A19563:1204
An answerAn aunsvvere
An answer by the Reverend Father in God Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and metropolitan, unto a crafty and sophistical cavillation, devised by Stephen Gardiner Doctor of Law, late Bishop of Winchester against the true and godly doctrine of the most holy sacrament, of the body and blood of our saviour Jesus Christ Wherein is also, as occasion serveth, answered such places of the book of Doct. Richard Smith, as may seem any thing worthy the answering. Here is also the true copy of the book written, and in open court delivered, by D. Stephen Gardiner ...An aunsvvere by the Reuerend Father in God Thomas Archbyshop of Canterbury, primate of all England and metropolitane, vnto a craftie and sophisticall cauillation, deuised by Stephen Gardiner Doctour of Law, late Byshop of Winchester agaynst the true and godly doctrine of the most holy sacrament, of the body and bloud of our sauiour Iesu Christ Wherein is also, as occasion serueth, aunswered such places of the booke of Doct. Richard Smith, as may seeme any thyng worthy the aunsweryng. Here is also the true copy of the booke written, and in open court deliuered, by D. Stephen Gardiner ...
London: printed by John Daye, 1580London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1580
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Turn I pray thee gentle reader to the 36 leaf of my book, and note these words there, which I allege out of Chrysostom. Do not think (saith he) that you receive by a man the body of God. Then turn over the leaf, and in the xx, line note again my saying that in the holy communion, Christ himself is spiritually eaten and drunken, and nourisheth the right believers. Then compare those sayings with this place of this ignorant lawyer, and thou shalt evidently perceive, that either ⟨p. 193⟩he will not, or can not, or at the least he doth not understand what is meant in the book of common prayer, and in my book also, by the receiving and feeding upon Christ spiritually.
Turn I pray thee gētle reader to the 36 leaf of my booke, and note these wordes there, which I alledge out of Chrisostome. Doe not thinke (sayth he) that you receaue by a man the body of God. Then turne ouer the leafe, and in the xx, line note again my saying that in the holy communion, Christ himselfe is spiritually eaten and drunken, and nourisheth the right beleuers. Then compare those sayings with this place of this ignoraunt lawier, and thou shalt euidently perceiue, that either ⟨p. 193⟩he wil not, or can not, or at the least he doth not vnderstand what is ment in the booke of common prayer, and in my booke also, by the receauing and feding vpon Christ spiritually.
But it is no marvel, that Nicodemus and the Capernaites understand not Christ, before they be borne a new, and forsaking their papistical leaven, have learned an other lesson of the spirit of God, then flesh & blood can teach them. Much talk the Papists make about this belief, that we must believe and have a steadfast faith, that Christs body is corporally there, where the visible forms of bread & wine be: of which belief is no mention made in the whole scripture, which teacheth us to believe & profess, that Christ (as concerning his bodily presence) hath forsaken the world, & is ascended into heaven, & shall not come again until the restitution of all things that be spoken of by Prophets. But whereas in the feeding upon Christs body and drinking of his blood, there is no mouth and teeth can serve, but only the inward and spiritual mouth of faith, there the Papists keep silence like monks, and speak very little. And the cause why, is flesh and blood which so blindeth all the Nichodemes & Capernaites, that they can not understand what is spiritual nativity, spiritual circumcision, spiritual hunger and thirst, and spiritual eating and drinking of the flesh and blood of our Saviour Christ: but they hang all together so in the letter, that they cannot enter into the kingdom of the spirit, which knowledge, if that you had, you should soon perceive upon what principle my Ergo were made. And where you pervert the order of the books,