A19563:2058
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.
Winchester.
First to begin with the council of Nice, the same hath opened the mystery of the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ in this wise, that christen men believe the Lamb §2that taketh away the sins of the world to be situate upon Gods word, and to be sacrificed of the priests, not after the manner of other sacrifices. This is the doctrine of the §1council of Nice, and must then be called an holy doctrine, and thereby a true doctrine, consonant to the scriptures, the foundation of all trueth. If the author will deny this to have been the teaching of the council of Nice, I shall allege therefore the allegation of the same by Decolampadius, who being an adversary to the truth, was yet by Gods providence ordered to bear testimony to the truth in this point, and by his mean is published to the world in greek as followeth, which nevertheless may otherwise appear to be true. [Greek or Hebrew] Iterum etiam hic in divina mensa, ne humiliter intenti simus ad propositum pannem & poculum, sed mente exaltata fide intilligamus, situm esse in sacra illa mensa, illum Dei agnum, qui tollit peccata mundi, sacrificatum à sacerdotibus, non victimarum more & mos preciosum illius corpus, & sanguinem verè sumentes, credere haec esse resurrectionis nostrae Symbola. Ideo enim non multum accipimus, sed parum, ut cognoscamus quoniam non in satietatem, sed sanctificationem. These words may be englished thus: Again in this godly table, we should not in base and low consideration direct our understanding to the bread and cup set forth, but having our mind exalted, we should understand by faith to be situate in that table the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world sacrificed of the priests not after the manner of other Sacrifices, and we receiving truly the precious body and blood of the same Lamb, to believe these to be §2the tokens of our resurrection: And for that we receive not much but a little, because we should know that not for saturity and filling, but for sanctification.