Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 3 · Section 22
Winchester.
This comparison is out of the matter of the presence of Christes most precious body in the Sacrament, which presence this author (in the first part of his comparison) semeth by implication to graunt, when he findeth fault that the priestes deuotion should be a sacrifice satisfactory, and not the thing that is offered, which maner of doctrine I neuer read, & I thinke my selfe it ought to be improued, if any such there be to make the deuotion of the Priest a satisfaction. For vndoubtedly Christ is our satisfaction wholly, and fully,Christ is our satisfaction. who hath payd our wholl debt to God the Father, for the appeasing of his iust wrath againste vsus, and hath cancelled the bill obligatory (as S Paul saith) that was against vsus. For further opening whereof, if it be asked how he satisfied:How Christ satisfied. we answere, as we be taught by the Scriptures: By the accomplishment of the will of his Father, in his innocent willing, & obedient suffering the miseries of this world without sinne, and the violent persecution of the world, euen to the death of the Crosse, and sheading of his most precious bloud. Wherein was perfited the willing Sacrifice that he made of him selfe to God the Father for vsus, of whom it was written in the beginning of the booke, that he should lie the body and perfectt accomplishment of all Sacrifices, as of whom all other sacrifices before, were shadowes and figures.
And here is to be considered,Christes wi…. how the obedient will in Christes Sacrifice is specially to be noted, who suffered because he would. Which S. Paul setteth forth in declaration of Christes humility. And although that willing obedience was ended and perfected on the crosse, to the which it continued from the beginning, by reason wherof the oblatiō is in S. Paules spéech attributed thereunto: Yet as in the Sacrifice of Abraham when he offered Isaac, the earnest will of offering was accounted for the offering in déede, whereupon it is said in Scripture that Abraham offered Isaac, and the declaration of the will of Abraham is called the offering. So the declaration of Christes will in his last Supper, was an offering of him to God the Father, assuring there his Apostles of his will and determination and by them all the world, that his body should be betrayed for them and vsus, and his precious bloud shed for remission of sinne. which his word he confirmed then, with the gifte of his precious body to be eaten, and his precious bloud to be dronken. In which mistery, he declared his body and bloud to be the wery Sacrifice of the world, by him offered to God ye father, by the same will that he said hid body should be betrayed for vsus. And thereby ascertained vsus that to be in him willing, that the Iewēs on the crosse séemed to execute by violence and force against his will. And therfore as Christ offred himself on the crosse, in the execution of the worke of his will: so he offered himself in his Supper, in declaration of his will, wherby we might be the more assured of the effect of his death, which he suffered willingly and determinately for the redemption of the world, with a most perfect oblatiō and satisfaction for the sinnes of the world, exhibited and offered by him to God the father, for the reconciliation of mannes nature to Gods fauor and grace.
Christes once offering.And this I write because this author speaketh so precisely, how Christ offred himselfe neuer but once. Wherby, if he mean by once offering the hole action of our redemption, which was consummate and perfected vponupon the crosse: All must confesse the substaunce of that worke of redemption, by the oblation of Christ on the crosse, to hauehave béene absolutely finished, and so once offered for all. But there is no Scripture whereupon we might conclude, that Christ did in this mortall life, but in one particular moment of time offer himselfe to his Father. For S. Paul describeth it to the Philippians,Phil. 1. vnderunder the word of humiliation, to hauehave continued the wholl time of Christes conuersation here, euen to ye death the death of the crosse. And that this obedience to God, in humilitie is called offering, appeareth by S. Paule when he exhorted vsus to offer our bodies, which meaneth a continuall obedience in the obseruation of Gods will, and he calleth (oblationem gentium) to bringe them to the faith.Rom. 12. And Abrahams willing obedience ready at Gods commaundement to offer Isaac, is called the offering of Isaac, and is in very deede a true offering: And eueryevery man offereth himself to God when he yealdeth to Gods calling, and presenteth himselfe ready to doe Gods will and commaundement, who then may be said to offer his seruice, (that is to say,) to place his seruice in sight, and before him, before whom it should be done. And because our Sauiour Christ by the decrée of the wholl Trinity, tooke mannes nature vponupon him, to suffer death for our redemption: which death (in his last Supper) he declared plainly he would suffer.
We reade in S. Ciprian how Christ offered himselfe in his supper, fulfilling the figure of Melchisedech, who by the offring of bread & wine, signified that high mistery of Christs Supper, in which Christ (vnderunder the forme of bread and wine) gaue his very body & bloud to be eaten and dronken, and in the geuing therof declared the determination of his glorious passion, and the fruit and effect therof. Which doing was a swéete and pleasant oblation to God the Father, conteyning a most perfect obedience to Gods will and pleasure. And in the mistery of this Supper was written, made, and sealed, a most perfect testimony for an effectuall memory of Christes offering of him selfe to his Father, & of his death and passion, with the fruite therof. And therfore Christ ordayned this Supper to be obserued and continued for a memory of his comming: So as we that saw not with our bodely eyes Christes death and passion, may in the celebration of the Supper, be most surely ascertayned of the truth, out of Christes own mouth, who still speaketh in the person of the minister of the church: This is my body that is betrayed for you: This is my bloud that is shead for you in remission of sinne: and therewith maketh his very body, and his precious bloud truely present, to be taken of vsus, eaten, and dronken: Whereby we be assured that Christ is the same to vsus that he was to them, and vseth vsus as familiarly as he did them, offereth himselfe to his Father for vsus as well as for them, declareth his will in the fruite of his death, to pertayne as well to vsus as to them. Of which death we be assured by his own mouth, that he suffred the same to the effect he spake of, and the continuall feding in this high mistery of the same very body that suffred, and féeding of it without consumption, being continually exhibited vntounto vsus a liuing body, and a liuely bloud, not onelyonly our soule is specially and spiritually cōforted, & our body therby reduced to more cōformable obedience to the soule, but also we by the participation of this most precious body & bloud be ascertained of the resurrection and regeneration of our bodies and flesh, to be by Gods power made incorruptible and immortall, to liue, and hauehave fruition in God, with our soules for euer.
Wherefore hauing this mistery of Christes Supper, so many truthes in it, ye Church hath celebrate thē all, and knowledged them all, of one certainty in truth, not as figures,Truthes linked together. but really and in déede, that is to say, as our bodies shalbe in the generall resurrection regenerate in déede: so we beléeue we feede here of Christes body in deede. And as it is true that Christes body in déede is betrayed for vsus: so it is true that he geueth vsus to eate his very body in déede. And as it is true yt Christ was in earth, & did celebrate this Supper: so it is true that he commaunded it to be celebrated by vsus till he come. And as it is true that Christ was very God omnipotent, and very man: so it is true that he could doe that he affirmed by his word him selfe to doe. And as he is most sincéere truth: so may we be truly assured, that he would, and did, as he said. And as it is true that he is most iust: so it is true that he assisteth the doing of his commaundement in the celebration of the holy Supper. And therfore as he is author of this most holy Sacrament of his precious body and bloud: so is he the maker of it, and is the inuisible priest, who as Emissene saith by his secret power,Emissenus, Christ is the inuisible priest. 1. Cor. 4. with his word, changeth the visible creatures, into the substance of his body & bloud. Wherin man, the visible priest and minister by order of the church is onelyonly a dispencer of the mistery, doing and saying as the holy ghost hath taught the church to doe and say.
Finally, as we be taught by faith all these to be true: so when wanton reason (faith being aslepe) goeth about by curiositie to empaire any one of these truthes, the chain is broaken, the linkes sparckle abroad, and all is brought in danger to be scattered and scambled at. Truthes hauehave béene abused, but yet they be true, as they were before, for no man can make that is true, false: and abuse is mannes fault, not the thinges. Scripture in spéeche, geueth to man as Gods minister, the name of that action which God specially worketh in that mistery. So it pleaseth God to honor the ministery of man in his Church, by whom it also pleaseth him to worke effectually. And Christ said, they that beleue in me,Errors. One offering of Christ, not many. shall doe the workes that I doe, and greater. When all this honor is geuen to man, as spiritually to regenerate, when the minister saith (I baptise thée) and to remitte sinne to such as fall after, to be also a minister in consecration of Christes most precious body, with the ministration of other Sacramentes, benediction, and prayer. If man should then waxe proud,1. Iohn. 2. and glory as of him selfe, and extoll his own deuotiō in these ministeries, such men should bewray their own naughty hipocrisie, & yet therby empayr not the very dignity of ye ministery, ne the very true fruit and effect therof. And therfore when the Church by the minister, and with the minister prayeth that the creatures of bread and wine, set on the aultar (as the booke of common prayer in this Realme hath ordred) may be vntounto vsus the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ, we require then the celebration of the same Supper, which Christ made to his Apostles, for to be the continuall memory of his death, with all fruite and effect, such as the same had in the first institution.
Wherfore when the minister pronounceth Christes wordes, as spoaken of his mouth, it is to be beléeued, that Christ doth now, as he did then. And it is to be noted, yt although in the Sacrament of Baptisme, the minister saith (I baptise thée,) yet in the celebration of his Supper, the wordes be spoaken in Christes person, as saying him selfe, this is my body that is broaken for you, which is to vsus not onelyonly a memory, but an effectuall memory with the very presence of Christes body and bloud, our very Sacrifice. Who doing now, as he did then, offreth him selfe to his Father as he did then, not to renue that offering, as though it were imperfecte, but continually to refresh vsus, that daily fall and decay. And as S. Iohn saith, Christ is our aduocate and intreateth for vsus, or pleadeth for vsus, not to supply any want on Gods behalfe, but to relieue our wantes in edification, wherein the ministery of the Church trauaileth to bring man to perfection in Christ, which Christ himselfe doth assist, and absolutely performe in his Church, his misticall body. Now whē we hauehave Christes body thus present in the celebration of the holy Supper, and by Christes mouth present vntounto vsus, saying, this is my body which is betraied for you. Then hauehave we Christes body recommended vntounto vsus as our Sacrifice, and a Sacrifice propitiatory for all the sinnes of the world, being the onelyonly Sacrifice of Christes Church, the pure and cleane Sacrifice wherof the Prophet Malachie spake,Mala. 1. and wherof the Fathers in Christs church hauehave since the beginning continually written, the very true presence whereof, most constantly beléeued, hath encreased from time to time such ceremonies as hauehave béene vsed in the celebration of that Supper, in which by Christes own mouth we be ascertained of his most glorious death and passion, and the selfe same body that suffred, deliuered vntounto vsus in mistery to be eaten of vsus, and therefore so to be worshipped and acknowledged of vsus, as our very onelyonly Sacrifice, in whom, by whom, and for whom, our other priuate giftes and Sacrifices be acceptable, and no otherwise.
Errors.And therfore as Christ declareth in the Supper himselfe an offering, and Sacrifice for our sinne: offering himselfe to his Father as our Mediator, and so therewith recommendeth to his Father the Church his body, for which he suffreth: so the Church at the same Supper in their offering of laudes and thankes,The whole church by the minister the priest offereth Christ present as a sacrifice propitiatory, wherin is shewed our Lords death. with such other giftes as they hauehave receaued from God, ioyne them selues with their head Christ, presenting, and offering him, as one by whom, for whom, and in whom, all that by Gods grace man can doe well, is auailable, and acceptable, and without whom, nothing by vsus done, can be pleasaunt in the sight of God. Wherupon this perswasion hath béen truely conceiued, which is also in the booke of common prayer, in the celebration of the holy supper retained, that it is very profitable at that time, when the memory of Christes death is solemnized, to remember with prayer all estates of the Church, and to recommend them to God, which S. Paule to Timothy, séemeth to require. At which time as Christ signifieth vntounto vsus the certainty of his death, and geueth vsus to be eaten, as it were in pledge, the same his precious body that suffered: So we for declaration of our confidence in the death and Sacrifice, doe kindely remember with thankes his speciall giftes: and charitably remember the rest of the mēbers of Christes church with praier, and as we are able, should with our bodely goodes remember at that time specyally to reléeue such as hauehave néede by pouerty.
And againe, as Christ putteth vsus in remembraunce of his great benefite, so we should throughly remember him for our parte, with the true confession of this mistery, wherin is recapitulate a memoriall of all giftes and misteries that God in Christ hath wrought for vsus. In the consideration and estimation wherof, as there hath been a fault in the securitie of such, as so their names were remembred in this holy time of memory, they cared not how much they forgat themselues: So there may be a fault in such, as neglecting it, care not whether they be remembred there at all, & therfore would hauehave it nothing but a plain eating and drinking. How much the remembrance in prayer may auaile, no man can prescribe, but that it auaileth eueryevery christen man must confesse. Man may nothing arrogate to his deuotion.Iacob. 5. But S. Iames said truely (Multum valet oratio iusti assidua.) It is to be abhorred to hauehave hipocrites that counterfaite deuotion, but true deuotion is to be wished of God and prayed for, which is Gods gifte, not to obscure his glory, but to set it forth, not that we should then trust in mennes merites and prayers, but laude and glorifie God in them (Qui talem potestatem dedit hominibus) one to be iudged able to reléeue another with his prayer, referring all to procéede from God, by the mediation of our Sauiour and redéemer Iesus Christ.
I hauehave taryed long in this matter, to declare that for the effect of all celestiall or worldly giftes to be obteyned of God in the celebration of Christes holy Supper, when we call it the communion, is now prayed for to be present, and is present, and with Gods fauoure shalbée obtayned, if we deuoutly, reuerently, charitably, and quietly, vse and frequents the same, without other innouations then the order of the booke prescribeth. Now to the last difference.