A04459:52
An apology or answer in defence of the Church of England with a brief…An apologie or answere in defence of the Churche of Englande with a briefe…
An apology or answer in defence of the Church of England with a brief and plain declaration of the true religion professed and used in the same.An apologie or answere in defence of the Churche of Englande with a briefe and plaine declaration of the true religion professed and vsed in the same.
Londini: printed by Reginald Wolfe, 1564
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And in speaking thus, we mean not to abase the Lords supper, or to teach that that is but a could ceremony only, & nothing to be wrought therein: (as many ⟨image 31⟩falsely slander us we the ache) For we […] that Christ doth truly and presently give his own self in his Sacraments: In baptism, that we may put him on: and in his supper, that we may eat him by faith & spirit, and may have everlasting life by his cross and blood. And we say not this is done slightly and coldly, but effectually and truly. For although we do not touch the body of Christ with teethe and mouth, yet we hold him fast and eat him by faith, by understanding, and by the spirit. And this is no vain faith which doth comprehend Christ: and that is not received with cold devotion, which is received with understanding, with faith, & with […] For Christ him self altogether is so offered & given us in these mysteries, that we may certainly know we be flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bones: and that Christ continueth in us, and we in […]. And therefore in celebrating these mysteries, the people are to good purpose ⟨image 32⟩exhorted before they come to receive the holy communion,1 to lift up their hearts, & to direct their minds to heaven ward, because he is there, by whom we must be full fed and live.2 Cyril saith, when we come to receive these mysteries, all gross imaginations must quite be banished▪ The council of Nice, as is alleged by some in greek, plainly forbiddeth us to be basely affectioned, or bent toward the bread and wine which are set before us. And as Chrysostom very aptly writeth:3 We say that the body of Christ is the dead carcass, and we our selves must be the Eagles▪ meaning thereby, that we must fly high if we will come unto the body of Christ. For this table as Chrysostom saith, is a table of Eagles and not of Jeyes.4 Cyprian also, This bread saith he, is the food of the soul, and not the meat of the belly. And Augustine,