Full and Easy Satisfaction, Part 4 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. The ſecond part of the Controverſie, Whether it be Chriſts very Fleſh and Blood into which the Bread and Wine are Tranſubſtantiated.
R.
OUr firſt Queſtion was, Whether there be any Bread and Wine left after Conſecration; Our ſecond is, Whether Chriſts Real Fleſh and Blood be there, as that into which the Bread and Wine are changed?
And herein 1. I do freely grant, that the change of Chriſts Body by Glorification is ſo great, as that it may be called, though not a Spirit, yet a ſpiritual body, as Paul, 1 Cor. 15. ſaith Ours when Glorified ſhall be; that is, A body very like in purity, ſimplicity, and activity to a Spirit: And the general difference between a ſpirit and body was not held by many of the Greek Fathers as it is by us: And if the ſecond Council of Nice was Infallible, no Angel or other Creature is Incorporeal: Or as Damaſus ſaith, [They are Corporeal in reſpect to God, but Incorporeal in reſpect to groſs bodies.] The perfect knowledge of the difference between Corpus and Spiritus, except by the formal Virtues, is unknown to mortal men.
2. I grant therefore, that our ſenſes are no Competent Judges, Whether Chriſts true body be in the Sacrament? no more than Whether an Angel be in this room? There are bodies which are Inviſible.
3. I grant that it is unknown to us, how far Chriſts Glorified body may extend? Whether the ſame may be both in Heaven and on earth? I am not able nor willing to confute them that ſay, Light is a Body; nor them that ſay, It is a ſpirit: nor them that ſay, It is quid medium as a nexus of both: I mean Aether or Ignis, viſible in its Light. And it is an incomprehenſible wonder, if Lumen be a real radiant or Emanant part of the Sun, that it ſhould indiviſibly fill all the ſpace thence to this earth, and how much further little do we know. So for the extenſions of Chriſts body, let thoſe that underſtand it diſpute for me.
4. And I will grant that it is very probable that as in Heaven we ſhall have both a Soul and Body, ſo the Body is not like to have ſo near an Intuition and fruition of God as the ſoul. And whether the Glorified Body of Chriſt will not be there a medium of Gods Communication of Glory to our bodies, yea and his glorified ſoul to our ſouls, as the Sun is now to our eyes, I do not well underſtand: only I know that it is his prayer and will, that we be with him where he is to behold his Glory; and that God and the Lamb will be the Light of the Heavenly Jeruſalem.
5. And I am fully ſatisfied that it is not the ſigns only; but the Real Body and Blood of Chriſt, which are given us in the Sacraments (both Baptiſm and the Euchariſt): But how given us? Relatively, de jure; as a man is Given to a Woman in Marriage; or as a houſe and land are delivered to me, to be mine for my uſe; though I touch them not. Thus 1. A right to Chriſt is given us: 2. And the fruits or benefits of his Crucified body and ſhed blood, are actually given us, that is, Pardon and the Spirit, merited for us thereby.
6. And among the Benefits given us, beſides the Relative, there are ſome ſuch as we call Real or Phyſical terminatively, and hyperphyſical originally ut à Cauſa, which are the ſpirit of Holineſs, or the Quickening, Illuminating and Sanctifying influence of the ſpirit of Chriſt upon our ſouls. And the Sacrament is appointed as a ſpecial means of communicating this.
7. I have met with ſome of late who ſay, that Indeed Chriſts Body and Blood in his humbled ſtate, were not really eaten and drunk by the diſciples, at his laſt ſupper: For the fleſh profiteth not to ſuch a uſe: But that his Glorified Body is ſpiritual, and is extenſively communicated, and inviſibly preſent under the form of Bread in the Sacrament; and that as we have a Body, a ſenſitive life, and an Intellectual ſoul, ſo Chriſt is the life of all theſe reſpectively; viz. His Body is made the ſpiritual nouriſhment of our Bodies; his ſenſitive ſoul (for which the word Blood is put, becauſe it is in the blood in animals) is the food or life of our ſenſitive ſouls; and his Intellectual ſoul, of ours: And to theſe uſes they aſſert the Real preſence and oral participation of Chriſts Glorified body.
To all which I ſay, 1. Whether or how far an inviſible ſpiritual Body is preſent, ſenſe is no judge; nor can we know any further than Gods word telleth us. 2. That Chriſt in his Glorified ſoul and Body is our Interceſſour with God, through whom we have all things, we muſt not doubt. 3. That Chriſt in his Humane and Divine Nature now in Heaven, is that Teacher who hath left us a certain word, and that King who hath left us a perfect Law of Life, whom we muſt obey, and a promiſe which we muſt truſt, we muſt not queſtion. 4. That the Holy Ghoſt who is our ſpiritual Life, is given us by, from and for Chriſt our Mediator, we muſt take for certain truth.
But, though in all theſe reſpects, Faith apprehendeth and liveth upon Chriſt, yet that moreover his Glorified Body in ſubſtance, either feedeth or by contact purifieth our Bodies, and his ſenſitive ſoul, our ſenſitive ſouls, and his Intellectual ſoul, our Intellectual ſouls, as if in themſelves, and not in their effects only they were thus communicated to us, I underſtand not, either by any juſt conception of the thing it ſelf, or any proof of it from the word of God. But if any can help me to ſee it, I ſhall not refuſe inſtruction.
Nor can I ſee why the ſoul of Chriſt ſhould be ſaid to be given in the Wine only, and not in the Bread; Nor why by this kind of Communication he may not as truly be ſaid to be given us in other Ordinances as in the Euchariſt: Nor know I what they mean by the Forms of bread and wine, under which they ſay that Chriſts Body and blood is given: But I am paſt doubt that Bread and Wine are ſtill really in ſubſtance there.
And whereas the ſame men ſay that It is Chriſts humbled fleſh and blood as ſacrificed on the Croſs that is Commemorated, but his Glorified Body and ſoul only which are Communicated and Received, I muſt ſay, 1. That Chriſt plainly tells us of his Giving us his Sacrificed Body or fleſh it ſelf to eat, as he is the Lamb of God that taketh away the ſins of the World: And he ſaith, Take, Eat, this is my Body which is broken for you, &c. ſo that the ſame body is Commemorated and Communicated: But how Communicated? In the effects of his ſacrifice: His Body was given a ſacrifice to God for us, and the fruits of that ſacrifice given to us. And thus he was given a ſacrifice for the life of the world; And thus we do receive him: By our bodily taking and eating the Bread, we profeſs that our ſouls take him to be our Saviour and Cauſe of our Life, both as Purchaſing and Meriting it on Earth, and Interceding and Communicating it in and from Heaven.
2. And this Doctrine will not ſerve the Papiſts turn, who tell us that Bread and Wine are ceaſed, and that Chriſts very fleſh and blood is there, into which all the ſubſtance of the bread and wine are turned; and that his natural Body before his death, was in the ſame ſort given under the forms of Bread and Wine as now; and will not be beholden to this ſubterfuge.
And indeed it is ſtrange if the Sacrament at the firſt Inſtitution ſhould be One thing, and ever after another thing; and that the Bread ſhould ever ſince be turned into Chriſts body, upon the Prieſts Conſecration, and not be turned into it, (becauſe not yet glorified) upon his own words [This is my Body.] Therefore we muſt let this go, and ſpeak of what they own and hold indeed. And as for any other Bodily preſence, influence or communication of Chriſts Body or Soul, beſides that which they call Tranſubſtantiation, we have nothing to do with it in this Controverſie.
That the ſubſtance of the Bread and Wine is not turned into the ſubſtance of the fleſh and blood of Chriſt, is proved.
I. Becauſe the Glorified Body of Chriſt is not formally and properly Fleſh and Blood: Though it be the ſ…me Body which was Fleſh and Blood. The Apoſtle Paul ſaith, 1 Cor. 15.50, 51. [Now this I ſay, brethren, that fleſh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor doth corruption inherit incorruption; Behold, I ſhew you a myſterie: We ſhall not all ſleep, but we ſhall all be changed.] It is not only Dr. Hammond, but other of the beſt expoſitors who ſhew that by Fleſh and blood and corruption here is not meant ſin, but fleſh and blood formally conſidered; which is ever corruptible: And the Papiſts commonly confeſs this. If therefore it be fleſh and blood which the bread and wine are turned into, then either Chriſt hath two bodies, or two parts of one, which are utterly heterogeneal, one fleſh and blood, and the other not; one corruptible and the other incorruptible.
II. And this feigneth Chriſt to be often Incarnate, even thouſands and millions of times; And to lay down that Incarnate body again as oft as it corrupteth, and to take up a new one as oft as the Prieſt pleaſe; and yet all but one. Whereas the Church and Scripture have ever told us but of one Incarnation of Jeſus Chriſt.
III. And it is expreſly contrary to his promiſe Joh. 6.51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: If any man eat of this bread, he ſhall live for ever: And the bread which I give is my fleſh which I will give for the life of the world— v. 34. Who ſo eateth my fleſh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life— He that eateth my fleſh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him. As the living Father hath ſent me, and I live by the Father, ſo he that Eateth me, even he ſhall live by me— He that eateth of this bread ſhall live for ever—.] Theſe are the expreſs promiſes of Chriſt. But the Papiſts ſay that wicked men and unbelievers eat the fleſh of Chriſt, who ſhall not live for ever, nor have eternal life, nor dwell in Chriſt, but are more miſerable by their hypocriſie.
I paſs by abundance of other arguments, becauſe commonly uſed, and theſe are as many as my ends require; and I would make the Reader no more work than needs.