The Answer of the Bishop. By this reason you may evidently perceive the vanity, and also the malice of this man. So that you may judge by what spirit he is led, to make such an argument against so high and precious a mystery as this is. What Christian man is so ignorant that knoweth not this to be evidently true, that this most holy sacrament hath not his virtue of the priest, which is a mortal man, and many times a sinner. For he is but a minister, and a very instrument, by whom God worketh. St. Chrysostom saith," that the minister is as it were the pen, God is the hand. The grace, the virtue is of God." In the 27th hom. in the second tome. So doth teach the apostle to the Corinthians, in the third chapter of the first Epistle. "What is [an] Apostle?" saith he, "What is Paul? ministers of him in whom ye believe; and as he hath given to every one. I have planted," says St. Paul, "Apollo hath watered but God hath given the increase. Wherefore neither he that planteth nor he that watereth is ought, but he that giveth the increase. For men must esteem us as ministers of Christ," saith he in the next chapter. By these words he proveth that the minister gives no effect or virtue, but only God. 44 St. Augustin ad Cresconium grammaticum saith also expressly, that "if there be among good ministers one better than another, the sacrament is no better given by the better; and it is no worse given by an evil man*.” There is for this purpose a goodly saying of Eusebius Emissenus, which was much persecuted by the Arians. These are his words: "Invisibilis sacerdos visibiles creaturas in substantiam corporis et sanguinis sui, verbo suo [See Chrysost. Homil. de prodit. Judæ. tom. ii. p. 453. ed. Paris. 1835.] k [See August. cont. Crescon. lib. iv. c. 20. tom. vii. p. 203. ed. Paris. 1635.] secreta potestate convertit'." No Christian man doubteth who is this invisible Priest; which is our Saviour, the High Priest, the perpetual Priest, as the apostle saith ad Heb. vii. Which to our carnal eyes is invisible, and otherwise may not be seen, but by the eyes of our soul, and faith only. "This invisible Priest," saith Eusebius, "converteth and turneth the visible creatures of bread and wine not only into his body and blood, but into the substance of his body and blood." It is not then the priest that worketh this work, nor bringeth Christ out of heaven, as this man mockingly and scornfully writeth in this article, but it is Christ himself. For, as St. Austin saith, "Idem est Mediator qui offert, et qui offerturm." And what spirit this man hath towards this most holy sacrament, you may well conjecture, and evidently perceive his malignity, which not only gathereth a certain number of vain arguments together, to the number of eight; that it might appear to the simple ignorant people as though it were a great foundation which he hath for his detestable purpose: and yet, (as I say), they are all vain, and grounded only upon gross natural reason, which can in no wise attain to this high mystery: but also in so grave, weighty, and most reverend cause, as this is, he dallieth, [trifleth,] mocketh, and scorneth in this fond reason, without any reason; saying, "that the priest must bring the body of Christ out of heaven." But it is little to be weighed in this man, though that he scorneth the ministration of the priest, saith that he so depraveth his very Lord and Master. 1 [See Corpus Juris Canonici. m[August. de Trinitat. Lib. iv. cap. 14. Tom. iii. p. 115. ed. Paris. 1635.] And in case that he should say, that he doth not scorn the ministration of the priest, then must he needs be very ignorant, to suppose in any wise that the priest worketh any thing in this, or any other sacrament, more than as I have before said. In this argument also he allegeth one part of Scripture in the tenth chapter of the Romans, to blind also the simple people that they should think all that he speaketh is the very Scripture. And surely this place of Scripture maketh evidently against him, and such as he is. For it is written against infidels, such as will not believe the word of God written, but would yet have knowledge from heaven. And so the apostle there maketh example of him that will not believe that Christ is ascended, but notwithstanding the testimony of Scripture, he demandeth, "Quis ascendet in cœlum? Hoc est, Christum de cœlo deducere," saith the apostle. Wherefore the apostle monisheth every Christian man in this manner, “Ne dixeris in corde tuo, Quis ascendet," &c. That is to say, Think not in thy mind, have no such doubt to ask, Who ascended, or how but believe the Scripture. For as Moses, in the thirtieth chapter of Deuteronomy, saith, "Thou shalt not need to seek into heaven for the knowledge of these things: it is not set nor left in heaven; it is not above thee; it is not far from thee; but the word of God is nigh thee, even in thy mouth," as it were, and ready at hand: believe that, and do according to that. 45 For so it was answered to the rich man in the sixteenth chapter of Luke, "Thy brethren have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them." And, "If they will not hear nor believe them, they will not believe any one that shall come from hence." Wherefore Chrysostom, in the former tenth chapter of Paul, teacheth even Christian men in these things of the faith, in no wise to ask or search how it may be; but leaving this infirmity and weakness of our thoughts or reasons, let us receive with a certain undoubted faith the promises of God by his words. St. Cyprian also, in a work, "De cœna Domini,” hath these words, "The fleshly man is not to be admitted to this feast of the table of God. Whatsoever the flesh and the blood," that is to say, the natural reason of the mortal man, "esteemeth or judgeth, needs must be excluded from this mystery. For it savoureth nothing to this matter or in any wise helpeth, whatsoever the subtilty of man's wit attempteth to search. Such are wise men of this world, that whatsoever is above their wit, they think it otherwise than the truth. But the truth," saith he, "cannot be comprised by man's wit, which is erroneous and many times deceived. Wherefore they that are faithful and poor in spirit, and not arrogant of their own wits, by their faith, do see perfectly this sacrament"." We have the express words of Christ, "Hoc est corpus 8 [Ορᾷς ὅτι τοῦτο μαλίστα πίσω τεως ἴδιον, καὶ τὴν κάτω πᾶσαν ἀκολουθίαν ἀφέντας τὸ ὑπὲρ φύσιν ἐπιζητεῖν, καὶ λογισμῶν ἀσθένειαν ἐκβάλλοντας, ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θέου δυνάμεως καὶ ἅπαντα παραδέχεσα Oa. Chrysost. in Epist. ad Rom. cap. x. Hom. xvii. tom. ix. p. 623. ed. Paris. 1718-38.] h["Inter Dominicæ mensæ convivas animalis homo non admittitur; quidquid caro et sanguis dictat, ab hoc cœtu excluditur: nihil sapit, nihil prodest quidquid humani sensus molitur subtilitas : omne quidquid a suis rationibus devium videtur, sapientes hujus sæculi ad dementiam referunt, et a veritate reputant alienum. Sed veritas ab erroneis hominibus comprehendi non potuit et cum in sole vellet figere oculos, vim luminis non ferens, cocata est non illuminata humana præsumptio, et aspectui ejus lippitudo inhæsit. Vident hæc sacramenta pauperes spiritu, et hoc uno contenti ferculo, omnes mundi hujus delicias aspernantur et possidentes Christum, aliquam hujus mundi possidere supellectilem dedignantur." Cyprian. de cœn. Dom. p. 466. ed. Paris. 1607.] : meum, This is my body." The words are plain not only in Matthew, but the same plain words are in Luke and Mark, without any figurative speaking. Wherefore we may not add, diminish, change, or alter these words that are so manifest and plain; but certainly believe these words to be true in the same sense that they are clearly spoken, howsoever they are impossible to man's wit. For as it is impossible for God to make a lie, as the apostle saith in the sixth ad Heb., so every thing is possible to him, howsoever it is thought impossible to men. We must, therefore, leave all our carnal reasons, and only receive, without any doubt, the teaching, the words, the promises of God, howsoever they seem impossible to our natural and frail reason. Or else we should not be lieve the power of God to be so high and absolute as it is: to whom is nothing impossible. [Archiv. Eccles. Tigurin. Original.] Dudithius, NUMBER XXV. THO. CRANMERI ARCHIEP. CANT. EPIST. SUPER CONTROVERSIA DE CENA DOMINI ORTAM. Illustri et erudito viro Joachimo Vadiano, consuli apud sanctum Gallum in Helvetia. TANDEM a negotiis consiliisque publicis missionem vel verius respirationem nactus, et inter cæteros doctos viros, quorum epistolis responsa jam diu debueram, tibi quoque, Oration. et Vadiane, vir illustris doctissimeque, nunc demum vertente Opuscul. [Colome- anno respondere incipiens, (utpote cujus literas superiore sius, Epist. hyeme acceperim, una cum munere literario; quod genus rorum, No. quidem soleo vel inter pretiosissima numerare), illud im36.] primis mecum reputare pudibundus occœpi vererique, ne forte suspicionem aut etiam opinionem mihi aliquam sinistram apud animum tuum, silentio meo tam diuturno, Claror. Vi |