Dilucida explicatio sanae doctrinae de vera participatione carnis & sanguinis Christi in sacra coena, ad discutiendas Heshusii nebulas

CHRISTI IN COENA.

morals. Certainly our frugality, our constant labors for the Church, our steadfastness in dangers, our diligence in performing our duty, our untiring zeal in propagating the kingdom of Christ, our integrity in asserting the doctrine of piety, and finally our earnest exercise in the meditation of the heavenly life will testify that we are very far from profane contempt of God: of which I wish this Thraso a boastful soldier in a Roman comedy were not conscious. But enough about the man.

Having passed him by, therefore, it is my intention to examine the cause briefly, since it would be superfluous to dispute with him more accurately. Even if he puts on some display of ostentation, he vents nothing other than the old trifles of Westphal and the refuse of those like him with his grandiloquence. He preaches brilliantly about the omnipotence of God, about having faith simply in His word, and about subduing human reason, as he learned from better men, in whose number I also consider myself to be. Nor do I doubt, as he is childishly stupid in his own glory, that he thinks he represents Melanchthon alongside Luther: because he ineptly borrows flowers from the one; of the other's vehemence, because he cannot be a better rival, he substitutes thunders and crackles. Yet we have no dispute about the immense power of God: and that I do not measure the mystery of the Supper by human reason, but pursue it with admiration, all my writings declare. Whoever strives strenuously today for the honest defense of the truth will willingly admit me into their society. In treating the mystery of the holy Supper, I have proven by the thing itself that I do not abrogate my faith in the word of God: just as, on the contrary, Heshusius, by shouting, only makes all good people witnesses of his malice and ingratitude, not without grave offense. But if the matter had been brought down to a few points from these vague and, as it were, playful skirmishes, everything would be cleared up with no obstacle. A pious Synod, if there were one, would not hide the approach to concord. But this dispute, which his stubbornness engenders, although for the benevolent, and those who are joined together in love, and who desire to protect the confession of truth more than their own vanity, it is not so much—although they may be of many minds, yet fundamentally and obstinately to dissent—it does not appear equally. Whatever he pretends, he draws this one thing to himself from it, so that they may learn that there is perfect consent in this mystery, which we teach: but not otherwise than we [speak]. We read, he says, Paul, those wonderful things, which we only carry out, the body of Christ, he says, does not form: which is read in the sacred scriptures. These are not modes, nor so gross, nor so vain, which we assert.