the bloude of Christ Euen to this I aunswere the The holy gooste shadoweth euen these workes aboue speache and vnderstandinge For the bread and wyne be chaunged for GOD knowynge mans infirmitie doth tourne awaye Transmutatio and not beare many thinges that be not commen in vse Therfore he doth by his acustomed coÌ„desceÌ„ding vse those thinges whiche be aboue nature Aquaeo unctio gratiae â—ritus seâ—ctis regeneratio by thinges accustomed to nature And as in baptisme because it is a custome to men to be wasshed and anoynted with oyle be ioyned to the oyle and water the grace of the holy goste and made it a lauer of regeneration after the same maner because it is the maner to men Fâ—cit â— neÌ„ corpi suum to eate bread and drink wine he ioyned to these same his godhead and made them his body and his bloud that be accustomed thinges and whiche are aboue nature That we maye be placed in those thinges that be aboue nature For the bodye after the trueth is coyioyned to the godheade that of the holy virgin is the bodye not that the bodye ye takinge came downe from heauen but that the breade and wyne is chaunged into the bodye and bloude of God And if thou doste require the maner how it is done Let it be ynowgh for the to hear that it is done by the holy goste Euen as of the holy virgin mother of God with hym selfe and in hym selfe the Lord susteyned fleshe and nothing else knowe we but that the worde is trew pytthy and allmighty But the maner is vnspeakeable and vnserchable nor it is not redy that to be tolde how naturally by eatinge of breade and wyne and water by drynkinge into the bloude of the eater and drinker shoulde be chaunged and made a nother body besydes that that it was of hym Euen so the breade of settinge forthe and wyne and water by inuocation and commynge of the holy gost supernaturally is chauÌ„ged into the bodye and bloude of Christ they be not two but one Therfore it is done to them that take it in faith worthely in remission of synnes and eternall lyfe and for the kepynge of the soule and the bodye But to them that in mysbeleue vnworthely do take they take it to ponyshment and payne Morcebristi Euen as Christes deathe to the beleuers is made lyfe and incorruptibilite into the fruction of eternall blessednes But to the infideles and murderars of Christ to torment an euerlastyng payne The breade and wyne is not a figure of the bodye and bloude of Christ God forbyd Non est fygura but it is the body of our Lorde deifyed The same Lorde saying this is my bodye not a figure of my bodye but my bodye and not a figure of my bloude but my bloude And therefore this be saide to the Iewes Excepte ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloude ye shall not haue lyfe eternall My fleshe verely is meate and my bloude verely is drynke and afterwarde he saithe he that eateth me shall lyue for me Therfore with all fear pure conscience and vndoutynge fayth let vs come and let it allwaye be to vs as we beleue not doutyng and let vs worshyppe hym with all clennes of mynde and bodye Let vs come to hym with brynnynge desyre Manus in moduÌ„ crucis formaÌ„tes formyng our haÌ„des after the fashion of the crosse and let vs take the bodye of Christ crucified Melchisedech toke bread and wyne to Abraham commyng frome the killinge of straungers whiche was the preist of the highest God Figur christi Melchisedech That table prefigured this misticall table as that preist of Christ the true preist afore hym hath prefigured the figure and image Panis propitiationis Hostia in cruenta This breade did the shew breades figure this is a pure host bloudeles whiche frome the sonne rysynge to the sittinge whiche the Lorde speaketh by the prophet to be offered vnto hym That is the bodye and bloude of Christ for a stablishment of our soule and bodye vnconsumed vncorrupt Non in secessum iens not goynge frome the bodye as other meate God forbyd that but into your substaunce and conseruation Let vs with all vertu awayte that we take not parte in the participacion of heretikes nor geue Heretici obstinatiam fugiamus For do ye geue holy thinges to dogges that we be not made parteners of their error and euyll faith and condemnation For we be all one bodye bycause we participate of one breade They be called also exemplaries of thinges to come Not as not trwely beynge the bodye and bloude of Christ but by cause now by them we participate the diuinitie of Christ and then intellectually by onely vision Eusebius Emissenus Anno. ccxciiii In as moche as he was aboute to take awaye his assumptid bodye from their eyes and to brynge it in emonge the sterres It was necessary that in the day of his supper he shoulde coÌ„secrate to vs a sacrameÌ„t of his bodye bloude that he myght be contynually worshypped by mistery whithe was once offered for a pryce and that the daiely neuer ceassynge redemption whiche dyd ronne for the helth of all shoulde be a perpetuall oblation of redempcion And that that euerlastynge oblation myght lyue in memorye â–ª alwaye present in grace one true and perfight hooste to be estemyd in faith not in forme not to be iudged by exterior loue Wherfore the heauenly auctorite confyrmeth for my flesh is veray meate and my bloude is veray drynke Awaye therfore with all doute of infidelitie For he that is the auctor of the gyfte is also the wytnesse of the truthe For he conuerteth the visible creatures by his secrete power into the substaunce of his bodye bloude in his wordes saying thus Take ye eate ye this is my bodye the sanctifyenge repetyd Take drinke this is my bloud Therfore as at the appoyntemeÌ„t of our Lorde commauÌ„ding sodenly of nawght stode vp the highthes of heaueÌ„ the depenesse of the flouds the largenes of th earth So by lyke power in spirituall sacramentes where power coÌ„mauÌ„deth the effect seruith How greate howe muche honorable benefites doth the strength of the deuine blessinge worke How shuld it not be vnto you a newe thinge and impossible that earthly and mortall thinges maye be turned into the substaunce of Christ Aske thyne owne selfe whiche arte regenerate in Christ lately thou was a straunger from lyfe a straunger from mercy and from the way of helth Inwardelye thou beynge deade was outlawed sodenly beynge entered within the lawes of Christe and made newe throughe holsome misteries into the body of the churche Not by seing but by beleuing thou haste ouerpassed And of the sonne of perdition haste deserued by pryuy clemency to be made the elected sonne of God abydinge in a visible measure arte made greater than thy selfe
Lorde is here with vs The bodye wherin he arose in that kind it becommeth to be in one place but the very body in forme of breade is euery where Corpus Christi in omni altari that is to say in euery aulter where it is consecrate Sermo ii de uerbis Apostoli We haue hard the true master theÌ„ godly redemer mans sauiour commeÌ„ding to vs our praise his blud For he hath spoken to vs of his body bloud that he called his body meat his bloud drink A sacrameÌ„t of the faithfull the faithfull knowe for hearyng what other thinge do they heare but lyfe coÌ„mending suche meate souche drinke ye shall haue saithe he lyfe in you Qui integer ascendere potuit consumi noÌ„ potuit if you eate when some wer offended that this saying was herd He aunswereth dothe this offende you ye wene that of this bodye that ye se I am about to make partes to cut a sonder my meÌ„bers to geue to you what and yf ye se the sonne of man ascendynge where he was before Surelye he that coulde go vp hole coulde not be consumed Therfore of his body his bloude hathe he geuen to vs a holsome refection and so greate a question of his holenes doth he assoyle For so arte thou refreshed that it can not fayle wherevpon thou shalte be refreshed Eate lyfe drinke lyfe thou shalte haue lyfe and the lyfe is hole and that shall be that is to say the bodye bloude of Christe shal be lyfe to euery one yf that whiche in the sacrament is taken visiblye be eaten spiritually in very truth be dronken spiritually Caro nihil prodest Spiritus est qui uiui ficat Super Ioh Cap. 6. We haue harde him selfe saying It is the spirite that quickeneth fleshe profiteth not at all your fathers haue eaten Manna and be deade Whye be they deade For that they dyd se they beleued That that they dydde not se they vnderstode not Moyses dyd eate Aaron did eate Phinees dyd eate and manye other dyd eate whiche pleased the Lorde and were not deade for they vnderstode a visible meate spiritually spirituallye they dyd hunger and spirituallye they tasted that spirituallye they myghte be fylled For to daye we take a visible meate but the sacrament is one thynge and the vertu of the sacrament is another Verye manye do take of the aulter and dye Altare and in takynge they dye Wherfore the Apostle sayth he eateth and drinketh his iudgement Was not the Lordes morsell poyson to Iudas and yet he receiued De Iuda and when he receiued the enemye entred into hym Not that he receaued an euell thynge but that he beyng euyl receaued that which was good Se therfore brethern receaue the heauenly breade spiritually bringe innocency vnto the alter Synnes though they be dayely yet they be not deadly Afore ye come to the aulter take hede what ye saye forgeue vs our trespaces He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude Ioh ca. 6 hath lyfe euerlastynge That is not geuen in the meate whiche we take to sustayne the fleshe but it is in this meate and drynke that is in the body and bloude of our lorde For he that taketh not it hath not lyfe and he that taketh it hath lyfe and that euerlastinge The sacrament of this thynge that is of the vnite of the bodye and bloude of Christ In some place it is done daily In some by certayne space of dayes betwene In the Lordes table let it be prepared and of the Lordes table it is taken of some to lyfe of some to deathe of this matter se more in the sixte of Iohn Here is the sayinge of the Lordes body whiche he sayde he woulde geue to be eaten for eternall lyfe He dyd expounde the maner of thattribution and of his gyfte He that abydeth in me and I in hym Tractus super Iohan nom 27. hath eaten a token hath dronken that we might be in his bodye vnder that heade in his meÌ„bers eatinge his flesh not leuinge his vnitie many hearinge these thinges not vnderstanding were offeÌ„ded for they thought not heainge these thinges but flesh that they were to ê‘ceiue after the flesh is deth And yet so it behoueth to be spoken that it shoulde not be vnderstande of all the secrete thinges of God it must make theÌ„ attempt not coÌ„trary for these dyd some shrynke from God speaking suche thinges And in those wordes they dyd not beleue our Lord Iesu Christ speaking a greate thing couering a certayne grace eueÌ„ as they wolde so they vnderstaÌ„de after the maner of men For Iesus might that or Iesus dyd dyspose that the fleshe wherewith the worde was clothed as cut in peces destribute to the beleuers in hym Quomodo caro non prodest quicquam the fleshe auayleth no thinge O Lorde good master how doth not the flesh auayle any thinge seynge that thou saide Except one eate my fleshe and drynke my bloud he shal not haue lyfe in him Doth not the lyfe profit any thinge And wherefore be we that we be but that we maye haue euerlastynge lyfe which thou promyseste by thy flesshe What is it therfore It profiteth nothinge the fleshe profiteth nothinge But how dydde they vnderstande truely thus They vnderstand the fleshe as it is rent in the deade bodye or solde in the shambles not as it is quickned with the sprite Let the spirite come to the flesh and it profteth much Ibidem Let the sprite come to the fleshe and it profiteth moch or else the worde shoulde not haue ben made fleshe that it might abyde in vs. Thou hast the wordes of lyfe sayde Peter one for all why sayde he that but that he beleued Thou hast euerlastinge lyfe in the ministracion of thy bodye bloud and we beleue and knowe For yf we shoulde knowe before and then wolde beleue we shoulde neyther be able to knowe nor vnderstande What beleue we and what know we That thou arte Christe the sonne of the lyuinge God For thou arte eternall lyfe and thou geuest not in thy flesh but that that thou arte All that the Lorde spake of his fleshe and bloude and that in the grace of his distribution he promysed to vs euerlastynge lyfe and therby he woulde to be vnderstanded the eaters and drinkers of his flesh bloud that they mighte abyde in him and he in them And that they vnderstandinge carnallye thinges spirituall were offended And that they beyng offended perishinge comforte of the Lorde might be to the disciples which remayning whom to proue he asked And wyll you also go away that the aunswer of the abyding of theÌ„ mighte be knowen to vs for he knewe who wolde abyde Therfore all this is auayleable to vs most dearely beloued that we eate not the fleshe and bloude of Christe in Sacrament whiche manye euyll doth but that we eate it vnto the participation of the spirite and drinke it
that is outewardly felte Agayne dayely this oblation though Christ once offeryd be cause we synne dayely in synnes withoute whiche mortall infirmitie cannot lyue And therfore be cause we dayely do fall christ dayly misticallye for vs is offered within the Catholike church in mystery of christes body Nothinge more is done of a good prest nothinge lesse of an euell preist Nothīg more is done of a good Preists then of an euyll for he is not consecrated in the merite of the consecratour But in the worde of the creatour and in the vertue of the holy sprite For if it were in the merite of the preist it should not pertayne to Christ But now as he is which baptiseth so is he whiche by his holy sprite dothe make this creature of breade his fleshe and wyne his bloude In Glo. ord superi Cor. ca. xi Ther be two maners of eatynge of our Lorde one is sacramentall by whiche Ther be two maner of eatings of Christe do eate as well the good as the euell An other is spirituall wherby the good onely dothe eate And this is not only to eat Christ and in his sacrament to take his boodye but to dwell in Christ and haue Christ dwellinge in hym For they do eate hym spiritually whiche in the vnitie of the Churche whiche that sacrament dothe signifye doth abide For he that discordeth frome Christ nor eateth Christes flesh though he do dayly to his Iudgement take a sacrament so greate a thinge Contra. Epist fundament ca. v. I wolde not beleue the gospell except the auctorite of the churche had moued me In his .iii. boke .xxii. cha xxviii sermon agaynst Maximinum The Sacrament of the alter is a figure of Christes death and passion of the misticall body of the Churche and of his naturall bodye ther in present Augustin de uerbis diu Ser. xi That same that he also saithe Who eateth my fleshe and drynketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in hym how shall we vnderstāde it Maye we vnderstande also thē of whom the Apostle spake that they did eate to them selfe drinke iudgement when they did eate the same fleshe and drinke the same bloude the fleshe it selfe the bloude it selfe Dyd not Iudas the wicked sellar and betrayer of his master when he dyd eate and drinke as Luke the Euangelist declareth the Fyrst Sacrament of the fleshe bloude of Christ made his owne handes dwell in Christ or Christ in hym Finally many that with fayned herte eate that fleshe drinke the bloude or when they haue eaten and dronken be come apostatase do they dwell in Christ or Christian in them But withoute doute ther is a certayne maner of eatinge that fleshe drinkinge that bloude after whiche maner whosoeuer eateth and drinketh dwelleth in Christ and Christ in hym Therfore not in what soeuer maner any man eateth the fleshe of christ and drinketh the bloude of christ he dwelleth in Christ and christ in hym but after a certayne maner whiche maner he saw where he sayde these wordes Ang. de bap li. v. ca. viii It was neuerthelesse the bodye of our Lorde also vnto them to whom the Apostle sayde he that eateth vnworthely eateth and drinketh iudgement to hym selfe ¶ Here foloweth the worde of Saynt Ierome vpon the .xxi. cha of Ose I Haue geuen to the Iewes the eatinge of my bodye I beinge both the meate the gest so dyd he vnderstande christes wordes Also vpon these wordes of Malachye the fyrst chap. ye offered vpon myne alter poluted breade saithe Ierome we poluted breade that is the bodye of Christ when we vnworthelye come to the alter and being foule do drinke clene bloud for when sacramentes be defiled he whose they be is defyled super Math. ca. xxvi They supping Iesus toke bread whan the figuratyue passeouer was fulfilled and he had eaten the fleshe of the lambe with his disciples he toke breade whiche dothe comfort mans harte and he went ouer to the sacrament of the trew passeouer that as in prefiguringe of hym Melchisedech the preist of the highe god did offeringe breade and wyne he dothe also represent the truthe of his owne bodye God forbyd that I speake any wronge thinge of them whiche succedyd the apostolyke degre do with their holy mouthe make the bodye of Christ Ad Litū Cap i. by whom euē we be christians If lay men be commaunded that for prayer they abstayne frome the company of theyr wyues what is to be done of the byshope or preist whiche is dailye aboute to offer cleane sacrifice for his owne synnes and the peoples Let vs rede the bokes of the kinges and we shall fynde that the preist Abimalech wolde not fyrst gyue vnto Dauid and his seruauntes of the shewbreades But that he dyd aske hym whether that his seruantes were clene frō theyr wyues not frō straungers but frō their owne wiues and but that he hard that they abstayned yesterday the daye before frome worke of wedloke he wolde not haue graunted them the breades whiche he had afore denyed So moche is betwene the shewbredes and the body of Christ as is betwene a shadowe a bodye betwyxte an ymage and the truthe betwene exemplaries of thinges to come and those thinges whiche were prefigured by the exemplaries Vpon the fyrst chapter of Tyte Preistes do offer dailye for their synnes and the peoples also pure sacrifices and the preist maketh christes bodye at masse Saynt Barnard sayth as Christ gaue his fleshe for vs so he gaue his fleshe to vs in that mistery to redeme vs in this to fede vs. ¶ Petrus Lumbardus in his .iiii. boke Chap. xii PEtrus Lumbardus sayth in his .iiii. boke and the .xii. chap. After this it is asked whether that that the preist doth maye be sayde properly a sacrifice or immolation and whether Christ be dayly immolate and offered or onely once Whervnto it may be shortly aunswered that whiche is offered and consecrated of the preist is called a sacrifice and oblation because it is a memorye and representation of the true sacrifice and holy immolation done in the aulter of the crosse And Christ was once deade on the crosse and ther was offered in hym selfe but he is dayly immolate or offered in the Sacrament because in the sacrament there is made a memorye of that is once done Whervpon saynt Augusten in his .xxiii. Epistle written vpon the .vi. chap. vnto the Romaynes sayth We are assured that Christe rysing from death dyeth not now c. yet least we shoulde forget that is once done in oure memorye euery yeare is done that is to saye as often as the Pascha is celebrate is Christ as often kylled No onely a yearely remembraunce representeth that was once done and causeth vs to be moued as though we sawe oure LORDE on the crosse Also Christe was once offered in hym selfe and yet is dayly offered in the sacramente whiche is thus to be vnderstande that in the open shewynge of his bodye