John Foxe's Book of Martyrs

1576

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1101	K. Hen. 8. A treatise of the Sacrament by Iohn Lambert to the king.

so that in the meane while, as the other Article of our Creede witnesseth: He sitteth at the right hand of God his father, that is not els to say, then hee remaineth in glory with the father. Furthermore, euen as I haue before rehearsed the foresayd authoritie of Augustine, so haue I read it in his Quinquagenes vppon a Psalme, of which I can not now precisely note or name the nūber. And the same words doth he also write in an Epistle to S. Hierome. So that we may know, he had good likyng in it, that he so commonly doth vse it, as hys vsuall prouerbe or by word.

The body of Christ can be but in one place at once.

In the same is also testified, that his blessed body can be but in one place, so that it beyng now accordyng to the scripture and article of our beliefe or Creede, in heauen, it cā not be in earth: and much lesse can it be in so vnnumerable places of the earth, as we may perceiue that the Sacrament is. Thus, although the body of our Sauiour must be in one place, as hee writeth agreably to þ^e saying of Peter: Whom the heauens must receaue vntill the tyme of the restitution of all thyng: Yet as the wordes folowyng make mention: Veritas autem eius vbique diffusa est. But his veritie is scattered euery where.

The veritie of Christ.

This veritie of Christ, or of his body, do I take to be that he in other places, doth call Virtus Sacramenti:

The vertue of the sacrament.

The vertue of the Sacrament. As in the xxv. treatise vpon Iohn we finde thus written: Aliud est Sacramentū, aliud virtus Sacramenti. The Sacramēt is one thyng, and the vertue of the Sacrament, is an other thyng. And agayn: Si quis manducauerit ex ipso, nō moritur, sed qui pertinet ad virtutem Sacramenti, non qui pertinet ad visibile Sacramentum. &c. If any man eate of him he dyeth not, but he meaneth of him, which doth appertain to the vertue of the Sacrament, & not of him which perteineth to the visible Sacrament. And to declare what is the vertue of the Sacrament, that I count to be the truth of the Lord or of his body, he sayth: Qui manducat intus, non foris, qui manducat in corde, non qui premit dente. He which eateth inwardly in spirite, not outwardly: he that eateth in hart, and not he which chaweth with teeth.

The body of Christ can be but in one place at once.

The veritie of Christ.

The vertue of the sacrament.

The veritie of the Lord or of his body expounded.

So that finally, this truth of the Lord or of his body, which is dispersed euery where abroad, is the spiritual profite, fruite, and comforte, that is opened, to be receiued euery where of all men by fayth in the veritie of the Lord, that is to witte, in the very and true promise or Testament made to vs in the Lordes body that was crucified and suffered death for vs, and arose agayne ascendyng immortall into heauen: where he sitteth, that is, abydeth on the right hand of his father, from thence not to returne vntill the generall dome or iudgement. This bodily absence of our Sauiour is like wise clearely shewed in the 50. treatise that he maketh vpon Iohn: where he doth expounde this text: Ye haue the poore alwayes with you, but you shal not alwaies haue me with you,

August. in (illegible text). tract. 50.

to my purpose, that thereby I count and holde myne opiniō to be rather Catholicke, then theirs that hold the contrary. Finally, the same doth he confirme in his Sermons of the second & thyrd Feries of Easter, and in so many places besides forth, as here cannot be recited, the number of them is so passing great.

The veritie of the Lord or of his body expounded.

August. in (illegible text). tract. 50.

With him consenteth full playnly Fulgentius in his second booke, to Trasimundus, writyng in this wise: Vnus idemque homo localis ex homine, qui est Deus immensus ex patre. Vnus idemque secundum humanam substantiam, absens cœlo cum esset in terra. et cet.

Fulgentius ad Trasimundum. lib. 2.

One and the same man beyng locall, in that he is a mā which is God almighty of the Father. One and the same accordyng to humane substaunce beyng absent from heauen when he was in the earth, and leauyng the earth when he ascended vppe into heauen. But accordyng to his diuine and almighty substaunce, neither departing from heauen, when he descended from heauen, neither leauyng the earth, when he ascended into heauen. The which may well be knowen by the vndoubtfull saying of our Lord hym selfe: which that he might the better skew his humanitie occupying a place, sayd vnto his Disciples: I ascende vp vnto my father and your father, vnto my God and your God. Also when he had sayd of Lazarus: Lazarus is dead, he adioyned saying: And I am glad for your sakes, that you may beleue, because I was not there. But shewing the greatnes of his diuinitie, he sayd to his Disciples: Behold I am with you vnto the end of the world. For how did he ascende into heauē: but because he is locall and true mā? And how is he present to his faythfull, but because he is almighty and true God? et cet. In this maner doth he proceede forth, speaking much, full agreably to my sentence, which is now ouerlōg here to write. But what can be said more playnly in so few wordes makyng for me?

Fulgentius ad Trasimundum. lib. 2.

Christ in his humane substaunce is locall.

First he sayth, that Christ beyng a man, is as concernyng his manhede, locall, that is to say, conteined in one place. And to expresse that more clearely, he addeth to it, saying: He is one and the same accordyng to his humane substaunce, absent from heauen when he was in earth, and leauyng the earth when he ascended into heauen. Where as he hath a contrary Antithesis

(illegible text) that is to say (illegible text) relation.

for the godly nature to shew forth the first point the more effectually. The Antithesis is thus: But according to his diuine and incomparable substaunce, neither leauyng heauen when he descended from heauen, neither forsakyng the earth when he ascended into heauen. Whereby is also confirmed, that I sayd: Christ did descend and ascende, as touchyng his humanitie, but not in his Deitie, which is immutable and vnmoueable: as we may perceiue by that hee here doth call it. Almyghtie substaunce. Furthermore, to shew that Christ (as touchying his humane and naturall body) is locall, and in one place: he alledgeth, and that right iustly, two textes of Scripture. The first is: I ascende to my father. &c. And the second is of Lazarus,I am glad for your sakes. et cet.

Christ in his humane substaunce is locall.

(illegible text) that is to say (illegible text) relation.

Finally, he maketh this demaūd: But how did he ascend into heauen, but because he is a locall and very man? Wherby we may see, that by this sentence, Christ could not ascende, except hee had bene locall, that is, conteined in one place, and so very man.

August.

And that is accordyng to S. Augustine, writyng as is aboue shewed: And hee shall so come (as the Aungell witnesseth) euen as you haue sene hym goyng vp into heauen, that is to say, in the same forme and substaunce of his fleshe. Accordyng to this forme he is not spread abroad in euery place:

We must not so defend Christes diuinitie that we must destroy his humanitie.

for we must beware that we do not so esteeme his diuinitie, that we thereby do take away the veritie of his body. So that they both doe testifie, that Christ could not haue ascended, except he had ben locall, that is to witte, conteined in one place, and very man: and that if he were not locall, he could not be a man. Wherfore Saint Augustine sayth further,

(illegible text)

ad Dardanum: Spatia locorum tolle corporibus, & nusquam erunt, & quia nusquā erunt, nec erunt. That is to witte:

Bodyes can not be without limitation of place

Take away localitie or occupying of place from bodyes, and they shall be no where: and for because they shall be no where, they shall haue no beyng at all.

August.

We must not so defend Christes diuinitie that we must destroy his humanitie.

(illegible text)

Bodyes can not be without limitation of place

We therefore couetyng to finde Christ or his naturall body, should seeke for him in heauen, where his naturall manhede is sittyng on the right hand of his father. So willeth vs.

Ambrose in Lucam

S. Ambrose in the x. booke which he writeth vppon Luke, speakyng of Christes humanitie assumpt, in this wise: Ergo non supra terram, nec in terra, nec secundum carnem te quærere debemus, si volumus te inuenire. &c. Therfore we ought not to seeke thee vpon the earth, nor in the earth, neither accordyng to the flesh, if we will finde thee: for now accordyng to the fleshe we do not know Christ. Furthermore, Steuen did not seeke thee vppon the earth, when that hee dyd see thee standyng on the right hand of God the father. But Mary which sought thee vppon the earth, could not touch thee. Steuen touched thee because he sought thee in heauen. Steuen amongest the Iewes sawe thee beyng absent. et cet. Thus we must seeke for the naturall body of Christ, not vpon the earth, but in heauen, if we will not be deceiued. And that doth he more largely shew in the same treatise, speakyng thus of the veritie of Christes body: Quomodo non corpus quiesceret, in quo manebant insignia vulnerum, vestigia cicatricum, quæ dominus palpāda obtulit? &c. How could it come to passe that the body could not rest in the sepulcher, in which the tokēs of the woundes and scarres did appeare, whiche the Lord himselfe did offer to be touched (in which doyng he did not onely stablish the fayth, but also augmented deuotion) Because he would rather cary vp into heauen the woundes receaued for vs, and would not put them away, that he might present to God the father, the price of our libertie. Such a one the father doth place at his right hand, embracyng the triumph and victory of our saluation. et cet.

Ambrose in Lucam

Gregor. in homel. Pentec.

Gregory also in an Homely of Pentecoste, sayth agreably to the other, in these wordes: Quando non maneret apud eos, qui ascensurus cœlos, promittit dicens. Ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus vsque ad consummationē sæculi? &c. When was it that he did not tary with them, which ascendyng vppe into heauen promiseth, saying: Behold I am here with you continually vntill the end of the world? But the word incarnate taryeth and also goeth away. It departeth in body, and taryeth in diuinitie. And therefore he sayth that he taryed with them: euen he which was euer present with them by his inuisible power, and now departed by his corporall vision. In likewise doth he testifie in the Homely of Easter day.

Gregor. in homel. Pentec.

Bede in hom in cap. 16 Ioan.

With these doth Bede accord in an Homely of Easter, in which he declareth this text, Ioh. 16. A litle while, and ye shall not see me: And agayne, a litle while & ye shall see me. And also in an homely of the vigill of Pentecoste. And who can otherwise say or thinke, knowyng the Scripture and our beliefe, but that the naturall body of Christ is so assumpt into heauē all whole, that it must there abide without retur

Bede in hom in cap. 16 Ioan.

nyng

FFF.iij.

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