Fathers

A Candid Inquiry into the Controversies among Evangelicals · §78

Ephesians 4:10 does not make the flesh fill every place; Westphal's stones follow, and Brentius retreats to dispensation

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They read "he fills all things" (Ephesians 4:10) as if Christ's flesh itself fills every place.

Paul's point there is different: the flesh was raised by the ascension above the visible heavens, so that it is not that flesh which fills all things, but the exalted Christ who fills his whole Church with his gifts, Spirit, grace, and the rest.

Other abused proofs for the ubiquity, illocality, or invisibility of Christ's flesh — Matthew 14:25, 29; Luke 20:36; John 20:19, 26; Luke 24:31; Acts 7:55; 1 Corinthians 15:8; Revelation 1:13, and so on — we set aside; Wendelin and our side have already defended them at length.

For the inference from Matthew 14:25, 29, see our Biblical Vindications, Book II, Place XXIII.

Sharper eyes saw where that πανταχεσία of the flesh leads: Christ no less present in every place — in stones and wood, as Joachim Westphal of Hamburg put it — than in the bread, and no less before consecration than after it.

That is why Brentius fell back to this remark: the body is in the consecrated bread alone, by dispensation.

Latin

Sic illi, Christum dici, implere omnia Eph. IV. 10. respectu Carnis suae, omnia loca implentis; Imo Carnem Paulus ibidem docet evectam, per ascensionem supra coelos visibiles; ut inde non illa Caro omnia impleret, sed Christus exaltatus impleret donis suis, Spiritu, Gratia, &c. omnem suam Ecclesiam. Mittimus Loca alia quibus, ad Ubiquitatem vel Illocalitatem, aut Invisibilitatem &c. Carnis Christi probandam abusi, Matth. XIV. 25. 29. Luc. XX. 36. Joh. XX. 19. 26. Luc. XXIV. 31. Act. VII. 55. 1. Cor. XV. 8. Apoc. I. 13. &c. prolixe a Wendelino, & nostris passim, vindicata. Ac de illatione ex Matth. XIV. 25. 29. nos Vindic. Bibl. lib. II. Loco XXIII. Et viderunt oculatiores, ex illa πανταχεσίᾳ Carnis, sequi Christum non minus praesentem in omnibus locis, lapidibus, lignis, (sic Joach. Westphalus Hamburgens.) quam in pane, nec minus ante Consecrationem quam post eam. Unde Brentii commentum, esse Corpus in solo pane consecrato, per dispensationem.

About this text

Samuel Strimesius — Prefatio through Controversiae Post Lutherum Controv. III-XIII + XV Tolerantia, Hexades Annotationum Prooemium and Annotatio I through Decem Theses / Francus plus Annotatio II §.I-§.VI and Annotatio III §.I–§.VII (through Cassellanum 1661) from Ingenua in Controversias Evangelicorum (Frankfurt an der Oder, 1708). Honest partial; Prefatio silence reasons, Annotatio III §.VIII+ fruits / §.IX+, Hexades theses body, deeper Controversiae / Part II remain.

English follows the locked 1708 Francofurti ad Viadrum Latin of Prefatio §I–II, Crimina defenses through III, Part I Protheoria through Controversiae Obices/Historia/Varii gradus, Formula Discord/Disparitas, Ulterius confirmatur / Classes / Formula protest / triplex differentia, Coena Domini Controversiae Priores through Precariae Hypotheses (Controv. print pp. 34–40), Controversiae Post Lutherum Natae Controv. III–XV tip (providence through De Tolerantia mutua; Controv. print pp. 40–78), Hexades Annotationum Prooemium H.I–§.III (Hexades print pp. 1–4 / PDF ~182–185), and Annotatio I De Augustana Confessione §.I–§.VIII tip (Hexades print pp. 5–24+ / PDF ~186–205+), reconstructed from Google Books PDF page images (ONB copy, id 3epYAAAAcAAJ) with pdftotext as check. No modern English was copied. Sister Halle digitization of Ingenua in Arminianismum (DOI 10.25673/65287) remains Anubis-blocked — skipped; Controversias only. Prefatio silence reasons, Annotatio I §.IX+, Hexades theses body beyond §.VIII, and remainder of Controversiae / folio remain.

Witnesses

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