A19563:613
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.
The true teaching is, that Christs very body is present under the form of bread, in §1as many hosts as be consecrate, in how many places so ever the hosts be consecrate, and is their really and substantially1, which words really and substantially be implied, when we say, truly present. The word corporally may have an ambiguity and doubleness in respect and relation, one is to the truth of the body present, and so it may be said, Christ is corporally present in Sacrament, if the word corporally be referred to the manner of the presence2, then we should say, Christs body were present after a corporal manner, which we say not, but in a spiritual manner, and therefore not locally nor by manner of quantity, but in such manner as God only knoweth, & yet doth us to understand by faith,3 the truth of the very presence, exceeding our capacity to comprehend the manner (how). This is the very true teaching to affirm the truth of the presence of Christs very body in the Sacrament, even of the same body that suffered in plain simple evident terms and words, such as can not by cavillation be mistaken and construed, so near as possibly mans infirmity permitteth and suffereth. Now let us ⟨p. 91⟩consider in what sort the author and his company which he calleth (we say) do understand the Sacrament, who go about to express the same by a similitude of the creature §2of the sun,4 which sun (this author saith) is ever corporally in heaven, and no where else, and yet by operation and virtue, is here in earth: so Christ is corporally in heaven. &c. In this matter of similitudes, it is to be taken for a truth undoubted, that there is no creature by similitude, ne any language of man able to express God and his mysteries. For and things that be seen or herd, might throughly express Gods invisible mysteries, the nature whereof is that they can not throughly be expressed, they were no mysteries, and yet it is true, that of things visible, wherein God worketh wonderfully, there may be great resemblances, some shadows, and as it were inductions, to make a man astonied, in consideration of things invisible, when he seeth things visible so wonderfully wrought, and to have so marvellous effects.