A19563:1507
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.
My words be these
My wordes be these
¶The second book Thus have you heard declared four things,1 wherein chiefly the Papistical doctrine varieth from the true word of God, and from the old catholic Christian faith in this matter of the Lords supper. Now (least any man should think that I feign any thing of mine own head without any other ground or authority) you shall hear by Gods grace as well the errors of the Papists confuted, as the catholic truth defended, both by gods most certain word, and also by the most old approved authors and Martyrs of Christs Church. And first, that bread and wine remain after the words of consecration,2 and be eaten and drunken in the Lords supper, is most manifest by the plain words of Christ himself, when he ministered the same supper unto his disciples. For as the Evangelists write, Christ took bread, and brake it, and gave it to his disciples, and said: Take, eat, this is my body.3 Here the Papists triumph of these words, when Christ said: This is my body, which they call the words of Consecration. For (say they) as soon as these words be fully ended, there is no bread left, nor none other substance, but only Christs body. When Christ said (this) the bread (say they) remained. ⟨p. 254⟩And when he said (is) yet the bread remained. Also when he added (my) the bread remained still. And when he said (bo) yet the bread was there still. But when he had finished the whole sentence: This is my body, then (say they) the bread was gone, and there remained no substance but Christs body, as though the bread could not remain, when it is made a Sacrament. But this negative, that there is no bread, they make of their own brains, by their unwritten verities, which they most highly esteem. Oh good Lord, how would they have bragged if Christ had said: This is no bread? but Christ spake not that negative, This is no bread, but said affirmingly, This is my body not denying the bread, but affirming that his body was eaten, (meaning spiritually) as the bread was eaten corporally.