CHA P. II..

2. Concerning the Expofition of thefe Words, [He that eateth my Flesh, and drinketh my Blood, hath eternal Life. My Flesh is Meat indeed, &c.]`

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N this Chapter I fhall prove that JESUS CHRIST fpeaks of a Spiritual eating and drinking by Faith, and not of a Corporal eating and drinking by the Mouth of the Body. My first ARGUMENT is this: When a Man would fatisfie his Hunger, and quench his Thirst, he eateth and drinketh that Thing which he Hungers and Thirfts after; becaufe eating fatisfieth Hunger, and drinking quencheth Thirst: But it is by Faith, that is, by believing in JESUS CHRIST, that we fatisfie the Hunger, and quench the Thirft which we have after Chrift; for it is in the Sixth of St. John, He that cometh to me shall never Hunger, and he that believeth in me shall never Thirst: Therefore it is by Faith, or by believing, that we Eat and Drink JESUS CHRIST; and confequently the eating of Chrift's Flesh, and drinking his Blood is Spiritual, and not Corporal.

2. My fecond ARGUMENT is this: JESUS CHRIST faith, He that eateth my Flesh, and drinketh my Blood hath eternal Life. And except ye Eat the Flefb of the Son of Man, and Drink his Blood, ye have no Life in you, John vi. But it is the Spiritual eating and drinking

drinking by Faith, that gives Life Eternal, and not the Corporal eating and drinking by the Mouth of the Body; becaufe many Reprobates (according to the very Doctrine of Rome it felf) do corporally Eat the Flesh,and Drink the Blood of Chriff, and yet fhall not inherit eternal Life.

3. THE third ARGUMENT is taken from St. Augustine, and Cardinal Cajetan, who expound the Words of JESUS CHRIST as we do. St. Augustine in Book 3. of Chriftian Dectrine fpeaketh thus, To eat the Flesh of Chrift is a Figure, teaching us to partake of Chrift's Paffion,and to imprint in our Memories with Delight and Profit, that Chrift was Crucified for us. Card. Cajetan in his Commentary on St. John vi. faith, To Eat the Flesh of Christ, and Drink his Blood, is Faith in Chrift's Death; so that the Senfe is this, if you use not the Death of the Son of Man as Meat and Drink, ye shall not have the Life of the Spirit in ou. And having fufficiently proved his Expofition, he adds; To Ear and Drink the Sacrament is a Thing common, as well to those that eat Unworthily, as to thofe that eat Wörthily; but that which JESUS CHRIST bere speaks of, is not common to both; for he faith, he that eateth my Fich, and drinketh my Blood, bath eternal Life; he faith not he that eateth Worthily and drinketh Worthily, but he that Eateth and Drinketh. Whence it clearly appears, that according to the Letter, he fpeaks not of eating and drinking the Scrament of the Eucha

rift, but of eating and drinking the DEATH of JESUS CHRIST.

4. Now that we may clearly understand this Doctrine, we must confider, wherein the Life that JESUS CHRIST gives us, doth confift; for feeing the Flesh of JESUS CHRIST IS Meat to us, because it gives us Life; it is evident that if we know what that Life is which JESUS CHRIST gives us, we must know likewife how JESUS CHRIST is Meat to us, and confequently how we Eat HIM. But to know what that Life is which Jesus CHRIST gives us, we must confider what that Death is in which we were involved, which is expreffed by St. Paul, Ephef. ii, in these words; When we were Lead in Sins and Trefpaffes, GOD hath quickned us together with Chrift: by Grace ye are faved; and confequently the Death in which we were involved, confifts in two Things, First, in the Curfe of the Law, which imports the Privation of Felicity, and the fuffering of temporal and eternal Punishment for our Sins: Secondly, it confifts in an habitual Corruption, whereby Sin reigns in us;. and therefore it is faid, 1 Tim. v. The Widow that lives in Pleafure is Dead while she libeth. Alfo Sins are called dead Works, Heb. ix. So that the Life which JESUS CHRIST hath purchafed for us, confifts in two Things. Firft, In deliverance from the Curfe of the Law by the Pardon of our Sins, as St. Paul tells us, Coloff. ii. GOD bath quickned you together with Chrift, having forgiven you all Trespalles, blotting out the Obligation which

Was

was against us; which Obligation proceed ed from the Law, because it did oblige al the Tranfgreffors of it to a Curfe. Secondly, It confifts in Regeneration, or Sanctification, whereof JESUS CHRIST speaking in Joh. iii. faith, Except a Man be Born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of GOD: and St. Paul, Heb.xii. Without Holiness no Man fhali See the LORD. Therefore feeing that Life which JESUS CHRIST hath purchased for us, confifts in the Pardon of our Sins, and in our Regeneration, and Sanctification, which ends in Glorification; and that JESUS CHRIST is called Meat in Reference to this Life, we must confider the Means, whereby JESUS CHRIST hath purchased thefe Things for Us; and feeing it is certain, that his Death is the means by which he hath purchased Pardon of Sins, and Regeneration, we muft conclude, that JESUS CHRIST is the Food and Nourishment of our Souls in regard of the Merit of his Death. But that JESUS CHRIST by his Death hath purchased Life for us, (that is, Justification, which confifts in the Pardon of our Sins, and Regeneration, which confifts in Holiness of Life) appears by thefe Paffages of Scripture; viz. We are juftified by the Blood of Christ, and reconciled to GOD by his Death,Rom. v. We have Redemption by his Blood, even the Remillion of Sins, Ephef. i. He hath reconciled us in the Body of his Flesh by his Death, that he may prefent us Holy, without Spot, and blameless in his fight. Col. i. We are fanctified by the offering of the Body of Fefus

Jefus Christ once for all. Heb. 10. Chrift lcved the Church, and gave himself for it, that Le might fanctifie and cleanfe it with the wafbing of Water,by the Word;that he might prefent it unto himself a glorious Church, &c. Eph. 5. Therefore, fince JESUS CHRIST hath purchased Life for us, by his Death; and that his Flesh and Blood are our Meat and Drink, because they purchafed Life Eternal for us on the Crofs, viz. the remiffion of our Sins, and Sanctification ending in Glorification: It follows that the Action whereby JESUS CHRIST is applied to us for Righteoufnefs and Sanctification, is the fame by which we Eat the Flesh of Chrift, and Drink his Blood. But this Action is nothing elfe but Faith, as the Scripture tells us; Being juftified by Faith, we have peace with GOD, Rom. 5. GOD purifieth our Hearts by Faith, Acts 15. He that Believeth, bath eternal Life, Joh. 6. From what hath been faid, I form this Argument: That A&tion whereby we obtain remiffion of Sins, and Sanctification ending in Glorification, is the fame whereby we have that Life which JESUS CHRIST hath purchased for us by his Death; because that Life principally confifts in the remiffion of Sins, and Sanctification, as we have proved. Therefore the Spiritual eating and drinking by Faith, is the Action whereby we have that Life, which Jesus CHRIST hath purchased for us by his Death; and not the Corporal eating and drinking by the Mouth. And confequently fince in St. John 6. a certain eating and drinking is C

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