But these things are against all reason, and horrible to be spoken. And this was the very cause, why the Capernaites did so tremble at the speech of Christ, touching the eating of his flesh, & took it so in evil part, saying; cHow can this man give us his flesh to eat? and again, dThis is an hard saying, who can hear it? For they understood Christ to speak those words of a bodily food, which were to be taken ⟨p. 190⟩with the mouth, for the nourishment of the body. Wherefore seeing that it is manifest by these absurd consequents, that the flesh of Christ is no meat for the body: it followeth, that it must be a spiritual food, and his blood spiritual drink, whereby the spirit and soul of man is fed and preserved unto life everlasting, like as mans body is nourished and kept in this temporal & frail life, by corporal meat and drink. And this Christ himself seemeth to have said in these words. It is ethe spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak unto you are spirit and life. And whereas the most of the best interpreters of these times expound these words, of Christs Deity, as if the same were understood by the word spirit: so that Christs meaning (as they say) is, that the power of quickening doth proceed from the Deity of Christ: so that his flesh hath power to quicken us, as it is the flesh of the son of God crucified for us. This exposition no doubt is sound and good, yet I think this be the most simple and natural sense, ⟨p. 191⟩if by the word spirit we understand the holy Ghost, that the meaning should be thus: my flesh which I said must be eaten, to attain eternal life, profiteth nothing to effect this, if ye eat the same corporally, as you Capernaites understand me: but it is the spirit which quickeneth, that is, the holy Ghost quickeneth the harts of the faithful, and nourisheth them unto life everlasting, by working in them effectually to believe in me, and so to eat my flesh and to drink my blood spiritually, that is, by faith, whereby they are well assured that my flesh was crucified for them, and my blood shed for them for the remission of their sins. The words, therefore (saith he) which I speak unto you, of the necessity of eating my flesh to attain eternal life:
But these things are against all reason, and horrible to be spoken. And this was the verie cause, why the Capernaites did so tremble at the speech of Christ, touching the eating of his flesh, & tooke it so in euil part, saying; cHow can this man giue vs his flesh to eate? and againe, dThis is an hard saying, who can heare it? For they vnderstood Christ to speake those words of a bodilie food, which were to be taken ⟨p. 190⟩with the mouth, for the nourishment of the body. Wherefore seeing that it is manifest by these absurde consequents, that the flesh of Christ is no meate for the body: it followeth, that it must be a spirituall foode, and his bloud spirituall drinke, whereby the spirite and soule of man is fed and preserued vnto life euerlasting, like as mans body is nourished and kept in this temporall & fraile life, by corporall meat and drinke. And this Christ himselfe seemeth to haue said in these wordes. It is ethe spirite that quickneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the wordes that I speake vnto you are spirite and life. And whereas the most of the best interpreters of these times expounde these wordes, of Christes Deitie, as if the same were vnderstood by the word spirite: so that Christes meaning (as they say) is, that the power of quickning doth proceede from the Deitie of Christ: so that his flesh hath power to quicken vs, as it is the flesh of the sonne of God crucified for vs. This exposition no doubt is sound and good, yet I thinke this be the most simple and naturall sense, ⟨p. 191⟩if by the word spirit we vnderstād the holy Ghost, that the meaning should be thus: my flesh which I said must be eaten, to attaine eternall life, profiteth nothing to effect this, if ye eate the same corporally, as you Capernaites vnderstand me: but it is the spirit which quickneth, that is, the holy Ghost quickneth the harts of the faithfull, and nourisheth them vnto life euerlasting, by working in them effectually to beleeue in me, and so to eate my flesh and to drinke my bloud spiritually, that is, by faith, whereby they are well assured that my flesh was crucified for them, and my bloud shed for them for the remission of their sinnes. The wordes, therefore (saith he) which I speake vnto you, of the necessitie of eating my flesh to attaine eternall life:
- cJoh. 6.52.Ioh. 6.52.
- dIbid. v. 60.
- eIbid. v. 63.
