A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London: answerynge unto M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth made, concernynge the sacramente of the body and bloude of ChristFrith, John
Religion
A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London: answerynge unto M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth made, concernynge the sacramente of the body and bloude of Christ
Frith, John
Dissenters, Religious -- England; Lord's Supper -- Early works to 1800; More, Thomas, Saint, 1478-1535
Here they wyll saye vnto me, that that is not Chrisostomes mynde. For by
hys example he playnlye sheweth that there remayneth no breade nor wyne.
That I denye. For the example in thys place proueth no more but that ye
shall not thynke vpon the breade and wyne, no more then yf they were not
there, but onelye vpon that thynge whiche is sygnyfyed by thē. And that
ye maye euydently perceyue by the wordes folowynge where he sayeth,
thynke that the mysteryes are consumed by the substaunce of the bodye.
[Sidenote: Soluciō] Now whyther Chrisostome thought that there remayned
breade or none, bothe wayes shall our purpose be proued. Fyrst yf he
thought there remayned styll breade and wyne, thē we haue our purpose.
Now yf he thought that the breade and wyne remayned not, but were
chaunged, thē are the breade and wyne neyther mysteryes nor sacramentes
of the bodye and bloode of Christe. For that that is not, cā neyther be
mysterye nor sacrament.
[Sidenote: Conclusyon.] Fynalle yf he spake of the outwarde apperaunce
of breade: then we knowe that that remayneth styll and is not consumed
by the substaunce of the bodye. And therfore he muste neades be
vnderstonde as I take hym.
I thynke many men wonder how I can dye in thys artycle, seynge that it
is no necessary artycle of our faythe, for I graunte that neyther parte
is an artycle necessary to be beleued vnder payne of dampnacyon, but
leaue it as a thynge indyfferent, to thynke therin as God shall instyll
in euery mans mynde, and that neyther parte condempne other for thys
matter, but receyue eche other in brotherly loue, reseruynge eche others
infyrmyte to God.
[Sidenote: Beholde the cause of my death.] The cause of my deathe is
thys, because I can not in conscyence abiure and swere, that our
Prelates opynyon of the Sacramente (that is) that the substaunce of
breade ād wyne is verely chaunged into the fleshe and bloode of our
sauyoure Iesus Christ is an vndoubted artycle of the faythe, necessarye
to be beleued vnder payne of dampnacyon.
[Sidenote: Note.] Now thoughe thys opynyon were in dede true (whiche
thynge they cā neyther proue true by scrypture nor doctours) yet coulde
I not in conscyence graunte that it shulde be an artycle of the faythe
necessarye to be beleued, etc. For there are many verytees, whiche yet
may be no soche artycles of our faythe. It is true that I laye in Irons
whan I wrote thys, howbeit I wolde not receyue thys truthe, for an
artycle of our fayth. For you may thynke the contrary without all
Ieoperdy of dampnacyon.
¶ The cause why I cā not beleue their opynyon of transmutacyon or
transubstanciacyon whether ye wyll, is thys.
[Sidenote: 1.] ❧ Fyrste because I thynke verely that it is false and can
neyther be proued by scrypture nor faythfull doctours, yf they be well
pondered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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