the Gentils whose greatest mysteries be made of corne and wine That Iacob prophecied of the fat bread of Aserwhich should geue spirituall delicats to the faithfull kings of Christes Church and yet how caÌ„ any bread be fat except it be the bread of life which is the flesh of Christ which is made fat with the presence of his Godhead Who seeth not that God promiseth as the highest reward in earth for keping his coÌ„mamdements to blesse the loaues of his people and to geue abundance of bread and wine That wheateÌ„ meale is appointed for fit matter to make a sacrifice of that the shew bread must stand continually in the temple before the face of God That Priests shall offer the loaues of theyr God therefore shal be holy Or what is the loaf of God besyde the flesh of Christ And who would not wonder to consyder that euen the chief Priests of the Iewes whose lips kept once the law of God after the comming of the faithfull Priest Iesus Christ to whome God hath built a new Church which shal neuer be vnfaithful to him are constrained to aske a morsell of mysticall breade at the haÌ„ds of those Priests which God hath appointed ouer the faithful Gentils if they wil haue any part of the euerlasting heritage in the house of God so that all the sacrifices of the law must be supplied fulfilled and made perfit by the Priests of the new testament in that cake or peece of the liuely bread which is the body of Iesus Christ geuen for vs. Dauid flying from Saul king of the Iewes to king Achis a Gentile changeth his countenaunce appearing like a foole or mad man to the vnfaithfull courtiers driueling on his beard stumbling and being caried in his own hands to shew yâ— Christ should appere vnder an other form to the conuerted Gentils theÌ„ he had commonly appered in among the Iewes For now he semeth contemptibly vnder the fâ—…rme of bread add wine who appereth daily of great authority to the Iewes in the natural forme of his true manhod but at his last supper he driueled like a child to theyr seming that be wise in the world he offended euen his own Disciples at Capharnanâ—… with the promise of geuing his flesh to cate he changed his countenaunce caried him self after a sort in his own hands when holding and geuing to be eaten that which semed bread he by his almighty Godhead dowted not to say as the thing was This is my body which is geuen for you The same kingly Prophet had great ioy in his harte considering the increase that came by the fruit of corne wine he praysed the bread that strengtheneth and the wine that maketh mery the faithfull hart of a spirituall man The goodly chalice that maketh true Christians drunke The remembrance which God hath made of his maruelous workes geuing meate to them that feare him How can it be thought a smal mysterie that Elias is fed from the ayr with bread and fleshe that he walketh forty daies in the inward streÌ„gth of a peece of bread very weake feble to see vnto that Esaias saieth the wheat corn of the Church of God shall no more be geuen to her ennemies and that the vine wherein she hath laboured shall not be the drinke of strange children That â—…ieremie calleth the flesh of Christ the bread wherein the wood of the Crosse is fastened That Zacharie asked what good thing there is besides the corne of the elect and the wine which engendreth virgins That Malachie complaining how the Iewes had polluted Gods â—…ble with vncleane bread promiseth a pure and cleane oblation made to his name among the Gentils â–ª That God him selfe would be called the bread of Aungels That Christ hauing taken â—…eshe would be called through his diuine nature the trâ—…e bread which came down from heauen and through his humane nature wherein the Godhead dwelleth meaâ—…e in dede and drinke in dede And last of all that the holy Ghost would cause the preacher to say and very ofte to repete none other thing to be good vnder the sonne besides eating and drinking with gladnes and mirth Which saying who so vnderstandeth of the eating common bread or meat and drinking common wine he doth not wel to think that the holy Ghoost commendeth 〈◊〉 liuing Neither doth the Prophet meane such a kinde of eating drinking 〈◊〉 yâ— same booke he saith It is better to goe to the house of moorning then to the house of feasting for there a man is warned of the ende that all liuing thinges shal haue and in his life time thinketh what thinges are to come On th' other side he that so vnderstandeth it onely of spirite faith vertuouse meditatioÌ„ that he leaue no possible meanes to eate and drinke bodily such a kinde of bread and wine in comparison whereof nothing may be iudged good vnder yâ— sonne he semeth without iust cause to deny that Sacramentall eating and drinking there to be meaâ—… whereof the prophete may be right wel thought co speake For as the holy scriptures by the vsuall manner of attributing to God the passions qualities and natures partly of other creatures but especially of man did thereby geue vs warning that one time or other God should become trew man himselfe after that sorte fulfilling those propheticall phrases of speach euen so the ciâ—…toine of commending so much â—…orn wheat meale bread and wine and of eating and drinking doth declare that such a thing should at the last be eaten and drun ken vnder the formes of bread and wine as might be called not only good but euen the best thing absolutely vnder the sonne except any thing can be better then Christ or any action more acceptable to God then the receiuing of that flesh and blood worthely which both maketh al iust men to be one body among them selues and to be one with Christ through eating his flesh who is one with his Father in diuine nature and substance Whereby three persons in the holy Trinitie and one God two natures in Christ and one person many persons in the Church and one nature al be made one in a maruâ—…lous mysterie The Sacrament of which vnitie because our Lords supper is both in shewing manie graines to be actually molded into one loaf and in making many persons really to be members of yâ— one flesh which euery of them vnder the forme of bread worthely receiueth and is changed into it therefore in comparison of this eating and drinking none other thing is good vnder the sunne And he well saith vnder the sonne for aboue the Sonne there is I will not say more goodnes yet more fruition of the same goodnes when the forme and couer of bread wine being taken away we shal see face to face eating and drinking vpon the table of God in his kingdoâ—… ¶ These words of
Chrysostom ad iugem nos pro beneficijs suis inuitans gratiarum actionem Stirring vs to geue thanks perpetually for his benefites by the very kind of the sacrifice And shewing farther in an other place what kind of sacrifice it is God sayth Chrysostom did yerely by certain holydays set the remembrances of his benefites before the Iewes Tibi vero quotidiè ipse ne obliuiscaris proponitur But he is set before thee daily him selfe lest thou shouldest bee vnmindfull See now by what meanes the death of Christ is renewed Not by tokens wherein he is doubtfully called to minde him selfe being absent for that were a feble token but by these tokens wherein him selfe is made present lest we should forgett his death The body of Christ must be made to th' intent we maye remember his death If you take from vs the making of his body which causeth the vehement remembrance of the death it is afterward a vaine thing to talke of the remembraunce of his death by eating bread and drinking wine For the necessarie meane of necessarie remembrance of his death consisteth in the reall presence of him that died For who can forget his death whose body is daily made worshipped and eaten to the end the death may be remembred But I may right well eate bread and drinke wine not yet remembring thereby that Christ is dead for me ¶ The true resurrection of our bodies commeth by eating that body of Christ which is both true and is true in vs. TO th' intent we being fed with the body and blood of Christ may be brought into the hope of the resurrection and of euerlasting life and may most assuredly beleue that the body and blood of Christ doth in like manner feed our soules as bread and wine doth feed our bodies I omit to say any thing vpon that ouersight wherein the English translation of a body hath left out the word Vero the true body which the Latine edition hath But here the Apologie presupposeth that Christes supper consisteth as wel of bread wine as of body and blood The first two they will haue geuen to the bodies The later twaine to the soules The bread wine they will haue present on the table whence they be deliuered The body and blood they will haue to be receaued from heauen by faith and vnderstanding Against this dreame thus I reason out of the word of God Christ made his whole supper vpon a visible table accordingly as it was prophecied by king Dauid Parasti in conspectu meo mensam Thou hast prepared a table in my sight And by Salomon Sapientia proposuit mensam suaÌ„ insipientibus locuta est venite comedite panem meum bibite vinum quod miscui vobis Wisedome hath set foorth her table and hath spoken to simple men come ye eate my bread and drinke the wine which I haue mixed for you S. Paul sayth Non potestis mensae Domini participes esse mensae Daemoniorum Ye can not be partakers of our Lords table and of the table of deuils Put these three together and the sense will be the supper and table of our Lord was prepared and set foorth in the sight of the faithfull that they might thence cate and drinke such as the wisedome of God gaue them at his supper Therefore no meate no foode no banket is to be looked for at his supper but such as is prepared by Christ set foorth vpon his table Otherwise Christ had prepared no supper in the sight of that faithfull as Dauid foretold nor had not set foorth his table as Salomon prophecied nor we had not bene partakers of our Lords table as S. Paul writeth For bread and wine is not prepared of Christ But was before hand made ready by the baker and vintner or by the seruants yâ— brought them foorth The preparing which Christ made was by blessing and conseâ—…ng to make of earthly bread the bread of life euerlasting And hauing made it he deliuered the same to the Apostles and bad them both make and doe that thing If he deliuered not his owne body with his owne handes doubtles they did not eate his body For he sayd in respect only of that which he deliuered take and eate Wherevpon S. Chrysostom sayeth to him that cometh to our Lords table Cogita quid manu capias caet Bethink thy selfe what thou takest in thy hand and kepe it free from all couetousnes and violent robbery Consider againe that thou takest it not only in thy hande but also puttest it to the mouth and after thy hand and tonge the harte receaueth that dreadfull mysterie Thus much S. Chrysostom Let any reasonable man iudge whether he sayeth not that the hart receaueth the same which the hande doth and the hande the same which the hart doth For if the hart receaue it after that hand the hand receaued it before the hart It is not therefore as the Sacramentaries falsely teach bread only in hand and body only in harte But body as well in hand as in harte And none other true body in the harte then was first in the hand and mouth For this cause euer sith we receaued the faith we called this blessed supper The Sacrament of the altar As if we sayd the SacrameÌ„t which is made vpon the altar or vpon the table of Christ. for the table of Christ is an altar as in Malachie it may appere and in an other place by the fauour of God I will declare This name of the SacrameÌ„t of the altar was deliuered to vs with our Christianitie and it is found very ofte in the olde writers namely in S. Augustine By which we are enformed that the consecration and oblation thereof is made not in the hartes of men by words of promising and preaching but vpon the visible altar in the sight of Christian people by yâ— visible Priest who as a publike minister ordeined by God consecrateth the body of Christ by the same power which Christ gaue when he sayd Hoc facite doe and make this thing This is 〈◊〉 table prepared in the sight of Dauid set foorth by the wisedome of God whereof we are partakers when we receaue the blessed Sacrament of the altar At this altar S. Augustines mother desired a memorie of her to be made vnde sciret dispensari victimam sanctam qua deletum est chirographum quod erat contrarium nobis From which altar my mother knew sayeth S. Augustine the holy sacrifice to be distributed whereby the handwriting that was contrarie to vs is put out Behold the sacrificed body of Christ was dispeÌ„sed and geuen from the altar as both S. Augustine and his mother and all the faithfull then beleued Thus thou seest the dreame of the Apologie by the word of God to be blowen away like chaf dust dispersed with the wind The Apologie sayeth our bodies are
noun body rather then in the verb est is for which cause Oecolampadiâ—…s admitted aswell the one as the other making no difference whether est is stand for significat to signifie or corpus body for signum corporis the signe and figure of yâ— body so that the reall presence might be taken away But as I haue now proued out of the word of God seing yâ— body is pointed vnto which died the true substance it self died for vs the true substaÌ„ce is pointed vnto vnder the form of bread and so pointed vnto that none other coÌ„struction of those words can be made for if corpus body doth not stand properly when it is ioyned with the verb est is it is not possible that it standeth properly as it is the noun substaÌ„tiue to the participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 datum geuen or as it is antecedent to the relatiue quod which In dede if Christ had sayd expresâ—…ie this is the figure of my body it might wel haue folowed the which body is truly geuen for you for of the two antecedents the relatiue might haue bene referred to the next But now there is but one antecedent in all and it is taken vnproperlie as the Sacramentaries say therefore in that vnproper signification it must be antecedent to the relatiue folowing all the grammarians in Christendom can find none other construction of these words If the Sacramentaries can excuse the matter let them bring it to light ¶ The xix Circumstance of the verb facere to doe or make or to offer sacrifice ALthough the verb facere doth signifie most generally all making and doing yet because the most excellent dede that can be made is to offer a true internal and external sacrifice vnto God therefore it is come to passe that facere in his most principall signification is vsed somtimes to signifie the offering of a sacrifice neither doth it skill whether it stand alone or be ioyned with an other word in the accusatiue or in the ablatiue case for it is the circumstance of dedes and words which principallie make it so to signifie That facere in this place doth betoken the offering of a sacrifice it appereth by al the circumstances of the supper first in that Christ hath now in the fourtenth day of the first moue at euening tyde begonthe blessed sacrifice of his passion next he hath offered the old â—…aschal Lamb the cheef sacrifice of the law thirdly he hath taken bread and wine the materiall parte of the sacrifice of Melchisedech fourthly he blesseth geueth thaÌ„ks externally to God in a fact wherein he consecrateth his own body the only sacrifice of mankind yea farther he so consecrateth it yâ— he douted not to say ouer yâ— bread this is my body which is geuen for you straight vpon which words he addeth hoc facite doe ye or makâ—… ye this thing Whâ—…t other sense now can this verb haue but doe that I haue done who now haue exercised my priesthood according to the order of Melchisedech So did S. Cyprian take this verb facere when he said of this verie matter Iesus Christus Dominus et Deus noster Ipse est sum mus sacerdos Dei patris sacrificium Deo patri ipse primus obtulit hoc fieri in sui commemorationem praecepit Iesus Christ our Lord and our God him self is the highhest preist of God yâ— Father and first hath offered sacrifice vnto God the Father and hath commaÌ„ded the same to be done for the remembrance of him If Christ offered sacriâ—…ice and commaÌ„ded the same to be done he commanded sacrifice to be offered of his Apostles and therefore it foloweth in S. Cyprian coâ—…cerning a priest of the new Testament sacrificium verum plenum tunc oâ—…ert in ecclesia Deo patri si sic incipiat offerre secundum quod ipsum Christum videat obtulisse he then offereth a true and full sacrifice to God the Father in the Church if he so begin to offer according as he may see Christ him self to haue offered If now Christ hath willed his Apostles to offer that which he hath offered it is most certain that Christ offered none other thing in the whole earth besyde his own body the which he toke to offer to God in stede of al other oblations as Dauid S. Paule say therefore that body of his he both offered himself and willed his Apostles to offer it but what soeuer he offered in his last supper he had it in his hands or vpon the table before him and gaue it vnder the forme of bread and wine to his Apostles therefore the reall substance of Christes body and blood was vnder the sayd formes that it might so be offered vnto God according as Melchisedech had before signified This argument were able to receaâ—…e a great deale of matter but it wold be aboue the cumpasse of a circumstance ¶ The xx Circumstance of the pronoun hoc this thing CHrist sayd not only facite doe ye or make ye but hoc facite doe ye make ye this thing The which words as they coÌ„maund bread to be takeÌ„ blessing breaking geuing taking and eating to be vsed and the words of Christ to be duely pronounced so beyond all these things they commaund one speciall thing to be made which is the body of Christ. for none other thing in all the supper can particularly discharge and fulfill those words besyde the body of Christ. As for bread wine they be not commaunded to be made â—…ith they were made before the supper began taking blessing breaking eating partly are not this one thing but manie things partly they be not such as may be in all degrees repeted done so as the precept of doing or making this thing requireth For the taking and breaking of other bread is yâ— doing of a like thing to this whiche Christ hath done not the doing or making this thing But Christ said not sic facite doe so as I haue done but hoc facite do or make this thing If we shal kepe the propriety of Christes words the meaning must nedes be make this body of mine For he sayd this is my body which is geuen for you make this thing which this thing but that only thing whiche was named for none other special thing or substance was named besyde the body of Christ. Hoc is the neuter gender and either it must be referred to the noune cor pus body as to his substantiue which went before and the sense is facite corpus meum make my body and so doth Haimo construe it or els it must stand substantiuely and so it meaneth this thing that is to say the thing which is the body of Christ. I doe not without great cause stand so long about euery litle word I know the tergiuersation of them that missexpound the word of God who altâ—…ough they will soâ—…er be confounded then amended yet
speaketh in an other place of the same matter Suprà dictum est edent pauperes saturabuÌ„tur hîc verò manducauerunt adorauerunt caet It was sayd before the poore shal eate and shal be filled But here it is sayd all the riche of the earth haue eaten haue adored For they also are brought to the table of Christ. And they take of his body and blood But they adore only and be not filled also because they folow not For although they eate Christ the poore man yet they disdaine to be poore And againe quia Deus excitauit eum a mortuis c. Because God hath raised him from the dead and hath geuen him a name the which is aboue euery name that in the name of Iesus euery knee should be bowed of heauenly earthly and of things vnder the earth They also moued with the fame of his highnes and with the glorie of his name which glorie is spred round about in the Church they come them selues to the table they eate and adore but yet they are not filled because they doe not hunger and thyrst righteousnes Hitherto S. Augustine who speaketh of eating the body of Christ from the table The riche men come to the table of Christ thence to eate his body There also they adore that which they take from the table and that which they eate And how is it possible but that this worshipping and adoring whereof S. Augustine speaketh must belong to the table of Christ that is to say to his body aud blood which is eaten from his table when the Priest geueth it to vs And yet it might not there be rightly adored if it were not reaâ—…ly present vppon the table And there it can not be present vnlesse it ve vnder the formes of bread and wine which only stand vppon the table Therefore this prophecie as wel proueth the adoration as the real presence of Christes body and blood Is it not a great blindnes in our new preachers that whereas the word of God sayeth euen the riche of the earth haue eaten and haue adored or shal eate and shall adore for so one tense doth stand for an other in the holy Scripture yet they wil haue ye eate and not adore to th' intent ye should be more vnkind thâ—…n those earthly riche men were ¶ The adoration of Christes body is proued again out of the Prophet Dauid THe Prophet Dauid speaking of the Kingdome of Christ which he exercised vpon the crosse by conquering the deuil and synne requireth vs to gene praise to him for it and not only to him but euen to his footestole writing thus Exaltate Dominum Deum nostrum adorate scabellum pedum eius quoniam sanctum est Exalte the Lord our God and worship his footestole because it is holy The Hebrew readeth because he is holy It is to be vnderstanded that Christ in one person hath two natures to wit the nature of God and yâ— nature of man Dauid willeth both to be adored and first he speaketh of the Godhead saying Exalte the Lord our God Next after of his humane nature in those words Adorate scabellum pedum eius worship his footestole for Godly honour is due to his flesh also because he is holy That is to say because his person is the second person in the Trinitie where vnto the manhod is vnited And through that vnion the nature of man is worthy of Godly honour The Iewes accompted the footestole of God to be the Arke and temple of Hierusalem toward which they bowed and adored God in their tyme of prayers But aswell the Arke as the Temple were the shadowes of Christes flesh and that not only as he was in the visible forme of man but euen as he is mystically vnder the forme of bread For the Arke did foreshadow the Sacrament of Christes body blood as Angelomus hath noted Sacerdos qui Arcam caet The Priest Oza who touched that Arke with vnaduised rashnes purged the fault of his bolde enterprise with death before his tyme wherein we must nedes consider how much he synneth who cometh gilty to the body of our Lord seing that deuout Priest is punished with death who with lesse reuerence then he ought hastely handled that Arke which was the figure of our Lords body Againe the Arke coÌ„teined Manna in it which was an expresse figure of the flesh of Christ in that respect as it is to be eaten of vs as both Christ him self hath declared in S. Ihon and S. Paul in the first Epistle to the Corinthians Likewise the Temple was a figure of Christes body according as him self sayd Dissolue ye this Temple of my body and and in three days I wil raise it vp againe The Arke therefore and the Temple being the footestole of God toward which yâ— Iewes prayed did signifie that the flesh of Christ should be adored not only in heauen whether Christ is entred as into the euerlasting 〈◊〉 and most holy of holies but also in the Sacrament of the altar which is the Arke Temple and â—…essell conteining the self same substance of Manna which sitteth at the right hand of God the Father The holy Prophet Dauid requiring vs to adore the footestole of God requireth vs to adore the flesh of Christ as well in the Arke of the new Testament which is the Sacrament of Christes body as in heauen it self because he that hath ascended into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of his Father sayd also in his last supper Take and eate this is my body Doe and make this thing for the remembrance of me Neither doe I make or first inuent such interpretation but the Fathers of the first six hundred yeres left it vnto me sauing that they expound yâ— footestole to be not only the Arke and Temple of â—…ierusalem but also the whole â—…arth in respect of the Godhead because Esate sayeth Heauen is my seate the â—…arth is the settle of my feete But herein wee may rest in S. Hieromes aucthoritie who vpon this place writeth thus Multae de scabello opiniones sunt caet There are many opinions concerning the â—…orestole what it should be But here the Prophete meaneth our Lords body wherein the maiestie of the diuine nature standeth as it were on a 〈◊〉 How so euer then wee interpret the fotestole concerning the literall and firsâ—… meaning yet the naturall flesh of Christe which he assumpted of the virgin is the spiritual truth wherevnto the Prophete directed his wordes That flesh where so euer it be is the fotestole of God and therefore it is euery where to be adored But as the Arcke deserued a speciall reuerence amonge the Iewes although it was the bare figure of Christes flesh in so much that Oza who touched it rashly died for it euen so the Sacrament of the altar which