Truth and Falsehood, Book · Chapter 14
That the wicked receiue not in the Sacrament Chriſts bodie and blood. CHAP. 14
THE PROTESTANTS
BEcauſe that whoſoeuer hath eaten the ſonne hath the ſonne (for hee is meate that periſheth not)Ioh. 6.50 and he that hath the ſonne hath life.1. Ioh. 5.22 And on the contrary,De ciuit. Dei lib. 21. ca. 25 De conſecra. diſt. 2. vt quid paras ex Auguſtino. as ſaint Auguſtine ſaith, He can not eate Chriſts body, that is not in his body. Laſtly, ſeeing he can not be torn with the teeth, but muſt be receiued by faith, wee therefore teach, that although the wicked may be partakers of the viſible ſignes, yet they can not be ſaid to eate or receiue the body and blood of our ſauiour Chriſt. And with Saint Auguſtine, In Ioh. tract. 59that they may eate, as Iudas did the Lords bread, againſt the Lord, but the bread the Lorde, they can not eate: which doctrine is moſt plaine, and bringeth with it no abſurdities or doubts
THE PAPISTS
BVt the Church of Rome,Iren. lib. 4 cap. 34. forgetting that the Sacrament conſiſteth of twoo things, that is to ſay, the materiall breade, and that which came down from heauen, which is Chriſt: do adde vntounto theſe a third, namely,Bellarm. de Euchar. li. 1 cap. 23 the effect of the body of Chriſt, or his ſpirituall graces: making thereby a ſeparation, and, as it were, a diuorce betweene the bodie of Chriſt, which they teach, the wicked may receiue, and thoſe graces which can not in deede bee ſeparated from the ſame, and cannot be giuen to the vngodly. Whereby they do wrap themſelues in ſuch a cloud of doubts, as all the Papiſts in the world, wil neuer be able to anſwer:M. Bilſo… part. 4. whilest ſome ſay, that this body goeth no further than to the teeth: ſome allowe it to hauehave paſſage but to the ſtomake, but not to abide there: ſome to continue there alſo: yea, ſome ſay that it goeth as other meate into the belly & yet remaineth ſtil Chriſts body ſo long as the forme of the bread remaineth: yea, and that it may be voided either vpward or downward, and receiued of man or beaſt.
Although this vnreconcileable difference that is among them, in ſo materiall a point of their religion, namely, what is becom of the body of Chriſt, after the wicked hauehave receiued the ſame: and theſe filthy blaſphemies, and deteſtable ſhifts that they are driuen vntounto, for defence of their hereſie, be a ſufficient confutation, both of that doctrine of tranſubſtantiation, from whence doe ſpring all theſe filthie pudles and ſinckes, and alſo of this other, that the wicked may eate the body of Chriſt, which is but a ſowre grape of that vnkindely roote: yet for the better ſatiſfying of the ignorant, I will (by Gods aſſiſtance) take a ſhort view of their arguments, whereby they indeuour to proue that the moſt wicked men may eate the body and drinke the blood of Chriſt. Now their chiefe and almoſt onelyonly proofe is taken from tranſubſtantiation: of the vntrueth of which doctrine, I truſt I hauehave ſpoken ſufficiently in the former chapter.
And now therefore, that I may conclude, that if the wicked can not eate the body of Chriſt, vnleſſe the bread be changed into the bodie, as themſelues will confeſſe: then, becauſe there is no ſuch change, therefore the wicked eate not his body. But one ſhew of an argument they make out of the ſcriptures:1. Cor. 11.27, 29 He that eateth and drinketh vnwoorthily, is guiltie of the body and blood of the Lord, and after, eateth and drinketh iudgement vntounto himſelfe, making no difference of the Lordes bodie. Out of which place they reaſon to this effect: The wicked or vnworthy receiuers, can not be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, vnleſſe they receiue it: But they are guiltie of them, and receiue iudgement to themſelues therby: Therefore they receiue the bodie and blood of the Lord. The minor or ſecond propoſition is true, for ſaint Paul ſaith it. But the firſt is moſt falſe. For although the wicked can not be, neither are partakers of the bodie and blood of Chriſt: yet becauſe they come not to the ſacrament which was inſtituted of God (to offer and aſſure vsus of the heauenly graces) with ſuch reuerence as they ought to do, and in ſuch ſincerity as behoueth them, therefore are they accounted (and that woorthily) to deſpiſe the things themſelues that are repreſented by thoſe viſible ſignes. And this is it that S. Paul findeth fault with the Corinthians: For that by deſpiſing the ſacrament of the body and blood of Chriſt, they ſhewed their contempt of the thing ſignified thereby. And therfore S. Ambroſe Ambroſe.ſaith euen vponupon theſe words: Becauſe it is the Lorde, whoſe blood he drinketh in myſtery. S. Hierome Hierome.yeeldeth the reaſon why he is guiltie of the body & blood of Chriſt, Becauſe he hath accounted as vile, the Sacrament (marke his wordes) of ſo great a myſterie. Not therefore are they guiltie becauſe they eate Chriſt, but becauſe (ſaith hee) they deſpiſe the Sacrament of ſo great a myſterie. And Theophilact Theophilactvppon theſe wordes ſaieth, Hee that receiueth it vnwoorthily, ſhall bee no leſſe guiltie of wickedneſſe, than if hee ſhed the very blood of the Lord. Where we ſee, that Theophilact doth compare the vnworthy receiuing of the holie ſacrament, with the ſhedding of Chriſtes blood, and ſo maketh them two diuerſe things. And therefore, in his iudgement, it is not all one to receiue the Sacrament, and to receiue Chriſt. So that by theſe places it appeareth, that the wicked may bee guiltie of the body and blood of Chriſt, which are by the holy Sacrament repreſented and ſealed vp vntounto the faithfull, and yet not receiue the body and blood of Chriſt. Yet by the way, I muſt needs note the falſe dealing of Andradeus a popiſh writer, who to make the Apoſtles argument the ſtronger for him, doeth falſifie his wordes. And therefore where the Apoſtle ſaith, hee that eateth of this bread, and drinketh of the Lordes cup vnworthily, he ſaith, Hee that eateth the Lordes body, Orthod. ex. pli. lib. 7.and drinketh of his blood. But it is no great fault in poperie to abvſe the Scriptures, and to adde to them, or take from them, as they thinke good. Wee ſee therefore, that this cleane meate is for cleane men: this holy banquet is for holy gueſts, as they had wont to crie. For,De benedict. patria… ch. c. … as ſaint Ambroſe ſaith, This bread is the foode but of the godlie. And why? becauſe, Our abiding in him, Cypr. de co… na Domini.is our eating of him, and our drinking of him, is our incorporating into him, our ſeruices being ſubiected, our willes conioyned, and our affections vnited (to him.) Therefore the eating of his fleſh, is a certaine earneſtneſſe and deſire to abide in him. Which things to be in the vngodly, the Papiſts will in no wiſe affirme. Many teſtimonies might be alleaged, but with one ſhift they thinke to anſwer all.The anſwer of the Papiſts. Chriſt his body and blood (ſay they) may be receiued of the wicked, but not the fruit or effect thereof. And may Chriſt be receiued of any, and they not to liue by him?Confutation of it. Can he that is full of all grace and power, be at any time, as it were, robbed of the ſame? God forbid. For, if they wil ſpeake of his conuerſing among the Iewes, and of his being among many whileſt he was vponupon earth, that got no good thereby, the reaſon thereof is plaine: it was becauſe they receiued him not.Ioh. 3.19, 20. But to ſay, that any may receiue him, and is not partaker of his graces and benefites, is moſt expreſly againſt the wordes of our Sauiour Chriſt,Ioh. 6.57. He that eateth me, ſhall liue through me. They can not therefore offer a greater diſgrace to our Sauiour Chriſt, than to ſay, that any can receiue him, and yet not be partakers of his heauenly graces. So that whileſt they take vponupon them the defence of the wicked in ſome ſort, they ſet themſelues, euen wilfully to reproch the holy one of Iſrael. But if it ſhould be granted to them, that the wicked may eate Chriſt, how, or when wil they agree, what ſhall be done with that body & blood of Chriſt that they ſo eate? For themſelues deny, that the ſoules of the wicked are noriſhed by him. And that their bodies ſhould by his body be noriſhed is too abſurd. What then becommeth of his body and blood, which they ſay the wicked receiue? To anſwer this queſtion reſolutely and definitiuely, they hauehave not yet agreed, they neuer will, they neuer can. Therefore, vntill they can anſwere directly to ſuch inconueniences, as of neceſſitie follow the doctrine that they teach, let vsus beleeue, that Chriſt is the foode of the faithfull onelyonly, becauſe none other but they do receiue him. Let vsus not heare them, who in the ſacraments, which ſhould be, and are indeede moſt plaine and eaſie, teach vsus wholy to looke for miracles, as doe the Papiſts. For Chriſt is preſent by miracle, and abſent by miracle, if they ſay true. And ſo, when all learning and ſcriptures faile, then they perſwade vsus, that we muſt ſeeke for a wonder, and ſo make them that will giuegive credite to them in theſe their groſſe deuiſes, the wonders of the world for their folly. But enough of this.