Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 2 · Part 18
Hesk.The eighteenth Chapter beginneth the exposition of the next text in the sixt Chapter of S. Iohn by Origen and S. Ambrose.
The text is: My flesh is verily meat, and my bloud is verily drinke.Fulke. And here hee maketh a fond and childish discourse of the difference of verus cibus, true meate, and verè cibus, meate in deede, or verily meate. Which distinction is confounded by Origen, one of his pretended expositors, in the very text by him alledged, and in many other places of his workes, where he speaketh of this text. But to the exposition before he commeth to Origen, hee toucheth a place of Chrysostome, That reipsa conuertimur in …arnem Christi in very deede we are turned into the flesh of Christ. Which wordes, if they be not vnderstoode of a spirituall conuersion (good Lord) what a monstrous transubstantion shall we hauehave of our flesh into the flesh of Christ? But Papistes had rather mingle heauen and earth together, then they will depart from their prodigious absurdities. But to Origen in Num. Hom. 7. Lex Dei, &c. The lawe of God is not nowe knowen in figures and images, as before: but euen in plaine trueth, and such things as were before set forth in a dark speache, are nowe fulfilled in plaine maner & trueth. Of which things, these that followe are some,
Antea in aenigmate fuit baptismus, in nube, & in mari: nunc autem in specie regeneratio est in aqua & Spiritu sancto. Tunc in aenigmate erat Manna cibus: nunc autem in specie caro verbi Dei & verus cibus, sicut ipse dicit: Caro mea verè est cibus & sanguis meus verè est potur. Before Baptisme was in a darke manner in the clowde and in the s…: but nowe regeneration is in plaine manner in water and the holie Ghost. Then Manna was the meate in a darke manner: But nowe the fleshe of the worde of God is the true meate in a plaine maner, as he him selfe sayth: my fleshe is meat in deede, and my bloud is drinke in deede. In these wordes Origen teacheth that the sacramentes of the Gospell are cleare and plaine, whereas in the lawe they were obscure and darke. Neither doth he denye that the Gospell hath figures, but affirmeth it hath none other figures, but such as serue to open and set forth the mysteries more plainly, whereas the ceremonies of the olde lawe did rather hide and couer them. And if it be true (as M. Heskins sayeth) that the Gospell hath no figures, I woulde knowe, what be all the ceremonies of the Popish Church, figures of the Gospell? or false inuentions of men? But if wee will beleeue him, our onelyonly spirituall receiuing is impugned by Origen In what wordes good sir? he answereth: The fleshe of the sonne of God is eaten in verie plaine manner. And may not this be spiritually, as well as regeneration is spiritually wrought in baptisme, and yet in the same playne manner, that this eating is spoken of? But let vsus heare what Orig…n him selfe will say in the same booke, Hom. 16. Bibere autem dicimur sanguinem Christi non solùm sacramentorum ritu, sed cum sermones eius recipimu…, in quibus vita consistit sicut & ipse dicit &c. We are sayde to drinke the bloud of Christe, not onelyonly in the ceremonie of the sacramentes, but also when wee receiue his sayings in which life consisteth, as he him selfe saith: In these wordes hee teacheth such a drinking in the sacramentes, as in beleeuing his woorde, and therefore it must needes bee spirituall and not carnall. And as the cloud and Sea was baptisme, so was Manna the body of Christe, by Origens owne wordes, and therefore the proclamer sayde truely, that wee receiue Christe none otherwise in the sacrament, then the Iewes did in Manna concerning the substaunce of the spirituall meat. And Maister Heskins saith falsely, That we excell the Iewes for our incorporation in Christ, and therefore receiue him corporally, as though the Iewes also were not incorporated into Christe, and were not liuely members of his body in as great excellencie as we, yea, and with a prerogatiue of the first begotten, and of the naturall oliue wherein wee are inferiour.
The place of Ambrose hee cyteth Lib. 9. cap. 1. De sacramentis. Sicus verus est Deifilius Dominus noster Iesus Christus, &c. As our Lorde Iesus Christe is the true sonne of God, not as men by grace, but as a sonne of the substance of his father: euen so it is true flesh, which we receiue (as he him selfe saith) and very drinke. This is noted for an other plaine place for the proclamer, as though the proclamer did not graunt that we receiue the true flesh and bloud of Christe in the sacrament, but spiritually and by faith, not carnally nor transubstantiated. But Ambrose is the best expounder of him selfe, who in the 6. booke and Chap. 1. De sacramentis, hath these wordes, Ne igitur plures hoc dicerent, veluti quidam esset horror cruoris, sed maneret gratia redemptionis, ideo in similitudinem quidem accipis sacramentum, sed verae naturae gratiam virtutémque consequeris. Therefore least more should say this, as though there were a certaine horrour of bloud, but that the grace of redemption might remaine, therefore thou receiuest the sacrament truely for a similitude, but thou obtainest the grace and vertue of his true nature. By which Ambrose expresseth the whole substaunce of the sacrament, that it is a similitude of the body and bloud of Christe, but not a similitude onelyonly, but such a one, as by which we receiue the grace and power of that true nature which is resembled by it. This place would satisfie a sober minde, but a froward heart will admit no wisedome.