The Anatomy of the Mass, Book 1 · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Of the Aſcenſion of the Lord and of his abſence: and of that our Adverſaries ſay, that in the Sacrament he is Sacrmentally preſent.
ABove all things the Gloſſes and figures of our Adverſaries are intolerable, when as they wreſt the places of Scripture wherein mention is made of Chriſts Aſcenſion and of his departure out of this world.
The Lord in the 12 Chapter of Saint John, 8 Verſe, ſaith, The poore ye have alwayes, but me ye have not alwayes. And in the 14 Chapter, 3 Verſe. If I goe, I will come againe, ſpeaking of his returne at the day of judgement. And in the chapter 17.10. ſpeaking of his Aſcenſion neare at hand, as if it were paſt, he ſaith, Now I am no more in the World. Saint Peter in the third Chapter of the Acts of the Apoſtles, ſaith, Heaven muſt containe him, untill the times of the reſtitution of all things, which is the day of judgement.
All theſe words are as many lies, if we beleeve the Tranſubſtantiation. For in theſe places Chriſt ſaith that he hath left the world, and is no more in the world, and that we ſhall not have him alwayes. But if we beleeve the Tranſubſtantiation, we muſt ſay Chriſt hath not left the world, but is much more preſent than he was before his aſcenſion. For then he was but in one place at once upon earth, but now they will have him to be preſent upon a million of Altars, in boxes, and in bellies.
And for to conclude that place of Saint Peter which ſaith, that Heaven muſt containe him untill the day of reſtitution: the Latin verſion of the Roman Church hath put, Heaven muſt receive him, as if when S. Peter ſaid theſe words, Chriſt was not yet aſcended. And it is falſe that heaven doth receive Chriſt continually untill the day of Judgement. The Lovain Doctors, which have trāſlated the Bible into French, have acknowledged the ſame: wherefore they have turned faithfully, Whō heaven muſt contain. And Emanud S… the Jeſuite, in his Notes upon this place, Recipere, id eſt, receptum continere. To receive, that is to ſay, to containe him after he be received. Chriſt then muſt be contained in heaven, & not be ſtill upon earth.
They rid themſelves as ill out of the other places. They ſay, that when Chriſt ſaith, He leaveth the world and is no more in the world, it muſt be underſtood concerning his viſible preſence. So they make without word of God, 2 ſorts of Chriſts preſence, the one viſible, the other inviſible. And make Chriſt ſay, I goe away, but I will remaine inviſibly: I leave you, but my body ſhall be alwayes with you. Now in conſcience, could a man that had Chriſts body and ſoule in his mouth, ſay that Chriſt is not preſent, under colour that he ſees him not? By the ſame reaſon one may ſay, that a man hath no ſoule, becauſe it is inviſible, and that a man hath left the towne, when he lyeth hid in it.
What more? Chriſt himſelfe in the 13. of Saint Marke, 21. verſe, warnes us that there will come a time in which they ſhall ſay unto us, Loe, here is Chriſt, or loe he is there: and forbids us to beleeve it. And in the 24. chapter of Saint Matthew, he addeth: If any man ſhall ſay unto you, he is in the cloſets or in the cup-boards, (for the Greek word foreign, ſignifieth that) beleeve it not. Truly he ſpeaketh evidently of the places wherein they ſhall ſay that Chriſt is hidden. And ſpeaketh in the plurall foreign, in cloſets, as of a Chriſt which ſhall be thought to be in ſeverall places at once.
But Chriſt refuteth plainly all theſe ſhifts and evaſions of our Adverſaries, when as to comfort his Diſciples, ſorrowfull for his departure, he promiſeth them to ſend them the Comforter,Iohn 14.16.26. & chap. 15.26. which is the Holy Ghoſt. According to the doctrine of the Church of Rome, hee ſhould have ſaid, I goe away, but that ſhall not hinder mee from being preſent in your mouths, and in your ſtomacks, and I ſhall … more preſent unto you than I am now. H… ſaith not a word of all that unto them but comforting them for his departure he promiſeth them his holy Spirit.
Saint Paul in the ſecond to the Corinthians, chap. 5.8. ſaith, We are willing rather to be abſent from the body, and to be preſent with the Lord. And to the Philippians, chap. 1.23. My deſire is to depart and to be with Chriſt. Had this Apoſtle loſt his wi…s? For according to the Popiſh doctrine he ſhould have ſaid, I am already with Chriſt, I do carry him in my hands, I have him in my ſtomacke.
S. Auſtin upon that is very expreſſe, in his 50. Treatiſe upon S. John, where he ſaith: According to the Maj ſtie of th… Lord, according to his unſpeak …e and in…iſi…e grace is accompliſh'd that which he ſaid, I will be with you at all times till the conſummation of the world. But according to his fleſh which the world bath taken, and is he is horn of the Virgin, &c. he ſaid, Ye ſhall not have mee alwaies. And in the firſt Treatiſe upon the firſt of John, *Ipſum jam …, ſed ſide conting…re.Wee can no more handle him with our hands, now that he ſitteth in heaven, but well may we touch him by faith. He ſpeaketh to the Prieſts of theſe times, who bragge to have Chriſt in their hands. And in the 78. Treatiſe upon S. John, *A quibus homo abſcedebat, Deus non recedebat.Chriſt was going away as being a man, and withdrew not himſelf as he is God, And in the 30 Treatiſe,†Corpus Domini…n quo reſurrexit, in uno loco eſſe oportet, veritas ejus ub…que diſ… fuſa eſt. The Lords body in which he is riſen, muſt be in one place onelyonly, but his truth is ſpread every where. There is in the Latin, in uno loco eſse oportet, and not, in uno loco eſſe poteſt, according to the new editions falſified.*Gratia… nus Diſt. 2. de Conſe…: C…n…prim. Iuo 2. part… Decreti c 18. Lombard. lib. 4. Sentent. Gratian, Ivo Carmitenſis, Lombard, Thomas, Gabriel Biel, and the old editions of Saint Auſtin have oportet. Reaſon alſo requireth it. For it would be repugnant to common ſenſe to ſay, that the body of Chriſt may be in one place: as if one ſhould ſay, that the Sunne may be in one place, it were to ſay that it may be in no place.
Cyril of Alexandria in his eleventh booke upon Saint John, chap. 3.*D…ſt. 10. A. Thomas 3. parte ſu… mae qu. 75. art. 1. Gabr el Biel Lell. 39. in Canonem M ſſ…. E…ſt abeſt corpore, Patri pro nobis apparens ac à dextris ejus ſedens, habitat tamen in Sanct is per Spiritum. Though he be abſent in body, appearing for us before his Father, and ſitting at his right hand, he dwelleth in his Saints through his Spirit. He ſupplyeth the want of his corporall preſence by giving his Spirit, and nor in keeping himſelfe hidden under the accidents of bread.
The Eutychian hereticks ſpake as our Adverſaries doe. For they ſaid, th… Chriſts body is preſent on earth, as well as in heaven, by an inviſible preſence. Againſt whom, whither Vigil, or Gelaſius Pope hath written five Bookes, in the firſt whereof he ſpeaketh thus:*Vigil. l. 1. Dei ſilius ſecundum humanitatem ſuam receſsit à nobis. Secundum divinitatē ſuā alt nobis, Ecce ſum vobiſcum uſ que ad conſummationem ſaeculi. The Sonne of God according to his humanity, hath left us, and withdrawne himſelfe from us. But according to his divinitie he ſaith unto us, I will be with you till the conſummation of the world. And in the 4 Booke:†Lib. 4. Quando in terra fuit, non erat uti que in coelo: Et nunc quia in coelo eſt, non eſt uti que in terra. When Chriſts fleſh was upon earth, it was not in Heaven, and now that it is in Heaven, it is not on earth. Even as Vigilius, ſaying that when Chriſts fleſh was upon earth, it was not in heaven, underſtood it was not in heaven neither viſibly nor inviſibly. So when he ſaith, that now it is no more on earth, he meaneth it is not there, neither viſibly nor inviſibly. That if he meant or underſtood that Chriſts fleſh is preſent unto us inviſibly, then would he plead the Eutychians cauſe, for that was their opinion.
To be ſhort, the Apoſtle to the Epheſians, chap. 3.17. ſaith, that Chriſt dwelleth in our hearts by faith, and not in our ſtomacks in the midſt of meat.
When we aske of them after what manner the body of Chriſt is preſent in the Sacrament, they anſwer, that it is not preſent there circumſcriptively, as wine is encloſed in a tunne or caske, nor definitively, as immateriall ſpirits: But that it is Sacramentally preſent. This anſwer truly is ridiculous. For, to ſay that Chriſt is in the Sacrament ſacramentally preſent, is a thing as abſurd as to ſay that a man which is in a Temple, is there Templarily preſent, and he that is in a Coach, is preſent in it Coacharily. Moreover, it is certaine that by this anſwer they come to be of our ſide. For they ſay themſelves that this word, Sacrament, ſignifieth a ſacred ſigne. Therefore to be preſent ſacramentally, ſignifieth no other thing, but to be preſent ſignificatively, and by figure and repreſentation.