bodie of Chryste sacramentallie So also according to their duetie with godlie deuocion holie conuersation and spirituall meditaciō they might receaue him spirituallie withoute the whiche maner of receipt the other was nothing profitable but raither hurtfull and damnable And therfore in the end of the sixt of S. Iohn shewing his pourpose to be as I haue saied and that the people shoulde perceaue that as he knewe that they did beleue well so also they might receaue well he concludeth the wholl matter thus Hoc ergo totum ad hoc nobis valeat dilectissimi vt carnem Christi sanguinem Christi non edamus tantùm in sacramento quod multi mali sed vsque ad spiritus participationem manducemus bibamus vt in Domini corpore tanquam membra maneamus vt eius spiritu vegetemur non scandalizemur etiamsi multi modò nobiscum manducant bibunt temporaliter sacramenta qui habebunt in fine aeterna tormenta All this therfor most wellbeloued let yt auaill to this ende The flesh of Chryst eaten in the Sacr. of euel men that we eate not the flessh and bloode of Chryst onelie in the Sacrament whiche also manie euell men do but let vs eate and drinke to the participacion or partaking of the spirit that we maie abide in the bodie of our Lord as membres that we maie be made lustie and strong by his spirite and not be slaundered though manie do eate and drinke with vs temporallie the Sacramentes whiche in the ende shall haue eternall tormentes Thus S. Augustin Here maie ye clerely perceaue the scope of S. Augustines treatises vpon S. August doth acknowledge both spiritual and corporalreceauing S. Iohn that he wolde the people shoulde not onelie receaue the flesh and blood of Chryste in the Sacrament sacramentallie but also by the partaking of the spirit spirituallie In which his conclusion as ye maie perceaue that he teacheth two maner of receauinges so wolde he both to be vnderstanded in Chrystes woords and neither of them to be banished as a thing not intended or ment by Chryste Wherbye ye maie perceaue the great folie of the Aduersaries that bicause saint Augustine dothe exhorte vs to the spirituall receauing of Chrystes bodie and blood therfore we must contempne the sacramentall receauing therof And yet saincte Augustin wolde we shoulde do bothe and teacheth aswell the one as the other But ther doing herin ys moche like to their doing in the matter of iustificatiō that bicause sainct Paule did so moche extolle faithe to the Romans therfore they contemned the woorkes of charitie sett furth to the Corinthians The effecte wherof hath well appeared in their practise For not onely Luther did cōdemne saincte Iames epistle for the fetting furth of workes but also he and his sequaces haue maliciouslie separated cutt of and diuided Luther cōdemned S. James epist them selues from the vnitie of Chrystes Churche and felowshippe with yt And then being so separated haue withoute all measure and ende blasphemed railed at and reuiled the same and odiblie and cruellie persecuted yt which was towardes them frendlie and blamelesse But God kendle in them that be liuing the fire of his lowe that by yt they maie returne to vnitie whiche by malice haue made lamētable diuision not onelie among the people but betwen God and manie a soule And Reader beholde thow the trueth nowe laied before thy face and see that nowe taught of S. Augustin that before thowe hauest seen taught by Chrysostom and Cyryll Chrysostome saied Vt autem non solùm per dilectionem sed reipsa in ipsam carnem conuertamur per cibum id essicitur quem nobis largitus est That we should not onelie by loue but in verie deed be turned in to that flesh that ys brought to passe by the meate whiche he hathe graunted vs Wher note bothe our turning into Chryst by loue whiche ys the spirituall receauing and our turning into his flesh in verie deed whiche ys by the corporall receauing Cyrill saieth Non negamus nos rectafide charitateue sincera Christo spiritualiter Iu. 15. Joā Corporal receauing auouched aswel as spirituall coniungi Sed nullam nobis coniūctionis rationem secùndū carnem cum illo esse id profectò pernegamus We do not denie that we be conioined to Chryste spirituallie by right faith and sincere charitie But that we hawe no maner of coniunction with him after the flesh that we earnestly denie Note here a spirituall ioininge of vs to Chryste whiche ys by spirituall receauing and a carnall ioininge of vs to his flesh which ys by corporall receauing Nowe compare S. Augustine here to these who saieth that we maie not onely eate the flesh and drinke the blood of Chryst in the Sacramēt whiche ys the corporall receauing but we must eate yt euen vnto the participacion of the spirit which ys the spirituall receauing And thus thow seest an vniforme doctrine that we must bothe receaue Chryst in the Sacrament reallie and also by faithe spirituallie And therfor thowe Chrystian suffer not thy self to be robbed of the one seing that the exceading loue of Chryste as a pledge of the same hath to thy endlesse comforte lefte thee bothe And nowe what S. Cyrill saieth agreablie to S. Augustin vpon this text let vs heare Manet enim immaculata vtraque natura vnus ex vtrisque Christus est sed inefabiliter vltrà quà m possit mens humana intelligere Verbum humanitati In. 15. Ioan. coniunctum totam in seipsum ita reduxit vt indigentia vitae possit vinificare Sic interitum à natura expulit mortem quae peccato plurimum poterat destruxit Quare qui carnem Christi manducat vitam habet aeternam Habet enim haec caro Dei Verbum quod naturaliter vita est Propterea dicit ego resuscitabo eum in nouissimo die Ego enim dixit id est corpus meum quod comedetur resuscitabo eum Non enim alius ipse quà m caro sua Nō id dico quia natura non sit alius sed quia post incarnationem in duos se diuidi filios minimè patitur Ego igitur inquit qui homo factus sum per meam carnem in nouissimo die comedentes resuscitabo Bothe the natures saieth he abide inuiolated and of them both ther ys one Chryst but vnspeakeablie and beionde that mans minde can vnderstande The Sonne of God conioined to the manheade hath so reduced yt whollie into him self that yt ys able to geue life to thinges lacking Chrystes bodie receaued in the Sacr. shall raise our bodies to immortall life life So hath yt expelled destructiō from the nature of man and death whiche by sinne was very strong yt hath destroied Wherfore he that eateth the flesh of Chryste hath euerlasting life For this flesh hath the Sonne of God whiche ys naturallie life Therfore he saiethe and I will raise him vppe in the last
by flesh Go to let vs saie a fewe woordes of this matter and lett CoÌ„iunction of us to Chrysse by faith and charitie spirituallie by his flesh naturallie both auouched vs shewe the sense of the holie scripturs peruersly to be expownded of him Yet for all that we denie not that we be ioined spirituallie to Chryst by right faith and sincere charitie but that we haue no maner of coniunction with him after the flesh that truly we vtterlie denie and we saie that to be alltogether contrarie to the diuine scriptures For who hathe doubted Chryst also so to be the vine and we the braunches whiche from thence gett life vnto vs Heare Paule saing that we all are one bodie in Chryst for alltho we be manie yet we are one in him For we do all partake of one bread Do ye not here see that S. Cyrill bringeth in this text of S. Paule to proue that we haue not onely a communion spirituall with Chryste but also a communion after the flesh What plainer exposition can be desired for the vnderstandinge of the scripture then that sense in the whiche yt ys alleadged in argument to conuince an heresie And if sainct Cyrill did iudge him perâ—erslie to expownde the scriptures that saied that we had no corporall The Proclamer and his felowes setfurth that for a trueth now which S. Cyrill reputed an heresie communion with Chryst but onelie spirituall what shall we saie of the fautours of the like vntrueth Shall we not saie that they also peruerslie expownde the scriptures And shall we not woorthilie repute them as corrupters of Godes trueth and deceauers of his people whiche settfurth that to them for a trueth whiche was so manie hondreth yeares agon reproued as a falsheade and so of all catholiques and good Chrystians holden and estemed no doubte but God will so declare yt when yt shall please him to take his time to ouerthrowe their building Endure yt can not For they haue builded vpon the sandes and not vpon the rocke In the mean time let them bluster oute their stinking doctrine as yt shall please God to suffer them for the punishment of our sinnes for the triall of the constancie of hys faithfull and for the excercise of their pacience to the honour and glorie of God But veritas vincet The trueth shall ouercome and veritas Domini manet in aternum The trueth of our Lord abideth for euer Yt maie be impugned but ouerthrowen yt can not be What the trueth ys in this matter I trust yt maie easilie be perceaued and yet ther lacke no wittnesses for the better declaracion of the same S. Thomas a man approued as learned and holie of all the church hath trauailed in the exposition of the scriptures and that not withoute his immortall laude and praise He ys a woorthie wittnesse in this matter And for the fuller vnderstanding of him we will heare his exposition on bothe the textes iointlie as they lie one depending of the other Thus he saieth Et panis quem frangimus id est sumptio panis fracti in altari noune participatio corporis Domini est faciens noâ— vnum cum Christo quia sub specie panis sumitur corpus S. Thomas Aqui. in deci 1. cor Christi Deinde cum dicit Quoniam vnus panis c. ostendit quod omnes sumus vnum in corpore eius mystico tangit duplicem vnitatem primam incorporationis qua in Christum transformamur aliam vitae sensus quam à Christo capite accipimus quasi diceret Per hoc patet quod vnuni sumus cum Christo quoniam vnus panis vnione fidei spei charitatis vnum corpus multi sumus per subministrationem operum charitatis Corpus seilicet illius capitis qui est Christus Multi dico scilicet omnes qui de vno pane id est corpore Christi vno calice id est sanguine participamus digna participatione scilicet spirituali non tantùm sacramentali And the bread which we breake that ys to saie the receauing of the bread broken on the aultar ys yt not a partaking of the bodie of our Lorde Vnder the forme of bread ys receaued the bodie of our Lorde making vs one with Chryst For vnder the forme of bread ys receaued the bodie of Chryst TheÌ„ wheÌ„ he saieth For we are one bread c. he sheweth that we are all one in his mysticall bodie aÌ„d he toucheth a double vnitie The first ys the vnitie of incorporacion by the whiche we are transformed into Chryst The other ys of life aÌ„d feeling which we take of Chryst our head As who might saie by this yt ys manifest that we are one with Chryst For we being manie are one bread bi the vnioÌ„ of faith hope aÌ„d charitie And one bodie bi the subministracion of the workes of charitie that ys to saie the bodie of that head which ys Chryst I saie manie that ys to saie all we that do partake of one bread that ys to saie of the bodie of Chryst and one cuppe that ys to saie of the bloode of Chryst with a woorthie participacion not onely sacramentall but also spirituall Thus moch S. Thomas In whose exposition we finde nothing dissonant from the elders but in all consonaÌ„t The elders before alleadged haue expownded the bread and the cuppe whiche we partake of to be the bodie and blood of Chryst so doth S. Thomas his doctrine consonaÌ„t to the elders this S. Thomas They haue taught that S. Paules mindeys that by that participacion we are made one bodie with Chryst and the like teacheth he also Thus as God ys the God of peace and concorde so in his house ys agrement and consent in the substanciall poinctes of our faith and religion And this ys a trueth hetherto constantlie as yt were with one mouthe taught that the bread broken in the aultar or table of Chryst ys his bodie and all we woorthilie receauing yt are by the same incorporated to Chryst and made one bodie with him Wherfore we shall nowe leaue these and heare other THE SEVEN AND TVENTETH CHAPITER proceadeth vpon the same text by Euthym. and Hugo AS God hath builded his church vpon a Mounte to be seen of all men so hath he caused his trueth to be professed of manie that yt might be knowen to all men He sent his Apostles into all the woorlde to preach the Gospell to euery creature He hath appointed learned men in euery parte of the worlde to geue the true vnderstanding of the same to euery creature Praised therfore be his holie name that wher now Sathan hath sent his wicked mynistres to corrupt the trueth of the Gospell and to lead vs from the true vnderstanding of the same our mercifull Lorde God hath prouidentlie before prouided soche teachers by whom we maie not onelie see the falshead of the wicked but also haue sufficient knowledge and testimonie to rebuke detect and conuince
of the Deuell molesting the house of a certain mā and moche disquieting his familie and seruants was clean driuen awaie Aug li. 22. De ciuit Dei ca. 1 and the house after wel quieted Howe moche then so euer they crie oute against Masse howe great ab hominacion soeuer they make yt to saie that the sacrifice of Chrystes bodie ys offred by the preist howe moche soeuer Sathan and his disciples wolde extenuate the vertue and power of yt yet in spite of their teeth they must heare S. Austen saie that the preist offred the sacrifice of Chrystes bodie And what ys yt to offre the sacrifice of Chrystes bodie but to saie Masse And to saie Masse ys to offre this sacrifice And wher Sathans Angells troobled the house of this man to great hurt bothe of his seruantes and of his cattaill when Masse was saied in the house the power of Sathan was put to fleight Yowe maie perceaue then that yt ys not without cause that Sathā stirred vppe his ministres so cruellie and fiercely to crie oute to raill and to rage against the blessed and holie Masse For being deuoutlie and godlie doen yt weakeneth his power yt withstandeth his malice yt abateth his tirannie and diminisheth his kingdom And by this ye maie consider howe acceptable a thing the Masse ys that at once saing the Deuel and his Angells were driuē awaie Yf the Masse were so detestable before God as they wolde make yt God wolde at the doing of yt haue caused mo Deuells to come to the house rather than by the doing of yt to putte them to fleight Thus maie yowe perceaue that God commendeth to vs the goodnesse of the Masse by miracle In spirituall thinges yt also abateth the power of the Deuell for yt diminisheth the force of temptacion as saieth S. Bernard Duo enim illud sacramentū operatur in nobis vt videlicet sensum minuat in minimis in grauioribus peceatis tol Sermon de Baptis lat omnino consensum Si quis vestrum non tam sepè modò non tam acerbos sentit iracundiae motus luxuriae aeut caeterorū huiusmodi gratias agat corpori sanguini Domini quoniā virtus sacramenti operatur in eo Two thinges that Sacrament woorketh in vs that in lesser sinnes yt diminisheth the feeling and in greater sinnes yt taketh awaie consent Yf anie of yowe doe not so often nowe feele so bitter mocions of wrathe of enuie of lecherie or soche other let him geue thankes to the bodie and bloode of ower lorde For the vertue of the Sacrament woorketh in him Thus the bodie and blood of Chryst in the Sacramēt with standeth the furie of Sathan and his Angells both in outewarde thinges and inwarde thinges Nowe let not the Aduersarie cauill that bicause S. Bernarde saieth here that the vertue of the Sacramēt woorketh that he vnderstandeth not Chryst Three thin ges to be attended in the bless Sacr. him self to be geuen in the Sacrament but the vertue For S. Bernarde with all catholiques acknowlegeth three thinges in the Sacrament the outwarde formes the bodie and bloode of Chryst and the spirituall grace which three he professeth in a sermon saing Tria in sacramento Altaris attendere debes speciem panis veritatem carnis virtutem gratiae spiritualis vsque ad speciem panis sensus pertingit exterior ad veritatem carnis fides interior ad virtutem gratiae spirituallis charitas Bernardus sermon de Cana Dom superior Three thinges thowe oughtest to attende in the Sacrament of the aultar The outwarde forme of bread The veritie of the flesh the vertue of spirituall grace Vnto the outwarde forme of breade reacheth the outwarde sense Vnto the veritie of the flesh the inwarde faith Vnto the vertue of the spirituall grace perfect charitie So that in the Sacrament ys both the bodie of Chryst vnto whome we must geue thankes and the vertue of the spirituall grace therin receaued for the whiche we aught to geue thankes The pleasure of God being by his miraculouse workes shewed to be other wise yea euen contrarie to that that yt pleased Sathan to perswade Luther as touching the presence of Chryst in the holie Sacrament and the hououringe of him in the same with or seruice and duetie in the holie sacrifice of the Masse we will cease to saie any more vpon the woordes of S. Bernard But if yowe desire to be aduertised of some notable practise call to remēbrance Paul Diacon the historie of the noble matrone of Rome who by Sathans tentaciō encōbred and in faith as manie be now a daies blinded that could not beleue the verie bodie ād blood of Chryste to be in the blessed Sacramēt but coming to the Masse ād ioining in cōpanie with other to receaue whē in the deliuery of the Sacrament to her she heard these woordes The bodie of our Lorde Iesus Chryste awail thee to the remission of sinnes she similed which when S. Gregorie perceaued and by examinaciō vnderstoode her vnbeleue he and the people praied and after praier going again to the aultar and taking the Blessed Sacramēt in his hand to the helpe of the faith of that womā and the confirmacion of the faith of the people yt was of the one and of the other seen as a verie bloodie fleshly litle fingar Wherupon S. Gregorie willed her to remembre the saing of Chryst The bread which I will geue yowe ys my flesh Which so being seen and praier made by S. Greg. and the people that yt might be reduced to the forme that yt might be receaued yt came furthwith so to passe and she thus of an vnfaithfull made a faithfull receaued the blessed Sacrament as other faithfull had doen. Thus she holden captiue in lacke of faith in the forts of Sathan was by the holie mynistracion of Chryst at the Masse deliuered from the same And now that we haue made reporte of one miracle doen in the time of S. Gregorie we will touche one or two mo reported by hym and so ende this matter of proof Thus writeth S. Gregorie Non longè à nostris fertur tempori bus factū quòd quidā ab hostibus captus longè transductus est Cumue diu teneretur in vin Greg. hom 37. culis eum vxor sua cùm ex eadem captiuitate non reciperet extinctum putauit Pro quo iam velut mortuo hostias hebdomadibus singulis curabat offerri Idem ergo vir longo pòst tempore reuersus admirans valdè suae indicauit vxori quod diebus certis hebdomadibus singulis eius vincula soluebantur Quos videlicet dies eius vxor atque horas discutiens tunc eum Aprisoners cheines loosed by vert ue of the Masse recognouit absolutū cùm pro eo sacrificiū meminerat oblatū Yt ys saied to be doen not long before our time that a certain man takē of his enemies was caried into a farre contrie and whē he was lōg kept in prison