Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 3 · Part 55
The fiue and fiftieth Chapter proceedeth vponupon the same by Isichius and S. Augustine.Hesk.
To garnishe his Booke, with the name of Isichius,Fulke. he continueth his most vniust and slaunderous quarrell against Luther, as though he denied all preparation requisite to the woorthie receiuing of this holie sacrament, which is so impudent an vntruth, that all the world doth see it, And God in time will reuenge it. Isichius is cited In 26. Leuit. Probet autem &c. Let a man examine him selfe and so let him eate of that bread, and drinke of that cuppe. What manner of examination doeth he speake of? It is this, that in a cleane heart and conscience, and to him that intendeth to repent those thinges wherein he hath offended, men should participate of the holy things to the washing away of their sinnes. M. Hesk. would make men beleeue, that Luthers doctrine were contrarie to this saying, and multiplieth his slaunders against him, which seeing they be without al proofe, yea and manifest proofe to the contrarie, it shall suffice to denie them, and so to consider what he will bring foorth of S. Augustine.
He citeth him Ad Iulianum Ep. 111. Whereas in deede ther is no such Epistle in any good edition of Augustine, and the treatise he speaketh of, may rather be called a Booke then an Epistle for the length of it. But the stile of it, is as like vntounto the stile of Augustine, as our Asse is to a Lyon. It hath no inscription to whom it should be directed, and therefore some say to Iulianus, some to Bonifacius. It beginneth O mi frater, &c. and so continueth in such balde Latine that Erasmus hath not only reiected it out of the number of Augustines Epistles, but also out of his authenticall workes, such iudgement or honestie M. Heskins vseth in citing the fathers, all is fishe that commeth to his nette. I will set downe the wordes: Ab ijs pietas, &c. From them let the pietie of our Lorde Iesus Christe deliuer vsus, and giuegive himselfe to be eaten, who saide I am the bread of life which came downe from heauen, he that eateth my flesh, & drinketh my bloud hath euerlasting life in him. But let euerie man before he receiue the bodie and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ, examine himself, and so according to the commandement of the Apostle, let him eate of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that vnworthily eateth the bodie and bloud of our Lord, eateth and drinketh his owne condemnation, making no difference of the bodie of our Lorde. Therefore when we shall receiue, we ought before to hauehave recourse to confession and repentance, and curiously to searche out all our actions, and if we finde in vsus any punishable sinnes, le… vsus hasten quickely to washe them away by confession and true repentance, least we with Iudas the traytor hyding the diuell within vsus, doe perish protracting and hyding our sinnes from day to day. And if we hauehave thought any euill or naughtie thing let vsus repent vsus of it, and let vsus make hast to scrape that speedily out of our heart.
This is the saying of this counterfet and forged Augustine, out of which Maister Heskins gathereth not only his manner of presence, to be such as the wicked receiue the bodie & bloud of Christ, but also his auricular confession.
But what the iudgement of the true Augustine is, you hauehave hearde before concerning the former: as for the later question is neuer touched in all his owne workes. De ciuit. Dei Lib. 21. Cap. 25. Non dicendum eum manducare corpus Christi, qui in corpore non est Christi. It is not to be saide, that he doth eate the bodie of Christe, which is not in the bodie of Christe. Againe: Vnus panis, vnum corpus multi sumus, qui ergo est in eius corporis vnitate, id est, in Christianorum compage membrorum, cuius corporis sacramentum fideles communicantes de altari sumere consueuerunt, ipse verè dicendus est manducare corpus Christi, & bibere sanguinem Christi. There is one bread we being many are one bodie, he therfore that is in the vnitie of his bodie, that is, in the coniunction of Christian members, the sacrament of which the faithfull communicating are accustomed to receiue from ye altar, he is truely to be saide to eate the bodie of Christ, and to drinke the bloud of Christ. And againe: Nec isti duo ergo dicendi sunt manducare corpus Christi, quoniam nec in membris computandi sunt Christi. Vt enim alia taceam, non possunt simul esse & membra Christi & membra meretricis. Deni que ipse dicent, Qui manducat carnem meam & bibit sanguinem meum in me manet & ego in eo, ostendit quid sit non sacramento tenus sed reuera corpus Christi manducare & eius sanguinem bibere: Hoc est enim in Christo manere, vt in illo maneat & Christus. Sic enim hoc dixit tanquam diceret: qui non in me manet, & in quo ego non maneo, non se dicat aut existimet manducare corpus meum, aut bibere sanguinem meum. Neither are those two sortes of men to be saide to eate of the bodie of Christe, because they are not to be accompted among the members of Christe.
For, that I say nothing of other matters, they can not be both the members of Christ, and the members of an harlot. Finally he himselfe saying: he that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud abideth in me and I in him, sheweth what it is (not in the sacrament only, but in very deede) to eate the bodie of Christ, & to drinke his bloud. For this it is to abide in Christ, ye Christ may abide in him. For so he spake this, as if he had saide: he that abideth not in me, and in whom I doe not abide, let him not say or think that he eateth my body or drinketh my bloud. Thus much for Saint Augustines iudgement. As for the matter of Auricular confession which Maister Heskins without warrant of Gods worde, is so bolde to call Gods ordinaunce, vponupon the authoritie of his forged Augustine, I thinke it not worthie any answere, if any man list to see the three properties of a Ghostly Father, and two commodities of confession, let him resorte to Maister Heskins booke for them. Other reason or authoritie he bringeth none for them, but this Iewde foolishe and barbarous counterfet, whome he called moste falsely and iniuriously S. Augustine.