym selfe secretelye, and also preuylye to departe the realme.
¶ And blessed be God you haue suffycyentlye publyshed your purpose in your answere agaynste Wyllyan Tyndall, where you saye, that you myght laufullye haue burnte hym. Here men maye see how percyallye you are addycte to our prelates. And how prone ye were to fulfyll their pleasures contrarye to our Prynces prerogatyue royall. And thākes be to God which gaue you suche grace in the syght of our soveraygne, that he shortelye withdrewe your power. For els it is to be feared that you wolde further haue proceded agaynste hys graces prerogatyue, which thynge whether yt be treason or not, let other men defyne. But thys I dare saye, that it is prynted and publyshed to our Prynces greate dyshonoure. For what learned man maye in tyme to come truste to hys graces saue conduyte or come at hys graces instaunce or requeste, syth not onelye the spirytualte (which of their professyon resyste hys prerogatiue) but also a laye man promoted to suche preemynence by hys graces goodnes, dare presume so to depresse hys prerogatyue and not onelye to saye, but also to publyshe it in prente: that notwithstondynge hys graces saue conduyte, they myght laufullye haue burnte hym.
But here he wolde saye vnto me as he dothe in hys boke, that he had forfayted hys salue conduyte, ād therbye was fallē in to hys enemyes handes. Where vnto I answere, that thys your sayenge is but a vayne glose. For I my selfe ded reade the salue conduyte that came vnto him, which had but onelye thys one condycyon annexed vnto it, that if he came before the feaste of Christmas then nexte ensuynge, he shulde haue free lyberte to departe at hys pleasure. And thys condycyon I knowe was fulfylled. How shulde he than forfayte hys salue cōduyte? But master More hath learned of hys masters our Prelates (whose proctoure he is) to depresse our Prynces prerogatyue, that mē ought not to keape any promyse with heretyckes. And so hys salue cōduyte coulde not saue hym. As though the Kynges grace myght not admytte any man to go and come frelye into hys graces realme, but that he muste haue leaue of our prelates. For els they myght laye heresye agaynst the parson, and so sleye hym cōtrarye to the Kynges salue cōduyte, which thynge all wyse men do knowe to be preiudycyall to hys graces prerogatyue royall. And yet I am sure that of all the tyme of hys beynge here, you can not accuse hym of one cryme, albeit (vnto your shame) you saye that he had forfayted hys salue conduyte. These wordes had be verye extreame and worthy to haue bene loked vpon, although they had bene wryten by some presumptuous Prelate. But that a laye man so hyghlye promoted by hys Prynce, shulde speake them and also cause them openlye to be publyshed amonge hys graces comons, to deyecte the estymacyon of hys royall power, doth in my mynde, deserue correccyon. Notwithstondynge I leaue the iudgement and determynacyon, vnto the dyscrecyō of hys graces honourable counsell.
|More.| ❧ And as for that holy prayer that this devoute yōge man (as a newe Christe teacheth all hys congregacyon to make at the receyuynge of thys blessed sacrament) I wyll not geue the parynge of a peare, though it were moche better thē it is, pullynge away the true fayth (as he doth) frō the Sacrament. Howbeit hys prayer there is so devysed, penned, and paynted with laysure and studye, that I truste euery good Christen woman maketh a moche better prayer, at the tyme of her howsell, by faythfull affectyō & by Gods good inspyracyō sodēlye. Fryth is an vnmete master to teache vs what we shulde praye at the receyuynge of the blessed sacrament, whē he wyll not knowlege it as it is, but take Christes blessed body for no thynge but bare breade, & so lytle esteame the receyuyng of the blessed sacramēt, that he forsyth lytle whether it be blessed or not.
|Fryth.| ¶ Where he dyscommendeth my prayer & sayeth, that I am an vnmete master to teache men to praye, seynge I take away the true fayth from it, and sayeth that euery woman can make a better when she receyueth the sacramente, I wolde to God that euery woman were so well learned that they coulde teache vs both. And surely I intended not to prescrybe to all men that prayer onely, but hoped to healpe the ygnoraunt, that they myght eyther speake those wordes, or els (takynge occasyon of them) to saye some other, to the laude and prayse of God. And as for your fayth (which you call the true fayth) must I neades improue. For it wyll not stōde with the true texte of scrypture, as it playnelye appeareth. But to the fayth in Christes bloode I exhorte all men, and teach them to eate hys bodye with fayth (& not with teeth) which is by hauynge hys death in cōtynuall remembraunce, and digestynge it in to the bowels of the soule. And because you so sore improue my prayer, to cōclude my answere agaynst you, I wyll rehearse yt agayne. And lette all mē Iudge betwene vs. Blessed be thou most deare and mercyfull Father, which of thy tender fauoure & benygnyte, notwithstōdynge our greuous enormytees cōmytted agaynste thee, vouchsauedst to sēde thyne owne deare sone, to suffre moste vyle death for our redempcyon.
Blessed be thou Chryst Iesu our Lorde & sauyour, which of thyne haboundāt pytye consyderynge our myserable estate, wyllyngly tokest vpon the to haue thy moste innocent bodye broken & bloode shedde to pourge vs and washe vs which are loadē with inyquyte. And to certyfye vs therof, hast lefte vs not onely thy worde which maye enstructe our hartes; But also a vysyble token to certyfye euen our outwarde sences of this greate benefytte, that we shulde not doubte, but that the bodye and frute of thy passyon are ours (through fayth) as surelye as the breade, which by our sentes we knowe that we haue within vs. Blessed be also that spiryte of veryte which is sente from God our father through our sauyour Christ Iesu, to lyghten our darcke ignoraunce, and leade vs through fayth in to the knoweleage of hym which is all veryte. Strength we beseche the our frayle nature, and encreace our faythe: that we maye prayse God our moste mercyfull Father, and Christe hys sonne our Sauyoure and redeamer. AMEN.