A19563:451
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.
This comparison is like the other before, whereof the first part is garnished, and §1embossed with untruth, and the second part is, that the Church hath ever taught most truly, and that all must believe: and therefore that piece hath no untruth in the matter, but in the manner only, bring spoken as though it differed from the continual open teaching of the Church, which is not so. Wherefore in the manner of it in utterance signifieth an untruth,1 which in the matter it self is nevertheless most true. For undoubtedly,§2 Christ remaineth in the man that worthily receiveth the Sacrament, so long as the man remaineth a member of Christ. In this first part there is a fault in the matter of the speech: for explication whereof, I will examine it particularly. This Author saith, they say that Christ is really in the Sacramental bread, being reserved an whole year. &c. The Church giving faith to Christs word, when he said: This is my body &c. teacheth §3the body of Christ to be present in the Sacrament under the form of bread, unto which words when do put the word (really,) it serveth only to express that truth in open words,2 which was before to be understanded in sense. For in Christ, who was the body of all the shadows and figures of the law, and who did exhibit and gave in his Sacraments §4of the new law, the things promised in his Sacraments of the old law. We must understand his words in the institution of his Sacraments, without figure in the substance of the celestial thing of them, and therefore when be ordered his most precious body and blood to be eaten and drunken of us, under the forms of bread and wine: we profess and believe, that truly he gave us his most precious body in the Sacrament, for a celestial food, to comfort and strengthen us in this miserable life.