Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 1 · Part 15
The fifteenth Chapter declareth by scriptures that the figure of the pascall lambe, was a figure of the eating of Christ our pascall lambe.Hesk.
There is no doubt but the killing of the pascall lamb was a figure of the killing of Christ,Fulke. and of the eating of the lambe, was a sacrament of the eating of Christe our pascal lamb, but not properly a figure of ye Lords supper. For Christe is eaten not onelyonly in the sacrament, but also by faith, which the vse of the sacrament is to confirme, as he himselfe teacheth Ioan. 6. It is true also, that this sacrament is succeeded in the place of that. But that the eating of the Lambe, was a figure of our eating of the Sacrament, no scripture teacheth. For first your comparisons will not serue M. Heskins, The lambe was verily eaten, therefore Christ is verily eaten, the lambe was substantially and really eaten, therefore Christ was really and substantially eaten. For I may reason as well, the lambe was a naturall lambe; therefore Christ was a naturall lambe: or as you doe of the age of the lamb: the lamb was but one yere old, therfore Christe was but one yeare olde: or rather and more properly thus, if you will algates hauehave it a figure of the sacrament, the lambe was called the passouer, and yet it did but signifie the passouer, so the breade is called the body of Christe, and yet it doth but signifie the body of Christe: or thus, the eating of the lambe was a figure of the eating of Christ, so the eating of the bread is a figure of the eating of Christ. As for the desire that Christe had to eate the passouer, proueth not, that he called his supper so, but the olde passouer, which he so desired to eate, bicause it was the last & should be fulfilled, and then was in fulfilling, in the suffering an oblation of his body. The other text alleadged out of S. Paule, 1. Cor. 5. (Christ our passouer is slaine, therefore let vsus feaste, not in the olde leauen, nor in the leauen of malice and wickednesse, but in the vnleauened bread of sinceritie and truth) is manifestly wrested vntounto the eating of Christ in ye supper: wherof, the Apostle speaketh not, but of the whole course of our life, wherein we must holde the feast in the vnleauened breade of sinceritie and trueth.
The rule borowed out of Augustine in Psalm…ts. 77. will doe you little pleasure: for graunte that the thing figured in good thinges, is better then the figure, and in euill thinges worse, what hauehave you gained? Yes forsooth verie muche: For then the passouer figured must needes bee better then the passouer the figure. If the passouer which is nowe eaten, be but a peece of bread, a bare signe, a figure, (as the sacramentaries affirme:) then the pascall Lambe is a figure of a peece of bread, which is not better then it. Of this argument no small accompt is made, for it is continued in sixe long tedious chapters following. But howe soone will all this smoke be blowen away? yea, euen with one breath. For admitte that the Pascall lambe was a signe of the Lordes Supper, which is not yet prooued by Scripture: yet shall the thing figured be better then the figure. For the supper of the Lorde consisteth of the bodie and bloud of Christe, and not of a peece of breade, (a bare signe or figure,) although bread and wine are elements which do liuely represent that, which Christe in his supper doeth feede vsus withall. And he doeth more then beastly belye them, whome he calleth Sacramentaries, to affirme that it is but a peece of breade, a bare signe or figure. They affirme that it is bread, but they affirme not, that it is nothing but a peece of bread: they saye it is a signe and a figure, but they saye not, it is a bare signe, and nothing but a figure: except baptisme be a bare signe, and nothing but a figure, because it is a signe and a figure. Therefore, when you come to your conclusion (M. Heskins) you may well conclude, that the Sacrament is not a bare figure: but you falsly cogge in, that by Christes institution, it is consecrated to be offered: for Christ was offered vp but once, and that by him selfe only. Likewise, (verie vnlike a diuine,) you say, the Pascall Lambe was but a bare figure, which is vntrue: for it should not hauehave beene called the Passouer, except it had truely assured the worthie receiuers of their spirituall deliuerance. But where you make it such an absurditie, that one figure shoulde be figure of another: there is no such inconuenience as you immagine, but that one thing may be the signe of another thing, which shall be a figure of the third thing. As in this very example, if you will call your wittes together, I am sure you will confesse, that the Pascall Lambe was a figure, of the deliuerance of the Israelites, from the destruction of Aegypt, and the same deliuerance of their bodies was a figure of the spirituall deliuerance of our soules. Because Dionysius (whom you cal the Areopagite) sayth nothing to the matter in controuersie, I will passe him ouer vntil some other time.