A Christian instruction, conteyning the law and the Gospell. Also a summarie of the principall poyntes of the Christian fayth and religion, and of the abuses and errors contrary to the same. Done in certayne dialogues in french, by M. Peter Viret, sometime minister of the Word of God at Nymes in Prouince. Translated by I.S. Seene and allowed according to the Queenes Maiesties iniunctions.

How we must eate the body and fleshe of Iesus Christ, and drinke his bloud in the Supper.

M.

BVt séeing that the breade represen∣teth vnto vs in the Supper y^e fleshe and bodie of Iesus Christ, which is there gyuen vs for meate, and that the wine re∣presenteth the bloude which is there gy∣uen vs for drink, must wée there also eate the body of Iesus Christ and drinke hys bloude, in the same sorte as wée eate the breade and drinke the wine which repre∣sent them vnto vs?

P.

If there were none other reason, but that which may be ga∣thered of that which I haue euē now spo∣ken, it mought suffice vs to discharge our

heads of all such imaginations.

M.

I doe not well vnderstand yet what thou mea∣nest herein.

P.

Seing that Iesus Christe hath ordeyned one seuerall signe to sig∣nifie his body, and an other seuerall signe to signifie his bloud, and that it hath plea∣sed him so to discerne them the one from the other, y^e better to represent to vs how his bloud was separated from his body for vs, in such sorte as his life and soule was separated likewise, it should also followe, that his body must be eatē a parte, as we there eate the breade, and there drink the bloud a parte as we there drinke y^e wine.

M.

If it were so, we shoulde not haue in the Supper the liuing body of Christ, but dead and other thā he is raigning in hea∣uen, where his bloud is not separated frō his body.

P.

Thou sayest truth. But thou hast yet to note, that if the body and bloud of Iesus Christ were giuen vs to nourish and mainteyne vs in this corporall life, as is bread and wine, we shoulde then al∣so eate the body and drinke the bloude of Christe corporally, as we doe eate and drinke the corporall breade and wine. But forsomuche as they are giuen vs for

spirituall nouriture, we must eate and drinke them spiritually.

M.

What doest thou call to eate and drinke spiritually?

Peter.

To speake properly, to eate and drinke is vnderstoode of the body and of the bodily meate and drinke, but when we speake of spirituall thinges, we take those wordes for a figure, by the whiche we declare the spirituall thinges by the bodily thinges, bycause of the similitude and agremente that they haue togither.

M.

Why is that done?

P.

To the ende that by the similitude and compari∣son of corporall thinges, we moughte the better vnderstande the spirituall things.