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
Further when men knowes God and glorifies him not as God they become vaine in their owne imagination and their foolish hearts are darkened in Gods iustice as is said of the Gentiles If thou will not obey this forsaid command and counsell it is as needlesse to dispute this question further before thee as to dispute what taste the honey or the honey combe hath with them that neuer tasted thereof for feare it poyson them And this much for the first part I promised to speake which was of their Religion in generall CHAP. 9. No certaintie to haue the true Christ or to bee free from Idolatrie of a false Christ in the Masse FOllowes heare the next poynt whereof J promised to speake to wit of the Masse but I shall shall insist most vpon that grosse here sie of transubstantiation For vpholding wherof their special ground is the words of the institution This is my bodie which neuer can inforce transubstantiation for first Bellarmine in his third booke of the Eucharist Secundo dicit chap. 23 c. Declares that Scotus sayes there is no place of Scripture so plaine that compelles euidently to admit transubstantitaion without the declaration of the Church And Bellarmine himselfe acknowledges that not altogether to bee improbable Next they aggrie not them selues vpon the exposition of these words so that they cannot condescend vpon the verie first word HOC this as Bellarmine acknowledges of the Eucharist Where refusing the opinion of other Catholicks hee takes him to this interpretation that HOC This signifieth sub his speciebus contentum contained vnder these speces which indeed is an vncouth acception of the worde such as is not to bee found in any author either diuine or hu mane and yet it makes nothing to the purpose forit may euer bee demanded what is that which is Sub his speciebus vnder these speces for that must bee either the bread or the bodie of Christ if they vnderstand the bodie of Christ then the meaning in their exposition is the bodie of Christ is the bodie of Christ Which neither agries with Christs purpose nor yet proues their purpose for the body of Christ may bee the body of Christ and yet no change made of the bread in the substance of Christs bodie And by This if they vnderstand bread then the force of the words will bee This breadis Christs bodie But neither will this proue their purpose because it is not saide the substance of this Bread is changed in the substance of Christes body as they expone it But only This is my body which no more can inferre the change of substance in substance then these wordes which hee saide I am the true vyne can inferre a substantiall change of himselfe Ioh. 15. 1. 5. 1. Cor. 11. 25. in a vine tree or these words which hee said in the same Supper as the Apostle Paul showes This cup is the new Testament can enforce either the change of the substance of the cup or of the vine in the cup in a Testament So I could finde no warrand out of Christs words for transubstantiation J might well take their worde for it in stead of Christs Next their doctrine could giue mee no infallible certaintie that I should bee free from worshiping an J doll and the fantasie of my owne braine in stead of Christ when J came to the Masse for their doctrine is except the Priest haue a speciall intention to consecrate albeit hee say Masse that no transubstantiation will follow and so all that are present at the Masse are deceiued as they grant Now what can any man haue but a probable conjecture or charitable opinion or strong apprehension of another mans intention infallible certaintie can he not haue And I in speciall who knew certainly some of these Priests who were chosen and sent out by their superiours to propagate the Romish Religion subiect to as grosse faultes in their life for drunkennesse and sundrie other vices as other sinfull Laicks as they call them and yet part of them said Masse many a time both neere hand and further off how could I then but be suspense about their intention and how could J but doubt whether God would bee pleased at such mens intentions to change bread in Christs body and to put Christ in their hands and mouthes and to allow them to bee Priests to offer the Sonne of God his body in a sacrifice to the Father J know what they vse to answere in such cases that the Peoples worshipping of a supposed transubstantiat hostie were but materiall Jdolatrie because their purpose was to worship the true Christ when they worshiped only bread and the Idoll of their owne imagination But alace this is a poore shift and no better than if one should comfort a woman who had lyen with another besides her husband saying to her no matter this adulterie of thine is but materiall only and not formall because thy purpose was to giue thy body to thy husband and no other For the Scripture compares Idolatrie Ieremie 3. 1. 2. and adulterie together verie often Thirdly I found their transubstantiation builded vpon a pretense of making men certaine of their communion and coniunction with Christ which coniunction if it may bee sure without a corporall presence of his body their transubstantiation is a needlesse fiction Now I vnderstand certainly that howsoeuer the Papists doe traduce Ministers as if they fed people with signes and shadowes yet they belieue and teach that they are made sure of Iesus our Lord. First by his couenant and promise as these that are espoused beeing faithfull one to another are made sure one of another before their compleet marriage by mutuall affection of heart consent and couenant and mutuall promise for which cause the spouse in the Canticles many a yeere before Christs incarnation said My beloued is mine and I am Cant. 2. 16. his Next they belieue and teach that they are made sure of Christ by his owne great Seales annexed to his couenant the two Sacraments Baptisme and the Lords Supper which the Lord hath ordained to be the pawns pledges and Seales of himself his gifts and his graces bestowed vpon them and so are made sure of Christ and his grace for their Saluation as men are made sure of the Kings gift when they haue his royall donation and his great Seales annexed thereto for which cause When our Lord had giuen the Sacramentes to his disciples he sayes J dispone or appoynt a Kingdome vnto Luk. 22. 9 you because hee had giuen them the Seales of donation thereof presently before Thirdly they teach that they are made sure of Christ by the Spirite of Christ whom Christ promises and giues to euerie one that beleeues in him in such sort that hee who hath not Rom. 8. 9 the Spirite of Christ is none of his By which Spirite Christ is joyned to them and they to Christ as members of one body are ioyned to
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