They said therefore to him, "What must we do, that we may work the works of God?"
      (1.) Let us see how this discourse of Christ was liable to mistake and misconstruction, that  men might see, and not perceive.  [1.] It was misconstrued by the carnal  Jews,  to whom it was first delivered (; John 6:52):  They strove among themselves;  they whispered in each other's ears their dissatisfaction:  How can this man give us his flesh to eat?Christ spoke (John 6:51) of giving his flesh  for us,  to suffer and die; but they, without due consideration, understood it of his giving it  to us,  to be eaten, which gave occasion to Christ to tell them that, however what he said was otherwise intended, yet even that also of  eating of his flesh  was no such absurd thing (if rightly understood) as  prima facie—in the first instance,  they took it to be. [2.] It has been wretchedly misconstrued by the church of Rome for the support of their monstrous doctrine of transubstantiation, which gives the lie to our senses, contradicts the nature of a sacrament, and overthrows all convincing evidence. They, like these Jews here, understand it of a corporal and carnal eating of Christ's body, like Nicodemus,  ; John 3:4. The Lord's supper was not yet instituted, and therefore it could have no reference to that; it is a  spiritual  eating and drinking that is here spoken of, not a  sacramental.  [3.] It is misunderstood by many ignorant carnal people, who hence infer that, if they take the sacrament when they die, they shall certainly go to heaven, which, as it makes many that are weak causelessly uneasy if they want it, so it makes many that are wicked causelessly easy if they have it. Therefore,