Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 2 · Part 30 – Part 33
The Thirtieth Chapter beginneth the exposition of the nexte text by Saint Ambrose and Chrysostome.Hesk.
The text is:Fulke. This is that breade that came downe from heauen, not as your fathers did eate Manna in the wildernesse, and are dead. He that eateth this bread shal liue for euer. Saint Ambrose is alledged, lib. 8. de initiandi, but I thinke he should saye Capit… 8. de mysterijs initiandis: Reuera mirabile, &c. Truely, it was maruellous, that God did rayne Manna to the fathers, and that they were fedd with dayly foode from heauen. Wherefore it is sayde, man did eate the breade of Angels. But yet they that did eate that breade in the wildernesse are dead. But this breade which thou receiuest, this breade of life, which came downe from heauen, giueth the substance of eternall life. And whosoeuer shall eat this breade, shall not dye for euer. And it is the body of Christ. M. Heskins noteth, that he calleth it the body of Christ, as though any man doubted thereof: But the same Ambrose reacheth, that it must bee spiritually receiued, in the same booke, Chap. 9. In illo sacramento Christus est, quia corpus est Christi, non ergo corporalis esca, sed spiritualis est. In that sacrament Christ is, bicause it is the body of Christe, therefore it is not corporall but spirituall meate. If it be spirituall meate, it must be spiritually receiued and not corporally, as it is no corporall meate.
Now followeth a long sentence of Chrysostome, Hom. 46. in Ioan. which Maister Heskins him selfe confesseth to make no great mention of the sacrament, yet bycause he saith it followeth vponupon his iudgement of the sacrament, I will set it downe to be considered. He saith therefore, he that eateth my flesh shall not perish in death, he shall not be damned. But he doth not speake of the common resurrection (for all shal ri…e again) but of that cleere and glorious which deserueth reward. Your fathers hauehave eaten Manna in the wildernesse, and be deade. He that eateth this bread, shall liue for euer. He doeth oft repeate the same, that it might be imprinted in the mindes of the hearers. This was the last doctrine, that he might confirme the faith of the resurrection and euerlasting life: wherefore after the promise of eternall life, he setteth foorth the resurrection, after he hath shewed that shall be. And howe is that knowne? By the scriptures, vntounto which he doth alwayes send them to be instructed by them. When he saith, it giueth life to the world, he prouoketh them to emulation, that if they be moued with the benefite of other men, they will not be excluded them selues. And he doth often make mention of Manna, & comparing the difference, allureth them to the faith: For if it were possible that they liued fourtie yeares without haruest & corne, and other things necessarie to their liuing, much more nowe when they are come to greater things. For if in those figures they did gather without labour the things set foorth nowe truely, much more where is no death, and the fruition of true life. And eueryevery where he maketh mention of life. For we are drawne with the desire there of, and nothing is more pleasant then not to dye. For in the olde Testament long life and many dayes were promised, but nowe not simply length of life, but life without end is promised. Herevpon hee noteth, that we are come to greater things in the sacrament, then the Iewes did in Manna. I graunt the faithfull come to greater thinges then the vnbeleeuing Iewes, of whome and to whome our sauiour Christ speaketh. Otherwise they that were faithfull, did eate the same spirituall meate in Manna that we doe in the Sacrament. 1. Cor. 10. But if the reall presence be not in the sacrament (saith Maister Heskins) Manna is greater then a bare peece of breade. This comparison is topsituruie. Chrysostome compareth bare Manna, which the wicked receiued, with the body of Christ, which the godly take: Maister Heskins compareth Manna to bare breade.
The one and thirtieth Chapter proceedeth in the exposition of the same text by S. Hierome and S. Cyrill.Hesk.
Hierome is cyted, Ad Hedibiam quęst. 2. Si ergo panis, &c. Fulk.Then if the bread, which came downe from heauen, is the body of our Lorde, and the wine, which he gaue to his disciples, be his bloud of the newe Testament, which was shed for many in remission of sinnes, let vsus cast away Iewish fables, and let vsus ascend with our Lorde into the great parler, paued and made cleane, and let vsus take of him aboue, the cuppe of the newe Testament, and there holding the Passeouer with him, let vsus be made dronke by him with the wine of sobrietie: for the kingdome of GOD is not meate and drinke, but righteousnesse and ioye and peace in the holy Ghoste. Neither did Moses giuegive vsus the true bread, but our Lord Iesus, hee being the guest, and the feast, hee him selfe eating, and which is euen. (S. Hierome proceedeth with yt which M. Hes. omitteth.) His bloud we drinke, and without him we can not drinke it, and daily in his sacrifices we tread out new redd wine of ye fruit of the true vine, and of the vine of Sorech, which is interpreted chosen: and of these wee drinke the wine new in the kingdome of his father, not in the oldenesse of the letter, but in the newenesse of the spirit. By these words, & more that foloweth, it is most euident, that Hieronyme speaketh of spirituall eating by faith: as also by that he saith, we ascend with Christ into the parler, by which he meaneth heauen, and there aboue, we receiue the cup of the newe Testament. Maister Heskins noteth that the bread which descended from heauen is the body of our Lorde. But he must beware he say not, that the naturall body of Christ descended out of heauen. Againe, he forgetteth not to repeat that that bread is the body of Christe: but he will not see in Hieromes wordes, that Christ gaue wine to his disciples. Cyrillus is cyted thus, Non enim prudenter, &c. Those things which suffice for a short time, shal not wisely be called by that name: neither was that bread good, which the Elders of the Iewes did eate and are dead. For if it had bene from heauen, and of God, it had deliuered the partakers of it from death. Contrariwise, that body of Christe is bread from heauen, bicause it giueth the eaters of it eternall life. Cyrill saith, the body of Christe is the bread that came downe from heauen, and which giueth eternall life being eaten, euen in the sacrament, all this we confesse alwayes. But as the body of Christe did not naturally descend from heauen, which he receiued here on earth, no more speaketh he of a carnall presence, or corporall manner of eating, but yet of his very flesh and bloud, eaten spiritually by faith.
Hesk.The two and thirtieth Chapter endeth the exposition of this text by S. Augustine and Theophylact.
Fulk.Saint Augustine is cyted, Tract. 26. i… Ioan. Hic est panis &c. This is the bread which came downe from heauen, that by eating thereof, we might liue, bicause we can not hauehave eternall life of our selues. Not (saith he) as your Fathers did eate Manna, and are deade. He that eateth this bread▪ shall liue for euer. Therefore that they are dead, he would hauehave it so to be vnderstoode, that they should not liue for euer. For truely they also die temporally that ea… Christ, but they liue eternally, bicause Christ is eternall life. Maister Heskins wondereth what gloses the aduersaries inuent vponupon this saying, but I maruell what hee can picke out of it for his purpose, except it bee this, that who so euer eate Christ, shall liue for euer, but that I am sure, hee will none of. The saying of Theophylact, (but that I stand not on his authoritie being a late writer) seemeth to be directly against him. For hee saith, that The Lorde by his flesh which he tooke of the Virgine Marie, shall preserue our spirituall nature. Which as it is very true,Ioan. 6. so must it needes inforce a spirituall receiuing. For our spirituall nature can not receiue carnally or corporally: but onelyonly spiritually. And yet the wise man noteth in his margent, a plaine place for the proclamer, which is plaine against his owne purpose.
The three and thirtieth Chapter proceedeth to the next text in the sixt of S. Iohn.Hesk.
The text is, that when our Sauiour had taught this doctrine in the synagogue in Capernaum,Fulk. diuers of his disciples were offended, and saide: This is an hard saying: who can abide it? Hee aunswereth out of Saint Augustine In Psal. 98. They were hard, and not the saying. The like out of Theophylact. In Ioan. 6. Who beeing carnall, can eate spirituall meate, and the bread which came downe from heauen, and the flesh which is eaten? &c.
For bicause they had flesh, they thought he would compell them to be deuourers of flesh and bloud. But bicause we vnderstand him spiritually, we neither are deuourers of flesh, but rather we are sanctified by such a meate. This place for any thing that I can see therein, is directly against the carnall eating of the Papistes, sauing that Theophylact lyuing in a corrupt time, writeth in other places suspiciously, of the carnall presence and transubstantiation. Nowe where Maister Heskins chargeth vsus, to be Caparnaites, whome he calleth Sacramentaries, and derideth our carnall vnderstanding, bycause wee can not conceiue howe Christes very body should bee in the sacrament, except it should occupie a place and bee felt with our senses, let the world iudge whether our vnderstanding or theirs bee more spirituall or else more grosse, and like the Capernaites.