The words in which we speak of the things of God
must be used in no mere human and worldly sense, nor must the perverseness of
an alien and impious interpretation be extorted from the soundness of heavenly
words by any violent and headstrong preaching. Let us read what is written, let
us understand what we read, and then fulfil the demands of a perfect faith. For
as to what we say concerning the reality of Christ's nature within us, unless
we have been taught by Him, our words are foolish and impious. For He says
Himself, My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eats My
flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As to the verity of the flesh and blood there
is no room left for doubt. For now both from the declaration of the Lord
Himself and our own faith, it is verily flesh and verily blood. And these when
eaten and drunk, bring it to pass that both we are in Christ and Christ in us.
Is not this true? Yet they who affirm that Christ Jesus is not truly God are
welcome to find it false. He therefore Himself is in us through the flesh and
we in Him, while together with Him our own selves are in God.
Now how it is that we are in Him through the
sacrament of the flesh and blood bestowed upon us, He Himself testifies,
saying, And the world will no longer see Me, but you shall see Me; because I
live you shall live also; because I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in
you. If He wished to indicate a mere unity of will, why did He set forth a kind
of gradation and sequence in the completion of the unity, unless it were that,
since He was in the Father through the nature of Deity, and we on the contrary
in Him through His birth in the body, He would have us believe that He is in us
through the mystery of the sacraments? And thus there might be taught a perfect
unity through a Mediator, while, we abiding in Him, He abode in the Father, and
as abiding in the Father abode also in us; and so we might arrive at unity with
the Father, since in Him Who dwells naturally in the Father by birth, we also
dwell naturally, while He Himself abides naturally in us also.
Again, how natural this unity is in us He has
Himself testified on this wise — He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood
abides in Me, and I in him. For no man
shall dwell in Him, save him in whom He dwells Himself, for the only flesh
which He has taken to Himself is the flesh of those who have taken His. Now He
had already taught before the sacrament of this perfect unity, saying, As the
living Father sent Me, and I live through the Father, so he that eats My flesh
shall himself also live through Me. So then He lives through the Father, and as
He lives through the Father in like manner we live through His flesh.
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