A19563:374
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 as for your catholic confession, that Christ doth in deed feed such as be §2regenerated in him, not only by his body and blood, but also with his body and blood at his holy table, this I confess also: but that he feedeth Jews, Turks, and Infidels, if they receive the sacrament, or that he corporally feedeth our mouths with his flesh and blood, this neither I confess, nor any scripture or ancient writer ever taught, but they teach that he is eaten spiritually in our hearts and by faith, not with mouth and teeth; except our hearts be in our mouths, and our faith in our teeth.
And as for your catholick confessiō, that Christ doth in deed fede such as be §2regenerated in him, not only by his body and bloud, but also with his body and bloud at his holy table, this I confesse also: but that he feedeth Iewes, Turkes, and Infidels, if they receaue the sacrament, or that he corporally feedeth our mouthes with his flesh and bloud, this neither I confesse, nor any scripture or auncyeut writer euer taught, but they teach that he is eaten spiritually in our hartes and by fayth, not with mouth and teeth; except our hartes be in our mouthes, and our fayth in our teeth.
Thus you have laboured sore in this matter, and spun a fair third, and brought this your first book to a goodly conclusion.1 For you conclude your book with blasphemous words against both the sacrament of baptism and the Lords supper, niggardly pinching gods gifts, and diminishing ⟨p. 42⟩his liberal promises made unto us in them. For where Christ hat• promised in both the sacraments to be assistant with us whole both in body and spirit (in the one to be our spiritual regeneration and apparel, and in the other to be our spiritual meat and drink) you clip his liberal benefits in such sort, that in the one you make him to give but only his spirit, and in the other but only his body. And yet you call your book an Explication and assertion of the true catholic faith.