|Crisost. super Matth.| Now lette vs see what Chrisostome sayeth, whiche shall descrybe vs the fayth of the olde Grecyans, who had not loste the true fayth, howsoeuer the wordle go now adayes. Chrisostome sayeth in thys maner. Si enim mortuus Iesus nō est cuius signum & simbolū hoc sacrificū est? uides quantum ei studium fuerit ut semper memoria teneamus pro nobis ipsum mortuum fuisse. That is to saye: Yf Iesus haue not dyed, whose memoryall and sygne is this sacryfyce? Thou seest what dylygence he gaue that we shulde cōtynuallye keape in memorye that he dyed for vs. Here you maye see that Chrisostome calleth the sacramet symbolum et signum: That is to saye, a memoryall and sygne of Christ, and that it was instytute to keape hys death in perpetuall remembraunce. But of one thynge thou muste be ware or els thou arte deceyued, he calleth it also a sacryfyce, and there thou muste wyselye vnderstonde hym. |Sacryfyce.| For yf it were the sacryfyce of Christes bodye, then muste Christes bodye be slayne agayne, which thynge God forbyd. And therfore thou muste vnderstōde hym whē he calleth it a sacryfyce, that he meaneth it to be a remēbraunce of that holye sacryfyce, where Christes bodye was offered on the crosse ones for all. For he can be sacryfyced no more, seynge he is immortall. Notwithstondynge our Prelates wyll here note me of presumptiō, that I dare be so bolde to expounde hys mynde on this fashyon. For in dede they take hym otherwyse, and thynke that it is a verye sacryfyce. And therfore I wyll brynge one other texte, where Chrisostome shall expounde hym selfe. Chrisostome sayeth: |Crisost. ad Hebre. hom. 17.| Nonne per singulos dies offerrimus? offerrimus qdem, sed ad recordationem mortis eius facientes. Hoc autem sacrificium (sicut pontifex) sed id ipsum semper facimus: imo recordationē sacrificij. That is to saye: do we not daylye offer or do sacryfyce: yes suerlye. But we do it for the remembraunce of hys death, for this sacryfyce is as an example of that we offer, not an other sacryfyce (as the Byshopp in the olde lawe ded) but euer the same: yea rather a remembraunce of the sacryfyce. Fyrste he sayeth that they daylye do sacryfyce, but it is in remembraunce of Christes death. Then he sayeth that the sacryfyce is an example of that. Thyrdlye he sayeth, that they offer not an other sacryfyce (that is to saye an oxe or a gotte) as the Byshoppes of the olde lawe, but euer the same.
Marke thys poynte: For though it seame at the fyrste syght to make wyth them, yet doth yt make so derectelye agaynste them, that they shall neuer be able to avoyde it. Chrisostome sayeth, they do not offer an other sacryfyce as the Bysshoppes ded, but euer the same. They offer other breade and wyne thys daye, then they ded yesterdaye: they shall saye an other Masse to morowe, then they ded this daye.
Now yf thys breade and wyne or the Masse be a sacryfyce, then do they offer an other sacryfyce, as well as the Byshoppes of the olde Lawe. For thys sacryfyce ded sygnyfye that Christe shulde come and shedde hys bloode, as well as the breade, wyne, and Masse, do represent that he hath done it in dede. And therfore yf it be a sacryfyce, then do they offer an other sacryfyce, representynge hys passyon, as well as the Byshoppe of the olde Lawe. But that doth Chrisostome denye, and sayeth that they offer euerye daye the same. What same? Verelye euen the same that was done and sacryfyced when Christe shedde hys bloode. In thys sacryfyce is Christe euerye daye bounde and buffetted, and ledde from Anna to Cayphas: he is brought to Pylate and condempned; he is scourged ād crowned with thorne, and nayled on the crosse, and hys harte opened with a spere, and so sheadeth hys bloode for our redempcyon. Why Chrisostome, and do you the selfe same sacryfyce euerye daye? Yea verelye. Then why doth Saynte Paule saye to the Romaynes |Rom. 6.| in the syxte Chapter: that Christe is rysen from death, and dyeth no more? Yf he dye no more, how do you daylye crucyfye hym? For sothe Paule sayeth trouthe.
For we do it not actuallye in dede, but onelye in a mysterye. And yet we saye, that we do sacryfyce hym, and that thys is hys sacryfyce, for the celebracyon of the Sacrament and memorye of the passyon whiche we keape: and for thys cause it hath the name of the thynge that it doth represente and sygnyfye. And therfore, as Saynte Austen declareth a fore ad Bonifacium, |Augustinus ad Bonifacium.| I expounde my mynde by a rethorycall correctyon and saye, Imo recordationem sacrificij. That is to saye: Yea rather the remembraunce, and fygure of the sacryfyce.
Graunde mercyes good Chrisostome, now do I perceyue the pyth of thys matter: euen as the Masse is the verye death and passyon of Christe, so is it a sacryfyce. Now it doth but onelye represente the verye death and passyon of Christe, therfore it doth folowe that the Masse in verye dede doth but onely represente a sacryfyce. And yet not withstandynge manye tymes it is called a sacryfyce of holye doctours, and hathe the name of the verye same thynge that it doth represent ād sygnyfye. And euen so we maye saye of this sacrament, that as the Masse is the verye sacryfyce and passyon of Christ, so is the sacrament hys verye bodye and sacryfyce that is offered. Nowe the Masse doth but onely represent and sygnyfye the passyon: so the sacrament doth but onelye represent and sygnyfye the bodye and very sacryfyce ones offred for euer. Notwithstondynge manye tymes the Masse is called the bodye and a sacryfyce. And hath the name of the verye same thynge that it doth represent and sygnyfye.
|Crisostome.| Furthermore Chrisostome sayeth. Ipse quos; bibitex eo, ne auditis uerbis illis dicerēt. Quid igitur sanguinem bibimus & carnem commedimus? ac ideo perturbarentur, nam & quando prius de his uerba fecit, etiam uerbis ipsius offendabantur. Ne igitur tunc id quoque accideret, primus ipse hoc fecit, ut ad communionem misteriorum induceret intrepidam. That ys to saye: he also dranke of yt, leaste when they harde hys wordes, they shulde saye: why do we than drynke bloode and eate fleshe? and so shulde be troubled. For when he spake before of those thynges, they were offended wyth hys wordes. And because that shulde not now also chaunce, he hym selfe dranke fyrst of yt, that he myght cause thē to come without feare to the partakynge of those mysteryes. Here Chrisostome noteth that Christe dranke of yt, to drawe them from the grosse vnderstōdynge of hys wordes, and by hys drynkynge to testyfye vnto them, that yt was not hys naturall fleshe in dede, but onely memoryalles and representacyons of hys bodye and bloode. And therfore he calleth them mysteryes: that is to saye sacramentes. For in thys place a sacramente ād a mysterye ys all one thynge. Notwithstondynge some tyme thys worde mysterye ys more common ād large in signyfyenge then this worde sacrament. And I haue shewed you before, that a sacrament ys the sygne of an holy thynge, and not the thynge it selfe that yt representeth: albeit somtyme yt beare the name of the verye thynge yt selfe. As the Image of .S. Peter ys not saynt Peter hym selfe, and yet yt beareth hys name.
Chrisostome sayeth. Caro non prodest quicquam: hoc est, secundum spiritum uerba mea audienda sunt. Qui secundum carnem audit, nihil lucratur, nihil utilitatis accipit. Quid est autem carnaliter intelligere: simpliciter ut res dicuntur, neque aliud quippiam excogitare. Misteria omnia interioribus oculis consideranda, hoc est spiritualiter. That is to saye. The fleshe profyteth nothynge, that is: my wordes muste be vnderstonde after the spiryte, he that vnderstondeth them after the fleshe wynneth nothynge, nor taketh no profytte. What meaneth this, to vnderstonde after the fleshe or carnallye? Verelye to take the thynges symplye as they are spoken, and to thynke none other thynge. All mysteryes or sacramentes muste be consydered with the inwarde eyes, that is to saye: spyrytuallye.
And after he expoundeth hym selfe on this maner. Interiores autem oculi ut panem uiderint, creaturas transuolant, & non de illo pane a pistore cocto cogitant: sed de eo qui dixit se panem uitæ, qui per mysticum panem significatur. That is to saye. The inwarde eyes as soone as they see the breade, they passe ouer the creatures, ād thynke not of that breade which is baken of the baker, but of hym that called hym selfe the breade of lyfe, which is sygnyfyed by the mystycall or sacramētall breade. Wolde you haue hym saye any more? he telleth you playne, that Christe which ys the very breade of lyfe, ys sygnyfyed by this sacramentall breade. And that is the thynge which our Byshoppes so fleshlye denye now adayes, which thynge yet you maye see, the olde Fathers cōclude with one assente. Notwythstōdynge yet I wyll alleage mo olde doctours, so that from hence forthe they maye be a shamed to call yt newe learnynge. Fulgentius sayeth. |Fulgentius 2. libro de fide.| In illis enim carnalibus (tèpore legis) uictunis, significacio suit carnis Christi quam pro pctis nostris & ipse sine pctō fuerat oblaturus, & sanguinis quem erat effusurus in remissionè peccarorum nostrorum. In isto autè sacrificio gratiarum actio atq; cōmemoracio est carnis Christi quam pro nobis obtulit, & sanguinis quē pro nobis idē Deus effudit. That is to saye. In these carnall sacrifyces in the tyme of the lawe, was a sygnyficacyon of the fleshe of Christe, which he without synne, shuld offer for our synnes, ād of the bloode which he shulde shedde out in remyssyon of our synnes. But this sacryfyce is a thankes geuynge ād remembraūce of the fleshe of Christe which he offered for vs, and of the bloode which the same God shedde for vs. Fyrste note that he calleth yt a sacryfyce, which notwithstōdyng is but a remēbraūce of that sacryfyce offered on the crosse ones for all: Thā he playnely calleth yt a thankes geuynge, and remembraunce of Christes very fleshe and bloode: and so concludeth with vs. Neuerthelesse because sophysters wolde soone thynke to avoyde thys place, I wyll alleage one other sayenge of the same autoure which they shall neuer be able to avoyde.
|Fulgen.| ¶ Fulgentius sayeth, as Haymo testyfyeth. Hic calix nouum testamentum est, id est, hic calix quem uobis trado, nouum testamentum significat. That is to saye. Thys cuppe or chalyce is the newe testament: That is: thys cuppe or chalyce which I delyuer you doth sygnyfye the newe testament. In this place he doth playnelye shewe hys mynde, which cā not be avoyded. For euen as the cuppe is the newe testament, so ys the breade the bodye. Nowe the cuppe dothe but sygnyfy the new testament. And therfore I may conclude, that the breade doth but sygnyfye the bodye.
|Eusebius.| Eusebius sayeth. Quia corpus assumptum ablaturus erat ex oculis nostris & syderibus allaturus, necessarium erat ut uobis in hac die sacramentum corporis & sanguinis consecraret, ut coleretur iugiter per mysterium quod semel offerebatur in precium. That is to saye: Because he wolde take awaye out of our eyes the bodye that he toke, and carye yt in to heauen, it was necessarye that in thys tyme he shulde consecrate to vs the sacramēte of hys bodye ād bloode: that that which was ones offered for the pryce of our redemptyon, myght contynuallye be honoured through the mysterye.