Besydes that .S. Austen sayeth. [Sidenote: Augustinus in sermone ad infantes.] _Quando loquebatur dominus noster Iesus Christus de corpore suo, nisi (inquit) quis manducauerit carnem meam et biberit sanguinè meum, non habebit in se uitam. Caro enim mea uere est cibus, & sanguis meus uere est potus. Intellectus spiritualis credentem saluum facit, quia littera occidit, spiritus est qui uiuificat._ That is to saye: when our Lorde Iesus Christe spake of hys bodye, excepte (sayeth he) a man eate my fleshe and drynke my bloode, he shall haue no lyfe in hym selfe, for my fleshe is verye meate, and my bloode is very drynke. The spyrytuall vnderstondynge saueth hym that beleueth, for the letter kylleth, but the spirite quyckeneth. Here may you playnlye perceyue, that thys texte muste onely be taken spyrituallye. For he sayeth, that to take it after the letter it kylleth and profyteth nothynge at all, & therfor I wonder that we haue bene ledde so longe in this grosse erroure. [Sidenote: Orig. in leuiti. homi .7.] This sayenge doth that famous clarke Origene, confyrme sayēg. _Agnosce, figuræ sunt que in uoluminibus Domini scriptæ sunt: & ideo tanquā spirituales & non tanquam carnales, examinate & intelligite quæ dicuntur. Si enim secundum litteram sequaris hoc ipsum quod dictum est, Nisi manducaueritis carnē &c. Occidit hæc littera._ That is to saye: Marke that they are fygures which are wrytē in the scrypture of God. And therfore examyne them as spyrytuall men and not as Carnall, ād vnderstonde those thynges that are spoken. For if thou folowe after the letter, this thynge that is spokē: excepte ye eate the fleshe of the sone of man and drynke hys bloode, you cā haue no lyfe in you, this letter kylleth. Alas deare bretherne why shulde any mā be offended with thys doctryne, seynge it is approued so playnelye, by suche auncyent and holy Fathers.