A19563:1772
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.
And the two natures in the Sacrament (which Gelasius taketh for the image and similitude of the two natures in Christ) be bread and wine, which as they remain, and that truly in their natures and substances, so do the two natures in Christ. And yet be the bread and wine Sacraments of the terrestrial nature of Christ, that is to say, of his body and blood, but not of his celestial and divine nature, as you imagine. And they be called Sacraments, because they be figures, which if they were no figures, they were no Sacraments. But it is not required, that the thing represented by the figure, should be really and corporally present in the figure when the figures ordained to represent a thing corporally absent, & the figure were in vain, as Lactansius saith,1 if the thing were present.
And the two natures in the Sacrament (which Gelasius taketh for the image and similitude of the two natures in Christ) be bread and wine, which as they remayne, and that truely in their natures and substances, so do the two natures in Christ. And yet be the bread and wine Sacraments of the terrestriall nature of Christ, that is to say, of his body and bloud, but not of his celestiall and diuine nature, as you imagine. And they be called Sacraments, bicause they be figures, which if they were no figures, they were no Sacraments. But it is not required, that the thing represented by the figure, should be really and corporally present in the figure when ye figures ordeyned to represent a thing corporally absēt, & ye figure were in vayne, as Lactansius sayth,1 if the thing were present.
- 1Lactantius institut. lib. 2. c. 1.
And at the least wise in this place Gelasius useth the natures and substances of bread and wine (which be Sacraments of Christs flesh and blood) to be images and similitudes in this point, not of his flesh and blood, but of his divine and humane nature, that as the bread and wine in the Sacrament remain still in their proper kinds, without violation, annihilation, confusion, commixtion or Transubstantiation, so is it in the two natures of Christs manhood and his godhead. So that Gelasius useth this similitude for the incarnation of Christ, not for the consecration