3
and. substance, unto the which he gave immortality, but changed not nature. After this form, (saith he, meaning his man’s nature, we may not think that he is every where. For we must beware, that we do not so stablish his divinity, that we take away the verity of his body?” These be St Augustines plain words. And by and by after he addeth these words: The Ed. A35 1557.] Lord Jesus as God is every where, and as man is in heaven? And finally he concludeth this matter in these few words: Doubt not but our Lord Jesus Christ is every where as God, and as a dweller he is in man that is the temple of God, and he is in a certain place in heaven, because of the measure of a very body.”
[[! Secundum hanc divinitatis sue naturam non est, illa angelica voce testante, quemadmodum ire]
[peregrinatur, sed peregrinatur secundum dispensa- visus est in colum, id est, in eadem carnis forma]
[tionem corporis quod suscepit. —Hizec autem dice- atque substantia, cui profecto immortalitatem dedit,]
[tes non solvimus suscepti corporis hominem, cum naturam non abstulit. Secundum hanc formam non]
[sit scriptum apud Johannem, Omnis spiritus qui est putandus ubique diffusus. Cavendum est enim,]
[solvit Jesum, non est ex Deo:”’ sed unicuique sub- ne ita divinitatem astruamus hominis, ut veritatem]
[stanti; proprietatem servamus.—Origen. in Matt. corporis auferamus.—August. de Prasentia Dei, ad..]
[cap. xxv. Tract. 33. Ed. Bened. Tom. III. p. 883.] Dardanum, (Epist. lvii.) Lib. 1. cap.iii. Pars viir. [? Noli itaque dubitare ibi nunc esse hominem Basil. ap. Amerbach. 1506. ]]
[Christum Jesum, unde venturus est, memoriterque [? Una enim persona Deus et homo est, et]
[recole et fideliter tene Christianam confessionem, quo- utrumque est unus Christus Jesus, ubique per id]
[niam resurrexit a mortuis, ascendit in celum, sedet quod Deus est, in colo autem per id quod homo.]
[ad dexteram Patris, nec aliunde quam inde venturus —Ibid. cap. iv.]]
[est ad vivos mortuosque judicandos. Etsi venturus ’ [ Et ubique totum presentem esse (i. e. Chris-]
And again St Augustine writeth upon gospel of ohn: Our Saviou ol cc Jesus Christ,” saith St Augustine, “is above, but yet his truth is here. His body wherein he arose is in one place, but his truth is spread every where.”
And in another place of the same book St Augustine expounding these words of Christ, You shall ever have poor men with you, but me you shall not ever have,” saith, that Christ spake these words of the presence of his body. For,” saith he, “as concerning his divine majesty, as concerning his providence, as concerning his infallible and invisible grace, these words be fulfilled which he spake, I am with you unto the world’s end.’ But as concerning the flesh which he took in his carnation’, as concerning that which was born of the virgin, as concerning that which was apprehended by the Jews, and crucified upon a tree, and taken down from the cross, lapped in linen clothes and buried, and rose again, and appeared after his resurrection; as concerning that flesh, he said, You shall not ever have me with you. Wherefore seeing that as concerning his flesh he was conversant with his disciples forty days, and they accompanying, seeing, and not following him?, he went up into heaven, both he is not here (for he sitteth at the right hand of his Father) and yet he is here, for he departed not hence as concerning the presence of his divine majesty. As concerning the presence of his majesty, we have Christ ever with us; but as concerning the presence of his flesh, he said truly to his disciples, Ye shall not ever have me with you.” For as concerning the presence of his flesh, the church had Christ but a few days; yet now it holdeth him fast by faith, though it see him not with eyes.” All these be St Augustine’s words. Also in another book, entitled to St Augustine, is written thus: “We must believe and confess that the Son of God (as concerning his divinity) is invisible, without a body, immortal, and incireumseriptible: but as concerning his humanity, we ought to believe and confess that he is visible, hath a body, and is contained in a certain place, and hath truly all the members of a man.”
Of these words of St Augustine it is most clear, that the profession of the catholic faith is, that Christ (as concerning his bodily substance and nature of man) is in heaven, and not present here with us in earth. For the nature and property of a very body is to be in one place, and to occupy one place, and not to be everywhere, or in many places at one time. And though the
[tum Jesum) non dubites tanquam Deum, et in enim recessitprasentiamajestatis. Aliter. Secundum]
[eodem templo Dei esse tanquam inhabitantem presentiam majestatis semper habemus Christum:]
[Deum, et in loco aliquo cceli propter veri cor- secundum presentiam carnis recte dictum est disci-]
[poris modum.—Ibid. cap. xx.] pulis, Me autem non semper habebitis. Habuit [^ Sursum est Dominus, sed etiam hic est ve- enim illum ecclesia secundum przsentiam carnis]
[ritas Dominus. Corpusenim Domini,in quo resur- paucis diebus: modo fide tenet, oculis non videt.]
[rexit, uno loco esse potest: veritas ejus ubique dif- —Ibid. ‘Tract.l. Pars 1x.]]
[fusa est.—August. in Evangelium Joannis, Tract. [7 Incarnation, 1551.]]
[xxx. Pars 1x.] [ The, 1551.] [6 Loquebatur enim de presentia corporis sui. [? And following him, 1551. “Thisisevidently a]
[Nam secundum majestatem suam, secundum provi- misprint in that edition, which Cranmer appears to]
[dentiam, secundum ineffabilem etinvisibilem gratiam have corrected as it was printed in the 1580 edition,]
[d impletur quod ab eo dictum est, Ecce ego vobiscum since the words of Augustine are, videndo, non]
[sum omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem sz- sequendo.” See note 6.]]
[culi, Secundum carnem vero quam verbum assump- [!? Et idcirco eundem Dei filium secundum]
[sit, secundum id quod de virgine natus est, secun- substantiam divinitatis suz invisibilem et incor-]
[dum id quod a Judzis comprehensus est, quod ligno poreum et immortalem et incircumscriptum nos]
[confixus, quod de cruce depositus, quod linteis in- credereet confiteri oportet. Juxta humanitatem vero]
[volutus, quod in sepulchro conditus, quod in resur- visibilem, corporeum, localem, atque omnia membra]
[rectione manifestatus, non semper habebitis me humana veraciter habentem credere convenit et con-]
[vobiscum. Quare? Quoniam conversatus est se- fiteri.—August. de Essentia Divinitatis, Pars x.]
[cundum corporis presentiam quadraginta diebus Ibid. This treatise is censured as spurious. Vid.]
[cum.discipulis suis, et eis deducentibus videndo, James’ Corruptions of Scripture, Councils, and]
[non sequendo, ascendit in colum, et non est hic. Fathers.” p. 53. Lond. 1843. Riveti Crit. Sacr.]
[Ibi enim sedet ad dexteram Patris: et hic est. Non! p. 395. Geneva. 1626.]]
And in another plaee of the same book St Cyrilsaith thus: Christian people must believe, that although Christ be absent from us as concerning his body, yet by his power he governeth us and all things, and is present with all them that love him. Therefore he said: Truly, truly I say unto you, wheresoever there be two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. For like as when he was conversant here in earth as a man, yet then he filled heaven, and did not leave the company of angels; even so being now in heaven with his flesh, yet he filleth the earth, and is in them that love him. And it is to be marked, that although Christ should go away only as concerning his flesh, (for he is ever present in the power of his divinity,) yet for a little time he said he would be with his disciples.” These be the words of St Cyril.
St Ambrose also saith, that “we must not seek Christ upon earth, nor in