as yet thow arte barren or hast Iudic. 13. Figures of Chrysts in carnation had no childe before Thowe shalt conceaue and bring furth a Sonne This was a figure of the Salutacō of the Angell to the virgē the mother of Christe Ecce saied the Angell to the virgen concipies paries filium Beholde thowe shalt conceaue and bring furth a Sonne Obserue and note the conformitie and likenesse of both messages Wherin note by whom the messages were doen to whom they were doen and what maner of persons they were doen vnto by vhom the thing promised shoulde be perfourmed of what force value and wourthinesse the thinges promised be And then shall ye perceaue howe liuelie the figure for that part that yt ys a figure painteth and setteth furthe the thing that ys figured Figures be not in euerie point cōparable to the thinges figurated Note also that I saie that a figure for that parte that yt ys a figure dothe paint and sett furth the thing figurated For euery storie conteining a figure ys not a figure for the wholl storie neither the persons of the figure are in al poinctes to be likened compared or assembled to the thinge figurated As for example Ioseph being solde of his bretheren for money was a figure of Christe Gen. 38. Joseph and Chryst cōpared together solde by Iudas to the Iewes for moneie In the whiche figure application maye not so be made that the person who ys the figure shall expresse or aunswere the thing figured in all pointes and euery condicion or that the person who ys the figure shal counteruaill the wourthinesse of the person figured For Ioseph the person in this figure was a pure man Christe the person figured God and man Ioseph subiecte vnto sinne Christ free from sinne Ioseph solde not to die but to be saued from death Christe solde not to be saued from death but to die wherfore Ioseph in these partes and cōsideracōs ys not a figure of Christ but in this parte that as Ioseph being innocent his bretheren conspired against him So Christ being innocent Iudas with the phariseies conspired against him Ioseph was solde of his bretheren Christe of Iudas his elect Apostle and brother Ioseph was called the Sauiour of the worlde Christe was called and ys the Sauioure of the worlde Vocabis nomen eius Iesum ipse enim saluum faciet populum suum à peccatis Math. 1. eorum Thowe shalt call his name Iesus saieth the Angell For he shall saue his people from their sinnes In these poinctes Ioseph ys a figure of Christe So the Mother of Sampson and Sampson himself being the persons of the figure maie not aunswere the persons figured in all partes For the mother of Sampson conceaued by man The mother of Christe withoute man Sampson a sinfull man Christe void of sinne Therfor let vs consider the figure in that parte that yt ys a figure and first by whome the message of the conception of those childeren was doen. The conception of Sampson was declared by an Angell The conceptiō of Christe likwise by an Angell The Angell saied to the mother of Sampsom Sampsons conception and Chrystes compared to gether Ecce concipies paries filium Beholde thow shalt conceaue and bring furthe a Sonne The Angell to the virgen saied Ecce concipies paries filium Behoholde thow shalt conceaue and bring furth a Sonne The Mother of Sampson was alone when the Angell appeared to her The mother of Christe was alone when the Angell saluted her Secondlie consider what maner of persons they were to whome these messages were sent Yt ys to be supposed that the mother of Sampson was in Mother of Sampson compared with the mother of Chryst. Bernardus epist 174. Gods fauour to whome he did vouchesaif to sende his Angell with a message moche desiered Yt ys to be beleued that the mother of Christe was certenlie in Gods fauoure who sanctified her in her mothers wombe and appoincted her to be the mother of his owne Sonne and certifiied her ther of by the Angell The mother of Sampson had neuer childe before The mother of Christe had neuer childe before Nowe thirdlie Let vs cōsider by whom the thinges promised that ys the conception of theise children shoulde be perfourmed The mother of Sāpson being barren wher the ordre of nature coulde not cause her to conceaue conceaued by Gods disposition helping nature The mother of Christe beinge a virgen and not knowing man coulde not by the course of nature conceaue but conceaued by the power of God and operacon of the holie Goste Spiritus sanctus superueniet in te virtus altissimi obumbrabit tibi The holie Goste shall come vpon thee and the power of the highest shall ouershadow thee Luc. 1. Fourthlie and last let vs searche of what wourthinesse these childeren Sāpson and Chryst cōpared together promised were Sampson was an a Nazarite vnto God from his youthe Christ most acceptable to God from his youthe Sampson began to deliuer the children of Israel oute of the handes of the Philistines tirannouslie reigning ouer them Christ began to deliuer the people oute of the handes of the Deuell tirannoustie reigninge ouer them Thus beholding and weighing howe goodlie the ordre of the conception of Christ aunswereth the ordre and maner of the conception of Sampson we maie well perceaue the one did prefigurate the other As the conception of our Sauioure Christe was thus prefigurated So was his passiō and deathe also Abraham hauing but his onelie begottē Sonne and best beloued Isaac yet at the commaundement of God willing to slaye him and offer him he was a figure of the mercifull will of God the Gen. 22. Father who hauing but his onelie begotten and beloued Sonne Iesus Christe was willing that he shoulde suffer death and be offred for vs. Isaac bearing the woodde to the place of Sacrifice and obedient to his fathers will therto be slain and offred was a figure of Christe bearing the Isaac a figure of Christ Philip. 2. woodde of his crosse to the place wher he shoulde suffer and being obedient to his Fathers will did suffer death euen the deathe vpon the crosse In whiche facte he did not onelie fullfill the Scriptures but also aunswereth the figures whiche prefigurated that this his death shoulde be the saluaciō of them that shoulde beleue in him Whiche figure ys the setting vppe of Nū 21. ca. Joan. 3. the Brasen Serpent mencioned in the booke of Nombres Of the whiche figure he himself maketh mencion in the Gospell applieng yt to him self saing Sicut Moises exaltauit serpentem in deserto ita exaltari oporiet filium hominis vt omnis qui credit in ipsum non pereat sed habeat vitam aeternam As Moyses lifted vppe the serpent in the wildernesse Euen so must the Sonne of man be lifted vppe that whosoeuer beleueth in him maie not perish but haue eternall life As God opened
flesh appeareth not causes of the goodnesse of God towarde vs and shewed in this Sacrament the one ys that though yt be flesh in dede yet as Euthymius and Theophilact also doe saie God considering or condescending to our infirmities maketh yt not to appeare vnto vs that that yt ys in dede but yt appeareth still to vs as yt was before as bread and wine The other cause whie we receaue the verie flesh of Chryst though not in the forme of flesh ys saieth Cyrill that the bodie of Chryst whiche in an other place he calleth the bodie of life might be in our bodies as the seede of life to communicate life vnto vs and so make vs by vertue therof to liue euerlastinglie Nowe if the Sacrament were but a figure and not the bodie of Chryst as the Aduersarie saieth howe coulde Cyrills saing be true that God turneth the offred thinges into his flesh Again if in the Sacrament we receaue The flesh of Chryst receaued in the Sacr. ys the seed of euerlasting life not the bodie of Chryste howe then standeth Cyrills sainge that the bodie of Chryst to the intent yt maie be the seed of life ys fownde in vs Yt maie then well be perceaued that the doctrine of the Aduersarie teaching that Chrystes bodie and bloode be not in the Sacrament ys pestilent perniciouse and vntrue not onely in that yt ys repugnant to the doctrine of this holie Father and others before alleadged but also to the verie woorde of Chryst who plainlie saieth This ys my bodie and the Aduersarie saieth yt ys not his bodie But a figure of his bodie But yt ys time that we heare S. Grogorie whom we haue appoincted to ioin with S. Cyrill to declare what was the faith of the latin church in his daies Thus he writeth Debemus itaque praesens seculum vel quia iam conspicimus de fluxisse tota mente contemnere quotidiana Deo lachrimarum sacrisicia quotidianas carnis Grog li. 4 dialog ca. 58. sanguinis eius hostias immolare Haec namque singulariter victima ab aeterno interitu animam saluat quae illam nobis mortem Vnigeniti per mysterium reparat Qui licet resurgeÌ„s ex mortuis iam non moritur mors ei vltrà non dominabitur tamen in seipso immortaliter atque incorruptibiliter viuens pro nobis iterum in boc mysterio sacrae oblationis immolatur Eius quippe ibi corpus sumitur eius caro in populi salutem partitur eius sanguis non iam in manus infidelium sed in ora fidelium funditur Hinc ergo pensemus quale sit pro nobis hoc sacrificium quod pro absolutionè nostra passionem Vnigeniti filii sui imitatur Quis enim fidelium haberè dubium possit in ipsa immolationis hora ad sacerdotis vocem caelos aperiri Dailie sacrifice of Chrystes bodie and blode ys to be ofred in illo Iesu Christi mysterio Angelorum Choros adesse summis ima sociari terrena coele stibus iungi vnum quoque ex visibilibus inuisibilibus fieri We aught therfor forasmoche as we see this present worlde to haue comed to nothing with all owre minde to contemne yt and to offre vnto God the dailie sacrifices of teares the dailie sacrifices of his flesh and bloode This singular sacrifice saueth the soule from euerlasting destruction whiche reneweth vnto vs by misterie the death of the onelie begotten Sonne Who allthough rising from death dieth no more and death shall neuer more haue lord shippe ouer him yet in himself liuing immortallie and in corruptiblie he ys offred again in this misterie of the holie oblacion for vs. Ther trulie his bodie ys receaued his flesh to the health of the people ys geuen abroede his not bloode ys nowe shedde not into the handes of the vnfaithfull but into the mouthes of the faithfull By this theÌ„ let vs weigh what maner of sacrifice this ys for vs whiche for our deliuerance dothe allwais folowe the passion of the onely begotten Sonne What faith full man can doubte in the time of that sacrificing at the woorde of the preist the heauens to be opened in that misterie of Iesus Chryste companies of Angells to be present vnto high thinges lowe thinges to be coopled to heauenlie thinges earthlie thinges to be ioined one thing also of inuisible and visible thinges to be made Thus moche S. Gregorie Yt maie perchaunce be saied that though this place of S. Gregorie doeth moche prooue the verie presence of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament yet yt teacheth not the vnderstanding of Chrystes woordes This ys my body whiche ys the matter that I nowe take in hande to declare Trueth yt ys that the woordes of Chryst be not here recited by expresse woordes but they are heare vnderstanded and the true vnderstanding of them ys also here settfurth for the vnderstanding wherof I first note vnto yowe this sentence of Gregories authoritie What faithfull man saieth he can doubte in that time of immolacion at the voice of the preist the heauens to be opened c. what voice of the preist yt ys at whiche the heauens be opened the companies of angells be present high thinges are coopled to lowe thinges but that voice of the woordes of Chryst spoken by the preist in the person of Chryst This ys my bodie This ys my blood For vnto that time saieth S. Ambrose the preist vseth The heaueÌ„lie bodie of Christ ys ioâ—ned to the earthlie formes of bread and wire at the pronouincing of the woordes of Chryst his owne woordes but then he vseth not his owne woordes but the woordes of Chryst at the whiche voice all these wonderfull thinges are doen. S. Gregorie then by this voice of the preist vnderstandeth these woordes of Chryst vttered by the preist The true vnderstanding of whiche woordes he teacheth when he saieth that at the speaking and pronunciacion of them vnto high thinges lowe thinges are coopled vnto heauenly thinges earthlie thinges are ioined What be these high thinges and heauenly thinges coopled and ioined to lowe thinges and eartlie thinges but the heauenly and gloriouse hodie and bloode of our Sauiour Chryst whiche by his diuine power turning the substances of bread and wine into the substance of the same his bodie and bloode and being in the Sacrament vnder the earthlie formes of bread and wine he being high and heauenly ys ioined and coopled to lowe and earth lie thinges Jrenaeus li. 4. ca. 34. After this maner the holie martir Irenaeus did settfurth the holie SacrameÌ„t for he saieth Qui est à terra panis precipiens vocationem Dei iam non communis panis est sed Eucharistia ex duabus constans rebus terrena coelesti The bread whiche ys of the earth receauing the vocacion of God that ys the woordes of consecracion ys nowe not common bread but Eucharistia a good grace of God being Amb. ora prepar ad Missam compact of two thinges
naturall bodie and bloode of Chryst wherby also yt ys manifest that the naturall bodie and bloode of Chryste be in the Sacrament For if they were not howe coulde they so be receaued Again yt ys manifest that not onelie the inwarde man the inuinsible or The outward naturall man receaueth the bodie and blood of Chryste spirituall man receaueth the bodie and bloode of Chryst but also the outwarde the visible and naturall man And for the full and perfect vnderstanding of this note well the cheife grownde of this auncient holie Father Irenaeus His pourpose ys to prooue that our flesh although yt be a mortall thinge shall receaue immortallitie although yt be earthilie yt shall receaue an heauenly and euerlastinge life howe proueth he that By that that our mortall flesh receaueth the immortall flesh and bloode of Chryst and therby nourished shall in his time atteign to immortalitie ād life euerlastinge The Sacramentaries denieng the receipt of Chrystsnaturall bodie into our denie withall the argument of Jren. ād of consequent the immortallitie of our bodie after resurrect Consider then that the argument of this holie father against this heresie to prooue that our bodies shall rise and that they at the same resurrection shall atteign to immortallie ys that we receaue the bodie ād blood of Christ by the whiche yt beinge immortall and also able to geue immortalitie we shall be made immortall and receauers of euerlastinge life The Sacramentarie then denienge that we receaue the bodie of Chryst into our bodies denieth the argument of this holie Father and tectlie also denieth owre resurrection and immortalitie which to manie of them haue allreadie apertlie doen and robbeth vs of one great article of our faith and of our cheif and high comforte that we hope to haue in our resurrection For as S. Paule saieth Si in hac vita tātùm in Christo sperātes sumus omnibus hominibus c. Yf in this life onelie we beleue on Chryst then are we of all men most miserablie Yf then they will robbe vs of the mean to atteign to this resurrection and immortallitie whiche mean ys the very receipt of the bodie and blood of Chryst they shall also robbe vs of the effect For the cause being taken awaie the effect also must be taken awaie as the cause beinge admitted the effect must necessarilie folowe For the cause of the immortalitie of our flesh ys the coniunction of the immortall flesh of Chryst with owre whiche ys doen 1. Cor. 15. by the receipt of the same in the Sacrament Of these two Chryst ys a full wittnesse for the first he saieth Nisi manducaueritis carnem filii hominis biberitis eius sanguinem non habebitis vitam in vobis Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood ye shall haue no life in yowe wherby ys testified that the receipt of the bodie and blood taken awaie from vs immortalitie and euerlastinge life ys also taken awaie For the other Chryst also testifieth Qui manducat meā carnem bibit meum ibid. sangumem habet vitam aeternam He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath euerlastinge life Wherby ys taught that the receipt of the bodie and bloode of Chryst ys the cause and mean of and to euerlasting life But that the Aduersarie shall not cauill and saie that I speake moche in this matter at mine owne libertie and ther vnto expownde the scripturs by mine owne authoritie he shall heare the holie Father Cyrill affirme as moche as I haue saied and expownde the scripturs to the same sense Thus he Cirill in 15 ca Joan. writeth Non poterat aliter corruptibilis haec natura ad incorruptibilitatem vitam traduci nisi naturalis vitae corpus ei coniungeretur Non credis mihi haec dicenti Christo te obsecro fidem praebe dicenti Amen amen inquit dico vobis Nisi manducaueritis carnem filu hominis biberitis eius sanguinem non habebitis vitam in vobis Qui manducat meam carnem bibit meum sanguinem habet vitam aeternam Audis apertè clamātem non habituros nos vitam nisi sanguinem cius biberimus carnem manducauerimus In vobis autem ipsis dicit id est in corpore vestro Vita autem iure ipsa vitae caro intelligi potest Haec enim nos in nouissimo die suscitat quomodò dicere non grauabor Caro vitae facta Vnigeniti caro ad virtutem vitae traducta est Non potest igitur morte superari Propterea in nobis facta interitum à nobis expellit Non enim abest ab ea vnigenitus Deisilius Vnde quia vnus est cum carne sua Ego inquit suscitabo cum This corruptible nature of owre bodie could not other wise be brought to incorruptibilitie Oure corruptible nature could not atteign to incorruptibilitie but by the receipt of the incorruptible flesh of Chryste and life except the bodie of naturall life shoulde be ioined to yt Beleuest thowe not me sainge these woordes I praie thee then beleue Chryst sainge Verilie verilie saieth he I saie vnto yowe except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloode ye shall haue no life in yowe He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloode hath euerlastinge life Thowe hearest him openlie saing that we shall haue no life except we drinke his bloode and eate his flesh He saieth in yower selues that ys in yower bodie By life maie of right be vnderstanded that flesh of life For this flesh shall raise vs vppe in the last daie And howe yt shall not greiue me to tell The flesh of life being made the flesh of the onelie begotten Sonne of God ys brought to haue the power of life Yt can not therfor be ouercomed of deathe Wherfor that flesh beinge in vs expelleth deathe from vs. For the onelie begotten Sonne of God ys not absent from that flesh Wherfore bicause he ys one withe his flesh he saied I will rayse him vppe Se ye not here plainlie affirmed by sainct Cyrill and that by those places of the vi of sainct Iohn that this corruptible nature of owre bodie can not atteign to immortalitie and life except the bodie of Chryst whiche he calleth the bodie of life be conioined to yt To returne then the argument of Irenaeus ys of great force For in dede that The flesh can not be subiect to mortalitie that duelie receaueth the flesh of immortalitie flesh can not be subiecte to mortalitie that receaueth the flesh of Chryst whiche geueth immortalitie But once to ende with Irenaeus I wishe the Reader to be aduertised of two thinges The one that wher Irenaeus and S. Cyrill saie that by the receipt of the bodie of Chryst we receaue immortalitie he maie not thinke them to speake against the scripture whiche saieth Quis est homo qui viuit non videbit mortem What man ys
bodie our true Paschall lambe In nocte quippe inquit agnum comedimus quia in sacramento modò Dominicum corpus accipimus quando adhucinuicem nostras conscientias non videmus In the night saieth he do we eate the lambe forsomoche as we do nowe receaue our lordes bodie in the Sacrament when as yet we doe not see one an others conscience In this his sainge ys not onelie perceaued the applicacion of the figuratiue Paschall Lambe to the verie true Paschall Lambe but to the full agreement with other holie Fathers before alleaged he doth most plainlie testifie the reall presence bothe by his woordes terming yt the bloode of our Redemer and the bodie of our lorde and also by the maner of the receauinge of yt In the whiche note that he teacheth that the bodie and bloode of Chryst ys receaued by two distincted and diuerse maners of receauinge One maner ys with the mouthe of the bodie whiche argueth the reall presence The other maner ys with the mouthe of the hearte and that ys the spirituall maner of receauing So that the learned men in Chrystes faithe doo teache the good Chrystian man to receaue Chrystes bodie both corporallie and spirituallie But the maliciouse learned man against Chrystes faith teacheth that the good Chrystian man receaueth Chryste but onelie spirituallie and so robbeth him of the other the contrarie of the whiche Doctrine ye see here auouched by sainct Gregorie as yt was also by other before alleaged with whom he well agreeth To this sainct Gregorie shall be yoined Damascen one of the other side of the Parliament house of Chryst that ys of the greke church and of the lowe house but one of the first and cheif in that place as ys before saied a man so excellentlie will seen in the statutes of Chrystes Parliament house that ys to saie in the knowledge of the receaued trueth of Chrystes faithe that he did write foure bookes of the same both learnedlie and godlie and in the fourthe booke of his workes emong other explicacions of matters of faith he declareth also the faithe of the Churche in this matter of the Sacrament at large wher as touching the same matter he saieth thus Natiuitas nobis per spiritum donata est per sanctum dico baptismum Cibus verò ipse Li. 4. de orthod sid c. 14. panis vitae Dominus noster Iesus Christus qui de coelo descendit Nam suscepturus voluntariam pro nobis mortem in nocte qua seipsum obtulit testamentum nouum disposuit sanctis Discipulis Apostolis per ipsos omnibus alijs in ipsum credentibus In coenaculo sanctae gloriosae Sion antiquum Pascha cum Discipulis manducans et implens instrumētum antiquum lauit pedes Discipulorum signum sancti baptismatis praebens Deinde frangens panem dedit illis dicens Accipite comedite Hoc est corpus meum quod pro vobis tradetur in remissionem peccatorum Similiter accipiens calicem ex vino aqua tradidit illis dicens Bibite ex eo omnes hic est sanguis meus noui testamenti qui pro vobis effunditur in remissionem peccatorum Hoc facite in meam cōmemorationem Quotiescunque enim manducabitis panem hunc calicem bibetis mortem filij hominis annunciatis resurrectionem eius cōfitemini donec veniat Si igitur verbum dei viuens est efficax omnia quaecunque voluit Deus fecit Si dixit Fiat lux facta est lux Fiat firmamentum factum est Si verbo Dei coeli firmati sunt spiritu oris eius omnis virtus eorum Si coelum terra aqua ignis aer omnis ornatus eorum verbo Dei perfecta sunt homo ipse vbique diuulgatum animal Si volens ipse Deus Verbum factus est homo c. Non potest panem suum ipsius corpus facere vinum cum aqua sanguinem Dixit in principio Deus Producat terra herbam virentem vsque nunc pluuia facta producit germina diuino coädiuta vigorata praecepto Dixit Deus Hoc est corpus meum hic est sanguis meus hoc facite in meam commemorationē omnipotentieius praecepto donec veniat efficitur A newe birth ys geuen to vs by the Spirit and the water I saie by holie Baptisme but the meat ys the verie bread of life our lorde Iesus Christ who descended from heauen For willing to take for vs a willing death in the night in the whiche he offred vppe him self he disposed a newe testamēt to his holie Disciples and Apostles and by them to all other beleuing in him In the parlour Chrystes cuppe cōteined wine ād Water therfore of holie gloriouse Sion eating the olde Passeouer with his disciples and fulfilling the olde lawe he washed the feet of his disciples geuing a sign of holie Baptisme Afterwarde breaking bread he gaue yt to thē saing Take eate This ys my bodie whiche shall be deliuered for yowe in the remission of sinnes Likewise taking the cuppe of wine and water he deliuered yt vnto them saing Drinke ye all of this This ys my bloode of the newe Testament whiche shall be shedde for yowe in the remission of Sinnes This do ye in my remembrāce For as often times as ye shall eate this bread ād drinke this cuppe ye shew furth the death of the Sōne of mā ād acknowledge his resurrectiō vntill he come Yf then the woorde of God be liuing ād mightie in operaciō and al thinges whatsoeuer he hath willed he hath doē Yf he saied The light be made and the light was made The firmament be made and yt was made Yf by the woorde of God the heauens were made and all the power of them with the breath of his mouthe Yf heauen earth water fire and the Ayer and al the furniture of them by the woorde of God were made perfect and man himself being euery where a knowen liuing creature Yf God the Sonne himself being willing was made man c. Can not he make breade his owne bodie and wine and water his bloode God saied at the beginning Let the earth bring furth green herbe And vntill this daie being holpen and made strong with Gods commaundement the rain comming Effect of Chrystes woordes of consecraciō yt bringeth furth fruicts God saied This ys my bodie and this ys my blood and this do ye in the remembrance of me And by hys allmightie commaundement yt ys so made and brought to effecte vntill he come Thus farre Damascen Whose saing ys long but as pithie and weightie as yt ys long In the which he hath not onelie declared hys faith but the faith of Chryst receaued in his Churche which ys the wholl matter and onelie argument of hys worke as the title of the same doth purporte And to the matter which we haue in hande he geueth woorthie testimonie declaring the accomplishment of the olde lawe in