Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 3 · Part 23
The three and twentieth Chapter, beginneth the exposition of this text: Quoniam vnus panis, &c.Hesk.
The text is this: Because there is one bread, and wee being many, are one bodie, for we are all partakers of the same bread, Fulk.& of the same cupp. First. M. Hesk. sayeth, that the Apostle speaking of our Communion with Christ, and with our selues, declareth, that bread and the cuppe bee not taken for bare figures of the bodie & bloud of Christ, in which argument he fighteth with his owne shadowe, for we detest bare figures, as much as grosse transubstantiation. Secondly, he sayeth, our communion with Christ, is both spirituall and corporall: spirituall in baptisme, and corporall in this sacrament, or else this sacrament was instituted in vaine, if we hauehave none other communion with Christ thereby, then spirituall, which is in baptisme. I answere his argument is nought, for the diuerse dispensations of the same grace, is testified and confirmed to vsus by diuerse sacraments, our regeneration by baptisme, and our preseruation, as by spirituall foode, by ye Lordes supper. As for the superstitious bread that was giuen in Saint Augustines time to those that were Catechumeni in steede of the sacrament, hee doeth well to compare to their popish holie bread, sauing that there is greate difference: for that was giuen onelyonly to them that were not baptised, this altogether to them that are baptized, & many that hauehave receiued the other sacrament at their hands. But where he hath tossed his corporall communion to & fro, at last he addeth a condition of receiuing worthily, so that he denyeth in effect, that he saide before, that by receipt of Christes bodie, men are incorporate to Christ, & forceth the wordes of the Apostle to be many, and not all, which is false, for he sayeth all yt eate of this bread, though we be many yet are made one bodie. Finally, in that the Apostle sayeth, we all eate of one bread & drink of one cupp, M. Hesk▪ saith, that he tooke it not for bare material bread, for then it were not true: as for his bare bread, let him keepe to crome his pottage. But howe prooueth he, that Saint Paule spake not of materiall bread, as the earthly parte of the sacrament? Forsooth all do not eat one bread: for the Greekes eat leuened bread, & the Latines fine & vnleuened bread. In the Popish church is giuen to eueryevery communicant a sundrie bread, in the scismaticall church, eueryevery conuenticle hath a sundrie bread, and sometimes diuerse breades, therfore it is no materiall bread, that S. Paule speaketh of, but the heauenly bodie of Christ. If I were as froward a reasoner, as M. Hesk. I would aske him whether the body of Christ be not a materiall body, because he maketh materiall & heauenly, diuerse differences, as though he were an Eutychian. But admitt that by materiall bread hee meaneth bread properly so called, and the heauenly bodie figuratiuely called bread, which he is loth to come to: what mad man woulde vnderstand that one breade which S. Paul sayeth, to be distributed in eueryevery communion to all that are present, and whereof eueryevery one taketh parte in token of the communion or fellowship of many in one bodie, for all the kindes & fashions of bread that are vsed in all communions in the worlde? For the Apostles argument is grounded of ye similitude of bread, which of many graines is made one bread, so wee being many are made one bodie. And therefore in vaine doeth he racke these wordes of S. Paul, to the meaning of Barnarde, whose authoritie we receiue not, or to the words of Chrysostome, which he falsly alledgeth to be in 1. Cor. 10. Hom. 17. whereas they be in ad Hebraeos. 10. Hom. 7. which is nothing, but an obiection of his: the place is wholy cited in the first booke & 37. Chapter, where you shall see how much it maketh for M. Hesk.