The Buckler of the Faith, Part 2 · Article 38
THE XXXVIII. ARTICLE.
So we say, that water being a weake element, doth testifie the truth of the interior washing of our soules in the bloud of Iesus Christ, by the efficacy of his Spirit; & that the bread and the wine being giuen vntounto vsus in the Supper, truly serue vsus for spirituall food, because they shew vsus (as it were to the eye) that the flesh of Iesus Christ is our meate, and his bloud our drinke. And reiect all fantasticall persons and Sacramentaries, that will not receiue such signes and markes, seeing that our Lord Iesus Christ with his owne mouth pronounceth and saith, This is my body, and This cup is my bloud.
Of these three Articles, which comprehend the beleefe of our Churches touching the holy Supper, M. Arnoux onelyonly layeth hold on the last, and discourseth in this manner.
ARNOVX.
Of the reall vnion of the faithfull with Iesus Christ, and of the eating and participation of his body.
Sect. 22 All this Article excludeth the truth and realty of the body and the bloud (to serue vsus with the onelyonly figure, whereby we are holden vnderunder the Iewish elements, and shadowes without bodies.) And although that some Ministers of the latter times, being Caluines disciples, by his example hauehave induced a subtill method of inuention to speake as we do, saying, that the body of Christ substantially, and not onelyonly in effect, is giuen and vnited to the faithfull in the Supper; yet when they are pressed to make answer, whether the body of Christ is locally present in the signes of bread and wine, they say, no, and that it is distant from them, as heauen is from the earth: from whence ensueth manifest contradiction, and the abuse is discouered by this Syllogisme.
It is impossible that two substances distant one from the other as heauen from the earth, should be entirely and substantially conioyned one with the other.
But the body of the Sonne of God is distant from the signes or species of bread and wine, as heauen is from the earth.
Ergo it cannot be entirely and substantially conioyned to the body, of those that receiue the signes thereof. Therefore it is vainly said of them (to abuse the world) that the body is substantially giuen, seeing that by their Article it is said, that the bread and the wine are giuen to shew as it were to the eye, that the body and the bloud are our nourishment.
MOVLIN.
If I would simply follow the steps of this Doctor, and content my selfe to confute him, this worke would be very slender, and of small instruction. For therein he neither comprehends our beleefe nor his owne, and doth as much contradict his owne as our Church, and obserueth neither order, consequence, nor sence in his discourse.
He maketh vsus say that we exclude the truth of the body of Christ, and are content with the figure onelyonly, which is cleane contrary to that which we beleeue. While the signes are present before our eyes, and in our mouthes, Iesus Christ is present to our saith, and really giuen to our soules, by a contract made, as by a Kings letters pattents an house or an inheritance may be really giuen vntounto vsus, although it be farre from vsus. The Sunne ioyneth really with our sight, although it be in heauen and we here on earth. The head is really ioyned with the feete by meanes of the soule, which maketh them to be all of one body, although their positure in the body be far asunder. The husband is really one body and one flesh with his wife, although they be absent one from the other. If reall and substantiall vnions are found to be in naturall things distant by place one from another, how much more in diuine things? Cannot Iesus Christ really ioyne himselfe to our soules, and by our soules to our bodies, by the meanes of his Spirit dwelling in our bodies? Cannot he come to vsus, without suffering himselfe to be deuoured by his enemies, gnawed with mens teeth, and to be inclosed in a wafer, which may be carried away by a beast? The Scripture saith, that we are one body with Iesus Christ, and that he is the head, and we the members; which vnion I thinke our aduersaries will not call imaginarie and figuratiue; they rather acknowledge it to be reall and true: and yet this vnion is as well without the Eucharist, as in the Eucharist. For they are constrained to hold the words, although they are ignorant of the thing it selfe, and striue against the fruite and vertue thereof: and with carnall spirits cannot conceiue any other reall vnion with the body of Iesus Christ, then that which is made by eating, as if Iesus Christ were made for the belly, and not for the consciences of men: or as if it were not a priuiledge giuen to the children of God to be really conioyned with the Sonne of God: for they make the wicked and hypocrites also to eate Iesus Christ, and really to participate his body; thinking that the dead can eate the bread of life, and that the enemies of God can be really ioyned with the Sonne of God: esteeming the reall eating with the mouth, to be a much more excellent thing then that which is done by faith. Although the eating by the mouth, is common both to the good and to the bad, but that which is by faith, is proper to the faithfull. And eating with the mouth (without eating by faith) is hurtfull and turneth to condemnation; but eating by faith is alwaies spirituall and necessary to saluation.
Some grosly subtill spirits mocke at the spirituall vnion of Iesus Christ with vsus, as if it were a meere imagination, and say, that by the same reason the Spirit of Christ should be substantially vnited with all creatures, because he is in all places. Which they speake without reason, for although the Spirit of God is in eueryevery place, and in all creatures, yet he is not vnited with eueryevery one of thē. There is nothing but the soule that is capable of that vnion. As in naturall formes, it is one thing to assist, another thing to giuegive forme or shape; so in the Spirit of Christ, it is one thing to be present with any thing, and another thing to vnite it selfe thereunto, to quicken and to sanctifie it. But he that is ioyned vntounto the Lord, (saith the Apostle, 1. Cor. 6.17.) is made one spirit with him. So by the vnion of the Spirit of Iesus Christ with our spirits, his body also is made one body with ours, as when the two extreame linkes of a chaine, are ioyned together by a third.
M. Arnoux argues no better when he maketh vsus to say, that in the Supper the body of Iesus Christ is giuen in substance, and not onelyonly by effect; as if to giuegive Iesus Christ in substance, and to giuegive him effectually, were not all one thing. He speaketh as if I should say, that such a man was not onelyonly beheaded, but also that he had his head cut off.
It likewise appeareth, that he vnderstandeth not his owne beleefe, when he disliketh that we beleeue not that Iesus Christ is locally present in the signes of bread and wine: for the Church of Rome doth not beleeue it no more then we.
The Syllogisme which he frameth is not a Syllogisme, for the conclusion is composed of diuers peeces which are not found in the premises. In neither of the propositions is there a word of the body of those that receiue the signes. Now nothing ought to be in the conclusion which is not found in the premises.
It is one thing to speake of the vnion of the body of Iesus Christ with the signes, and another thing to speake of the vnion of the body of Iesus Christ with our soules, and by our soules to our bodies. The signes are ioyned with Iesus Christ by sacramentall vnion, as the water in Baptisme is ioyned with the bloud of Iesus Christ. But the body of Iesus Christ is vnited to our soules by a reall and spirituall vnion.
He goeth on with his argument, and glosseth vponupon the places of Scripture by vsus noted in the margent of our Confession.
ARNOVX.
Of the reall presence of the body of Christ in his Supper, and of Transsubstantiation.
Sect. 23 Places noted in the margent of the Confession. Iohn 6.31. Our Fathers did eate manna in the desert, as it is written, he gaue them bread from heauen to eate. 1. Cor. 11.23.24. Iesus tooke bread, and when he had giuen thankes he brake it, and said, Take, eate, this is my body which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of me, Matth. 26.26. And as they did eate, Iesus tooke the bread, and when he had blessed it, he brake it, and gaue it to the disciples, and said, Take, eate, this is my body.
In all these places, is there any direct place by the which it is said, that the figure onelyonly is giuen vntounto vsus, that the bread and the wine is giuen vsus for food, and that the bread and the wine shew vsus (as it were to the eyes) the flesh and the bloud? I will go a little further, where are those direct words in a matter of so great consequence? And with what face can all the Ministers in the world suffer and endure the reproch of the Sonne of God, when at the day of iudgement of the whole world he shall say vntounto them, I hauehave taught by foure of my vnreproueable registers, and those of whom you made great account, what I said from mine owne mouth at the institution of the Sacrament of louelove and vnion: that is, This is my body, this is my bloud; and my Church in so many ages hath beleeued it, and you vponupon your owne credits quarrelled with my Church, and said, that I would hauehave said, This is bread, this is wine, this sheweth my flesh, this sheweth my bloud. Why hauehave you made a signe of that, which I hauehave giuē in truth? & what hurt could it hauehave bene vntounto you, to suffer the world to beleeue my word, barely and and simply vnderstood, in a thing which I could not propound by equiuocation or in a double sence, without incurring the blame of falshood?
Contrary places of Scripture. Iohn 6.55.56. My flesh is meate indeed, and my bloud is drinke indeed; he that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my bloud, dwelleth in me, and I in him. Nothing can be said more expresly, and I cannot imagine any more expresse glosse then this text of it selfe is without any consequence or figure.
MOVLIN.
That point of the holy Supper, wherein the truth is clearer then in any other place, is that which Sathan hath most wrapped in obscuritie; and of a band of vnitie, hath made it the seed of discord, and of an ayde and meanes to lift vp our faith to Iesus Christ, hath inuented a meanes to pull downe Iesus Christ, and to put him into mans power.
We hauehave spoken of this marter in a booke expresly made for the same purpose, which as yet hath not bene answered. Here I will say as much as shall suffice to cleare this difference, and to defend the truth contained in our Confession of the faith.