Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 2 · Part 41
Hesk.The one and fortieth Chapter beginneth, the exposition of these wordes of Christ: this is my bodie, after the minde of the aduersaries.
The first part of this Chapter conteyneth a fonde and lewde comparison of the doctrine of the Sacramentaries,Fulke. with the temptation of the diuell, vsed to our firste parents▪ which, because it sheweth nothing but M. Hesk. witt and stomake, I omitt. It hath more colour of reason that he bringeth in afterward: namely that there are two things, which ought to moue men to resist the temtation of the sacramentaries: their contrarietie to the worde of God, and their contrarietie among them selues. Their contrarietie to the worde of God, he sayeth to bee, where Christ sayde: This is my bodie, Sathan sayth, it is not his bodie. In verie deede, if after Christe hath sayde, the bread and wine are his bodie & bloude, any man shuld rise vp & saye, they are not his bodie & bloud at al, we might well iudge yt he spake by the spirite of Sathan: as when Christe sayeth, drinke ye all of this, & the Pope sayth to the people, there shall none of you all drink of this, we may easely acknowlege the spirit of Antichrist. But we (whome he calleth sacramentaries) doe with all reuerence & humilitie confesse, that the bread & the wine ministred according to Christes institution, are the body & bloud of Christ, in such sence, as he saide they were. And we say with S. Augustine: Per similitudinem Christus multa est quae per proprietatem non est. Per similitudinem & petrae est Christus, & ostium est Christus, & lapis angularis est Christus, &c. By similitude, Christ is manie things, which he is not by propertie. By similitude the rocke is Christ, ye dore is Christ, the corner stone is Christ, &c. Wherfore, we affirme nothing contrarie to the words of Christ, but altogether agreeable to his meaning. For contrarietie of Sacramentaries among them selues, he citeth a saying of Luther written in his frowardnesse, that there shoulde be eyght seuerall disagreeing spirites among the Sacramentaries, from which, if you take away Carolostadius, Swenkfeldius, Campanus, and the eight without name, which is belike H. N. opinion, that eueryevery man may think of it what he list, whose opinions the godly, whome hee calleth sacramentaries, did euer more detest as wicked & vngodly: there remaineth ye interpretation of Zwinglius, of the wordes of Christ, This signifieth my bodie: & of Oecolampadius, This is a token of my bod…e: & two other, Receiue the benefits of my passion: and Take this as a monument, or remembrance of my bodie crucified for you, which differ in forme of wordes, and are all one in deede and meaning. So is the iudgement of Melancthon: this is the participation of my bodie: And of Caluine, yet not as Heskins like a lewde lyer slaundereth him, to say, This is the verie substance of my bodie, but it is not my bodily substance, but agreeing in effect with all the rest, that the verie bodie of Christ is receiued, but not after a carnall or bodily manner, but after a spirituall & vnspeakable manner. As for the fiue sectes numbred among the Lutherans, which dissent from vsus in this point, we make none accompt of them.
Thus, where M. Hesk hath gathered, as he reckoneth, sixteene seueral sectes, foure of them being condemned of vsus for hereticall, with the authors of them, fiue agreeing with the papistes in the carnall presence, and Luthers owne secte, if he dissent from them, as Heskins maketh him to doe, the sixt, tenne are of vsus generally refused. The other sixe, that remaine in Maister Heskins number, are falsely forged to disagree, when they holde all one thing in effect, although they expresse the same thing in diuerse formes of wordes, as it is not possible for diuerse interpreters, though they agree in sense and interpretation, to iump all in one forme of words, for then all commentaries should be one. But as God giueth his giftes diuersely, some expound the scriptures briefely, some more at large, some more plainly, some more obscurely: so all these, and fiue hundred more, (God be thanked) learned men either in writing, or in preaching, hauehave shewed the vnderstanding of Christes wordes, hardly fiue of them agreeing in all termes and phrases, yet all moste sweetely consenting in one sense, and meaning, which consent and agreement is more notable, when it is vttered in so many diuerse formes of wordes. And yet, to take away all cauels and flaunders, all the churches for the moste parte in Fraunce, Scotland, Sauoy, Heluetia, Germanie, Hungarie, Piemont, Polonia, &c. beside the persecuted Churches of Italians, Spanyards, and others, hauehave subscribed to one forme of confession, concerning not onelyonly the sacrament, but all other principall poyntes of religion, which wee do likewise receiue in this Church of England. And if disagreing of men among themselues, were a matter of such importance, it were no harde thing, to shewe the battels of the schoole doctours among the Papists, not onelyonly about other matters, but euen about the manner of the presence of Christes bodie in the sacrament, & transsubstantiation. If you say, all these, whome you reiecte, as the Lutherans in this poynt, the Swinkefeldians, Anabaptistes, Libertines, Henrinicolaites, and such other, do all disagree with you, from the Catholike church of Rome, therefore you are all together naught. By this reason, all Christianitie might bee condemned of the Iewes and Gentiles, because so many sectes and heresies as be vnderunder the name of Christianitie, together with the true Church of Christe, be all against Iudaisme & Gentilisme. But agreeing or disagreeing of men among themselues, is a weake argument, to proue or disproue any thing, onelyonly agreeing with the trueth, is a sure reason to allowe, and disagreeing from the trueth, is a certeine argument to refuse, either men, or matter propounded by them.