Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 3 · Part 8 – Part 10
The eight Chapter proceedeth in declaration of the same by S. Augustine and Oecumenius.Hesk.
The first place of Augustine he citeth, but nameth not where it is written, is this: Cathechumeni iam credunt, &c. Fulk.The learners of Christian faith doe nowe beleeue in the name of Christ, but Iesus committeth not him selfe to them, that is he giueth not vntounto them his bodie and his bloud. Let them be ashamed therefore because they knowe not: let them goe through the red sea: let them eate Manna, that as they hauehave beleeued in the name of Iesus so Iesus may commit himselfe vntounto them. M. Heskins himselfe vponupon this place saith: It is common by the name of the figure, to vnderstand the thing figured. Therfore as Manna is called the bodie of Christ, so is the sacramentall bread and wine called his bodie and bloud. What is here for a Papist? But Augustine in his Booke De vtilitate poenitentiae (as he weeneth) maketh much for him. I am ergo lumine illato &c. Now therefore the light being brought in, let vsus seeke what the rest signifie? What meaned the sea, the clowde, Manna. For those he hath not expounded. But he hath shewed what the rocke is. The passage through the sea is baptisme, but because baptisme that is the water of health, is not of health, but beeing consecrated in the name of Christ, which shed his bloud for vsus, the water is signed with his crosse, and that it might signifie this, the redde sea was that baptisme. Manna from heauen is openly expounded by our Lord himselfe. Your fathers (saith he) hauehave eaten Manna in the wildernesse and are dead. For when should they liue? For the figure might pronounce life, it could not be life. They hauehave eaten manna (saith he) & are dead. That is, Manna which they hauehave eaten could not deliuer them from death, not because Manna was death vntounto them, but because it deliuered not from death. For he should deliuer thē frō death, which was figured by Manna. Surely Manna came from heauen, consider whome is figured: I am, saith he, the bread of life that came downe from heauen. M. Heskins ioyneth another place of Augustine Lib. Nou. & vet. Test. Quast. 65. Manna cypus est, &c. Manna is a figure of that spirituall meate, which by the resurrection of our Lorde is made trueth, in the mysterie of the Eucharistie. By this he will proue, that Manna in the former place, was meant to be a figure of the body of Christ in the sacrament.
But in spite of his beard he must vnderstande it of the spiritual maner of receiuing therof, by faith, wt ye benefites of his death which are made perfect in his resurrection, or else how saith he, yt the figure was made trueth by the resurrection of Christe? For the trueth of Christes bodie, did not depende vppon his resurrection, and the sacrament was instituted before his death, but it tooke and taketh force of his death and resurrection. And concerning the former sentence, I can but marueile at his impudencie, yt woulde alledge that treatise which is directly against him, as partly you may see by the places cited by mee out of the same, and followeth immediatly this place, in the second Chapter of this booke: partly by these places following, taken out of the same booke: Patres nostri, inquis …undem cibum spiritualem manducauerunt: & eundem potum spiritualē biberunt. Erant enim ibi qui quod manducabant intelligebant. Erant ibi, quibus plus Christus in corde, quàm Manna in ore sapiebat: Our fathers (sayeth he) did eat the same spirituall meate, and drinke the same spirituall drinke. For there were there, which did vnderstande what they did eate: There were there, to whom Christe sauoured better in their heart, then Manna in their mouth. And again: Breuiter dixerim: Quicun que in Manna Christum intellexerunt, eundem quem nos, cibum spiritualem manducauerunt: Quicun que autem de Manna solam saturitatem quae fierunt patres infidelium, ma…ducauerun… & moriui sunt: Sic tui am eundem potum. Petra enim Christus. Eudem ergo potum quem no… sed spiritualem: id est qui fide capiebatur, non qui corpor… hauriebatur. I will saye briefely: whosoeuer vnderstoode Christe in Manna, did eate the same spirituall meate that wee doe. But whosoeuer sought onelyonly to fill their bellyes of Manna, which were the fathers of the vnfaithfull, they hauehave eaten and are deade. So also the same drinke. For the rocke was Christe. They drinke therefore the same drinke that wee doe, but spirituall drinke, that is, which was receiued by faith, nor which was drawen in, with the bodie. And againe: Eundem ergo cibum, eundem potum, sed intelligentibus & credentib…s. Non intelligentibus autem illud solum Manna, illa fola aqua, ille cibus osurienti, potus iste suienti: nec ille, nec iste credenti: Credenti autem idem qui nunc: Tunc enim Christus venturus, modò Christus venit. Venturus & venit diuersa verba sims, sed idem Christus. The same meate therefore, and the same drinke, be to them that vnderstoode and beleeued. But to them which vnderstoode it not, it was onelyonly Manna, that was onelyonly water: that meate to the hungrie: this drinke to the thirstie: neither that, nor this to the beleeuer: But to the beleeuer, the same which is nowe: for then Christ was to come: nowe Christe is come. To come, and is come, are diuerse wordes, but the same Christe.
Let M. Heskins nowe go and saye, that Manna was a figure onelyonly of Christe, and not Christ him selfe to the beleeuers: let him saye, that our sacraments in substance are not all one with theirs. Finally, that we eate Christ corporally, which eate him none otherwise then they did before he had a bodie. For in all these Augustine is directly contrarie to him, though he be not ashamed to abuse his name, as though he were of his opinion. Nowe followeth Oecumenius a writer, farre out of the compasse of the challenge. But what sayeth he in 1. Cor. 10. Comederunt nempe Manna, &c. They hauehave eaten Manna, as wee the bodie of Christ. They hauehave dronke the spirituall water flowing out of the rocke or stone, as wee the bloud of Christ.
Maister Heskins inferreth, that the fathers did eate Manna, and drinke the water corporally, therefore wee eate and drinke the bodie and bloud of Christe corporally. By the same Logike he may conclude, the fathers did eate manna visibly and sensibly, therefore wee eate the bodie of Christ visibly and sensibly. Or else, as the wordes of Oecumenius sounde, wee eate the bodie of Christe inuisibly, so the fathers did eate Manna inuisibly. But eueryevery man that hath but halfe an eye, seeth these grosse inconsequences, and yet they are as good as Maister Heskins argument and illation. Oecumenius therefore meaneth, that as Manna and the water were their sacraments, so we hauehave ours, whose spirituall substance is the bodie and bloude of Christ, the earthly substance, is bread and wine, and Manna and the water were to them sacramentes of the same Christ, whome wee receiue. And whereas M. Heskins sayeth, that no catholike doctour teacheth the sacrament to be only a figure, we agree with him, for we hold him accursed that compteth it to be onelyonly a figure, or a bare figure, as he doeth often most iniuriously charge vsus. The rest of the Chapter is spent in vaine repetitions of sentences & collections before set downe and aunswered.
The ninth Chapter, proceedeth in the declaration of the same by Haimo & Theophylact.Hesk.
Although neither Haimo nor Theophylact, speake more for M. Hesk. then the former auctors,Fulke. yet because they are but burgesses of the lower house, which whether they giuegive their voyces with the bill or against it, it shall passe neuer the sooner, I will spende no time in aunswering their authorities. They are both but late writers. The patches of Chrysostome, Ambrose, & Cyprian are often aunswered at large in their proper places. But, whereas he challengeth the spirit of vnitie vntounto the Papistes, and chargeth the Protestants with the spirite of diuision: it is well knowen, that in the cheefest articles of religion, we agree, God be thanked, better then the Papistes do, who hauehave not yet agreed, whether the Pope, or the counsell bee to bee followed in matters of faith, so that they disagree in the verie foundation of their religion. Finally, where he chargeth vsus with the heresies of the Anabaptistes, we may be bolde to charge him with the spirite of Sathan, who was a lyer & a slaunderer of Gods Saintes from the beginning.
The tenth Chapter, proceedeth vponupon the same text, by Ruper…us & Rich. Holkot and endeth with Gagnegus.Hesk.
If a man should vouchesafe to admitt such authorities as these, there should be no end of quarrelling.Fulk. I am content to yelde them to Maister Heskins, and fiue hundreth more such as they be: as for the sayings of Ambrose and Cyrill, which he enterla…eth, they are answered in other places, although that of Ambrose be flat against him, the other of Cyrill nothing for him.