For thys cause (that is) for lacke of good examenynge of our selues (as is before towched) manye are weake and speke in the fayth, and manye sleape, and haue loste their fayth in Christes bloode, for lacke of remembraunce of thys bodye breakynge and bloode sheadynge: Yea and not that onelye, but manye were weake and sycke euen stryken with bodely dyseases for abvsynge the sacrament of hys bodye, eatynge the breade with their teth ād not hys bodye with their mynde, and peraduenture some slayne for it by the stroke of God, which yf they had trulye iudged and examyned them selues for what intēt they came thyther, and why it was instytuted, shulde not haue bene so Iudged ād chastened of the Lorde. For the Lorde doth chasten, to brynge vs vnto repentaunce, & to mortyfye the rebellyous membres, that we maye remember hym. Here ye maye shortely perceyue the mynde of Paule.
FINIS.
¶ An Epytome and shorte rehearsall of all thys boke, shewynge in what poyntes Fryth dyssenteth from our Prelates.
Now to be shorte, in these iij. poyntes Fryth dyssenteth from oure Prelates ād from master More, which taketh vpon hym to be their proctoure. Our Prelates beleue that in the sacrament remayneth no breade, but that it is tourned in to the naturall bodye of Christ both fleshe bloode & bones. Fryth sayeth, that it is none artycle of our Crede: and therfore lette them beleue yt that wyll. And he thynketh that there remayneth breade styll. And that he proueth. iii. maner of wayes. Fyrste by the scripture of Paule, |1. Cor. 10.| which calleth it breade sayenge: the breade which we breake, is it not the felowshyppe of the bodye of Christe? For we though we be manye, are yet one bodye and one breade, as manye as are partakers of one breade. And agayne he sayeth, |1. Cor. 11.| as often as ye eate of thys breade or drynke of this cuppe, you shall shewe the Lordes death vntyll he come. And Luke calleth it breade sayenge. |Actes. 2.| They contynued in the felowshyppe of the Apostles, and in the breakynge of the breade and prayer. |Mat. 26.| Also Christe called the cuppe the frute of the vyne, sayenge. |Mar. 14. Luc. 22.| I shall not frō hence forwarde drynke of the frute of the vyne vntyll I drynke that newe in the Kyngdome of my Father.
Furthermore nature doth teache you that both the breade and wyne contynue in their nature. For the breade mouldeth yf it be kepte lōge, yea and wormes breade in it. And the poore mouse wyll ronne awaye with it and eate it, which are evydence ynough that there remayneth breade. Also the wyne yf it were reserued, wolde waxe sower, as they confesse them selues. And therfore they howfell the laye people but with one kynde onelye: because the wyne can not contynue nor be reserued to haue readye at hande, when neade were. And surelye as yf there remayned no breade, it coulde not moulde nor waxe full of wormes: euē so yf there remayned no wyne, it coulde not waxe sower. And therfore it is but false doctryne that our Prelates so lōge haue taught & publyshed.
Fynallye that there remayneth breade, myght be proued by auctoryte of manye doctoures which call yt breade ād wyne, euen as Christe and hys Apostles ded. And though some sophysters wolde wreste their sayenge, and expounde thē after their owne fantasye, yet shall I alleage thē one doctoure which was Pope, that maketh so playne with vs that they shall neuer be able to avoyde hym.
|Gelasius in concilio Ro.| For Pope Gelasius wryteth on thys maner. Certe sacramenta que sumimus corporis et sanguinis Christi, diuinæ res sunt, propter quod et per eadem diuine efficimur cōsortes naturæ. Et tamen nō desinit esse substantia uel natura panis et uini, sed permanet in suæ proprietate nature. Et certe imago et similitudo corporis et sāguinis Christi in actione misteriorum celebrantur. That is to saye: surelye the sacrament of the bodye and bloode of Christe which we receyue, are a Godly thynge, and therfore through thē are we made partakers of the godly nature. And yet doth it not cease to be the substance or nature of breade and wyne, but they cōtynue in the properte of their owne nature. And surelye the Image and symylytude of the bodye and bloode are celebrated in the acte of the mysteryes. Thys I am sure, that no man cā avoyde it, nor so wreste it, but that all men shall soone espye hys folye, and therfore I maye conclude that there remayneth the substaunce and nature of breade and wyne.
The seconde poynte wherin Fryth dyssenteth from our Prelates and their proctoure.
The Prelates beleue that hys very fleshe is present to the teth of them that eate the Sacramēte, and that the wycked eate hys verye bodye. Fryth sayeth that it is none artycle of our Crede, and therfore he reakeneth that he is in no Ieoperdye though he beleue it not. And he thynketh that hys fleshe is not presente vnto the teth of thē that receyue the Sacramente. For hys fleshe is onelye in one place at ones. And that he proueth both by the auctoryte of Saynte Austen ad Dardanum, and also by the auctoryte of Fulgentius ad Thrasauandum libro. 20. as before appeareth in the boke. And Fryth sayeth that the wycked eate not hys verye fleshe, although they receyue the Sacramente. And that he proueth by the scrypture, doctours, and good reason, grounded vpon the scryptures.
|Ioan. 6.| The scrypture is thys, he that eateth Christes bodye hath euerlastynge lyfe, ergo then the wycked eate not hys bodye. Agayne the scrypture sayeth, he that eateth Christes fleshe ād drynketh hys bloode abydeth in Christe and Christ in him: but the wycked abyde not in Christe nor Christe in them, ergo the wycked eate not hys fleshe nor drynke hys bloode.