MarginaliaAn. 1555. February.the Queenes Chappell. MarginaliaSyr Rob. Brachers commig to Hadley.This Syr Robert Bracher aforesaid, comming to Hadley to the buriall of a certayne frend of his and Gods great enemy one Walter Clerke, albeit he came somewhat to late to the market (as he sayd) yet desyrous to vtter such popish pelfe and packware as he brough with him, he opened there his baggage of pestilent doctrine, MarginaliaA Popishe Sermon of Syr Robert Bracher.preaching in þ^e same towne of Hadley agaynst iustification of fayth, of the corporall presence, of praying for the dead, and Auricular confession. Whereof D. Taylour hauyng vnderstanding by letters, wryteth again to them of Hadley directing his letter to his wyfe in confutation of the said Popish poisoned Sermon: the copie of which letter we thought not vnworthy here in the end of his story to be anexed, as vnder foloweth.

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DEare wife, I pray God be euer with vs through Christ our only Mediatour, Amen.

MarginaliaThis cap was a round cap sent by M. Couerdale to Doctour Taylour by his wife.I thanke you for my cap: I am somthing proud of it, for it is one steppe frō the Clergy in these daies. I thāke God, my hart is cleane diuided from their procedings: for I know that no man can serue two maisters,  

specially if they agree no better then Christ and Antichrist do. I am glad that Hadley can skill of such packing ware, as was brought thether the first day of May last past. Christes sheepe can discerne Christes voyce, from the voice of straūgers, theeues, or hyrelings. The packebringer   was sory that he came to late to þ^e funerall market of his faithfull frend. But here I wil leaue thē both to Gods iudgement, and something touch the matter whereof the packerMarginaliaThis packer was Syr Rob. Bracher preaching popishe doctrine at Hadley. made mencion on his opening day. At the first he called the scripture (as I heare) MarginaliaThe scripture falsely accused of the catholickes to be obscure & darke.full of darke sentences, but in dede it is called of Dauid, A candle to our fete, and a light to our pathes.   Our Sauiour Christ calleth his word, the light which euil doers do flye from, and hate, lest their dedes should be reproued thereby. S. Paul would haue vs to walke as childrē of light, and in any wise not to continue in ignoraunce or darknes.   But all we in the world pertayne to two Princes: eyther to the father of light and truth, or els to the Prince of darknes and lyes.

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In these dayes preachers declare euidently of whom they are sent, and with what spirit they speake, and to what prince they belong: For they cry out against Gods lightes, Sunne, Moone, starres, torches, lampes, lanternes, cressets, and candels in Gods booke the Bible, prouided of Gods great goodnes and mercy to auoyde all foule darknes, cloudes, and mistes or daungerous doubtfull wayes in this our iourney to our heauenly father, long home, mansion houses, and dearely purchased heritage. Esay Gods faithfull messenger sayth: Wo be vnto them that call sweete sower, good euill, and light darknes. Therefore commeth my people into captiuity, because they haue no vnderstanding.  

Our Sauiour Christ pronounceth errours and heresyes to remayne among the people, so long as ignorance of the scriptures remayneth. And hereby it appeareth to all good consciences, what they meane, which defame or accuse Gods blessed word being full of light, as though it were full of darknes. These oules would haue all day lightes scraped out of bookes, hartes, and churches. Oh Lord, turne their harts and tonges: bow them from the way of darknes, lest they goe to the prince of darknes, & be cast into the pitte of vtter darknes, where is weping and gnashing of teeth.

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MarginaliaThe Popes packe ware: Iustificatiō by workes, Corporall presence, Praying for soules, Auricular confession.Now, touching the packes of wolle and packes of cloth, I feare they were, as all other wares be, transubstantiate into flockes, euen his very finest packing stuffe against only fayth iustifiyng, and for the corporall presence of Christes body in the sacrament, for praying for soules departed, and for auriculer confession. Abrahams iustification, by fayth, by grace, by promise, and not by workes, is playnly set forth both in the Epistle to the Rom. cap. 4. and to the Gala. cap. 3. And Abrahams works of obedience in offering vp hys sonne so long after hys iustification, must nedes be takē as a fruit of a good tree iustifying before men, and not of iustificatiō before God: for then had mā to glory in: then dyd Christ dye in vaine.

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MarginaliaAgainst the corporall presence.And where as the 6. chapt. of S. Iohn was alleaged, to proue that Christ did geue hys body corporally in hys supper, euen as he had promised in the sayd 6. chapt. it is most vntrue. For only he gaue hys body sacramentally, spiritually, and effectually in hys supper to the faythfull

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Apostles, and corporally he gaue it in a bloudy sacrifice for the lifeof the world vpō the crosse once for all.MarginaliaChristes body geuen in the supper spiritually, vpon the crosse corporally.There in hys own person, in his own naturall body, he bare all our sins: By whose stripes we were healed, as S. Peter proueth. 1. Pet. 2. and Esay. cap. 53. In dede, receauing Christes sacrament accordingly as it was instituted, we receaue Christes body and Christs bloud, euen as I sayd before the Apostles dyd.

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MarginaliaAgainst the MasseBut the Popish Masse is an other matter. The Masse as it is now, is but one of Antichristes youngest daughters, MarginaliaThe Masse the Popes youngest daughter.in the which the deuill is rather present and receaued, then our Sauiour, the 2. person in Trinity, God and man. O Lord God, heauēly father, for Christes sake we besech thee to turne againe England to the right way it was in in K. Edwards tyme, frō this MarginaliaDescriptiō of the popes kingdome.babylonicall stewishe spirituall whoredome, conspiracy, tyranny, detestable enormityes, false doctryne, heresye, hardnes of hart, and contempt of thy word and commaundements, from thys euident and open Idolatry, sacriledge, simony, blasphemy, superstition, hypocrisy, transubstantiate Angell of light and day deuill, kingdome of lyes, foule vayne schismes, sectes, sedition, apostasy, gay sweete poyson, honied & sugered viperous venome, wily woluishnes, Sathanicall subtilty, and abomination in the sight of God and of all such as put on the true spectacles of holy scripture. I am the more playne now in this matter, because I feare greatly, that many will be to much ready to go from Christ to Antichrist, frō the Bible, true Gods seruice and religion, to latin lying Legendes, Portases, Massebokes and superstition. They say their church can not erre in any poynt, when in dede they be not of Gods church, and therefore they can do nothing but erre, euen as they do almost in all cases of true fayth.

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MarginaliaChrysost. Popishly applyed.But to come againe to the Packer, rather then Preacher,  

he bringeth S. Chrysostome writing Ad populum Antiochenum, where he making a cōparison betwene Christes flesh and Elias cloke cast downe to Elizeus, when Elias was takē vp in the fiery chariot, at lēgth he saith, that Christ ascending vp to heauen, tooke his flesh with him, and also left his flesh behind him in earth. MarginaliaThe meaning of Chrysost. rightly expounded concerning Elias cloke.The meaning of it is, he did ascend with his flesh, and left a MarginaliaOf this memoriall cloke, read before in D. Ridleys disputacions pag. 1615.memoriall cloke of the same body & flesh, which he calleth his flesh, as he in the sacramentall phrase calleth bread his body, because it representeth his body: and as in the like maner of sacramentall speech, a Lambe was called the Passeouer, the circumcision, Gods couenant. He tooke vp hys flesh corporally, and left his flesh in mystery and sacrament spiritually. Or it may be sayd that he left his flesh vpon earth: that is, his mysticall body, his faithful people, whom S. Paule calleth the members of his body, of his flesh, of his bones, Ephes. 5. In the. MarginaliaThe place of Gene. 49.49. chap. of Genesis there is no word of Christes sacrament, but there is a prophecie of Christes passion, wherein his sole was bound, that is, his body. And where hee speaketh there of grapes and wyne, it is as that is spoken of Christ in an other place, where he saith: Ego solus torcular calcaui. I alone did treade the wyne presse, meaning thereby, that Christ alone suffered painfull passion for the remission of synnes, and for the consolation of all his faithfull soldiours.

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It is not true that the Packer sayd,  

that Christes infinite power may make his body to be in a thousand places at once, as a loafe to be in a thousand bellies: for thē might MarginaliaChristes naturall body cā not be deuided.Christ diuide þ^e partes of his body, as a loafe is diuided and so cōsumed, and then might scripture be false, appointing Christes body to be but in one place, Actes. 3. Phil. 3. Heb. 3. The articles of our fayth tell vs sufficiently where Christes body is. MarginaliaChristes body was neuer in two places at once.It was neuer in two places at once, neyther euer shall be, neither euer can be corporally and naturally: neyther euer was, is, can, or shal be eaten so with any corporal mouthes, as the Capernaites   and the Papists most erroniously & heretically do iudge. If our Sauior Iesus Christ hath no other body natural then is made of the substance of bread, and is in a thousand places at once, as I haue often sayd in Hadley: we are not yet redemed, neither shall our bodies rise againe and be made like vnto his glorious body. We are sure that our Sauiour Christes body is made of none other substance, then of his mother the blessed Virgin Maryes substance. We are sure, that he taketh not the nature of Aungels, much lesse of bread. Onely he taketh on hym the seede of Abraham, Heb. 2. MarginaliaHeb. 2.In all thinges like vnto vs, sinne onely except. And this is a cōfortable doctrine to vs Christians, beleuing stedfastly, as the true catholicke faith is, that Christ hath but two natures, perfite God, and perfite man. Vpon this rocke Christes church is builded, and the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against it. Math. 16.

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