Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 3 · Section 70
Winchester.
Emissen.This author sayth, that Emissen is shortly aunswered vntounto, and so is he if a man care not what he sayth, as Hylary was aunswered and Cyrill But els, there can no short or long aunswere confound the true playne testimony of Emissen, for the common true faith of the church in ye Sacrament. Which Emissen hath this sentence, That the inuisible Priest, (by the secret power with his word), turneth the visible creatures into the substaunce of his bodye and bloud, saying thus: This is my bodye: And a…ayne repeating the same sanctificatiō, This is my bloud. Wherfore as at the beck of him, commaū ding the heightes of heauens, the depenes of the floudes, and largenes of landes were founded of nothing: by like power in spirituall Sacraments, where vertue commaundeth, the effect of the trueth serueth. These bee Emissenes wordes, declaring his fayth playnely of the Sacrament, in such termes as can not be wrested, or writhed, who speaketh of a turning & conuersion of the visible creatures, into the substaunce of Christes body & bloud: he sayth not into ye Sacramēt of Christs body & bloud, nor figure of Christes body & bloud, whereby he should meane a only sacramental conuersion, as this author would hauehave it, but he sayth, into the substance of Christs body & bloud, to be in ye sacramēt. For the words (substance) and (truth) be of one strength, & shew a difference frō a figure, wherein the truth is not in dede presēt, but signified to be absent. And because it is a worke supernaturall, and a great miracle, this Emissen represseth mans carnall reason, and socoureth the weke fayth, with remembraunce of like power of God in the creation of this world, which were brought forth out of tyme by Emissene, if Christes bodye were not in substaunce present, as Emissenes wordes bee, but in figure onelyonly as this author teacheth.OnelyOnly. And where this authour coupleth together the two Sacramentes, of Baptisme, and of the body and bloud of Christ, as though there were no difference in the presence of Christ in eyther, he putteth himselfe in daunger to be reproued of malice or ignoraunce. For although these misteries be both great, and mans regeneration in baptisme is also a mistery, and the secret worke of God, and hath a great meruayle in that effect, yet it differeth from the mistery of the sacrament, touching the maner of Christes presence, and the working of the effect also. For in baptisme, our vnion with Christ is wrought, without the reall presence of Christes humanitie, onelyonly in the vertue and effect of Christes bloud, the whole Trinitie there working as author, in whose name the sacrament is expressely ministred, where our soule is regenerate and made spirituall, but not our body indede, but in hope onelyonly that for the spirit of Christ dwelling in vsus, our mortall bodyes shalbe resuscitate, and as we hauehave in baptisme bene buried with christ, so we be assured to be partakers of his resurection. And so in this sacrament we be vnite to Christes manhod by this deuinite. But in the sacrament of Christes body and bloud, we be in nature vnited to Christ as man, and by his glorified flesh made partakers also of his diuinitie, which mistical vnion representeth vntounto vsus the high estate of our glorification, wherin body and soule shall in the generall resurection, by a maruailous regeneration of the body, be made both spirituall, the speciall pledge wherof, we receaue in this sacrament, and therfore it is the sacrament (as Hilary sayth) of perfect vnitie. And albeit the soule of man be more precious then the body, and the nature of the godhead in Christ more excellent then the nature of man in him glorified, and in baptisme mans soule is regenerate in the vertue and effect of Christes passion and bloud, Christes godhead present there without the reall presence of his humanitie, although for these respectes the excelency of baptisme is great: yet bicause the mistery of the sacramēt of the alter, where Christ is present both man and God in the effectuall vnitie, that is wrought betwene our bodies, our soules and Christes in the vse of this sacrament, signifieth ye perfect redemption of our bodies in the generall resurection, which shall be the end and consumatiō of all our felicitie. This sacrament of perfect vnitie is the mistery of our perfect estate, when body and soule shalbe all spirituall, and hath so a degre of excelencie, for the dignitie that is estemed in eueryevery end and perfection, wherfore the word (spirituall) is a necessary word in this sacrament, to call it a spirituall foode,Spirituall. as it is indede, for it is to worke in our bodyes a spirituall effect, not onelyonly in our soules: and Christes body and flesh is a spirituall body and flesh, and yet a true body and very flesh. And it is present in this sacrament after a spirituall maner,Spirituall maner. graunted and taught of all true teachers, which we should receaue also spiritually,Spiritually. which is by hauing Christ before spiritually in vsus to receaue it so worthely. Wherfore, like as in the inuisible substance of the sacrament there is nothing carnall but all spirituall, taking the word carnall, as it signifieth grossely in mans carnall iudgement: So where the receiuers of that foode bring carnall lustes or desires, carnall fansies or imaginations with them, they receaue the same preciens foode vnworthely to their iudgement and condemnation. For they iudge not truely after the simplicitie of a true Christian fayth, of the very presence of Christes body. And this sufficeth to wipe out that this Author hath spoken of Emissen agaynst the truth.