at the day of Judgment That light is come â—nto the world and men love darkness rather than â—ight because their deeds are evil they hear of Christ but will not come and believe in him nor reign up the conduct and government of their souls â—nto him and this Ordinance of the Lords-Supper 〈◊〉 to quicken and strengthen the believers graces and 〈◊〉 shew forth the transcendent wisdom and grace of â—od in contriving and bringing to pass this blessed â—ork of mans Redemption by his only begotten â—n Jesus Christ This holy Ordinance may be compared with â—â—ly reverence unto a tender hearted loving Husband that is just taking his leave of his dearly beâ—â—ed Wife and going some long voyage by Sea or â—â—he tedious journey by Land And at his departure when he taketh his leave of his wife he saith 〈…〉 long time from thee therefore I will leave this Diamond Ring or this precious Jewel with thee as a Token of my intire love and affections unto thee for thee to remember me during my absence until I return unto thee again But when he returneth his Wife hath no need of the Ring or Jewel to remember him by because he himself is now personally present with her why even so our Lord Jesus Christ our Head and Husband just the very night in which he was betrayed leaves this Ordinance this precious Jewel with his Spouse the Church as a Love-token for to remember him by during his absence while he is personally sitting at the right hand of God the Father as you may observe from them words of our Saviour Do this in remembrance of me The true Catholick Apostolick Church is Christ's Spouse Cant. 5.1 I am come into my Garden my Sistor my Spouse and Christ is the Church's Husband Isa 54.5 For thy maker is thy Husband the Lord of Hosts is his name and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Isael the God of the whole Earth shall he be called But if this Doctrine of Transubstantiation in your sense be true viz. that the Bread and Wine is Transubstantiated into the very person of Christ namely into Body Soul and Divinity which makes up the compleat person of Christ as much now as he was before and after his Death and Resurrection and as much as he will be at the great day of Judgment for he will be then in Body Soul and Divinity but there will not be one soul that will even dare to stand by and own this strange Doctrine in that day any otherwise than to abhor it and to be ashamed of it And Christ is in Body Soul and Divinity now at the right hand of God in Glory But if this Doctrine of yours be true That Christ is Personally and Corporeally present every time that the Priest saith the Mass Then first in the first place It will consequentially follow that either the Priest maketh a new Christ every time the Mass is said and so we have one Christ personally in Heaven and they have thousands of Christs personally upon Earth Or Secondly They fetch down Christ materially personally from the right hand of God the Father And if so then in the third place Christ has no time at all in Heaven with the Father I call it time in Heaven for distinction sake to intercede and plead as an Advocate and Mediator with God the Father for sinners all his time would be taken up and spent in attending upon the Priests every time they say Mass in all those many remote places round the Globe almost which takes in their Mass-hours perhaps all the four and twenty Hours being upon several Horrizons Fourthly If this Doctrine be true then Christ is come and then this Ordinance ceases to be as I conceive and there needs no such thing to remember him by or to shew 〈…〉 swade him to stay when he is come in your Mass for according to your Doctrine there is a compleat Christ that cometh in the Mass every time it is said for when Christ doth come from the right hand of God to judg the quick and the dead as you your selves do confess and own in your own Creed to my own certain knowledg which I shall have occasion to speak more of by and by for Christ will come then in no other manner as to his person than in Body Soul and Divinity if he went to Heaven so he will come again so as you may see Act. 1.11 Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into Heaven this same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven Now if Christ be thus come then I humbly conceive this Ordinance should be at an end for when once the substance is come then the shadows must flee away and cease to be for what need the children of the Bride-chamber mourn when the Bridegroom shall come again to them and be with them for ever for what need a man have any thing to put him in mind or to remember a friend that is always present with him and is always before his eyes Why when Christ doth come his people shall see him eye to eye Isa 52.8 and Rev. 1.7 Behold he cometh in the Clouds and every eye shall see him And they also which pierced him that shall be both Jews and Gentiles Zech. 12.10 Again thirdly the same Apostle saith That Christ was to be offered up but once and he gives this as one reason of it viz. for saith he If he had been offered up often then must he have suffered often since the foundation of the world And the Apostle Peter whom some do count Prince of the Apostles saith That Christ suffered once 1 Pet. 3.18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sin the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the spirit Mark ye it was the humane flesh or body of Christ that suffered and died and not his Godhead for that is not capable of suffering I pray Sir observe these following Scriptures and believe them Heb. 9.25 26 28. For Christ is not entered into the holy place made without hands which are the forerunners of the true but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high Priests entered into the holy place every year with the blood of others for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world But now in the end of the world hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself So Christ was once offered to bear the sin of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto Salvation Here you see Christ was ordained and appointed to be offered up but once and that was a sufficient sacrifice for sin in the wisdom and account of God but you 〈◊〉 once offering up himself
hear how our Saviour Christ hath expounded his own meaning who spake as never man spake like him he has given a clear interpretation of these mystical Scriptures afore mentioned that this eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood is to be understood Symbolically Spiritually and Sacramentally by faith to Commemorate the great love of God in the Transaction of mans Redemption by the Death and Sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ But thus much for the words of our Saviour Christ for the present But secondly in the second place let us hear the full of what the Apostle Paul saith unto this Doctrine also for give me leave to tell ye Sir that you have quoted but part of the Apostle's words you have curtailed his words also in the 1 Cor. 11.23 25 26. For I have received of the Lord that which also I deliver unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and said Take this my body Thus far you go Take Eat this my body what Body was that why it was Christ's Sacramental Body namely the Bread and Wine which are the Signs of his Body which prefigures out unto us his real material Body which was Crucified without the Gates of Jerusalem it is to Commemorate the Death and Sufferings of Christ and all the Benefits and Blessings which did flow forth unto poor lost and undone fallen man for all that ever did believe or that ever should believe in him and expect eternal life and salvation upon the account of his Righteousness and Merits alone through the aid and agency of the Eternal blessed and holy Spirit and all this comes flowing unto us from that Blessed fountain of all the Christians Mercies namely the Eternal love of God the Father which was the efficient or first moving cause of all And as the Glorious Trinity had all a hand in making man so they all have a hand in redeeming man. But again this is that Body which was evidently set forth Crucified before the Galatians eyes Gal. 3.1 It was the Representation of Christ's Crucified Body in the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper among the Galatians and not the Real Crucifixion of his Substantial Body without the Gates of Jerusalem And this is that Body which the Apostle saith Take Eat this my body that was his Sacramental body or the sign of his body In the Sacrament of the Lords Supper that was crucified and nothing else and this is that body which all true believers in the Sacrament do discern and partake of and eat now in the Churches of Christ and all this is done by faith in a holy Reverential Remembrance of Christ to shew forth his Death till he come After the same manner also he took the Cup when he had supped saying This Cup is the New Testament in my blood this do ye as often as ye drink it in remembrance Which latter words you always omit and take no notice at all of them which words carry great weight in them if you would but be so kind unto your own souls as to adhere unto them for saith the Apostle As often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew the Lords Death till he come This Ordinance was Instituted by our Saviour Christ himself the same night in which he was betrayed And at that time Christ did partake of iâ— with his Disciples so that if your Doctrine oâ— Transubstantiation be true then Christ must make his body at that time and eat himself body soulâ— and Divinity and so he had two bodies one to eaâ— with and the other to be eaten or otherwise hâ— must give the same body which he was then in unto his Disciples to eat and to drink nay that 〈◊〉 not all for he must eat his own body and yet 〈◊〉 visible at the Table with them at the same time nay that is not all for he must eat all his Disciple or Members and also all his Members that partaâ—â— of this Ordinance must eat him for every true believer is in Christ and Christ is in them nay thâ— is not all for every true believer when he partakeâ— of this Ordinance according to your Doctrine mâ— not only eat Christ carnally but he must also 〈◊〉 his own self Nay that is not all for he must 〈◊〉 the Church too for all is in Christ and Christ is God. I in them saith our Saviour and thou in 〈◊〉 that they may be one as thou art one And in the 1 〈◊〉 10.16 17. The cup of blessing which we bless is it 〈◊〉 the communion of the blood of Christ the bread which break is it not the communion of the body of Christ 〈◊〉 we being many are one bread and one body for we 〈◊〉 all partakers of that one bread Here the Church called bread and it is called body also as our 〈◊〉 viour Christ is in the Sacrament and at the Sacrament also in 〈…〉 once more Every individual person that partaketh of this Ordinance must eat the body of Christ singly and intirely or else they divide Christ and so eat but a part of a Christ as you Laicks do for you have but a very dry lifeless Christ that hath not one drop of blood in his veins so that so many partakers so many Christs there must be which must be a jolly company of them indeed But Christ as he was God did make or prepare his own material body Heb. 10. but whither will these Absurdities hurry us I could name many more that this Doctrine affords us some of which will necessarily and consequentially fall in my way in the remaining part of my Discourse Secondly Again in the next place this Ordinance is to be kept up and celebrated during Christ's absence until some eminent and glorious appearance of his in his Churches which appearance I humbly conceive under correction will â—ender this Ordinance useless by the Apostle's words viz. Ye do shew the Lords Death till he come that is until Christ come I do not remember that I tread that Christ after he Instituted this Ordinance did ever partake of it himself nor his Disciples neither during Christ's personal presence with them until after his Ascension And this Ordinance doth also shew unto the world â—he great undertaking of Christ who trod the Wine-press of God's wrath alone and of the people there was none with him he bore the wrath of God for sin that was due unto sinners that poor sinners might be made partakers of the love and grace of God he was made a curse for sinners Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written Cursed is every â—ne that hangeth on a tree He bore the curse to purchase the blessing of Eternal life and Salvation for all that believe in him And this is that which will mightily aggravate the condemnation of the wicked world
are all partakers of that one bread Believers have Communion with a Crucified Saviour in this Ordinance by Faith in him and Love to him And our Saviour Christ and the Apostles gave both the Bread and the Wine unto all the Members that did partake as well to the Lay-People as to the Ecclesiasticks without any the least Exception in them words of our Saviour's command Drink ye all of it and you will hear that it is called Bread and breaking of Bread in several places of the Sacred Scripture Acts 2.42 And they continued stedfast in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers 1 Cor. 10.16 17. The cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ The bread which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ For we being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one bread that is Christ the Bread of Life Here it is said Communion with the Blood and with the Bread that is thus Believers have Communion with a crucified Redeemer and Communion and Fellowship one with another in that Holy Ordinance of the Lords Supper As you may see in the same Chapter 20 21. verses all those that make a Sacrifice of the Ordinance of the Lords Supper have fellowship with Devils But in the 17 verse there the true Gospel-Church is called Bread and so is Christ her Head also both the Head and the Body which is the Church are called Bread. And in Acts 20.7 And upon the first day of the week when the Disciples came together to break bread Paul preached unto them ready to depart on the morrow Thus you see it was called Bread and not Flesh both in the first Institution of the Ordinance by our Saviour Christ himself and likewise by the Apostles at the Celebration of this Holy Ordinance among the Disciples Therefore this eating of Christ's Body and drinking his Blood is to be understood no otherwise than our Saviour Christ intended and appointed it which was Spiritual and Sacramental for to commemorate his death and sufferings and all the blessed fruits and effects that do flow therefrom into the souls of Believers There is a feeding upon Christ in every Spiritual Gospel-Ordinance of God in Religious Worship and Discipline by Faith the Gospel-Ordinances are a feast of fat things full of marrow of wine from the lees well refined as the Prophet Isaiah calls it and on them the souls of Believers do feed and feast with and upon the Lord Jesus Christ And this feeding upon Christ's Body and drinking his Blood in the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper as well as in all other Ordinances of the Gospel aforesaid is to be done by faith as I have already proved for every believing soul doth live upon Christ by faith who is 〈…〉 of Scriptures to prove the veracity or truth of thâ— same and here following I shall lay down some feâ—â— Scriptures instead of many which do import anâ—â— clearly manifest the same and I will begin witâ—â— Joh. 8.24 I said therefore unto you that ye shall die 〈◊〉 your sins for if ye believe not that I am he ye shall dâ—â—â— in your sins 1 Joh. 3.23 And this is his Commanâ—ment that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesâ—â— Christ Here is God the Father's command for iâ—â— Christ doth not say If you do not eat me Body Soul and Divinity ye shall die but if you do nâ—â— believe that I am he ye shall die in your sins because ye believed not that I am he because ye dâ—â— not obey me nor my Father's command as if ouâ—â— Saviour should have said Rom. 10.9 10. That 〈◊〉 thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shaâ—â— believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with the heart maâ—â— believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation Act. 16.30 31. Wheâ— the sturdy Jaylor was convinced he said Sirs Whaâ— must I do to be saved The Apostles did not tell him that he must go and eat Christ's substantial Body No but they told him that he must believe on thâ— Lord Jesus Christ and he should be saved and his house Joh. 12.46 I am come a light into the world thaâ— whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness Joh. 17.3 And this is Life Eternal that they might know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hasâ— sent How must they know God and Christ so aâ— they might have Eternal Life why only by believing in him Joh. 20.21 But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus ss the Christ the Son of God and believing ye might have life through his name Joh. 3.16 17 36. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life For God seâ—â— not his Son into the world to condemn the world but thaâ— the world through him might be saved He that believetâ— on the Son hath eternal life and he that believeth nâ—â— the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideâ— on him Joh. 5.24 Verily verily I say unto you 〈◊〉 that believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting lifâ— and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life Joh. 6.29 Jesus answered and faâ—â— unto them This is the work of God that ye believe 〈◊〉 him whom he hath sent Thus you see dear Sir that I have answered yoâ— fully and clearly and I have faithfully prove from the Holy Bible which is my only Library and also I have proved from Reason for God deaâ—eth with us as Rational Creatures that our Saviour Christ is to be eaten and drunken by faith and iâ— love Spiritually and Sacramentally in that Hoâ—â— Ordinance of the Lords-Supper for it is a Lovâ— feast in remembrance of the greatest love that 〈…〉 gave his only begotten Son to die for it and this â—ove of Christ that was stronger than death we are â—o commemorate in that Ordinance by feeding by â—aith upon a Crucified Saviour and not to eat him Corporeally and Substantially in his Person as you of the Roman Catholick Perswasion do vainly pretend to believe and imagine the Lord inlighten your minds in the true Knowledg of Christ and sanctifie your understandings and change your wills and make you willing in the day of his power for this is a very dangerous gross Error and such a one as cannot be parallell'd but in the case of the poor blind Jews for by this Doctrine of Personal Priests and Material Altars and Sacrifices you do put your selves back from under the Gospel dispensation and lay your selves under the Mosaical Law and the consequence of it is this it is inevitably and clearly a down-right denying Jesus Christ being come in the Flesh Pray Sir Consider what I have said and so
will give fâ—â— the life of the world that is that all Believers shouâ—â— live Spiritually by the blessed fruits and effects whiâ—â— is produced by Christs taking flesh upon him Tâ—â— Jews they were offended at this Mystical Spiritual Doctrine of Christ because it was not given 〈◊〉 them to believe the Jews therefore strove amoâ— themselves saying How can this man give us his fâ—â— to eat as indeed well they might if it had bâ— to be understood literally and properly as they â—â—nally and vainly through unbelief did conceive 〈◊〉 imagin that the words was spoken Then Jesus 〈◊〉 unto them Verily verily I say unto you Except you the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood ye 〈◊〉 no life in you And in vers 60. there Christ's Dâ—â—ples were stumbled and offended at this Doctrine saying of his Many therefore of his Disciples where had heard this said This is an hard saying who can hâ—â— But now I pray Sir mind strictly the woâ—â— our Saviour and you shall hear how plainly clearly he himself has expounded and unfolded his own meaning unto us of this eating his 〈◊〉 and drinking his blood in the 61 62 63. 〈◊〉 When Jesus knew in himself that his Disciples murâ—â— at it he said unto them Doth this offend you whâ—â— if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he 〈◊〉 fore it is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh pâ—â— nothing the words that I speak unto you they are and they are life As if our Blessed Lord and Saviour should said Do you think that I intend by 〈◊〉 â—hat I have spoken unto you to cut and carve out â—he flesh of my real substantial and finite body â—nd give it unto you to eat And likewise broach â—â—y material blood and let that out of my â—eins and give it unto you to drink for if I should â—o so it would not quicken you unto spiritual life â—â— must be my Spirit that must do that and not my â—esh for the flesh profiteth nothing But besides â—â—l that with what body must I suffer in and die â—â— redeem the World in And with what body â—â—all I arise in from the dead And with what body â—â—all I ascend up into glory in where I was before â—amely where I was before ever I assumed this marial finite body made of material flesh and blood â— Act. 1.9 there is his Ascention and in Heb. 10.5 there â—his Body which God the Father prepared for him And again if Christ's substantial body be eaten â—â—d his real material blood be drunken literally in 〈◊〉 Sacrament of the Eucharist then consequentialâ—â— must Christ's sinless spotless holy body see corruption which is Diametrically contrary to the â—â—ly Word of God both in the Old Testament and 〈◊〉 New Psal 16.10 11. For thou wilt not leave my 〈◊〉 in hell neither wilt thu suffer thine holy One to see corruption Acts 2.26 27 31. Therefore did my heart â—â—â—yce and my tongue was glad moreover also my flesh 〈◊〉 rest in hope Because thou wilt not leave my soul in 〈◊〉 neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corâ—â—â—ion He seeing this before spake of the resurrection Christ that his soul was not left in hell neither his 〈◊〉 did see corruption Now Sir if this Doctrine yours of Transubstantiation in your sense be 〈◊〉 why then Christ the Holy one of God whose â—â—less nature was without the least Tincture of 〈◊〉 or any kind of inclination thereunto must see â—â—â—ption ay and must be turned into corruption 〈◊〉 yea and that into the very worst sort of maâ—â—l corruption namely into Man's Excrements â—nto Man's Dung and that as often as the 〈◊〉 saith the Mass For I pray you what does beâ—â—â—e of what we do eat and drink Is it not turned corruption Ay and the Body that eats it too 〈◊〉 be turned into Corruption Meat is for the 〈◊〉 and the Belly for Meat but both are for â—â—â—ption or Destruction And pray mind what â—aviour saith of what we do eat in Matt. 15.17 â—â—t ye yet understand that whatsoever entereth in at â—outh goeth into the belly and is cast into the â—â—â—ht I could be larger here as well as in most â—â—e rest of these points but I must consult breâ—â—or as I hope a publick good and leave the 〈◊〉 to expatiate upon it in his own mind thoÌ„ resolved to write the most part of the Scripâ—â—â—â— that I have occasion to quote at length and â—â—eatest reason for it is this because that it may â—â—entially fall into the hands of some perhaps 〈…〉 keep one or look into it and for their sakes I do not repent my labour that this may put them upon getting the holy Bible and looking into it to see if these things be so or no Acts 17.11 These were more noble than those in Thessulonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so The Holy Scriptures are able to make persons wise unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 which is the greatest wisdom of all John 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testifie of me Christ expresly commands us to search the Scriptures But your Church expresly forbids it Who shall we obey Christ who is Infallible or your Church which pretends to be so Again Our Saviour Christ has but one humane body and that is a finite body Heb. 4.15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin And therefore our Saviour's Body was not to see corruption because it never did see sin so as to be tainted in the least measure with it and therefore Christ could never have died had it not been for the sins of his people because the wages of sin is death And if Christ will take Believers sins upon him he must take the wages also that was due unto them And therefore it is said that he tasted death for every man that is for every man that ever did or that ever should believe in him But because his sin was by imputation and not inherent in his nature as ours is but only by imputation therefore tho he tasted death for every man and by that took the curse or sting that is in death away for all Believers yet his holy Body did not see corruption Death could not hold him because there was no sin in him but it was upon him by imputation as Sinners are made righteous even so Christ was made a sinner for as Sinners are made righteous by the Righteousness of Christ imputed unto them so Christ was made a Sinner by imputing our sins unto him but not by Contamination or Pollution but as a Surety for if Christ had had no more sin upon him than he had in him he could never have died it had been impossible for it would have been