A68658:70
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.
And first I will begin with Tertullian,1 whom Cyprian the holy martyr so highly esteemed, that when so ever he would have his book, he was wont to say: Give us now the Master. This old writer in his .4. book against Marcion the heretic, sayeth thus: Jesus made the bread, which he toke, and distributed to his disciples his body, saying: This is my body. That is to say (sayeth Tertullian) a figure of my body. In this place it is plain, that after Tertullian's exposition, Christ meant not by calling the bread his body, & the wine his blood, that either the bread was the natural body, or the wine his natural blood, but he called them his body and blood, because he would institute them to be unto us sacraments: that is, holy tokens and signs of his body and of his blood: that by them remē bring and firmly believing the benefits procured to us by his body which was torn & crucified for us, and of his blood which was shed for us upon the cross: and so with than kes receiving these holy sacraments, according to Christs institution, might by the same be spiritually nourished ⟨image 35⟩and fed to the increase of all godliness in us here in our pilgrimage & journey, wherein we walk, unto everlasting life. This was undoubtedly Christ our saviour's mind, and this is Tertullian's exposition. The wrangling that the Papists do make to elude this saying of Tertullian,2 is so far out of frame, that it even wearieth me to think on it. Tertullian writeth here (say they) as none hath done hitherto before him. This saying is toto manifest false: for Origene, Hilary, Ambrose, Basil, Gregory Nazianzene, saint Augustine, and other old authors, likewise do call the sacrament, a figure of Christs body. And where they say, that Tertullian wrote this, when he was in a heat of disputation, with an heretic, coveting by all means to overthrow his adversary. As who say, he would not take heed, what he did say, and specially what he would write in so high a matter, so that he might have the better hand of his adversary. Is this credible to be true in any godly wise man? How much less than is it worthy ⟨image 35⟩to be thought or credited in a man of so great a wit, learning and excellency, as Tertullian is worthily esteemed ever for to have ben?