Sermon LXXXI.
[CXXXI. Ben.]
On the words of the Gospel, John vi. 53, “Except ye eat the flesh,” etc., and on the words
of the apostles. And the Psalms. Against the Pelagians.
Delivered at the Table of the Martyr St. Cyprian, the 9th
of the Calends of October,—23 Sept., on the Lord’s day.
1. We have heard the True Master, the Divine Redeemer, the human Saviour, commend-
ing to us our Ransom, His Blood. For He spake to us of His Body and Blood; He called His
Body Meat, His Blood Drink. The faithful recognise the Sacrament of the faithful. But the
hearers what else do they but hear? When therefore commending such Meat and such Drink
He said, “Except ye shall eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, ye shall have no life in you;”
3907 (and this that He said concerning life, who else said it but the Life Itself? But that man
shall have death, not life, who shall think that the Life is false), His disciples were offended,
not all of them indeed, but very many, saying within themselves, “This is an hard saying,
who can hear it?”3908 But when the Lord knew this in Himself, and heard the murmurings
of their thought, He answered them, thinking though uttering nothing, that they might
understand that they were heard, and might cease to entertain such thoughts. What then
did He answer? “Doth this offend you?” “What then if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend
up where He was before?”3909 What meaneth this? “Doth this offend you?” “Do ye imagine
that I am about to make divisions of this My Body which ye see; and to cut up My Members,
and give them to you? ‘What then if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was
before?’” Assuredly, He who could ascend Whole could not be consumed. So then He both
gave us of His Body and Blood a healthful refreshment, and briefly solved so great a question
as to His Own Entireness. Let them then who eat, eat on, and them that drink, drink; let
them hunger and thirst; eat Life, drink Life. That eating, is to be refreshed; but thou art in
such wise refreshed, as that that whereby thou art refreshed, faileth not. That drinking, what
is it but to live? Eat Life, drink Life; thou shalt have life, and the Life is Entire. But then this
shall be, that is, the Body and the Blood of Christ shall be each man’s Life; if what is taken
in the Sacrament visibly is in the truth itself eaten spiritually, drunk spiritually. For we have
heard the Lord Himself saying, “It is the Spirit That quickeneth, but the flesh profiteth
nothing. The words that I have spoken unto you, are Spirit and Life. But there are some of
you,” saith He, “that believe not.”3910 Such were they who said, “This is a hard saying, who
3907 John vi. 53.
3908 John vi. 60.
3909 John vi. 61, 62.
3910 John vi. 63, 64.
On the words of the Gospel, John vi. 53, ‘Except ye eat the flesh,’ etc., and on the words of the apostles. And the Psalms. Against the Pelagians.
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On the words of the Gospel, John vi. 53, ‘Except ye eat the flesh,’ etc.,…