Now began the greatest part of Ridley’s witness to the cause of the Reformation in England and to biblical truth. Previously, we traced his life up to the time he was imprisoned by the newly-enthroned Mary Tudor. From the early days of his imprisonment he did all that he could, by word of mouth and by pen, to defend the Reformed doctrines.
Transubstantiation
His fellow prisoner in the Tower was Hugh Latimer, formerly Bishop of Worcester. Foxe has left us an account of their conferences, in which they helped each other prepare for their ‘examinations’.
The main subject on which they would be questioned was the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. This was so important because it was fundamental to whole Roman Catholic system, and that is still true today. It is one of those points in which the total difference between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism is focused, so that acceptance or rejection of this one matter entails acceptance or rejection of the whole Roman Catholic system of religion.
The mighty oak tree is, in a sense, contained in the acorn. All its branches, leaves, bark and roots are latent in that small seed. So it is with the doctrine of transubstantiation. It contains the germ of Roman Catholic religion, whose manifestations and implications can all be developed from that single tenet with a perfect and logical coherence.
