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That your most plausible Obiection taken out of Augustine, con∣cerning Christ his Carrying himselfe in his owne hands, is but Sophisticall.
a 1.1 AVgustine in expounding the 33. Psalme, and falling vpon a Translation, where the words 1. Sam. 21. are these (by inter∣pretation)
Hee carryed himselfe in his owne hands; saith that these words could not be understood of David, or yet of any other man literally: for [Quomodo fieri potest?] (saith he) How could that be &c. And therefore expoundeth them as meant of Christ, at what time he said of the Eucharist, [This is my Body.] This is the testimonie which not onely your b 1.2 Cardinall, but all other your Disputers, upon this subiect, doe so ostentatively embrace, and as it were hugge in their armes as a witnes, which may alone stop the mouth of any Protestant; which therefore, above all other, they dictate to their Novices, and furnish them therewith, as with Armour of proofe against all Opposites, especially seeing the same testimony seemeth to be grounded upon Scripture.
Contrarily we complaine of the Romish Disputers against this their fastidious and perverse importunitie, in urging a testimonie, which they themselves could as easily have answered as obiected; both in taking exception at the ground of that speech, to shew that it is not Scripture at all, and also by moderating the rigidity of that sentence, even out of Augustine himselfe.
Shewing, that the Ground of that Speech was not Scripture.
PRotestants (you know) allow of no Authenticall Scripture of the old Testament, which is not according to the Ori∣ginall, namely, the Hebrew text; and the Church of Rome al∣loweth of the Vulgar Latine Translation, as of the only Au∣thenticall. But in neither of them are these words, viz. [Hee was carried in his owne hands:] but only that David, now playing the Mad-man, slipt, or fell into the hands of others, as your c 1.3 Abu∣lensis truely observeth. So easily might the Transcribers of the Septuagints erre, in mistaking 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: and so impossible it is for you to ground the obiected sentence upon divine Scripture, even in your owne iudgement.
Shewing, that the Romanists cannot stand to the [QVO∣MODO] of Augustine.
THis word [Quomodo, How] implying it to be impossible for David, or any other man to carry himselfe in his owne hands, excepting Christ, as you defend, must argue either an absolute Im∣possibility, or not: if it intend an absolute Impossibility of any man to be carried in his owne hands, in a literall sence, then could not Christ, as man, be carried in his own hands: and if it do not intimate an
absolute Impossibility, then might David or any other man, by the power of God, have carried himselfe in his owne hands. So that whether thus, or so, you will make Augustine contradict himselfe, if his words be taken in the Precisenesse and strictnesse of that which is a Literall sence.
Shewing that Augustine in another word following, to wit, [QVO∣DAMMODO] doth answere Saint Augustine himselfe to his owne formerly obiected word [QVO∣MODO.]
SAint Augustine after hee had said Quomodo, How? (a word see∣ming to signifie an Impossibility) left that it, being taken abso∣lutely, might imply a direct carying of himselfe in his hands at his Supper, hee qualifieth that his speech somewhat after, saying; [Quodammodò, &c.] that is, After a certaine manner Christ ca∣ried himselfe in his owne hands. Which is a modification, and in∣deed a Correction of the excesse of his former sentence. Our next labour must be to find out the meaning of his [Quodammodo] and what ••his manner of Christ's carying himselfe was, in the iudg∣ment of Saint Augustine.
Shewing Saint Augustine to be an utter enemy to the Romish Cause in all their other conceited manners, concerning Christ in this Sacrament.
AGainst your manner of interpreting the words of Christ [HOC EST CORPVS MEVM] properly, you have heard Augu∣stine often pleading for a Figurative sence. Secondly, against your manner of bringing in the Body of Christ, by Transubstantiation, hee hath acknowledged in this Sacrament, after Consecration, the Continuance of Bread. Thirdly, Against your Corporall Existence of Christ in many places at once, in this Sacrament, or else-where without dimension of Place, or Space, he hath already contradicted you in both, holding them Impossible: and also by arguing that therefore his flesh is not on earth, because it is in Heaven. Fourth∣ly, Your manner of properly Eating Christ's Body Corporally, hee will * 1.4 renounce hereafter, as an execrable Imagination. Where∣fore Augustine holding it Impossible for Christ's Body to have any Corporall Existence in this Sacrament, it is Incredible he could haue resolvedly concluded of Christ's Corporall carrying of his Body pro∣perly in his owne hands.
Shewing that the [QVODAMMODO] of Saint Augustine is the same manner, which the Protestants doe teach.
DOe you then seeke after the manner, which Augustine belee∣ved? what need you? having learned it of Augustine himselfe, by his Secundùm quendam modum, (where he saith) this Sacrament after a sort is the Body of Christ: what, literally? Nay; but (for so hee saith) a 1.5 As Baptisme (the Sacrament of Faith) is called Faith. And if you have not the leisure to looke for Augustines iudgement in his writings, you might have found it in your owne Booke of Decrees, set out by b 1.6 Gratian, where Augustine is alleaged to say, that This holy Bread is after its manner called the Body of Christ; as the offering thereof by the hands of the Priest is called Christ's Pas∣sion. Dare you say, that the Priest's Oblation is properly, and li∣terally in strict sence the Passion of Christ? or that Aug. meant a∣ny such a Manner? You dare not, yet if you should, your c 1.7 Romish Glosse in that place would presently reprove you saying, that by this comparison is meant, that The Sacrament, representing the Body of Christ, is therefore called Christs flesh, not in verity of the thing, but in a mystery (namely) as the representation of Christ therein is called his Passion. In a word rightly might d 1.8 Calvin say, spea∣king of these Controversies concerning this Sacrament: All the Bookes of Augustine (upon this subiect) proclaime that hee is of our profession. Much more, concerning Christ his not being corporal∣ly here on earth, will, by the iudgement of Augustine and other Fathers, be found in the fifth, sixt, and seventh Bookes; besides that which they affirme in this Booke, in the thirteenth, and six∣teenth Sections following.
In generall, concluding the maine Point.
BY this time wee thinke you may discerne betweene plaine dea∣ling, and false iugling: for your Disputers have usually allea∣ged, for defence of your Transubstantiation, and Corporall Pre∣sence in the Sacrament, the sentences of Fathers used in their Ser∣mons and Exhortations, wherein commonly they exercised their Rhetoricke in Figurative, and Hyperbolicall speeches, as hath beene confessed by your owne Doctours; and proved by many their like sayings concerning other Sacramentall Rites; but espe∣cially of the Sacrament of Baptisme: whereas our proofes arise directly from the testimonies of the Fathers, which they have com∣monly
had in their sad and earnest Disputations, in confutation of many, and maine Heresies, where indeed they were necessarily to make use both of their Logicke, for discerning Truth from Errour; and also of Grammer; we meane the Exactnesse, and propriety of speech void of Amphibologies, Hyperboles, and Ambiguities, where∣by the minds of their Hearers, or Readers might be perplexed, and the Truth darkned. This one consideration we iudge to be of ne∣cessary importance. And thus much concerning the iudgement of ancient Fathers, touching this second Contradiction.
Aug. Tom. 8. in Psal. 33. Conc. 1. [Effe∣rebatur in manibus eius] Hoc quomodò possit fieri••n homine, quis intelligat? manibus alienis portatur quis; suis autem nemo portatur. Quomodò intelligatur de Davide secundum literam non invenimus: in Christo autem invenimus, quando commendans ipsum corpus suum, ait, [Hoc est corpus meum:] fer••bat enem corpus in manibus suis, &c.
Obijcit Bell. Vox [Quodammodo] Sig∣ni, non propriâ spe∣cie, sed alienâ, nee modo usitato, sed ex∣traordinariè: satis est, quod non figu∣ratè significatur, L. 2. de Euch cap. 24.
Tostatus Abulen∣sis. [Et collabebatur inter manus eorum:] Nempè ad modum hominis furiosi o∣stendebat se, ūt insa∣num. Com. in cum lo∣cum.
See the fift Booke C. 5. §. 2. and C. 6. §. 3.
August. Sicut se∣cundùm quendā mo∣dum Sacramentum Corporis, Corpus Christi est; ita Sacra∣mentum fidei fides est. See above §. 8. at (a.)
Decret. part 3. de Consecr. dictinct. 2. C. Hoc est. Sicut ergo caelestis panis, qui Christi caro est, suo modo vocatur cor∣pus Christi, illius vz. quod, &c.—voca∣tur{que} immolatio car∣nis, quae sacerdotis manibus fit, Christi Passio: non rei veri∣rate, sed significante mysterio. [Observe that in the words, coe∣lestis panis, qui Caro Christi est, the word caro is by the Glosse in Gratian interpreted Species panis, at the letter (f) Caro, id est species panis, to avoid the absurditie of interpreting Christ's flesh to be the Bodie of Christ.
Glossa. ibid [Coeleste, &c.] Coeleste Sacramentum, quod verè representat Christi carnem, Christi caro vocatur: unde dicitur suo modo, non reiveritate, sed significante mysterio, vt sit sensus, vocatur Christi corpus: i. Significat.
Calvin. Ad∣monit. vlt. ad Westphal. Augustinum totum esse nostrum, omnes libri clamant.