Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 3 · Part 11
Hesk.The eleuenth Chapter declareth the prophesies of the sacrament vnderunder the names of Manna & the water of the rocke.
Fulk.These Prophesies hee imagineth to be conteined in 77. Psalme, & 104. Psalme, which as the whole Psalmes declare to them that read them, be praises and thankesgiuings for Gods benefites past, and not prophesies of things to come. The first sentence is this: Hee commaunded the clowdes aboue, and opened the gates of heauen. And he rayned to them Manna to eate, and gaue them the bread of heauen. So man did eate the bread of Angels. Vppon this text he citeth Hierome: Sed & fantem, &c. But the same stone also sheweth out the founteine of baptisme. For out of his side, when he was striken, came foorth water and bloud, which figured baptisme and martirdome. Here he maketh the water a figure of baptisme and martirdom, not of the bloud of Christe in the sacrament, and much lesse a prophesie, except Maister Heskins be so madde, as to make a figure and a prophesie all one. But Hierom sayeth more: Panem C… …i dedit &c. He gaue them the bread of heauen, man did eate the breade of Angels. Hee him selfe gaue meate vntounto man, which saide, I am the breade of life, which came downe from heauen: he that shall eate of this bread, shall liue for euer. This is so farre from a prophesie of the time to come, that hee declareth, that God did feede the Israelites with the fleshe of Christe, which is the breade of life that came downe from heauen, figured in Manna, being the foode of all the Saintes of God, from the beginning of the worlde: as is moste manifest by the verie next wordes following in Hierome, which Maister Heskins hath craftily left out: Ex hoc enim pane coeli, Sancti reficiuntur & Angeli: For of this breade of heauen, both the Saintes are fedd, and the Angels. Where note also, that hee sayth: the Angels to be refreshed with this breade of life, euen a… the Saintes are: but the Angels eate not the fleshe of Christe corporally, therefore neither do the Saintes.
Finally, Hierome in that place is so farre from a corporall manner of eating and drinking, that he writeth thus: Praestita sunt haec Haebries, sed & modò in ecclesia Prophetis & Apostolis praecipitur, vt nobis verbum praedicationis, quo anima spiritualiter pascatur, annuncient. These things were perfourmed to the Hebrues: but nowe also in the churche it is commaunded to the Prophets and Apostles, that they declare to vsus the worde of preaching, wherewith our soule is spiritually fedd. In these wordes, hee maketh Manna and the water, figures of the preaching of Gods worde, which is a spirituall foode of our soules.
Nowe vppon the other texte, Psalm. 104. Hee satisfied them with the breade of heauen: Saint Hierome sayeth: For, as they were refreshed by Manna rayning from heauen, so wee at this day are refreshed, receiuing the bodie of the Lambe. He brake the rocke, and the waters flowed. For that precious corner stone was striken, and brought foorth vntounto vsus vnmeasurable fountaines, which washe away our errours, and water our drynesse. Here is as before, a comparison of Gods benefites towarde them, and towarde vsus, which he seemeth to make equall, as they were in deede in substance, and all matters perteining to aeternall life: but here is no prophesie spoken of, neither doeth Maister Heskins gather one worde out of it, for that intent.
The like is to be sayde of Saint Augustine vppon the 77. Psalme: Quid enim, &c. For he which commanded the clowdes aboue, and opened the gates of heauen, and rayned to them Manna to eate, and gaue them the bread of heauen, so that man did eate the breade of Angels: Hee which sent vntounto them meate in aboundaunce, that he might fill the vnbeleeuers, is not vnable to geeue to the beleeuers, the verie true breade from heauen, which Manna did signifie, which is in deede the meate of Angels, which WORDE of God feedeth them that are corruptible incorruptibly, which that man might eate, was made flesh and dwelled among vsus.
Here is no worde of Prophesie, neither can Maister Heskins himselfe finde any, and the wordes which doe immediately followe, do plainly shewe that Augustine spake neither of corporall presence, nor corporall maner of eating: Ipse enim panis per nubes Euangelicas vniuerso orbi pluitur, & apertis praedicatorum cordibus tanquam coelestib… ianuis, non murmur anti & tentanti synagogae, sed credenti & in illo spem ponenti ecclesiae praedicatur. For this bread thorough the cloudes of the Gospell is rayned vntounto all the worlde, and the hearts of the preachers, as it were ye heauenly gates being opened, is preached, not to the murmuring and tempting synagogue, but to the church beleeuing and putting her trust in him. Here Augustine sayth, that the VVORDE, which became fleshe, is rayned from heauen, by the preaching of the Gospell, and eaten by faith: VntoUnto Augustine he ioyneth Cassiodorus, as he sayeth, and truely nothing dissenting from the former writers, but altogether from M. Hesk. purpose, he is cited in Psalm. 77. Et pluit illis, &c. And he rayned to them Manna to eate, he sayeth he rayned, that he might shewe the great plentie of the meat, which like vntounto rayne came down from heauen. And lest thou shouldest doubt, what rayne that was, it followeth: To eate Manna: Manna is interpreted, what is this? which we verie fuly applye to the holie Communion: for while this meat is sought by wandring, the giftes of the Lordes bodie are declared. He hath added. He gaue them the breade of heauen. What other breade of heauen is there, but Christe our Lorde, of whome the heauenly things receiue spirituall foode, and doe enioy inestimable delight? Finally, thus it followeth: Man hath eaten the breade of Angels. Therefore, Christ is saide to be the breade of Angels, because they are fedde with his eternall praise. For the Angels are not to be thought to eate corporall breade, but with that contemplation of our Lorde, with the which, that high cr…ature is fedd, they are fedd: but this breade filleth the Angels in heauen, and feedeth vsus on earth. In this exposition, it is worthie to be noted, that Cassiodorus affirmeth, that Christe our Lorde was the breade from heauen, which God gaue to the fathers, in the sacrament of Manna. Also, that the Angels in heauen, and we vppon earth are fedde with the same bread, which must needes be a spirituall foode: For as he saith, the Angels eate no corporall bread, so doe they not eate any corporall thing, or after any corporall manner. The last authoritie hee citeth out of fryer Titelman, I will not trouble the reader withall, although, if he neuer had spoken worse, then in this sentence, he were not greatly to be reprehended. But to M. Heskins, all is fishe that commeth to the nett.