the head and quickned by one Spirite for which cause of Christ it is said that he dwels in vs and wee in him he is the head and wee Ephes 3. 17 4. 16 are the members of his mysticall bodie By this threefold certaintie they teach and belieue that they are made sure of Christ in the Sacrament for performance wherof they show that there is no necessitie of corporall presence First because these meanes of certaintie were appoynted of Christ to supplee his corporall absence till his second comming againe Secondly because the Sonne of God is more able after this manner from Heauen to communicate himselfe to vs on Earth then the Sun that shines dayly is able from Heauen to giue light and heate to vs on Earth without descending corporally to vs. Then for the exposition of the wordes of the Sacrament This is my body they professe to expone them as Saint Paul expones them who sayes that the bread which we break is the communion of the body of 1 Cor. 10 16. 1 Cor. 11 25. Iesus the cup which wee blesse is the Communion of the blood of Christ and as Christ speaking of the cup it must be exponed This cup is the new Testament or covenant in my blood and according to the vsuall forme of the Scripture language concerning Sacraments where the name of the gift is giuen to the Seale to assure them who faithully receaue the one that they are made sure of the other or the name of a mercie bestowed is given to the memoriall of it to make the acknowledgment of that mercy more fresh and liuelie Seeing that therefore J could find for the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation no warrand of the Lords worde and by that doctrine no ground of infallible certaintie to free mee from Idolatrie but on the contrare grounds of assurance that it could not bee that God would expose his Sonne any more to personall suffering of such indignities as is done him in the Masse Let any man iudge whether I had reason to sute to bee receaued to the communion with him according to the warrand of his owne worde and bee free for euer from all perill of that grosse Idolatrie CHAP. 10. The Masse drawes away from Christs rule of the Sacrament and defaces his institution THe next reason why J call the Masse an errour is because it doth leade men away from the right rule of the Sacrament to follow mens deuices and forged mysticall rites of mens appoyntments whereof the Lord hath pronounced in generall In vaine doe they worship mee teaching for doctrine the precepts of men Which howsoeuer they bee in estimation among men yet are abominable before God for our Lord Jesus beeing to leaue the World in regarde of his corporall presence thought good to appoynt a holy Supper wherein hee will haue his bodilie sufferings and bloodshed and death represented and brought to fresh remembrance by the breaking of bread and wine powred out in a cup and the Soules of his faithfull ones fed comforted in the assurance that his body was broken for them and his blood shed for the remission of their sinnes by eating of the bread broken and drinking of the wine powred in the cup which eating and drinking should bee to them a pledge and seale of their spirituall coniunction with CHRIST and partaking of his life as certainely wrought by his spirit as if these elements which they did eate and drinke were ioyned with their bodies Then which ordinance of our Lord nothing can bee more sweet to a Soule that considers his purpose therein and therefore he hath commanded not his Ministers only but his whole Church on Earth to doe this in remembrance of him following his example as he hath caused set down by his pen-men in his Testament to bee followed till his second comming againe But the Church of Rome as her defection hath growne peece and peece hath so far departed from the rule that scarsly now in their Masse can the footsteps of Christs ordinance be seene for vnder pretense that they are not tied to follow these circumstances which were proper to the first Supper such as are the time after Supper the place an vpper Chamber the number of persons eleuen or twelue the sexe men only and not women which any man may perceiue to bee proper to that first time and not belonging to the nature of the Sacrament if these circumstances were vrged vniversally they should marre and hinder that action and the comfort of the communicants women beeing secluded the night taking when the day was free a chamber taking wherein all the Church could not assemble and twelue only admitted where fourtie twelues were prepared and waiting on vnder pretense I say of not beeing tied to these foure circumstances when they may be prejudiciall to the action they haue taken libertie to alter the substance and sacramentall rites of this Supper left to be imitate by all Christs Churches till his second cōming again for as thogh Christs ordināce had beene too base and simple they haue deuised to cloath their Priests in brodering of silk and siluer and gold and to make sumptuous Masse cloathes to set out their work with all As if Christ his ceremonies had beene of small signification they haue casten them by and appoynted new ones of their owne making mysticall significations of their owne deuising As if the Apostle Paul had superfluously from Christs mouth giuen commandement to the common people to drink of the cup they haue cutte off the halfe of the peoples comfort and witholden the cup from them As if the Lord had not done wisely in vsing plaine language to his disciples such as they vnderstood they haue rolled vp all in an vncouth language commanding that Masse should only bee said in Latine As if our Lord had not well considered what belongs to the holynesse of such a worke in taking such bread as was vsuall in the Land and as the Master of the house laid downe before him to Supper they haue made a round Masse bread the quantitie of twelvepence or sixpence and as thin as they can cause it sticke together with a stamped crucifixe on the one side of it for the purpose they haue turned the communion of a number to the Priests drinking and eating alone the Lords table to a stone Altar the memoriall of his death to an imaginary corporall presence the seale of Gods giuing of Christ vnto men into mens offering vp of Christ to God Gods Sacrament into mans sacrificing of the sonne of God to the Father in a worde they haue turned Christs holy Supper in the Popes Masse and so what by adding what by pairing what by altering and chopping and changing they haue mutilated deformed and defaced Gods ordinance falsified King Jesus his great seale and corrupted his testament that he who is partaker of the Masse thinking to get Gods blessing by it casts himselfe in danger of Gods curse for beeing
which means they not only bring peoples mindes in a seruile subjection to themselues for none can haue more Commandement ouer one than their Father confessour but also by their intelligencing this way make the Pope their Monarch dreadfull to all Kings of the Earth for he will doe more by a syde Cloake and a sharp knife in one houre than the mightiest Prince in the Earth will doe by fourtie thousand armed men in a long time yet hee should doe lesse harme if hee were lesse dred for when men are more feared to grieue the Pope than God what wonder the Lord let him bee a scourge to them This their strong sort of Gouernement more wittilie deuised than euer the old Senate disposed the ruling of the conquered Prouinces or conquering of new they second with the extreame show and externall luster of holinesse and Religion For the multitude of Religious Orders with houses and Closters and persons in them with the pretense of their single and chast life the multitude of Religious exercises Canonicke houres fastes Feastes holy dayes the multitude of Altars Jmages and rich Ornaments of their Churches the multitude of all sort of Ceremonies that may carry appearance of Diuinitie The multitude of poore people enduring pennance going in Pilgrimage the wonderfull mercilesnesse of poore tormented consciences scourging themselues openlie in their streetes with their faces couered at the direction sometimes of their confessour sometimes voluntarlie supposing this way to doe away their sinnes and pacifie Gods wrath and their owne perplexed conscience together with the profession of the common grounds of Christianitie which Papists makes show of so astonishes the mindes of the simple people so rauishes and amazes ignorant on-lookers so inchants and so bewitches the multitude that they cannot thinke but God will be as well pleased with such follies as they are themselves not knowing what is pleasant to him by his own Word or that will-worship though neuer so specious is abominable to him Then to back and beamfill all comes in their seminarie Priests and preaching Friers and the late ordour of the Jesuits by all their powerfull persuasion to presse the receauing of the grounds of Roman Religion vpon men and by a shew of Philosophy and the Wisedome of this Worlde that comes to nought and the opposition of science falsly so called the instruments whereby Sathan opposed the Apostles of old they striue to make all seeme good that the Roman Church doeth and that all is euill that they doe not But where shall all the riches bee gotten to vphold such a statelie Monarchie as this and so many seruants of that state for answere they haue so many points of gain full doctrine as first of the merit of good works supererogation of the merites of Saints which furnisheth the treasure of the Church of Rome among which goode workes especiallie Almes this must be held for a principle that those who haue wealth cannot doe a more meritorious worke to purchase heauen by than by largelie bestowing vpon religious men and their maintainance Secondly the Doctrine of pennance and of indulgence and satisfaction which sometime rendred the Sea of Rome a great deale more than now it doeth and yet brings hudge moneyes to that Sea Thirdly the doctrine of purgatorie nothing inferiour to any of the former for these who could not be enduced to giue thē any thing largely in the time of their life at the time of their death for feare of Purgatory to the end that they may win out of Purgatorie fire soone by the vertue of Soul masses religious mens devotiō will be willing to mortify or leaue in Legacie what their Fatherconfessor thinks expedient and that of the readiest Fourthlie the straite vrging the thre-fold vow of single life povertie Canonicall obedience vpon all them whom they can persuade to rander themselfe religious For by this meanes the seuerall Religious ordours but especially the Jesuites if they can by any meanes persuade a man of wealth or a rich burges heire a Noble mans son or an heritour of Lands as they persuade too too many to bee of their ordours then hee renounces all his means to bee disposed vpon by the superiour of the ordour and hee himselfe with the rest professes pouertie and liues vpon the common Purse or his purchase if hee be sent out or imployed in seruice These and many moe means vnsearchable they haue of drawing in Rents moyons to themself beside offrings to Altars extraordinary masse Casualitie at burials and such lik In al which things and sindrie other poynts both of practise and doctrine they will bee sparing in any part where they are seeking to make conquest as in Scotland or England or Ireland for feare to lose their prey but when and where they are settled any man that trauells if he please may try the trueth whether it bee not as J say and more for I will bee sparing to speake all lest I should see me to taxe particular persons rather than to seeke the furtherance of the true and disgrace of counterfeit Religion CHAP. 8. That the Scriptures imperfection and obscuritie is wrongfully alledged by Papists THus hauing at length discouered the main pillar of Popedome with some of their humane policies for vpholding the same I wil speake shortly a worde or two against the imperfection obscuritie which they alledge of the Scripture This saying is so blasphen ous against God the author of the Scripture Let the Lord 2 Tim. 3. 15. 16. 17. Ioh 5. 39. answere for himself By his Apostle All Scripture is giuen by diuine inspiration c. That the man of God may be made perfect throughly furnished vnto all good works And by his sonne who hath giuen Commandement to those who thinks to haue eternall life to search the Scriptures Jf thou will obey this command constantly praying to God for knowledge dayly the Lord shall show thee in reading of it that they are his enemies who haue so disgraced his writings wherefore I would persuade young Schollers and others of young yeeres to drink in the knowledge of the Scriptures and neuer to quite the light thereof which the Lord hath appointed to direct vs. Wee haue also a more sure Word of Prophesie whereunto yee doe 2 Pet. 1. 19. well that yee take heede as vnto a light that shineth in a dark place c. Next when doubts of Religion are casten in their minde the not running to God by Prayer as the fountaine of Religion and to such Godly and truelie learned men who are content that all they say bee examined according to the Scripture is a speciall cause of provocation of God to giue them ouer to belieue lyes who thus despysing the right meanes and loue of the trueth will not goe to law and testimonies Isaiah 8. 20 1. Tim. 4. 1. Rom. 1. 21. as God directeth them But giues eare to seducing Spirites and doctrine of Deuills as the Apostle calles them
guiltie of so manifold dishonoring of the sonne of God CHAP. 11. The Masse drawes men from the true Christ to adore and belieue in a false Christ THe third reason why J call the Masse and their pretended transubstantiation in it an errour is this Because it hath drawne mee and doth drawe all that beleeues it from the true Christ Jesus described in the holy Scripture to a false Christ forged in their fantasie and braines of men giuen ouer for the time to the spirit of delusion in all things contrare to the true Christ our Sauiour the sonne of God for the true Christ is so described to vs in holy Scripture that if an Apostle or Angell from Heauen teach another Gospell especially Gal. 1 8. about the person of Jesus Christ let him bee accursed as the Apostle sayes Well then the Scripture giues vs to vnderstand that the true Christ hath assumed not the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham Heb. 2. 14 16. euen our nature of the virgine Mary Partaker of flesh and blood in substance properties like to vs in all things except sinne who himselfe hath giuen vs warrand to account of any obtruded in his name as a false Christ But the doctrine of the Masse drawes vs to a pretended Christ the substance of whose bodie is made of the substance of bread changed by the force of fiue latine wordes said by a Romish Priest Hoc est enim corpus meum Secondly the true Christ his bodie is sensible might be seene touched handled and felt as sensibly as any mans body not only before his death when hee bare our infirmitie but also after his resurrection when he had laide downe our infirmities made vp of flesh and bones the verie same that hang vpon the crosse fastned with nails as himselfe testifies Behold my hands and my feete that it Luc. 24. 39. is I my self handle mee and see mee for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as yee see mee to haue sayth hee wherein hee giues vs all to vnderstand that he wil not haue vs to think that hee hath another body or substance now after his resurrection than he had before his crucifying Next to proue the veritie of his reall and corporall presence he appeales to the true testimony of all their senses being contented that they shuld not esteem him bodily present except they saw and felt him to haue flesh and bones but the Doctours of the Masse teach men to beleeue in and to adore a Christ whose body is borne vp betwixt the Priests finger and his thumbe which neither can be seen nor felt nor any wayes is sensible a false Christ who may not abyde the proof and rule which the true Christ hath set downe in his word to try the trueth of his body and bodily presence by Thirdly the true Christ grew vp from a childe to the ordinarie stature of men before his death and beeing dead his body took vp proportionall rowm in the Sepulchre so that when hee was now risen the Linnings wherein his body was wrapped were found in the sepulchre some of them at the part where his feete lay and some at the part where his head lay and after his resurrection hee shewed his hands and feete in the owne due proportion distant one from another in place but the Papists are made to worship a Christ in the Masse whose head and feete and all the partes of his bodye compleet are not only in the boundes of their paper-thin hostie but in euerie preene poynt rowme of the same for this is their expresse doctrine that Corpus Christi est totum in tota hostiâ totum in quolibet puncto that the body of Christ is whole in the whole hostie and whole in euerie poynt or part thereof Fourthlie the true Christ will not haue vs to imagine of his body that euer it was or shall bee in many places at one time for when Ioseph and his mother sought him three dayes they could not find him till they came to the very place where only he was in the Temple disputing with the doctours when he was vpon the mount he was not bodilie any where else when hee was on this side of the Sea he was not on that side when he was in the wildernesse pinnacle of the Temple in the ship in the house there he was and no where else when he was in the graue his body was not risen and when hee rose the Angell sayeth of the graue he is not here hee is risen behold the place where the Lord lay when hee was with his disciples he sayes himselfe hee was not ascended when hee ascended hee left his disciples in regard of his bodilie presence not to come againe in bodily presence vntill hee came to take them to that place which hee went to prepare for them but these doctours tell vs that their Christ in whom they belieue whom they command to be worshipped hath a body which at an instant and poynt of time is in an hundreth places within a Church and in fiue hundreth places of the same Church is not in a word hath a body which is in as many consecrated hosties as are in the World at one time though there will be thousands dayly and which body is in no other place or space betwixt the hosties and yet will avow that such a body is but one single and the same body vndivided which was borne of the Virgin and hang vpon the crosse so peart are they to hold vp their false Christ by calling him the true when hee hath nothing of this trueth that is in our Lord. Fifthly the true Christ once died from his giuing vp the ghost vpō the crosse vntill his resurrectiō but after that he dieth no more but is aliue for euermore he suffers no more bodily his blood is shed no more his soule no more seuered from his body this is the Christ which the Scripture teaches vs to beleeue into and to worship but the Popish doctrine drawes these silly soules that beleeues them to beleeue and adore such a Christ whose verie substantiall body is bathed and swimmes in his owne naturall and true blood dayly for when the Priest consecrateth the chalice then the wine as they say is turned substantially in blood as certainly really as Christ changed water into wine Now when the hostie is broken and a part thereof put in the consecrate chalice among the verie blood as they teach which hostie and every part thereof as they say doth containe the very body of Iesus doe I speake any thing but according to their doctrine when I say that that Christ of theirs swimmes dayly in his owne blood incace they abide at their doctrine teaching that Christs words in the Sacrament are taken literally for these words This is my body taking the wordes literally must haue another sense than these wordes This is my blood and so the words beeing taken literally