John Noye Of Laxfield; A Story Of Exclusion

 

Mass is the central act of Christian worship, which culminates in celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist. According to the ancient eucharistic doctrine the elements of bread and wine are converted ( transubstantiated) into the body and blood of Christ, though the outward appearances of the elements, their “accidents,” remain,  Catholicism maintains that Christ's body and blood are present in the consecrated host (the wafer of bread upon which the priest says the words of Jesus from the Last Supper: "This is my body") and in the consecrated wine (over which the priest says the words of Jesus: "This is the chalice of my blood"). Five hundred years ago, belief in this supernatural process was an essential pillar of British Christianity where it was activated daily by priests before their congregations. Regular church attendance to partake of the consecrated bread and wine was mandatory for an individual to be included as a member of the community. Such was the situation in the small Suffolk village of Laxfield in 1557.

In April of that year, Laxfield’s shoemaker, John Noyes, was reported to local community officials (justices) for non attendance at church. The outcome was his appearance before the bishop of Norwich, where he was asked to reply to the following questions.

Whether he believed that the ceremonies used in the church were good and godly to stir up men's minds to devotion.

Whether he believed the pope to be supreme head of the church here in earth.

Whether he believed the body of our Lord Jesus Christ to be in the sacrament of the altar under the forms of bread and wine, after the words of consecration.

He answered that he thought the natural body of Christ to be only in heaven, and not in the sacrament, &c. For the which, sentence (burning at the stake) at last was read by the bishop against him

In the mean time his brother-in-law, one Nicholas Fisk, of Dennington, going to comfort him at such time as he remained prisoner in the Guildhall of Norwich, after Christian exhortation, asked him if he did fear death when the bishop gave judgment against him, considering the terror of the same: and the said Noyes answered, he thanked God he feared death no more at that time, than he or any other did, being at liberty. Then the said Nicholas required him to show the cause of his condemnation: upon which request the said John Noyes wrote with his own hand as followeth --

"I said," quoth he, "that I could not believe that in the sacrament of the altar there is the natural body of Christ, the same body that was born of the Virgin Mary. But I said that the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ is received of Christian people in the remembrance of Christ's death, as a spiritual food, if it be ministered according to Christ's institution.

"But they said, I could not tell what spiritual meant.

"The bishop said that the sacrament was God, and must be worshiped as God. So said the chancellor of the cathedral also.

"Then answered I, 'My Lord, I cannot so believe.

Now being condemned, he was sent, again from Norwich to Eye prison; and upon the twenty-first day of September, in the year aforesaid, about midnight, he was brought from Eye to Laxfield, to be burnt; and on the next-day morning was brought to the stake, where were ready against his coming the foresaid justice, Master Thurston, one Master Waller, then being under-sheriff, and Master Thomas Lovel, being high-constable, as is before expressed; the which commanded men to make ready all things meet for that sinful purpose. Now the fire in most places of the street was put out, saving a smoke was espied by the said Thomas Lovel proceeding out from the top of a chimney, to which house the sheriff and Grannow his man went, and brake open the door, and thereby got fire, and brought the same to the place of execution.

When John Noyes came to the place where he should be burnt, he kneeled down and said the fiftieth Psalm, with other prayers; and then they, making haste, bound him to the stake. And being bound, the said John Noyes said, "Fear not them that can kill the body, but fear him that can kill both body and soul, and cast it into everlasting fire."

After the burning the villagers were forbidden by the local justices to talk about it.


https://www.exclassics.com/foxe/foxe371.htm