M. Harding. The .4. Division.M. Hardinge. The .4. Diuision.

M. Harding. The .4. Division.

M. Hardinge. The .4. Diuision.

Here because many of them, which have cut them selves from the Church,¹ condemn the Reservation of the Sacrament, and affirm, that the Body of Christ remaineth not in the same, no longer then during the time, whiles it is received, alleging against Reservation the example of the Paschal ⟨p. 622⟩Lamb in the old law, wherein nothing ought to have remained until the morning,² and likewise of Manna: I will rehearse that notable and known place of Cyrillus Alexandrinus. His words be these:³ Audio quòd dicant mysticam benedictionem, si ex ea remanserint in sequentem diem reliquiae, ad sanctificationem inutilem esse. Sed insaniunt haec dicentes. Non enim alius fit Christus, neque sanctum eius corpus immutabitur: Sed virtus benedictionis, & vivifica gratia manet in illo. It is told me, they say, that the mystical blessing (so he calleth the blessed Sacrament) in case portions of it be kept until the next day, is of no virtue to Sanctification. But they be mad, that thus say. For Christ becometh not an other, neither his Holy body is changed: but the virtue of the consecration, and the quickening or life giving grace, abideth still in it. By this saying of Cyrillus, we see, that he accounteth the error of our adversaries in this Article, no other then a mere madness. The Body of Christ (sayeth he) which he termeth the Mystical blessing, because it is a most holy Mystery done by consecration, once consecrated is not changed, but the virtue of the consecration, and the grace that giveth life, (250)⁴ whereby he meaneth that Flesh assumed of the Word, remaineth in this Sacrament, also when it is kept: (250) verily even so long, as the outward forms continue not corrupt.