translate into English in this author's name about two years BOOK past.

Philip Melancton, no papist nor priest, writeth a very wise Epistle in this matter to colampadius, and signifying soberly his belief of the presence of Christ's very body in the sacrament: and to prove the same to have been the faith of the old Church from the beginning, allegeth the sayings of Irene, Cyprian, Chrysostome, Hilary, Cyril, Ambrose, and Theophylacte; which authors he esteemeth both worthy credit, and to affirm the presence of Christ's body in the sacrament plainly without ambiguity. He answereth to certain places of St. Augustine, and saith all Ecolampadius' enterprise to depend upon conjectures and arguments applausible to idle wits, with much more wise matter, as that Epistle doth purport, which is set out in a book of a good volume among the other Epistles of Ecolampadius, so as no man may suspect any thing counterfeit in the matter.

One Hippinus, or Epinus, of Hamborough, greatly esteemed among the Lutherans, hath written a book to the King's Majesty that now is, published abroad in print, wherein much inveighing "tialiter, videmur contraria harum vocum affirmare, id est, percipi eum "ficte et accidentaliter: optarim has voces in totum repudiari, nec ad"mitti eas, sive negando sive affirmando.

"39. Si quando autem res ferat, ut propter tuendam Christi verita"tem apud filios Dei contra adversarios, voces istæ in disputationem in"gerantur, equidem definirem has voces: et si quis vellet per adesse "Dominum realiter et substantialiter,' intelligere eum percipi fide re"ipsa et substantiam ejus, darem. Sin aliquid hujus sæculi vellet his "vocibus admiscere, negarem. Reliquit enim Dominus mundum hunc. "40. Voces carnaliter' et naturaliter,' quoniam perceptionem sensuum innuunt, nunquam admiserim." Buceri Scripta Anglica, p.

66

542.

A translation of this tract is printed by Strype, Cranm. App. No. 46. under the title of, "The sententious sayings of Master Martin Bucer "upon the Lord's Supper."]

[The Epistle referred to was prefixed to a Collection of authorities on the Lord's Supper, formed by Melancthon in 1530, and was addressed, as is remarked afterwards by Cranmer, not to Ecolampadius, but to Frederic Myconius. It will be found at length in Hospinian, Hist. Sacrament. tom. ii. p. 114. Respecting the change in Melancthon's opinions on this subject see the same work, pp. 68, 115, &c.]

[Strype describes the book thus: "I add another book in quarto of a foreigner, dedicated this year [1548] to the King in a long Epistle "dated from Hamburgh. The author was Johannes Æpinus. The "subjects of his book were, De Purgatorio, Satisfactionibus, Remissione "Culparum et Pana, &c. This Epinus was chief minister of the Church "of Hamburgh, and was sent twelve years before as envoy from Ham"burgh into England to King Henry upon matters of religion." Strype, Memorials, vol. ii. p. 146.]

I.

I.

BOOK against the Church of Rome, doth in the matter of the sacrament write as followeth *. Eucharistia is called by itself a sacrifice, because it is a remembrance of the true sacrifice offered upon the cross, and that in it is dispensed the true body and true blood of Christ, which is plainly the same in essence, (that is to say, substance,) and the same blood in essence signifying, though the manner of presence be spiritual, yet the substance of that is present, is the same with that in heaven.

Erasmus

eth to the

world the

gerus on the

Christ hid

den under

Erasmus

Erasmus noted a man that durst, and did speak of all abuses commend in the Church liberally, taken for no papist, and among us so much esteemed, as his Paraphrases of the Gospel is ordered to be work of Al- had in every church of this realm, declareth in divers of his sacrament. works most manifestly his faith of the presence of Christ's body The body of in the sacrament; and by his epistles recommendeth to the world the work of Algerus in that matter of the sacrament, whom he the signs. noteth well exercised in the Scriptures and the old doctors, Cywould all to prian, Hilarie, Ambrose, Hierome, Augustine, Basil, Chrysostom; repent that and for Erasmus' own judgment, he saith we have an inviolable foundation of Christ's own words, This is my body, rehearsed again by St. Paul. He saith further: the body of Christ is hidden under those signs; and showeth also upon what occasions men have erred in reading the old Fathers, and wisheth that they which have followed Berengarius in error, would also follow him in repentance. I will not, reader, encumber thee with mo words of Erasmus.

follow Be

rengarius'

error.

[1580.]

Peter Martyr doth with lies

sacrament.

Peter Martyr of Oxford, taken for no papist, in a treatise he made of late of the sacrament, which is now translated into Enimpugn the glish, showeth how as touching the real presence of Christ's body, faith of the it is not only the sentence of the papists, but of other also, whom [1580.] the said Peter nevertheless doth with as many shifts and lies as he may, impugn for that point, as well as he doth the papists for transubstantiation; but yet he doth not, as this author doth, impute that faith of the real presence of Christ's body and blood to

k [This passage is quoted in such a manner by Gardyner, that it is difficult to distinguish what belongs to Epinus, from that which was written by himself. The original Latin therefore is subjoined. "Eu"charistia per se sacrificium appellata est, quod veri sacrificii in cruce "oblati commemoratio est, et quod in ea verum corpus et verus sanguis "Christi dispensatur, qui essentia plane idem est cum illo, quod tradi"tum est et qui fusus est in cruce." Joan. Epinus, Liber de Purgatorio, &c. fol. 58. b.]

pa

I.

This author

4 the only papists. Whereupon, reader, here I join with the author BOOK an issue, that the faith of the real and substantial presence of Christ's body and blood in the sacrament, is not the device of An issue. pists, or their faith only, as this author doth considerately slander would, with it to be, and desire therefore, that according to Salomon's judg- the envious ment this may serve for a note and mark, for to give sentence for papish, the true mother of the child. For what should this mean, so oppress without shame openly and untruly to call this faith papish, but only with the envious word of papist to overmatch the truth.

Canterbury.

word of

the truth.

[1580.]

This explication of the true catholic faith noteth to the reader certain evident and manifest untruths, uttered by me, as he saith, which I also pray the good reader to note, for this intent, that thou mayest take the rest of my sayings for true, which he noteth not for false, and doubtless they should not have escaped noting as well as the other, if they had been untrue, as he saith the other be. And if I can prove these things also true, which he noteth for manifest and evident untruths, then methinketh it is reason that all my sayings should be allowed for true, if those be proved true, which only be rejected as untrue. But this untruth is to be noted in him generally, that he either ignorantly mistaketh, or willingly misreporteth almost all that I say. But now note, good reader, the evident and manifest untruths which I utter, as he saith. The first is, that the Four manifaith of the real presence is the faith of the papists. An- fest unother is, that these words, my flesh is verily meat, I translate thus: my flesh is very meat. Another is, that I handle not sincerely the words of St. Augustine, speaking of the eating of Christ's body. The fourth is, that by these words, This is my body, Christ intendeth not to make the bread his body, but to signify that such as receive that worthily, be members of Christ's body. These be the heinous and manifest errors which I have uttered.

truths.

2 As touching the first, that the faith of the real and sub- The first untruth, stantial presence of Christ's body and blood in the sacra- that the ment, is the faith of the papists, this is no untruth, but a faith of the most certain truth. For you confess yourself, and defend sence is the

real pre

[1580.]

BOOK in this book, that it is your faith: and so do likewise all the 1. papists. And here I will make an issue with you, that the faith of the papists believe the real, corporal, and natural presence of papists. Mine issue. Christ's body and blood in the sacrament. Answer me directly without colour, whether it be so or not. If they believe not so, then they believe as I do, for I believe not so: and then let them openly confess that my belief is true. And if they believe so, then say I true, when I say that it is the papists' faith. And then is my saying no manifest untruth, but a mere truth, and so the verdict in the issue passeth upon my side by your own confession.

Luther,

Bucer, Jonas, Melancthon, Epinus.

And here the reader may note well, that once again you 3 be fain to flee for succour unto Martin Luther, Bucer, Jonas, Melancthon and Epinus, whose names before were wont to be so hateful unto you, that you could never with patience abide the hearing of them. And yet their sayings help you nothing at all. For although these men in this and many other things, have in times past, and yet peradventure some do (the veil of the old darkness not clearly in every point removed from their eyes) agree with the papists in part of this matter, yet they agree not in the whole; and therefore it is true nevertheless, that this faith which you teach is the papists' faith: for, if you would conclude that this is not the papists' faith, because that Luther, Bucer, and other believe in many things as the papists do; then by the same reason you may conclude, that the papists believe not that Christ was born, crucified, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven, which things, Luther, Bucer, and the other constantly both taught and believed.

And yet the faith of the real presence may be called rather the faith of the papists than of the other, not only because the papists do so believe, but specially, for that the papists were the first authors and inventors of that faith, and have been the chief spreaders abroad of it, and were the cause that other were blinded with the same error.

But here may the reader note one thing by the way, that it is a foul clout that you would refuse to wipe your nose withal, when you take such men to prove your matter,

I.

whom you have hitherto accounted most vile and filthy he- BOOK. retics. And yet now you be glad to flee to them for succour, whom ye take for God's enemies, and to whom you have ever had a singular hatred. You pretend that you stay yourself upon ancient writers: and why run you now to such men for aid, as be not only new, but also, as you think, be evil and corrupt in judgment? and to such as think you, by your writings and doings, as rank a papist as is any at Rome?

And yet not one of these new men, whom you allege, do throughly agree with your doctrine, either in transubstantiation, or in carnal eating and drinking of Christ's flesh and blood, or in the sacrifice of Christ in the mass, nor yet thoroughly in the real presence. For they affirm not such a gross presence of Christ's body, as expelleth the substance of bread, and is made by conversion thereof into the substance of Christ's body, and is eaten with the mouth. And yet if they did, the ancient authors that were next unto Christ's time, whom I have alleged, may not give place unto these new men in this matter, although they were men of excellent learning and judgment, howsoever it liketh you to accept them.

But I may conclude that your faith in the sacrament is popish, until such time as you can prove that your doctrine of transubstantiation, and of the real presence, was universally received and believed, before the Bishops of Rome defined and determined the same. And when you have proved that, then will I grant, that in your first note you have convinced me of an evident and manifest untruth; and that I untruly charge you with the envious name of a papistical faith.

But in your issue you term the words at your pleasure, and report me otherwise than I do say. For I do not say, 4 that the doctrine of the real presence is the papists' faith only, but that it was the papists' faith, for it was their device. And herein will I join with you an issue, that the pa- Mine issue. pistical Church is the mother of transubstantiation, and of [1580.] all the four principal errors which I impugn in my book.