A brefe confutatacion of this most detestable, [and] Anabaptistical opinion, that Christ dyd not take hys flesh of the blessed Vyrgyn Mary nor any corporal substaunce of her body For the maintenaunce whereof Ihone Bucher otherwise called Ihone of Kent most obstinately suffered and was burned in Smythfyelde, the .ii day of May. Anno Domini M.D.L.

SO subtile is sathan , our Enemy Immortal , When hé is transformed into an angell of light He captiuates oure sences , so fond and phantastical That we doubt not to deme the day to be nighte . Histori . Ecclesi . Lib. iiii . ca. xiiii By Suche lieng spirites seduced is the sight . And with pernicious opinions amased in a miste Ace al they that beleue not , the incarnation of Christ . ¶ In the primatiue churche , within fortie yeres , After Christes asencion , this darnell begonne , To springe vp by Marcion , his complices and feers Whom Policarpus called , the deuyls eldest sonne . The Anabaptistes hold herein , an erronius opinion So did the wayward Virago , that wold not repent The deuils Eldest doughter , which lately was brent . ¶ Beware of such errours , and reuerentlye reade Gods worde with humilitie , and modestie ▪ of mynd , Geue faith to the same , and sticke to thy Crede For the deuyll nowe bestirs him , and doth but hys kind To hinder the Gospell , many meanes doth he finde . He rages and raunges , the wyld worlde ouer He makes many lose with shorte , and some with ouer . ¶ This the scripture is wrested , and all to be Rackte Of Such as with spirites of errour are ledde Th assistance of God , and his meke spirite is lacte To teach them the true sence , whan his word is redde It serues not to mayntayne fonde toyes in their heade . iii. 〈…〉 xix . And wher the proude spirite is halt , and voyde of goddes feare . Non ibidem dominus . The Lorde is not There . ☞ God promised to Eue , that the sead of a womanne Gen. 〈…〉 Shulde treade downe the head of the subtill serpente , This Promise was fully accomplyshed than When Christ became man and made the attonemente . This seade was of his mother ▪ and not from heauen sente ●at● . ● . How can it be called the sede of a woman truly Which taketh no substaunce , nor parte of her bodye ? To Abraham and Iacob , the same sead was promysed The boke of Genesys , is playne and manifest : In thy sede , shall all the people of the worlde be blessed Not brought from aboue , but borne to performe the behest Was Christ of his mother , and not from heauen sent To this sence and meanyng thy wittes thou enclyne , And marke well what is meant by thys pronoune thyne How could it be their sead , whiche take not their substaunce But came downe from heauen , and was not of their kind ? The scripture . Conteineth no such repugnaunce Who shal be able by the same , to proue or to finde To warrant Christes humanyty , or beleue it in his mynd ? If ye make it vncertayne , of whom he did take it It appereth by thys opinion the deuyll is awaked . ☞ God promised to rayse vp the same sede to Dauyd Of the frute of his belly to sit on his seat . In the second of Samuell and the seuenth ye may haue it God is full Iust and did not forgette To conquere the dyuel and his deuise to difeate , To vanquish his iudgement and putt awaye synne , Christ was this sede borne of his mother the virgyn . Esaye the prophete confirmed the same A virgyn shall conceiue and brynge forth a chylde , With this the Gospell of Mathewe doth frame The fruite did growe in the wombe vndefilde And the mother waxt greate , nature was begild This came not by fortune or casuall chaunce That Christe toke of his mother his corporall substance . ☞ From the rote of Iesse procede shall a bud , And a flower of this rote , for so the prophet saies . This bud was Marye , of whose fleshe and bloud , Came Christe the flowre , my fayth shal be alwayes The fruite of her wombe whyche neuer decayes , And not as water which runnes to a Condit , And passes thorowe a pipe , as the Diuell nowe hath found it . ¶ To conceyue and beare a chylde what other thinge is mente , Than the mother to her child to geue and participate , As the tree to the fruit ? for euen so dyd this parent , Of her body with thys chylde communicate . Nourished him in her wombe where he was incorporate . And not as tayne comes from heauen as Martian spoke . Whyche is as true as an oringe springes of an oke . Mathewe discribing the Lineall dessente In his genealogye , thus he writtes of Marye Of whome is borne Christ , learne what he meant By this terme of , for he doth not saye by Whom , or through whom : the holy ghost cannot lye . Beleue than gods worde though the deuel be neuerso loth And let thy wyl and thy wyt gaue place to the troth ☞ As touchyng the flesh Christ was borne of Dauids sede , And whan the tyme was perfourmed , God than did send His sonne borne of a woman , let this be the Crede , And forget not the Aue , with what wordes it doth ende Blessed is the fruyte of thy wombe , pray to god he may defende The , from this errour , and so from al other , That thou may beleue , Christe toke fleshe of hys mother . ☞ But if froward fondnes , haue so wedded the to thy wyl , Both piuyshe and peruerse , that these will not perswade The fourth of the Galathians I wyl write in my bille The place is pithy , to tourne the from that trade . But when the ful tyme was come , God sent his sonne made Of a woman , the greke hath it made , written by Poulle , And not bourne : beleue this scripture , and dampne not thy soule . ☞ Tyme wil not serue to vtter the store Of sundry textes , which scripture contaynes Agaynst this opinion , and most dyuelish erroure , Lately maintayned by a sort of Idle braines . And all to seme singuler but marke well their gaynes They are so sturdy and stoute , they wyll be take for no starters Thei had rather goo to the Dyuel , like stinking marters . ☞ Scripture disdaynes not , to cal Christ the sonne ●●he . i 〈…〉 . ii . Of Marye his mother , in Luke and in Mathewe , But their hartes are so hardened they will not be wonne They make a tush at a text , be it neuer so true . They wyl beleue Paule no more , than a turcke or a Iewe , To aledge them scriptures , it greately skylleth not Ther is none so blind as they that can se , and will not . ☞ Thys doubte were discussed if they vnderstode And wold rede and beleue , the second to the Ebrues , Forasmuch as the chyldren were pertakers of flesh and bloude , He also him selfe likewise did not Refuse But toke part with them , wherby he subduse Through death the deuyll , our mortall aduersary Where had Christe his fleshe , but of his mother Mary ? ☞ Christ toke the sede of Abraham , he toke it not of Aungelles So that be became like to his brethren in al thinges Synne only excepte , thus playnly Paule telles , Where came he by thys flesh , which amongst vs he brings ? Had he fethers as well as flesh , and came downe with winges ? Christ came to be a mediatoure , it was requisite that he Shuld be partaker of the godhede , and of our humanitye . Christe preached the worde , and sowed forth good sedes , The Apostles trauayled , and toke greate paynes , But Belsebub besturred him , and vp came the wedes Whiche shortly sprong vp in fantasticall braynes . Suche Deuilishe deceyuers the Deuyll intertaynes . Many entred in Iohns tyme whyche woulde not confesse : That oure Sauioure Iesus Christe was come in the fleshe . ☞ It semed most mete to gods hyghe prouidence And also most necessarye for our redemcion , That wher the fyrst man in our nature committed disobedience . The second Man Christe shoulde make satisfaccion . Repayre and recompence in the same nature and parson And paye the payne of synne this was not omitted In the fleshe of man wherein it was committed . ☞ Howe standeth to the Corinthyans Paules dysputacion If Christ had not his nature common wyth vs ? In whom now rysen Paule proueth an vniuersal resurreccion It were easy to reply agaynst the same thus : If it myght : be alledged ( as it cannot ) that Iesus Broughte downe from heauen an heauenly body In to the wombe of the Vyrgyn Mary . ☞ What maruell is it , if an heauenly substaunce , Be vtterly voyde and exempte from corrupcion It cannot well folowe ther must be variaunce , That our bodies subiecte to putrefaccion , Shoulde ryse vp agayne wythout corrpucion That we doute not hereof let vs beleue sure That Christe toke parte wyth vs in our nature . ☞ Esay the Prophet sayd he was made Emanuell , The worde soundes and signifieth God is wyth vs , Howe it should be other wyse , I cannot tell . But I am assured that Dauyd in the parson of Iesus ●●alme Reade the .xxii. Psal. where he this doute doeth dyscus Thou toke me from my mothers wombe to performe the behestes Thou wast my hope when I hnaged vpon my mothers breastes . ☞ Let vs praye vnto god longe to mayntayne and defende The state of this realme and goddes true religion , Let vs also geue thankes to god whiche hath sende Vs a kynge to al princes a president and patron , 〈…〉 A counsell most catholike for a christian congregacion . To surceasse al sedicion to punyshe false teachers And to stablishe true doctrine god sende vs good preachers . ☞ By me Edmon Becke .