nyng , vntill the generall iudgement. Notwithstandyng, seing this is the chief point wherupō I seeke to establish my sentēce in this matter of the holy Sacramēt, that Christes holy and naturall body is so assumpt into heauen, that there it must remaine all whole without returnyng vntill the generall dome: I will yet with the permission of your grace, adde one or ij. arguments deduced out of the Scriptures, to declare further my sentence to be faithfull and Catholicke.

MarginaliaChrist in his manhead not in many places at once. First, as Christ was enclosed and so borne about in the wombe of his mother beyng a Virgine vndefiled, and after was borne into this worlde, and put in a maunger, and so he growyng in age did abyde in diuerse places, but in one after an other, sometyme in Galile, sometyme in Samaria, sometyme in Iury, sometyme beyond, and sometyme on this side of Iordane, and consequently was crucified at Hierusalem, there beyng enclosed and buried in a graue, from whence he did aryse, so that the aūngels testified of him: He is risen and is not here.MarginaliaMath. 28. Mathew. 28. and as at the tyme appointed, after his resurrection, he was assumpt or lifted vp into heauen, from the top of the Mount of Oliuet, in the sight of his Disciples, a cloude compassing him about: Euen so shall he come from the same celestiall place corporally, as they did see him to depart out of thone place corporally, accordyng to þ^e testimony of þ^e aungels,MarginaliaActes. 1. Actes. 1. So that in this we may vndoubtedly finde that Christ, as touchyng his manhead, can not be corporally in many and diuers places at once, & so to be corporally in his naturall body in heauen and also in the earth, and that it is moreouer, in so many partes of the world, as men haue affirmed.

MarginaliaThe propertye of mans nature not to be sequestred frō Christ. Neither doth the Scripture require that we should spoyle Christ of the propertie of mans nature, which is to be one place, whom the same Scripture doth perpetually witnesse and teach to be man, and so to confounde the cōdition of his bodily nature, with the nature Diuine. Paule doth teach that Christ in manhead, was made in all pointes like vnto vs his brethren, sinne excepted: how then can his body be in more places at once, vnlike vnto the naturall propertie of the bodyes of vs his brethren? But here do some wittie Philosophers, yea, rather Sophisters then Diuines, bryng in to the anullyng of Christes humanitie, a similitude of mans soule which beyng one, is yet so all whole in all our whole body, that it is sayd to be all whole in euery part of the body.MarginaliaThinges corporall and thinges spirituall not to be compared. But such should remember, that it is no conuenient similitude whiche is made of thinges different and diuerse in nature, such as be the soule & body of man, to proue thē to haue like properties. This is as if they would proue Christes body to be of one nature and propertie with his soule, & that thinges naturally corporall, were not most diuers from creatures naturally spirituall.

Furthermore, if so it myght be, that the body or flesh of Christ, were meerly spirituall, and full like vnto the substaunce of aungels, yet could it not in this wise follow, that his body could be euery where, or in diuers places at once. Wherefore such subtilties are to be omitted, and the trade of Scripture should well like vs,MarginaliaThe body of Christ is locall and in one place. by which the old Doctors do define, that the body of Iesu exalted or assumpt into heauen, must be locall, circumscript, and in one place: notwithstandyng that the veritie, spirituall grace, and frute that commeth of it, is diffused and spread abroad in all places, or euery where. How could Christ corporally depart out of this world, and leaue the earth, if he in the kyndes of bread and wyne be, not onely corporally conteined and receiued, but also there reserued, kept, & enclosed? What other thing els do these wordes testifie, Iohn. xiij. But Iesus knowyng that his houre was come that he should passe out of this worlde to his father, &c.MarginaliaIohn. 13. And in like forme, Luke. 24. And it came to passe that as he blessed them, he departed frō them, & was caried vp into heauē:MarginaliaLuke. 24. What do they signifie, if Christ went not verely out of this world, his naturall body beyng surely assumpt into heauen?

They do therfore vndoubtedly declare that Christ, beyng very God and very man, did verely depart out of this worlde in his naturall body, his humanitie beyng assumpt into heauen, where it remaineth sittyng in glory with the father: Where as yet his Deitie did not leaue the world, ne depart out from the earth.MarginaliaPhil 2. Paule doth say Philipians. 2. that of ij. thynges he wyst not which he might rather chose, that is to wytte, to abyde in the flesh for preaching the Gospell, or els to be dissolued from the fleshe, seyng that to abyde with Christ is much & farre better. By the which Paule doth manifestly proue, that they be not presently w^t Christ, which yet do abyde mortall in the flesh. Yet they be with Christ in such wise, as the Scripture doth say that the beleuyng be the Temple of Christ. And as Paule doth say. 2. Cor. 13. Marginalia2. Cor. 13.Do you not knowe your selues that Iesus Christ is in you? In which sense he also promised to be with vs vnto the ende of the world. Christ therefore must be otherwyse in that place. in which the Apostle desired to be wyth hym, being dissolued, and departed from his body, then he doth abyde eyther in the supper, or els in any other places of the Churches. He therefore doth vndoubtedly meane heauen, which is the paradise of perfect blisse and glorye: Where as Christ being a victour, triumpher, and conquerour ouer death, sinne, and hell, and ouer all creatures, doth reigne & remayne corporally. Thus doe I trust that your grace doth see my sentence, this farforth to be right Catholicke, Christen, and faithfull, according to holy scripture, to holy Fathers, and to the Articles of oure Christen beliefe. Which sentence is thus: Christes naturall body is so assumpt into heauen, where it sitteth or remayneth in glory of the father, that it can no more come from thence, that is to witte, from heauen returne, vntill the ende of the world:MarginaliaThe natural body of Christ can not be both in heauen, and in earth locally. and therefore can not the same naturall bodye, naturally be here in the world, or in the Sacrament: For then should it be dpearted or gone out of the world, and yet be still remayning in the world. It should then be both to come, and already come, which is a contradiction, and variaunt from the nature of his manhede.

MarginaliaThe second part, how the naturall body of Christ is in the Sacrament. Now my sentence in the second part of this matter, is this (if so be your grace shall please to know it, as I your poore and vnworthy, but full true subiect, woulde wyth all submission and instaunce beseech you to know it) I graunt the holy sacrament to be the very and naturall bodye of our Sauiour, and his very naturall bloud, and that the naturall body and bloud of our Sauiour, is in the sacrament after a certaine wise, as after shall appeare. For so doe the wordes of the supper testifie: Take, eate, this is my bodye which is geuen for you. And againe: Drinke ye all of thys, this is my bloud which is of the newe Testament, which is shedde for many for the remission of sinnes. Of whiche wordes, seeing in them dependeth a great triall and proufe of this matter, and that for the interpretation of them, is & hath bene all controuersie of this matter, I therefore shall shewe the interpretation, that holy Doctours haue made of them, that as to me seemeth, be full worthy credite.

Fyrst, we finde in the second booke of Tertullian which he writeth against Marcion: Ipse Christus nec panem reprobauit, and&c.MarginaliaTertul. contra Marcionem. lib. 2. Christ did not reproue the bread, because it doth represent his body. This Marcion, agaynst whom Tertulliā doth thus write, did erroneously reproue all creatures as euill. Which thing Tertullian doth improue by the sacrament, saying as is aboue written: Christ dyd not reproue the bread, which represēteth his body.MarginaliaThe bread representeth the body of Christ. As who would say: If Christ had iudged the bread euill, thē would he not haue left it for a signe or sacrament to represent hys blessed body. Agreably to the same doth he also say in the fourth booke made against the sayd Marcion in these wordes: Christus acceptum panem & distributum Discipulis, corpus suum illud fecit. &c.MarginaliaTertul. contra Marcionem. lib. 4. Christ made that same breade which he tooke and distributed to his Disciples, hys bodye, saying: This is my body, that is to say, the figure of my body. But it coulde not haue been a figure, vnlesse it were the body of a very true thyng in deede. Furthermore, a voyde thing which is a phantasie, coulde not receiue a figure or a forme.MarginaliaBread beareth a figure of Christes bodye. Thys Marcion had an erronious opinion, that Christ had no naturall body, but a body phātasticall. Which errrur or heresie, this famous Doctor Tertullian doth improue by the holy sacrament, saying as afore is writtē, that the Sacrament is a figure of Christes bodye: Ergo, Christe had a very and true body. For a thing which is vaine and fantasticall, can receiue no figure. So that in both places we may clearely perceiue his interpretatiō of these wordes: Thys is my bodye: Marginalia This is my body expounded.Which interpretation is not new but authentike or full auncient, like as is the writer. And thys interpretation do I the rather allowe, because none of the olde Doctours, which folowed him, did euer improue hym therefore, but rather haue folowed it, as appeareth by holy Augustine. In the Preface vpon the third Psalme, doth the sayd Augustine highly commend the wonderfull sufferaunce of Christ,MarginaliaThe pacyence of Christ in suffering Iudas. which so long did suffer and forbeare Iudas, as if he had bene a good and an honest man: where as notwithstanding he did know hys trayterous thoughtes, when he receiued hym to the feast or supper, in whiche he did commende and deliuer to his Disciples, the figure of his body and bloud.MarginaliaAugust. The wordes of Austen in Latine, be these. In historia noui Testamenti, ipsa Domini nostri tanta & tam admiranda patientia erat, quòd eum tandiu pertulit tanquam bonum. &c. In the story of the new testament, the patience of our Lorde was so great and so to be marueiled at, because he suffered Iudas so long as a good man, when