The. ii chapyter
IN the. xi. lefe he hath an other argument, towarde whiche he maketh a blynde induccyon byfore. And bycause ye shall se that I wyll not go about to begyle you: I wyll reherse you his induccyon fyrst, and than his argumēt after. These arre his wordes
Whan the Iewes wolde not vnderstande thys spyrytuall sayenge of the eatynge of Chrystes flessh and drynkynge of his bloude so ofte and so playnely declared: he gaue them a stronge tryppe, and made them more blynde for they so deserued if (suche are the secrete iudgementes of god) addyng vnto all hys sayenges thus. who so eate my flessh and drynke my bloude, abydeth in me and I in hym. These wordes were spoken vnto the […] into theyr farther obstynacyō, but vnto the faythfull for theyr better instruccyon. Now gather of thys the contrary, and saye, who so eateth not my flessh and drynketh not my bloude, abydeth not in me nor I in hym / & ioyne thys to that foresayd sentence, excepte ye eate the flesshe of the sone of man and drynke hys bloude, ye haue no lyfe in you. Lette it neuer fall […] thy mynd chrysten reader, that fayth is the lyfe of the ryghtwyse, and that Chryst is thye lyuynge brede whom thou eatest that is to saye in whom thou byleuest.
Here is mayster Masker fall to iuglynge so / and as a iugser layeth forth hys trynclettes vpon the table and byddeth men loke on this & loke on that and blo we in hys hande / and than with certayne straunge wordes to make men muse / whurseth his iuglynge stycke about his fyngers to make men loke vpon that / whyle he playeth a false caste and conuayeth with ye tother hand some thynge slyly into his purse or his sleue or some where out of syght / so fareth maister Masker here / that maketh Christes holy worde serue hym for his iugling boxes and sayeth them forth vppon the borde afore vs / and byddeth vs lo loke on this texte / and than soke so vpon this / and whan he hath she wed forth thus two or thre textes and byd vs loke vpon them he telleth vs not wherfore / nor what we shall fynde in thē. But bycause they be so playne agaynste hym he letteth them slynke awaye / and than to blere our eyen / and call our mynde fro the mater / vp he taketh his iuglynge stycke the cōmendacyon of fayth / and whyrleth that about hys fyngers / and sayeth, Let it neuer fall fro thy mynde chrysten reader that sayth is the lyfe of the ryghtuouse, and that Chryst is thys lyuynge brede whom thou eatest, that is to saye in whom thou byleueft.
What are these wordes good chry sien reader to the purpose. All thys wyll I pray you remember to. But I wyll pray you remēber there with all, where about this iugeler goth, yt wolde with bryddynge vs loke vppe here vppon fayth / iugle awaye one great poynt of farth from vs / and make vs take no hede of Chrystes wordes playnely spoken here of the very eatyng of his holy flesshe. And therfore let vs remēber fayth as be byddeth. But let vs remember well therwith specially this piece therof yt this iugler with byddynge vs remē bre, wold fayne haue vs forgette.
But now after thys induccyon / forth he cometh with his wyse argu ment in this wyse,
For yf our popystes take eatyng and drynkyng here bodyly as to eate the naturall body of Chryste vnder the forme of brede / and to drynke his bloud vnder the forme of wyne / than must all yonge chyldren that neuer came at goddes borde departed, and al lay men that neuer dranke his bloude be dampned.
If our sauyour Chryste whyche is the waye to trouth / and the trouth it selfe, and the very trewe lyfe also / coulde and wold say false, and breke his promyse by whyche he promysed1 his chyrche to be therwith hym selfe vnto the worldes ende, and to sende it also the spyrite of trouth, that shold2 teche it and sede it into al trouth: than wolde there of trouth / bothe of these wordes of Chryste and these other wordes of his also, But yf a man be3 borne agayne of the water and the holy goost he can not se the kyngdom of god / and of many other wordes of his mo many greate dowtes aryse / ryght harde and inexplycable. But now am I very sure / sith trouth can not be but trew / Chrystes promyse shall euer stande and be kepte, & ther4 fore shall his chyrche euer more by ye 5 meane of his holy spyryte which maketh men of one maner and mynde in the howse of his chyrche / so fall in a concorde and agrement togyther vppon the trew sense / and so be led into euery necessary trewth / that by misse takynge of any parte of scrypture, it shall neuer be suffred to fall into any dampnable errour. Whiche thynge what pratynge so euer mayster masker make / I haue so often & so surely proued for the comen knowen catholyke chyrch of good and badde bothe / agaynst Willy ā T indale / yt neyther he nor all these heretikes among thē all, shall neuer be able to voyde it.
Now as for his argument concernynge laye men of age, it were alytell more stronge / yf the blessed body of our lorde were in the blessed sacramēt vnder forme of brede with out his bloude / whiche whyle it ys not / nor theyr receyuynge is not the sacryfyce nor oblacyon, which to the integrite therof requyreth bothe the formys / that the thynge sholde agre with the fygure / the fygure I saye of the brede and wyne that was offered6 by Melchysedech / mayster Maskers argument is of a feble force. Of whyche thynge bycause I purpose onys to touche god wyllyng in answerynge to doctour Barons treatyse specyally made of that mater / I wyll holde here mayster Mas ker for this tyme with no longe tale therof. But to thentent ye may shortely se how lytell wytte is in his wise argument with whych vppon Chrystes general wordes, but yf you eate the flesshe of ye sone of man & drynke his bloude ye shall not haue lyfe in you / he argueth vniuersally of all men and women & chyldrenthat dye, and neuer eate his flesshe or neuer drynke his bloude shalbe dampned / by the selfe same forme of arguyng vppon these generall wordes, But yf a man be borne of water and the spyryte, he shall neuer se the kyngedome of god. Mayster Masker may argue generally, that who so dye byfore he be baptysed by water and the spyrite, shalbe dampned. And therup pon conclude that many martyres be dampned for lacke of baptysynge in water, for all theyr baptysynge in theyr owne bloude. And thus you se good readers how substancyall his argumentis.
Footnotes
Chapter 42 of 70