The Lords Supper or, A vindication of the sacrament of the blessed body and blood of Christ according to its primitive institution. In eight books; discovering the superstitious, sacrilegious, and idolatrous abomination of the Romish Master. Together with the consequent obstinacies, overtures of perjuries, and the heresies discernable in the defenders thereof. By Thomas Morton B.D. Bp. of Duresme.

{fleur-de-lys} The miserable straights of Romish Disputers, in answering the Definitive Sentence of Saint Augustine, concerning [ 20] Christs words, of Eating his flesh; and of the Romish Shift in saying, they do but Swallow it. SECT. IV.

SAintq 1.1 Augustines Determination is set downe in that his one famous Sentence, for the expounding of those words of Christ [Except you eat the flesh of the Sonne of man, &c. Ioh. 6.] thus: Whensoever wee find in Scripture [ 30] any speech seeming to forbid any laudable good thing, or to com∣mand any haynous evill Act, the speech is Figurative; Vt cum aicitur [Nisi manducaveritis] that is, As when it is sayd [Ex∣cept you eat my flesh:] which seemeth to command some hainous Sinne, therefore it is Figurative, commanding us to communi∣cate with Christs passion, and sweetly and profitably record in our memory, that his flesh was crucifyed and slaine for us. So Saint Augustine; which one Sentence hath beene alwayes held, of Protestants, to be convincent, for strangling of your Romish Cause. Which your Cardinall seeing as it were [ 40] gasping, hasteneth to give it some short breath.r 1.2 Augu∣stine

(saith hee) meant not to say that Christs flesh is eaten Tro∣pically, inrespect of an Essentiall Eating, wherein is required onely, that True meat be let downe from the mouth into the sto∣macke, by vitall Instruments: but called it a Tropicall Eating, in respect of your ordinary and proper maner of Eating, by a visible dividing of Christs flesh into parts and morsells, and that it be sod, and not raw. But Christs flesh in the Eucharist is re∣ceived whole, invisibly, and without any hurt, by which maner of Eating wee represent the Passion of Christ; which is thus [ 10] proved: because First, It is no hainous sinne to eat Christs flesh Spiritually, and without hurting it; and Secondly, because Saint Auigustine understandeth by an Hainous offence, the Capernaiti∣call maner of eating thereof, namely by Tearing it in pieces. So hee. Wee must take this whole Answer in pieces, for Confutation of each particular point, lest otherwise a Gene∣rall and Briefe Answer might breed Obscurity.

Your Cardinall thinketh to evade, by multiplicity of Distinctions. Ob. 1. Hee meant not Eating with Teeth, but a passing of it from the Mouth into the Stomacke. Sol. This is [ 20] False, because the Apostles in their receiving of it, did use Chewing, your owne Jesuite Suarez confessing that the Sa∣cramentall Bread in Christ's time was* 1.3 Glutinosus: And that this maner of Tearing with Teeth had beene continued many Ages in the Church of Rome, as also used among some of your Church at this day, as hath beene* 1.4 proved. And lastly that Saint Augustine himselfe meant Eating by Tearing with Teeth, who (as the4 1.5 Cardinall himselfe confesseth) mentioneth the* 1.6 Pressing of the Sacrament with Teeth. Secondly, Ob. But the maner of Tearing (saith hee) is not [ 30] essentiall to eating, but onely the pressing of it downe into the Stomacke. So hee. Sol. Notwithstanding Pope Nicolas in his Romane Councell expresly required the Sensible Tearing of Christs flesh (as hath beene shewed* 1.7) whereof you have also heard your Iesuite* 1.8 Salmeron confesse, saying, that Proper Eating requireth a Proper Tearing, even as your Cardinall himselfe, calling Eating, by Dividing into Parts, a Proper ma∣ner of Eating. Ob. 3. Augustine spoke of a visible Eating of Christ, and not as ours is, Invisible. Sol. As if a blinde man could not eat meat as perfectly as he that seeth. Ob. 4. But [ 40] Saint Augustine understood Christs flesh Sod, and not Raw. Sol. As though the Eating of mans flesh Raw, or Sod, could distinguish a Canniball. Ob. 5. But Saint Augustine spake of Eating Christs flesh with hurting him, which appeareth by this, that hee called the maner of Eating, which hee spake of, an Hainous offence. Sol. As though your* 1.9 Aquinas had not as well judged it an Hainous offence to put Christ in a Boxe, appearing in his visible shape, notwithstanding Christs No-sensible-heart

thereby. Ob. 6. But he spake against the Caper∣naiticall maner of Eating, which was Tearing it in pieces, and requireth a Spirituall order in eating; and ours is Spirituall. Sol. First as if your Eating were not Capernaiticall in any degree, which is False. Because as the Capernaites interpre∣ted Christs words in a literall sense of Eating it perfectly, so did they also conceive a Reall Swallowing of it after it had beene Eaten. And doth not your Cardinall plead here wholly for Swallowing of Christs Body? or hath not also your Iesuite Coster defined Devouring to be a Swallowing [ 10] of meat without Mastication, or Tearing? Or can you deny but the Primitive* 1.10 Fathers Detested the very conceipt of Devouring Christs flesh? And Secondly, where Saint Augu∣stine opposeth Carnal maner of Eating to the Spirituall, could hee possibly meane your Romish kind, which you professe to be a taking it into your Mouths, and by your Corporall Swallowing and Transmitting through the Throat into your Stomack, whether Visibly, or Invisibly, whether Sod, or Raw? No no, nothing lesse, but the flat Contrary, a meere Spiri∣tuall maner of Communicating of Christs passion (saith hee) [ 20] and by* 1.11 Sweetly recording in our memories his flesh once cruci∣fyed for us. Establishing this latter Eating with Minde and Heart, that hee might exclude the other of Eating with Mouth and Teeth. {fleur-de-lys}

Notes

• q 1.1

  Aug. de Doctr Christ. lib. 3. cap. 16. Si praeceptiva locut••o flagitium aut facinus videtur jubere figu∣rata est, ut [Nisi mand•••• averitis ca••∣nem meam] facinus videtur jubere; Ergo figura est, praecipiens passioni Domini esse communicandum, & suaviter & utiliter re∣condendum in me∣mora, quia pro no∣bis caro ejus cruci∣fixa, & vulneata sit.
• r 1.2

  Bellar. lib. 1 de Euch. cap. 7. Non vult Augustinus di∣cere, carnem Christi Tropice manducari, si essentiam manducationis spectemus, quae solum requirit, ut verus cibus ab ore traijcia∣tur in stomachum, per instrumenta vitalia; sed vult dicere Tropice manducari quoad modum, nam Ordinanus & proprius modus manducandi est, ut caro visibiliter secetur in partes, & particulatim sumatur: & cocta, non creda: Caro autem Christi sumitur integra, & invisibiliter, et sine ulla laesione sui, qua man∣ducatione figurate significamus & representamus passionem Christi. 1. probatur, quia non est scelus car∣nem Christi spirituali modo sine fuilaesione sumere. 2. quia per scelus intellig•••• modum edendi Capernaiticum, nempe tatnem lan••ando.
• * 1.3

  See Booke 1. cap. 2. §. 2.
• * 1.4

  See above Cap. 5. Sect. 4.
• 4 1.5

  Bellar lib. 1. de Euch. Cap. 7. Qui manducat corde, non qui premit dente, &c. Vbi de Sacramento loquitur, non qui premit dente, nimi∣rùm, solo.
• * 1.6

  See above, Cap 5. Sect. 5.
• * 1.7

  See above, Cap. 5. Sect. 5.
• * 1.8

  See above, Cap. 5. Sect. 2.
• * 1.9

  See above; Booke 4. Cap. 10 Sect. 5.
• * 1.10

  See before, in this Chap. 6.
• * 1.11

  See 〈…〉〈…〉