Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 3 · Section 5
Caunterbury.
THere is nothing in this comparyson worthy to be answered, for if you can finde no difference therein,whether Christ be receaued in the mouth. yet eueryevery indifferent Reader can. For when I reporte the Papistes teaching, that they say Christ is receaued in the mouth, and entreth in with the bread and wine, and for an aduersatiue therto I say, that we (which follow the Scriptures, and aūcient writers) say that he is receaued in the harte, and entreth in by faith, eueryevery indifferent Reader vnderstandeth this aduersatiue vponupon our side, yt we say Christ is not receaued in the mouth, but in the hart, specially seeing yt in my fourth booke, the second and third chapters, I make purposely a processe therof, to proue that Christ is not eaten with mouthes and teeth. And yet to eschew all such occasions of sleight as you impute vntounto me in this comparison, to make the comparison more full and plain, let this be the comparison.
They say that Christ is receiued with the mouth,The difference. and entreth in with the bread and wine: we say that he is not receaued with the mouth, but with harte, and entreth in by faith. And now I trust, there is no sleight in this comparison, nor both the partes may not be vnderstand on both sides, as you say they might before.
And as for S. Augustine serueth nothing for your purpose, to proue that Christes body is eaten with the mouth.August contra lit. Peti. lib. 2. cap. 47. For he speaketh not one word in the place by you alleadged, neither of our mouthes, nor of Christes body. But it seemeth you hauehave so feruent desire to be doing in this matter, that you be like to certain men which hauehave such a fond delight in shooting, that so they be doyng, they passe not how farre they shoote from the marke. For in this place of S. Augustine against the Donatists, he shooteth not at this butte, whether Christes very naturall body be receaued with our mouthes, but whether the Sacramentes in generall be receaued both of good and euill. And there he declareth that it is all one water, whether Symon Peter, or Symon Magus be christned in it. All one Table of the Lord and one cup, whether Peter suppe thereat or Iudas. All one oyle, whether Dauid or Saule were annointed therewith. Wherfore he concludeth thus:August. contra lit. Peti. lib. 2. cap. 47. Memento ergo Sacramentis Dei nihil obesse mores malorum hominum, quo illa vel omnino non sint, vel minus sancta sint, sed ipsis malis hominibus vt haec habeant ad testimonium damnationis, non ad adiutorium sanitatis. Remēber therfore (saith S. Augustine) that the manners of euill men hinder not the Sacramentes of God, that either they vtterly be not, or be lesse holy, but they hinder the euill men them selues, so that they hauehave the Sacramentes to witnesse of their damnatiō, not to helpe of their saluation. And all the processe spoaken there by S. Augustine, is spoaken chiefly of Baptisme, against the Donatistes, which sayd that the Baptisme was naught, if either the minister or the receauer were naught. Against whom S. Augustine concludeth, that the Sacramentes of themselues be holy, and be all one, whether the minister or receauer be good or bad. But this place of S. Augustine prooueth as wel your purpose, that Christes body is receaued by the mouth, as it prooueth that Poules steeple is higher then the crosse in Cheape. For he speaketh not one worde of any of them al. And therefore in this place where you pretēd to shoote at ye butte, you shoote quite at rouers, and cleane from the marke.
Iohn. 13.And yet if Iudas receaued Christ with the bread (as you say) and the deuil entred with the bread (as S. Iohn saith) then was the deuil and Christ in Iudas both at once. And thē how they agreed I meruaile. For S. Paul saith, that Christ and Beliall cannot agree. O what a wit had he neede to hauehave,1. Cor. 10. that will wittingly maintayn an open error directly against God & his word, and all holy auncient writers. Now followeth the fourth comparison in my booke.
The fourth comparyson.They say that Christ is really in the Sacramentall bread, being reserued a wholl yeare, or so long as the forme of bread remayneth: But after the receauing thereof, he flyeth vp (say they) from the Receauer vntounto heauen, as soone as the bread is chawed in the mouth, or chaunged in the stomacke: But we say, that Christ remayneth in the man that worthely receaueth it, so long as the man remayneth a member of Christ.