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.

An Objection taken from the Comparison between the figure of the Old Testament, and the thing figured in the New; ear∣nestly insisted upon, and as easily refuted. SECT. XIII.

THe Briefe of your Reason is this.19 1.1 Figures are ne∣cessarily [ 30] inferiour unto the Things prefigured. But, In the Old Testament, the Bread of Melchisedech, the Shew-bread, the Bread of Manna, and the Paschall Lambe were figures of the Eucharist in the New Testament; Therefore the matter in the Eucharist is not simply Bread, but the Body of Christ. Thus your Cardinall. Your D^r. Heskins also playeth his descant upon this Base, and runneth voluntary in a large discourse from the20 1.2 Brazen Serpent on a Pole, the figure of Christ Crucified: From Ionas in the Belly of the Whale, a figure of Christ's Resurrection; and from the Paschall Lambe, a figure of Christ offered in the Eucharist. Now the Thing being better [ 40] than the Signe, therefore Christ herein offered is better than the Lambe: But if (as the Sacramentaries say) the Eucharist be but a Signe, then was the Paschall Lambe but the figure of a Piece of Bread, wherewith there is no Similitude. But that the things prefigured are more excellent than their Signes, is proved out of the Epistle to the Hebrewes, in preferring the

New Testament before the Old. Whereby I may Conclude (saith hee) that the Paschall Lambe being a Signe of this Sacrament, this is not Bread, but the Body of Christ. So hee. The An∣swer is easie, by a Distinction of Things prefigured. Some are Figures Principall, which are called Arche-types, and some lesse principall, called onely Antitypes. We shall make the matter plaine by Authenticall Examples, 1. Cor. 10. 2. Wee are Baptized into Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea. Hence all Expositors (aswell as your21 1.3 Aquinas) teach that The Sea, thorow which the Iraelites passed under Moses, was [ 10] a Signe of Baptisme: by which Baptisme wee are buryed in∣to Christs death, Rom. 6. This Exposition standeth firme without any Contradiction. Whereby you may perceive, that the Archetypon, or thing Principally prefigured by that Sea, is Christ's buriall: and Water in Baptisme, is but as the Antitype, or thing lesse principally prefigured thereby.

If then you shall compare the Type, or Figure, with the Thing prefigured, as Archetype, or Principall thing figured or prefigured, wee are bound by Christian verity to believe [ 20] your Proposition to be most true, (to wit) Christ's buriall is infinitely more excellent than either the Type in the Old Testament, which was the Sea they passed thorow; or yet than Water in Baptisme in the New Testament, as the Anti∣type thereof. But if you compare the Type of the Old Te∣stament with the Antitype or figure of the New, then can nothing be more false than is this your generall Proposition, affirming that Figures and Signes are inferiour to the thing prefigured, as you may see in the Apostles Example. The Sea under Moses, a figure of Baptisme under Christ.22 1.4 For [ 30] as the Sea was there (saith Athanasius) so is Water here. Yet was not the Element of Water in the Sea of lesse worth in Substance, than is the Element of Water in the Font of Baptisme; both having equally in them the Substantiall Properties of Water.

Our next Example, in the same Chapter, is this: They (to wit, the Jewes) ate of the same spirituall meate, and dranke of the same spirituall drinke; (namely) Christ's Body and Blood; the one whereof was prefigured by Manna, the other by the Water out of the Rocke in the Old Testa∣ment. [ 40] Even as the same Body of Christ is configured by Bread; and his Blood by Wine in the Eucharist, which is the Sacrament of the New Testament; as hath beene proved from Fathers, and Others, in a full* 1.5 Section. And for this cause Gregorie Nazianzen,23 1.6 I dare say (saith hee) that the Legall Passeover was a Figure of a figure; but somewhat more obscure. So hee. Which scarce any of your Doctors dare say, lest that the Eucharisticall Oblation should be

judged a Figure of Christ's Sacrifice, and not the Proper Sa∣crificing of Christ. Now then, Compare Manna and Bread with Christ's Body; and the Water of the Rocke, and Water of Baptisme, with his Blood, and your Consequence is most Di∣vine: viz. The Thing prefigured excelleth, beyond all Compa∣rison, the Signes thereof. But yet againe Compare the Signes and Antitypes, viz. Manna with Bread, and the Water of the Rocke with Wine in the Cup: and in their Natures and Sub∣stances, the one doth not exceed the other.

You will then aske, If the Sacraments of both Testaments [ 10] were in this maner joynt Antitypes, that is, Correspondent Signes of the same Body and Blood of Christ; wherein then consisteth the Excellencie of the Sacraments of the New, if it be not in respect of their naturall and substantiall proper∣ties? Wee were about to tell you, namely, that Although these former Sacraments of both Testaments be but Cor∣porall food, and drinke; yet have the Sacraments of the Gospell a threefold Privilege above the other. The First is in respect of the Efficacie of the Signification. Signes of the Old being Propheticall, and darkly promising Christ's Body [ 20] and Blood to come. But, Signes of the New are Historicall, poynting out, unto life, Christ already come, and crucified in his Body, and his Blood shed. The Second, in respect of the Efficacie of Application, and Exhibition of both these, arising from the former Ground. For Saint Paul said more effectually, Christ, who dyed for mee, and gave himselfe for mee; than any Israelite under the Law could say, Christ, who shall dye for mee, and shall give himselfe for mee. The Third is the Excellencie of Duration, for those Signes as Shadowes, had an end long since: Whereas the Evangelicall [ 30] Symbols, as Images, are to be perpetuall to the end of the world, as Saint Paul did intimate in his speech of the Eu∣charist, You shew the Lord's death untill his coming againe, 1 Cor. 11. Now then that you see what is, indeed, the Bet∣ternesse betweene the figure and thing figured, may you not say it had beene better that your Disputers had forborne their Objection? From Typicall Scriptures wee descend to Propheticall. {fleur-de-lys} [ 40]

Notes

• 19 1.1

  Bellar. lib. 1. de Euch. c. 3. [De fi∣guris veteris Testa∣menti.] Sumitur hoc Argumentum—Fi∣gurae necessario infe∣riores esse debent re∣bus figuraris—Sed veteris Testamenti Sacramenta, panis Melchisedech, panis Propositionū—Ag∣nus Paschalis, Man∣na, erant figurae Eu∣charistiae simplici pa∣ni aequales, vel prae∣stantiotes. Ergo Eu∣charistianon est sim∣plex panis, significans corpus Christi, sed et ipsum corpus Christi Majorem et Minorē probam ex Patribus.
• 20 1.2

  Dr. Heskins in his parlam. lib. 3. chap. 14.
• 21 1.3

  Aquinas upon the same place.
• 22 1.4

  Athanasius Interpret. Parabol. de Baptismo post quaest. 103. Tom. 2. Baptis∣ma secundum erat Mare rubrum. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.5

  See above B. 5. Chap. 2. Sect. 2.
• 23 1.6

  Greg. Na∣zian. Orat. 42. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.