shall be to him a means of that Eternal Life to which I shall raise him at the last day and this as certainly as if he were now in actual possession of it V. 54. Because our Lord continues in his Speech to make a separate mention of his Flesh and Blood it follows that he still speaks of his Death and the particular Doctrine concerning his Death which would be entertained with the greatest difficulty viz. that he was a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World and therefore a Saviour because crucified c. The lively belief whereof is that which our Lord means by eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood and not eating and drinking the Sacrament of his Body and Blood which a Man may do to his Condemnation And therefore although St. Austin sometimes understood these words of the Eucharist yet he did not so understand them as if every one who partakes of the Eucharist does also Eat the Flesh and Drink the Blood of Christ for he manifestly denied that the Wicked were partakers of the very Body of Christ though they partook of the Sacrament of his Body And yet 't is impossible but they must do the one as well as the other if it be true that the proper Substance of the Body of Christ is in the Sacrament as the Church of Rome pretends And by consequence if this corporal eating be intended it seems clearly to follow that no Man who partakes of the Eucharist can be damned which is certainly very false and therefore corporal eating cannot be meant here but only spiritual eating And so St. Austin understood it although he applied these Words sometimes to the Eucharist inasmuch as he denied that the Wicked do eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of Christ although with their Mouths they take the Sacrament of his Body and Blood But because this spiritual eating which is necessary to Salvation is by no means confined to the participation of the Eucharist and because many do not partake spiritually in the Body and Blood of Christ that yet do partake of the Sacrament I cannot understand why our Saviour should speak here directly and properly of the Eucharist and therefore I adhere to the sence of those Fathers who interpret this place and those that follow of spiritual Actions only 55. So that the Doctrine concerning my Sufferings and Death which will give the greatest offence to Unbelievers is the most excellent Meat and Drink because it is the Food of Souls when 't is received with a firm and efficacious Faith and will secure also the Resurrection of the Body to everlasting Life V. 55. He continues to distinguish the Flesh from the Blood and therefore still speaks of his Passion giving some kind of preeminence to Faith in his Death above the belief of other particular Doctrines though that would be admitted with greatest difficulty 56. And therefore he that believeth my Death to be a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World and does thereby learn that Duty which it teacheth and receive that Comfort which it affordeth he will love me and devote himself entirely to my Service because I have thus humbled my self though that be the reason for which such as you will be violently prejudiced against me And on the other side he shall be peculiarly beloved and cared for by me For though in love to Mankind I am to be made an Offering for Sin yet 't is a particular care I shall express towards those who have a true sense of my Sufferings in their behalf who make a right use of them and return that thankfulness and obedience which their Faith requires 1 Tim. 4.10 V. 56. His pursuance of the same Expression still shews that he speaks of the same thing viz. believing his death to be a Sacrifice c. And here he intimates that his Sufferings which would be a Stumbling block to Unbelievers would be an effectual Engagement to all good Men to love him and that their fervent Love and humble Gratitude would be rewarded with his especial Love For as God's dwelling in Men signifies his gracious Presence amongst them and his delight in doing them good so their dwelling in him signifies their Love to him and constant attendance upon the doing of his Will and the delight they have in knowing themselves to be always in his Presence 57. And one remarkable Expression and that of weight enough to make you consider what I say of my peculiar love to every such Believer is what I have told you already and I do earnestly repeat it again As sure as the Father who sent me will raise me from the Dead so surely will I raise up every one to everlasting Life that believeth my Doctrine and liveth by his Faith V. 57. Here our Lord seems to leave the special consideration of his Sufferings and Death and to speak now of his whole Doctrine as he had done before for as by eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood we are to understand believing the merit and instruction of his Death c. so by eating Him we are taught before V. 35 47 50. to understand believing him in general that is believing all his Doctrine 58. Mark therefore what I say to you V. 33 35. at first That I am that true Bread from Heaven wherewith the Manna that your Fathers ate and the Bread which you ate yesterday are not to be compared for they were good for nothing but to preserve a mortal Life for a short time whereas he that feedeth upon the Word and Doctrine which God hath sent you from Heaven shall be raised from the Dead to ascend thither and to live there for ever V. 58. Here he concludes all with returning to the same thing and using the very Expressions that he began withal V. 32 35.50 than which we need not a clearer proof that he all along spake in the same style and in those Expressions of eating and drinking perpetually alluded to the Manna and the Loaves in the Wilderness which gave occasion to all this Discourse 59. These things he said publickly in the Synagogue at Capernaum where the People whom he had fed in the Wilderness found him V. 24 25. and gave him the occasion of discoursing in this manner by following him for the Loaves V. 26. and when they found themselves disappointed by setting the Manna which Moses gave their Fathers against the feeding so many thousands the day before V. 31. And the great end of his Discourse upon this occasion was to draw their Minds from worldly to heavenly Things and to make them more desirous of the Spiritual and Heavenly Benefits of his Miracles than of the bodily relief which they had found by them 60. But because he expressed his Mind in this figurative way and was by many understood as if he had commended to them the eating of his Flesh and drinking of his Blood in the literal sence therefore many even of those that had for some time followed him
talked amongst themselves as if these Sayings of their Master must needs be offensive to the Ears of all Persons that had a sence of Humanity and as for themselves that they knew not what to make of them 61. Neither did they desire him to explain himself further but he by his Divine Spirit knowing what they muttered amongst themselves applied himself to them in particular and upbraided them in this manner for taking so unreasonable an offence against him 62. When you shall see me ascend up to Heaven it will not seem strange that I came down from thence and because even then it will remain necessary that you should eat my Flesh and drink my Blood you may be sure I do not mean that gross feeding upon my Flesh and drinking my Blood in which you understand what I have said for my Body will then be too far removed from the Conversation of mortal Men to be capable of being so used 63. No when I speak to you of the Conditions of obtaining everlasting Life though I have now expressed them by eating my Flesh and drinking my Blood yet you had reason to understand me of spiritual Actions which do indeed tend to the bettering of the inward Man For they are such things only that feed the Soul and can preserve it to Eternal Life But to this purpose the flesh profiteth nothing No not my own Flesh if you should eat it as grosly as you understand my Sayings For even this would be but bodily Nourishment but would have no Influence upon the Mind But if you would know what those things are that better the Soul and it is my Business to call you off from that sollicitous Care you take of your mortal Bodies to mind your Souls and to provide for a blessed Resurrection If I say you would know what things are proper for the Improvement of the Mind they are the Words that I speak unto you they are those Precepts of a heavenly Life and those Promises of eternal Life which I have laid before you that Faith which I require you to have in my Death and that Example of Doctrine Charity and Humility which I require you to follow These are the spiritual means of renewing your Minds and therefore Means also of fitting you for Eternal Life V. 61 62 63. Our Lord perceiving how grosly the Jews and some of his own Disciples understood those Expressions of eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood did upon this occasion explain his own meaning as fully as he did to Nicodemus in the point of Regeneration For Nicodemus having said How can a Man be born when he is old Can he enter the second time into his Mothers Womb and be born Jesus answered Verily verily I say unto thee except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God That which is born of the Flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Which was as much as to say The Flesh profiteth nothing as here V. 63. And if you were by a strange Miracle to be born again the natural way by this fleshly Birth you would come again but into a mortal Life but that fleshly Birth would not avail you for everlasting Life In the very same manner our Saviour repeated in this Chapter those Sayings which the Jews and some of his own Disciples were offended at and in the same manner he explained them afterwards It is the Spirit that quickneth the Flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life Which being compared with the Answer to Nicodemus now mentioned and explained by the light that Answer affords can yield no other meaning than that which I have expressed in the Paraphrase As for the 62d V. it might be intended as an Answer to that particular Exception against him mentioned V. 42. that he was the Son of Joseph and could not therefore reasonably pretend to come down from Heaven To which if our Lord referred his words are a proper Answer viz. that when they should see him ascend into Heaven they would no longer doubt of the truth of his coming from thence But I rather think those words refer to that great Offence which some of his own Disciples took against him that he should speak of their eating of his Flesh and drinking of his Blood For they were his Disciples only that saw him ascend And when they should know that he was in Heaven they could not without great Stupidity think that he would give them his Flesh to eat and his Blood to drink in that gross sence wherein they understood him However I have put both these Interpretations into the Paraphrase 64. But no wonder that you wrest my Sayings to so absurd a sence as you do for there are some amongst you that dislike my Doctrine and are grown weary of following me and wait for an opportunity to leave me For as soon as any Man professed himself his Disciple Jesus knew how he stood affected towards him And he did not only know who of the Multitude that follow'd him would revolt but likewise which of his Apostles would betray him See V. 36. 65. And Jesus added Because I knew that there were some such amongst you therefore I thought fit to tell you before V. 37 39 44. that my Doctrine would never be heartily entertained by any but those whom God had prepared for it by enduing them with a Mind willing to learn and with a prevailing desire of obtaining God's Favour and Eternal Life 66. Upon this close application of his Doctrine to the Consciences of those insincere Disciples of his they finding themselves discovered and that it was to no purpose to dissemble resolved to pretend themselves his Disciples no longer and went off from him without more ado 67. Jesus seeing them turn their Backs upon him took this occasion both to shew that some of his Disciples were sincere and that he cared not to be followed by any but those that were willing and therefore he said to the Twelve You see I do not compel Men to follow me but that I let them depart if they will go Now what say you will ye still continue my Disciples or follow the Example of these Men and go away 68. Whereupon Peter who was still the most forward Speaker in his Master's Cause answered for himself and the rest Lord our greatest concern is to attain eternal Life and there is none other but thy self who can guide us to it And we understand that those very Sayings of thine with which these Men were so unreasonably offended do shew us the necessity of believing thy Words and Doctrine as thou didst now tell them V. 63. that we may live for ever V. 68. Thou hast the words of eternal Life This saying of St. Peter confirms the Interpretation I have given of V. 63. For here he seems plainly to repeat our Lord's sence almost in the
to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day V. 45. It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me V. 46. Not that any man hath seen the Father save he which is of God he hath seen the Father V. 47. Verily verily I say unto you He that believeth on me hath everlasting Life V. 48. I am that Bread of Life V. 49. Your Fathers did eat Manna in the Wilderness and are dead V. 50. This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die V. 51. I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven If any man Eat of this Bread he shall live for ever and the Bread that I will give is my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the world V. 52. The Jews therefore strove amongst themselves saying How can this Man give us his Flesh to eat V. 53. Then Jesus said unto them Verily verily I say unto you Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood ye have no Life in you V. 54. Whoso eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath eternal Life and I will raise him up at the last day V. 55. For my Flesh is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed V. 56. He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him V. 57. As the living Father hath sent me and I live by the Father so he that eateth me even he shall live by me V. 58. This is that Bread which came down from Heaven not as your Fathers did eat Manna and are dead he that eateth of this Bread shall live for ever V. 59. These things said he in the Synagogue as he taught in Capernaum V. 60. Many therefore of his Disciples when they had heard this said This is an hard saying who can bear it V. 61. When Jesus knew in himself that his Disciples murmured at it he said unto them Doth this offend you V. 62. What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before V. 63. It is the Spirit that quickneth the Flesh profiteth nothing The words that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life V. 64. But there are some of you that believe not For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him V. 65. And he said Therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father V. 66. From that time many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him V. 67. Then said Jesus unto the Twelve Will ye also go away V. 68. Then Simon Peter answered him Lord to whom shall we go Thou hast the words of eternal life V. 69. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God V. 70. Jesus answered them Have not I chosen you Twelve and one of you is a Devil V. 71. He spake of Judas Iscariot the Son of Simon for he it was that should betray him being one of the Twelve 31. 'T is true that in our need thou gavest us Bread to eat making five Loaves to serve above five thousand of us But what was this to Moses's feeding our Fathers in the Desert who were vastly many more and this Forty years with Manna also which was not earthly Food such as we are yesterday but Bread from Heaven as we are taught in Psal 78.25 32. Now the Reply that Jesus made to this supposed that these Men wanted not evidence of his coming from God and that they ought not to compare the Manna which their Fathers ate with the Bread that he had given them the day before but rather with that inestimable Blessing which God had now bestowed upon them in giving his own Son for the Life of the World And in this he pursued his constant Design of taking off their Affections from Worldly and directing them to Heavenly Things For he answered them to this effect Whereas you magnifie Moses for giving your Fathers Bread from Heaven I tell you it came not from that Heaven which is the place of Immortality but only from that Region of the Air which though it be also called Heaven shall at last perish with the Earth But now God offereth unto you that which in the most excellent sense is Heavenly Bread and which indeed comes from the place where his Majesty dwelleth 33. Whereas also you extol Moses for preserving the Lives of your Fathers in the Wilderness so long as he did you may consider it was but a short Life at longest which that Bread served to sustain But he whom God hath now sent from Heaven is indeed and desires therefore to be called the True Bread because he can preserve you to Eternal Life And Lastly the Bread which Moses gave your Fathers did indeed serve a great many yet they were but a very few in comparison for that which I speak of is sufficient to give Eternal Life to the whole World 34. They replied hereupon We desire no other Bread than this which thou so highly magnifiest give us but such Bread always as this and without all question we shall believe thee V. 34. They are still the same Persons that speak for there is yet no reason to suppose the contrary And by this saying it seems they understood Jesus as if he had spoken to them of Bread from Heaven in the literal and gross sence and by giving that to 'em from day to day had promised to make them live for ever So that from his last Words they seemed to conceive some better hope of him again and that he would go on to fill their Bellies every day Therefore they spake to him now with more respect So hard it was even for Jesus to bring them to any understanding or sence of things that concerned their Minds though he would lead them thereunto by allusion to things grateful to their Senses And this indeed was the general Temper of the Jews in our Saviour's days who were also in this respect rather worse than their Fore-fathers It was just such another Answer that the Samaritan Woman made to a like Speech of our Lord as you may see Ch. 4. 5 13 14 15. 35. Jesus answered If you understand me aright you have your Wish I do not now discourse of those Signs which you desire to see before you believe for you have already had Signs in abundance but of the far greater Benefits which you will gain by believing in me than your Fathers had from Moses I tell you therefore that I am the Bread of Everlasting Life and he that believeth in me and submitteth to my Doctrine hath the Bread and Water of Life and shall hunger and thirst no more for
he shall need no other means of obtaining Everlasting Life than to become my Disciple 36. Do not think that I take that for granted which I ought to prove for you have already seen enough to convince you that I speak the Truth But as I told you before ver 26. Signs and Miracles will not work true Faith in you so long as you follow me for Temporal Benefits and have not learned to prefer Spiritual good Things and everlasting Life above Meat and Drink and all the Enjoyments of this World whatsoever V. 36. These Persons of whom our Lord said that they believed not were those very Men who the day before having seen the Miracle which he did said This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the World Whereby it should seem that then they believed but that their Minds were now changed tho' upon no other reason than that they now perceived his great Design was to feed their Minds with good Doctrine and not to pamper their Bodies Which is a plain Instance how great an hindrance worldly-mindedness is to True Faith since in this Case the same Evidence which convinced these Men while they took our Saviour to be a Benefactor to their Bodies had lost all its force with them when they once perceived that his great Business was to save their Souls Some also of our Lord's Disciples were of this Disposition and it had the same effect upon them as you may see v. 64. 37. So that the reason why you believe me not is because you are not prepared by a good and honest Heart to receive the Truth And now I tell you that the Father who would have all to be saved does not expect that I should give a good account of any other Persons but such as are of a towardly and teachable Disposition These he hath committed to my special care and they will learn of me and not one of them shall want means requisite for his Conviction and Instruction But though I came to save the World v. 51. I am not bound to bring those to Faith and to Salvation that obstinately set themselves against all that Evidence which is sufficient for honest Minds V. 37. It seems very reasonable to interpret these Phrases of the Fathers giving some to Christ and drawing them by what our Lord said v. 26. that these Men followed him because they did eat of the Loaves i. e. not from a sincere desire of learning the Truth and attaining Eternal Life but for worldly Ends For on the one side the Lusts of these Men were the cause of their Unbelief on the other side our Saviour says that all who are given and drawn by the Father would believe and become his Disciples and none else Therefore the Father gives those only to Christ who are prepared by an honest Heart and willingness to learn The Phrase is an Allusion to what is often seen amongst us i. e. to a Man's committing the Care of educating a hopeful and promising Child to a wise and skilful Master with the expectation of having a good account of him at last Not but that these Expressions also imply the preparations of the Heart to be from the Lord Neither does this hinder but that our Lord must be understood to have done what was fit to prepare those whom he found so averse as these Men were See Notes on v. 45. But the meaning is that if Men obstinately persisted in their sensual and worldly Prejudices against the Truth God hath provided no Remedy for such Men. And therefore as St. Chrysostome shews we must not argue in this manner If every one whom the Father draweth or giveth cometh to Christ and none else then those whom the Father giveth not are discharged of all Fault and cannot justly be accused For says he these are vain words and meer pretences since the free Choice of our own Wills must go to the effecting of this Matter For to be taught and to believe depends much upon our own chusing 38. For in this matter as well as in all others I do what is as much the Fathers Will as my own And I came from Heaven to do it and cannot depart from it Observe therefore what I say 39. It was his pleasure to commit to my care all Persons of honest and well-disposed Minds that not one of them should be lost but that I should do all things which would bring them to Faith and Repentance and should take care of their Salvation from the First to the Last even till I shall raise them from the Dead at the last Day V. 39. Although the Wicked shall be raised up at the last day by the Power of Jesus as well as the Just yet when the Resurrection is simply mentioned it is commonly understood of the Resurrection to eternal Life i. e. the Resurrection of the Just And by speaking of this Resurrection at the last Day our Lord did now put them out of doubt that he meant not to pamper their Bodies and to take care for their Pleasures in this Life but that he spake to them of a better Life after this and the means of attaining it 40. For it was his Decree also that every one who seeing the Works that I do v. 36. and attentively considering the Evidence whereby it appears that I came from God does thereupon believe and follow my Doctrine that he I say should have everlasting Life and that I should for that end raise him up at the last Day Now as my Father doth not expect that I should save any but those that believe and obey the Gospel so neither doth he expect that I should bring any to Faith but those that are of teachable Dispositions But if Men obstinately set themselves to oppose all means of Conviction and Reformation it was no part of the Trust committed to me by the Father to reclaim them notwithstanding their incorrigibleness V. 40. To see Jesus signifies the same that it does v. 36. i. e. seeing his Miracles and all other Testimones of a Divine Authority that were discernable in him Only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems to note an attentive consideration of them which is proper to ingenuous and honest Men and will certainly produce Faith Whereas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 36. may signifie that careless and superficial sight of his Works proper to those Men in whom Prejudice so prevailed that they saw and yet believed not Now that our Saviour does here and elsewhere repeat his Doctrine concerning that inward Work of God viz. an honest and godly Disposition is an Argument that he laid great stress upon it and that indeed this was the main thing they were to take pains with themselves about For the outward Evidence was given them whether they would or not but the inward Preparation without which the outward Evidence would do them no good at all must in some part be their own Work as well as God's which was plain from
same Words The Words that I speak unto you they are Life or the Words of Eternal Life As if St. Peter had said We do not understand thee in that gross and absurd Sense to which these Men have perverted thy Sayings for we perceive that thou speakest of those Doctrines and Revelations by which we are to be guided to eternal Life But if St. Peter had understood our Saviour in that sence wherein the unbelieving Jews and his revolted Disciples understood him St. Peter's Answer would surely have been to this purpose Whatever appearance there is of Inhumanity and Contradiction in giving thy Flesh to be eaten and thy Blood to be drunk for the Life of the World yet we believe that we shall eat thy natural Flesh and drink c. because thou hast said it For though this hard Saying staggered those Men that are gone off yet it does not stagger us at all This had been a Confession of Faith suitable to the occasion and to the Spirit of St. Peter if he had understood our Saviour as the Jews did At least he would have used those very Expressions which our Saviour used when the Jews took offence i. e. he would have said To whom should we go but to thee who wilt give us thy Flesh to eat and thy Blood to drink that we may have Eternal Life But when he rather chose to confess his Faith in the Explanatory words V. 63. Thou hast the words of Eternal Life I think a reasonable Man must acknowledge that St. Peter did not understand our Saviour's Expressions as the perverse Jews understood them 69. And we have already arrived to this Faith by seeing thy mighty Works and hearing thy Divine Doctrines for by these Testimonies we are convinced beyond all doubt that thou art the promised Messias and whereas these Men casted thee the Son of Joseph we assuredly believe that thou art the Son of that God who giveth Life to All and will give Eternal Life to all that believe in thee And to this Answer of Peter's all the rest assented V. 69. And St. Peter having thus shewed plainly enough what he understood by the Flesh and Blood of Jesus viz. his Doctrine or words of eternal Life he shews as plainly in this Verse what he and the rest understood by eating viz. believing as Jesus himself had explained it before Vers 47. Therefore says he And we believe and are sure c. So that by what St. Peter said upon this occasion it appears sufficiently that if Jesus had meant the literal and gross sence the Jews and the Disciples that forsook him understood him aright and Peter and the rest of the Apostles and Disciples that staid mistook him which 't is certain they did not because our Saviour approved what St. Peter said in the name of all the rest And in the Interpretation of our Saviour's words it is I believe more safe to follow St. Peter with the approbation of our Saviour than to follow any of his Successors without it 70. But this being spoken in the Name of All Jesus to shew that he as well understood the Hearts of his Twelve Apostles as he did of the multitude of his Disciples V. 64. answered them to this purpose What one of you hath said in behalf of All is true of All but one I have indeed chosen you Twelve before all my other Disciples to be my chief Companions and Ministers but there is one of you who already hates me and is treacherously bent to do me mischief 71. Though he did not mention Judas the Traytor yet he meant him and not any other of the Apostles THE CONCLUSION AND now I heartily beseech All into whose Hands these Papers may chance to come not to think that this Chapter is to be done withal when they are once satisfied what our Lords meaning was in those Expressions of Eating him and the like but that they would please to attend to the Reason and End of these and such kind of Sayings which will convince them I doubt not that this excellent Chapter is fit to be thought of and laid to heart every day they live Great pity it is that this Portion of God's Word also should come to be a Bone of Contention which was designed to beget and improve in the Disciples of Jesus a Spirit of true Wisdom and Piety and to establish them in a Holy Life That which our Lord principally aimed at in all this Discourse was to make his Hearers concerned in good earnest for their Eternal State which will at first sight appear to any Man that mindeth how often those Sayings return of everlasting Life and living for ever and being raised up at the last day Now this indeed seemed to be his great Design in almost all his Sermons and Applications to the People from whence we may gather this profitable Instruction that Men were more or less prepared to receive the Truth as it is in Jesus according as they were more or less affected with the End of his coming into the World which was to bring them to everlasting Life But in this Chapter and in some others there is a peculiar Instruction tending to this purpose which we ought all of us very frequently to consider not slighting it because it is very plain but making much of it both because it is very useful and strongly suggested by our Lord himself And 't is in short this that the Care we are at and the Pains we take for the Welfare of this short Life should awaken in us a greater care and concern for our everlasting Welfare And that we who are so thoughtful and diligent in pursuing our Temporal Interests should be ashamed and count our selves reproved by our worldly Cares if we are not much more careful to work out our Salvation This was the Method our Lord took to bring those People to Wisdom and therefore he represented to them the Means and Conditions of everlasting Life under the Names of those Things which their Hearts had hitherto been most set upon i.e. Bread and Eating and Drinking For these were the Men that had been fed by him the day before and now they followed him for the Loaves that is in hope to reap such bodily Advantages as these from him every day But to bring them to some sense of better things and to lead them towards a due Esteem of that end for which he came into the World he proceeds in his Admonitions by calling the Spiritual Benefits which he had in store for them Bread and Food and their receiving those Benefits Eating and Drinking ever and anon letting them know that if they ate and drank of that Food which he came to give them they should live for ever And what was the Instruction of this way of discoursing to them but that if the bodily Food for which they were so sollicitous were a valuable Enjoyment which yet would serve but for the prolonging of a mortal Life how ought
represents the Death of Christ and our Spiritual feeding thereupon and these words in St. John signifie what the Eucharist represents No wonder therefore if Christian Writers in speaking of the Eucharist produce these words which have so near an affinity with it And this I think they may do pertinently enough without supposing that these Passages in St. John signifie the Eucharist because they signifie some of the same things which the Eucharist signifies St. Augustin indeed brings forth that saying Except ye eat the Flesh c. in his Disputations against the Pelagians supposing there as it should seem that it was a direct and proper Command to receive the Eucharist under the penalty of Damnation And I remember that in one place he urges it for the necessity of Communicating Infants This is so notoriously known that I shall not turn to the places and though I will not be positive yet I think he is not clear for this Sense in any other Cause but that wherein he was engaged against the Pelagians But there is this very great Prejudice against his Authority in this matter that elsewhere viz. out of the Heat of that Controversie he gives clearly another sence of these words and speaks of them as if they were reductive only to the Eucharist Mark therefore what he says (o) Hunc itaque cibum potum societatem vult intelligi corporis membrorum suorum quod est Sancta Ecclesia in praedestinatis vocatis justificatis glorificatis Sanctis fidelibus ejus Hujus rei Sacramentum id est unitatis Corporis Sanguinis Christi alicubi quotidie alicubi certis intervallis dierum in Dominicâ Mensâ praeparatur de Mensâ Dominicâ sumitur quibusdam ad vitam quibusdam ad exitium Res vero ipsa cujus Sacramentum est omni homini ad vitam nulli ad exitium quicunque ejus particeps fuerit Aug. Tract 26. in Johan Therefore by this Meat and Drink he would have us to understand the Society of his Body and Members that is the Holy Church consisting of his predestinated and called and justified and glorified Saints and Faithful And presently after The Sacrament of this thing that is of the Vnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is in some places every day in other places upon certain days prepared upon the Lord's Table and received from the Lord's Table by some to Life by some to Destruction But the thing it self of which it is the Sacrament is for Life to every Man for Destruction to no Man whosoever he be that partakes of it By which words it is evident that St. Austin did not here understand that eating of the Flesh and drinking of the Blood of Christ to which Salvation is promised of sacramental eating but of being incorporated into the Invisible Church of Christ and this because he says The Sacrament of this thing may be received to Destruction and because he expresly says That this Meat and Drink is the Society of the Body of Christ consisting of his predestinated c. Members And that therefore he would not have scrupled to interpret eating by believing since 't is Faith by which we are united to the Body of Christ no reasonable Man will question However we have his own Word for it who upon that Saying of our Saviour This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent Goes on thus †Hoc est ergo manducare cibum non qui perit sed qui permanet in vitam eternam Ut quid paras dentes ventrem Crede manducasti Id. Tract 25. This therefore is to eat that Food which perisheth not but endureth to everlasting Life To what purpose dost thou make ready thy Teeth and thy Belly Believe and thou hast eaten Afterwards he puts both together * Accedat credat incorporetur ut vivificetur Id. Tract 26. Let him come and believe and be incorporated that he may be quickned Which Words of his are the more remarkable because in that place he professedly treats of the Exposition of this Chapter Where also upon that saying He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood dwelleth in me and I in him he discourseth thus (p) Hoc est manducare escam illam illum bibere potum in Christo manere illum manentem in me habere Ac per hoc qui non manet in Christo in quo Christus non manet proculdubio nec manducat spiritualiter carnem ejus nec bibit ejus sanguinem licet carnaliter visibiliter premat dentibus Sacramentum Corporis Sanguinis Christi sed magis tantae rei Sacramentum ad judicium sibi manducat bibit quia immundus praesumsit ad Christi accedere Sacramenta quae aliquis non digne sumit nisi qui mundus est c. Tract 26. in Joh. This it is to eat that Food and drink that Drink viz. to dwell in Christ and to have Christ dwelling in me And therefore he that dwelleth not in Christ and in whom Christ dwelleth not undoubtedly doth not spiritually eat his Flesh nor drink his Blood although he doth carnally and visibly press with his Teeth the Sacrament of his Body and Blood but he rather eats and drinks the Sacrament of so great a thing to his Condemnation because being impure he hath presumed to come to Christ's Sacraments which none worthily receives who is not pure of which 't is said Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Whence it is manifest that in St. Austin's Judgment to eat the Flesh of Christ and to drink his Blood was to eat and drink it Spiritually so as good and holy Men only do partake thereof not all that do press the Sacrament thereof with their Teeth And it is further observable that if to eat that Food and drink that Drink be as St. Austin says to dwell in Christ and to have Christ dwell in us then all holy Persons do constantly e t the Flesh and drink the blood of Christ because they still dwell in Christ and Christ in them but they are not always receiving the Sacrament and therefore St. Austin could not understand these words properly of the Eucharist And that these were not sudden Notions of his appears from this that we find them elsewhere and particularly in his Book of the City of God towards the end which Book he finished just before his Death There he hath these words (q) Nec isti ergo dicendi sunt manducare Corpus Christi quoniam nec in membris computandi sunt Christi Ut. enim alia taceam non possunt simul esse Membra Christi Membra Meretricis Denique ipse dicens qui manducat Carnem meam bibit Sanguinem meum in me manet ego in eo ostendit quid fit non Sacramento tenus sed reverâ Corpus Christi manducare ejus Sanguinem bibere hoc est enim
believing that all things would go well now he was with them and so it proved For though they had made so little Progress before yet now the Ship came presently to the place whither it was bound 22. Now the People whom Jesus had fed in the Desert were not so perfectly dispersed but that many of them kept together till the day following and came to the Shore where the Disciples took Ship the Evening before and although they knew there was no other Boat there when the Disciples went to Sea but that into which they entred and that Jesus did not go with them 23. Tho' there came other Boats from Tiberias afterwards which these Men found that morning near the place where the Miracle was wrought 24. Yet knowing that the Disciples were gone and not being able to find Jesus on that side they believed he was gone after them tho' they knew not how v. 25. And so they resolved to follow the Disciples in those Boats that were newly come from Tiberias hoping to find Jesus himself with them at Capernaum or Bethsaida 25. And when they found him they desired to know by what Miracle he got thither so soon for they knew he went not over with his Disciples and no other Boat was on the other side to transport him but those in which they came and the way by Land over the Bridge of Tiberias was too far about to get thither in so short a time 26. But Jesus without satisfying their curiosity in this matter turned the Discourse to things of greater moment and answered them in this manner I certainly know that ye do not follow me for the true end of those Miracles which I work which is that ye might believe in me and obtain everlasting Life but meerly for that present Benefit which you hope to receive by them as you did yesterday when you did eat c. 27. But I had a farther end in feeding your Bodies which now I require you to mind and that is to perswade you not to take so much pains for the prolonging of a Life which will shortly end as for that Vertue and Knowledge which are the Food of Souls and the means of living happily for ever when this Life shall be no more You should follow the Son of Man for such things as these the Father having shewed him to be the Person who should convey these Blessings to the Souls of Men and that by those wonderful Works which he hath sent him to do for the relief of their Bodies 28. These Men were so suddainly disgusted with this Spiritual Doctrine that they replied in this manner We who have the Law of Moses do already know what Works God requires And canst thou tell us what will be more pleasing to him than our keeping of the Law 29. Jesus answered God hath sent his Son into the World to reveal a better Doctrine and to prescribe a better Life than Moses did And that Work pleasing to God and necessary to your Salvation which you must do is in short this To believe him whom God hath sent and to take his Word for your Security in doing all that he requires 30. But they were so strangely prejudiced against Jesus upon his calling them off from the Cares of this World to a Heavenly Life and a better Hope that the late Miracle for which they had so extolled him v. 14. was now in their Opinion nothing at all And so they replied to him as if they had said If thou pretendest to a higher Doctrine than Moses taught why dost not thou shew us equal if not greater Signs and Wonders than he wrought that we may see them and believe thee for their sake What dost thou perform answerable to such a mighty Faith as thou requirest of us NOTES V. 30. This suddain Turn of theirs was so strange that Grotius does not allow those that said this to be the same Persons that were fed in the Wilderness the day before But I can see no reason for his Opinion for the Evangelist plainly seems to continue the Relation as of the same Persons and it is no unusual thing for Men either to keep or alter their Perswasions as they are led by their Prejudices and Interests And our Saviour told those that had been fed in the Wilderness that they followed him for worldly Advantages and not for Instruction in Spiritual and Heavenly matters v. 26. So that finding themselves disappointed it was not unlikely that they would fall in their Opinion of him To which we may add that one main Design of his following Discourse was to shew that external Evidence was not sufficient to create Faith without the inward preparation of a sincere and honest Mind Which was very pertinent to the Case of those Men who were made confident that Jesus was that Prophet by the late Miracle till they found that his Doctrine was contrary to their worldly Affections For which reasons I have chose to continue the Discourse in the Paraphrase as the Text seems to direct i. e. between Jesus and the same Persons that spake to him v. 25. rather than to substitute other Speakers for which there is neither Authority of the Text nor any need upon the account of avoiding inconvenience V. 31. Our Fathers did eat Manna in the Desert as it is written He gave them Bread from Heaven to eat V. 32. Then Jesus said unto them Verily verily I say unto you Moses gave you not that Bread from Heaven but my Father giveth you the true Bread from Heaven V. 33. For the Bread of God is he that cometh down from Heaven and giveth life unto the World V. 34. Then said they unto him Lord evermore give us this Bread V. 35. And Jesus said unto them I am the Bread of Life He that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst V. 36. But I said unto you that ye also have seen me and believe not V. 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out V. 38. For I came down from Heaven not to do my own Will but the Will of him that sent me V. 39. And this is the Father's Will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day V. 40. And this is the Will of him that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day V. 41. The Jews then murmured at him because he said I am the Bread which came down from Heaven V. 42. And they said Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph whose Father and Mother we know how is it then that he saith I came down from Heaven V. 43. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them Murmur not among your selves V. 44. No man can come
remember what he said rather than that they should understand it presently But neither to the Multitude nor to his Disciples did he clearly signifie the Reasons and Ends of his Passion this seeming to be one of those things that they could not bear now but which the Comforter should reveal to them afterward It may therefore be said That our Lord did not deliver the Doctrine concerning the Death he was to suffer and the blessed Fruits thereof to all Believers in such-like plain words and expressions as I have endeavoured to use in the Paraphrase because he used to conceal the former from the People and reserve the clear manifestation of the latter till after his Resurrection and Ascension when these Sayings would be brought to remembrance and better understood than they were at first But one may ask Why did he not at least tell these Men that these were still but Expressions of spiritual things by way of allusion to things sensible To which I answer That he did thus explain himself to his Disciples presently after and that upon occasion of this gross Mistake see V. 62 63. and nothing appears to the contrary but that this Explication was made in the Synagogue in the Hearing of all But whether it was so or not 't is sufficient for us that he explained himself as he did to the Disciples In the mean time Cardinal Cajetan's Argument that this place cannot be understood of the Eucharist because then it would infer a necessity of the Peoples receiving the Cup is an Argument ad Homines plain and strong Neither is it to be avoided by pretending that Christ does not speak of the Species either of Bread or Wine but of the Things contained under them and therefore that because whole Christ is contained under one kind the Condition of Eternal Life is fulfilled by receiving him under either kind For they that receive him under the Species of a Wafer or a morsel of Bread only which is to be eaten cannot with any Modesty be said to drink his Blood which is yet made as necessary as eating his Flesh We grant that eating and drinking being taken as figurative Expressions do signifie the same thing viz. believing and we say that believing when 't is expressed by eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood refers to that particular Object of Faith the Death of Christ signified by the separate mention of his Body and Blood But eating and drinking being taken properly do not signify the same thing If therefore our Saviour is to be understood properly of receiving him in the Eucharist by eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood The words are plain beyond all dispute that he is to be received by drinking his Blood there as well as by eating his Flesh Which since the Church of Rome denies to the Laity the Cardinal had good reason not to understand these words of the Eucharist being concerned as he was to make the best of all those Usages which he found in his Church And yet I doubt this great Man hath not quite delivered that Church from all the Reproof this very Text has for their half Communion For although these words are not to be understood properly of the Eucharist yet I think what Grotius says cannot be reasonably denied viz. that here is a Tacit Allusion to the Eucharist And if that be true the Text even thus taken will condemn their witholding the Cup from the Laity For the Allusion must consist in this that as according to the Institution of the Eucharist the Holy Bread and Cup were separately taken to shew forth the violent Death of Christ so in these words of eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood the believing of his meritorious Death and following the Example of his Patience c. is expressed by the separate mention of his Flesh and Blood and therefore of eating the one and drinking the other Which allusion is so apt that I should not wonder if it inclines those that enquire no further to believe that our Saviour here speaks of the Eucharist But since the separate taking of the Holy Bread and the Holy Cup in the Eucharist on the one side and the separate mention of his Flesh and Blood on the other is that in which the Allusion consists it is utterly destroyed by the pretended Concomitance i. e. by giving the Body and Blood not as separated but as united or by giving the Body and Blood to be eaten not the Flesh to be eaten and the Blood to be drunk In short as our Saviour did Sacramentally represent his Death by taking the Holy Bread and the Holy Cup separately and giving them separately so he did in Words alluding to that Sacrament represent the same Death i. e. by the distinct mention of his Flesh and Blood and he represented also the necessity of Faith in his Death under the distinct Expressions of eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood And therefore they who in the Eucharist pretend to give both Kinds in one destroy the reason why these words allude to the Eucharist But if they say that our Saviour here speaks properly of the Eucharist nothing can be more evident than that they openly condemn themselves in denying that to the People which as they say he required in proper and express Terms and that is the drinking of his Blood And in truth they destroy the significancy of the Sacrament which is no otherwise a representation of our Lord's Death than as it represents the separation of his Flesh and Blood And then I desire them to tell me how they can be said to commemorate the Death of Christ by receiving a Sacrament that shews forth the separation of his Body and Blood who do not receive them separated but united St. Paul concluding the End of the Sacrament from the Institution of it said As often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew the Lord's Death till he come The Reason whereof is exceeding plain viz. Because the separation of the Blood from the Body is shewn by the distinct taking of the Bread and the Cup to eat the one and drink the other But this Reason is so confounded by the Half-Communion and the Doctrine of Concomitance that the Institution is not only contradicted but I fear the Sacrament is denied to them that receive one Kind only and that they have not so much as an Half-Communion inasmuch as they do not receive a Sacrament that shews the Death of Christ 54. But he that is so far from rejecting me and being offended at me because of that painful Death which I am to suffer that he doth on the other hand receive all that Divine Instruction which it does afford and turns it into spiritual Nourishment by learning the high displeasure of God against Sin and his infinite Love to Mankind and the Vanity of this World and the worth of his own Soul and the necessity of Repentance and of a Godly Life my Death
if it had not established and improved them we had wanted one considerable Inducement to receive it For there is so much natural Evidence that Men are bound to do good to one another that I doubt no Evidence can be great enough that a Religion comes from God which lets Men loose from all the Obligations of Humanity And if there be any other Character of Doctrine which would induce a Man to receive it as coming from God more than another it is this That it doth effectually promote Benignity and Charity a kind and generous Temper and all sorts of good Works And this I am sure is the Character of true and uncorrupted Christianity For 1. As it is a Rule of Manners it is wholly framed to destroy all Dispositions to Rage Malice Cruelty and Uncharitableness and to plain Goodness Compassion and Benignity in our Minds To this end it hath provided against all the Causes of Uncharitableness that is against Covetousness Lust Ambition Impatience Revengefulness and the like And therefore the Apostle doubted not to say that the end of the Commandment is Charity And that which is most remarkable in this kind is That whereas nothing can with greater colour of Reason obstruct the Disposition of a Christian to be good to All Men than to be himself abused and wronged by others therefore our Lord to guard the Duty of Universal Beneficence has made it our Duty to forgive nay and to love our very Enemies which seems to be a Law peculiar to Christianity 2. If we consider our Lord Jesus himself the Author of our Religion he was the most glorious Pattern of Charity and doing good that ever appeared in the World For he was contented to come down into this wretched World and to lead an afflicted Life and to endure an ignominious and painful Death for the Salvation of Mankind And when he conversed publickly amongst his Country-men he went about doing good And though his Doctrine and his Works were still cavilled at and perverted to a wrong Intention by a froward and unthankful Generation of Men yet he ceased not to do good to all that came to him for Relief and to many others that never sought it from him So that we are to treat every Man as one whom Christ so loved as to die for him And if our Religion stands at all in the imitation of Christ we are to do good to the Vnthankful and Vnjust as need requires nay and to do Good against Evil and if possible to overcome Evil with Good But 3. The way which he chose for the propagation of his Religion was above all things a Demonstration that he intended his Disciples should be inoffensive and beneficent to all Men. If indeed under a pretence of saving the Souls of Men he had armed his Followers to kill his Enemies his Doctrine had not carried so much as a face of Sincerity but had rather looked like a Design of Interest and Ambition than of Charity and doing good But with what Weapons did he send abroad his Ministers to subdue Men to himself Go says he cleanse the Leper heal the Sick Matth. 10.7 8. raise the Dead c. Freely ye have received freely give If this would not make their preaching effectual the worst they were to do was Vers 14. to shake the Dust off their Feet against that place which rejected them Vers 14. If they were persecute in one City they were to flee to another If Sufferings followed them from one place to another they were to possess their Souls in patience and in all this to love and pray for their Enemies The Doctrine of our Lord JESUS and his own Example and the Means he used to spread his Faith in the World were all of a piece that Charity being eminently preached in the way of converting the World to his Religion which was so powerfully recommended by his Example and so strongly urged by his Doctrine And if it had not been so the Doctrine of Christianity had not done so much good as the way of propagating it had done Mischief The Doctrine it self of doing good to All had been but a dead Letter if it had been carried into the World with Rage and Cruelty It had served only to condemn Christians of Hypocrisie for pretending the good of Mens Souls in destroying their Lives and for pretending Charity while they carried Confusion and Desolation where-ever they went Had they behaved themselves in this manner they had given just cause of suspicion that they were gathering a Party in an hostile opposition to all the World besides and that the Brotherly-kindness of Christians consisted in excluding the rest of Mankind from common Charity and required that Unbelievers should be treated as Enemies and prosecuted with the utmost Hatred And therefore altho in this very place St. Paul's design was to move the Christians to contribute towards the common Concerns of the Church yet lest he should seem to exempt them from the obligation of doing good to All by calling for their Benificence towards one another he prevents the scandal by requiring Beneficence to All almost out of its place I say though his business was now to perswade them to do good to the Houshold of Faith Yet that this might be no pretence for Inhumanity he guards his meaning by an Exhortation in the first place to do good to all Men. And upon all these Accounts I had much rather at the last Day bear the Judgment of an Heathen that is endued with Humanity and Mercy than of a Christian that has nothing of it let him have what he will else And thus much for the general Object of Charit and the Duty of doing Good to All Men. The Second is more particular viz. The Houshold of Faith and upon this the Exhortation runs thus let us do good especially to the Houshold of Faith that is to Christians who are one Body or Society of Men united one to another under one Head our Lord Jesus Christ by one Faith to the Profession of which they are admitted by one Baptism according to that Saying of the Apostle One Lord one Faith one Baptism Eph. 4.5 which are the Bonds that make the Church one Family or Houshold Now to all that are of this Houshold we are to do good especially and more than to others though we are to do good to all Men. And under this Particular there are these two things observable 1. That the Obligation we are under to do good to all Men does not hinder preferring some before others whether in respect of the Time or the degree of doing good I observed before that we have so limited a Power that we cannot be actually beneficent to All and therefore must choose our Objects with Discretion There are several good Works which many do not need from us and we cannot perform them for All that do And therefore Charity must be guided by Judgment in determining upon whom to
without the mediation of any other Person Ch. 1. v. 18. 47. Take notice therefore of what I say The Will of my Father which by me he makes known to you is this that he who receiveth my Doctrine firmly believing it and submitting his Heart and Soul to it shall as surely obtain Everlasting Life as if he were possess'd of it already V. 47. This Saying of our Saviour explains all that he says about the necessity of eating c. shewing clearly that he meant the believing of his Doctrine and being conformed to it in Heart and Life For if he that believeth shall obtain everlasting Life then he eateth Christ according to his meaning in this Chapter that believeth in him 48. And therefore as I told you before you are to look upon me as the True Bread of Life whereof I have been speaking to you for I came down from Heaven to guide you to everlasting Life V. 48. Here our Lord calleth himself Bread again thereby implying what he afterwards expressed that he is to be eaten Now most certainly we are in such a sence to eat Christ as that is wherein he is Bread But no Man will say that Jesus was or can be properly Bread therefore it is not eating him literally and properly that can be here meant but only believing on him which is by the same Figure called eating whereby he called himself Bread 49. Which should make you concerned to attend my Instructions instead of desiring such Bread as Moses gave your Fathers in the Wilderness which served only to sustain a short Life in this World for they are long since dead that ate it v. 31 34. 50. But I bring you Food from Heaven which whosoever eateth it shall preserve him to everlasting Life For I bring you a Doctrine the Belief and Obedience whereof will avail to your Salvation and I who bring it am come with the highest Authority to require your Faith and with Divine Testimonies of my Authority to justifie your Faith so that nothing is wanting to secure your Salvation but forwardness on your own parts to eat this Heavenly Food that I invite you to feast upon now that it is brought down to you from Heaven and is as near you as that Bread wherewith I fed you yesterday in the Wilderness Nothing is wanting I say but that you would think who it is that God hath sent to you and of how great concern to your Souls that Message is which I bring you from Heaven and how abundantly God hath testified that I am come from him to give you everlasting Life and that considering these things you would do like reasonable Men believe what I say and receive my Doctrine into your very Hearts and Souls and give thanks to God for his unspeakable Gift V. 50. This is the first place where our Saviour in pursuance of that Figure of calling himself Bread expresseth believing in him v. 35 47. by eating him In the 35th ver where he also calls himself the Bread of Life he did not pursue the Figure throughout by saying he that eateth me but he that cometh to me i. e. who is my Disciple shall never hunger and he that believeth on me not he that drinketh me shall never thirst Which makes it very plain that by eating here we are to understand believing not a corporeal but a spiritual Action And because it does not yet appear that he limits the Object of Believing we are therefore to understand him as speaking of the necessity of receiving his whole Doctrine and submitting to it in Heart and Life which whosoever does shall not die but live eternally 51. And when I tell you that I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven and which he that eateth of shall live for ever as you are to understand this with respect to all that Doctrine which I deliver so especially with respect to that part of it that I am come into the World to lay down my Life for the Salvation of Mankind And as I came for this end so I will give my Body to the Death for the Life of the World which is an infinitely greater Benefit than either your Fathers received from Moses when he gave them Manna to eat or than you received from me yesterday when you were filled with that Provision I made for your Bodies V. 51. Without doing great Violence to our Saviour's Words in this place they cannot be so understood as if he promised to turn Bread into his Flesh for the Life of the World as they must suppose who will ground the Roman Doctrine of Transubstantiation upon this place For if some such Change were here to be understood it must be quite contrary viz. a Change of his Flesh into Bread inasmuch as he calls himself the living Bread and says That the Bread which he would give was his Flesh that he would give for the Life of the World If therefore it be insisted upon that the Words are to be properly understood and that therefore a change must be supposed of one Substance into another it must not be of Bread into the substance of Christ's Flesh but of Christ's Flesh into the substance of Bread which Interpretation I think no body has ever yet been so unreasonable as to contend for What account therefore is to be given of these Words but this That our Saviour having hitherto pursued a Figurative way of speaking upon the occasion so often mentioned went on in the same way of expression to lay before them that principal Doctrine of the Gospel that Christ was to die for the Salvation of Mankind which is the plain sence of giving his Flesh to be bread for us For he gave his Flesh for the Life of the World when he gave himself to the Death for us all And his Flesh so given is Bread to us because his Death is the means of our living for ever And whereas Christ mentioned the giving of his Flesh for the Life of the World as a future thing and likewise the giving of his Flesh to be Bread it does not follow that because the former was to be performed on the Cross only therefore the latter was to be performed only in the Eucharist This I say does not follow unless it could be proved that he promised in those Words to give us his natural Flesh to be eaten properly in the Eucharist which I have shewn is impossible to be proved from hence Still therefore we are to understand not a corporal but a spiritual eating And whereas our Saviour said The Bread which I will give is my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the World the meaning is this that his Flesh shall be given for the Life of the World once for all but the Spiritual Food or Nourishment which his Flesh so given should afford would be given evermore not only in the Eucharist but in the whole ministration of the Gospel which holds forth the Death of Christ
to be believed and offers the blessed Fruits and Advantages thereof to all that are disposed to partake of them It is also objected against this Interpretation That if the Doctrine of our Lord's Passion and the believing of it be here meant no reason can be given why our Saviour should speak in the Future Tense The Bread which I will give is my Flesh Since this Spiritual Food was no less given before the Incarnation and Passion of Christ than afterward for the Patriarchs lived and were nourished by Faith And therefore if spiritual eating be only intended Christ seemed to promise a new thing which yet he had given of old So that his Promise is to be understood of giving his natural Flesh to be eaten which was never done before the Eucharist This is the Objection and a very strange one it must needs be to him that shall consider 1. That our Saviour speaketh in the Future Tense to the Woman of Samaria where yet the Expression is acknowledged to be Figurative and the meaning of it to be believing Whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the Water that I shall give him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be in him a Well c. Now would not this be rare arguing Our Lord says I will give Water Therefore he promised something that he had never given before therefore spiritual drinking or believing is not meant because the Patriarchs believed of old therefore the Promise is to be taken literally and properly And yet this is that very Argument to prove the literal sence in this Verse But then 2. Our Lord speaks of the necessity of present eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood in the 53d and 54th Verses And therefore the Argument from the Future Tense to prove that he spake properly of the Eucharist is insufficient 3. Supposing that all had been future and that something was promised more than had been formerly given yet it follows not that Christ spake properly of the Eucharist much less of giving his Flesh properly to be eaten there For although the Fathers believed of old yet the Doctrine of the Passion was never clearly understood by the Faithful before our Saviour's Time no nor as yet by his own Disciples Our Saviour did now and then mention it and here he gave them some Intimations of it which they understood not then so well as they did afterwards See Note on V. 53. Himself said to them Many Prophets and righteous Men have desired to see those things that ye have seen and have not seen them and to hear those things that ye hear and have not heard them Matth. 13.17 And yet his Disciples hitherto had attained to a very imperfect knowledge of Christianity to what they had afterwards Although therefore the good Men of old were justified by Faith and saw the Promises afar off and had some general Intimations of the Gospel yet whether the particular Objects of our Faith were not a new thing worthy of Christ's Promise I leave indifferent Men to judge Lastly It has been said That the Natural Flesh of Christ was to be given or offered upon the Cross substantially or properly for the Life of the World and therefore the same Flesh was to be given with the same Propriety to be Bread for us and to be eaten by us viz. in the Eucharist To which I answer 1. as before That this arguing will conclude more than they desire who urge it For if the former Clause is to be understood in the same strictness and propriety of words with the latter Clause then the Flesh of Christ was to become Bread properly For he said The Bread which I will give is my Flesh But 2. It is much more reasonable to understand the giving of his Flesh to be Bread according to the meaning of this kind of Expressions throughout the whole Discourse And our Adversaries do acknowledge that those Passages I am the Bread of Life He that eateth of this Bread shall live for ever that is all of this kind from Vers 32. to this very Clause in Vers 51. are to be understood of spiritual eating i. e. of believing Since therefore our Saviour gave no manner of intimation that he changed his style there is more reason to interpret those words of giving his Flesh to be Bread and of eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood in a sence agreeable to that wherein eating Him is to be understood all along before than to understand them properly that is to say of bodily eating although it is the Flesh of Christ which is given to be eaten that Flesh which was substantially and properly given for the Life of the World 52. Upon this the Jews disputed against him afresh the greater part of them taking his last words in a gross sence as if he had promised to give them his Flesh to eat with their Teeth and to swallow it down their Throats as their Forefathers had eaten Manna and as they had eaten in the Wilderness the day before And upon this advantage which they thought they had against him they exclaimed as if he had spoken absurdly and inhumanly and taught his Disciples to devour Man's Flesh 53. But notwithstanding this perverse Construction of his words Jesus did not think fit to deliver his meaning in such proper Expressions as might avoid all the Cavils of these unreasonable Men but deferring for a while a further Explication of himself he vehemently repeated his Doctrine under such Expressions and figurative Speeches as they had hitherto given him just occasion to use only to signifie that he was to die a violent and bloody Death for the Salvation of Mankind To that Expression of eating his Flesh he added another of drinking his Blood affirming that except they did this they must not expect Eternal Life as if he had said Except ye believe the Merit of that Sacrifice which I shall offer for the Sins of the World and own me for your Saviour in dying a painful and ignominious Death for your sakes and learn Charity and Patience and Humility and Resignation to the Will of God by my Sufferings ye have not Spiritual nor shall have Eternal Life V. 53. If it be asked Why our Saviour still persisted in a figurative and allusive way of Expression although he saw their gross and perhaps wilful mistake of his former words v. 52. It may be answered That he knew good reason for it though the Reason be not left upon Record However a probable Conjecture ought to suffice in such a Case as this where the Objection is That no account can be given of it I answer therefore That our Lord did not think fit to foretel the ignominious Death he was to suffer upon the Cross so publickly as he foretold his Resurrection Sometimes he told his Disciples that he was to suffer and be killed Matth. 16. but to others he intimated it obscurely with intention that they might afterwards