[119]The Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ is inward and spiritual, which is the Participation of his Flesh and Blood, by which the inward Man is daily nourished in the Hearts of those in whom Christ dwells. Of which Things the Breaking of Bread by Christ with his Disciples was a Figure, which even they who had received the Substance used in the Church for a Time, for the Sake of the Weak; [120]even as abstaining from Things strangled, and from Blood, the Washing one another’s Feet, and the Anointing of the Sick with Oil: All which are commanded with no less Authority and Solemnity than the former; yet seeing they are but Shadows of better Things, they cease in such as have obtained the Substance.
[119] 1 Cor. 10. 16, 17. John 6. 32. 33. 35. 1 Cor. 5. 8.
[120] Acts 15. 20. John 13. 14. James 5. 14.
§. I.
§. II.
Object.If it be asked then, What that Body, what that Flesh and Blood is?
Answ.I answer, It is that Heavenly Seed, that divine, spiritual, celestial Substance, of which we spake before in the fifth and sixth Propositions. What the heavenly Seed is, whereby formerly, and also now, Life and Salvation was and is communicated.This is that spiritual Body of Christ, whereby and through which he communicateth Life to Men, and Salvation to as many as believe in him, and receive him; and whereby also Man comes to have Fellowship and Communion with God. This is proved from the 6th of John, from Verse 32. to the End, where Christ speaks more at large of this Matter, than in any other Place: And indeed this Evangelist and beloved Disciple, who lay in the Bosom of our Lord, gives us a more full Account of the spiritual Sayings and Doctrine of Christ than any other; and it is observable, that though he speaks nothing of the Ceremony used by Christ of breaking Bread with his Disciples, neither in his evangelical Account of Christ’s Life and Sufferings, nor in his Epistles; yet he is more large in this Account of the Participation of the Body, Flesh and Blood of Christ, than any of them all. For Christ, in this Chapter, perceiving that the Jews did follow him for Love of the Loaves, desires them (Verse 27) to labour not for the Meat which perisheth, but for that Meat which endureth for ever: But forasmuch as they, being carnal in their Apprehensions, and not understanding the spiritual Language and Doctrine of Christ, did judge the Manna, which Moses gave their Fathers, to be the most excellent Bread, as coming from Heaven; Christ, to rectify that Mistake, and better inform them, affirmeth, First, That it is not Moses, but his Father, that giveth the true Bread from Heaven, Ver. 32. and 48. Secondly, This Bread he calls himself, Ver. 35. I am the Bread of Life: And Ver. 51. I am the living Bread, which came down from Heaven. Thirdly, He declares that this Bread is his Flesh, Ver. 51. The Bread that I will give, is my Flesh; and Ver. 55. For my Flesh is Meat indeed, and my Blood is Drink indeed. Fourthly, The Necessity of partaking thereof. Ver. 53. Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his Blood, ye have no Life in you. And Lastly, The blessed Fruits and necessary Effects of this Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. Ver. 33. This Bread giveth Life to the World. Ver. 50. He that eateth thereof, dieth not. Ver. 58. He that eateth of this Bread, shall live for ever. Ver. 54. Whoso eateth this Flesh, and drinketh this Blood, shall live for ever. Ver. 56. And he dwelleth in Christ, and Christ in him. Ver. 57. And shall live by Christ. The Origin, Nature and Effects of the Body, Flesh and Blood of Christ.From this large Description of the Origin, Nature, and Effects of this Body, Flesh and Blood of Christ, it is apparent that it is spiritual, and to be understood of a spiritual Body, and not of that Body, or Temple of Jesus Christ, which was born of the Virgin Mary, and in which he walked, lived, and suffered in the Land of Judea; because it is said, that it came down from Heaven, yea, that it is he that came down from Heaven. Now all Christians at present generally acknowledge, that the outward Body of Christ came not down from Heaven; neither was it that Part of Christ which came down from Heaven. And to put the Matter out of Doubt, when the carnal Jews would have been so understanding it, he tells them plainly, Ver. 63. It is the Spirit that quickeneth, but the Flesh profiteth Nothing. Solid Reasons that it is his spiritual Body Christ speaks of.This is also founded upon most sound and solid Reason; because it is the Soul, not the Body, that is to be nourished by this Flesh and Blood. Now outward Flesh cannot nourish nor feed the Soul; there is no Proportion nor Analogy betwixt them; neither is the Communion of the Saints with God by a Conjunction and mutual Participation of Flesh, but of the Spirit: [121]He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit, not one Flesh. For the Flesh (I mean outward Flesh, even such as was that wherein Christ lived and walked when upon Earth; and not Flesh, when transformed by a Metaphor, to be understood spiritually) can only partake of Flesh, as Spirit of Spirit: As the Body cannot feed upon Spirit, neither can the Spirit feed upon Flesh. And that the Flesh here spoken of is spiritually to be understood, appears further, inasmuch as that which feedeth upon it shall never die: But the Bodies of all Men once die; yea, it was necessary that the Body of Christ himself should die. That this Body, and spiritual Flesh and Blood of Christ, is to be understood of that divine and heavenly Seed, before spoken of by us, appears both by the Nature and Fruits of it. First, it is said, It is that which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth Life unto the World: Now this answers to that Light and Seed, which is testified of, John i. to be the Light of the World, and the Life of Men. This spiritual Light and Seed is as Bread to the hungry Soul.For that spiritual Light and Seed, as it receives Place in Men’s Hearts, and Room to spring up there, is as Bread to the hungry and fainting Soul, that is (as it were) buried and dead in the Lusts of the World; which receives Life again, and revives, as it tasteth and partaketh of this heavenly Bread: And they that partake of it are said to come to Christ; neither can any have it, but by coming to him, and believing in the Appearance of his Light in their Hearts; by receiving which, and believing in it, the Participation of this Body and Bread is known. And that Christ understands the same Thing here by his Body, Flesh and Blood, which is understood, John i. by the Light enlightening every Man, and the Life, &c. appears; for the Light and Life, spoken of John i. is said to be Christ; He is the true Light: And the Bread and Flesh, &c. spoken of in John vi. is called Christ; I am the Bread of Life, saith he. Again, They that received that Light and Life, John i. 12. obtained Power to become the Sons of God, by believing in his Name: So also here, John vi. 35. He that cometh unto this Bread of Life shall not hunger; and he that believes in him, who is this Bread, shall never thirst. Christ’s outward and spiritual Body distinguished.So then, as there was the outward visible Body and Temple of Jesus Christ, which took its Origin from the Virgin Mary; there is also the spiritual Body of Christ, by and through which He that was the Word in the Beginning with God, and was and is GOD, did reveal himself to the Sons of Men in all Ages, and whereby Men in all Ages come to be made Partakers of eternal Life, and to have Communion and Fellowship with God and Christ. The Patriarchs did eat of the Body of Christ.Of which Body of Christ, and Flesh and Blood, if both Adam, and Seth, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and David, and all the Prophets and holy Men of God, had not eaten, they had not had Life in them; nor could their inward Man have been nourished. Now as the outward Body and Temple was called Christ, so was also his spiritual Body, no less properly, and that long before that outward Body was in Being. Hence the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. x. 3, 4. That the Fathers did all eat the same spiritual Meat, and did all drink the same spiritual Drink: [For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.] This cannot be understood otherwise than of this spiritual Body of Christ; which spiritual Body of Christ, though it was the saving Food of the Righteous both before the Law and under the Law; yet under the Law it was veiled and shadowed, and covered under divers Types, Ceremonies and Observations; yea, and not only so, but it was veiled and hid, in some Respect, under the outward Temple and Body of Christ, or during the Continuance of it; so that the Jews could not understand Christ’s Preaching about it while on Earth: [122]And not the Jews only, but many of his Disciples, judging it an hard Saying, murmured at it; and many from that Time went back from him, and walked no more with him. I doubt not but that there are many also at this Day, professing to be the Disciples of Christ, that do as little understand this Matter as those did, and are as apt to be offended, and stumble at it, while they are gazing and following after the outward Body; and look not to that by which the Saints are daily fed and nourished. The divine Light of Christ doth make the Saints Partakers of his Body.For as Jesus Christ, in Obedience to the Will of the Father, did by the eternal Spirit offer up that Body for a Propitiation for the Remission of Sins, and finished his Testimony upon Earth thereby, in a most perfect Example of Patience, Resignation and Holiness, that all might be made Partakers of the Fruit of that Sacrifice; so hath he likewise poured forth into the Hearts of all Men a Measure of that divine Light and Seed wherewith he is clothed; that thereby, reaching unto the Consciences of all, he may raise them up out of Death and Darkness by his Life and Light, and thereby they may be made Partakers of his Body, and therethrough come to have Fellowship with the Father and with the Son.
[121] 1 Cor. 6. 17.
[122] John 6. 60. 66.