Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 3 · Section 47 – Section 48
Canterbury.
THis blader is so puffed vp with wind, that it is maruayll it brasteth not. Bnt be patient a while good reader, and suffer vntill the blast of wind be past, and thou shalt see a great calme, the bladder broken, and nothing in it but all vanitie.
Ther is no difference betwene your translation and mine, sauing that myne is more playne, and geueth lesse occasion of errour: and youres (as all your doinges be) is darke and obscure, and conteineth in it no little prouocation to Idolatrie. For the wordes of Theodoret after your interpretation contayne both a playne vntruth, and also manifest idolatry: for the signes and tokens which he speaketh of, be the very fourmes and substances of bread and wine. For the nominatiue case to the verb of adoring in Theodoret, is not the body and bloud of Christ, but the misticall tokens by your owne translation: which misticall tokens if you will hauehave to be the very body and bloud of Christ, what can be spoken more vntrue or more folish. And if you will hauehave them to be worshiped with godly worship, what can be greater Idolatry? Wherfore I (to eschew such occasious of errour) hauehave translated the wordes of Theodoretus faythfully and truly as his mynd was, and yet hauehave auoyded all occasions of euill: for tanquam or foreign signifieth not the truth (as you say) but is an aduerbe of similitude, as it is likewise in this place of S. Paul. Vocat ea quae non sunt, tanquam sint. For S. Paul sayth, asthough they were. Which indede were not, as he sayd the next word before (non sunt) they be not. And neuerthelesse vntounto God all thinges be present: and those thinges which in their nature be not yet present, vntounto God were euer present, in whome be not these successions of tyme, before and after: for Christ the Lambe in his present was slayne before the world began: and a thousand yeare to his eyes, be but as it were yesterday:Apo. 13. Psal. 83. 2. Pet. 3. and one day before him, is as it were a thousand yeare, and a thousand yeare as one day.
Augustus de doct. Christ. li. 3. cap. 9.And if you had read and considered a saying of Saynt Augustine De doctrina Christiana lib. 3. cap. 9. you myght hauehave vnderstand this place of The odoret better than you do. He serueth vnderunder a signe (sayth Augustine) who worketh or worshipeth any signe, not knowing what it signifieth. But he that worketh or worshipeth a profitable signe ordayned of God, the strength and signification wherof he vnderstandeth, he worshipeth not that which is seene and is transitory, but rather that thing, wherto all such signes ought to be referred. And anon after he sayth further. At this tyme when our Lord Iesus Christ is risen, we hauehave a most manifest argument of our fredome, and be not burdeined with the heauy yoke of signes, which we vnderstand not: but the Lord and the teaching of his Apostles hath geuē to vsus a few signes for many, and those most ease to be done, most exellent in vnderstanding, and in performing most pure: as the sacrament of baptisme, and the celebration of the body and bloud of our Lord: which eueryevery man when he receiueth, knoweth wherunto they be referred, being taught, that he worship not them with a carnall bondage, but rather with a spirituall fredom. And as it is a vile bondage to follow the letter, and to take the signes for the thinges signified by them: so to interpret the signes to no profit, is an errour that shewdly spreadeth abroad. These wordes of Saynt Augustine being conferred with the wordes of Theodoret, may declare playnly what Theodoretes meaning was. For where he sayth that we may not worship with a carnall bondage the visible signes, (meaning of water in baptisme, and of bread and wine in the holy communion) when we receaue the same, but rather ought to worship the thinges wherunto they be referred, he ment that although those signes or sacraments, of water, bread and wine ought highly to be estemed, and not to be taken as other common water, bakers bread, or wine in the tauern, but as signes dedicated, consecrated, and referred to an holy vse: and by those erthly thinges to represent thinges celestiall, yet the very true honor and worship, ought to be geuē to ye celestial things, which by ye visible signes be vnderstād, & not to the visible signes themselues. And neuertheles both S. Augustine and Theodoret count it a certayn kind of worshiping the signes, the reuerent esteming of them aboue other common & prophane things, & yet ye same principally to be referred to ye celestial thīgs represented by ye signs: and therfore sayeth S. Augustin (potius) rathar. And this worship is as wel in ye sacramēt of baptisme, as in the sacrament of Christs body and bloud. And therfore although whosoeuer is baptised vntounto Christ, or eateth his flesh, & drinketh his bloud in his holy supper do first honor him, yet is he corporally and carnally neither in the supper, nor in baptisme, but spiritually and effectually.
Now where you leaue the iudgment of Theodoret to the reader, euen so do I also, not doubting but the indifferent reader shall soone espy, how litle cause you hauehave so to boast, and blow out your vayne glorious wordes as you do. But heare now what followeth next in my booke.
And meruayle not, good reader, that Christ at that tyme spake in figures,Chap. 12. Figuratiue speches be not strange. whan he did institute that sacrament, seing that it is the nature of all sacramentes to be figures. And although the scripture be full of Schemes, tropes and figures, yet specially it vseth them whan it speaketh of sacraments.
When the Ark (which represented Godes maiestie) was come into the army of the Isralites, the Philistians sayd that God was come into the army. And God him selfe sayd by his prophet Nathan,2. Re. 4. 2. Re. 7. that from the tyme that he had brought the Children of Israell out of Egipt, he dwelled not in howses, but that he was caried about in tentes and tabernacles. And yet was not God him selfe so caried about, or went in tentes, or tabernacles: but bicause the arke (which was a figure of God) was so remoued from place to place, he spake of him selfe that thing, which was to be vnderstand of the arke.
Christ himselfe vsed figuratiue speches. Mat. 13.And Christ him selfe often tymes spake in similitudes, parables, and figures, as whan he sayd aMat. 11. & 17.The field is the world, the enemy is the diuell, the seed is the word of God bIohn. 16.Iohn is HeliascIohn. 6. I am a vyne, and you be the branches dIohn. 15.I am bread of lyfe eMath. 3.My father is an husband man, and he hath his fan in his hand, and will make cleane his flower, and gather the wheate into his barne, but the chaffe he will cast into euerlasting fyrefIohn. 4. I hauehave a meat to eat, which you know notgIohn. 6. Woorke not meat that perisheth, but that indureth vntounto euerlasting life hIohn. 10.I am a good shepherd iMath. 15.The sonne of man will set the shepe at his right hād, and the goates at his left hād kIohn. 10.I am a dore: one of you is the deuyll lIohn. 6.Whosoeuer doeth my fathers will, he is my brother, sister and mother.Math. 12 And when he sayd to his mother, and to Iohn,Iohn. 4. This is thy sonne, this is thy mother.
Qui biberet ex aqua quam ego dabo. &c. Ibidē. Ego cibū habeo manducare quē vos nescitis.These with an infinite number of lyke sentences, Christ spake in Parables, Metaphores, tropes, and figures. But chiefly when he spake of the sacramētes, he vsed figuratiue speaches.
Act. 1.As whan in Baptisme he sayd, that we must be baptised with the holy ghost meaning of spirituall baptisme. And like speach vsed S. Iohn the Baptiste: saying of Christ, that he should baptise with the holy ghost and fier. And Christ sayd,Math. 3. that we must be borne agayn or else we can not see the kingdom of God. And sayd also:Ioh. 4. Iohn. 4. Whosoeuer shall drincke of that water which I shall geue him, he shall neuer be drye agayn. But the water which I shall geue him, shall be made with in him a well, which shall spring into euerlasting life.
Rom. 6. Gala. 3.And S. Paule sayth, that in baptisme we cloth vsus with Christ, and be buried with him. This baptisme and washing by the fyre and the holy ghost, this new birth, this water that springeth in a man, and floweth into euerlasting life and this clothing and buriall can not be vnderstand of any materiall baptisme, materiall washing, materiall birth, clothing, and buriall: but by translation of thinges visible, into thinges inuisible, they must be vnderstand spiritually and figuratiuely.
After the same sort the mistery of our redemption, and the passion of our sauiour Christ vponupon the crosse, as well in the new, as in the ould testament, is expressed and declared by many figures and figuratiue speaches.
The Pascall Lambe.As the pure Paschall lambe without spot, signified Christ. The effusion of the lambes bloud, signified the effusion of Christes bloud. And the saluation of the Children of Israell from temporall death by the lambes bloud, signified our saluation from eternall death by Christes bloud.
And as almightie God passing through Egypt killed all the Egiptians heires in eueryevery house and left not one aliue, and neuerthelesse he passed by the children of Israels houses, where he sawe the Lambes bloud vponupon the dores, and hurted none of them, but saued them all by the meanes of the Lambes bloud: so likewise at the last iudgement of the whole world, none shall be passed ouer and saued, but that shall be found marked with the bloud of the most pure and immaculat lambe Iesus Christ. And for as much as the shedding of that lambes bloud was a token and figure of the shedding of Christes bloud than to come:The Lords supper. and for as much also as all the sacramentes and figures of the olde testament, ceased and had an end in Christ: least by our great vnkindnes we should peraduenture be forgetfull of the great benefite of Christ, therfore at his last supper (when he toke his leaue of his Apostles to depart out of the world) he did make a new will and testament, wherin he bequethed vntounto vsus cleane remission of all our sinnes, and the euerlasting inheritaunce of heauen. And the same he confirmed the next day with his owne bloud and death.
And least we should forget the same, he ordayned not a yearly memory (as the Pascall lambe was eaten but once eueryevery year) but a dayly remembrance he ordeined therof in bread and wine, sanctified and dedicated to that purpose saying: This is my body, This cuppe is my bloud, which is shed for the remission of sinnes: Do this in remembrance of me.Math. 26. Admonishing vsus by these wordes, spoken at the making of his last will and testament, and at his departing out of the world (bicause they should be the better remembred) that whensoeuer we do eat the bread in his holy supper; and drinke of that cuppe, we should remember how much Christ hath done for vsus, and how he dyed for our sakes. Therfore sayth S. Paule: As often as ye shall eat this bread,1 Cor. 11 and drinke the cuppe, you shall shewe forth the Lordes death vntill he come.
And forasmuch as this holy bread broken, and the wine deuided, do represent vntounto vsus the death of Christ now passed as the killing of the Pascall Lambe did represent the same yet to come: therfore our sauiour Christ vsed the same manner of speach of bread and wine, as God before vsed the Paschall Lambe.
For as in the old testament God sayd: this is the Lordes passeby, or passouer:Exod. 12. Math. 26. euen so sayth Christ in the new Testament, This is my body, This is my bloud. But in the old mistery and sacrament, the Lambe was not the Lordes very Passeouer or passing by, but it was a figure which represented his passing by: So likewise in the new Testament the bread and wine be not Christes very body and bloud, but they be figures, which by Christes institution be vntounto the godly receauers therof, Sacramentes, tokens, significations, and representations of his very flesh and bloud: instructing their fayth, that as the bread and wine fede them corporally, and continue this temporall lyfe, so the very flesh and bloud of Christ feedeth them spiritually, and giueth euerlasting lyfe.
And why should any man think it strange to admit a figure in these speches,What figuratiue speaches were vsed at Christes last supper. Math 26. Mar. 14. Luc. 22. This is my body, This is my bloud, seing that the communication the same night, by the Papistes owne confessions, was so full of figuratiue speaches. For the Apostles spake figuratiuely when they asked Christ, where he would eat his passeouer or passeby. And Christ him selfe vsed the same figure, when he sayd: I hauehave much desired to eate this passeouer with you.
Also, to eat Christes body and to drink his bloud, I am sure they will not say that it is taken properly, to eate and drink, as we doe eate other meates and drinkes.
And when Christ sayd: This cup is a new testament in my bloud: here in one sentence be two figures: one in this word, cup, which is not taken for the cup it selfe, but for the thing conteined in the cup: an other is in this word, testament: for neither the cup, nor the wine contayned in the cup, is Christes testament, but is a token, signe, and figure, wherby is represented vntounto vsus his testament, confirmed by his bloud.
And if the Papistes will say (as they say in deed) that by this cup is neither mēt the cup, nor the wine cōtayned in the cup, but that thereby is mēt Christs bloud contayned in the cup, yet must they nedes graunt, that there is a figure. For Christes bloud is not in proper speach the new testament, but it is the thing that confirmed the new Testament. And yet by this strange interpretation, the Papistes make a very strange speach, more strange then any figuratiue speach is. For this they make the sentence: this bloud is a new Testament in my bloud. Which saying is so fond and so far from all reason, that the foolishnes therof is euident to eueryevery man.
Winchester.
As for the vse of figuratiue speaches to be accustomed in scripture is not denyed. But Philip Melancthon in an epistle to Decolampadius of the sacrament,Melancthon. geueth one good note of obseruation in difference betwene the speaches in gods ordinances and commaū dementes, and otherwise. For if in the vnderstanding of Gods ordinaunces and commaundementes, The speech in scripture wher God commandeth or ordereth is spiritually to be considered.figures may be often receiued: truth shal by allegories be shortly subuerted and all our religion reduced to significations. There is no speach so playne and simple but it hath some peece of a figuratiue speach, but such as expresseth the common playne vnderstanding,Figuratiue spech by custom made proper. and then the common vse of the figure causeth it to be taken as a common proper speach. As these speaches, drink vp this cup, or eate this dish, is in deed a figuratiue speach, but by custome make so common that it is reputed the playne speach, bicause if hath but one onelyonly vnderstanding commonly receyued. And when Christ sayd: This cup is the new testament: the proper speach therof in letter, hath an absurditie in reason, and fayth also. But whan Christ sayd, this is my body, although the truth of the lytterall sence hath an absurditie in carnall reason, yet hath it no absurditie in humilitie of fayth, nor repugneth not to any other truth of scripture. And seing it is a singuler miracle of Christ wherby to exercise vsus in the fayth, vnderstanded as the playne wordes signifie in their proper sence, there can no reasoning be made of other figuratiue speaches to make this to be their fellow and like vntounto them. No man denieth the vse of figuratiue speaches in Christes supper, but such as be equall with playne proper speach, or be expounded by other Euangelestes in playne speach.