A Golden Chain

In the framing of Christs manhood two things must be considered, the matter and the manner. The matter of his body was the very flesh and blood of the virgin Mary; otherwise he could not have been the son of David, of Abraham, and Adam according to the flesh. As for his soul, it was not derived from the soul of the virgin Mary as a part thereof, but it was made as the souls of all other men be, that is, of nothing, by the very power of God, and placed in the body: both of them from the first moment of their being, having their subsistence in the person of the son. And here we must take heed of two opinions: the first is of the Anabaptists, which hold, that the flesh of Christ came down from heaven, and passed through the virgin Mary as through a pipe, without taking any substance from her: the places which they allege for the purpose are manifestly abused. For whereas Christ saith of himself that he descended from heaven, ¹his speech must be understood in respect of his Godhead, which may be said in some sort to descend, in that it was made manifest in the manhood here upon earth. And whereas Paul calleth him heavenly and the Lord from heaven, ²it is not in respect of the substance of his body, but in respect of the glorious qualities which he received after this resurrection. The other opinion is of the Papists, that hold the bread in the sacrament to be turned substantially into the body of Christ: which thing if it be true, then the body of Christ is made of bread kneaded and tempered by the hand of the baker, and not of the substance of the virgin Mary.

In the framing of Christs manhood two things must be considered, the matter and the maner. The matter of his bodie was the very flesh and blood of the virgin Marie; otherwise he could not haue beene the sonne of Dauid, of Abraham, and Adam according to the flesh. As for his soule, it was not deriued from the soule of the virgin Marie as a part thereof, but it was made as the soules of all other men be, that is, of nothing, by the very power of God, and placed in the bodie: both of them from the first moment of their beeing, hauing their subsistance in the person of the sonne. And here we must take heed of two opinions: the first is of the Anabaptists, which holde, that the flesh of Christ came downe from heauen, and passed through the virgin Marie as through a pipe, without taking any substance from her: the places which they alleadge for the purpose are manifestly abused. For whereas Christ saith of himselfe that he descended from heauen,