Rejoinder to Bristows Reply, Part 2 · Book 4 · Chapter 12
CAP. XII.
The presence of the bodie & bloud of Christin his last supper, is Sander.proued by the conference of holy scriptures taken out of the old testament.
In deede of scriptures he bringeth ether vaine allegories Fulke.& fantastical figures of his own brain, or els shamefully racketh ye sentences of the old testament, to make them prophecies of transubstantiation, which were not once spoken of the Sacrament. And first he slandereth S. Paul to hauehave said, yt to the Iewes al things chanced in figures, where he saith of such things, as came to passe in the wildernes: all these things happened to them, as figures or examples, & are written for our instruction. And although Saint Paul had so saide, as hee reporteth, yet it followeth not, that he may drawe their figures whither he will. He beginneth with the figure of Abel, whom he maketh the first shepeheard, Priest, Martyr, and perpetuall Virgine, in all which he would hauehave him to be a figure of Christ. Although that hee was the first shepeheard, it is not like, for it is not to bee thought that Adam altogether neglected the feeding of Cattell, before Abel tooke it in hand: no more then it is like, that he occupied no tillage, before Cainefell vntounto it. But that he calleth Abel the first Prieste, it is vtterly false. For Adam was the first Prieste, and receaued or God the lawe of sacrificing, which hee taught vntounto his sonnes: except Sander thinke, that Adam liued so many yeares, without exercise of religion, vntill Abel and Caine were made Priestes. For Caine is named to hauehave offered sacrifice as soone as Abel. Whereby it is probable, that neither of them both, was Priest, but Adam the heade of the familie, to whom they brought their seuerall oblations, vntounto that place, which was called the presence of the Lorde, from whence Caine was bannished after his murther committed. Concerning Abels virginitie, I will not contend, although if I should followe the Iewish traditions, as Sander doth in his allegoricall comparison in diuerse pointes, I must say, he was a married man, hauing to wife his sister Delbora. But to the comparison Sander saith, that Abell first offered himselfe vnderunder the shape of other things, and after went forth to be offered in his owne person, being traiterously slaine. This is nothing else, but a drousie dreame of Sanders sleep…e heade. The sacrifice of Abel was a figure of the sacrifice of Christes death, and not of his last supper. Neither did he offer himselfe, vnderunder the shape of his satte lambes, but he offered his lambes in signe, that God by the mediation of Christs death, should accept him. Neither did Abel go forth of purpose to be offered in his own person, when he was murthered, as Christe did, neither was the death of Abel a sacrifice, whose bloud cried vengeance, whereas the bloud of Christs sacrifice crieth merciemercy Heb. 11. Wherefore this is nothing else but a grosse abusing of the Scriptures, to faigne such foolish figures which hauehave no grounde in the worde of God, but are such as euerie one will inuent out of his own imagination. Euen as yt iest of Sander, yt Caine did beare a figure of the English communion, in which nothing but a few bsse fruits of the earth are offered: when much rather, I might say, that Cain did beare a figure of ye murdering church of Rome, which hath slain so many Abels, because her sacrifice of ye fruits of ye erth, is no better accepted. But what should I trifle after so vaine a ma ner? The second figure is of Melchizedek, which in deed seemed plausible to many of the old fathers. Against all which, I oppose the credit of the Apostle to ye Hebrewes, who omitting nothing that in Melchizedeks priesthood might be referred to Christ, maketh no mention of the sacrifice of bread and wine, which Melchizedek brought forth of princely liberalitie, & not of priestly dutie. And yet it is a vaine thing for the Papists to brag of Melchizedeks bread & wine, when they in their sacrifice wil acknowledg to remain, neither bread nor wine. But of al yt euer I heard, it is a most impudent comparison, yt Sander maketh of Melchizedek consecrating Abrahā by blessing of him, yt was really present, as it were in his hāds: And Christ consecrating his owne bodie & bloud present in his hands at ye time of his blessing & consecrating, and tanteth the Sacramentaries for acknowledging the one & denying the other. Although he speake contrary to poperie, which teacheth the presence to be after consecration, and not at the time of consecrating. But what bridle may hold in the shameles furie of Sander?
The third figure is of the paschall lambe, which was a figure of Christs death, and so applied by S. Iohn in that saying, you shal not break a bone of him. Ioan. 19. & S. Paul. 1. Cor. 5. & not a figure of the supper, from which as it differeth in signe, so it is all one in the thing signified. The fourth is the prophesie and figure of Manna, which as the Apostle teacheth 1. Cor. 10 was the same spirituall meate, that we eate, & not a figure thereof, but a sacrament of our spirituall feeding by the flesh of Christ, like as the water of the rocke, which was Christ, was a Sacrament of our spiritual nourishment by the bloud of Christ. Wherefore the partes of this comparison, as they hauehave ben all answered before in the third book, so they are of no force to prooue ye real presence or transubstantiation, but the contrary, seing the differēce of these two Sacramentes, Manna and the Lordes bread, is only in the signes, & nothing at all in the vertue of the things signified, according to S. Aug. rule. The fist figure is of the bloud of the old Testament, wherunto ye bloud of Christ shedde on the crosse doth answere, as the Apostle manifestly teacheth Heb. 9. therefore these wordes of the supper: This is the bloud of the new Testament, of necessity must be figuratiue, euen as these which are of the same sense: This cuppe is ye new Testament in my bloud. For we may not so farre aduance the Sacrament, that we abase the death of Christ, which is the only Sacrifice for our sinnes. The sixt is the prophecy and figure of Iob, which is a manifest peruerting of the scripture, from the true meaning: for either Iob complaineth of the cruelty of his seruantes, that would euen eate his flesh in his aduersity; and speaketh not of the louelove that his seruantes had to be ioyned vntounto his flesh, as ye context of that place Iob. 31. doth euidently shew; or els he sheweth the complaint of his seruantes, that were so occupied in hospitality, that they had no leasure to eate their meat, and therefore desired to eate the meare that was prouided for the stranger. Or if with Chrysost. we should vnderstand their desire to be of eating of Iobs flesh, yet it perreineth not to transubstantiation, seing we may eate the flesh of Christ without eating of the Sacrament. The seuenth conference is of prophecies taken out of Dauid and Salomon, whereas neither of both speaketh of the Sacrament, Dauid saith, Psa. 22. Thou hast prepared a table in my sight▪ against them who afflict me. By which wordes, he sheweth how bountifully God had bestowed his benif… vponupon him, both in this life; and also with assurance of the … to come, without any special regard vntounto the supper of Christ, or any Sacrament yt was of the same signification vntounto him. The saying of Salomon, Pro. 9. I hauehave an swered in the beginning of this work, where it was placed by Sander. The 8. conference, is another Prophecie of Dauid, where he saith, all that be fat vponupon earth, hauehave eaten & adored. Sander saith, they hauehave adored yt which they do eat, but Dauid saith not so, Ps. 21. but that they shal worship God ye author of their food, as it followeth immediatly: They shall all fall down &c. And whereas Sander quoteth Aug. in Ps. 98. to iustifie the adoratiō of the blessed Sacrament of ye altar, the footstoole, wherin the fulnes of ye godhead corporally dwelleth: you shall vnderstād yt Augustine vtterly denieth the Lords supper to be yt bodie yt was crucified, but a Sacrament, which being spiritually vnderstood, shall quicken vsus. The last conference is of many prophecies & figures, ioyned together, as he saith, for breuities sake. The first is of Noe being naked, after he was drunk, & laughed to scorne of his sonne. So saith Sander was Christ after he had drunke his owne bloud in his supper, which he planted for him selfe in ye virgins wombe, hanged, naked, & laughed to scorne, not only of the Iewes, but also of the Sacramentaries, for so grosse a deede, yt he drank his owne bloud, vnderunder ye form of wine. What shal I say to this monstrous blasphemie, wherein he compareth yt filthie drunkennes, & shameles nakednes of Noe, to the holy mysterie and passion of Christ? After this he ioyneth ye cakes, that Abraham set before ye Angels, as figures of yt mystical cake which was to come in Christs supper: but whereof then were ye butter, milk, & calues flesh, figures? O madnesse more then folly: for now wheresoeuer bread, corn, wine, vines, fruits of ye earth were named, all were figures of the sacrament, wherin yet he saith, is neither bread nor wine nor substance of any earthly fruit. Isaac blessed Iacob wc corne & wine, saying to Esau, what cā I do more to thee… Iacob prophecied of the fat bread of Aser, yt should giuegive deinties to ye faithful kings of yt church. God promiseth as ye highest reward, for keping of his cōmandement, to blesse the loaues of his people, & to giuegive abundance of bread & wine. If it be lawfull for Sander on this sort to play wt the holy scriptures, he may proue what he list. And more probably might we proue ye substāce of bread & wine to remaine in ye Sacramēt, of which the scripture speaketh so often wt so great cōmendation, if we should reason after his maner. As for the meat of ye sacrifice, the she we bread, ye priests Ioaues: they were in deede figures ofye spiritual feeding, yt both they & we had & hauehave of y• flesh of Christ. But the curse of Elies house, that his posterity should come & beg a morsel of bread, at the successors of Sadoc, it is a grosse prophanatiō of Gods word to apply it to a submission of the Priests of the Church, to obteine the Sacrament. And the dissembling of Dauid, before Achis, which came of infidelity, is blasphemous to apply to our Sauiour Christe, and especially with such termes, as Sander vseth, At his last supper he driuel…d like a child, to their seeming, that be wise in the world. he changed his countenance, and caried himselfe after a sort, in his owne handes, when holding and giuing to be eaten, that whith seemed bread, he doubted not to say, this is my body, &c. For Christ carying him selfe after a sort in his owne handes, Augustine is cited in Ps. 33. who being deluded with that fond translation, &ferebatur in manibus suis, (which is neither according to ye Hebrue text 1. Sam. 21. which saith, he plaied the mad man in their handes, nor according to the vulgar Latine, which saith, & collabebatur inter manus eorum, he fell downe among their handes) troubleth himself to find how Dauid as a figure of Christ, should be caried in his owne handes, and at length concludeth that Christ, ipse se portabat quodammodo he caried himselfe after a certeine manner, when he said, This is my body. The meaning of Augustine is, when he caried the Sacrament of his body. To this Sander ioyneth, the ioy that Dauid had by the fruit of corne and wine Ps. 4. where contrariwise, he preferreth ye light of Gods countenance before all temporall benefites: but it is ynough for Sander, that he nameth corne and wine. Likewise the bread that strengtheneth, and the wine that comforteth the hart of ye spiritual man, Ps. 103. the meat that God giueth to them that feare him: these (if wee beleeue Sander) were prophecies of the Sacrament, in which is neither bread nor wine. But of all other, mee thinke Sander should hauehave held his peace, of the Goodly chalice that maketh Christians drunke, Ps. 22. seing he wil not suffer Christiās, so much as to quench their thirst of that chalice, much lesse to be made drunk with it. Peraduenture it is, because the Papistes will keepe true Christians sober, that they will not suffer them to drinke of that goodly chalice that maketh men drunk. O shameles hypocrites! My soule yrketh to rehearse these grosse mockeries of Gods worde. Elias is fedde from the ayer with breade and flesh, and walketh 40. dayes in the inwarde 3. Reg. 17. 3. Reg. 19.strength of a peece of bread. Yet in the first there was bread and flesh, which would make well for the Lutherans; in ye other, there was bread and water, which would serue the turne of the Aquarians, if these places were figures of the Sacrament. The wheaten corne Es. 62. which Hieronyme interpreteth to be the corne of the Church, shall no more be giuen to her enimies, & that vine wherin she hath labored, shall no more be drunke of strange children, the corne of the elect and the wine that ingendreth virgins, as the vulgar text translateth, Zachary Cap. 9. If they perteine to the Sacrament, doe rather fight against transubstantiation then for it. As for the bread in Ieremie 11. wherein the wodde is fastened, is a palpable error of ye translator, as I hauehave shewed before. The cleane Sacrifice of Malachie is to be offered of eueryevery one of the faithfull, and therefore is not the Popish Sacrifice of the Masse. The bread of Angels was Manna, Psa. 77. which spiritually was ye body of Christ, as ye Sacramental bread is to vsus. Last of all Salomon saith and repeteth often: No other thing to be good vnderunder the sunne, besides eating & drinking with gladnes and mirth, where vntounto Sander addeth, that ye best thing vnderunder the sunne, may be eaten and drunken, which Salomon neither said nor meant, but yt amongst the troubles and vanities of the world, nothing was better for a man, then quietly to enioy those things, which God giueth, and to lead his life peaceably & iustly. Eccle. 3. v. 12. Finally where Sander concludeth, that the custom of ye scripture, in commending so much bread and wine, sheweth yt the body & bloud of Christ should be giuen vnderunder their forms: I say it may more probably be gathered to shew, yt bread & wine are appointed to be the seals of our spiritual feeding, wt the body & bloud of Christ. For it is a strange maner of cōmending, to praise the substance for ye only bare shewes & accidents therof. Although the scripture in most of these places cited, intendeth in deede, neither the one conclusiō, nor ye other▪