where Thou hast harde August say page 28. that they who receaueth the sacrament eateth not the bodie which his disciples sawe And page 18. that Christe doubted not to saye This is my bodie When he gaue the figure of his bodie And therefore I woulde praye thee not to take Maister Wil. Rainolds naked worde against seene proofe If he can produce one where of this euerie where where Aug. saith plainely that the bodie of Christe is in the Sacrament as it hanged on the Crosse I shall giue him my hand That Christe is in the Sacrament wee grant and places out of August or any other to that effect maketh no thing againste vs nor no thing for their presence flesh bloode and bone The scripture teacheth of Christe that hee was like vs in all thinges sinne onely excepted and so his bodie must bee in all thinges like our bodies Now in the place quoted bee Maister Robert Bruce Saint August speaketh of all bodies in generall and therefore of Christes bodie also euen in the sacrament if it were in the sacrament And heare I woulde praye the reader to marke a tricke of Romaine Logicke to haue no exception from an vniuersal axiome but onely the thing in question where of the doubt is whether it be or not To a text out of the Actes of the Apostles that the he auens must containe Christ till all thinges be restored hee answereth with a perhapes such credit these men giueth to the eternall truth that it may proue Christes bodie to bee in heauen but that it is no where else hee vtterly denyeth it to proue except it bee in the reprobate sense of a sacramentarie This you see is well sayed to it And yet for all this boulde face I hope this argument will holde in the sanctified sense of a chosen Christian. He that saith the finite bodie of Christ is in heauen denyeth it to bee any where else But Peter in this place saieth that The finite bodye of Christ is in heauen Ergo Peter in this place denyeth the body of Christ to be in anye other place till all thinges be restored c. This answere it seemeth that he mistrusted and therefore fleeth to a better shift and denyeth the text The wordes are translated verbatim out of the greeke and latine also For in these words the fintax of bothe languages agreeth Hon dei ton our anon dechesthai Quem opertet caelum capere Whome the heauens must containe In deede they are not thral in english to the peruersnesse of a wrangler as they are in greeke latine If that be a falt it is the falt of the language not of the translator And therefore that these wordes were neuer spoken be Peter nor written be Luke but forged bee Maister Robert or some phanaticall brother of his sect is a thudde of Maister Rainold his choller which manye times blowes lowder then his loue As to the English Bible of Kinge Edwardes time we are not bounde to it That Christe muste containe the heauens vntill the time that all thinges be restored which he must containe also after that restitution is ouer impertinent and vnproper a sense to shoulder out the other lyeing so plaine to the wordes and containeing an assertion that the aduersariâ— can not denye Moreouer it is to be marked that to bring in that sense the accusatiue Onranon which praeceedeth the verb must violently be cast behinde the verb which thinge to auoide an inconvenience were tollerable but to bringe in a nedlesse and imperfect sense is perversnesse Next Maister Robert reasoneth Euerie humaine bodye is visible and palpable Christes bodie if it be in the Sacrament is a humane bodie Ergo Christes bodie if it be in the sacrament is visible and palpable This argument he calleth the weakest of all for it is a parte of these mens facultie to crye when they are sorest bitten that they feele no thinge But I hope to make this argumente sticke as fast to their skinne as the best in the packe To our Sauiour saieth hee to proue the veritie of his body this argument was forcible but to Maister Robert to proue the negatiue that Christes bodye is not in the sacrament it hath no force at all And this hee exemplifyeth in his spitefull maner with A. B. a minister that preacheth heresie he might haue taken William Rainoldes for example for except I am deceaued hee was a minister or at least a preacher of that which nowe hee calleth heresie of whome it will follow saith he affirmatiuly that he is an heriticke but of that hee is no minister and preacheth no heresie it will not follow that he is no hereticke But his simile if he had anye of that sharpenesse with which some slandereth him holdeth not It is common to all humane bodies to be visible and palpable but it is not common to all heritikes to to be ministers and preachers But that M. Roberts argument holdes both negatiuely affirmatiuely thus I proue All negatiues of inseparable accidentes proues the negatiue of the subiect But visibilitie and palpabilitie are inseparable accidents of a humane bodie Ergo the negatiue of visibilitie and palpabilitie proues the negatiue of a humane bodie This argument for as weake as it is it will passe the cunning of all the Iesuites in Rome and Remes to answere without an instance in the question that the naturall bodie of Christe in the sacrament is neither visible nor palpable Which assertion is contrarie to sense damned bee reason and without warrant of the word except an ambiguous place which I haue proued the fathers for 500. yeares to haue taken figuratiuelye If any amongst them beleeueth the fable of Gyges his ringe which hee there alledges let them beleeue lyes that wil. We admitt no such proofe in maters theologicall After this Maister Robert alledges the articles of the Beleefe not as an other argument then that of Peter in the thirde of the Actes as this wrangler pretendeth but as an other testimonye againste their monstruous presence The argumente is the same that before That Christ seeing he is in heauen is not in the Sacrament To eleuat this place this wrangler alledges Calvines interpretation of sitting at the right hand of God and supposeth Maister Robert to gather his conclusion thereupon that therefore because hee hath all power giuen him in heauen earth he is not in the sacrament But this is wrong libelled hee leaueth out the tongue of the trumpe and then scorneth because it will not playe Maister Roberts argument is that Christ is in heauen at the right hande of his father as it is in the beleefe Ergo he is not chowed and champed amongst the teethe of men in the Sacrament The force of the argumente is not from his sitting at the right hande of his father but from his being in heauen And there fore Caluins interpretation of his fitting at the right hand of his father is an vntimely birthe
A DIDVCTION OF THE TRVE AND CATHOLIK meaning of our Sauiour his words this is my bcdie in the institution of his laste Supper through the ages of the Church from Christ to our owne dayes Whereunto is annexed a reply to M. William Reynolds in defence of M. Robert Bruce his arguments in this subiect and displaying of M. Iohn Hammiltons ignorance and contradictions with sundry absurdities following vpon the Romane interpretation of these words Compiled by ALEXANDER HVME Maister of the high Schoole of Edinburgh EDINBVRGH Printed by Robert Waldegraue Printer to the Kings Maiestie 1602 Cum Privilegio Regiâ— TO THE RIGHT Honorable the L. Prouest Bayless and counsel of Edinburgh ALEXANDER HVMâ— wisheth true wisdome and felicitie THE Spouse of Christ right Honorable who lyeth in his bosome heareth his voice that is his word keepeth his sacraments in the integritie which she receaued This glorious title of his wel-beloued the Church of Rome doeth falslie arrogat For she hath preferred her owne decrees to his word to the one sacrament she hath â—dded oile spittle salt and creame From the other she hath taken away the blessed cup of his precious blood she hath set vp in his chaire the man of sinne she hath giuen his office of intercession to Saints and Angels She hath made his house a denne of theeues and a market of merites masses pardones and other pelfe selling heauen and hell for siluer and golde Whereby it is cleare to all men that hath not drunke of the wine of her fornication that she is not the spouse of Christ but the skarlet whore that sitteth on the beaste with seauen heades and hath poysoned the nationes of the earth with her abhominationes It is the guise of a whore to disgrace the lawful spouse to whose bedde shee presumeth what lyeth in her To this end this strumpet hath per secuâ—ed the welbeloued of our Sauiour euer since she gote vppe her heade And nowe in our dayes slandereth her with the opprobrie of a whore neuer harde of before the dayes of Luther To meete with this contumelie I haue contriued this little treatise the laste winter at such houres as I coulde borrowe of my bed because my calling holdes me occupied at other times In it I haue taken for one of the surest notes of the true spouse the sacrament wherein he communicateth him self and all his graces with her Firste I gather be seauen argumentes drawen out of the well of truth the true meaning of the wordes of the institution this is my bodie containing the right maner howe Christ feedeth vs with his precious body and bloode Secondly I proue be their owne testimonies that the fathers of the primitiue Church receaued that sense from Christ and his Apostles and kept it as they receaued it 500 yeares after the firste institution Thirdlye I proue the occasion of the corruption and how it sprang and grew with the truth like darnell amongst wheate without offence for the space of 300 yeares Fourthly I shewe howe in the yeare 800. it beganne to â—appe the truth and that some grewe either so impudent or ignorant as to denye a figure and maintaine a literall sense in the wordes of the institution Fifthly that aboute that same time Ioannes Scotus in the time of Charles the greate Bertrame at the commandement of Carolus Calvus opossed them selues refuted that erroure whereby it maye seeme that that noble Prince was of the same mind Sixthly that the better sid coÌ„tinued long a partie that these books were not coÌ„demned â—il the counsel of Lateran 250. yeares after they were published Seuenthlye that this counsell condemned Berengarius vnhard for an hereticke and the truth which hee mentained of heresie Lastly I followe the storie that the Church of Rome euer since persecuting the truth with fire and fagot could neuer get it extinguished That it had alwayes assertoures and many that sealed it with their bloode In which discourse my intent is to proue that the church was planted in the truth be Christ his Apost not be Caluin or Zuinglius as our aduersaries beareth the ignorante in hand That there hath beene alwayes since a Church professing it That the Church of Rome euer since the Counsell of Lateran aboute 550 yeares hath persecuted her That this little barke howbeit driuen into manye obscure harboures yet all the stormes which the deuill and antichriste coulde raise hath not sunke her This little treatise I haue thought good to dedicate to your Wisdomes because I and al my trauelles am consecrated to your common wealth Accept my good will and protect the truthe with your authoritie The Lorde giue you wisdome to discerne and heartes to maintaine his cause Fare-well in him who is the well of well-fare Edinburgh the 18. of Febr. Anno. 1602. TO M. IOHN Hammilton his olde Regent grace and right iudgment HEaring great report of a booke which you had set out I met with your treatise intituled of the Lordes Supper printed anno 1581. supposing that your comming home had stirred the mindes of men to read and praise the thing which had lyen long dispised I red also with hope to find the arguments that induced you to turne your coate But finding no thing which you might not and in all appearance did not knowe before your peruersion I pitied your miserable case who hath a hearte at one time capable of contrarie persuasions of your saluation and was woe how be it it be worthie no answere that our men had let it lye 19. yeares without an answere because it seemed that that silence had made you confident and your sectaries hope that it was vnanswerable Wherefore thinking it to be the worke so much spoken of I resolued to doe it the honoure that no man thought it worthie and set my selfe to answere it because you were some time my Regent After that I had answered the firste cap. and a good parte of the seconde there came to my handes your seconde worke Then I perceaued my erroure stayed my hande to read it also Hauing red it I rewed al For argumeÌ„ts in both I founde none indeede and few in show To flite which is the greatest parte of both these bookes I thought it meeter for a scoulde then a scholar And the last I founde contrarie to the firste not onely confuting but condemning of heresie the verie inscription thereof Your greatest gift for anye thing that I can see is in nik-naming and beleing the Saints of God That gift we can wel be contented to leaue to papistes because such graces are more acceptable to your pope then our God Some of you hath purchased Bishoprickes and some Cardinalshipes be that kind of eloquÌ„ece But wee are assured that he whome wee serue neuer rewardeth that arte with better hyre then hell Yet I wonder at your impudencie or rather stupiditie to hope that naked lies can win credite euen where the men of whom you speake are most hated Can any man
it were the thinge which it was not in substance To the same effect he saith Non dictum est petra significat Christum sed petra erat Christus it a enim scriptura solet loqui It is not said that the rock did signify Christ but that the rock was Christ for so the scripture vseth to speake This forme of speach he and sundrie other of the fathers acknowledges in the sacrament Ad hibâ—â—t Iudam ad conuiuium in quo corporis sui figuram discipulis commendauit Christ admitted Iudas to the Supper in which he commended to his disciples the figure of his bodie And againe Non dubitauit dicere hoc est corpus meum cnm daret signim cerporis sui Hee doubted not to saye This is my bodie when hee gaue to his disciples the signe of his bodie Chrysostom saith Christus mortuus non est cuius symbolum ac signum hoc sacrificium est Christ is not deed of whome this sacrifice is a symboll and a signe Theodoret saith Qui seipsum vitem appell at ille symbola et signa quae videntur appellatione corporis et sanguinis honor auit non naturam mutauit He who called himselfe a vine honoured the signes and symbolles which are seene with the name of his bodie and bloode not changing their nature Nazianzenus calleth them â—oon megaloon mysteerioon antitypa The figures of great mysteries And in another place tou timiou soomatos antitypon The figure of his glorious bodie Tertullian to proue against Marcion that the bodie of Christ is not a fantasie taketh an argument from the Sacrament in these wordes Acceptum panem acdistributum discipuilis corpus suum illum fecit hoc est corpus meum dicendo id est figura corporis mei figura autem non â—uisset nisi veritatis fuisset corpus That is taking breade and diuiding it among his disciples hee made it his bodie saying This is my bodie That is this is a figure of my body Now it coulde hot haue beene a figure of his bodie if his bodie had not beene a very bodie because men vseth not to make figures of phantasies August de doctrina teaching in a long discourse that the scriptures alwayes implyeth some figure when they seeme to command facinus or flagitium That is as he him self expoundeth it an ill turne to him selfe or to an other in the ende bringeth for example the place out of the 6. of Iohn The letter whereof these men vrge so instantlie and concludeth it to be a figure in dispite of the pope the counsell of Rome which did in cannon it eight hundreth yeares after him to be catholick doctrine to grinde and rend the sacred bodie of Christ with sacrilegious teeth Nisi manducaueritis carnem filii hominis et sanguinem biberitis c. Facinus saith he vel flagitium videtur iubere figura ergo est Except thou eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood seemeth saieth August to command a foull turne and therefore is a figure In these places of August Chrysostom Theodoret Nazianzen and Tertullian and many moe that might bee alledged to this effect it is manifest that these fathers and the Church in their times tooke the wordes of the institution this is my bodie figuratiuely Origen saith Si secundum literam accipis id quod dictum est nisi manducaâ—eritis carnem filii hominis litera illa occidit If thou vnderstand after the letter the wordes of our sauiour except you eate the flesh of the sonne of man c. that letter killeth Hyeronimus saith De hac quidem hostia quae in commemor atione Christi mirabiliter fit edere licet de illa uero quam Christus in ara crucis obtulit secundum se nemo potest edere Of that oblation which was made wonderfullie in remembrance of Christe a man may eate but of that which was offered vpon the alter of the crosse of it self no man can eate Chrysostom saith Si carnaliter accipis nihil lucraris If thou receaue it carnallie it will doe thee no good Of these places it is plaine that the flesh of Christe is not eaten with our teethe and that the eating the flesh of the sonne of man is not to bee vnderstood literallie Cyrillus saith Christus credentibus discipulis fragmenta panis dedit Christ gaue to his beleeuing disciples peeces of bread Hieronymus saith Christus in typo sanguinis sui non obtulit aquam sed vinum Christe in the type of his blood offered not water but wine Cyprianus saith Dominus sanguinem suum vinum appellauit de botris et acinis plurimis expressum The Lorde called wyne pressed out of many clusters grapes his bloode And againe Inuenimus vinum fuisse quod dominus sanguinem suum dixit Wee finde that it was wine which the Lorde called his bloode Of these places it is cleare that it was bread and wine which Christ gaue to his disciples bittes of bread wine wrong out of grapes Irenaeus saith panis eucharisticus carnis nostrae substantiam auget The bread of the eucharist that is of the Lordes supper turneth to the substance of our flesh augumentes it Origenes saith Ille cibus qui sanctificatur iuxta illud quod habet materiale in ventrem abit et in secessum eâ—citur That meate which is sanctified that is consecrated to a holie vse according to the matter or substance of it goeth downe into the bellie and is cast out into the iakes Be these two fathers it is plaine that the breade in the Sacrament doth nourish the body passeth through the belly and auoydeth into the draught which were an absurd thinge to speake of the precious flesh of our Sauiour Cyrill saith Christus cum discipulus suis etsi non corpore tamen virtâ—te deit atis semper futurus Christ will be with his disciples howbeit not bodilie yet bee vertue of his diuine power alwayes And in an other place Christus non poter at in carne versari cum apostolis post quam ascendisset ad patrem Christ coulde not in his flesh conuerse with his disciples after that hee was ascended to his father Athanasius saith Quomodo vnius hominis corpus vniuerso mundo sufficeret Quod tanquam in illorum cogitationibus versatus Christus commemorat A quibus cogitationibus vt eos auocaret quemadmodum Paulâ— ante suae descensionis de coelo mentionem fecit ita nunc reditus sui in coelum How can the body of one man suffice the whole world which thinge hee recordes as if hee had beene in their heartes From which thoughts to drawe them now hee maketh mentioÌ„ of his ascending into heauen as hee had done before of his descending from heauen By these two fathers yow maye see that Christ is ascended into heauen as concerning his bodie And to perswade the Caparâ—aites
saieth Athanasius that hee ment not that they should eate his very bodie he telleth them that it shuld returne to heauen againe and that they should not haue it to eate Which thing August setteth down most plainely answering the same Capernaites Si ergo videritis filium homiâ—is ascendentem vbi erat Prius quid est hoc hinc apparet vnde fuerant scandalizati Illi enim put auerunt illum erogatâ—rum corpus suumâ—ille autem dixit se ascensurum in coelum vâ—ique integrum Cum videritis filium hominis ascendentem vbi fuerit prius certe vel tunc videbitis quia non eo modo quo putatis erogat corpus suum Certe vel tum intelligetis quod gratia eius non absumitur morsibus That is if you see the sonne of man ascending where he was before What is that heerof appeareth the ground of their offence For they thought that hee would exhibite to them his owne bodie But he telleth them that hee was to goe whole to heauen as if he woulde saye when you see the sonne of man ascending where hee was before then shall you see that he will not so bestowe his bodie as you thinke then shall you vnderstand that his grace can not bee consumed peecemaall or bit and bit This is that Christ him self teacheth The poore shall you haue alwaies but me you shall not haue alwayes that which Peter teacheth That the heauens must hould him while al things be restored This is that which our beleefe teacheth That he sitteth at the right â—and of his father Heere their distinction of his visible and vnuisible presence is a dreg of mans braine Christ him self neuer taught vs of that vnuisible preseÌ„ce And wee will not learne such deep mysteries at men who may deceaue and be disceaued that Christ can doe it we denyâ— not but that he will doe it we will beleeue no man but him self of whome we are sure that he will not lye Clemens Alexandrinus saith Duplex est sanguis domini alter carnalis quo redemptiâ— sumus alter spiritualis quo uncti sumus Et hoc est bibere Iesu sanguinem participem esse in corruptionis domini There is two sortes of the Lordes blood the one carnal where with we are redemed the other spirituall wherewith wee are anointed To drinke the Lords blood is to bee partaker of his puritie and incorruption Cirill saith Num humanae carnis coÌ„mestioneÌ„ hoc nostrum sacramentuÌ„ pronuncias et ad crassas cogitationes vrges irreligiose mentes â—orum qui crediderunt Et attentas tu humanis rationibus tractare ea quâ— sola et purafide accipiuntur Callest thou our Sacrament caniball barbaritie and presest irreligiouslie the minds of them that beleeue to grosse thoughts and aseyes thou to handle that with humaine reason which is receaued by pure faith onely Ambrose saith Fide tangitur Christus â—ide videtur non tangitur Corpore non oculis comprehenditur Christ is touched be faith and seene be faith Hee is not handled with the handes nor seene with the eies August saith Dominus dixit se panem qui descendit de câ—lo hortans vt credamus in illum hoc est manducare panem vivum qui credit in illum manducat The Lorde saide that he is the bread which came downe from heauen exhorting vs to beleeue in him for that is to eate the breade of life that came downe from heâ—uen He that beleâ—ueth in him eateth him Bee these places you see that to eate Christ is to beleeue in Christ and pertake his puritie and that hee is eaten onely be faith not with the teethe Theodoret saith Christus naturam panis non mutat sed naturae addit gratiam Christe changeth not the nature of the breade but to nature addeth grace And againe Post consecrationem mystica signa non exuunt naturam suam manet enum prior substantia forma et species The mysticall signes after consecration puteth not of there owne nature for the former substance forme and shape abideth Ambrose saith Sunt que eraut et sn aliud commutantur they are the same thing they were before that is breade and wine and are turned to on other that is turned to an other vse to present to vs the bodie and bloode of our Sauiour to feede our soules spirituallie Gelasius saith in sacramento manet panis et vini substantia In the sacramentes the substance of breade and wine remaineth Irenaeus saithâ— Quemadmodum qui est aterra panis percipiens vocationem domini iam non est communis panis sed eiu haristia ex duabus rebus constans terrena et celestâ— sic et corpora nostra percipientia cucharistiam iam non sunt corruptibilâ—a spem resurrectionis habentia As the breade growing out of the earth receauing the Lords institution is no more common breade but the eucharist consisting of two things the one earthlie the other heauenly So our bodies receauing the eucharist are no more corruptible hauing hope to rise againe Be these fathers it is cleere that the substance of the bread abideth and that the eucharist that is the communion of thankes giueing consisteth of an earthlie and a heauenly thing To conclud this matter Chrysostom saith in Vasis sanctificatis non ipsum corpus Christiest sed mysterium eius continetur In the sacred vessels the verie bodye of Christ is not but a mistery thereof And August saith more peremptorily Non hoc corpus quod videtis manducaturi estis non bibituri sanguinem quem fusuri sunt qui me crucifigent sed sacramentum vobis aliquod commendaui You are not to eate the bodie which you see nor to drinke the blood which they are to shed who will crucifie me But I commended a certaine mysterie to you c. In these places which I haue quoted you haue plainely without any glosse al that we teach and beleeue of this sacrament That the words of the institution are figuratiue That the action of eating and drinking these mysteries is spirituall That the bodie of Christe is receaued bâ— faith not be the mouth That the wordes of the institution are to bee taken literallie That the body of Christe which suffered for our sinnes is in heauen not in the SacrameÌ„t That to eat the flesh of Christ is to beleeue in him That the substance of the breade and wine abideth and is not transubstantiated And lastly that the body of Christ is neither in the holie vessels nor eaten be them who receaueth this sacrament All these thinges I haue heere proued I saye in plaine categoricall wordes which the aduersaries can not avoide without most odious and absurd gloses which the actours neuer knewe nor thought Yet not-withstanding they vendicat these fiue hundreth yeares as the other fiue hundreth also vntill the dayes of Berengarius and beareth the ignorant in hand that all is theirs without contradiction They haue such a confident