|Consecrate.| To consecrate a thynge, is to applye it vnto an holye vse. Here you maye see that he calleth yt the sacrament of hys bodye and bloode, which bodye is caryed vp into heauen. And also he calleth it a mysterye, which is ynough for them that wyll see.
|Druthmarius.| Also Druthmarius expoundeth these wordes, thys is my bodye on this maner: Hoc est corpus meum in mysterio. That is to saye: thys is my bodye in a mysterye. I thynke you knowe what a mysterye meaneth. Christe is crucyfyed euery daye in a mysterye: that is to saye: euery daye hys death ys represented by the sacramentes of remembraunce. The Masse is Christes passyon in a mysterye: that is to saye: the Masse doth represente hys passyon and keapeth yt in our memorye. The breade ys Christes bodye in a mysterye: that is to saye: it representeth hys body that was broken for vs, and keapeth yt in our remēbraunce.
You haue harde already the mynde of the doctours, how the sacrament ys Christes bodye. And now I shall shewe you how the sacrament ys our bodye, which doth not a lytle healpe to the vnderstōdynge of these wordes whych are in controversye. The sacramēt of the Aulter ys our bodye as well as it is Christes bodye. And euē as it is our bodye, so yt is Christes. But there is no man that cā saye that it is our naturall bodye in dede, but onely a fygure, sygne, memoryall, or represētacyon of our bodye: Wherfore yt must also folowe, that it is but onely a fygure, sygne, memoryall or represētaciō of Christes bodye. The fyrste parte of this argument maye thus be proued. |Augustino in sermone ad infantes.| S. Austen wrytynge in a sermon sayeth on this maner. Corpus ergo Christi si uultis intelligere, apostolum audite dicentem. Vos estis corpus christi & mēbra .1. Cor. 12. Si ergo estis corpus christi & membra, mysteriū uestrumque in mensa Domini positū est, mysteriū Domini accipitis, ad id quod estis. Amē respōdetis et respōdēdo subscribitis. That is to saye: Yf you wyll vnderstōde the bodye of Christe, here the Apostle which sayeth. We are the bodye of Christe and mēbres .1. Cor. 12. Therfore yf ye be the bodye of Christe and membres, your mysterye is put vpon the Lordes table, ye receyue the mysterye of the Lorde, vnto that you are you answer Amē. And in answerynge subscrybe vnto yt. Here you maye see that the sacramēt ys also our body, ād yet is not our naturall body, but onely our body in a mysterye, that is to saye: a fygure sygne, memoryall, or represētacyō of our body. For as the breade ys made of many graynes or cornes, so we (though we be manye) are one breade ād one bodye. And for this propertye and symylitude it is called our bodye, and beareth the name of the verye thynge which yt doth represēt & sygnyfy. Agayne s. Austē sayth. |Augusti in ser. de sacra feria Pasche.| Quia Christus passy est pro nobis, cŏmēdauit nobis in isto sacramēto corpus & sanguinem suum, quod etiam fecit & nos ipsos. Nam & nos ipsius corpus facti sumus, & per misericordiā ipsius quod accipimus nos sumus. Et postea dicit. Iam in nomine Christi tanquam ad calicem Domini uenistis, ibi nos estis in mensa & ibi uos estis in calice. That is, because Christ hath suffered for vs, he hath betakē vnto vs in thys sacramēt hys bodye and bloode, which he hath also made euen our selfes. For we also are made hys bodye, and by his mercye we are euē the same thynge that we receyue. And after he sayeth. Now in the name of Christe ye are come, as a man wolde saye, to the chalyce of the Lorde: there are ye vpon the table, and there are ye in the chalyce. Here you maye see, that the sacrament is our bodye. And yet yt is not our naturall bodye, but onelye in a mysterye, as it is before sayde.
|Augusti de sacra feria pasche.| Furthermore S. Austen sayeth. Hunc itaq; cibŭ & potū societatē uult intelligi corporis & mēbrorū suorū quod est sācta ecclesia in predestinatis & uocatis & iustificatis & glorificatis sanctis & fidelibus eius. Huius rei sacramentum alicubi quotidie, alicubi certis interuallis dierum in dominico preparatur, & de mensa Domini sumitur, quibusdà ad uitam, quibusdam ad exitium. Res uero ipsa cuius est sacramentum, est omni homini ad uitam, nulli ad exitium, quicumque eius particeps fuerit. That is to saye: he wyll that this meate and drynke shulde be vnderstōde to be the felowshyp of hys bodye and membres, which ys the holy churche in hys predestynate and called and iustyfyed and gloryfyed sayntes and faythfull. The sacrament of thys thynge ys prepared in some place daylye, and in some place at certayne appoynted dayes, as vpon the sondaye. And yt is receyued at the table of the Lorde, of some vnto lyfe, and of some vnto destruccyō. But the thynge yt selfe whose sacrament thys ys, is receyued of all men vnto lyfe, and of no mā vnto destruccyon, whosoeuer is partaker of yt. Here doth S. Austen fyrste saye, that this sacrament ys the felowshyppe of his bodye and membres which are we. And yet is not our naturall bodye, as ys before sayde. And then he sayeth, that the sacrament of thys thynge ys receyued of some vnto lyfe and saluacyon, and of some vnto death and dampnacyon. For both faythfull and vnfaythfull maye receyue the sacramēt. And after he sayeth, that the thynge yt selfe whose sacrament yt ys, is receyued of all men vnto lyfe, and of no man vnto destruccyon, who so euer ys partaker of yt. And of thys sayenge yt muste neades folowe, that onely the faythfull eate Christes bodye, and the vnfaythfull eate hym not. For he is receyued of no mā vnto destruccyon. And of thys yt muste also folowe that the sacrament ys not Christes bodye in dede, but onelye in a mysterye. For yf the sacrament were hys naturall bodye, then shulde yt folowe, that the vnfaythfull shulde receyue hys bodye. Which is contrarye to the mynde of saynt Austen, and agaynst all truth. Thus haue we suffycyentlye proued the fyrste parte of our argumēte, that the sacrament is our bodye, as well as yt is Christes. And nowe wyll I proue the secōde parte more playnely (although yt be ynough declared already, to them that haue eares) that euen as yt is our bodye so it is Christes.
Fyrste you shall vnderstonde that in the wyne, which ys called Christes bloode, is admyxed water, which doth sygnyfye the people that are redeamed with hys bloode: so that the heade which is Christe, ys not without hys bodye which is the faythfull people, nor the bodye without hys heade. Now yf the wyne when it is consecrated, be tourned bodelye in to Christes bloode, then is it also necessarye that the water which is admyxed be bodelye tourned in to the bloode of the faythfull people. For where as is one cōsecracion muste folowe one operacyō. And where as is lyke reason, there muste folowe lyke mysterye. But what so euer is sygnyfyed by the water as cōcernynge the faythfull people, is taken spirytually. Therfore whatsoever is spokē of the bloode in the wyne, muste also neades be taken spyrytuallye. This reason is not myne, but it is made by one Bartrame |Bartrame.| vpō a .700. yeares sens, when this matter was fyrste in dysputacyon. Whervpō at the instaunce of greate Charles the Emperoure, he made a boke professynge euen the same thynge that I do, and proueth by the olde doctours & faythfull fathers, that the sacrament is Christes bodye in a mysterye, that is to saye: a sygne, figure, or memoryall of hys bodye, whiche was broken for vs, and not hys naturall bodye. And therfore that doctryne is newe which otherwyse teacheth, and not myne, which is not myne, but the doctryne of Christe and of the olde fathers of Christes churche, tyll Antichriste began to sytte and reigne in the temple of God.
|Cyprianus ad Cecilium.| Besydes that Cypriane sayeth, that the people is ānexed in the sacramēt through the myxture of water. Therfor I mervell moche that they are so cōtēcyous ād wyll not see, that as the water is the people, so the wyne ys Christes bloode, that is to saye: in a mysterye, because yt represēteth Christes bloode, as the water doth the people. Furthermore Eusebius sayth. |Eusebius.| Dū in sacramētis uino aqua miscetur, Christo fidelis populus incorporatur & iūgitur & quadā ei copula perfecta charitatis unitur. That is to saye: whyles in the sacrament water is admyxte with the wyne, the faythfull people is incorporate ād Ioyned with Christ, ād is made one with him, with a certayne knotte of perfecte charyte. Now where he sayeth, that we are Ioyned ād incorporated with Christe, what fondnes were it to cōtēde, syth we are there onelye in a mysterye, ād not naturallye. To cōtēde I say with suche pertynacyte that his naturall bodye must be there: ād not rather that he is Ioyned with vs, as we are Ioyned with hym, ād both in a mysterye, by the knotte of perfecte charyte. |More.| ❧ The yōge man perceyueth well ynough that an allegory vsed in some place is not a cause suffycyēt to leaue the proper sygnyfycacyōs of Godes worde in euery other place ād seke an allegorye, ād forsake the playne cōmō sence. For he cōfesseth that he wold not so do saue for necessyte: because (as he sayeth) that the cōmon lytterall sence is impossyble. For the thynge he sayeth that is mente therbye can not be true. That is to saye: that the verye bodye of Christe can be in the sacrament, because the sacrament ys in many dyuerse places at ones, and was at the maundye: that is to wete, in the handes of Christe ād in everye of hys Apostles mouthes. And at that tyme yt was not gloryfyed. And thē he sayeth that Christes bodye not beynge gloryfyed, could no more be in two places at ones than hys owne cā. And yet he goth after furder, ād sayeth, no more yt can whan yt is gloryfyed also. And that he proueth by the sayenge of S. Austen whose wordes be, that the body with the which Christ arose muste be in one place. &c.
|Fryth.| ¶ Hetherto hath master More reasoned reasonablye: but now he begynneth to declyne from the dygnyte of dyuynyte into the dyrty dregges of vayne sophystry. For where I saye that I muste of necessyte seake an allegorye, because the lytterall sence is impossyble and can not be true, meanynge that it can not stonde with the processe of holy scrypture, but that other textes do of necessyte constrayne me to cōstrue yt spyrytuallye. There catcheth he thys worde, can, and thys worde impossyble, and wolde make men beleue that I mente, yt coulde not be true because reason can not reache yt, but thynketh it impossyble. And there he triūpheth before the vyctorye, and wolde knowe what artycle of our fayth I coulde assygne, in which reason shall not dryue awaye the strengthe of my proue, and make me leaue the lytterall sence wherin my profe shulde stonde, and sende me to seake an allegorye that myght stonde wyth reason, and dryue awaye the fayth. But now deare bretherne, seynge I speake not of the impossybylyte of reason, but of the impossybylyte to stōde with other textes of scripture, ye maye see that this royall reasō is not worth a ryshe. Then wolde he fayne knowe the place where S. Austen so sayeth, which thyng although, yt were harde for me to tell, syth I haue not hys bokes to loke for it, yet I thanke God my memorye is not so bad, but I can shewe hym where he shall fynde yt. And because I thynke that he is more accustomed to the Popes lawes then to S. Austens workes, syth he is become the prelates proctoure and patrone: I saye he shall not fayle but fynde it in his lawes de consecracione. And where as he wolde wreste the wordes of S. Austē, which sayeth that the bodye in which Christ arose muste neades be in one place: sayēge, that he myght meane not that hys body myght not be in dyuerse places at ones, but that yt muste be in one place, that is to saye: in some one place or other. He speaketh (sayth master More) nothynge of the sacrament, nor sayeth not that his bodye with which he rose muste nedes be in one place, & that it cā by no possybylyte be in any mo. Thys seameth to some a goodly glose, ād yet yt shall proue but a vayne evasyon. For yf a mā wolde saye that the Kynges graces body muste be in one place, and then a nother wolde expounde that (notwithstondynge hys wordes) hys graces bodye myght be in two places at ones, I thynke men myght soone Iudge that he delyted to delaye, ād myght saye, what neade he to determyne, that he muste be in one place excepte he thought in dede, that he myght be in no mo but onely one; And though mē myght so argue vpō other mens wordes, yet of saynte Austēs wordes thys must neades folowe, for he bryngeth them in (as God wolde) by a contrarye antithesis sayenge. |Ad Hieronimū.| Corpus in quo resurrexit in uno loco esse oportet, ueritas autem eius ubique diffusa est. That is to saye: hys bodye wherin he rose must be in one place, but hys truth ys dyspersed in all places. Where he playnelye concludeth by the contrarye antithesis, that as hys truth ys dyspersed in all places, so muste hys bodye neades be in one place onelye. As by example, yf a mā shulde saye. The Kynges graces bodye muste neades be in one place, but hys power is through out hys Realme. Where no man doubteth, but that in sayenge one place, he meaneth one place onelye: And therfore though in some place that worde, muste, doth not sygnyfye suche a necessyte as excludeth all possybylyte, yet in this place yt doth so sygnyfye, as the contrarye antithesis doth evydently expresse.
And where ye saye, that he speaketh no thynge of the sacrament, I wolde ye shulde stycke styll to that sayenge. For this is playne, that he speaketh of hys naturall bodye. And therfore yf he speake not of the sacrament, then haue you cōcluded that the sacramēte is not hys naturall bodye: the contrarye wherof you wolde haue men beleue. Thus haue I shewed evydence, bothe where he shall fynde the wordes of S. Austen and also that I haue ryght alleaged them.
Notwytstondynge syth he maketh so moche of hys paynted sheth, I shall alleage hym more auctorytes that Christes naturall bodye is in one place onely. Which thynge proued doth vtterly conclude that the sacrament ys not hys naturall bodye, but onelye a memoryall representynge the same. And fyrste let vs see S. Austēs mynde.
|August. ad Dardanium.| S. Austen wrytynge vnto Dardanius doth playnly proue that the naturall body of Christe muste neades be in one place onelye, and also that hys soule can be but in one place at ones. The occasyon of hys Epystle is this: Dardanius ded wryte vnto S. Austen for the exposycyon of those wordes that Christe spake vnto the thefe sayenge: This daye shalt thou be with me in paradyse: & wyste not how he shulde vnderstonde yt, whether Christe mēte that the thefe shulde be in paradyse with Christes soule, or with hys bodye, or with hys Godhed. Thervpon S. Austen wryteth that as towchynge Christes bodye, that daye it was in the sepulchre. And sayeth that it was not paradyse, although it were in a gardē that he was buryed. For Christe (he sayeth) mēt of a place of Ioye. And that was not (sayeth S. Austen) in hys sepulchre. And as for Christes soule, yt was that daye in hell. And no mā wyll saye, that paradyse was there. Wherfore (sayeth Austen) the texte muste neades be vnderstonde, that Christ spake yt of hys godhed. Now marke thys argumēt of S. Austen, and ye shall see my purpose playnelye proued. For seynge he expoundeth thys texte vpō Christes Godhed, because hys māhod as towchynge the body was in the graue, and as towchynge hys soule was in hell: you may soone perceyue that Austē thought, that whyls hys body was in the graue, yt was not in paradyse also: & because hys soule was in hell, yt coulde not be in paradyse also. And therfor he verefyeth the texte vpon hys dyuynyte. For yf he had thought that Christes bodye or soule myght haue bene in dyuerse places at ones, he wolde not haue sayde, that the texte must neades be vnderstōde of his dyuynyte, but it myght full well, yea and moche better haue bene vnderstōde of hys manhode. Marke well thys texte whiche doth determyne the doubt of this matter. Notwithstondynge the faythfull Father leaueth not the matter on thys fashyō, but also taketh a waye soche fonde ymagynacyons as wolde cause mē to surmyse, that Christes bodye shulde be in mo places at ones then one. For he sayeth. Cauendum est ne ita diuinitatem astruamus hominis ut ueritatem auferamus corporis. Non est autem consequens ut quod in deo est, ita sit ubiq;. Nam & de nobis ueracißime scriptura dicit, quod in illo uiuimus, mouemur & sumus. Nec tamē sicut ille, ubiq; sumus, sed aliter homo ille in Deo, quam & aliter deus in illo homine, proprio quodam & singulari modo. Vna enim persona deus & homo est, et utrumq; est unus Christus Iesus, ubiq; per id quod deus est, in celo aūt per id quod homo. That is to saye: we muste beware that we do not so affyrme the dyuynyte of the man, that we take awaye the truth of hys bodye. For it foloweth not that the thynge whiche is in God, shulde be in euery place as God is. For the scrypture doth trulye testyfye vnto vs, that we lyue, moue, and be in hym. And yet are we not in everye place as he is. Howbeit, that man is otherwyse in God, and God otherwyse in that man by a certayne peculyer and synguler waye. For God and man is one parson, and bothe of them one Christe Iesu, whiche is in euery place in that he is God, and in heauen, in that he is man. Here Austen doth saye, that yf we shulde graunte Christe to be in all places as towchynge hys manhode, we shulde take a waye the truth of hys bodye. For though hys manhode be in God and God in hys manhode, yet it foloweth not, that it shulde be in everye place, as God is. And after he concludeth, that as towchynge hys Godhed he is in euery place, and as towchynge hys manhode, he is in heauē. What neade he to make these wordes and antithesis, but because he thought verelye that though hys Godhed were in euery place, yet his māhode was in heauen onelye.