Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 4 · Section 7
Caunterbury.
AS touching myne aunswere here to the wordes of S. Paule, you would fayne hauehave them hid with darkenesse of speach, that no man should see what I meane.Iohn. 3. For as Christ sayd, Qui male agit, odit lucem, and therfore that which I hauehave spoken in playne speach, you darken so with your obscure termes, that my meaning can not be vnderstand. For I speake in such playne termes, as all men vnderstand, that when S. Paule sayd (he that eateth and drinketh vnworthely,1. Cor. 2. eateth & drinketh his owne damnation) in that place he spake of the eating of the bread and drincking of the cup, and not of the corporall eating and drincking of Christes flesh and bloud. These my playne wordes you do wrape vp in these darke termes, that I would distinct the vnworthy eating in the substaunce of the Sacrament receaued. Which your wordes vary so farre from myne, that no man can vnderstand by them my meaning, except you put a large comment therto. For I distinct the vnworthy eating none otherwise, then that I say, that when S. Paule speaketh of vnworthy eating, he maketh mencion of the vnworthy eating of the bread, and not of the body of Christ.
And where you aske me this question,Vnworthy eating. why it should be a fault in the vnworthy, not to esteme the Lordes body, when it is not there at all?
There is in my booke a full and playne answere vntounto your question alredy made, as there is also to your whole booke. So that in making of my booke, I did foresee all things that you could obiect agaynst it: In so much that here is not one thing in all your book, but I can shew you a sufficient answer therto, in one place or other of my former booke. And in this your question here moued. I referre the reader to the wordes of my booke in the same place.
And where you say, that if the bread be but a figure, it is lyke Manna:Manna. as concerning the materiall bread, truely it is like Manna, but as concerning Christ him selfe, he sayd of him selfe, Not as your fathers did eate Manna and are dead, He that eateth this bread shall liue for euer. And as concerning Erasmus, and the greke commentaries, neyther of them sayth vppon the place of S. Paule,Ihon. 6. as you alleage them to say. And what soeuer it pleaseth you to gather of these wordes (examining and so eating) yet S. Paules wordes be very playne, that he spake not of the eating of the very body of Christ, but of the eating of the materiall bread in the sacrament, which is all one, whether the good or euyll eate of it. And all the care is on our syde, to take heede that we eate not that bread vnworthely. For as the eating of the bread vnworthely, not of Christ him selfe (who can not be eaten vnworthely) hath the effect of iudgemēt and damnacion, so eating of the same bread worthely, hath the effect of Christes death and saluation. And as he that eateth the bread worthely may be well sayd to eate Christ and life: So he that eateth it vnworthely may be sayd to eate the diuell and death, as Iudas did, into whom with the bread entred Satan. For vntounto such it may be called mensa daemoni orum, non mensa Domini, not Gods bourd, but the diuels. And so in the eaters of the bread worthely or vnworthely, followeth the effect of euerlasting lyfe or euerlasting death. But in the eating of Christ himselfe is no diuersite, but whosoeuer eateth him,Iohn 6. hath euerlasting lyfe. For asmuch as the eating of him, can be to none dampnation but saluation, because he is lyfe it selfe. And what so euer you bable to the contrary,Iohn 14. is but meare fables, deuised without goddes word or any sufficient ground. Now foloweth myne aunswer vntounto such authors as ye Papistes wrast to theyr purpose.
Cha. 7.But here may not be passed ouer the answer vntounto certayne places of auncient authors, which at the first shew, seeme to make for the Papistes purpose,The aunswere to the Papists authors. that euill men do eate and drincke the very flesh and bloud of Christ. But if those places be truely and throughely wayed, it shall appeare, that not one of them maketh for theyr errour, that euill men do eat Christes very body.
Augustinus contra Cresconium li. 1. cap. 25.The first place is of S. Augustine Contra Cresconium Grammaticum, where he sayth, that although Christ him selfe say: He that eateth not my flesh and drinketh not my bloud shall not hauehave life in him, yet doth not his Apostels teach, that the same is pernicious to them which vse it not well: for he sayth: Whosoeuer eateth the bread and drincketh the cup of the Lord vnworthely, shalbe gilty of the body and bloud of the Lord.
"In which wordes S. Augustine semeth to conclude, that aswel the euill as the good doe eate the body and bloud of Christ, although the euill hauehave no benefite but hurt therby.
But consider the place of S. Augustine diligently, and then it shall euidently appeare, that he ment not of the eating of Christes body, but of the Sacrament therof. For the intēt of S. Augustine there, is to proue that good thinges auayle not to such persons as do euill vse them, and that many thinges which of them selues be good, and be good to some, yet to other some they be not good. As that light is good for whole eyes, and hurteth sore eyes: that meate which is good for some, is euill for other some: One medecine healeth some, and maketh other sicke. One harnes doth arme one, and combreth another: one coate is meete for one, and to straight for an other. And after other examples, at the last S. Augustine sheweth the same to be true in the Sacramētes both of Baptisme and the Lordes body, which he sayth do profite onelyonly them, that receaue the same worthely.
And the wordes of S. Paule which S. Augustine citeth, do speake of the Sacramentall bread and cup, and not of the body and bloud. And yet S. Augustine called the bread and the cup, the flesh and bloud, not that they be so in deed, but that they signifie, as he sayth in an other place cōtra Maximinum.
Contra Maximinum li. 3. cap. 22.In Sacramentes (sayth he) is to be considered, not what they be, but what they shew. For they be signes of other thinges, being one thing and signifiing another.
Therfore as in baptisme, those that come faynedly, and those that come vnfaynedly, both be washed with the sacramētal water, but both be not washed with the holy ghost, and clothed with Christ: so in the Lordes supper both eate and drincke the sacramentall bread and wine, but both eate not Christ him selfe, and be fed with his flesh and bloud, but those onelyonly which worthely receaue the Sacrament.
And this aunswere wil serue to another place of S. Augustine agaynst the Donatistes,De bap. contra Donatis. lib. 5. Cap. 8. where he sayth, that Iudas receyued the body and bloud of the Lord. For as S. Augustine in that place speaketh of the Sacrament of Baptisme, so doth he speake of the Sacramēt of the body and bloud, which neuerthelesse he calleth the body and bloud, bycause they signifie and represent vntounto vsus the very body, flesh and bloud.