H. Zanchius his confession of Christian religion Which novve at length being 70. yeares of age, he caused to bee published in the name of himselfe & his family. Englished in sense agreeable, and in words as answerable to his ovvne latine copie, as in so graue a mans worke is requisite: for the profite of all the vnlearneder sort, of English christians, that desire to know his iudgement in matters of faith.

Vpon the 12. chapter. The 8 aphorisme.

Concerning this true and essentiall vnion of vs, and of our owne flesh, with the flesh of Christ, there is a notable place in Cyrill, vpon Iohn. lib. 10. cap. 13. Col. 500.

We denie not, but wee are spiritually ioy∣ned to Christ, by true faith, and sincere loue: but, that wee haue no manner of coniunction with him according to the flesh, that we flatly denie: and affirme it to bee cleane against the

scriptures. For who euer doubted, but Christ is so the vine, and we the braunches, that from him we draw life vnto our selues? Heare what Paule saith. Wee are all one bodie with Christ: for though we are many, yet in him we are one: for wee all are partakers of one bread. Doth he perchaunce thinke, that the vertue of the misticall bene∣diction is vnknowne vnto vs? Which being in vs, doeth it not also make Christ to dwell in vs corporally, by communication of the flesh of Christ? For why are the members of the faith∣full the members of Christ? know ye not, saith hee, that your members are the members of Christ? shal I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlott? God forbidd. Our Sauiour also said. He which eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abi∣deth in me, and I in him: whereby wee maye consider, that Christ is in vs, not onely by dwelling in vs, which is perceiued by loue: but also by a naturall participation. For euen as, if one take waxe melted by the fire, & min∣gle it with other waxe likewise melted, so as of them both hee make but one thing: so by this communication of the bodie and blood of Christ, he is in vs, and we in him. For other∣wise this corruptible nature of the body could neuer be brought to incorruption and to life, vnlesse the bodie of naturall life were ioyned vnto it. Beleeuest thou not me telling thee this? Beleeue (I pray thee) Christ himselfe: Ve∣rily verily (saith he) I say vnto you: vnlesse yee

shall eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood, yee shall haue no life in you. He which eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood: hath eternall life, and I will raise him at the last day. Thou hearest him plainely cry∣ing out, that we shall haue no life, vnlesse we drinke his blood & eate his flesh. In you (saieth he) your selues, that is, in your bodie. By life, may well bee vnderstood the flesh of life: for that, doth raise vs vpp at the last daye. And so need I not think it an vncurrant speach to say, the flesh of life being made flesh of the onely begotten sonne, is brought to the vertue of life: and therefore cannot bee ouercome of death. And therefore being made in vs, putts death from vs: For gods onely begottē sonne, is neuer absent from it, whereuppon because he is one with his flesh, I (saieth he) will raise him vp. Why then should it be denied that we are called braunches, according to the flesh? May it not fittly be said that the vine is his hu∣manitie, and we the braunches, for the iden∣titie or likenesse of our nature? For the vine & the braunches are of the same nature. So both spiritually and corporally are wee the braun∣ches, and Christ the vine. Thus farre Cyrill.

In this whole text, Cyrills purpose was to shew: that Christ, not onely according to his deitie, as his aduersaries the Nestorians did thinke, but also according to the flesh, was the vine, from which life flowed into vs as braunches: and cōsequently that we, as braū∣ches

were ioyned not onely to his deitie, but also to his humanitie, and so to his flesh: & doe draw life and all our spirituall nourishment, not onely from his deitie but also from his flesh. And the reason is brought from the Hy∣postaticall vnion, which maketh the word, & his flesh taken into vnitie thereof to bee but one person, one and the same Christ, one and the same vine. Therefore that we cannot be ioy∣ned to the deitie of Christ, but also we must be vnited to his flesh, nor can we draw life frō that, but we must also draw it from this.

To declare plainly this neere and reall co∣pulation of our flesh with the flesh of Christ: he brings a similitude of waxe: not that it euerie way agreeth in all thinges, as is manifest, but because it fittly sheweth our communion with Christ to be reall and substantiall. And this he ment when concluding he said, not onely spi∣ritually, but also corporally, (that is, not onely in respect of the spirite, but also in respect of the bodie:) both Christ is the vine, and we his braunches. This therefore he spake not of the manner of our coupling to Christ, whether it be spirituall or corporall: but of the thinges which are coupled, namely, that not onely our soules and our spirites, are most neerely ioy∣ned, with the soule and spirit of Christ, but al∣so our flesh with his flesh. This is to be gathe∣red out of the aduersaries proposition, against which he argueth: which is that wee are not ioyned with Christ in flesh. Coll. 500. B.

These aduerbs therefore spiritually & cor∣porally in Cyrill, doe not signifie the meanes by which we are vnited to Christ the vine: but the things which are vnited, as is already said and declared. But the meanes also Cyrill graū∣teth to be spirituall, that is by our faith, and by the spirite of Christ: for in euerie place hee teacheth, and specially vpon the sixt of Iohn, that we eate the flesh of Christ by faith. And by this eating he prooueth our incorporation.