Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 4 · Section 17
Caunterbury.
TO what purpose you should bring in here this place of S. Hierome (making much agaynst you and nothing for you) I cannot conceaue. For he declareth no more in this place, but that as all men in this world hauehave passible bodyes, subiect to much filthynes, corruption and death,Spirituall body. and yet after our resurrection we shalbe deliuered from corruption, vilenes, weakenes and death, and be made incorruptible, glorious, mighty and spirituall: so Christes body in earth was subiect vntounto our infirmities, his flesh being crucified, and his bloud being shed with a spere, which now (as you truly say) is glorified, impassible, incorruptible and a spirituall body, but yet not so spirituall, that his humanitie is turned into his diuinity, and his body into his soule (as some heretikes phantasy) nor that the diuersity of his members be taken away, and so left without armes and legges, head and feete, eyes and eares, and turned into the forme and fashion of a bowle, as the Papistes imagine. The sunne and the mone, the fier and the ayre be bodyes, but no mans bodyes, bycause they lacke hart and lungues, head and feete, flesh and bloud, vaynes and sinewes to knit them togither.Mat. 17. When Christ was transfigured, his face shyned like the sunne, and with his mouth he spake to Moyses & Helias. And after his resurrection we read of his flesh and bones,Luc. 14. Ioh. 20. his handes and feete, his side and woundes, visible and palpable, and with mouth, tongue and teeth,Ioh. 20. he did eate and speake, and so like a man he was in all proportions and members of man, that Mary Magdalene could not discerne him from a gardiner. And take away flesh and skinne, sinewes and bones, bloud and vaynes, and then remayneth no mans body. For take away distinction and diuersitie of partes and members, how shall Peter be Peter, and Paule be Paule? How shall a man be a man, and a woman a woman? And how shall we see with our eyes, and heare with our eares, grope with our handes, and go with our feete? For eyther we shal do no such thinges at all, or see with eueryevery part of our bodies, and likewise heare, speake and go, if there be no diuersity of members. This I hauehave spoken for this purpose, to declare that S. Hierome speaking of Christes diuine and spirituall flesh, excludeth not therby any corporall member, that pertayneth to the substance of a mans naturall body, but that now being glorified, it is the same in all partes, that it was before. And that same flesh being fyrst borne mortall of the virgine Mary, and now being glorifyed and immortall as well the holy fathers did eate before he was borne,1. Cor. 10. and his apostles and disciples whiles he liued with vsus here in earth as we doe now when he is glorified. But what auayleth all this to your purpose, except you could proue, that to a spirituall eating is required a corporall presence?
And where you say, that S. Hierome and S. Augustine vse both one maner of speaking that is not true. For S. Hierom speaketh of the diuersity of the body of Christ, and S. Augustine of the diuersity of eating therof. And yet here is to be noted by the way, that you say, we receaue not in the sacramēt Christes flesh that was crucified, which your wordes seme to agree euill with Christes wordes,Luc. 22. .1 Cor. 10 who the night before he was crucified, declared to his desciples, that he gaue them the same body, that should suffer death for them. And the Apostles receaued ye body of Christ, yet passible and mortall, which the next day was crucified, and if we receaue not in the sacrament the body that was crucified, then receaue we not the same body that the Apostles did. And here in your idle talke you draw by force S. Hieroms wordes to the sacrament, when S. Hierom speaketh not one word of the sacramēt in that place: let the reader iudge.
And here for the conclusion of the matter, you fantasy and imagine such nouelties, and wrape them vp in such darke speaches, that we had neede to hauehave Ioseph or Daniell to expound… our dreames. But to make a cleare answere to your darke reason, The body of Christ is glorified and reigneth in heauen, and yet we remember with thankfull myndes, that the same was crucified and emptied of bloud for our redemption: and by fayth to chaw and digest this in our …, is to eate his flesh and to drincke his bloud. But your brayne rolleth so in fantasies, that you wot not where to get out, and one of your sayinges impugneth an other. For first you say, that we receaue not in the sacrament the flesh that was crucified, and now you say we receaue him not as he sitteth in heauen and is glorified, and so must you nedes graunt, that we receaue him not at all.