Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 2 · Part 52
Hesk.The two and fiftieth Chapter openeth the minds of S. Basil, & S. Ambrose vponupon the wordes of Christ.
Fulke.Basil is cited Quaest. comp. explic. qu. 17…. In aunswere to this question, with what feate, what faith or assured certeintie, and with what affection the bodie and bloud of of Christ should be receiued? Timorem docet, &c. The Apostle teacheth vsus the feare saying: He that eateth and drinketh vnworthily, eateth and drinketh his own damnation, but the credite of our Lords words bringeth in the perfection of certeintie, who said: This is my bodie which is giuen for you, doe this in remembraunce of me. In this aunswere, seeing he bringeth no exposition, but onelyonly citeth the bare wordes of the text, there is nothing that maketh for M. Heskins. He saith the wordes are plaine inough, and neede none other interpretation. It is true, before the worlde was troubled with the heresie of carnall presence, the text seemeth plaine ynough, & these wordes: Do this in remēbrance of me, were thought a sufficient interpretation of those words: This is my bodie: and so doth Basill vse them.
But S. Ambrose he saith, is so plaine, that if his mother the Church had not beene good to him, he should hauehave bene shut out of the doores. For Oecolampadins reiected his book of the sacraments, as Luther did the Epistle of S. Iames. Touching Luther, although he were too rash in yt censure, yet had he Eusebius for his author, twelue hundreth yeres before him. And not only Oecolāpadius, but many other learned men do thinke both the phrase, and the matter of that booke to be vnlike S. Ambrose. But for my part let it be receiued, I hope M. Hesk. shal gaine litle by it: he hath noted many short sentences which I wil rehearse one after another. First Lib. 4. Ca. 5. Antequam. Before it be consecrated, it is bread, but when the wordes of Christe are come to it, it is the bodie of Christ. Finally heare him saying: take & eate ye all of it, This is my bodie. And before the words of Christ, the cuppe is full of wine and water, when the wordes of Christe hauehave wrought, there is made the bloud which redeemed the people. Ibi. Lib. 4. Cap. 4. Tu forte. Thou peraduenture sayest my bread is vsuall bread, but this bread is bread before the wordes of the sacramentes, when consecration is come to it, of bread it is made the fleshe of Christ. And againe in the same Chapter. Sed audi, but heare him saying that sayeth: he saide and they were made, he commanded and they were created. Therefore that I may answere thee. Before consecration it was not the bodie of Christe. But after consecration I say vntounto thee, tha… now it is the bodie of Christ. He saide and it is made, he commanded, and it is created. And in the same booke Cap. 5. Ipse Dominus, Our Lord Iesus himselfe testifieth vntounto vsus, that we receiue his bodie and bloud, shall we doubt of his trueth and testification? Out of these places, he concludeth not onelyonly that figures be excluded, but also that the tearme of consecration is vsed seriously. I graunt, but not in such sense as the Papistes vse it, but as the worde signifieth, to hallow or dedicate to an holie vse. How figures be excluded, and how these places are to be taken, that are so plaine, as he pretendeth, I pray you heare what he writeth in the same bookes of sacramentes. Lib. 4. Cap. 4. Ergo didicisti quòd ex pane corpu… fiat Christi, & quòd vinum & aqua in calicem mittitur, sed fit sanguis consecratione verbi Coelestis. Sed fortò dicis speciem sanguinis non video. Sed habet similitudinem. Sicut enim mortis similitudinem sumpsisti: ita etiam similitudinem preciosi sanguinis bibis, vt nullus horror cruoris sit, & precium tamen operetur redemptionis. Didicisti ergo quia quod accipis, corpus est Christi. Therefore thou hast learned that of the bread is made the body of Christ, and that the wine and water is put into the cup, but by consecration of the heauenly worde, it is made his bloud. But perhappes thou sayest, I see not the shewe of bloud. Yet hath it the similitude. For as thou hast receiued the similitude of his death, so also thou drinkest the similitude of his precious bloud, that there may be no horror of bloud, & yet it may worke the price of redemption. Thou hast learned then yt, that which thou takest is the bodie of Christ. Here you see it is so the bodie of Christ, as it is the similitude of his death, & so ye bloud, as it is ye similitud of his bloud. Moreouer in ye same book Ca. 5. Dicit sacerdos, &c. The priest saith make vntounto vsus, (saith he) this oblation, ascribed, reasonable, acceptable: which is the figure of the bodie and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ. And Cap. 6. Ergo memores, &c. Therefore beeing mindefull of his most glorious passion and resurection from hell, and ascention into heauen, we offer vntounto thee this vndefiled sacrifice, this reasonable sacrifice, this vnbloudie sacrifice, this holie bread and cup of eternall life. And againe Lib. 6. cap. 1. Ne igitur plures hoc dicerent veluti quidam esset horror cruoris, sed maneret gratia redemptionis, ideo in similitudinem quidem accipi… sacramentū, sed verae naturae gratiam virtus émque consequeris. Therfore lest any man should say this, and there should be a certeine horror of bloud, but that the grace of redemption might remaine, therefore truely, thou takest a sacrament for a similitude, but thou obteinest the grace & vertue of his true nature. Thus Ambrose hath spoken sufficiently to shewe him selfe no fauourer of Maister Heskins bill, although (as the scripture teacheth,) he call the sacrament the bodie & bloud of Christ and declareth why it is so called, because it is a figure, similitude, and a memoriall thereof.