incarnatie and tooke both flesh and blood for our saluation so also by the prayers of the word of God wee are taught that the Eucharist being made food by him wherby our blood and flesh may be nourished by mutation is the flesh and blood of the same Iesus incarnate Tertullian anno 200. saith h lib. 4 cont Marcion The bread which he tooke in his hand hee made his body saying This is my body Againe i lib. de resurrect carnis The flesh feedeth vpon the body and blood of Christ that the soule may be replenished or filled with God Origen anno 230. expounding the 25. the chapter of Exodus saith k homil 13. in Exod. I would haue you to admonish others you that are wont to be present at the diuine mysteries know that when you receaue the bodie of our Lord you keepe it withall watchfulnes and veneration least any little part therof fall to the grownd least any little parte of the consecrated gift slip away or fall for you belieue that you are guiltie of a great offence and you doe well to belieue so if any part therof fall through your negligence Againe speaking of the centurions child he saith l hom 5. in diuersa loca Euangelij loquens de puero centurionis when thou receauest the holy food and incorruptible banquet thou eatest and drinkest the body and blood of our Lord then our Lord entreth vnder thy roofe thou therfore humbling thy self imitate the Centurian and say Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter vnder my roofe For where he entreth vnworthilie there he entreth to iudgment S. Cyprian anno 240. saith m in Serm. in caena Domini in principio The supper being disposed amongst the Sacramentall banquets the old and new institutions met together and the lambe being consumed which the auncient tradition did propound our maister did set before his Disciples the vnconsumable food Et infra this bread which our Lord deliuered to his Disciples being changed not in outward shew but in nature by the omnipotencie of the word was made flesh and as in the person of Christ the humanitie appeared and the diuinitie lay hidd so the diuine essence infused it selfe ineffablie or vnspeakeablie into the visible Sacrament c. The Doctrine of the Sacrament is new and the Euangelicall schooles haue brought forth this first instruction and Christ our Doctor first taught the world the discipline That ChristiaÌ„s should drinke blood the eating wherof the authoritie of the auncient law most straightly forbideth for the law forbideth the eating of blood the ghospell commaundeth it to be dronke S. Hilary anno 350. saith n lib. 8. de Trinitate There must be no doubt concerning the veritie of the flesh and blood for now both by the profession of our Lord and our faith it is indeed flesh and indeed blood Et mox is not this the truth it seemeth not to be ttue vnto them that deny Christ to be true God Also explicating that of the six of S. Iohn he that eateth my flesh shall liue through me c. he saith truly this is the cause of our life that wee haue Christ according to the flesh remayning in vs carnall men who shall liue by him as he liueth by the father Et infra thou saist that the son of God temaineth in vs carnally through the Eucharist S. Cyrill of Hierus anno 350 saith o Cateches 4. Mystag for as much as Christ himself thus affirmeth and speaketh concerning the bread This is my body whoe dare hearafter doubt of it and for as much also as himself confirmeth it and saith This is my blood who I say can doubt of it and say it is not his blood Et ibidem once he turned water into wine which is neere vnto blood at his pleasure only in Canaan in Galile and shall not he be worthy to be belieued that he turned wine into blood wherfore with all assurance let vs receaue the body and blood of Christ for vnder the forme of bread his body is giuen to thee vnder the forme of wine his blood is giueÌ„ to the. Et ibid so shall wee be Christophori that is bearers of Christ when wee haue receaued his body blood into our members and wee shal be made as S. Peter saith partakers of the diuine nature thou must not consider it as bare bread and wine for it is that body and blood of Christ according to our Lordes owne wordes for although thy seÌ„se make thee think thus yet faith must coÌ„firme thee that thou iudge not the thing according to the tast Et infra knowing this and being most assured that this bread which wee see is not bread although the tast think it bread but that it is the bodie of Christ and the wine which wee see although to the sense of the tast it seeme wine yet that it is not wine but the blood of Christ S. Ambrose anno 380. saith p lib 4 de Sacramentis cap 4. But this bread is bread before the wordes of the Sacrament yet when the consecration shal be adioyned of bread it is made the flesh of Christ Againe q lib de myâ—teâ—iâ—s mâ—â—â—â—ndis c. 4. peraduenture saith he thou wilt say vnto me I see another thing how can you assure me that I receaue the body of Christ now theÌ„ it remaines that wee proue it therfor wee will vse most manifest examples to proue that this is not that which nature formed but that which the benediction hath consecrated and that the force of the benediction is greater then the force of nature because by the benediction nature it self is also changed Moyses held a rod in his hand he cast it a way and it became a serpent Also hauing declared many examples of Elias and Elizeus hee concludeth if the benediction of a man preuayled so much that it conuerted nature what shall wee say of the diuine consecration it self where the wordes of our Lord and Sauiour himself worke for this Sacrament which wee receaue is made perfect by the speech of Christ and if the word of Elias preuayled so much that it brought downe sier from heaueÌ„ shall not the word of Christ be of sufficient power to chaung the nature of elementes thou hast read concerning the workes of the whole world that he spake the worde and they were made he commaunded and they were created therfore the worde of Christ which was able to make that which was not of nothing shall it not be able to chaunge those thinges which be into that which they were noâ— for it is not a matter of lesse power to giue new natures vnto thinges then to chaung the natures of thinges S. Basil anno 380. saith r lib de Baptismo cap 9. if such threatninges be pronounced against them that rashly come to those Sacramentes or sacrifices which are sanctifyed by men what shall wee say of him who is rash in receauing
Antiochenum The workes that are set before vs are not of humane virtue wee are in place of ministers but he vvhich sanctifieth them and chaungeth them is himself Et infra he that hath said this is my body hath confirmed his fact by his vvord Againe g homil de Eucharistia in Encâ—niis doest thou see the bread doest thou see the wine doth it passe into the draught as other meats God forbid think not so for if wax being applyed to the fier is made like vnto it and none of the substance therof doth remayne nothing is ouer plus so also heere thou must think that the mysteries are consumed by the substance of the body S. Hierome anno 380. saith h in CommeÌ„t Matth. â—â—p 26. after that the typicall pasche was fullfild and he had eaten the flesh of the lambe with his Apostles he tooke bread which comforteth the heart of man and so proceedeth vnto the true Sacrament of the pasche that euen as in his prefiguration Melchisedech the priest of the high God had done offering vp bread and wine he also might represent the truth of his body and blood Againe i epist ad Hedibiam quaest 2. let vs say saith he that the bread which our Lord brake and gaue to his disciples is the body of our Lord and Sauiour Et infra neither did Moyses giue vs the true bread but our Lord Iesus he is the guest and the banquet he doth eat and is eaten S. Austine anno 400. saith k epist 86. ad Cosulatium Hee saith the beast hath giuen place to the bread as it were vnwittingly and that then the bread of proposition was wount to be put vpon the table of our Lord but now that he did take parte of the body of the immaculate laÌ„be he saith that the blood gaue place to the cuppe not thinking that he did now also receaue blood in the cuppe Et infra therfore he said it was so much the better and more requisite or conuenient to haue the old passe away and the new ordayned in Christ that the aulter might giue place to the aulter the sworde to the sworde the fier to the fier the bread to the bread the lambe to the lambe and blood to blood Againe l lib. 12. coÌ„tra Faustum cap 10 cap. 20. he saith that the faithfull doe receaue with their mouth the blood where with they were redeemed and that now they drinke that which came from the side of Christ Againe m lib. 2. coÌ„t AduersariuÌ„ legis Prophetarum cap. 9. Wee receaue saith he vvith a faithfull heart mouth the mediatour betvveen God meÌ„ the man Christ Iesus giuing vnto vs his flesh to be eateÌ„ blood to be dronkeÌ„ although it seeme more horrible to eat the flesh of man theÌ„ to destroy it to drinke the blood of man then to spill it Againe n lib. 2. coÌ„tra Peâ—il cap. 17. The Pasche which they doe as yet celebrate of the sheepe is one thinge that which wee receaue in the body and blood of our Lord is another thing Againe explicating the title of the psalme whearin it is written And he vvas carried in his owne handes he saith o in psalmuÌ„ 33. conc â— who can vnderstaÌ„d how this may be done in a maÌ„ for who is carried in his owne haÌ„des a maÌ„ may be carried in other meÌ„s haÌ„des but no maÌ„ is carried in his owne handes wee doe not find how it should be vnderstood to be in Dauid himself but wee find it in Christ for Christ was carried in his owne haÌ„des when giuing his owne body he said This is my body for he did carry that body in his owne handes Finally he saith p Serm. ad Neophytos vt â—estatur Iuo Câ—â—notensis Episâ— in epist ad Hayâ—â—â—â—muÌ„ Paschasius in epist ad Frudrgâ—â— iii. take yee this in the Chalice which issued froÌ„ the side of Christ And againe wee are inuited to a table where is not found the meat of men but the bread of Angels is prepared S. Cyrill of Alexandr anno 430. explicating that of the ghospell Hovv can this man giue vs his flesh to eat he saith q S. Cyrill lib 4. in 〈◊〉 cap. 3. hauing a firme faith in mysteries let vs neuer think of so high thinges or once pronounce that Hovv Againe r in epistola ad Câ—â—â—syâ—â—um wee would not saith he abhorre flesh and blood prepared vpon the holy aulters if wee did consider that God yelding and condescending to our fragilitie and weaknes did infuse the virtue of life into the thinges offered turning them into the veritie of his owne flesh that a body of life may be found in vs as a certayn seed S. Theodoret anno 440. saith Å¿ in primo Dialogo our Sauiour chaunged the names and gaue that name to the body which was proper to the token and signe to the signe or token which was of his body And addeth for hee would haue them which are partakere of mysteries not to attend or respect the nature of those thinges that are seene but to belieue the chaunce which is done by grace for the only mutation of names S. Leo Pope anno 450. saith t Sermo 14. de passione Domini wee taste him in all respects both in spirit and flesh Againe v Sermo 6. de ieiunio septimi mentis you ought so to communicate of the holy table as to doubt nothing at all of the verity of the body and blood of Christ for that is receaued by the mouth which is belieued in hart and in vayne doe they say Amen that dispute against that which is receaued S. Eusebius Emissenus anno 520. saith x Sermo de corpore Domini when the creatures are put vpon the holy aulters to be blessed with heauenly wordes before that they be consecrated by the inuocation of theÌ„ highest povver there is the substance of bread and wine but after the wordes of Christ there is the body and blood of Christ And what maruaill is it if he chaung those thinges which he created by his word S. Remigius anno 480. saith y in comm in 1. Cor. cap. 10. vpon those wordes of S. Paul The bread vvhich vvee breake is it not the participation of the body of our Lord euen then saith he as soone as it is the consecrated and blessed by the priestes and the holy ghost afterwards broken when now it is indeed the true body of Christ although it seeme bread Et infra The flesh saith he which the word of God the Father did assume in the virgine wombe in the vnitie of his person and the bread which is consecrated in the church are one body for as that flesh is the body of Christ neither are they twoe bodies but one body S. Gregory Pope anno 590. hauing done a miracle before the people he said z testo Paulo Diacono in eius vita learne to
is one thinge to be borne of the spirit and an other to feed of the spirit as it is one thing to be borne of the flesh which is done when the mother bringeth forth and an other to feed of the flesh which is done when the infant sucheth m lib 1 de peccator meâ—â—â— and remiss c. â—0 And in an other place he plainly demonstrateth that this precept Vnles yee eat is distinguished from the precept of Baptisme yea in infantes I answear therfore to the argument that S. Austine doth expound this place to be vnderstood of a Sacramentall eating but yet that he doth attribut that eating to infants not in the thing but in an inward desire which is had by baptisme as wee haue said To the other two places of S. Augustine I answere that that saying To what end doest thou prepare thy teeth and bellie belieue and thou hast eaten And that To belieue in him is to eat his flesh are spoken by him not of the Sacrament but of the beliefe of the incarnation for yet he had not com to that parte of the ghospell which treateth of the last supper but that saying whoe eateth in harte not who presseth with his teeth S. Augustine said when he spoke of the Sacrament not to exclude Sacramentall eating but that he might signifie the end of the Sacrament to be this to nourish our soule and not our body for he is truly refreshed with this meat that eateth in hart not that presseth it with his teeth to witt only with his teeth for he doth not exclude corporall eating when in the same place he saith that Iudas did eat it only corporally but only he doth preferre the spirituall eating before the corporall because the spirituall doth profitt without the carnall but not the corporall with out the spirituall The like is that place of Osea I vvill mercy not Sacrifice Osea cap. 6. Now our lord doth not reiect sacrifices but will none of them without mercy To the other Fathers I answere that they expound mystically not according to the letter but they in no place euer denied that those wordes ought not to be taken literally of the Sacramentall eating yea on the contrary they are aboue cited in be halfe of the Sacramentall eating for the literal and mysticall sense doe not repugne one an other To the last of S. Austine I answere Lib. â— de Doctrina Christiana he puteth a figure in the wordes concerning the manner of receauing the flesh of Christ not of the substance of the thing it self For he would not say the flesh of Christ so called figuratiuely is to be eaten that is the bread wherby his flesh is signified if wee consider the essence and verie thing of eating which only requireth that true meat be deliuered through the mouth vnto the stomake by vitall instrumentes wee shall easily perceaue that S. Austine vnderstandeth it to be eatcn figuratiuely concerning the manner for the ordinarie and proper manner of eating flesh is that it be visibly cutt in partes and so taken by little and little boyled not raw c. but the flesh of Christ is taken whole and inuisibly without any hurt of it self wherfor the flesh of Christ is slaine and torne in eating not properly but only figuratiuely for wee represent the passion of Christ Now that S. Austine doth vnderstand it in this sense this manifest for tow respects first because he saith it is to be expounded figuratiuely least some vnlawfull acte or wickednes should seeme to be commaunded Moreouer it were a wicked thing to kill and eat the flesh of Christ in partes but not after a certayn spirituall manner to receaue the verie flesh it self in the Sacrament without any hurt ther vnto Secondly because he himself doth explicate what is the litterall sense which seemeth to sound any wickednes to witt that wherein the Capharnaites did take the wordes of Christ tract 27. in Ioann Psal 98. who thought that his flesh was to be torne as wee see it done in the shambles and some little parte giuen to euery one therfore when S. Austine saith that by this precept Vnlesse yee eat is commaunded that wee communicate by the passion of Christ and worship and cogitat it in our myndes he doth only signifie that which the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 11. That the flesh of Christ is to be receaued in the Sacrament for a remembrance of the passion and death of our lord All other friuoulous obiections for as much as they haue no authoritie but theire owne bare explications I thinke needlesse to write specially when you see that wee haue all antiquitie with the whole Church for our sentence and opinion to witt that the true body and blood of Christ is vndoubtedly and really eaten in the Sacrament of the Eucharist But to make S. Austine more cleare heare yet this one sentence of his he therfore expounding a little beneath these words He which eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood remayneth in me saith thus He that remayneth not in Christ in whome Christ doth not remayne without doubt he doth not eat his flesh spiritually nor drinke his blood although carnally and visibly he presse the body and blood of Christ with his teeth but doth rather eat ad drinke the Sacrament of so great a thinge to his owne iudgment because being vnclean he doth presume to coÌ„e to the SacrameÌ„t of Christ which no maÌ„ receaueth worthily vnlesse he be cleane These S. Austine whoe therfore caÌ„ be so froward as to deny say that S. Austine doth not expouÌ„d these words of S. Iohn to pertaine vnto the Sacrament of the Eucharist where the flesh and blood of Christ is realy eaten dronken and that he would only teach when he saith This bread is to be eaten by faith that neither teeth nor bellie is to be prepared but that faith and puritie of mynd is necessary wherby this meat ought to be taken that it may profit and be worthily eaten without which it doth not profit but hurt Againe our aduersaries obiect an other place out of S. Athanasius where in his tract vpon these wordes Whoesoeuer shall speak a word against the son of man it shal be for giuen c. saith thus How many men would his body haue sufficed for meat that it might become food for the whole world but therfore he made mention of his ascension into heauen that he might draw them from a corporall vnderstanding and that they afterwards might vnderstand his flesh wherof he spoke to be meat sent from heauen and spirituall food and that it was to be giuen by himself For the wordes which I speake vnto you our Sauiour are spirit and life which is the same as if he should say my body which is shevven and giuen for the world shal be giuen for meat that it may be giuen spirituallie to euery one and become a protection and preseruation to euery one vnto the
resurrection of life euerlasting These S Athanasius Peter Martyr doth so triumph vpon this place that he saith lib. contra Gardiner obiect 1â—0 he doth think there is scarre any stronger argument then this or more inuincible amongst those that are taken out of the Fathers I answere the force of this argument consisteth in there poyntes so first in that he saith the eating of our Lords body ought not to be taken carnally because his flesh would not suffice so many as should eat of it if it were taken carnallie but this doth not make against our sentence but the Capharnaites whoe thought that the flesh of Christ ought to be diuided into little partes and so distributed to euery one that should eat of it and in this manner indeed it would not suffice so many without some miracle but wee say that the flesh of Christ is so to be taken that it be all receaued indiuisibly of euery one moreouer in that S. Athanasius saith that the flesh of Christ is spirituall food and to be distributed spiritually it doth not any way offend our opinion for the flesh of Christ is most truly called spirituall food because it is giuen for the meâ—t of the spirit and not of the body and is distributed spiritually not corporally because it is not diuided into partes but is giuen all whole together as wee haue said indiuisibly Sermo de S. Martino wher vpon S. Bernard saith That the flesh of Christ is giuen and eaten spiritually and yet in the same place he saith That the true substance of the flesh is present in the Sacrament in Actis eiusdem concilâ—â—â— vâ—ticâ—na Bibliotheca But to make â— Athanasius yet more plaine receaue this one sentence of the councell of Nice wherof himself was one of the chief the wordes are these Also heere vpon the diuine table let vs not simply attend or respect the bread and cuppe set before vs but lifting vp our mynds and vnderstanding by saith let vs acknowledg to be placed vpon that sacred table that lambe of God which taketh away the sins of the world being offered vp vnbloodily by the priestes and truly taking his body and blood let vs belieue them to be the tokens of our resurrection for by this neither doe wee receaue much but little that wee may know it is taken not vnto fullnes but sanctification This testimonie also our aduersaries for the most parte doe acknowledge which together whith that which hath bine said I think sufficent to explicate a real receauing of the true body and blood of our Sauiour according to his owne wordes but for your better satisfaction and more full refutation of your errour especially in this poynt as also that you may see how all ages as well before our Sauiours coming as since and all the learned of Gods church both Iew and ChristiaÌ„ haue euer written against you heerin I haue collected the sayinges of some chief Iewes before our Sauiours tyme whoe then were the true church of God and interpreters of his word A Briefe demonstration from the auncient Ievves for the real presence Rabby Cahana saith aâ— cap. 4 Gâ—â—â—s v. 11. That the sacrifice which shall be offered of wine shall not only be chaunged into the substance of the bloud of the messias but 〈◊〉 into the substance of his body the sacrifice which shal be of bread notwithstanding that it be white is milke it shal be conuerted into the substance of the messias Rabby Iudas saith in 25. Exod. The bread shal be chaunged when it shal be sacrificed from the substance of bread into the substance of the body of the messias which shall descend from heauen and he himself shal be the sacrifice Rabby Simeon the son of Iohas saith lib qui in 〈◊〉 Reuelatio Secretorâ—m The sacrifice which priests shall make after the messias hath come c. they shall make it of bread and wine c. and that sacrifice which shal be so celebrated vpon euery aulter shal be turned into the body of the messias Rabby Barachias saith that food in Ecclesiast at the coming of the messias shall come from heauen lyke to a little Cake Rabby Moyses Hadarsan saith in psalmum 1 â— Taste yee and behold yee for God is good and the very bread which he giueth to all is his flesh and whilst the bread is tasted it is turned into his flesh c. See these aforesaid testimonies and sundry others like alledged from the Rabbynes by Perrus Galatinus de Ar◠〈…〉 10 cap â— 6 7 〈…〉 sect 3 〈◊〉 vâ— sion 2. fol. 80 Concerning all other circumstances about this poynt I referre you to the protestants Apologie for the Roman church THE 33. ARTICLE Of the Sacrifice of the Masse THE CATHOLICKE DOCTRINE Christians haue in the church one only Sacrifice of the new testament wherin the vnspotted Lambe of God Christ is offered a Satisfaction for our sins wherof the Prophet Daniel and God himself speaketh in Malacthie and of which the Lambe of the Iewes and all other Sacrifices were types and figures SCRIPTVRE a Ieremie ca. 33.18 ANd of the priostes and leuites shall not fayle from before my face a man to offer holocaustes and to burne sacrifice and to kil victimes all dayes Hence the Fathers proue that there must be alwayes sacrifice in Gods church b Daniel 12. v. 11 When the continuall sacrifice shal be taken away to wit in the dayes of Antichrist who as most Fathers expound it shall raigne three yeeres and a halfe c Act. 13.3 And as they were ministring to our Lord and fasting the holy ghost said d 1. Cor. 10.16 The Chalice of benediction which wee doe blesse is it not the communication of the blood of Christ and the bread which wee breake is it not the participation of the body of our Lord e Luke 22 1â— And taking bread he gaue thankes and brake gaue vnto them saying c. f Hebr. 23.10 Wee haue an aulter wherof they haue not power to eat that serue the tabernacle FATHERS S. Iames the Apostle in his liturgie saith wee offer vnto thee the vnbloody sacrifice for our sins and for the ignorances of the people S. Andrew Apostle in the booke of his passion written by his disciples saith vnto the Tyrant I sacrifice dayly the immaculate lambe to almightie God Et infra who when he is indeed sacrificed and his flesh truly eaten by the people remaineth whole and aliue g Epist 3. as it is recited de consec dist 1. can hic ergo S. Clement writing vnto S. Iames brother to our Lord saith It is not lawfull to celebrate Masses in other places but in these wherin the proper Bishop shall appoynt these thinges the Apostles receiued from our Lord and deliuered vnto you S. Hippolytus Martyr anno 240. bringeth in Christ speaking thus h in orat de Antichristo cum you Bishops and priestes
not deliuer y Iohn 〈◊〉 vntill after his resurrection To the confirmation I answear Catholikes doe not reforme the communion deliuered in S. Matt. by that of S. Iohn as Kemmtius fayneth for the communion in S. Matt. is not deformed that it should need any reformation yet wee say that one place may be truly explicated by an other and because it is said in S. Iohn Hee which eateth this bread shall liue foreuer Wee vnfainedly collect that the Sacrament taken vnder one kind doth so suffice that two formes or species are not necessarily required to receaue the fruit of this Sacrament or communion but there is great dissimilitude betweene the water wherof our Sauiour speaketh in the fourth of S. Iohn and the bread in the sixth For all interpreters expound the latter place to be vnderstood of the Eucharist as is already shexed but no man at any tyme hath euer taken the latter in that sense Moreouer S. Iohn himselfe explicateth that by water is vnderstoode the grace of the holy ghost for in his seuenth chapter he saith But this he spake of the Spirit which they should receaue belieuing in him But the bread in the sixth chapter our Sauiour himself said it was his flesh when he saith The bread which I will giue is my flesh The second argument also is Luthers in this manner In the sixth of S. Iohn our Sauiour disputed of that eating of heauenly bread which giueth life but only that spirituall eating by faith giueth life therfore that chapter treateth only of that spirituall eating I answere the assumptum is false for Sacramentall eating also doth giue life as in Baptisme not only the internall washing but also the externall doth cleance soules the first formally the other effecting as by the instrument and as it is written z Act. 15. purifying theire hartes by faith soe it is also said a Ephes 3. cleansing it by the lauer of water in the word of ife Neither doth it hinder that the Sacramentall eating doth not giue life without faith For that proceedeth from the vnprepared disposition of the receauer and not from the Sacrament it self which of it self is alwayes powerfull and sufficient b parte 1 ad obiectum 1â— pag 94. The third argument also is from Luther and Peter Martyr in his defence against Gardine after this manner our Sauiour in that chapter doth not only say that the eating of this bread doth giue life but also that with out this eating no man can liue Vnlesse yee shall eat c. But this straight precept cannot be vnderstood of a Sacramentall eating for so all infants should perish which can eat nothing but only sucke milke yea all that cannot communicate being hindered by some lawfull and necessarie cause should likwyse perish although otherwise baptized and iustified I answear it is a common difficultie how soeuer this place be vnderstood for if the Aduersaries will haue it vnderstood of a spirituall eating by faith how I pray you shall infants eat it who neither haue any vse of the spirit or actuall faith yea it weare more easie to instill some little parte of the Sacrament into infantes then to make them to belieue therfore I say this place doth perteyne only to the aged Finally either these wordes Vnlesse yee shall eat c. Do signifie a precept or a mean necessarie vnto saluâ—tion if a precept either it doth not perteyne vnto infants because they are not capable of it or certenly they are excused because they cannot fullfill it for this is common to euerie precept if a meanl necessarie vnto saluation certenly it is only for such as can loose their life which infants cannot because they want the vse of reason The fourth argument is likwise Luthers where he alleadgeth that c lib 2 contra Iulian. S. Austine teacheth that infants doe eat the flesh of Christ in that they communicat by faith therfore this place is vnderstood of eating by faith to this may be added other places of the Fathers producued by d tract 25. Peter Martyr and others for S. Augustine expoundeth the sixth of S. Iohn so spiritually that he saith belieue and thou hast eaten And in an other place To belieue in him e Ibidem tract 26. is to eat the liuely bread and in an other place he saith that these wordes Vnlesse yee shall eat the flesh of the son of man do signifie no other thing but that wee ought to communicate and cogitate earnesly in our mynd the passion of our lord and his flesh crucifyed for vs. Also f lib. 1. Pedagogi cap. 6. clement of Alexandria expoundeth that in this place by the flesh and blood of Christ is vnderstood the word of God wherby wee are spiritually fed and nourished Also g Epist 141. S. Basil interpreteth by the flesh and blood the doctrine of Christ and his mysticall coming h in Psal 147 S. Hierome likwise by the flesh and blood of our lord vnderstandeth the Scriptures lastly i in vers 3. Psal 90. S. Bernard saith That to eat the flesh of Christ is to communicate the passion of our lord and to imitate his life I answear to the place of S. Augustine brought by Luther which is the first booke against Iulian and not in the secund as he citeth first wee must obserue that S. Austine doth often tymes say k lib. 3. de peccator meritis and remiss c. 4 and in Serm. ad infantes queritat Beda in comment 1. Cor. 10. that infants ought to eat the body of our lord if they wil be saued but he doth not vnderstand it to be necessarily done indeed for the same S. Augustine in the same place saith that infants in the very Baptisme doe participate of the body of Christ and that by the receauing of Baptisme they doe also fullfill the precept of receauing the Eucharist Secondly wee must note that infants are not only not bound to the communion indeed but neither by externall desire wherof they are by no means capable but only by an inward desire which they haue when they are baptized for then they receaue power to participate of the Bucharist and because euery one that is borne doth naturally desire meat therfore also they in that they are borne agayne in Christ doe craue the meat or food of the regenerate yet so as to be receaued in it tyme and place therfore infants do neither communicate spiritually not Sacramentally concerning the thing but Sacramentally by an inward desire whervpon it followeth that it is not altogether the same for them to be baptized and to communicate although they are done together because the one proceedeth from the other Therfore S. Austine although in the places cited say that infantes do eat the flesh of Christ in baptisme not withstanding in an other place he doth manifestly distinguish to be baptized and to eat the flesh of Christ l Sermo de â—erbis Domini For saith he it