THE FOURTH BOOK IS OF THE EATING AND DRINKING OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OUR SAVIOUR CHRIST.
CHAP. The gross error of the Papists, is of the carnal
eating and drinking of Christ’s flesh and blood I. Whether ill • , i ,
,
men do eat With OUr mOUths.
chrilt?” For they say, that whosoever eat and drink
the sacraments of bread and wine, do eat and
drink also with their mouths Christ’s very flesh
and blood, be they never so ungodly and wicked
persons. But Christ himself taught clean contrary in the sixth of John, that we eat not himcarnally with our mouths, but spiritually with
Thegodij our faith, saying, *’ Verily, verily I say unto you,
Christ. he that believeth in me, hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat mannain the wilderness, and died. This is the bread
that came from heaven, that whosoever shall eat
thereof, shall not die. I am the lively bread that
came from heaven ; if any man eat of this bread.
OF THE EATING AND DRINKING, &C. ^^^he shall live for ever. And the bread which I will give, is my flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world.”
This is the most true doctrine of our Saviour
Christ, that whosoever eateth him, shall have
everlasting life. And by and by it folioweth in
the same place of John more clearly : ” Verily,
verily I say unto you, except you eat the flesh
of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall
not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh
and drinketh my blood, hath life everlasting, and
I will raise him again at the last day : for my
flesh is very meat, and my blood is very drink.
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father
;
even so he that eateth me, shall live by me.
This is the bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead ; he that eateth of this bread, shall live for
ever*.”
This taught our Saviour Christ as well his
disciples as the Jews at Capernaum, that the
eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood was
not like to the eating of manna. For both good
and bad did eat manna, bmt none do eat his flesh
and drink his blood, but they have everlasting
life. For as his Father dwelleth in him, and he
* John vi.
200 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
in his Father, and so hath life by his Father : so he that eateth Christ’s flesh and drinketh his
blood, dwelleth in Christ, and Christ in him,
and by Christ he hath eternal life. What need we any other witness, when Christ
himself doth testify the matter so plainly, that
whosoever eateth his flesh and drinketh his
blood, hath everlasting life ? And that to eat his
flesh and to drink his blood, is to believe in him?
And whosoever believeth in him, hath everlasting life ? Whereof it followeth necessarily, that
ungodly persons, being limbs of the devil, do not
eat Christ’s flesh nor drink his blood : except
the Papists would say, that such have everlasting life. But as the devil is the food of the wicked,
which he nourisheth in all iniquity, and bringeth
up unto everlasting damnation : so is Christ the
very food of all them that be the lively membersof his body, and them he nourisheth, feedeth,
bringeth up, and cherisheth unto everlasting
life. CHAP. And every good and faithful Christian manfeeleth in himself how he feedeth of Christ, eatII.
Sn^oV’^ii^g his flesh, and drinking his blood. For he
flesb!and putteth thc wholc hope and trust of his redempLis”biood? tion and salvation in that only sacrifice, which
Christ made upon the cross, having his bodythere broken-, and his blood there shed for the
remission of his sins. And this great benefit of
CHAP.
III.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 201
Christ the faithful man earnestly considereth in
his mind, cheweth and digesteth it with the sto- mach of his heart, spiritually receiving Christ
wholly into him, and giving again himself wholly
unto Christ.
And this is the eating of Christ’s flesh and
drinking of his blood, the feeling whereof is to every man the feeling how he eateth and drinketh Christ, which none evil man nor member of
the devil can do.
For as Christ is a spiritual meat, so is he spiritually eaten and digested with the spiritual
r» 1*1 • • ^ -I ii’/> Christ is not part of us, and giveth us spiritual and eternal life, eaten with and is not eaten, swallowed, and digested with withVaith. our teeth, tongues, throats, and bellies. ” Therefore,” saith St. Cyprian ^
** he that drinketh of
the holy cup, remembering this benefit of God,
is more thirsty than he was before. And lifting
up his heart unto the living God, is taken with
such a singular hunger and appetite, that he abhorreth all gaily and bitter drinks of sin; and all savour of carnal pleasure is to him, as it were,
sharp and sour vinegar. And the sinner beingconverted, receiving the holy mysteries of the
Lord’s Supper, giveth thanks unto God, and
boweth down his head, knowing that his sins be
forgiven, and that he is made clean and perfect;
and his soul (which God hath sanctified) he ren-
” Cyprianus dc cocna Domini,
202 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
dereth to God again as a faithful pledge, andthen he glorieth with Paul, and rejoiceth, saying,
* Now it is not 1 that live, but it is Christ that
liveth within me.’ These things be practised
and used among faithful people ; and to pureminds the eating of his flesh is no horror buthonour, and the spirit delighteth in the drinkingof the holy and sanctifying blood. And doingthis, we whet not our teeth to bite, but with purefaith we break, the holy bread.” These be thewords of Cyprian.
And according unto the same, St. Austin saith,
*’ Prepare not thy jaws, but thy hearts” Andin another place”*, (as it is cited of him,) hesaith, ” Why dost thou prepare thy belly andthy teeth? believe, and thou hast eaten.” Butof this matter is sufficiently spoken before, whereit is proved, that to eat Christ’s flesh and drinkhis blood be figurative speeches.
CHAP. And now to return to our purpose, that onlythe lively members of Christ do eat his flesh andIV. The good
Christ. oniyITt drink his blood, I shall bring forth many otherplaces of ancient authors before not mentioned.First, Origen’ writeth plainly after this manner:” The word was made flesh and very meat, whichwhoso eateth, shall surely live for ever ; whichno evil man can eat. For if it could be that he•^ August, de verbis Domini, serm. o3.
* In Joan, tract. 25, ^ Origenes in Math. cap. 15.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 203
that continueth evil, might eat the word made
flesh, seeing that he is the word and bread of
life, it should not have been written, * Whosoever eateth this bread, shall live for ever.'”
These words be so plain, that I need say nothing
for the more clear declaration of them. Wherefore you shall hear how Cyprian agreeth with
him. Cyprian, in his sermon ascribed unto him
of the Lord’s Supper \ saith, ” The author of
this tradition said, that except we eat his flesh
and drink his blood, we should have no life in us ; instructing us with a spiritual lesson, and
opening to us a way to understand so privy a
thing, that we should know that the eating is our dwelling in him, and our drinking is as it were an incorporation in him, being subject
unto him in obedience, joined unto him in our
wills, and united in our affections. The eating
therefore of this flesh, is a certain hunger and
desire to dwell in him.” Thus writeth Cyprian
of the eating and drinking of Christ. And a little after he saith, ” That none do eat of this lamb,
but such as be true Israelites, that is to say,
pure Christian men, without colour or dissimulation.”
And AthanasiusS speaking of the eating of
Christ’s flesh, and drinking of his blood, saith,
‘ Cyprianus in sermo. de coena Domini.
e Athanasiuti de peccalo in Spiritum Sanctum.
204 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
*’ That for this cause he made mention of his as- cension into heaven, to pluck them from corporalfancy, that they might learn hereafter that his
flesh was called the celestial meat that camefrom above, and a spiritual food which he wouldgive. For those things that I speak to you(saith he) be spirit and life. Which is as muchto say, as that thing which you see shall be slain,
and given for the nourishment of the world, thatit may be distributed to every body spiritually,
and be to all men a conservation unto the resur-rection of eternal life. In these words Athanasius declareth the causewhy Christ made mention of his ascension intoheaven, when he spake of the eating and drinking of his flesh and blood. The cause after Athanasius’s mind was this, that his hearers shouldnot think of any carnal eating of his body withtheir mouths ; for as concerning the presence ofhis body, he should be taken from them, and as- cend into heaven ; but that they should understand him to be a spiritual meat, and spirituallyto be eaten, and by that refreshing to give eternal life, which he doth to none but to such asbe his lively members.
And of this eating speaketh also Basilius ”, ” That we eat Christ’s flesh and drink his blood,being made, by his incarnation and sensible life,
^ Basilius, epistola. 141.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST.
partakers of his word and wisdom. For his
flesh and blood be called all his mystical conversation here in his flesh and his doctrine, consisting of his whole life, pertaining both to his
humanity and divinity, whereby the soul is nourished and brought to the contemplation of
things eternal.” Thus teacheth Basilius how
we eat Christ’s flesh and drink his blood, which
pertaineth only to the true and faithful members
of Christ.
St. Jerome also saith ‘, *’ All that love pleasure
more than God, eat not the flesh of Jesu, nor
drink his blood, of the which himself saith, * He
that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood,
hath everlasting life.’ ”
* And in another place”, St. Jerome saith, ” That hereticks do not eat and drink the body
and blood of the Lord.”
And moreover he saith ‘, ‘* That hereticks eat
not the flesh of Jesu, whose flesh is the meat of
faithful men.”
Thus agreeth St. Jerome with the other before
rehearsed, that hereticks and such as follow
worldly pleasures, eat not Christ’s flesh nor drink
his blood, because that Christ said, ” He that
eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath
everlasting life.”
‘ Hieronimus in Esaiam, cap. (!>().
^ In Hieremiam. ‘ la Oseani. cap. 8.
205
206 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
And St. Ambrose saith “”, ” That Jesus is thebread which is the meat of saints ; and that hethat taketh this bread, dieth not a sinner’s death;
for this bread is the remission of sins.”
And in another book to him entitled”, he writeth thus : ‘* This bread of life which came fromheaven, doth minister everlasting life ; and whosoever eateth this bread, shall not die for ever
;
and is the body of Christ.”
And yet in another book” set forth in his name,he saith on this wise : ‘* He that did eat mannadied, but he that eateth this body shall have re-mission of his sins, and shall not die for ever.”
And again he saith p,
** As often as thou drinkest, thou hast remission of thy sins.’* These sentences of St. Ambrose be so plainin this matter, that there needeth no more butonly the rehearsal of them.
But St. Augustine in many places” plainlydiscussing this matter, saith: ” He that agreethnot with Christ, doth neither eat his body nordrink his blood, although to the condemnation ofhis presumption he receive every day the sacra-ment of so high a matter.”
And moreover St. Augustine most plainlyresolveth this matter in his book De civitate
” Ambrosius de benedictione patriarcharum, cap. 9.
” De his qui mysteriis initiantur.
” De sacramentis, lib. 4. cap. 5. ^ Lib. 5. cap. 3.
*• Augustinus in sententiis ex Prospero decerptis, cap. 339.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 207
Dei\ disputing against two kinds of hereticks
:
*’ Whereof the one said, that as many as were
christened and received the sacrament of Christ’s
body and blood, should be saved, howsoever
they lived or believed ; because that Christ said,
* This is the bread that came from heaven ; that
whosoever shall eat thereof, shall not die. I am
the bread of life, which came from heaven ; whosoever shall eat of this bread, shall live for
ever.’ Therefore (said these hereticks) all such
men must needs be delivered from eternal death,
and at length be brought to eternal life.”
*’ The other said, that hereticks and schismaticks might eat the sacrament of Christ’s body,
but not his very body ; because they be no members of his body. And therefore they promised not everlasting life to all that received
Christ’s baptism and the sacrament of his body,
but all such as professed a true faith, although
they lived never so ungodly. For such (said
they) do eat the body of Christ, not only in a
sacrament, but also in deed, because they be
members of Christ’s body.”
But St. Augustine, answering to both these
heresies, saith, ” That neither hereticks, nor such as profess a true faith in their mouths and
in their living shew the contrary, have either a true faith, (which worketh by charity and doth
” De civitate Dei, lib. 21. cap. %5,
208 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
none evil,) or are to be counted among the members of Christ. For they cannot be both members of Christ and members of the devil. Therefore (saith he) it may not be said, that any ofthem eat the body of Christ. For when Christsaith, ‘He that eateth my flesh and drinkethmyblood, dwelleth in me and I in him ;’ he shewethwhat it is (notsacramentally, but in deed) to eathis body and drink his blood : which is, when aman dwelleth so in Christ, that Christ dwellethin him. For Christ spake those words, as if heshould say, ‘ He that dwelleth not in me, and in
whom I dwell not, let him not say or think, thathe eateth my body or drinketh my blood.’
These be the plain words of St. Augustine,that such as live ungodly, although they mayseem to eat Christ’s body, (because they eatthe sacrament of his body,) yet indeed theyneither be members of his body, nor do eat his
body.
Also upon the Cospel of St. John ‘ he saith,
** That he that doth not eat his flesh and drinkhis blood, hath not in him everlasting life. Andhe that eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood,hath everlasting life. But it is not so in thosemeats, which we take to sustain our bodies; for
although without them we cannot live, yet it is not necessary that whosoever receiveth them• In Jolian. tract. 26.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 209shall live, for they may die by age, sickness, or Other chances. But in this meat and drink of
the body and blood of our Lord, it is otherwise
;
for both they that eat and drink them not, have
not everlasting life : and, contrariwise, whosoever eat and drink them, have everlasting life.” Note and ponder well these words of St. Augustine, that the bread and wine and other meats
and drinks, which nourish the body, a man may
eat, and nevertheless die ; but the very body
and blood of Christ no man eateth but that hath
everlasting life. So that wicked men cannot eat nor drink them, for then they must needs have
by them everlasting life. And in the same place St. Augustine saith further: *• The sacrament of the unity of Christ’s
body and blood, is taken in the Lord’s table of
some men to life, and of some men to death ; but
the thing itself (whereof it is a sacrament) is taken of all men to life, and of no man to death.”
And moreover he saith, ” This is to eat that
meat, and drink that drink, to dwell in Christ,
and to have Christ dwelling in him. And for
that cause, he that dwelleth not in Christ, and
in whom Christ dwelleth not, without doubt he
eateth not spiritually his flesh nor drinketh his
blood, although carnally and visibly with his
teeth he bite the sacrament of his body and
blood.”
Thus writetli St. Augustine in the twenty-sixth
–
p
210 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
Ilomily of St. John. And in the next Homily
following*, he writeth thus: ” This day our sermon is of the body of the Lord, which he said
he would give to eat for eternal life. And he
declared the manner of his gift and distribution,
how he would give his flesh to eat, saying, * Hethat eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood,
dwelleth in me, and I in him.’ This therefore is a token or knowledge, that a man hath eaten and
drunken, that is to say, if he dwell in Christ, and
have Christ dwelling in him ; if he cleave so to
Christ, that he is not severed from him. This
therefore Christ taught and admonished by these
mystical or figurative words, that we should be
in his body under him our head, among his members, eating his flesh, not forsaking his unity.”
And in his book De Doctrina Christiana”,
St. Augustine saith, (as before is at length declared,) ” That to eat Christ’s flesh and to drink
his blood, is a figurative speech, signifying the
participation of his passion, and the delectable
remembrance to our benefit and profit, that his
flesh was crucified and wounded for us.”
And in another sermon also, De verbis Aposioli”, he expoundeth what is the eating of Christ’s
body, and the drinking of his blood, saying, ” The eating is to be refreshed, and the drinking
‘ In Johan. tract. 27.
” De Doctrina Christiana, lib. 3. cap. 14.
‘ De verbis Apostoli, scrm. 20.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 211what is it but to live ? Eat life, drink life. And
that shall be, when that which is taken visibly
in the sacrament, is in very deed eaten spiritually
and drunken spiritually.”
By all these sentences of St. Augustine, it is evident and manifest, that all men, good and
evil, may with their mouths visibly and sensibly
eat the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood
;
but the very body and blood themselves be not
eaten but spiritually, and that of the spiritual
members of Christ, which dwell in Christ, and
have Christ dwelling in them, by whom they be
refreshed and have everlasting life* And therefore, saith St. Augustine^, that when
the other apostles did eat bread that was the
Lord, yet Judas did eat but the bread of the
Lord, and not the bread that was the Lord. So
that the other apostles, with the sacramentat
bread, did eat also Christ himself, whom Judas
did not eat. And a great number of places more
hath St. Augustine for this purpose, which for
eschewing of tediousness I let pass for this time,
and will speak something of St. Cyril.
Cyril, upon St. John’s Gospel % saith, ” That
those which eat manna died, because they re- ceived thereby no strength to live ever, (for it gave no life, but only put away bodily hunger;)
but they that receive the bread of life shall be
^ In Johan. tract. 59. ‘ Cyrillus in Johan. lib. 4. caj). 10
1
V 2
212 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
made immortal, and shall eschew all the evils
that pertain to death, living with Christ for
ever.” And in another place” he saith : ” Forasmuch as the flesh of them to Christ doth naturally give life, therefore it maketh them to live
that be partakers of it. For it putteth death
away from them, and utterly driveth destruction
out of them.”
And he concludeth the matter shortly in another place ^ in few words, saying, ‘* That whenwe eat the flesh of our Saviour, then have welife in us. For if things that were corrupt were
restored by only touching of his clothes, howcan it be that we shall not live that eat his
flesh?” And further’ he saith, ” That as twowaxes that be molten together, do run every part
into other : so he that receiveth Christ’s flesh
and blood, must needs be joined so with him,
that Christ must be in him, and he in Christ.”
Here St. Cyril declareth the dignity of Christ’s
flesh, being inseparably annexed unto his divinity, saying, that it is of such force and power,
that it giveth everlasting life. And whatsoever
occasion of death it findeth, or let of eternal life, it putteth out and driveth clean away all the
same from them that eat that meat and receive
that medicine. Other medicines or plasters
sometimes heal, and sometimes heal not ; but
* Cyrillus in Johan. lib. 4. cap. 1 2. ” Cap. 1 4. ‘ Cap. 1 7.
CHAP.
V.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 213this medicine is of that effect and strength, that
it eateth away all rotten and dead flesh, and
perfectly healeth all wounds and sores that it is laid unto.
This is the dignity and excellency of Christ’s
flesh and blood joined to his divinity; of the
which dignity Christ’s adversaries, the Papists,
deprive and rob him when they affirm, that such
men do eat his flesh and receive this plaster as remain still sick and sore, and be not holpen
thereby.
And now for corroboration of Cyril’s saying,
I would thus reason with the Papists, and de- – mand of them, when an unrepentant sinner re- ceiveth the sacrament, whether he have Christ’s
body within him or no ? If they say no, then have I my purpose, that
evil men, although they receive the sacrament
of Christ’s body, yet receive they not his very
body. If they say yea, then I would ask them
further, whether they have Christ’s spirit within
them or no ? If they say nay, then do they separate Christ’s
body from his spirit, and his humanity from his
divinity, and be condemned by the Scripture as very Antichrists that divide Christ.
And if they say yea, that a wicked man hath
Christ’s spirit in him, then the Scripture also
condemneth them, saying, ” That as he which
hath no spirit of Christ’s, is none of his ; so he
214 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
that hath Christ in him, liveth, because he is justified. And if his spirit that raised Jesus from
death dwell in you, he, that raised Christ from
death, shall give life to your mortal bodies for
his spirit’s sake, which dwelleth in you*^.”
Thus on every side the Scripture condemneth
the adversaries of God’s word.
And this wickedness of the Papists is to be
wondered at, that they affirm Christ’s flesh,
blood, soul, holy spirit, and his deity to be a manthat is subject to sin, and a limb of the deviL
They be wonderful jugglers and conjurers, that
with certain words can make God and the devil
to dwell together in one man, and make him both
the temple of God and the temple of the devil. It appeareth that they be so blind, that they can- not see the light from darkness, Belial from
Christ, nor the table of the Lord from the table
of devils.
Thus is confuted this third intolerable error and heresy of the Papists, that they which be
the limbs of the devil do eat the very body of
Christ, and drink his blood, manifestly and directly contrary to the words of Christ himself,
who saith, *’ Whosoever eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life.” CHAP. But lest they should seem to have nothing to
say for themselves, they allege St. Paul, in the VI.
** Romans viii.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 215eleventh to the Corinthians, where he saith, ^’Ve’ra-“” ” He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eat-^’*”” eth and drinketh his own damnation, not discerning the Lord’s body V
But St. Paul in that place speaketh of the eating of the bread, and drinking of the wine, and
not of the corporal eating of Christ’s flesh and
blood, as it is manifest to every man that will
read the text : for these be the words of St. Paul, ” Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the
bread, and drink of the cup ; for he that eateth
and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh
his own damnation, not discerning the Lord’s
body.”
In these words St. Paul’s mind is, that forasmuch as the bread and wine in the Lord’s Supper do represent unto us the very body and blood
of our Saviour Christ, by his own institution and
ordinance ; therefore, although he sit in heaven
at his Father’s right hand, yet should we come
to this mystical bread and wine with faith, reve- rence, purity, and fear, as we would do if we
should come to see and receive Christ himself
sensibly present. For unto the faithful Christ is
at his own holy table present, with his mighty
spirit and grace, and is of them more fruitfully
received, than if corporally they should receive
him bodily present. And therefore they that
* 1 Cor. XI.
216 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
shall worthily come to this God’s board, must,
after due trial of themselves, consider first whoordained this table, also what meat and drink
they shall have that come thereto, and how they
ought to behave themselves thereat. He that
prepared the table, is Christ himself. The meatand drink wherewith he feedeth them that comethereto as they ought to do, is his own body,
flesh, and blood. They that come thereto mustoccupy their minds in considering how his bodywas broken for them, and his blood shed for
their redemption. And so ought they to approach to this heavenly table with all humbleness of heart, and godliness of mind, as to the
table wherein Christ himself is given. And they
that come otherwise to this holy table, they
come unworthily, and do not eat and drink
Christ’s flesh and blood, but eat and drink their
own damnation ; because they do not duly consider Christ’s very flesh and blood, which beoffered there spiritually to be eaten and drunken,
but despising Christ’s most holy supper do
come thereto, as it were to other common meats
and drinks, without regard of the Lord’s body,
which is the spiritual meat of that table.
CHAP. But here may not be passed over the answer
unto certain places of ancient authors, which at
VII. Su.epr’^the first shew seem to make for the Papists’
thols.””‘ purpose, that evil men do eat and drink the very
flesh and blood of Christ, But if those places
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 217
be truly and thoroughly weighed, it shall appear
that not one of them maketh for their error, that
evil men do eat Christ’s very body.
The first place is of St. Augustine Conlva
Cresconiicm Gramimiticum \ where he saith, “That
although Christ himself say, ‘ He that eateth
not my flesh, and drinketh not my blood, shall
not have life in him :’ yet do not his apostles
teach that the same is pernicious to them v/hich use it not well ; for he saith, ‘ Whosoever eateth
the bread and drinketh the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood
of the Lord.’
” In which words St. Augustine seemeth to
conclude, that as well the evil as the good do eat
the body and blood of Christ, although the evil
have no benefi.t but hurt thereby.
But consider the place of St. Augustine dili- gently, and then it shall evidently appear that
he meant not of the eating of Christ’s body, but
of the sacrament thereof. For the intent of St.
Augustine there, is to prove that good things
avail not to such persons as do evil use them
;
and that many things which of themselves be
good, and be good to some, yet to other some
they be not good. As the light is good for whole
eyes, and hurteth sore eyes ; the meat which is good for some, is ill for other some : one medi-.
‘ Augustiuus contra Cresconium, lib. 1. cap. 25.
218 OF THE EATING vVND DRINKING
cine healeth some, and maketh other sick ; oneharness doth arm one, and cumbreth another
;
one coat is meet for one, and too straight foranother. And after other examples, at the lastSt. Augustine sheweth the same to be true inthe sacraments both of baptism and of the Lord’sbody, which he saith do profit only them thatreceive the same worthily.
And the words of St. Paul, which St. Augustine citeth, do speak of the sacramental breadand cup, and not of the body and blood. Andyet St. Augustine calleththe bread and the cup,the flesh and blood ; not that they be so indeed,but that they so signify ; as he saith in anotherplace. Contra Maxim’mum^. ** In sacraments,”saith he, *’ is to be considered not what theybe, but what they shew ; for they be signs ofother things, being one thing, and signifyinganother.”
Therefore, as in baptism, those that comefcignedly, and those that come unfeignedly, bothbe washed with the sacramental water, but bothbe not washed with the Holy Ghost, and clothedwith Christ : so, in the Lord’s Supper, both eatand drink the sacramental bread and wine, butboth eat not Christ himself, and be fed with hisflesh and blood, but those only which worthilyreceive the sacrament.
^ Contra Maximinum, lib. 3. cap. 22.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CIIIUST. 219
And this answer will serve to another place ^ of St. Augustine against the Donatists, where he
saith, *’ That Judas received the body and blood
of the Lord.” For as St. Augustine in that place
speaketh of the sacrament of baptism, so doth he
speak of the sacrament of the body and blood,
which nevertheless he calleth the body and
blood, because they signify and represent unto
us the very body, flesh, and blood.
And (as before is at length declared) a figure <^”ap.
hath the name of the thing that is signified there- ‘.
, . ,. . Ill I- > Fieures be by. As a man s image is called a man, a lion s caiiedby
, . – . , , . 1 • 1 1 the names of image, a lion ; a bird s image, a bird ; and an uie things iii-ni 1 wliicli they image oi a tree and herb, is called a tree or herb, signify. So were we wont to say, our lady of Walsingham, our lady of Ipswich, our lady of grace, our
lady of pity, St. Peter of Milan, St. John of
Amyas, and such like, not meaning the things
themselves, but calling their images by the name
of the things by them represented. And likewise we were wont to say, great St. Christopher
of York or Lincoln ; our lady smileth, or rocketli
her child ; let us go in pilgrimage to St. Peter
at Rome, and St. James in Compostella: and a thousand like speeches, which were not understood of the very things, but only of the images
of them.
So doth St. John Chrysostome say, that we
” De bap. contra Donat. lib. 5. cap. 8.
220 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
see Christ with our eyes, touch him, feel him,and grope him with our hands, fix our teeth in
his flesh, taste it, break it, eat it, and digest it, make red our tongues and dye them with his
blood, and swallow it, and drink it. And in a Catechism by me translated, and setforth, I used like manner of speech, saying, thatwith our bodily mouths we receive the body andblood of Christ. Which my saying divers ignorant persons (not used to read old ancient authors, nor acquainted with their phrase andmanner of speech) did carp and reprehend, forlack of good understanding.
For this speech, and other before rehearsed ofChrysostome, and all other like, be not understood of the very flesh and blood of our SaviourChrist, (which in very deed we neither feel norsee,) but that which we do to the bread and wine,by a figurative speech is spoken to be done tothe flesh and blood, because they be the verysigns, figures, and tokens instituted of Christ, torepresent unto us his very flesh and blood.
And yet as with our corporal eyes, corporalhands and mouths, we do corporally see, feel,
taste, and eat the bread, and drink the wine,(being the signs and sacraments of Christ’s body,)even so with our spiritual eyes, hands, andmouths, we do spiritually see, feel, taste, and eathis very flesh and drink his very blood.
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 221
As Eusebius Emisseniis saith ‘, ” When thou
comest to the reverend altar to be filled with
spiritual meats, with thy faith look upon the
body and blood of him that is thy God, honour
him, touch him with thy mind, take him with
the hand of thy heart, and drink him with the
draught of thine inward man.” And these spiritual things require no corporal presence of
Christ himself, who sitteth continually in heaven, at the right hand of his Father.
And as this is most true, so it is full and suffi- cient to answer all things that the Papists can
bring in this matter, that have any appearance
for their party.
Now it is requisite to speak something of the chap.
manner and form of worshipping of Christ, by IX. them that receive this sacrament, lest that intionofUie the stead of Christ himself be worshipped the
^^*”””””
sacrament. For as his humanity, joined to his
divinity, and exalted to the right hand of his
Father, is to be worshipped of all creatures in
heaven, earth, and under the earth : even so, if in the stead thereof we worship the signs and
sacraments, we commit as great idolatry as ever was, or shall be, to the world’s end.
And yet have the very Antichrists (the sub- Tiie simple
. . people be tlest enemies that Christ hath) by their fine m- deceived. ventions,and crafty scholastical divinity, deluded
‘ Eusebius Emissenus in serm. de Eucharistia.
222 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
many simple souls, and brought them to thishorrible idolatry, to worship things visible andmade with their own hands, persuading themthat creatures were their Creator, their God,and their Maker.
For else what made the people to run fromtheir seats to the altar, and from altar to altar,
and from sakering (as they called it) to sakering,peeping, tooting, and gazing at that thing,which the priest held up in his hands, if theythought not to honour that thing which theysaw ? What moved the priests to lift up the sa-crament so high over their heads ? or the peopleto cry to the priest, hold up, hold up, and oneman to say to another, stoop down before, or tosay, this da,y I have seen my Maker; and, I cannot be quiet except I see my Maker once aday ? What was the cause of all these, and thatas well the priests as the people so devoutly didknock and kneel at every sight of the sacrament,-but that they worshipped that visible thing whichthey saw with their eyes, and took it for veryGod ? For if they worshipped in spirit onlyChrist, sitting in heaven with his Father, whatneedeth they to remove out of their seats to tootand gaze, as the apostles did after Christ whenhe was gone up into heaven ? If they worshipped nothing that they saw, why did they riseup to see ? Doubtless many of the simple peo-
THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST.
pie worshipped that thing which they saw with
their eyes.
And although the subtle Papists do colour
and cloak the matter never so finely, saying”, that
they worship not the sacraments which they see with their eyes, but that thing which they believe with their faith to be really and corporally
in the sacraments, yet why do they then run from
place to place to gaze at the things which they
see, if they worship them not, giving thereby
occasion to them that be ignorant to worship
that which they see ? Why do they not rather
quietly sit still in their seats, and move the people to do the like, worshipping God in heart and
in spirit, than to gad about from place to place,
to see that thing- which they confess themselves
is not to be worshipped ? And yet to eschew one inconvenience (that is to say, the worshipping of the sacrament,) they
M\ into another as evil, and worship nothing
there at all. For they worship that thing (as
they say) which is really and corporally and yet
invisibly present under the kinds of bread and
wine, which (as before is expressed and proved)
is utterly nothing. And so they give unto the
ignorant occasion to worship bread and wine,
and they themselves worship nothing there at
all.But the Papists (for their own commodity to
keep the people still in idolatry) do often allege
223
224 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
a certain place ^ of St. Augustine upon thePsalms, where he saith, ” That no man doth eatthe flesh of Christ, except he first worship it,and that we do not offend in worshipping thereof, but we should offend if we should not worship it.” That is true which St. Augustine saith in thisplace. For who is he that professeth Christ, andis spiritually fed and nourished with his flesh andblood, but he will honour and worship him, sit-ting at the right hand of his Father, and renderunto him, from the bottom of his heart, all laud,praise, and thanks, for his merciful redemption ! And as this is most true which St. Augustinesaith, so is that most false which the Papistswould persuade upon St. Augustine’s words, thatthe sacramental bread and wine, or any visiblething, is to be worshipped in the sacrament.For St. Augustine’s mind was so far from anysuch thought, that he forbiddeth utterly to worship Christ’s own flesh and blood alone, but inconsideration and as they be annexed and joinedto his divinity. How much less then could hethink or allow that we should worship the sa-cramental bread and wine, or any outward orvisible sacrament, which be shadows, figures,and representations of Christ’s very flesh andblood !
^ Autrust. in Psul. xcviii.
THE BODY AjN^D BLOOD OF CHRIST. 225
AndSt. Auguytine was afraid, lest in worshipping of Christ’s very body we should offend ; and therefore he biddeth us, when we worship
Christ, that we should not tarry and fix our minds upon his flesh, which of itself availeth nothing, but that we should lift up our minds from
the flesh to the spirit, which giveth life : and yet
the Papists be not afraid, by crafty means, to in- duce us to worship those things, which be signs
and sacraments of Christ’s body.
But what will not the shameless Papists allege
for their purpose, when they be not ashamed to maintain the adoration of the sacrament by these
words of St. Augustine, wherein he speaketh not one word of the adoration of the sacrament, but
only of Christ himself?
And although he say, that Christ gave his
flesh to be eaten of us, yet he meant not that his
flesh is here corporally present, and corporally
eaten, but only spiritually. As his words de- » clare plainly, which follow in the same place,
where St. Augustine, as it were, in the person of
Christ, speaketh these words : ” It is the spirit
that giveth life, but the flesh profiteth nothing.
The words which I have spoken unto you, be
spirit and life. That which I have spoken, understand you spiritually. You shall not eat this
body which you see, and drink that blood which
they shall shed that shall crucify me. I have
commended unto you a sacrament, understand it ‘ Q
226 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING
spiritually, and it shall give you life. And al- though it must be visibly ministered, yet it mustbe invisibly understood.”
These words of St. Augustine, M^ith the other
before recited, do express his mind plainly, that
Christ is not otherwise to be eaten than spiritually, which spiritual eating requireth no corporal presence ; and that he intended not to teachhere any adoration either of the visible sacra- ments, or of any thing that is corporally in them.For indeed there is nothing really and corporallyin the bread to be worshipped, although the Papists say, that Christ is in every consecratedbread.
But our Saviour Christ himself hath given uswarning before hand, that such false Christiansand false teachers should come, and hath bid usto beware of them, saying, ” If any man tell youthat Christ is here, or Christ is there, believehim not ; for there shall arise false Christs andfalse prophets, and shall shew many signs andwonders, so that if it were possible, the very electshould be brought into error. Take heed, I have told you beforehand ^” Thus our Saviour Christ, like a most lovijig
pastor and saviour of our souls, hath given uswarning beforehand of the perils and dangersthat were to come, and to be wise and ware that’ -Matt. xxiv.
THE RODY AND ELOOD OF CHRIST. 227
we should not give credit unto such teachers as would persuade us to worship a piece of bread,
to kneel to it, to knock to it, to creep to it, to follow it in procession, to lift up our hands to it, to offer to it, to light candles to it, to shut it up
in a chest or box, to do all other honour unto it, more than we do unto God ; having alway this
pretence or excuse for our idolatry. Behold herti
is Christ. But our Saviour Christ calleth them
false prophets, and saith, ”Take heed, I tell you
before, believe them not ; if they say to you, Behold Christ is abroad or in the wilderness, go
not out ; and if they say that he is kept in close
places, believe them not “”.” And if you will ask me the question, who be chaf. those false prophets and seducers of the people.
the answer is soon made ; the Romish Antichrists papisis”th-.t and their adherents, the authors of all error, ig- eT^iieTeo- norance, blindness, superstition, hypocrisy, and ^
‘^
idolatry.
For Innocentius the Third, one of the most innooentrns Wicked men that ever was m the see of Rome,
did ordain and decree that the host should be
diligently kept under lock and key.
** And Honorius the Third not only confirmed Honoii,, the same, but commanded also that the priests
should diligently teach the people from time to
time, that when they lifted up the bread called
tcrfius
M.iU. xxi\-. u 2
228 OF THE EATING AND DRINKING, &C.
the host, the people should then reverently bowclown, and that likewise they should do whenthe priest carrieth the host unto sick folks.
These be the statutes and ordinances of Rome,under pretence of holiness, to lead the peopleunto all error and idolatry ; not bringing themby bread unto Christ, but from Christ untobread.
CHAP. But all that love and believe Christ himself,let them not think that Christ is corporally inXI.
uo/toThe’* the bread, but let them lift up their hearts untoing^ofChHrt heaven, and worship him, sitting there at thement. right hand of his Father. Let them worshiphim in themselves, whose temples they be, inwhom he dwelleth and liveth spiritually : but inno wise let them worship him as being corporallyin the bread ; for he is not in it, neither spiritually, as he is in man, nor corporally, as he is in
heaven; but only sacramentally, as a thing maybe said to be in the figure, whereby it is signified.Thus is sufficiently reproved the third principal error of the Papists, concerning the Lord’sSupper, which is, that wicked members of thedevil do eat Christ’s very body, and drink hisblood.
THUS ENDETH THE FOURTH BOOK.