The word (this) imports clearly the Bread; this appears by the precedent words: And he took bread, and gave thanks, and ⟨p. 213⟩brake it, and gave unto them, saying, this is my body, Luke 22.19. What did he say was his body, but that which he gave to his Disciples? what did he give unto them, but what he brake? what brake he, but what he took? And doth not the Text expressly say, that he took Bread? Of the Bread therefore he said, This is my body; the order of the words shows it to be bread; this will more appear if we compare these words, this is my body, with those which are a fair commentary on them, The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Cor. 10.16. In the one we have the word (this), in the other the bread in express terms; in the one we have the body of Christ, in the other the communion of it: In both, Bread is the thing spoken of, as a thing distinct from the body, of which it is the communion. If the word (this) be not bread, what can we make of it? Is it the accidents of the Bread? The Greek word, [Greek or Hebrew], imports not accidents, but a substance; accidents are not a body, neither are these converted, but remain. Is it the Body of Christ? That is not in the Eucharist till all the words be uttered, it is not there at the pronouncing of the first word (this); the Proposition is not identical, the words run not thus, ⟨p. 214⟩my body is my body; neither, if they did, could they any more work a conversion, than a thing can be turned into it self. Is it an substantia vaga, an indefinite substance, such as is neither Bread, nor the Body of Christ? This is such a vagrant, that all the world knows not where to find it: Christ did not take, bless, break, give an indefinite substance, but the Bread: It remains therefore, that the Bread is the thing pointed at. The words in effect are thus; the Bread is the Body of Christ; and then, as Bellarmine himself confesseth,1 the words must be taken tropically, or else they are plainly absurd and impossible.
The word (this) imports clearly the Bread; this appears by the precedent words: And he took bread, and gave thanks, and ⟨p. 213⟩brake it, and gave unto them, saying, this is my body, Luke 22.19. What did he say was his body, but that which he gave to his Disciples? what did he give unto them, but what he brake? what brake he, but what he took? And doth not the Text expresly say, that he took Bread? Of the Bread therefore he said, This is my body; the order of the words shews it to be bread; this will more appear if we compare these words, this is my body, with those which are a fair commentary on them, The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Cor. 10.16. In the one we have the word (this), in the other the bread in express terms; in the one we have the body of Christ, in the other the communion of it: In both, Bread is the thing spoken of, as a thing distinct from the body, of which it is the communion. If the word (this) be not bread, what can we make of it? Is it the accidents of the Bread? The Greek word, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, imports not accidents, but a substance; accidents are not a body, neither are these converted, but remain. Is it the Body of Christ? That is not in the Eucharist till all the words be uttered, it is not there at the pronouncing of the first word (this); the Proposition is not identical, the words run not thus, ⟨p. 214⟩my body is my body; neither, if they did, could they any more work a conversion, than a thing can be turned into it self. Is it an substantia vaga, an indefinite substance, such as is neither Bread, nor the Body of Christ? This is such a vagrant, that all the world knows not where to find it: Christ did not take, bless, break, give an indefinite substance, but the Bread: It remains therefore, that the Bread is the thing pointed at. The words in effect are thus; the Bread is the Body of Christ; and then, as Bellarmine himself confesseth,1 the words must be taken tropically, or else they are plainly absurd and impossible.
- 1De Euch. lib. 1. c. 1.
