A19563:518
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.
What forehead, I pray you, is so hardened, that can utter this among them, that know §1any thing of the learning of Christs Church? In which it is a most common distinction, that there is three manner of eatings of Christs body and blood:1 one spiritual only: which is here affirmed in the second part of (We say,) wherein the author and his say as the church saith. Another eating is both sacramentally and spiritually, which is when men worthily communicate in the supper. The third is sacramentally only, which is by men unworthy, who eat and drink in the holy supper to their condemnation only. And the learned men in Christs church say, that the ignorance and want of observation of these three manner of eatings, causeth the error in the understanding of the scriptures and such fathers §2sayings,2 as have written of the sacrament. And when the Church speaketh of these three manner of eatings, what an impudency is it, to say, that the church teacheth good men only to eat the body of Christ and drink his blood, when they receive the Sacrament, being the truth otherwise, & yet a diversity there is of eating spiritually only, & eating spiritually and sacramentally, because in that supper they receive his very flesh & blood in deed, with the effects of all graces & gifts to such as receive it spiritually & worthily: where as out of the supper, when we eat only spiritually by faith, God that worketh without his sacraments, as seemeth to him, doth relieve those that believe and trust in him, and suffereth them not to be destitute of that is necessary for them, whereof we may not presume contemning the sacrament, but ordinarily seek God, where he hath ordered himself to be sought, and there to assure our self of his covenants and promises, which be most certainly annexed to his sacraments,