it consisteth. And to declare it plainly and grossly unto you, it is a sorrow conceived for sins committed, with hope and trust to obtain remission by Christ, with a firm and effectual purpose of amendment, and to alter all things that hath been done amiss.

snow.

I have described unto you this heavenly medicine; which if we use, God hath promised by his Prophet, that if our sins were so red as scarlet, they shall be made as white as But God's word hath thus much prevailed among us, that in the stead of sorrow for our sin, is crept in a great looseness of living without repentance: in the stead of hope and trust of remission of our sins, is come in a great boldness to sin without the fear of God: instead of amendment of our lives, I see daily every thing waxeth worse and worse. So that it is much to be afraid, that God will take away from us his vineyard, and bestow it to other husbandmen which will till it better, that it shall bring forth fruit in due season. We be come to the point almost that Hieremy spake of, when he said: The people spake not that was right, no man would repent him so much of his sin that he would once say, What have I done? Every man ran after his own way, as a horse runneth headlong in battle; they have committed abominable mischief, and yet be they nothing ashamed, nor know the way to be abashed.

These words of Hieremy may well be spoken of us this present time, but let us repent in time without further delay. For we have enough and overmuch already provoked God's wrath and indignation against us. Wherefore let us pray and fall down and lament before the Lord our Maker, for he is the Lord our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his fold. To day if we hear his voice, let us not harden our hearts as the people did in the desert; for of continuance in evil living there is none other end to be looked for than eternal damnation; but of repentance and perfect conversion unto God, the end is perpetual salvation and everlasting life. And if we do not repent in time, at the last we shall be compelled to hear this terrible voice of damnation: Go ye wicked into ever

lasting fire which is prepared for the Devil and those that be his. Then there shall be no remedy, then no intercession shall serve, then it shall be too late to come to repentance. Let us rather repent and turn in time, and make intercession unto the Lord by his Son Jesus Christ. Let us lament for our sins, and call for God's mercy, that when Christ shall come at the last day, we may hear these words of him, Come to me you that be blessed of my Father, and take possession of the kingdom which my Father hath prepared for you.

And now with this humble prayer let us make an end:

e O Lord, whose goodness far exceedeth our naughtiness, and whose mercy passeth all measure, we confess thy judgment to be most just, and that we worthily have deserved this rod wherewith thou hast now beaten us. We have offended the Lord God: we have lived wickedly: we have gone out of the way: we have not heard thy prophets which thou hast sent unto us to teach us thy word, nor have done as thou hast commanded us: wherefore we be most worthy to suffer all these plagues. Thou hast done justly, and we be worthy to be confounded. But we provoke unto thy goodness; we appeal unto thy mercy; we humble ourselves; we knowledge our faults. We turn to thee, O Lord, with our whole hearts, in praying, in fasting, in lamenting and sorrowing for our offences. Have mercy upon us, cast us not away according to our deserts, but hear us, and deliver us with speed, and call us to thee again according to thy mercy; that we, with one consent, and one mind, may evermore glorify thee, world without end. Amen.

e

[There are two copies of this prayer in the Corpus manuscript. One is placed at the end of the Sermon: the other, which is a draft corrected by Cranmer, stands by itself, bearing the title described by Strype, Cranmer, p. 188. See note, p. 245.]

T

A

DEFENCE

OF THE

TRUE AND CATHOLIC DOCTRINE OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE BODY AND BLOOD

OF

OUR SAVIOUR CHRIST,

WITH

A CONFUTATION OF SUNDRY ERRORS CONCERNING THE SAME, grounded AND STABLISHED UPON GOD'S HOLY WORD, AND APPROVED BY

THE CONSENT OF THE MOST ANCIENT DOCTORS

OF THE CHURCH.

MADE BY THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD,

THOMAS,

ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY,

PRIMATE OF ALL ENGLAND, AND METROPOLITAN.

It is the spirit that giveth life, the flesh profiteth nothing. John vi.

[THIS work is printed from a copy of 1550: but a few corrections, references, and marginal notes, have been taken from later editions, particularly from that of 1580, which is said to have had the benefit of the Archbishop's last revision. Some supplementary authorities also have been added, which were collected by Cranmer during his imprisonment, but were not published till after his death; when they were inserted in a Latin translation of the Defence printed at Embden in 1557, under the direction, as it is supposed, of Sir John Cheke. These form the notes marked EMBD.

For reasons which he has given near the end of his Answer to Gardyner, Cranmer usually translates his citations. But it is very desirable, particularly as the disputants not unfrequently accuse each other of corrupting the ancient writers, to have ready access to the originals. On this account the most material authorities alleged on either side have been extracted at length from the best modern editions. As it often happens that the same passage is quoted in several different places, it has been thought best, for avoiding repetition and facilitating reference, to throw all the citations together: and the whole therefore have been inserted in the Appendix, arranged according to the dates of their respective authors.]