Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n
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A15779
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A treatise, shewing the possibilitie, and conueniencie of the reall presence of our Sauiour in the blessed Sacrament the former is declared by similitudes and examples: the latter by the causes of the same.
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Wright, Thomas, d. 1624.
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1596
(1596)
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STC 26043.5; ESTC S111546
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105,764
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270
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confirme by daily experience For vvhat els pretend those who so vehemently embrace one an other but as it were one to enter into another and vnite themselues in one for the vehement affection of loue Why did Iob say Quis mihi det vt de carnibus eius saturemur who will Iob 31 giue me that wee may bee filled with his flesh but to declare that the vehemency of loue desired this vnion How possesse the three persons in Trinitye such vehement and ardent loue but for the vnion of one substance in three persons That which men thought impossible to God was possible and that which nature affected was by the Author of nature grace in this mistery effected for herby imparting his body vnto men without destruction of either he caused an vnioÌ„ of both whereupon ensued that the loue of God could not but be singularly increased towards vs because as fathers loue most vehemently their children because in them they see a part of their owne substance disperced in their bodies though after many chaunges and alterations So God vewing his whole substance without any mutation or change in nature or qualitie his body and bloud his soule and person really remaining in vs and ioyned with vs cannot but loue vs exceedingly much more then any father his children And we for the selfe-same cause are moued to loue him for the same vnion or rather identification of substance For who is so base minded or cold in affection that lifting vp the eies of his soule to heauen admiring the infinite Maiestye of God where millions of Cherubins and Seraphines stand in his sight veiling their eyes with their golden wings lest they should be dazelled being not able to behold the infinite brightnes of his glory who I say after this consideration would not open all the vaines of his heart and resolue them into loue seeing this soueraigne Maiestie to discend from heauen to earth to dwell with a poore worme to lodge with a miserable man one that many times had offended him to couer himselfe vnder bread to be eaten of him and to enter into his body to be eternally vnited with him Zacheus thought Luc. 19. he shewed him a singular fauour to come into his house the Centurion passed a Luc. 7. litle furder and saide his house was not worthy of him But here what shall wee say he entereth not to receiue but to giue not to cure the body but to saue the soule how can that heart not be enflamed with loue which hath a burning flame of fier glowing so neere I meane the heart of our Sauiour Iesus Christ How doth not those veines swell with affection which are filled with the pretious bloud of their most affectious and zealous GOD How doth not that soule exult for ioy at Christs presence beeing so neere when Saint Iohn Luc. 1. Baptist exulted for ioy in his mothers wombe conceauing but our Ladies voice The ninth cause to be an ornament of the materiall Churches IN the olde Testament which was a modell of the new wee see that God had a speciall care to prouide the Arke the Cherubines propitiatorie with all the ornaments and furniture of the interiour Exod. 25. Tabernacle or Sanctum sanctorum into which none could enter but the high Priest and he only once a yeere this as the Apostle apertly declareth signified Hebr. 9. how Christ was to offer vp once a bloudy Sacrifice for the redemption of al the world Yet this was but the Allegorie of these ceremonies which God had not only instituted to signifie what was to come but also ordained them for the present vse and religion of the Iewes as CircumcisioÌ„ MaÌ„na the Pascal lambe with al the rest the reasoÌ„ therfore which moued the diuine wisdome of God to ordain this so maiesticall a place so reuerend and ful of ceremonies was to strike into the peoples mindes a great conceit of him a reuerence and respect a feare and humilitie in that place The like with out al doubt stood with his prouidence in instituting this Sacrament that we should haue in our temples the true Ark of his couenant whence-froÌ„ he was to giue answere to imprint in our heartes at the view of his tabernacle a reuerend feare and a fearful loue of his maiestie for if we were Angels and needed not corporall senses to pourtraite or represent the maiestie of God vnto vs little it woulde auaile vs to haue present such rites ceremonies but because our soule in this exile is drowned in the body and cannot ascend to God but by fixing the first and second step in externall sences and corporall imaginations therfore our prouident Sauiour condescending to our infirmities ordained a sensible presence for his maiestie thereby to strike into vs reuerence feare and respect and so in effect it seemes that experience teacheth For when I enter into an heretical church without light altare or image and especialy without the body of Christ me thinks I come into some vast prophane hall or at best some great schoole for it carrieth no shew nor casteth any smel of religion Whereas entring into a church of Catholikes al that I see breatheth pietie and religion the lamps and lights represent the indeficient glory of heauen and brightnes of Gods elected the Images giue mee to vnderstand the multitude of Saints and Angels who assist the maiesty of God in his eternal temple whereas day and night they neuer cease his praises the Altare leades me to that incruent sacrifice which daily is offered to the liuing God for all the faithful in Christs church and in fine the presence of Christ in the Tabernacle moâ—eth me to reuerence to look into my selfe to carry me circumspectly in that older as such a presence requireth For as wel noteth Saint Chrys When Courtiers come before the Kings presence they are careful and circumspect what they doe they roll their eyes about their garments lest any spotte or blemish in them might offend the Kings eyes they ponder theyr speeches lest any vndecent word should escape from them they forelooke al theyr gestures actions lest any of them should appeere vngrateful to the king And how doe faithfull Christians when they come before Christ in the Church they looke into their soules weigh their words consider their thoughts and in fine beware that nothing proceed from them that in any sorte may displease so diuine a maiestie for indeede as the same Authour wel aduertiseth by the presence of Christ in the Sacrament the church is conuerted into heauen For as we prooue the kings Court and Throne is not his pallace his gardens his golden galleries his â—orie beds his chaire of estate his pearled canopies but the person of the King is the essence of the Court and Throne al the rest be accessary to him euen so the court and throne of heauen is not those spheres those angels those saints they be all ornaments they be accessary
effectes which neuer shal be but if some circumstances did occurre they would fal foorth As for example Vae tibi Bethsaida Woe Math. 11. be to thee Bethsaida for if in Tire c. 3. how God doth predestinate 4. the mistery of the Trinity 5. howe Adams sin can be transfused or communicated to his posterity 6. the mistery of Christes incarnation 7. howe that which once was corrupted shall afterwards be repaired in resurrection 8. how a spirit can be dilated in a body 9. how the corporall fire of hell can torment a spirit the 10. is this admirable Sacrament the which in my iudgement for difficulty surpasseth them all For if you can but resolue me in one or two questions about eache of them I wil make you sufficiently conceiue them all As plainely I could make it appeare discoursing ouer euery one but because al men yea very few are capable I will omit them For in this Sacrament first you haue heard difficulties about the wordes how they can effect that they signify 2. howe they effect it 3. in what time they effect it Secondly you haue inextricable difficulties about the bodye of Christ 4. by vvhat action is it produced 5. by what maner consisteth it in an indiuisible sort 6. how doth it reside there vvithout confusion 7. howe doth it not penetrate those accidents 8. or vvhat vnion hath it vvith them 9. vvhat opposition findeth it with the substance of bread 10. howe is it not by so many that feedeth vppon it consumed 11. howe can it be disperced in so many places 12. how can it be extended to such a masse of bread and such a quantity of wine 13. howe in breaking the hoast Christs body is not diuided 14. how can there bee as much in one hoast as in 10000. 15. how passeth the difficulty of transubstantiation Thirdly there are difficulties about the substance of bread 16. what becoÌ„meth of the substance of bread is it annihillated or resolued into aire 17. vvhen the formes of bread and vvine are coÌ„sumed how returneth it again Fourthly there be not a few most difficult questions about the accidents 18. how they remaine vvithout their subiect 19. how one hoast peâ—etrateth not another 20. how they concurre to the production of grace I omitte many more vvhich might be touched about the sacrifice effects and receauers of this Sacrament But these onely I haue propounded that the faithfull Christians might perceaue the singular vvisedome of God in prouiding them so present so palpable so daily an obiect to exercise their faith For questionlesse there is more merit of faith where the obiect hath greater difficulty to bee vnderstood because there principally we captiue and bridle our wittes to obey God in faith Wherefore I cannot but commend the deuotion of those faithfull christians vvho in all temptations of faith haue recourse vnto this Sacrament and say good Lord Credo adiuua incredulitatem meam I Marke 9. doe beleeue helpe my incredulity Likewise I take one of the dispositions or preparations very proportionate to the receauing hereof to bee a resolute faith to beleeue the reall presence of Christ in this Sacrament protesting to liue and die in the professing of this vndoubted truth in despight of all heresie or errour The seuenth cause for the increase of our hope TWo things by the vertue of hope we expect at Gods hands vvherfore both we are apertly assured to obtaine by the institution of this Sacrament if wee bee not faulty on our partes the former for principall though last in effect is life euerlasting the latter though as it seemes not so worthy yet first in execution are the means to atchieue life euerlasting As for them most liuely our hope we see erected by this sacrament For who is so foolish to thinke that God will deny him any thing necessary to saluation since he hath left him his body soule person bloud life for a meane for a ladder to make him to ascend into heauen If saint Paule reasoned Roman 8. wel God gaue vs his sonne how will he not giue vs all with him speaking of his incarnation so nowe I wil reason Christ bestowed his body and bloud to bring vs to life euerlasting and howe can he deny vs the lesse who hath granted the more how wil he debarre vs of al treasure in heauen who hath giuen vs the Lord of al treasure of heauen Had not the Iewes a most stedfast argument when they wandered in the vast desart of Egypt that GOD firmely pretended to conduct them vnto the land of Promise Exod. 14. when hee sent his Angel with a pillar of fire as a torch bearer to guide them in the obscuritie of the night and with a cloude like a fanne to defend them by day from the scorching beames of the Sunne when he euery day rayned Angels foode to sustaine Exod. 16. them al which were figures of this Sacrament as hereafter shal appeere And may not wee in like manner saye that Christ hath left vs an inuisible proofe that hee pretendeth neuer to faile in meanes necessary to life euerlasting hauing presented a pillar of light a cloude of raine a celestial Manna to illuminate our vnderstanding to coole the fierie flame of concupiscence to feed our soules to eternal life And therefore hee saide Manducauerunt patres vestri manna in deserto mortui sunt Your Fathers didde eate manna in the desart and they died Qui manducat hunc panem viuet in aeterno Hee that eateth this bread shal liue for euer Iohn the sixt chapter In like sorte we may be assured of life euerlasting for hee that prouideth such forcible and excellent meanes questionlesse intendeth to impart the end yea he that we receiue is the end himselfe Haec est vita aeterna vt cognoscant te verum Deum quem misisti Iesum Christum This is life euerlasting that they know thee the onely true God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ the seuenteenth chapter of Saint Iohn And he hath auerred most certainly that those which worthily eate this food haue euen in this life life euerlasting in them Qui manducat meam carnem bibit meum sanguinem habet vitam aeternam ego resuscitabo enm in nouissimo die Hee that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath life euerlasting and I will rayse him vppe in the last day Iohn the 6. chapter that is they haue the second person in trinity who is life euerlasting both the obiect and the giuer The eight cause to inflame our charitie ARistophanes saide that loue was of such nature that it affected so to vnite louers that they should become one thing but because this was impossible to bee done either without the destruction of one or both therfore it inforced them to procure all those vnions which were possible as the same iudgementes opinions desires habitations table apparell c. And indeede this opinion of Aristophanes we may