|Augustin ser. desacra fe. Pasche.| This maye also be cōfyrmed by good auctoryte. For saynte Austen sayeth, he that abydeth not in Christe ād in whome Christe abydeth not, without doubte he eateth not hys fleshe nor drynketh hys bloode, although he eate and drynke the Sacramente of so greate a thynge vnto hys dampnacyon.
|Beda.| And euē the same wordes hathe Bede vpon the tenth chapter of the fyrste Epystle to the Corynthyans.
|Augusti de ciuitate Dei in libro. 21. cap. 25.| Agayne S. Austen sayeth, he that abydeth not in me ād in whome I abyde not, let hym not saye nor thynke, that he eateth my bodye or drynketh my bloode. And euen the same wordes hath Bede vpon the syxte Chapter of the fyrste Epystle to the Corynthyans. And euen the same sentence hath Ambrose, and Prosper, & Bede vpon the xi. chapter of the fyrste Epystle to the Corynthyans.
Fynallye thys may be proued by good reasō grounded vpō the scrypture. Christ wolde not suffer marye (though she loued hym well) to towche hym, because she lacked one poynte of faythe, and ded not beleue that he was equall with hys Father. And therfore by reason yt muste folowe, that he wyll not suffer the wycked (which neyther haue good fayth nor loue towardes hym) both to towche hym and eate hym in to their vncleane bodyes.
Now syth thys is proued true that the wycked eate not hys bodye, it must also therof neades folowe, that the sacramente is not hys naturall bodye. For they do eate the sacramēte as all men knowe. Besydes that the faythfull do not eate Christes bodye with their teth. And therfore it muste folowe that the wycked do not eate it with their teth. The antecedēt or fyrst parte of the reason is proued by the wordes of Christe which sayeth, |Ioan. 6.| that the fleshe profyteth nothynge at all, meanynge that it doth not profyte as they vnderstode hym: that is to saye: yt profyteth nothynge to be eaten carnallye with their teth and bellye, as they vnderstode hym. For els it profyteth moche to be eaten spyrytuallye, that is to saye: to beleue that through hys bodye breakynge ād bloode sheadynge our synnes are pourged. And thus doth Origene, S. Austē, Bede, Chrisostome, ād Athanasius expounde it, as appeareth in the boke before. And therfore Fryth sayeth, that onelye faythfull men eate hys bodye: not with their teth and mouth, but with their fayth ād harte, they dygeste it in to the bowelles of their soules through beleuynge that it was broken on the crosse, to washe awaye their synnes. And the wycked eate not hys bodye but onelye the breade and their dampnacyon, because they eate him not spirytually, that is: because they beleue not in hys bodye breakynge and bloode sheadynge.
¶ The thyrde poynte wherin Fryth dyssēteth frō your Prelates & their proctoure.
The Prelates beleue that mē ought to worshyppe the Sacramēte, but Fryth sayeth naye, and affyrmeth that it is Idolatrye to worshyppe it. And he sayeth that Christ and hys Apostles taught vs not so to do: neyther ded the holy fathers so teache vs. And Fryth sayth, that the autours of thys worshyppynge are the chylderne of perdycyō which haue ouerwhelmed thys worlde with synne. Neuerthelesse we muste receyue it reuerētlye, because of the doctryne that it bryngeth vs. For it preacheth Christes death vnto vs, & descrybeth it before our eyes, euē as a faythfull preacher by the worde doth instyll yt in to vs by our eares and hearynge. And that yt supplyeth the rowme of a preacher, is evydēt by the wordes of S. Austen which sayeth. Paulus quamuis portaret sarcinā corporis quod aggrauat animā, potuit tamen significando predicare Dominū Iesum Christum, aliter per linguā suam, aliter per epistolā, aliter per sacramētū corporis Christi. That is to saye: though Paule ded beare the burthen of the bodye which doth honorate the soule, yet was he able in sygnyfyenge to preache the Lorde Iesus Christe, one waye by hys tonge, and another waye by a Ēpystle, & a nother waye by the Sacrament of Christes bodye .&c. For as the people by vnderstondynge the sygnyfycacyō of the wordes which he spake ded heare the gloryous gospell of God, & as by the readynge of hys Epystle they vnderstode hys mynd, & receyued the wordes of the soules health, so by the mynystracyon of the sacrament they myght see with their eyes the thynge which they harde & red, & so haue their sēces occupyed a boute the mystery, that they myght the more earnestlye prynte it in their mynde. As by exāple: |Hier. 27.| The prophete Ieremye beynge in Ierusalē in the tyme of Sedechias Kynge of the Iewes, prophesyed ād preached vnto thē, that they shuld be takē presoners of Nabugodonosar the Kyng of Babylō. And the Iewes were angrye with hym & wolde not beleue hys wordes. And therfore he made a chayne or fetter of woode ād put thē a boute hys necke, ād prophecyed agayne, ād preached that they shulde be taken presoners ād ledde captyue in to Babylon. And as hys wordes ded certyfye their eares that they shulde be subdued, so the chayn ded represēt their captyuite euē before their eyes, which thynge ded more vehementlye worke in them then the bare wordes coulde do, ād euen so it is in the sacrament. For lykewyse as the wordes ded instyll it in to our eares, that hys bodye was geuen for vs, ād hys bloode shedde for the remyssyon of our synnes, euen so ded the mynystracyon of the Sacrament expresse the same thynge vnto our syght and dothe more effectuouslye moue vs, thē the bare wordes myght do, and make vs more attentyue vnto the thynge, that we maye whollye geue thankes vnto God ād prayse hym for hys boūteous benefyttes. And therfor seynge it is as a preacher, expressynge vnto our syght the same thynge that the wordes do to our eares, you muste receyue yt with reverence ād sober behavyoure, aduertysynge the thynge that it representeth vnto you. And euen the same honoure is due vnto it which is geuē vnto the scrypture that is the worde of God. For vnto that must a man devoutlye geue eare, ād reverentlye take the boke in hys hande: yea, & yf he kysse the boke for the doctrynes sake that he learneth thereout, he is to be commended. Neuerthelesse yf he shulde go sense hys boke, men myght well thynke that he were verye chyldyshe. But yf he shulde knele downe and praye to hys boke, then he ded cōmytte playne Idolatrye.
Consyder deare bretherne what I say, and avoyde thys Ieoperdye. Which thynge avoyded, I care not as towchynge the presence of hys bodye, though you beleue that hys naturall fleshe be there in dede, and not onelye in a mystery, as I haue taught. For when the Ieoperdye is paste, he were a foole that wolde be cōtencyous for a thynge, as longe as there commeth no hurte therbye.
The Germaynes which beleue the presence of hys bodye, do not worshyppe it, but playnly teache the contrarye, and in that poynte (thankes be to God) all they whome you call heretyckes do agre full well. Onelye avoyde thys Idolatrye, and I desyre no more.