Seuen goulden candlestickes houlding the seauen greatest lights of Christian religion shewing vnto all men what they should beleeue, & how they ought to walke in this life, that they may attayne vnto eternall life. By Gr: Williams Doctor of Divinity

CHAP. III. How the Angell informeth the Women of the Resurrection of Christ many wayes, and how the vbiquity of Christ his Body is here confuted by this Angell.

FOR the first, In the lesson of Theorie,* 1.1 this An∣gell sheweth vnto these Women the Resurre∣ction of Christ, and that as you may see three especiall wayes.

• 1. By way of Negation, He is not here.
• 2. By way of Confirmation, For he is risen.
• 3. By way of Illustration, For he is risen, as hee said, and as you may see; Come see the place where the Lord lay.

First, The Angell saith, Christ is not here; that is,* 1.2 in respect of his corporall presence: for otherwise as he is God, he was there, and in all other places of the World; but as he is a man, consi∣sting of a true naturall body, defined and measured with quantity, and bounded with the limits of his trinary Dimensions, bredth, length, and thickenesse, and all other properties of a true body, he was gone, and was not there: And therefore this onely place of Scripture, if there were none other, is sufficient to disproue all the vbiquitaries in the World; for if his body was in euery place, how could the Angell say, that he was not in that place?

It is true, that Christ may be said to be euery where, and that the Virgins Sonne may be said to haue created the World,* 1.3 but how? Non per proprietatem naturarum, sed per communicationem proprietatum, Not by the propriety of Natures, but by the com∣munication of properties, and that not as transfused, the proper∣ties of the one Nature into the other, but as predicated of whole Christ in respect of the personall vnion of the one Nature with the other: For though the Apostle saith,* 1.4 That in him dwelleth the fulnesse of the God-head bodily; yet we must note a difference be∣tweene Diuinitatem communicari humanitati, To communicate the Deity, and all the diuine properties vnto the humanitie,* 1.5 Et di∣uinitatem inhabitare in humanitate, And to haue the Diuinity, and

all the diuine properties to dwell in the humanity,* 1.6 and so to dwell, not as he doth in vs, by his grace, but by a personall vnion vnto his Nature: And therefore as a House, by reason of a mans dwelling in it, cannot be said to goe or to speake, but the man dwelling in the House may be said to doe the same; so the bo∣dy of Christ, by reason of the inhabitation of the Deity, cannot be said to know all things, or to be euerywhere; but the God-head that dwelleth in that body, may be, and is euery where: for though the humanity of Christ subsisteth in the person of the Sonne of God, (and in that respect may be said to be euery where,* 1.7 because that hauing no subsistence of it owne, it subsi∣steth in a person that is euery where,) yet in respect of its Es∣sence, being a finite creature, it is no wayes capable of the diuine properties: And therefore though Christ personally may be said to be in all places, or the Body of Christ vertually, respectu vir∣tutis seruatricis, that is, in respect of his sauing vertue, as the Sunne, which is essentially in Heauen, but vertually in all inferior bo∣dies, may be said to be euery where; yet the Body of Christ local∣ly, or the manhood of Christ solely considered, must needes be in one place: Otherwise how could his manhood be contained within the straights of the Virgins wombe, if his manhood was euery where? How could his body be nayled to the Crosse, wrapped in clothes, laide in the Sepulcher, if that his body was so spacious as that no limits could containe him? Or how could the Angell say,* 1.8 He is not here, if he was euery where? Surely this would euert all the Articles of our Faith, that we doe professe tou∣ching the humanity of our Sauiour Christ, and make Christ in∣deede to be no Christ at all.

Secondly, The Angell confirmeth his assertion of Christs not being in his graue, by a sufficient reason: For he is risen; for if he had said,* 1.9 But he is risen, (as Saint Luke saith it) it had beene a fur∣ther affirmation of his Resurrection; but saying, For he is risen, it is likewise a confirmation of his former assertion, He is not here: And the reason is naturall, and in nature it is vnanswerable. He is risen, and gone to another place, therefore hee cannot be here, in this place; he is aliue on Earth, and therefore not dead here in the graue: And therefore, Why seeke ye the liuing among the dead? why seeke you Christ where he is not?

A doctrine surely to be well obserued, Not to looke for Christ where he is not, either in respect of

• 1. His spirituall
• 2. His corporall

presence.

First, For his spirituall presence, we know where he is,* 1.10 In sinu matris Ecclesiae, In the bosome of our Mother the Church: For where two or three are gathered together in my name,* 1.11 there am I in the middest of them; And therefore, If thus we would finde Christ,* 1.12 let vs not with Ioseph and Mary seeke him among our Kinsmen, and Acquaintance, and worldly Friends; Nam quomodo,* 1.13 O bone Ie∣su, inter cognatos meos te inueniam, qui inter tuos minimè es inuentus? For how is it possible, O sweete Iesu, saith Saint Bernard, that I should finde thee among my Kindred, when thy Mother could not finde thee among thine owne Kinsmen? (and I would to God, all the Bernards of our time would thinke on this,) but let vs with the Church in the Canticles,* 1.14 follow the foote-steppes of the Flockes vnto the Tents of the Shepheards; that is, Vestigia fidelium ad sedes doctorum, The foote-steps of the faithfull to the seats of the Doctors and Teachers of Iesus Christ: There he was found by his Mother, and there he is still to be found of his Children. And,

Secondly, For his corporall presence, we know where he is,* 1.15 sit∣ting at the right hand of God in Heauen, not in Earth; for, the Heauens must containe him vntill the restitution of all things: In∣deede Mary Magdalen, and the rest of these Women here, thought him to be in his graue; but as yet he had not ascended in∣to Heauen, and they knew not what was become of him: And therefore their ignorance may be excused, for seeking Christ where he was not; but we know where he is, and therefore our negligence and preposterousnesse must needes be condemned, and our selues shall be found void of all excuse: Si quaeramus in tumulo,* 1.16 quem adorare debemus in coelo, If we seeke him not where he is, and not still looke for him where he is not.

Our Sauiour tells vs, (and I cannot here omit it,) That there should arise false Prophets, and they should say vnto you, Loe here is Christ, or loe there is Christ; but he aduiseth vs to beleeue it not: And surely wee haue many such false and deceitfull Prophets,

euen all the patrones of transubstantiation, that teach vs to seeke for Christ where he is not:* 1.17 for I doe assure my selfe, (as Ma∣ster Doctor Sheldon hath most learnedly and largely proued) that the prediction of Christ, concerning the practise of those pseudochristians, whereof he speaketh Matth. 24.26. saying, that they should say vnto vs; behold, he is in the secrets, is prin∣cipally to be vnderstood of these men. For,

Although diuers of the ancient interpreters, as Origen, Saint Augustine, Aquinas, and others, doe expound those words of Christ mystically, of the priuate conuenticles of hereticks, that doe challenge vnto themselues only the spirituall presence of Christ; and I confesse this to be true, yet I say, that this is not all the truth; nor yet the chiefest intention of our Sauiour Christ: and it is no maruell that the Fathers attained not vnto the full meaning of our Sauiours words; because, euery pro∣phesie is, as a riddle, or a booke sealed vp, hard to be interpreted, as Ireneus saith, contra heres. lib. 4. cap. 43. but I say, that Christ forewarneth vs to take heed of such, as would pretend to teach him, the true Christ to be personally present, in most hidden and secret places, wherein I beseech you to obserue these three particulars.

* 1.18First, that I say, Christ forewarneth vs to take heed of such as pretend to teach the true Christ; for he saith, that these false prophets shall preuaile so farre in their perswasions, as that the very elect shall be in danger to be seduced by their subtilties; and therefore this doth plainly proue to me, that they shall not denie the true Christ, nor pretend to preach any other Christ, (for if they did so, the elect might be said to be more in danger of persecution then seduction) but that they should with lying arguments, out of Christs owne words, and in Christ his owne name (as they will professe in the latter day) teach and seeke to proue him, the true Christ, to be in secrets; that is, in those places,* 1.19 where he is not.

Secondly, that I say, Christ forewarneth vs to beware of such as teach him, the true Christ, to be personally and corporal∣ly present in those secret places wherein they auouch him to be; for Christ bidding vs, not to beleeue, that hee is in such secrets, setteth downe these two reasons to shew why we should not beleeue it.

First,* 1.20 because that as the lightening commeth from the East and shineth vnto the West, so shall the comming of the sonne of man be: which is all one as if he had said; when they shall tell you that I am personally present in any place, beleeue it not, because I shall neuer come personally, (spiritually I doe euery day) vntill I come as a lightening, i. e. suddenly, gloriously, manifestly, which shall be his comming to iudgement.

Secondly, because that wheresoeuer the body is, thither will the Eagles be gathered together; for though Origen senseth the body,* 1.21 to be the Church; the Eagles to be the Doctors; and their ga∣thering together, to be their harmonious and ioynt-consent in truth; and though Saint Ierome, Theophylact and others,* 1.22 do by the body conceiue Christ crucified, by the Eagles all the Saints, and by their gathering together, the applying of the merits of his passion, vnto our soules: yet Saint Chryostome, Stella, Ferus, and Mal∣donate, and many more, euen of our Iesuites doe interpret these words, of Christ his comming to iudgement; and say that the body signifieth the personall presence of Christ, the Eagles the Saints, and their gathering together the meeting of him in iudge∣ment: and therefore by this reason, Christ doth plainly inti∣mate, that they should not looke, nor beleeue any personall pre∣sence of him in any secret places; because hee is that body, or that carkeise, as both Theophilact and Beza vse the word, vnto whom all the Saints shall be visibly gathered together; and he at no time come bodily vnto them, vntill they likewise come, and be gathered vnto him.

And in both these reasons (as you see) he speaketh of a per∣sonall presence of himselfe, publikely shewed, and in this last nameth his body or carkeise; and therefore in his predictions, he forewarneth vs to beleeue not them, which teach any per∣sonall or bodily presence of him in any secrets; for otherwise it had beene to no purpose to bring these reasons of his not comming bodily, vntill he should visibly come to iudgement, to disswade vs from beleeuing any his spirituall comming: for his not comming personally till the day of iudgement, doth no way proue, but hee may as he doth come spiritually euery day to bee present with his Saints in many secrets; but his not comming personally till then is a sufficient reason, to disswade vs from

beleeuing any personall comming of him in secrets. And,

* 1.23Thirdly, that I say, Christ forewarneth vs to take heed of such as teach him, the true Christ, to be thus personally present, in many secret, vnknowne places, all at once; for the very word, which our Sauiour vseth, to expresse the subtilties of these false prophets, doth proue as much: for,

First hee sheweth vs, that they shall say, he is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: in secrets: which is a word that signifieth, a most secret, vnknowne place; a little cupboord where they vse to set their bread; and so the word, vsed to expresse the same in the vulgar Latine, in penetralibus, doth signifie the most inward, and most hidden place of any place.

Secondly, he sheweth vs, that those false prophets should tell vs, that the true Christ is not onely 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: in some one secret place, but in penetralibus, in secrets, i. e. in many places, and in diuers secrets all at once.

* 1.24And I say, that I could neuer see, how this prediction can be more properly applied, to any heretickes, old or new, then to the teachers and defenders of Transubstantiation: for,

First, they perswade vs to beleeue no other Christ, but onely the true Christ to bee there, vnder the formes of bread and wine.

Secondly, they perswade vs, that he is personally and bodily there, flesh, bloud, bones, and all:

Thirdly, they teach, that he is there in so secret, hidden, and in∣uisible manner, as that it can no wayes, by any humane sense be conceiued, but onely by a diuine faith to be beleeued. And I am sure no false prophets in the world could, or euer can teach a more mysticall and secret presence of Christ personally and bodily, then this manner is▪ and

Fourthly, they teach, that he is thus wholly and hiddenly in many thousand places all at once, euen wheresoeuer any bread in the Masse is consecrated, there is Christ personally in all such se∣crets; according to their ancient distich:

Constat in altari, carnem de pane creari; Hic panis Deus est, qui negat hoc, reus est:

The bread on th'altar, as wee say, is turned by the Priest his breath, To be Christs flesh; who euer saith nay, is guilty of his death.

And therefore seeing the prediction of Christ concerning the practise of the false apostles, is so plainely seene to be fully accomplished in these deceiued and deceitfull teachers; I aduise all men to follow our Sauiours councell, beleeue them not, be∣leeue them not; for, though we doe acknowledge, a true, reall, sacramentall presence of Christ, effectually and really working,* 1.25 by a true and liuely faith in all the worthy receiuers of that blessed bread; because, as the Angells are said truely and really to be, not only where they diffinitiuely are, but also where they doe effectually worke; and as the Sunne is said truly and really to be, not onely where he is locally fixed in heauen, but also where it doth virtually shine, and worke here on earth; so the bodie of Christ may bee said to bee truly and really, not onely in the heauens, where it is locally present, but also here in the sacred mysteries, where he effectually worketh in all the worthy recei∣uers of the same; yet for any other reall bodily presence of Christ, in the bread and wine, we vtterly deny he is not here; for the same reason that the Angell vseth to proue, hee was not in his graue; because he was risen, and gone to another place; so we say, he is not here; because we know he is in heauen, where he sitteth on the right hand of God, and from thence he will not come personally into any hidden and secret place, vntill hee comes apparantly, like the lightening that commeth from the East, and suddenly shineth vnto the West, as himselfe doth testifie. And so much for the confirmation of this Angells assertion, that Christ was not there, in the graue; because hee was risen, and gone to another place; and so likewise of my application and inference thereupon, that we are not to beleeue Christ to bee in the secret places of bread and wine; because hee is ascended to another place, where he sitteth on the right hand of God: He that hath eares to heare, let him heare; for here I doe professe,* 1.26 before almighty God, and before his sonne Iesus Christ, that in all my poore reading (which I desired might bee so much as my time and ability would giue mee leaue) I did neuer finde a point, more contrary to the truth, more derogatory to the honour of God, more destroying the nature of Christ, and more dangerous vnto men in all the writings of our aduer∣saries then is this incredible and impossible point of Transub∣stantiation:

loe, I haue told you what I beleeue.

And here likewise we must further note, that (as I shewed vnto you before) Saint Luke saith, He is not here, but he is risen; to teach vs▪ that these words are so excellently couched by the E∣uangelist, as they might serue, both for a confirmation of his for∣mer speech, he is not here; and also for an assertion and declaration of the chiefest matter that the Angell intended to instruct these women in: that is, the resurrection of Christ: for he is risen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Angell sheweth the resurrection of Christ, three manner of wayes.
• * 1.2

  That this asser∣tion of the An∣gell quite o∣uerthroweth that doctrine of the vbiqui∣ty of Christs Body.
• * 1.3

  Bonauent. l. 3. sent. dist. 22. q. 2.
• * 1.4

  Coloss. 2.9.
• * 1.5

  Bellar. de incar. Christi. l. 3. c. 16.
• * 1.6

  How Christ may be truely said to be eue∣ry where.
• * 1.7

  In what sense the manhood of Christ may be said to be euery where.
• * 1.8

  Bellar. de in∣car. l. 3. c. 12.
• * 1.9

  Luc. 24.6.
• * 1.10

  Gregor. moral. l. 18. c. 15.
• * 1.11

  Matth. 18.20.
• * 1.12

  Luke 2.44.
• * 1.13

  That Christ is no where to be found but in the Church.
• * 1.14

  Lyra ad loc. cant. 1.8.
• * 1.15

  That Christ is no where cor∣porally but in heauen. Act. 3.21.
• * 1.16

  Aug de tem∣pore Serm. 133.
• * 1.17

  Looke Doctor Sheldon in a Sermon prea∣ched before the King, inti∣tuled, Christ sitting on his throne and not in popish se∣crets, where this is largely handled. Aug. l. de vnit. eccl. cap. 3. Aquinas in cat. sup. Matth c. 24.
• * 1.18

  That Christ warneth vs to beware of thē that would seeme to teach the true Christ.
• * 1.19

  That Christ warneth vs to beware of thē that teach his bodily pre∣sence any where, but in heauen.
• * 1.20

  That Christ v∣seth two speci∣all reasons to proue that hee wil neuer come bodily to any secrets, till the day of iudge∣ment.
• * 1.21

  Origen. tract. 30 in Matth.
• * 1.22

  Hieron. in Matth. 4. and Theophylact. in Matth. 24.
• * 1.23

  That Christ willeth vs to beware of them that teach him to be bodily pre∣sent in many places at once.
• * 1.24

  That the de∣fenders of Transubstan∣tiation teach all these points which Christ bad vs herein to beware of.
• * 1.25

  How the body of Christ may be said to bee truly and real∣ly in the Sacra∣ment.
• * 1.26

  What the Au∣thor thinketh of transubstan∣tiation.