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And the cause, why Tertullian so expounded these woordes of Christe, was, that thereby he ••ight take aduantage against Marcion the heretique, as many times the fathers in heate of disputa∣tion doo handle some places, not after the exacte signification of the woordes, but rather folow such
way, as serueth them best to confute their aduersarie. VVhiche manner not reporting any vntrueth, S. Basile dooth excuse in the settinge foorth of a disputation, not in prescribinge of a Doctrine. As he defendeth Gregorius Neocaesariensis against the Sabellians,* 1.1 for that in a contention he had with Aelianus an Ethnike, to declare the Mysteries of the Trinitie, he vsed the worde, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in steede of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. And the learned men, that be wel seene in the Fathers, know, they must vse a discrea∣tion, and a sundrie iudge betweene the thinges they write Agonisti〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is to say, by way of contention or disputation, and the thinges they vtter, Dogmatic〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, by way of settinge foorth a doctrine, or mater of Faith. Neither in that contention did Tertullian so muche regarde the exacte vse of woordes,* 1.2 as how he might winne his purpose, and driue his aduersarie, denieing that Christe tooke the true Bodie of man, and that he suffered death in deede, to confesse the trueth, which he thought to bringe to passe, by deducing of an argument from the Figure of his Bodie, whiche con∣sisteth in that,* 1.3 whiche is visible in the Sacrament, to prooue the veritie of his Bodie. And therefore in framing his reason by way of illation he saith, Figura autem non esset, nisi veritatis esset Corpus. There were not a Figure, onlesse there were a Bodie of trueth, or a verie Bodie in deede.
Epist. 64.
Tertullian re∣gardeth not the exacte vse of his vvoordes.
O folie. VVhat needed him to prooue this by a Figure, if he had thought, that Christes Bodie it selfe vvas Really pre∣sent?