Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 2 · Part 1
Hesk.The first Chapter declareth the offices of the olde lawe, and the benefites of the newe lawe, with an exhortation to submit our vnderstanding to the knowledge of faith, and therewith to the beleefe of the sacrament.
Fulk.HOW vnsauerly he discourseth vponupon the two offices of the lawe, it were too long to examine in euerie pointe. OnelyOnly this let the reader obserue, that when he hath made the first office of the lawe, to giuegive them knowledge of sinne, and to restrayne them from it: The other office hee saith was, by lineamentes of figures and shadowes to leade the people to Christe: as S. Paule sayth, the lawe was our scholemaister to Christ, &c. As though the lawe was not a Schoolemaister to bring vsus to Christe by shewing vsus our sinnes and condemnation, but onelyonly by shadowes and figures. After this hee maketh him selfe a ioly hunter, That with great trauell and some pleasure hath passed through the bushes and thickets of the lawe, and nowe being come into the faire land of the Gospell, forgetting his former trauels, with freshe delight will followe on his game. So that hee is nowe belike gone out of the parleament house, where matters are grauely intreated of, and hath betaken him selfe to the wilde forest, where hee may disporte himselfe in his games with Robin hoode, and his merie mates. And verilie if he had not tolde vsus him selfe of his lustie hunting, wee might well hauehave thought, he had not beene at home, but wandering in the woodes so wilde, when in his exhortation vntounto faith in the sacrament, hee will persuade vsus, that none can vnderstande the scriptures, except they hauehave founde faith in the veritie of the Sacramente. Which happeneth to all those that wil not be with Christ in the breaking of the breade, as the two disciples were that went to Emans, to whome Christe was a straunger, vntill he came to the breaking of the breade. But leaste this vaine allegorie shoulde seeme to bee founde out only in M. Heskins chase, hee trauelleth to finde it in S. Augustin, & Theophylact, but al in vaine. For first to giuegive vsus a tast what synceritie and trueth he will vse in the rest of this booke, the verie first sentence he alleadgeth out of any Doctor, is corruptly and vntruly rehearsed. For thus hee maketh Augustine to speake in his treatise De consensu Euangelistarum, not naming in what booke or Chapter, whereas that which he writeth of this matter, is Lib. 3. Cap. 25. Non enim incongruenter accipimus hoc impedimentum in oculis eorum a Satana fuisse, ne agnosceretur Iesus, sed tantùm a Christo propter eorum fidem ambiguam facta est permissio vsus que ad sacramentum panis, vt vnitate corporis eius participata, remoueri intelligatur impedimentum inimici, vt Christus possit agnosci. We doe not take it incongruently, that this impediment in their eies was of Sathā that Iesus shold not be knowen, but only it was permitted of Christ for their doubtfull faithes sake, vntill they came to the sacrament of bread, that the vnitie of Christs body being participated, it might be perceiued, that the impediment of the enimie was remoued, that Christ might be knowen. In this place beside yt he turneth autem into enim, and leaueth out factum after fuisse, he addeth of his owne propter eorum fidem ambiguam, for their doubtfull faiths sake. Which words are not Augustins. Wherby it appeareth that hee redde not this place out of Augustine himselfe, but followed some other mans collection as he doth almost euerie where. But Augustine in that place comparing the wordes of Marke and Luke together, sheweth that there was no alteration in the shape of Christes bodie, but onelyonly that the two disciples eyes were helde, that they could not knowe him, but in breaking of the bread which signified the vnity of ye Church. For this he writeth: Neque quisquam se Christum agnouisse arbitretur, si eius corporis particeps non est, id est ecclesię; cuius vnitatem in sacramento panis commendat Apostolus dicens, vnus pànis vnum corpus multi sumus: vt cum eis benedictum panem porrigeret apperirentur oculi eorum & agnoscerent cum. Neither let any man thinke that he hath knowen Christ, if he bee not partaker of his body, that is, of the Church, whose vnitie the Apostle cōmendeth in the sacrament of the bread saying: One bread, we being many are one bodie: yt when he reached vntounto them the blessed bread, their eyes were opened and they knew him. This is Augustines collection of this matter, nothing agreable with M. Heskins allegorie of ye soūd faith in ye veritie of the sacrament, but much against it, teaching ye true participation of ye body of Christ in ye sacrament, which is the mystical coniunction of him vntounto his Church. Moreouer euen in ye place by him alledged, I meruell M. Heskins cannot see yt Augustine calleth it the sacramēt of bread, which agreeth not with his transsubstantiation, and if he think ye participation of the vnitie of Christes bodie doth helpe him, Augustine in the same place sheweth the contrarie, vnderstanding the bodie of Christ to be his Church, as is before shewed. But what saith Theophylact of the same? Another thing also is here insumated, namely that, that their eyes which take this blessed bread are opened that they may knowe him. For the fleshe of our Lorde, hath a great and vnspeakable strength. What is there here in these authorities, either for M. Heskins bil of the reall presence, or for his fond allegorie? It pleaseth him excedingly, that Theophylact saith the flesh of Christ is of vnspeakeable power, which we doe most willingly admitte, & euen in receiuing of the sacrament, it worketh mightily, but hee will not see at all, yt Theophylact with Augustine, calleth the sacrament blessed bread, by which they both do shew, that ye substance of bread remaineth, although it be blessed & consecrated vntounto an other vse then for bodily food.