A68658:53
A brief declaration of the Lords Supper, writtenA brief declaracion of the Lordes Supper, written
A brief declaration of the Lords Supper, written by the singular learned man, and most constant martyr of Jesus Christ, Nicholas Ridley Bishop of London prisoner in Oxford, a little before he suffered death for the true testimony of ChristA brief declaracion of the Lordes Supper, written by the syngular learned man, and most constaunt martir of Iesus Christ, Nicholas Ridley Bishop of London prisoner in Oxforde, a litel before he suffred deathe for the true testimonie of Christ
Emden: printed by E. van der Erve, 1555
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.
1Origene, which lived about .1250. years ago: a man for the excellency of his learning so highly esteemed in Christs church,2 that he was counted▪ & judged the singular teacher in his time of Christs religion, the confounder of heresies, the schoolmaster of many godly matters, & an opener of the high mysteries in scripture. He writing up on the .15. chap. of S. Matthew's gospel, sayeth thus: But if any thing enter into the mouth, it goeth away into the belly, & is avoided into the draught. Yea & that meat which is sanctified by the word of God & prayer, concerning the matter thereof, it goeth away into the belly, & is avoided into the draught. But for the prayer which is added unto it, for the ⟨image 26⟩proportion of the faith, it is made profitable, making the mind able to perceive and see that which is profitable. For it is not the material substance of bread, but the word which is spoken upon it, that is profitable to the man that eateth it not unworthily. And this I mean of the typical & symbolical (that is, sacramental) body. Thus far go the words of Origene, where it is plain, first that Origene speaking here of the sacrament of the Lords supper, as the last words do plainly signify, doth mean & teach, that the material substance thereof is received, digested, & avoided, as the material substance of other bread & meats is, which could not be, if there were no material substance of bread at all, as the fantastical opinion of transubstantiation doth put. It is a world to see the answer of the papists to this place of Origene.3 In the disputations which were in this matter in the Parliament house, and in both the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, they that defended transubstantiation said, that this part of Origene was but set forth of late by Erasmus, and therefore is to be suspected. But how vain this their ⟨image 27⟩answer is, it appeareth plainly. For so may all the good old authors, which lay in old libraries, & are set forth of late, be by this reason rejected, as Clemens Alexandrinus, Theodoretus, Justinus, Ecclesiastica historia Nicephori, & other such. An other answer they had,