thing than that we come thither to see an unseeable miracle, which they affirm the angels in heaven have no power to do: Sed solis presbyteris, quibus sic congruit, ut sumant nec dent cæteris: how that bread is turned into the body, and wine into the blood, of Christ, to mock our seeing, smelling, feeling and tasting, which is a very strong faith, and more a great deal (I think) than the text compelleth a man to. Nevertheless it were somewhat yet, if they had been as loving, kind, careful and diligent to teach the people to repent, and to believe in the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, unto the glory of the mercy of God, and of his exceeding love to us, and unto the profit of our souls: and upon that preaching to have ministered the sacrament as a memorial, remembrance sign, token, earnest, the seal of an obligation, and clapping of hands together for the assurance of the promise of God; to quiet, stablish and certify our consciences, and to put us out of all wavering and doubt that our sins were forgiven us, and God become our father and at one with us, for which cause only Christ ordained it: as they were zealous and fervent to maintain the opinion of so turning bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, that it ceaseth to be bread and wine in nature, unto their own glory and profit, without help of Scripture, but with subtle arguments of sophistry and with crafty wiles. First, with taking away half the sacrament, lest if the people should have drunk the blood of Christ, they should have smelled the savour, and felt the taste of wine, and so have been too weak to believe that there had been no wine. And secondarily, when they durst not rob the people of all the sacrament, they yet took away common bread, and imagined maunchets which may not be handled, and in sight have no similitude of bread, and in eating very little taste, if there be any at all. And thirdly, whom they could not catch with those crafts against him they disputed with the sword. For when they had taken away the signification and very intent of the sacrament, to stablish

The abuse

of the sa

crament.

Half of the

sacrament

kept from the lay people.

the ear confession, their merits, deservings, justifying of works, and like invention unto their own glory and profit; they had not made of that But now when they have faith which profited, and

what had the sacrament been if opinion an article of the faith? destroyed, for the nonce, that have set up with wiles, subtilty, falsehood, guile and with violence, that faith which profiteth not, we have good cause to judge and examine the doctrine of the spirits, whether it be grounded upon God's word or not.

But I ask, Wherefore we believe that Christ's body and his blood is there present? verily as many heads as many wits, every man hath his meaning. We take pains to come thither to see strange holy gestures, whereof, say they to their shame, who knoweth the meaning? yea or of the other disguising: and to hear strange holy voices, whereof, say I also that no man knoweth the understanding; and to look upon the sacrament ; and all to obtain worldly things for that service. Why may not a man desire worldly things of God? Yes, we ought to ask of God only sufficiency of all worldly things, as we do spiritual things, yet not for bodily service, when God is a spirit, but for the goodness and mercy of our father, and for the truth of his promise and deservings of his Son. And so when we do men bodily service, we ought to look for our wages of God; lest if he move not the hearts of our masters, we be shrewdly paid; and likewise when we lend or bargain, we ought to desire God for payment, lest through our negligence he forget us and the appointments be not truly kept. Some there be yet, that ask heaven but for bodily service, which is like abomination.

But who cometh thither with repentance and faith, for to obtain forgiveness of his sins, and with purpose to walk in the life of penance for the taming of the flesh that he sin no more? and to stablish his heart in that purpose, and to arm his soul against all that move to the contrary, and when he goeth home is certified in his conscience, through that sign and token, that his sins are

forgiven him as Noah was certified by the sign of the
rainbow that the world should no more be overrun with
water and as Abraham was certified by the sign of cir-
cumcision that God would fulfil to him and his offspring
all the mercies that he had promised and as Abraham,
(Gen. xv.) when he asked a sign to be sure that he should
possess that land of Canaan, was certified through the
sign that God gave him thereof; and of the four hundred
years that his posterity should be in thraldom in Egypt;
and of their deliverance: and as Gideon was certified by
the sign of his fleece of the victory that God had pro-
mised him and as many other that believed in God, were
certified by the signs that God gave them, of the promises
which God made them? Verily no man.
For our pre-
lates which lay for themselves, Compelle intrare, compel
not us to enter into any such feast, nor will suffer any
such meat to be set before us; for fear of overthrowing
the foundation of their false building whereof springeth
so great glory and profit unto them, which foundation to
build their lies upon, they could never have laid, except
they had first thrust this doctrine of our soul's health
clean out of knowledge. And as soon as they had blinded
the light, they became leaders in darkness; and made of
the mass image service; so that the strange holy gestures,
and the strange holy voices, and strange holy vestures,
with all other strange holy ceremonies, must be merito-
rious works to deserve long life, health, riches, honour,
favour, dignity, and abundance of all that we have, for-
saking our baptism, and to arm us from bearing of the
cross with Christ. And they have made of it a pill of two
contrary operations; so that the same medicine that pre-
serveth our souls from purgatory doth purge the body of
house, lands, rents, goods and money, that it is made as
bare as Job, and as bald as a coot. And the light that

rebuketh them, they call seditious, that it maketh the sub-
jects to rise against their princes. Which thing the hypo-
crites laid some time unto the prophets, as ye may see in

the Old Testament. And at last they laid it unto Christ's charge, as ye may see in the gospel, and to the charge of the apostles, as ye may see in the Acts. But at all such times, the hypocrites themselves stirred up such a sword to maintain their falsehood, that evermore a great part of the world perished through their own mischievous incensing and provoking princes to battle.

These hypocrites laid to Wickliff's charge, (and do yet) that his doctrine caused insurrection: but they, to quench the truth of his preaching, slew the right king, and set up three false kings a row: by which mischievous sedition, they caused half England to be slain up, and brought the realm into such reign and desolation, that M. More could say in his Utopia, that as Englishmen were wont to eat sheep, even so their sheep now eat up them by whole parishes at once, besides other inconveniences that he then saw. And so the hypocrites say now likewise, that God's word causeth insurrection; but ye shall see shortly that these hypocrites themselves after their old wont and ensamples in quenching the truth that uttereth their juggling, shall cause all realms Christian to rise one against another, and some against themselves. Ye shall see then run out before the year come about, that which they have been in brewing (as I have marked) above this dozen years, &c..

This much have I said because of them that deceive you, to give you an occasion to judge the spirits.

A

PATHWAY

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THE HOLY SCRIPTUR E.