A sermon of the sacrament of the altar made by a famous doctor called Fryderyke Nausea in Almaigne and lately out of latin translate into english by Iohn Moore. Iohn Moore to the christian reader. IT happened me but late good christian reader, to receive and read in a book of a virtuous cunning man called Fryderyk Nausea, a book of sermons, surely marvelous meet for the season. For as lenten is a time (whereof our saviour christ himself showeth us then sample) that aught esspecyally to be spent in fasting, divine service, and sermons: so shall not (I think) a man lightly find many sermons made of late, more fruitful and godly, than I find many of his in that one book. divers whereof after I had once perused & red/ and that they so specially well liked me, that I determined utterly with myself to translate into our tongue some one (for mother the shortness of time would not suffer before this instant feast of Easter so near coming upon before the book came to my hand) but when I had so determined, then fared I with all those as doth some young lewd scatterlove that went a wooing/ which having the choice of diverse, so indifferently and therewith so well liked them everichone, that wotting not which to choose fain would wed them all, and is sorry that he may wed but one. So I, though both I liked the t'other no less than this, and as fain would have translated them all as this one: yet sins I could not do any more in the time/ upon consideration that this sermon most agreed with this blessed feast of Easter at hand, as being grounded upon these words Hoc facite in mei commemorationem, I left the rest and choice me this to ●orne▪ which yet surely I would much rather have wished to have be translated by some other, that better could have handled it. For who had been able as well to have set it forth in our tongue & as lively as Nausea hath done it in the latin, should have done a thing very worthy praise. But for as much as that perfection in learning and eloquence, neither is in me, no scant can in so young a man be looked for: I must humbly require you all good christian readers, to accept my good will, and take this work in good worth. Hoc facite in mei commemorationem. Do you this in the remembrance of me. AS oft as I speak unto you of the word of god my well beloved brethren, & in the mean while consider the state of our time, and condition of men: so often I sorowefully sigh & am sick, because I perceive (which I am right sorry to see) that these words of saint Paul, 1. Corin. 10 no less truly then sorrowfully, may be veryfyed in us: we be they, whom thends of the world is come to. In whose miserable time, all those things now hap heaped on in a nothers' neck, which our lord jesus Cryst the very truth, Math. 24. Mar. 13. Lucc. 21. both earnestly and truly showed should come in th'end of the world. For as to leave speaking at this time, of the horrible wars & batayls that be at these days through out christendom, you and amongs them to, which as being our chief heads and rulers under christ here on earth, ought to live most in rest and peace, and also of the innumerable contagyons and deadly diseases that reign, and specially of the great pestilence in Germany, besides the sharp and cruel famine with such other like myschyefes': who seethe not evidently & understands not, that this is even the last end of the world, in which as christ himself prophesied, iniquity hath begun to abound, and many men's charity wax cold/ so that were it not for the elects, there should be no flesh safe, for as much as if it were possible, the choose people self that live now at this day, might seem to be seduced from the true catholic faith of christ: sins now I say I see, not alonely nation against nation, realm against realm, or house against house, but rue the fathers against their children, the children against their fathers, a one brother with great cruelty to arise against the other. which thing surely, you were it but for this cause grieveth me very much, for that I perceive those clean departed from charity, striving within theym selfes, persecuting one another as mortal enymyes, shamefully raging each against other, even as against their uttermost deadly adver saryes, which be not only brethren, as being created of on eternal father, but also brethren through grace and faith, and named the children of god, Galat. 6. whom (as saint Paul saith) sins they be of one household faith, ought specially to be friends, and one of them glad to do for another / who me I say Criste our lord & gentle redeemer in so farforth hath exhorted unto a mutual charity, showing it as a thing so necessary, that without that they can not be known for his disciples, or by any other means then by that mutual charity, joban. 13. discerned from infidels, that he saith amongst other things, I give you a new commandment that you love on another: & as I have loved you, so love you between yourselves: joban. 15. By this shall all men know you be my disciples, if you have love amongst you: This is my precept, to love each other as I have loved you. And again: This I command you to love together as my father hath loved me, so have I loved you: Abide you in my love. But how loved christ us? Surely so as himself saith, that he lost his life for our sake, than which kind of love no man can have a greater. which also thapostles reciteth almost in every place: 1. Cor. 4. Of which truly ineffable love toward us (his own) he hath left behind him an inspeakable token, Tesso. 5. testymonyall, 1. John. 3. &. 4. and perpetual memorial, in that he gave himself to be eaten of us, made thereby both the feast and the geste both twain. As the prophet David said: Psalm. 11. Our most merciful & pytyful lord hath made a remembrance of his marvels, and hath given meat to them that dreaded him. For why our lord jesus christ, instytuting this high excellent & wonderful holy sacrament, gave food to those that dreaded him/ and for pity he had on us, left that sacrament unto us, as a memorial & remembrance, not only of the offering of himself for our sake upon the cross, & also gave himself as meat to all such as worsshyppe him, dread him, love him, & honoured him (as saint Paul saith: 1. Corin. 11 Do you this as oft as you drink it in the remembrance of me/ for as often as you shall eat this breed and drink of this cup, you shall show the death of our lord till he come) but also left this blessed sacrament unto us, for a memorial and remembrance of his inspeakable love toward us/ by which love he was brought for our sakes, to the most bitter cross & shameful death, in which he might be with us as he was before in the sacrament, according to his own promise where he saith: Math vl timo. And lo I am with you for ever even to the worlds end. which all though it may be understanden of the manner of presence, by which he is ever present with us by his power, grace, and divine majesty: yet seemeth it more likely he meant of the sacramental presence, sins his disciples knew well enough he should never be from them as concerning the former presence/ but they were not inlyke wise sure of his presence in that sacrament/ which in so farforth was hard to be believed and perceived, John. 6. the many of his disciples went back and went no more with him. And therefore our saviour christ first to fulfil the figure of scripture, gave himself meet to us. Exod. 16. Surely that figure was manna, given from heaven to the children of Israel, with which they were fed xl year in desert. christ the interpreter, who saith, John. ●. Truly truly I tell you it was not that Moses gave you the breed out of heaven, but my father giveth you the true breed out of heaven. I am the breed of life, your forefathers hath eatyn manna in desert and be deed: This is breed descending from heaven, so that who eateth hereof shall not die. whereby it well appeareth that manna in desert was but a shadow and figure of the very manna, that is to wit, of the body of jesus christ to be given to us to eat/ sith also th'apostle writeth that thing and the history thereof, 1. Cor. 1● but as a figure of that which after was to be fulfilled. secondly he gave himself meat unto us to accomplish in deed that he promised by word/ which god would have so sure and so true, Mat. 24 Marc. 12 Luc. 11 John. 6 that he saith, heaven and earth shall pass, but not my words. But now christ promised to give his flesh for our food, saying, I am the lively breed which am descended from heaven. who eateth of this breed shall live for ever. And the breed which I shall give, is my flesh for the life of the world. For why my flesh in deed is meat, & my blood is very drink. who cateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him. Thirdly christ gave himself unto us for meat marvelously and ineffably, to show us his high charity, by which both bodily and ghostly he would be with us perpetually, and all one with us by incorporation, as it is wont to be in love. For by the communion of the body and blood of our lord jesus christ, all we be made one hole body with christ. Thapostell approving it & saying thus, 1 Cor. 1● The breed that we break, is it not the participation of the body of our lord? because we menuey be but one breed and one body, all that be partakers of one breed and one cup. And for this cause, our lord jesus christ and only redeemer, to leave behind him a remembrance of his love toward us, and by th'ensample of the same love, would have us (that be his) not only love him, but also one another, and by the remembrance of his most bitter death, give him thanks together/ was content to be present with us, though invisibly yet bodily in that sacrament/ and by that communion (as we have said be fore) to be all one with us, & so to leave this blessed sacrament of th'altar behind him as a sure pledge of his great love toward us. Iohn. 13 Of this it was that saint Iohn said, that at this last holy supper the institution of that most blessed sacrament of th'altar was made for a sign of love when he saith, Before the feast day of Easter, jesus knowing that his hour was come, in which he should depart out of this world to his father, when he had loved his that were in the world, he loved them to th'end. And after supper & so forth. In which saint Luke answering with the other writeth, that Criste in his last supper said, I have inwardly desired to eat this paschal with you before I suffer and so forth. And within a little while after: And taking the breed, he said grace and broke it, & gave it to them saying: This is my body that shall be delivered for you. Do you this in remembrance of me. How in my remembrance? That you may remember how I have loved all you that believed in me/ who for the great love I bore you, to th'intent I may be with you bodily to the worlds end, have given you meat, mine own body and mine own blood, under the form of breed, and so under the sacrament, to the intent that there may come in your minds sometime, another great charity of mine, by which I dower not to suffex death for you/ which death and charity you aught to remember with the rendering of dew thanks, as oft as you consecrated and handle by mine ensample this sacrament. which thing th'apostle confirming saith, that christ, the same night he was betrayed, taking the breed and the cup, delivered it unto his disciples and said, Do you this in remembrance of me. 1. Cor. 11 As oft as you eat of this breed and drink of this cup, show you the death of our lord till he come and so forth. With how fatherly a love then christ instytuted this holy sacrament of th'altar, there is no good man that of these words of christ, & also of th'apostle, as well of that y● goeth before as followeth, understandeth not/ syns' he hard that our lord jesus christ, not only had showed in that his charity toward us (which he would should be perpetual) in that he took upon him our nature, to make us as saint Iohn saith men by participation, John. 1● gods by faith, and all he took of ours gave us again for our health/ but also offered up to god his father, his own body on the cross, as a sacrifice for our reconciliation, his blood to be shed as a price and lauatory of our sin, that being redeemed from the miserable servitude, we might be cleansed from our vice. Wherefore to th'intent the remembrance of so high a benefit might abide in us, and the greatness of the love of god more firmly fixed in our breasts, in his last supper as it is written in the gospel of saint Iohn, John. 13. in the paschal made with his disciples, at his departing out of this world to his father, he gave his body for meat, and his blood for drink, to be received of faithful folk under the form of breed, ordaining this holy sacrament of th'altar, as a perpetual remembrance of his passion to th● fulfilling of th'old figures, & one of the greatest miracles that ever he did, as a singular comfort of all those that are sorrowful for his absence. As though he would say: I shall not leave you fatherless/ not for that I will come again to you myself, but because I will be ever with you, even to the end of the world by my mercy, by my grace, by my divine power, you and in the sacrament of my body and my blood. O the wonderful sweetness of thine ineffable charity. O the precious & marvelous wholesome feast. O the most excellent sacrament. O moste to be worshipped. O most honourable. O most reverend. O most worthy praise. O most worthy glory, highly to be magnified, to be extolled by worthy criers, to be honoured with all the heart, with all devotion, with all reverence. what more marvelous than this sacrament, in which breed and wine is verily converted into the body and blood of jesus christ/ in which pertyte Crist is contained by the virtue of the word, under the form and likeness of a peace of breed: Take you this is my body, which is eaten of good christian folk, & in the mean while is not torn/ but though the sacrament be divided, yet the body abideth and continueth holeunder every part of that that is divided: O so wonderful a sacrament and marvelous, so full of charity, that no man can cry the worthiness of it better, than by the words of saint Paul where he saith to the Romans: Rom. 1● O the deepness of the divine sapience, & knowledge of god. How incomprehensible be his judgements? how investygable his ways? For who knew the mind of our lord, or who was his counsaylour? O in deed a wonderful sacrament of which Esaias verily spoke when he said, E●ai. ● Unless you believe you shall not understand. which christ himself affirming said unto the unbelieving jews of so high a sacrament: John. 6. But there be some of you that believe not/ as though he would say, and therefore understand not, and for that cause shall go back, and not walk with me, when the jews said: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? This is a hard saying. And who can hear him? And the evangelist showeth, what Crist said. My flesh is very meat, and my blood is very drink. who eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, tarrieth in me and I in him, and so forth. From that time many of his disciples went back and walked not with him. Peter answering for all the rest, what time christ demanded of them, whether they would go from him to: Good lord, to whom shall we go? Thou haste the word of th'eternal life, and we believe & know, that thou art christ the son of god, & so forth. As though he would say, thou art able to do all with a word. Hebre. ●. And (as saint Paul writeth) thou be ryst up all thing by the word of thy power, you by which word the heavens were made. whereof David writeth: He said the word, and it was done. Psal. 32. &. 148 Now who is there my well beloved brethren, which weigheth the words of christ, & his apostles as he aught to do, will not in his heart be sorry, and also with the zeal of charity abhor the condition of this wicked time of ours, you and much rather the wicked infidelity of wicked people, by which (the devil being author) in so farforthe do not believe in this blessed sacrament of th'altar, confirmed by Crystes own mouth when he saith: This is my body and so forth: Math. 26 My flesh is very meat, Mar. 14. my blood is very drink, Lucae. 22 and so forth/ but also all thank and love toward our saviour jesus christ a far of rejected, 1. Cor. 11. John. 6. odyously, shamefully, irreverently, blaspheme, condemn, and abhor all holy scriptures, figures, reasons, & senses, even spurning at him with their feet, with tongue, with language not to be spoken/ clearly forgetful in the mean while of those holy words of christ in his last supper ꝓceding of a marvelous zeal toward us: Take you this is my body: Do you this in the remembrance of me: And this doing, show you the death of our lord, till he come to judge the world with an open and visible body/ who in the mean time, for the love I have toward you, shall contenue with you under this visible sacrament of th'altar, and so by the communion of mine own body in that sacrament be made incorporate with you. O good, o best, o most benign jesus our redeemer, who can marvel enough at thy great patience showed toward us, whom hitherto thou haste suffered so shamefully to rail against thinsty tution of the blessed sacrament of th'altar unpunished. Is this the remembrance we have of that ineffable love of thine toward us, by which thou lovydest us even to the sufferance of the most shameful death of the cross? is this the kindness, the recompense we make the for thy so great benyfytes. woe may we be, woe may we be a good & just Jesus, which hast all thy judgement of thy father, to judge every man according to his desert, which wilt leave no good deed unrewarded, nor no evil deed unpunished, to whom we shall give account of every idle word. what shalt thou do with us I pray y● then for our so great offence and wickedness, 1. Corin. 11 sins (as the apostle saith) thou iudgeste them that eat thy body unworthily, & drink thy blood unworthily, guilty of thy body & thy blood, & with no less pain to be punished than they which for malice persecuted thee, and crucified the. who to the declaration, that there is in deed thy body and thy blood, & how reverently every man aught to receive it, thou sufferedeste for many men's amendment & health of those that on a time put no difference between thy body and other material meat, some to fall sick, some week, and some to die. wilt thou spare us if we amend not? Not surely. For I wot that thou art he of whom scripture saith: Sapien. 11 Thou hast mercy on every body, because thou canst all, & dyssymblest man's sins for penance. considering now therefore my well-beloved brethren the truth of scripture/ let us beware as saint Poule counsels us, that we set not at naught the richesse of the goodness, patience, & long sufferance of our lord jesus christ, but do penance for our trespass to him whom we have offended/ whose gentleness (as saint Poule saith) draweth us to penance. 1. Cor. 11. By whom truly we shall be both judged and condemned, if according to his admonition, we do not judge ourselves. Nor let us in the mean while so foolishly flatter ourselves with the sufferance of god, as though he would forget our sin, and as a just judge not correct when he seethe time, for our so irreverent handling of the holy sacrament. How be it who knoweth not these cruel pestylences that now reign thorough out germany, sickness, dissensyons, suppressyons, the mynysshement of every estate, calamytees, and other such like kinds of evils almost infinite/ and no less horrible, chyefly to be cast upon us from god, if at the least way we believe saint Poule (as we verily must) for the unworthy and shameful handling of this holy sacrament of th'altar. 1. Cor. 11 And go me through out Germany, and as full as that nation (which was of late very devout and religious) is now of all mischief and sin: yet is there none therein greater than this. And surely unless we leave this so horrible a wickedness, we shallbe sure of the great stroke of god, you and that more than men can tell of. For in god (as saint Peter writeth) neither is there none, 1. Petr. 2 nor never shall be any lack of power, but he can deliver good men out of their temptation, and evil men can he reserve to everlasting punishment. In which number to th'intent we may not be, it shallbe needful and expedient we leave so shameful handling of this holy sacrament of th'altar, doing penance, for that is past which I trust to god we will/ and that after we have proved ourselves (as saint Poule would we should) we will I trust eat of that breed, that is to wit the body of our lord in form of breed. And when we have decerned the body of our lord from other meat, then may we worthily receive it. To the which it is requisite that first we should believe the plain word of christ: This is my body, which shall be delivered for you on the cross (as thevamgelystesevangelists with one accord writeth) demanding no reason thereof, Mat. 26 asking no questions as the unbyleving jews did, Mar. 14 How can this man give us his flesh to eat? juc. 22 This is a hard saying. John. 6 And who can hear him? 1. Cor. 11. as the scysmatyques said: To them that will deny it and ask this question of us, how can there be the body of christ under the form of breed? and so forth. How can we answer them better than with the saying of Esaias. Ezaie. 7. If you believe not, you shall not understand. Hebre. 11 And because all things be possible to him that believeth christ, who cometh to god must believe. johan. 20. For christ himself said to saint Thomas of Ind: Be not unfaithful but believe, Blessed be they that have believed & see not. That we comprehend not by wit, that we see not at eye/ let us believe, besides the comen order of nature. why honour we not christ that suffered for us, in that, sacrament of th'altar? syns' till this our of all as many as be & have been, there is none that hath brought any thing forth to prove, that we aught or may depart from that faith, which the hole catholic church, so long agone hath kept and approved, which the evangelists & apostles writing so evidently reach, showing with one consent & agreement, that christ said: This is my body that is given for you. Against which there is not so much as one tyttell of scripture, that showeth in any place manifestly the contrary hereof, or saith that there is not the body of our lord jesus christ. It is also very agreeable unto the ineffable love of god toward man kind, that those whom he had redeemed with this precious blood & body of his son, he would also by a certain inspeakable means, feed them with his flesh, blood & body, & so to be comforted by this secret presence of his son, as by a pledge, till he should come gloriousely in the sight of all the world. God forbid it therefore we should give any place at all to all these foolish sophistycall sutteltyes brought against this sacrament, which arguments we have confuted before, by hole & sound reasons of holy scripture/ which were such as never none yet hitherto, were able to impugn, you the lest part of them/ syns' there is nothing stronger than truth, and also this is the faith, that ever hath the over hand, & by which all things (as Cryst himself saith) be possible. 1. John. 5 whereby I am more led to believe one word of the prophet, that says, He said the word and it was done, Psal. 32. &. 148. than all the coloured crafty subtle arguments or opinions of Arystotell, Plato, other philosophers, or heretics. So much before all the reasons & prynciples that ever could be brought, pfere we this words, Hoc est corpus meum, This is my body. Nor it is not leeful that any reason of man should be preferred before the word of god, for as much as saint Peter says, Actu. 5. we aught more to believe in god & obey him, than men. Nor this objection can not stand, if one should say, that christ sitteth in heaven on the right hand of his father, nor will not be with us till time he come to judge in the day of judgement, For I will answer here unto that he that is every where & ever, with whom nothing is impossible, may be gloriously with his father in heaven, & shall come in a visible body to judge, & both now is with us & shallbe with us (as himself saith) even to th'end of the world/ not in no visible body, Mat. 82 but in the sacrament, in the form of breed. And also let these heretics tell us how this may be, that christ should be verily here with us on earth, and yet himself verily in heaven. For that he so was in deed, himself witnesseth where he says: Not man ascendeth unto heaven but he that hath descended out of heaven, the son of man which is in heaven. If they believe this why noty ᵗ? What & they by leave neither nother? you, what & they believe nothing at all? as we may easily perceive by their fruits they do not. Nor again this reason can not hold that it seemeth a jesting stock & a foolishness, to believe that christ can be or aught to be under the form of a little piece of breed, & there to be hid & contained/ & then say farther that it profiteth nothing and so forth. I would answer if they would so say, that they nothing differ, neither from the unbyleving jews nor yet reprobate paynims that were before tyme. For by this means they nother shall nor can, believe any point of the catholy like faith, for as much as saint Paul saith: 1. Cor. 1. Nole christ is crucified, that is to say all the hole faith of christ/ & every word of his, is occasion of ruin to the jews, & amongst the paynims taken for very folly. who was I pray you more mocked at, than saint Poule, when he taught the resurrection of Criste & of deed folk. were not the jews offended in christ, reproving him of folly, when he said himself was breed & meat from heaven, when they murmured amongs themselves & said: Is not this the son of joseph, whose father & mother we knew? Now then saith he, that I am descended from heaven? for they thought it but a foolish thing to believe god incarnate, or to believe it possible for any that descendeth from heaven to earth, might be at the same self moment in heaven still to. Truly saint Paul saith: 1. Corī● The word of the cross to them that shall perish is but foolishness/ but to them that shall be safe, that is to wit to believers, it is the power of god. wherefore we may lightly gather, that we must believe this very bore word of god in which he said, This is my body that is delivered for you: Do you this in the remembrance of me. secondly if we will receive the body of our lord worthily we aught in the receiving & doing, remember that marvelous great love of his toward us, by the which for our sakes he delivered up his body on th'altar of the cross/ after which also he gave himself in the sacrament for us as a spiritual meet to eat, as a pledge & testymonyall of his love toward us/ as though vouchsafing by the communion of that self same sacrament, to be incorporate & all one thing with us, by being partakers of his blessed body. which evidently appeareth by saint Poule to the Corinthies, 1. Corin. 10 where he saith: The breed that we break is it not the partycipation or to be parteyner of the body of our lord? for the breed is one, & all we that be ꝑteyners of that one breed & that one cup, being menny, be all one body. And in good faith it is not much against reason to believe in this so noble a sacrament, that christ was hard of his father a little before, when he prayed in this wise: I do not only pray for them, but also for all such as shall believe in me by their preaching, that all may be one as thou my father art in me and I in thee, that they may be all one in us, I in them & thou in me, that they may be made one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. But I pray you, this unity and so wondered a love of the son and the father toward us, of what (if the words of th'apostle be well weighed) shall it be rather understanden, then in the participation or being partner of this sacrament, where is the body and blood of our lord. whereof thirdly it followeth to the receiving of it worthily, that we must keep the truth at the receving, which (as saint Poule writeth) is marked unto us as a figure and a shadow. first if we will receive it worthily, let us be girded up, that is to say, by chastity of mind and body. secondly hold staves in our hands/ that is to wit, we must have a sure faith. Thirdly stand upright not inclining now again to vice & the filthiness of sin, from which we be risen by confession and contrition. Fourthly not eat this immaculate lamb sod in water & bitter lettuse, but roast it with fire, that is to say with bitter contrition for our trespass, and fiery charity. Fyftly put on shows on our feet/ whereby is meant we must keep the affections of our heart from fleshly desires, & compel them to serve for the love of our lord jesus Criste, avoiding all that is contrary to him, doing that may please him, and after the counsel of saint John, not loving him alonely by word & tongue, ●. Iohn. ● but in deed & truth/ as himself hath loved us which died for our sake, leaving behind him to us this blessed sacrament as a remembrance of his love when he says: Take you this is my body that is given for you: Do you this in the remembrance of me, that is to say, remembering how I have loved you, which dying for you, was contont to be made also for you, meet, the feast, and the gest together. printed by w. Rastell. 1533. Cum privilegio.