Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 3 · Section 24
Winchester.
The true teaching is, that Christes very body is present vnderunder the form of bread, in as many hostes as be consecrate, in how many places so euer the hostes bee consecrate, and is their really and substantiallyReally, substā tially, truely, corporally., which wordes really and substantially be implied, when we say, truely present. The word corporally may hauehave an ambiguite and doublenes in respect and relation, one is to the truth of the body present, and so it may be sayd, Christ is corporally present in Sacrament, if the word corporally be referred to the maner of the presenceManer of presence., then we should say, Christes body were present after a corporall manner, which we say not, but in a spirituall maner, and therefore not locally nor by maner of quantitie, but in such maner as God onelyonly knoweth, & yet dooth vsus to vnderstand by fayth,The true simple docerme of the presence of Christs body in the sacraments. the truth of the very presence, exceding our capacitie to comprehend the maner (how). This is the very true teaching to affirme the truth of the presence of Christes very body in the Sacrament, euen of the same body that suffred in playne simple euident termes and wordes, such as can not by cauilation be mistaken and construed, so néere as possibly mans infirmitie permitteth and suffreth. Now let vsus consider in what sort the author and hys company which he calleth (we say) do vnderstand the Sacrament, who go about to expresse the same by a similitude of the creature of the sonne,Gods m…steries cannot be throrowly … by similitudes. which sonne (this author sayth) is euer corporally in heauen, and no where els, and yet by operation and vertue, is here in earth: so Christ is corporally in heauen. &c. In this matter of similitudes, it is to be taken for a truth vndoubted, that there is no creature by similitude, ne any language of man able to expresse God and hys mysteryes. For and thinges that be sene or herd, might throughly expresse Gods inuisible misteryes, the nature wherof is that they can not throughly be expressed, they were no misteries, and yet it is true, that of thinges visible, wherein God worketh wonderfully, there may be great resemblances, some shadowes, and as it were inductions, to make a man astonied, in consideration of thinges inuisible, when he séeth thinges visible so wonderfully wrought, and to hauehave so maruaylous effectes. And diuers good catholicke deuoute men hauehave by diuers naturall things gone about to open vntounto vsus the mistery of the trinitie, partely by the sonne, as the author doth in the Sacrament, partely by fyre, partely by the soule of man, by the Musitians science, the arte, the touch with the players fingers, and the sound of the cord, wherein wil hath all trauailed the matter, yet remayneth darke, ne can not be throughly set forth by any similitude. But to the purpose of this similitude of the sonne, whiche sonne this author sayth is onelyonly corporally in heauen, and no where els, and in the earth the operatiō and vertue of the sonne: So as by this authors supposall, the substance of the sonne should not be in earth, but onelyonly by operation and vertue: wherein if this author erreth, he doth the reader to vnderstande, that if he erre in consideration of naturall thinges, it is no maruayle though he erre in heauenly thinges. For because I will not of my selfe begin the contention with this author: of the naturall worke of the Sonne, I will bryng forth the saying of Martin BucerBucerus. now resident at Cambridge, who vehemently and for so much truly, affirmeth the trew reall presence of Christes body in the Sacrament: For he sayth, Christ sayd not, This is my spirite, this is my vertue, but, This is my body: Wherefore he sayth we must beleue Christes body to be there, the same that did hang vponupon the crosse, our Lord hym selfe, whiche in some parte to declare, he vseth the similitude of the sonne for hys purpose, to proue Christes body present really and substancially in the sacramēt, where this author vseth the same similitude to proue the body of Christ really absent. I will wryte in here as Bucer speaketh it in Latin, expounding the xrvi. chapiter of Saynte Mathew, and then I will put the same in english. Bucers wordes bée these.
Vt Sol vere vno in loco coeli visibilis circumscriptus est,Bucerus in Mat. cap. 26. radys tamen suis, praesens verè & substantialiter exhibetur vbilibet orbis: Ita Dominus etiam si circumscribatur vno loco coeli, arcani & diuini, id est gloriae patris, verbo tamen suo, & sacris symbolis, verè & totus ipse deus & homo praesens exhibetur in sacra coena, eo que substantialiter, quam praesentiam non minus certo agnoscit mens credens verbis his Domini & simbolis, quam oculi vident & habent Solem praesentem demonstratum & exhibitum sua corporali luce. Res ista arcana est & noui Testamenti, res sidei, non sunt igitur huc admittende cogitationes de presentatione corporis, quae constar ratione huius vitae etiamnum patibilis & fluxae. Verbo Domini simpliciter inhaerendum est, & debet fides sensuum de fectui praebere supplimentum. Which is thus much in English. As the sonne is truely placed determinately in one place of the visible heauē, and yet is truely and substantially present by meanes of hys beames els where in the world abroad: So our Lord although he be comprehended in one place of the secrete and diuine heauen, that is to say, the glory of hys father, yet neuerthelesse by hys word and holy tokens, he is exhibite present truly, whole God and man, and therfore in substance in his holy supper, which presence mans mind geuing credite to his words and tokens with no lesse certaintie acknowlegeth, then our eyes see, and hauehave the sonne presente exhibited and shewed with his corporally lyght. This is a deep secrete matter and of the new testament, and a matter of fayth, and therfore herein thoughtes be not to be receiued of such a presentation of the body, as consisteth in the manner of thys life transitorie and subiect to suffer. We must simply cleaue to the word of Christ, and fayth must releue the default of our sences.
Thus hath Bucer expressed his minde, whereunto because the similitude of the sonne doth not aunswere in all partes, he noteth wisely in thende, howe this is a matter of faith, and therefore vponupon the foundation of faith, we must speake of it, thereby to supply where our sences fayle. For the presence of Christ, and whole Christe God and man is true, although we can not thinke of the maner (how.) The chiefe cause why I bring in Bucer is this, to shew how in hys iudgement we hauehave not onelyonly in earth the operation and vertue of the sonne, but also the substance of the sonne, by incane of the sonne beames, which be of the same substaunce with the sonne, and can not be deuided in substance from it, and therfore we hauehave in earth the substantiall presence of the sonne not onelyonly the operation and vertue. And howsoeuer the sonne aboue in the distaunce appereth vntounto vsus of an other sort, yet the beames that touch the earth, be of the same substaunce with it as clerkes say, or at the lest as Bucer sayth, whom I neuer harde accompted Papiste, and yet for the reall and substantiall presence of Christes very body in the Sacrament, wryteth pithely and playnly, and here encountreth this auctor with his similitude of the sonne directly, whereby may appeare howe muche soeuer Bucer is estemed otherwise, he is not with this auctor regarded in the truth of the sacrament,, which is one of the high misteries in our religiō. And this may suffice for that point of the similitude where this auctor woulde hauehave Christe none otherwise present in the Sacrament, then he promised to be in thassemble of such as be gathered together in hys name, it is a playne abolition of the mistery of the sacrament, in the wordes whereof Christes humayne body is exhibite and made present with hys very fleshe to féede vsus, and to that singuler and speciall effect the other presence of Christ in thassemble made in in hys name, is not spoken of, and it hath no apparaunce of learning in scriptures, to conclude vnderunder one consideration a specialitie, & a generalitie. And therfore it was well answered of hym that sayd:August serm. de tempore 159. If I could tell reason, there were no fayth: If I could shew the like, it wer not singuler. Which doth be notable in this sacrament where cōdēyning all reason, good men both constantly beleue that Christe sitteth on the right hand of hys father very God and man, and also without chaunge of place, doth neuerthelesse make himselfe by hys power present, both God and man vnderunder the forme of bread and wine, at the prayer of the Churche and by the ministery of the same, to geue life to suche as with fayth do according to his institution in hys holy supper worthely receyue hym, and to the condemnation of such as do unworthely presume to receaue hym there. For the worthy receyuing of whom we must come indued with Christ, and clothed with hym semely in that garment, to receiue his most precious body and bloud, Christe whole God and man, wherby he then dwelleth in vsus more aboundantly, confirming in vsus the effectes of hys Passion & establishing our hope of resurrection, then to enioy the regeneration of our body with a full redemption of body and soule, to lyue with God in glory for euer.