For what more execrable wickedness or horror more dete•table may a man not only commit,1 but imagine more unworthy the precious body of our Lord, then in bidding bread and wine adieu out of the sacrament, to supply in place thereof Christ his natural flesh, to be torn with teeth really and corporally, to be devoured flesh,2 blood & bones, to convey it so into the stomach, and to swallow down mans natural blood? moreover in respect of nature it self, what can be uttered more grossly absurd & more unreasonable, then to say that one and the self same Christ may sit in heaven, according to his natural and bodily presence, and at the self same time too be handled with hands on earth? that the substance of one self body is limited at one self time in one certain place, & to be contained in infinite places: that as touching the person, Christ is but one, but hath two kinds of bodies: the one whereof must be only local, and all the rest of his bodies not local: to be in a place, & yet to fill no place certain:3 to be a true & natural body of a natural man, and yet to be neither round, nor broad, neither short nor thick, nor long, neither to have in it self any proportion or distance of members,4 to wit, no distance from eye to eye, from eyes to ears, from head to feet: but where y• eyes be, there also must be the ears, where the arm is, there must be the leg, finally the heel, hand, head, & foot must be all one men mber, & every of them supply others place, & altogether to be one body of Christ full complete, and of all parts absolute in ⟨image 105⟩ten thousand diverse places at once: and yet all these must make up but one only body? And in this doing I pray you, what is else done, then according to the heresy of Eutiches in establishing the divinity of Christ too overthrow mean whiles the truth of his humanity utterly, and to chop together into one confuse mixture God and man, heaven and earth altogether?
For what more execrable wickednesse or horror more dete•table may a man not only cōmit,1 but imagine more vnworthy the precious body of our Lord, then in bidding bread and wine adiew out of the sacrament, to supplie in place thereof Christe his naturall fleshe, to be torne with teeth really and corporally, to be deu•ured fleshe,2 blood & bones, to conuey it so into the stomake, and to swallowe downe mans naturall blood? moreouer in resp•ct of nature it selfe, what can be vttered more grossely absurde & more vnreasonable, then to say that one and the selfe same Christe may sitte in heauen, according to his natural and bodily presence, and at the selfe same time too be handled with hands on earth? that the substance of one selfe body is limitted at one selfe time in one certaine place, & to be conteined in infinite places: that as touching the person, Christ is but one, but hath two kindes of bodies: the one whereof must be onely locall, and al the rest of his bodies not local: to be in a place, & yet to fill no place certen:3 to be a true & natural body of a natural man, and yet to be neither round, nor broad, neither short nor thick, nor long, neither to haue in it selfe any proportion or distaunce of members,4 to wit, no distāce frō eye to eye, from eyes to eares, frō head to feet: but wher y• eies be, there also must be the eares, where the arme is, ther must be the leg, finally the heele, hand, head, & foote must be al one mē mber, & euery of thē supply others place, & altogethers to be one body of Christe full complete, and of all partes absolute in ⟨image 105⟩tenne thousande diuerse places at once: and yet all these must make vp but one onely body? And in this doing I praye you, what is els done, then according to the heresie of Eutiches in establishing the diuinitie of Christe too ouerthrowe meane whyles the truthe of his humanitie vtterly, and to choppe together into one confuse mixture God and man, heauen and earth altogether?
- 1Wickedness in eating the Lords body.Wick•dnes in eating the Lordes body.
- 2Aug. epist 5•. He that saith that the body of Christ is at one instant of time both in heaven & earth doth utterly confound and dissolve the nature of Christs body.Aug. epist 5•. He that sayth that the body of Christ is at one instant of time both in heauē & ear•h doth vtte•ly cōfounde and dissolue the nature of Christes body.
- 3Absurdities in the Popish transubstantiation.Absurdities in the Popishe transubstantiation.
- 4Aug. in sermon ad Infantes. Christ did lift up his body into heaven, from whence he shall come to judge the quick & the dead: there he sitteth now at the right hand of his father. Howe is the bread his body? and the cup, or that which is contained in the cup his blood? The•e things brethren, are therefore called sacraments, because in them one thing is seen, & an other thing is underhanded.Aug. in sermon ad Infantes. Christ did lift vp his body into heauen, frō whence he shal come to iudge the quick & the dead: there he sitteth nowe at the right hande of his father. Howe is the bread his body? and the cup, or that which is conteined in the cup his blood? The•e things brethren, are therefore called sacramentes, bicause in thē one thing is seene, & an other thing is vnder••anded.
