A19563:270
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 not of like sort, but of like evilness do you handle (in reprehending of my second untruth as you call it) an other place of S. Augustine in his book de doctrina Christiana, 1where he saith, that the eating and drinking of Christs flesh and blood is a figurative speech: which place you expound so far from S. Augustine's meaning,2 that who soever looketh upon his words, may by and by discern that you do not, or will not understand him. But it is most like (the words of him being so plain and easy) that purposely you will not understand him, nor nothing else that is against your will, rather then you will go from any part of your will and received opinion. For it is plain and clear that S. Augustine in that place speaketh not one word of the separation of the two natures in Christ, and although Christs flesh be never so surely and inseparably united unto his Godhead (without which union it could profit nothing) yet being so joined, it is a very mans flesh, the eating whereof (after the proper speech of eating) is horrible and abominable. Wherefore the eating of Christs flesh must needs be otherwise understanded, then after the proper and common eating of other meats with the mouth, which eating after such sort could avail nothing. And therefore S. Augustine in that place declareth the eating of Christs flesh to be only a figurative speech. And he openeth the figure so, as the eating must be meant with the mind, not with the mouth: that is to say, by chawing and digesting in our minds, to our great consolation and profit, that Christ dyed for us. Thus doth S. Augustine open the figure and meaning of Christ when he spake of the eating of his flesh, and drinking of his blood. And his flesh being thus eaten, it must also be joined unto his divinity, or else it could not give everlasting life, as Cyril and the council Ephesin truly ⟨p. 26⟩decreed. But S. Augustine declared the figurative speech of Christ to be in the eating, not in the union. And where as to shift of the plain words of Christ, spoken in the sixth of John,3 he that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him: you say that dwelling in Christ is not §4