are borne agayne, and as by the authoritie of the kaies and penance, we are lifted vp agayne, when we are fallen in to synne after baptisme, so by the commuinion of the holy supper of the Lorde, we are preserued and strengthened, that we maye be able stedfastly to stand and fyght, against the violent inuasions of sin and the power of the Deuel. Wherefore good children, forasmuche as ye be alredye planted in Christ by baptisme, learne also I praye you, howe ye maye contynually abyde and growe in Christ the whiche thing is taught you, in the vse of the Lordes supper. Ye shall therefore dilygentlye learne the wordes, by the whiche oure Lorde Jesus Christ did institute and ordeyne his supper, that ye maye repet them word for worde, and so prynt them in your memoryes, that you may beare them away with you home to youre fathers houses, and there oftentymes reherse them. And these be the wordes of oure sauioure Christe. Mat.xxvi.c. Our Lorde Jesus Christ the same nyghte that he was Luc. xxii.b. betrayed, toke bread, and gyuyng thankes, brake it, and John. vi. gaue it to hys disciples, and saide. Take, eate, this is my 1 Cor. xi. c. bodye, whiche is gyuen for you. Do this in remembraunce of me. Lykewyse he toke the cuppe also, after he had supped, and giuyng thankes, gaue it to them, and sayd. Drynke of this al ye. This is my bloude of the new testamente, whiche is shed for you and for many, for the forgyuenes of synnes. Do this as often as ye drynke, in remembraunce of me.

Mar. xiv. c.

and xiii.

Nowe ye shall dilygentlye laboure, not onely to say without boke these wordes of our sauiour Christe, but also to vnderstande, what oure Lorde Jesus Christe mente by the same, that ye maye make answer, when ye be asked any question herein, and that also in tyme to come, ye may be able to teache your children, as ye youre selfes are now instructed. For what greater dishonestye can ther be, eyther in the sighte of God or man, then to professe youre selues to be Christian people,

and to receaue the sacramentes and yet not to know, what Christes sacramentes be, and wherfore they wer ordeyned? For saint Paul sayth, that he whiche eateth and drynketh the supper of the Lorde vnworthely, doth eate and drynke his awne damnation.

Nowe therfore good children, that ye may truely vnderstande the wordes of the Lordes holy supper, and that ye receyue not this sacramente to youre owne damnation, learne here dylygentlye, that the true vnderstandyng and vse of the Lordes supper, standeth in two thynges. The fyrste is, to do that whiche our Lord himself hath commaunded.

The seconde is, to beleue that which he hath promysed. Of these two I wil speake in order, wherto I pray you gyue good eare.

First our sauiour Christ taketh breade in his hand, he giueth thankes, he breaketh it and gyueth it to his dysciples, and sayeth. Take, eate. Lykewyse he taketh the cup, and sayeth. Take, drynke. Wherfore we ought to obey those wordes and to do that, which our Lord commaundeth vs. For although Christ prescribeth no certen tyme, when we ought to come together to his supper, althoughe also he appoynte no certen noumber of dayes, howe often in the yeare we ought to receaue this supper, yet this is his holy and godly wyl, that at some tyme we shoulde receaue this sacrament. And this to do, is for oure great commoditie and profite, for elles our Lorde wolde not haue commaunded vs so to do, who knoweth better then we, what helpe and comforte we haue nede of. Wherfore if we wil be Christes trew disciples, then we must do as he himselfe commaundeth his discyples to do. Let vs therefore go to this godly supper, let vs eate and drinke therof, and let vs not absteine from the same, without a great cause. Secondarily Christ saieth of the breade, this is my bodye, and of the cuppe he sayeth, this is my bloud. Wherefore we ought to beleue, that

in the sacrament we receyue trewly the bodye and bloud of Christ. For God is almyghtye (as ye hearde in the Crede). He is able therefore, to do all thynges what he wil. And as saint Paul writeth he calleth those thinges whiche be not, as yf they were. Wherefore when Christe taketh breade, and saieth. Take, eate, this is my body we ought not to doute, but we eat his veray bodye. And when he taketh the cuppe, and sayeth. Take, drynke, this is my blod, we ought to thynke assuredly, that we drynke his veray blode. And this we must beleue, yf we wil be counted Christen men. And wher as in this perellous tyme, certayne deceitful persons be founde in manye places, who of very frowardnes, wil not graunt, that there is the body and bloude of Christe, but denye the same, for none other cause, but that they cannot compasse by mans blynde reason, howe this thinge shoulde be broughte to passe, ye good children, shall with all dilygence beware of suche persons, that ye suffer not your selues, to be deceaued by them. For suche men surely are not trew Christyans, nether as yet haue thei lerned the first article of the Crede, whych teacheth, that God is almightye, whiche ye good children haue alredy perfectely lerned. Wherfore eschewe such erroneous opinions, and beleue the wordes of our Lord Jesus, that you eate and drynke his veray body and blode although mans reason can not comprehend how and after what maner the same is ther present. For the wysedome of reason, must be subdued to the obedience of Christ, as the apostle Paule teacheth.

Thirdly he sayeth, that his body was gyuen to death for vs, and that his blod was shed for vs. Wherfore we muste beleue and confesse this thing, that all we are conceaued and borne in syn, as we haue learned in the Ten Commaundementes, and chiefely in the two last. We are therefore by nature the children of Gods wrath, and shoulde be damned for euer yf Christ had not redemed

vs by his holy passion. For he was made man for vs, and dyd all thinges for vs, whiche we were bound to do, and coulde not do, that is to saye, he fulfylled the lawe for vs, and toke vpon hym all that crosse whiche we moste rightuously had deserued, for our iniquities and offenses, and he shed his bloude for vs, that oure synnes might be forgyuen vs. All these thinges we oughte sted-" fastly to beleue. Wherfore they be in a great errore, whiche wyll make satisfaction for their synnes, with fastyng, prayer, almes dedes, and suche lyke good workes. For although we are bounde to do these good workes, yet they be not a sufficient price, raunsome or satisfaction for oure synnes, but onely the death and bloude of our Sauyoure Christ, was a sufficient and worthy sacrifice, to take away our synnes, and to obteyne for vs forgyuenes of oure offenses, as it is written in the seconde chapter of saincte John his Firste Epystle. Christ is that sacryfice that pacyfyeth Gods dyspleasure, and obteyneth pardon for oure synnes, and not for our synnes onely, but also for the synnes of all the worlde.

Fourthly Christ sayeth, do this in the remembraunce of me.

Here also it is oure dutye to obey the worde of Christ, and to do the thing, which he hath commaunded vs to do. Wherefore (good children) doubt not, but ther is the bodye and bloud of our Lorde, which we receaue in the Lordes supper. For he hath sayed so, and by the power of his worde hath caused it so to be. Wherefore seyng Christ saieth, do this as often as ye do it, in remembraunce of me, it is euident herby, that Christe causeth, euen at thys tyme, his bodye and bloude to be in the sacrament, after that maner and fashion, as it was at that tyme, when he made his maundye with his disciples. For elles we coulde not do that thyng, whiche his disciples dyd. But Christ hath commaunded vs, to do the selfe same thing that his disciples dyd, and to do it in the remembraunce of him, that is to saye, to receaue

P

his bodye and bloude, euen so as he himselfe did gyue it to his dysciples. And let not the foulyshe talke of vnbeleuers moue you, who are wont to aske this question. Howe can the pryest or minister make the bodie and bloude of Christ? To the whiche I answer, that the minister doth not this of himself. But Christ himselfe doth gyue vnto vs his fleshe and blode, as his wordes dothe euydently declare. Nether let their argumentes or reasons perswade you, whiche say, that the sacrament ought not to be receaued vnder both kyndes, but vndre one kynde only. For Christ gaue to his disciples both kindes and hath bydde vs, that we also shoulde do the same. And when he gaue the cuppe to his dysciples, he added therto this commaundement, in these expresse and plaine wordes, saying. Drinke ye al of this. Now we ought to obey God, more then men. We ought therefore to receaue the sacrament vnder both kyndes, as Christe commaunded vs. And regarde not the gageling of theim that speake againste the vse of the sacramentes vnder both kyndes, sayinge. It maketh no great matier, whether ye receaue it vndre both kyndes, or one alone, and that it perteineth not to saluation, to receiue it vnder both kindes. But what shal I dispute long in this matier. Take this for a conclusion, that it is only laudable and good, to do that thinge, whiche Christ hathe commaunded, and not to swarue from the same.

So we ought to receaue this blessed sacrament, in the I Cor. xi. c. remembraunce of Christ, as saint Paule saieth, that is to saye, we ought to preache his death, vntil he come againe. For he wil suerely come againe, and iudge bothe the quicke and the deade, as ye haue lerned in your Crede. In the meane season, we ought to remembre and preach his death, that he hath redemed vs, with his death and shedyng of his most precious bloude, and purchased for vs forgyuenes of oure synnes. And this we ought euer to haue in oure remembraunce, that in no wyse we forget