John Frith

“ That is, because Christ hath suffered for vs, he hath betakē vnto vs in thys sacramēt hys bodye and bloode, which he hath also made euen our selfes. For we also are made hys bodye, and by his mercye we are euē the same thynge that we receyue. And after he sayeth. Now in the name of Christe ye are come, as a man wolde saye, to the chalyce of the Lorde: there are ye vpon the table, and there are ye in the chalyce. Here you maye see, that the sacrament is our bodye. And yet yt is not our naturall bodye, but onelye in a mysterye, as it is before sayde. ”

“ Whiche thynge is to be abhorred of all faythfull men.
It were fondnes to fayne that the soule ded otherwyse eate then do the Angelles in heauē, and their meate is onelye the Ioye and delectacyon that they haue of God and of hys glorye; And euen so doth the soule which is here vpon the earth eate through faythe the bodye of Christe which is in heauen. For it delyteth & reioyseth whyles yt vnderstōdeth through faythe, that Christ hath takē our synnes vpō hym and pacyfyed the Fathers wrath. Neyther yt is necessarye, that for that or for thys cause, that his fleshe shulde be present. ”

“ Marye is named the mother of God, and yet she is not the mother of hys Godhed, by the which parte onelye he is called God, but because she is hys mother, as towchynge hys manhode, and the Godhed is so annexed with the manhode that they both make but one parson, therfore is she called the mother of God, whiche in dede yf it be wyselye weyed, shalbe founde to be abvsed speache. ”

“ 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. ”

“ More ouer, the breade is Christes bodye, euen as the breakynge of the breade is the death of hys bodye. Nowe the breakynge of breade at the maundye is not the verye death of Christes bodye, but onelye a representacyon of the same (albeit the mynde through faythe doeth spirytuallye beholde hys verye death) and euen lyke wyse that naturall breade is not the verye bodye of our Lorde, but onely a sacramēt, sygne, memoryall, or representacyō of the same, albeit through the admonycyō therof, the mynde through fayth, doth spirytually beholde the verye body. ”

“ 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. ”

“ And when they see that no man can make the scryptures to agre wyth their doctryne, then they saye, that their doctryne is true ynough, but no mā can vnderstōnde the scrypture. And though the scrypture seame neuer so repugnaunte 68both to them ād vs, yet God seeth well ynough (saye they) how to sette thē together, and it is possyble for God to make it agree, though they can not tell how. But thys doctryne hath longe ynough deceyued vs. For mē haue seane to lōge wyth your spectacles, yet now (thankes be to God) they begynne to see with their owne eyes. ”

“ 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. ”

“ I beseche you laye no bygger burthen vpon vs then those faythfull Fathers ded, which thought that suffycyent. And then I am sure, we shulde haue fewer heretykes. For I neuer harde of heretycke that euer helde agaynste any artycle of our Crede, but all that ye dyffame by thys name, are onelye put to death, because they saye that we are not bounde to beleue euerye poynte that the lawes and tyrannye of the cleargye alowe and maynteyne, which thynge how true it is (blessed be God) is meatelye well knowen alreadye. ”

“ For through the beleue that thys bodye is there, men fall downe and worshyppe yt. And thynkynge to please God, do dampnable synne agaynste hym. Thys I saye, is the cause that I so earnestlye wryte agaynste it, to avoyde the Idolatrye that is cōmytted through it. Parte of the germanes do thynke that hys naturall bodye is present in the sacramēt, ād take the wordes fleshelye, as Martyn taught them. ”

“ As by example, yf a mā shulde saye. The Kynges graces bodye muste neades be in one place, but hys power 52is through out hys Realme. Where no man doubteth, but that in sayenge one place, he meaneth one place onelye: And therfore though in some place that worde, muste, doth not sygnyfye suche a necessyte as excludeth all possybylyte, yet in this place yt doth so sygnyfye, as the contrarye antithesis doth evydently expresse.
And where ye saye, that he speaketh no thynge of the sacrament, I wolde ye shulde stycke styll to that sayenge. For this is playne, that he speaketh of hys naturall bodye. ”

“ For yf we thynke to haue our synnes forgeven, for eatynge of the sacrament, or for seynge the sacrament ones a day, or for prayenge vnto yt: then surely we sucke the ale pole. And by thys you may perceyue what profytte commeth of these sacramentes the which eyther haue no sygnyfycacyons put vnto them, or els when their sygnyfycacyons are loste and forgotten. For then no doubt they are not commended of God, but are rather abhomynable. For whan we knowe not what they meane, then seake we health in the outwarde dede, and so are iniuryous vnto Christe and hys bloode. ”

“ Iudge Christen reader whether these wordes be not spokē of a faythfull clere innocent harte. And as for hys behauyoure is suche, that I am sure no man can reproue hym of any synne, howbeit no man is innocent before God which beholdeth the harte.
|Zwynglius.| Fynallye Zwinglius was a man of suche learnynge and grauyte (besyde eloquence) that I thynke no man in Christendome myght haue compared with hym, notwithstondynge he was slayne in battayle in defendynge hys cytye, and cōmōwelth, agaynste the assaulte of wycked enemyes, whiche cause was moste ryghtuouse. ”

“ But yf a man wote not what yt meaneth, ād seketh healthe in the sacrament and outwarde sygne, thē may he well be lykened vnto a fonde felowe, which when he ys very drye, & an honest man shewe hym an ale pole, and tell hym that there is good ale ynough, wold go ād sucke the ale pole, trustynge to get drynke out of yt, and so to quench hys thurste. Now a wyse man wyll tell hym that he playeth the foole. ”

“ Article.| Fyrste whyther I thought there were any Purgatorye to pourge the soule after thys present lyfe. And I sayde, that I thought there was none. For man is made but of two partes, the bodye and the soule. And the bodye is pourged by the 104crosse of Christe, whiche he layeth vpon euery chylde that he receyueth: as afflyctyon, worldlye opressyon, persecucyon, emprysonment & cet. and deathe fynysheth synne. And the soule is pourged by the worde of God, which we receyue through fayth, vnto the healthe and saluacyon bothe of bodye and soule. ”

“ He eateth thys breade vnworthelye, which regardeth not the purpose for the which Christe ded instytute it: which commeth not to it with spyrytuall honger, to eate through fayth hys verye bodye, which the breade representeth by the breakynge and dystrybutynge of yt: whiche commeth not with a merye harte geuynge God hartye thankes for their delyueraunce from synne: whiche do not moche more eate in their harte the death of hys bodye, thē they do the breade with their mouth. ”

“ But vnderstode yt spirytually, that as the outwarde man ded eate the materyall manna which comforted the bodye, so ded the inwarde man through fayth, eate the bodye of Christ, belevynge that as that manna came downe from heavē and conforted their bodyes, so shulde their savyoure Christe which was promysed thē of God the Father, come downe from heauē and strēgthē their soules in euerlastynge lyfe, redeamynge them from their synne by his death and resurrectyon. ”

“ Doubt not but that Christe our Lorde the onlye begottē sonne of God equall to the Father, and the same beynge the sonne of mā wherin the father is greater, is whole present in all places as to towchynge hys Godhed, and dwelleth in the same temple of God as God, ād in some place of heauen, for the condycyon of hys very bodye. ”

“ I thynke many men wonder how I can 107dye in thys artycle, seynge that it is no necessary artycle of our faythe, for I graunte that neyther parte is an artycle necessary to be beleued vnder payne of dampnacyon, but leaue it as a thynge indyfferent, to thynke therin as God shall instyll in euery mans mynde, and that neyther parte condempne other for thys matter, but receyue eche other in brotherly loue, reseruynge eche others infyrmyte to God. ”

“ As manye as do eate of thys sacrament do magnyfye their God, testyfyinge that he onelye is the God almyghtye, and they hys people styckynge by hym to be delyuered by hys power frō all daunger.
|11.| When the Israelytes were delyuered from Egypte, they eate neuerthelesse the Paschal Lambe whiche was styll called the passynge bye (because it was the remēbraunce of the passynge bye of the Lorde) and hartelye reioysed, offerynge hym sacryfyce and knowelegynge with infynite thankes, that they were the felowshyppe of them that had suche a mercyfull God. ”

“ By thys worke you shall espye their blasphemyes ād venemous tonges wherwith they slaunder not one ly thē that publyshe the truthe, but euen the truth yt selfe. They shame not to saye, that we affyrme yt to be onelye breade, and nothynge els. And we saye not so: but we saye 100that besyde the substaunce of breade, it is the Sacrament of Christes bodye ād bloode. As the yvye hangynge before the taverne doore is more then bare yvye. For besyde the substaunce of yvye, it is a sygne, and sygnyfyeth that there is wyne to be solde. ”

“ And surely yf a man be faythfull, the spirite of God worketh in his harte very swetelye at his communyon.
Fynallye, it was not laufull to eate or drynke the bloode not onelye of man, but also of a brute beaste, and the Apostles them selues moued by the rule of charyte, ded instytute that men shulde abstayne from bloode, somewhat fauourynge the infyrmyte of the Iewes. ”

“ I receyued a letter from hym, whiche was wrytten sens Chrystmas, wherin amonge other matters he 20wryteth thus. I calle GOD to recorde agaynst the daye we shall appere before our Lorde Iesus to geue a rekonynge of our doynges, that I neuer altered one syllable of Godes worde agaynste my conscyēce, nor wolde do this daye, yf all that is in earth, whether it be honoure, pleasure, or ryches, myght be geuen me. Morover I take GOD to recorde to my conscience, that I desyre of GOD to my selfe in this wurlde no more then that without whiche I can not keape hys lawes, & ce. ”

“ As we are now constrayned to do in thys sacrament, because you mysconstrue the sayenges of the scrypture ād Doctours. Which notwythstondynge (yf a man vnderstōde them) saye verye well.
And manye soche maner of speaches are contayned in the scrypture: As where Christ sayeth in, Iohā in the .iii. chap. There shall no man ascende in to heauen, but he that dyscendeth from heauen, the sone of man whiche is in heauen. ”

“ They came to one place and brought their meate before the Idoll and offered it. And with their offerynge gaue vnto the devyll Godlye honoure. And then they sate downe and eate the offerynge together, geuynge prayse and thākes vnto their God, and were one bodye and one felowshyppe of the devell, which they testyfy by eatynge of that offerynge before that Idoll. Now dothe S. Paule reprehende the Corinthyans for bearynge the gentyles companye in eatynge before the Idoll. For they knowe that the meate was lyke other meate. And therfore thought them selues fre to eate it or leue it. ”

“ And for thys symylytude for the most parte they take the names of the very thynges, and therfore after a certayne maner the sacramente of Christes bodye ys Christes bodye, & the sacramēte of Christes bloode, is christes bloode, so the sacramēt of faythe, is fayth. For yt ys nō other thyng to beleue, thē to haue fayth, & therfore whē a mā āswereth that the infante beleueth which hath not the affecte of fayth, he answereth that yt hath faythe for the sacramēt of fayth: And that yt turneth yt selfe to GOD, for the sacrament of conuersyon. ”

“ For where I saye that I muste of necessyte seake an allegorye, because the lytterall sence is impossyble and can not be true, meanynge that it can not stonde with the processe of holy scrypture, but that other textes do of necessyte constrayne me to cōstrue yt spyrytuallye. There catcheth he thys worde, can, and thys worde impossyble, and wolde make men beleue that I mente, yt coulde not be true because reason can not reache yt, but thynketh 51it impossyble. ”

“ 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. ”

“ That is to say, as many as in that manna vnderstoode Christ, ded eate that same spirytuall meate that we do, but as many as sought onely to fyll their bellyes of that māna (the fathers of the unfaythful) dyd eate and are dead. And lykewyse the same drynke, for the stone was Christ. Here maye you gather of S. Austyn, that the manna was vnto them, as the breade ys to vs, and lykewyse that the water was to them, as the wyne ys to vs, whiche anone shall apeare more playnly. ”

“ 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. ”