Whole Works, Tracts 2 · Tract 4 · Part 10
The ſecond poynt wherin Frith diſſenteth from our Prelates and their Proctor.
THe Prelates beléeue that hys very fleſhe is preſent to the téeth of The fayth of the Prelates.them that eate the ſacrament, and that the wicked eate hys very body. Frith ſayth that it is no article of our The opiniō of Iohn Frith.Créede, and therefore hée reckoneth that hee is in no ieoperdy though hee beleeue it not. And hee thinketh that his fleſhe is not preſent vntounto the téeth of them that receaue the Sacrament. For hys fleſh is onelyonly in one place at once: And yt hée proueth both by yt authoritie of S. Auſten ad Dardanum, and alſo by the authoritie of Fulgentius ad Thraſuuandum lib. 20. as before appeareth in yt booke. And Frith ſayth that the wicked eate not hys very fleſhe, although they receaue the ſacrament: And that hée proueth by the Scripture, Doctors, and good reaſon grounded vponupon the ſcriptures.
The Scripture is this: hée that eateth Iohn. 6▪Chriſtes body hath euerlaſting life, but the wicked hath not euerlaſting life, ergo then the wicked eate not his body. Agayne the Scripture ſayth: hée that eateth Chriſtes fleſhe and drinketh hys bloud, abydeth in Chriſt and Chriſt in hym, but yt wicked abyde not in Chriſt, nor Chriſt in him, ergo the wicked eate not hys fleſhe nor drinke hys bloud.
Thys may alſo bée confirmed by August. in ſerm. de ſacra fe. paſſch….good authoritie. For S. Auſten ſayth: hée that abydeth not in Chriſt, and in whom Chriſt abydeth not, without doubt hée eateth not hys fleſhe, nor drinketh hys bloud, although hée eate and drinke the ſacrament of ſo great a thing vntounto hys damnation.
And euen the ſame wordes hath Beda vponupon the x. chapter of the firſt Beda.Epiſtle to the Corinthians.
Agayne S. Auſten ſayth: hée that abydeth not in me, and in whom I abyde Aug. de Ciuitate Dei in libro. 21. Cap. 25.not, let hym not ſay nor thinke, that hée eateth my body or drinketh my bloud. And euē the ſame wordes hath Beda vponupon the vi. chapter of the firſt Epiſtle to the Corinthians. And euen ye ſame ſentēce hath Ambroſe, and Proſper, and Beda vponupon the xi. chapter of the firſt Epiſtle to the Corinthians.
Finally thys may bée proued by good reaſon grounded vponupon the ſcripture. Chriſt would not ſuffer Mary (though ſhée loued hym well) to touch hym, becauſe ſhée lacked one poynt of fayth, and dyd not beléeue that hée was equall with his father. And therfore by reaſon it muſt follow, that hée The wicked eate not Chriſtes body.will not ſuffer the wicked (which neither hauehave good faith nor louelove towards hym) both to touch hym and eate him into their vncleane bodyes.
Now ſith thys is proued true, that the wicked eate not hys body, it muſt alſo thereof néedes followe, that the ſacrament is not hys naturall bodye. For they doe eate the ſacrament as all mē know. Beſides that the faythfull doe not eate Chriſtes body with their téeth. And therefore it muſt followe that the wicked doe not eate it with their téeth. The antecedent or firſt part of the reaſon is prooued by the wordes of Chriſt, which ſayth, that the fleſh profiteth nothyng at all, Iohn. 6.meaning that it doth not profite as they vnderſtoode hym, that is to ſay, it profiteth nothyng to bée eaten carnally with their téeth and belly, as they vnderſtoode hym. For els it profiteth much to bée eaten ſpiritually, that is to ſay, to beléeue that through hys body breakyng & bloud ſhedding our ſinnes are purged. And thus doth Origene, S. Auſten, Beda, Chryſoſtome, and Athanaſius expound it, as appeareth in the booke before. And therfore Frith ſayth that onelyonly faythfull OnelyOnly the faythfull do eate Chriſtes body and drinke his bloud.men eate hys body, not with their téeth and mouth, but with their fayth and hart, that digeſt it into ye bowells of their ſoules through beléeuing that it was broken on the croſſe, to waſhe away their ſinnes. And the wicked eate not hys body but onelyonly the bread and their damnation, becauſe they eate hym not ſpiritually, that is, becauſe they beléeue not in hys bodye breaking and bloud ſhedding.