The Anatomy of the Mass, Book 1 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. That our Expoſition of theſe wordes This is my body, is conformable to the Scripture and to the nature of Sacraments, and approved by the Ancient Fathers, and confirmed by our Adverſaries.
THe interpretation that wee give of theſe wordes, This is my body, is the ſame which Chriſt himſelfe giveth in the ſame place, viz. that it is his commemoration. And the ſame which Saint Paul giveth in the 10 chapter of the firſt to the Corinthians. The bread which we breake, is the communion of the body of Chriſt. The Sacrament being a figure, there is nothing more ſit than to make uſe of a figure, drawne from the nature of the action, by which the name of the thing ſiguified, is given to the ſigne. Even as in the ſeventeenth of Geneſis the Sacrament of Circumciſion is called the Covenant of God, a… in 17. Geniſ. Pactum hoc loco ſumitur pro ſigno pacti. Em…a. Sa, Prim…ed… tio, e… Notis, Pactum id eſt ſ…num pacti.becauſe it was the ſigne and remembrance of it. So in the twelfth of Exodus, the Sacrament of the Paſcall Lambe, is called the Paſſe-over, becauſe it was a memoriall of the Paſſeover of the Augell ſparing the houſes of the Iſraclites.
And Saint Paul 1. Corinth. 10. ſpeaking of the Rock which guſht out waters in the Wilderneſſe, ſaith that this Rocke was Chriſt, becauſe it was the ſigure of Chriſt. As Auſtin ſaith in the Eighteenth Booke of the City of God, Chapter 48.bD…tum … A… ſ…, p…ra Ga… Chriſtus, quia … …lla … quaho… d…m eſt, … …abat …. the Apoſtle ſaith, the Rocke was Chriſt, becauſe that Rocke did ſigniſie Chriſt. And in the 57 queſtion upon the Leviticus: The thing which ſignifieth, is wont to beare the name of the thing ſignified, as it is written, Seven eares of corne are ſeven yeares, and ſeven kine are ſeven yeares, and many ſuch like things. aHine eſt quod dictū eſt Petra crat Chriſtus. Non enim dixit, petra ſigniſicabat Chriſtum, ſedtanqu… hoc eſſe… ▪ quod utique per ſubſtantiam non hoc erat, ſed per ſign…ficationem.Thence comes what is ſaid, that the Rocke was Chriſt. he did not ſay the Rocke ſignifieth Chriſt, but as if it were that which it was not in ſubſtance, but onelyonly by ſignification. Pope Innocent the third, in the fourth Booke of the Myſteries of the Maſſe, chapter 7. ſaith, Petra erat Chriſtus, id eſt, ſignificabat Chriſtum. The Rocke was Chriſt, that is to ſay, did ſignifie Chriſt. And Aquinas in the Expoſition of this Epiſtle:bPetra erat Chriſtus, non per ſubſtantiū, ſed per ſig nificatione. The Rock was Chriſt, not in ſubſtance, but by ſignification. Lombardus in his Commentary upon this Chapter,cB bebant de petra ſpirituali, ſ…et quae Chriſtum ſign ſic… bat. They did drink of the Rock which ſignified Chriſt. Which thing is confirmed by that word Was. For Bellarmin that doth invert theſe words, and tranſlateth Chriſt was the Rocke, ſeemes to imply that Chriſt was then the Rock, but is not now.
And the ſame Apoſtle to the Romans, Chapter 6.4. ſaith, Wee are buryed in Chriſts death by Baptiſme, becauſe Baptiſine ſignifieth to us, that our ſins are as buried with Chriſt, and that we are to be made conformable to … death.
And without extending my ſelfe further upon this: Chriſt giving the Cur ſaid, This Cup is the New Teſtament i… my blood. Wherein there is two figures as Salmeron the Jeſuite ſaith truelyaSalm. Tomo IX. Tra. XV. pag. 98. & 99. Subeſt in his verhis duplex Motonymia: prima qua contmens ponitur pro contento, id eſt poculum ſive calix pro vino, co quod vinum in ipſo continetur. Altera eſt qua contentum in poctelo, id eſt ſanguis ſub ſpecie vin, ſoedus vel Teſtamentum diatur Novum, cum ſit ejus ſymbolum propter ſ… cies. There is (ſaith he) a double Metonymie, by which the continent is put for the thing contained, that is to ſay, the Cup for the wine contained therein: the other, that that which is contained in the Chalice, i… called the Covenant or Teſtament, for that it is the ſymbole or ſigne of it becauſe of th… ſpecies. And a little after.bIdem ibidem pag. 100 Dicitur ſanguis Novum Teſt…mentum ſicut circumciſio dicitur foedus, quia illud foedus repreſentar. The blood i… called the New Teſtament, as the Circumciſion is called the Covenant, becauſe it repreſenteth that Covenant. And Thomas Aquinas in his Commentary upon the eleventh chapter of the firſt to the Corinthians: cHic calix eſt N. T. in meo ſanguint, quaſi dicat, Per id quod in b…c…a…ce conti…ur, comm… ratur N. T. &c.This Cup is the New Teſtament in my blood, as if be did ſay, By that which is contained in this cup, is made a commemoration of the New Teſtament, which was confirmed by Chriſts blood. And Emanuel Sa the Jeſuit, in the firſt edition of his notes upon the firſt to the Corinthians, Chapter 11. ſaith that the word IS implies as much as containeth or ſignifieth.
This manner of ſpeaking is ordinary, to ſay a mourning ſuite, becauſe it is a ſigne of mourning, & a celeſtial Spheare, for the figure of a heavenly Spheare: And in ſhewing of Mappes, to ſay This is France, and that is Spaine. And to be lodged at the Eagle, or at the Swan, for the ſigne of the Eagle or of the Swan. So doth Saint Auſtin ſay in the fifty ſeventh queſtion upon Leviticus, The thing which ſignifieth, is wont to be called by the name of the thing ſignified. And Theodoret in the firſt Dialogue, ſpeaking of theſe words This is my body, ſaith, that the Lord gave unto the ſigne the name of his body. And Tertullian in his fourth Booke againſt Macion, chapter 40. He made it to be his body, ſaying, This is my body, that is to ſay the ſigure of my body. Saint Auſtin in the 23 Epiſtle to Boniſ…ce, is very expreſſe: If Sacraments had not ſome reſemblance of the things whereof they be Sacraments, they would be no Sacraments. But becauſe of this reſemblance, they take very often the name of the things themſelves. Even then as the Sacrament of Chriſts body, is in a manne… the body of Chriſt: ſo the Sacrament of faith, to wit Baptiſme, is faith. Note that he ſaith that the Sacrament of Chriſts body is the body of Chriſt, after the ſame manner as Baptiſme is faith.
Therefore our Adverſaries ſay very ignorantly, that figures elſewhere are receiveable; but in the Articles of faith and inſtitution of a Sacrament, figures are no way convenient or agreeable. For we have produced many examples of figures in the inſtitution of Sacraments: and they themſelves acknowledge two figures in theſe words, This Cup is the New Testament. And touching the Articles of faith, the Creede ſaith that Chriſt ſitteth at the right hand of God, which is a figurative kinde of ſpeech; for God hath no right hand. The wh le Goſpell is comprized under th…ſe words, J…ſus is the Lambe of G d: and all Popery is grounded upon theſe word, Ʋpon this Rock will …uild my Church, …nd I will give thee the keeps of the kingdome of heaven, which he all figurative words.
And it is to be obſerved that when Chriſt inſtituted this holy Sacrament, he ſpake in the Jewiſh language, which is a dialect of the Syrian tongue, ſaying*foreign pro cadavere. 1. Sam. 17.46. Amos. 6.3. Eſ. 14.19. 2. Paral. 20.24. Gen. 15.11 Num. 19.29. H…n in pagri, that is to ſay, This my dead body, ſupplying the word IS, after the manner of the Hebrewes and Syrians. He did then ſay to his Diſciples, that hee gave them his dead body. Which could not be true but in taking it figuratively: For the body of Chriſt was not dead when he did inſtitute this Sacrament. But it is very true in the ſenſe that we take it, to wit, that the bread which he did breake, and give to his Diſciples, was the figure or remembrance of his body, dead for us. For we have ſhewed already, that in the holy Supper Chriſts body is preſented to our faith, not as glorious and ſpirituall, but as broken, and dying, and dead for us. This is confirmed in that in the Evangeliſts, this word foreign, which ſignifieth body, is in moſt places taken for a dead body: As in the 17 of Saint Luke Verſe 37.*foreign &c. Whereſoever the body is, thither will the Engles be g…thered together. †foreign.And M…tthew. 27.52. * Many bodyes of Saints which ſlept, aroſe. And Mark 14.8. foreign, to annoint the body. For the proper word in Greek for to ſignifie a dead body, is foreign. Tis true that in the Syriack Teſtament, the word Peger is taken ſometimes for a living body: But it is not credible that Chriſt tooke this word in an other ſenſe than it is taken in the Old Teſtament, where it ſignifieth alwayes a dead bodie.
Neither is it to be omitted that Saint Paul cals oftentimes the Church Chriſts body, Epheſ. 1.23. and Chapter. 5.23. If then from theſe words, This is my body, they will inferre that the bread is tranſubſtantiated into Chriſts body: by the like reaſon when the Scripture ſaith that the Church is the body of Chriſt, it may bee inferred that the Church is tranſubſtantiated into Chriſts bodie.