The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Controversy 11 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. That the Fathers acknowledge the ſame participation of the body and blood of the Lord in Baptiſm, and in the preaching of the Word, as in the Lords Supper.
THe ancient Doctors ſhew enough how far they were from believing a real manducation of the natural body of Chriſt with the mouth, in that they acknowledge the ſame manducation and participation of the Lords body in Baptiſm and in the preaching of the Word, as in the Lords Supper.
Thus Auſtin, (a)Auguſt. Serm. ad Infantes citante Beza in 1 Cor. 10. & Hincmaro, p. 243. Nulli eſt aliquatenus ambigendum, tunc unumquemque fidelium corporis ſanguiniſque Dominici fieri participem quando in baptiſmate membrum Chriſti efficitur. Nec alienari ab illius panis caliciſ que conſortio, etiamſi antequam panem illum comedat & calicem bibat, de hoc ſaeculo in unitate corporis Chriſti conſtitutus diſcedat.None muſt make any doubt that then every believer is made participant of the body and blood of the Lord, when he is made a member of Chriſt by Baptiſm. And that he is not alienated from the communion of that bread and that cup, although before he eat that bread and drink that cup, he go out of this world, being in the unity of the body of Chriſt. This ſame paſſage is found in Fulgentius towards the end of the Book concerning the Baptiſm of the Ethiopian dying.
Hierom to Hedibia in the 2. queſtion.(b)Quotquot in Chriſto baptizamur, Chriſtum induimus, & panem comedimus Angelorum. All we that are baptized in Chriſt, put on Chriſt, and eat the bread of Angels.
Theodoret upon Eph. 5.(c)Cum eo in Baptiſmo conſepelimur et una cum eo reſurgimus, et corpus ejus comedimus, et ſanguinem bibimus. By Baptiſm we are buried with Chriſt, and riſe again with him, and eat his body, and drink his blood.
Chryſoſtom in the 16th. Homily upon the Epiſtle to the Hebrews: (d)foreign.Water and blood ſhew here the ſame thing; for his Baptiſm is his paſſion.
We heard before Leo the 1. in the 14. Sermon, ſaying, that in Baptiſm, corpus regenerati fit caro crucifixi, The body of the baptized perſon becomes the fleſh of [Chriſt] crucified.
Of the Word, Hierom ſpeaks thus upon Eccleſ. 3.(e)Hoc ſolum habemus in praeſenti ſaeculo bonum ſi veſcamur carne ejus, cruore que potemur, non ſolum in myſterio ſed etiam in Scripturarum lectione. Verus enim cibus et potus qui ex verbo Dei ſumitur, ſcientia ſcripturarum eſt. This only good we have in this preſent world, if we eat his bread, and drink his blood, not only in the Sacrament, but alſo in the reading of Scripture: For the true meat, and the true drink which is taken, from the word of God, is the Science of the Scriptures.
The ſame upon the 144. Pſalm, if that Book be his,(f)Quando dicit, qui comederit carnam meam, et biberit ſanguinem meum, licet et in myſterio poſſit intelligi, tamen verius corpus Chriſti et ſangius ejus ſermo ſcripturarum eſt, doctrina divina eſt. When the Lord ſaith, He that eats my fleſh, and drinks my blood, although it may be alſo underſtood in myſtery; yet to ſpeak more truly, the body of Chriſt, and his blood, is the word of the Scriptures, and the divine doctrine.
And a little after,(g)Si quando audimus ſermonem Dei, et ſermo Dei, et caro Chriſti, et ſanguis ejus in auribus noſtris funditur, &c. When we hear the word of God; and the word of God, and the fleſh of Chriſt, and his blood is poured into our ears, &c.
Clemens Alexandrinus in the 1. Book of the Pedagogue 6. ch. by the fleſh of the Lord, which we eat, underſtands Faith, and the promiſes of the Goſpel, ſaying,(h)foreign. That the Lord hath repreſented by Allegory the evidence of faith, and the drink of the Goſpel.
Origen in the 16th. Homily upon Numbers. (i)Bibere dicimur ſanguinem non ſolum Sacramentorum ritu, ſed et cum ſermones ejus recipimus.We are ſaid to drink the blood, not onelyonly in the Ceremony of the Sacraments, but alſo when we receive his words.
As Ambroſe in the Book of thoſe that are initiated in myſteries, brings examples of miracles to ſhew how the bread is made the body of Chriſt; he brings ſome alſo to prove the change, which happens in the water of Baptiſm.(k)Sicut in illum fontem Moſes miſit lignum, ita et in hunc fontem Sacerdos dominicae crucis praedicationem mutit, et aqua ſit dulcis ad gratiam. As Moſes (ſaith he) caſt wood into that fountain, ſo the Prieſt caſts into this fountain [of Baptiſm] the preaching of the Croſs of the Lord, and the water is made ſweet for grace.
Theſe conſiderations moved Cardinal Tolet to ſay in his Comment upon Joh. 6. that(l)Infantes in Baptiſmo aliquo modo participant corpus Chriſti, nempe quantum ad rem ſignificatam, et dici poſſunt carnem Chriſti manducare et bibere ſanguinem ejus. Infants in Baptiſm participate in ſome ſort the body of Chriſt, to wit, according to the thing ſignified, and they may be ſaid to eat the fleſh of Chriſt, and to drink his blood.
If then the Fathers find in Baptiſm, and in the preaching of the word the fulfilling of theſe words, that he that eats the fleſh of Chriſt hath eternal life, where nevertheleſs no tranſubſtantion is made; why ſhall we not ſay alſo, that in the Lords Supper we eat the fleſh of Chriſt without any tranſubſtantiation of the bread?