An wholesome antidotus or counter-poison, against the pestilent heresy and sect of the Anabaptists…An holsome antidotus or counter-poysen, agaynst the pestylent heresye and secte of the Anabaptistes…

Sy. I would fain know, in what signification, the scripture useth this word to sleep, which is so often times found, in every place of the Bible.

Sy. I woulde fayne know, in what significaciō, the scripture vseth this worde to slepe, which is so often tymes founde, in euery place of the Bible.

Joia. Among the ancient fathers, this word, to sleep, was to dye naturally, or after the common course of nature. And because ⟨image 109⟩of the resurrection, it was said, that they which did dye, sleep. For as a man giveth him self to sleep, doubting nothing, but that he shall wake again from his sleep: so the body sleepeth that is to say dyeth, & doeth ly• in the grave, being kept there •yl the day of the general resurrection. So the Fathers dy• sleep: so Stephen, & all othe• godly persons. Seeing therefore that to sleep, is to dye, and th• souls can not dye, it followeth that they can not sleep. Fo• Stephen did say: Lord, receive thou my spirit, which thing: when he had said, & ha• committed or commended his soul to the heavenly father, his bod• sleeping, did dye. In thy thing, they are deceived, tha• they do attribute unto the sou• ⟨image 109⟩that which belongeth to the body only. But in the mean season it is attributed to the whole man because of the unity of the body and of the soul, being knitted in one person. Which example was brought afore, of Christ, in whom the body died only, & not his godhead, nor his soul. Likewise a man sleepeth, but with his body, & not with his soul. The Anabaptists do not, nor will not understand this figure Synecdoche, nor the other figures, & tropes. Which thing causeth them to err in many things. But ignorance maketh them the bolder, to teach, what so ever they do dream or conceive in their sleep.