A19563:2175
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.
1Now when this Papist going forward with his works, seeth his building so feeble & weak, that it is not able to stand, he returneth to his chief foundation, the Church and Councils general, willing all men to stay thereupon, & to leave disputing & reasoning. And chiefly he shoreth up his house with the Council Lateranence, whereat (saith he) were xiij. hundred Fathers & xv. But he telleth not that viij. hundred of them were ⟨p. 405⟩Monks, Friars, and Canons, the Bishop of Romes own dear dear-lings, & chief champions, called together in his name & not in Christs. From which brood of vipers & Serpents, what thing can be thought to come, but that did proceed from the spirit of their most holy father, that first begat them, that is to say, from the spirit of Antichrist.
1NOw when this Papist goyng forward with his woorkes, seeth his building so feeble & weake, that it is not able to stand, he returneth to his chief foūdation, the Church and Councels generall, willyng all men to stay thereupon, & to leaue disputyng & reasonyng. And chiefly he shoareth vp his house with the Councell Lateranence, whereat (sayth he) were xiij. hundred Fathers & xv. But he telleth not that viij. hundred of them were ⟨p. 405⟩Monkes, Friers, and Chanons, the Byshop of Romes owne deare deare-lynges, & chief champions, called together in his name & not in Christes. From which broode of vypers & Serpentes, what thyng can be thought to come, but that dyd proceede frō the spirite of their most holy father, that first begat them, that is to say, from the spirite of Antichrist.
- 1The Church.
And yet I know this to be true, that Christ is present with his holy Church (which is his holy elected people) and shall be with them to the worlds end, leading & governing them with his holy spirit, & teaching them all truth necessary for their salvation. And when so ever any such be gathered together in his name, there is he among them, & he shall not suffer the gates of hell to prevail against them. For although he may suffer them by their own frailness for a time to err, fall, and to dye, yet finally, neither satan, hell, sin, nor eternal death, shall prevail against them.