Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 3 · Part 4
The fourth Chapter beginneth to declare by the holy fathers of what things Manna and the waters be figures.Hesk.
He beginneth this Chapter, with a shamelesse lye:Fulke. for he sayeth, that wee affirme Manna to be a figure only of the worde of God, which is vtterly false: for wee affirme, that it was a sacramentall figure of the bodye of Christe, and so a figure, that it was in deede the bodie of Christ, after a spirituall manner, to them whiche receiued it worthelie. But Maister Heskins will hauehave it a figure, not onelyonly of the worde of God, but also of the bodie of Christe in the sacrament, and so a figure, that is was nothing else but a bare figure, and not a sacrament.
And this hee hopeth to prooue out of Sainct Ambrose ad Iren. Ep. 62. Quaeria… me, &c. Thou askest mee, why the Lorde God did rayne Manna to the people of the fathers, and doeth not nowe rayne it? If thou knowest, he rayneth and daily rayneth from heauen Manna to them that serue him. And that bodily Manna truely, is founde at this day in many places. But nowe it is not a thing of so greate miracle, becaus… that which is perfect is come. And that perfecte is the breade from heauen, the bodie of the virgine, of which the Gospell doeth sufficiently teache thee. Howe much better, are these things then the former? For they which did eate that Manna, that is that breade, are deade. But whosoeuer shall eate this breade, shall liue for euer. But it is a spirituall Manna, that is, a rayne of spirituall wisedome, which is powred into them, that be wittie and searching is from heauen, and deweth the myndes of the Godly & sweeteneth their iawes.
Because there is nothing in this saying of Saint Ambrose for his purpose, hee falleth into a greate rage against Oecolampadius, for leauing out of this sentence: Quanto praestantiora sunt haec superioribus? Howe much more excellent are these, then the other aboue rehearsed? Which, howesoeuer it was, as I am sure, it was not of a falsifying mynde, so no man in the worlde, might worse exclaime against falsifying of the doctours then Maister Heskins, as I hauehave often shewed, and doubt not but I shall shewe hereafter.
But to the purpose, it is euident, that Saint Ambrose in the former sentence, speaketh of Manna, as a corporall foode, not as a sacrament, in which respect, there is no comparison between it, & the body of Christ. And he is so farre from saying, that Manna, as it was a sacrament, was but a figure of the bodie of Christ (as M. Heskins belyeth him) that he saith not at all, that it was a figure.
But hee chargeth vsus with two other wicked opinions, namely, That the sacramentes of the newe lawe giuegive no grace, and that they are of no more excellencie then the sacraments of the olde lawe. To the first we aunswere, and say, that the sacramentes giuegive not grace of the worke wrought, as they teach, but that GOD giueth grace by his sacramentes in all his elect, wee affirme. And to the second, wee aunswere, that as in substaunce the sacramentes of the olde time were not inferiour to oures, so in cleerenesse of reuelation and vnderstanding, oures are farre more excellent then theirs, and that the place of Saint Ambrose, which Maister Heskins doeth next alledge, doeth very well shewe. Oriente autem &c. The sonne of righteousnesse arising, and more bright sacramentes of Christes body and bloud shining foorth, those inferiour thinges or sacramentes should cease, and those perfect should be receiued of the people. Maister Heskins noteth, that if the sacrament were but a bare signe, it should not be so magnified by Saint Ambrose. But so often as hee chargeth vsus with a bare signe, so often must we charge him againe with an impudently. For wee doe as much detest a bare signe or figure, as hee doth a signe or figure.
As for the three kindes of Manna that Maister Heskins gathereth, is altogether out of Saint Ambrose his compasse. For hee hath no more but the bodily Manna, and the spirituall Manna, as the signe and the thing signified. And the rayne of spirituall wisedome, is the spirite of GOD, which sealeth inwardly in the heart, that whiche is expressed outwardly by the externall signes. I maruell Maister Heskins alledgeth not Saint Ambrose vponupon this text 1. Cor. 10. whose woordes might seeme to hauehave more colour of his bare figure, although they be flat against it in deede. Manna & aquaquae fluxit de Petra, haec dicit spiritualia, quia non mundi lege parata sunt, sed Dei virtute sine elementorum commixtione ad tempus creata, habentia in se figuram futuri mysterij quod nunc nos summus in commemorationem Christi Domini. Manna, and the water which flowed out of the rocke, these he calleth spirituall, bicause they were not prepared by the order of the world, but by the power of God, with out commixtiō of the elements created for a time, hauing in them a figure of the mysterie to come, which nowe we receiue in remembraunce of Christe our Lorde. By these wordes it is euident, that our sacraments do so differ from theirs, as a figure of that which is to come, and a remembrance of that which is past do differ. For all sacramentes hauehave their strength of the death of Christ. Secondly, we see that this father calleth our sacrament, a mysterie in remembrance of Christ: which speach is farre from a corporall manner of presence, that M. Heskins would maintaine by his authoritie.
The other places cited out of Euthymius a late writer, as we hauehave often saide, affirme that Manna was the figuratiue bread, and a figure, but not Christe which was the trueth. Howbeit, he meaneth nothing else, but that Christ was not in flesh present to the fathers in Manna, before he was incarnate, and so vseth the terme, figure, as a prefiguration and shadowing, not of the sacrament, but of Christ him selfe, which is the matter of the sacrament, euen as Christ him selfe in the 6. of S. Iohn, opposing Manna against the true bread that came downe from heauen, speaketh not of that spirituall meat which Manna was to the faithfull, but of the outward creature, which was onelyonly considered of the wicked, to fill their bellies, and not to feede their soule.
But M. Heskins remitteth his reader, for al matters concerning the 6. of Iohn, to the second booke 36. chapter &c. and so do I to the same places for answere. Neuerthelesse, he will touch a word of Oecolampadius, where he saith, that the inward man is fed by faith, which is so straunge to him, that he neuer read the like phrase in any authentike authour. By which woondring, he sheweth him selfe to be a great stranger in S. Augustine, who saith In Ioan. Tr. 25. &c. Vt quid paras dentes & ventrem? crede & māducasti. Why preparest thou thy teeth and thy belly? Beleeue, & thou hast eaten. Here faith feedeth the soule, for it feedeth not the belly. The last text he citeth out of Chrysostom, is alledged more at large in the 30. Chapter of the second booke, where it is also answered.