THE TRVE PROTESTANT SOVLDIER Fighting valiantly under Truths Banner AND By the glorious light of Gods Word overthrowing the strongest Bulwarkes and subtle Stratagems of the Church of Rome By HAMNET WARDE ANCHORA SPEI LONDON Printed by G. M. for William Lee at the Signe of the Turks-Head in Fleet-street 1642. TO THE HONOVRABLE AND TRVLY VERTVOVS THE LADY BRIDGâ—T BRIANT all Happinesse in CHRIST IESVS Madam THe true zeale which you have for the maintenance of the Truth together with those many favours which your Ladiship hath been pleased to bestow on me my deceased and surviving friends hath encouraged me or rather inforced me to present this little Manuall being the first fruits of mine endeavours to your Ladiships acceptance In that short stride of the World which I have travelled having found many strong oppositions from our adversaries of the Church of Rome as well at home as beyond Sea touching the Protestant Religion I began somewhat to doubt of the truth thereof But by Gods providence lighting on this short Treatise after the perusall thereof I found the Religion of the Church of Rome if I may so call it so sleightly poasted upon the quicksands of mens frivolous opinions and contrariwise the Protestant Religion so soundly founded on the true and lively rocke of our salvation Christ Iesus that by Gods grace asâ—isting me neither the bewitching charmes of their devillish temptations nor the fiery darts of their hottest persecutions shall ever be able to divert me from the profession thereof Wherefore having received so great comfort thereby my selfe I have laboured with as much as in me lyeth to translate it verbatim out of French into English that others also may have benefit therby humbly beseeching your Ladiship to accept thereof as a token of my ever bounden duty and your Ladiship shall thereby encourage me to pray for your long and happy life here on earth and your eternall happinesse with God in heaven Madam Your Ladâ— ps most humble and truly devoted Servant Hamnet Warde To the READER Christian Reader MOnsieur Pierre Monginot a Gentleman as well learned as truly noble forsaking the Church of Rome and turning to the Protestant his friends being much discontented thereat wrote this short Treatise to satisfie them shewing them the causes which moved him to change his Religion Which I have translated for thy good out of French into English take but as much heed in reading it as I did labour in the translating it and God grant thee as much benefit by the Copy as I had comfort by the Originall Thine in Christ Iesus Hamnet Warde CHAPTERS 1. Of the true Church 2. Of the Popes power 3. Of the worshipping of Images 4. Of Prayer and Service in an unknowne tongue 5. Of the Invocation of Angels and Saints departed this life 6. Of Abstinence from Meats 7. Of Abstinence from Marriage 8. Of Purgatory 9. Of Merits and Justification by Works 10. Of works of Super-erogation 11. Of the superaboundant satisfactions of Saints and Monkes which the Pope distributes by Indulgences 12. Of the reall presence of the Lords body in the Sacrament and of Transubstantiation 13. Of the Sacrifice of the Masse 14. Of the taking away the cup in the Sacrament Decemb. 1â— 1641. Imprimatur THO. WYKES THE TRVE PROTESTANT SOVLDIER CHAPTER I. Of the true Church THe holy Scripture tels us of diverse kindes of Churches There is that Church which is spoken of in the Creed which the Apostle S. Paul calleth the body of Christ against which saith our Saviour Mat. 16. The gates of Hell shall not prevaile which is the Assembly of the truly faithfull and elect people of God wherof part doe already injoy the heavenly pleasures of Gods kingdome part now live here on Earth among sinfull men and infidels and cannot be discerned by the eyes of man Others not yet borne But besides this Church of Gods elect there is another universall and visible Church which is the Assembly of all such as professe themselves Christians and to believe in Jesus Christ This is that Church which Saint Paul 1 Tim. 3. cals the pillar and ground of the truth as being bound to defend and maintaine the truth against all those who labour to corrupt or suppresse it This universall visible Church is composed of divers particular Churches such as were in the Apostles time the Church of Jerusalem the Church of Corinth the Church of Rome and that of the Galatians c. Of these particular Churches some are puter than others nay and there may be some so corrupted as that it is impossible for them to be saved namely as where Idolatry reigneth and where the benefits of Jesus Christ are abused The Church of Rome is one of these particular Churches wherin reigneth Idolatry First in that they call God a Sacrifice made by men Secondly because the honour appertaining to God is by them attributed to Saints in that they say the Saints know the hearts of all men and because they give them and their reliques and Images a religious worship and adoration Lastly because they call the Virgin Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth for the Soveraigne Royalty of the world is not communicable to the creature Likewise the benefits of Jesus Christ are therin abus'd in that they teach that Jesus Christ by his death delivers us from sinnes committed before Bapisme but as for sinnes committed after Baptisme he hath left us to satisfie Gods justice for them by satisfactory pains as well here as in Purgatory Thus then let it be that the Church of Rome be a particular visible Church and it more corrupt than any other although she terme her selfe the universall Church as if there were no other Church besides whereas indeed the Churches of Syria Greece Armenia and Affrica be more pure and mor◠… cient then the Roman and no way subject therunto All th 〈…〉 h the holy Scripture and the Creed attribute to the universall Church of Gods elect or the universall visible Church the Church of Rome by an intolerable abuse and usurpation attributes unto her self as if in the holy Scripture there were no other Church spoken off but the Church of Rome or as if shee alone were the pillar and ground of the truth And when Jesus Christ Mat. 18. sends two Brothers being at strife to the judgement of the Church saying Tell it the Church and if he neglect to heare the Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican these Gentlemen would needs make us beleeve that he sends such as doubt in matters of Faith and Doctrin to the judgment of the Church of Rome which they call universall but reade the passage and you shall see that our Saviour speaks not there of doubts touching Religion but of quarrels and broyles which happen betweene man and man and consequently he speaks not of the Church universall but of the Ministers of some particular Church for to appease a quarrell between two Neighbours men doe
not betake themselves to the universall Church In this then there appeares a very great abuse that the Church of Rome being indeed but a particular Church stiles her selfe the universall Church and in that she being full of errours vaunts her selfe neverthelesse to be without any errour nay more that it is impossible for her to erre and least her errours should be discovered by the glorious light of Gods holy Word the writings of the Prophets and Apostles she doth not only hinder the people from reading the word and reade it in the Church in a language which the people understandeth not but endeavours also to take away all its force and authority for they make the people beleeve that the Church of Rome is soveraigne Judge in all matters of difference in Religion by this meanes he that will accuse the Church of Rome of any errour may be sure to loose his processe seeing she alone is soveraigne Judge in her owne cause The Church of Rome doth likewise affirme that it is impossible for her to erre in the interpretations of the holy Scripture and that it is in her power to make constructions of the like authority with the word of God which is indeed no lesse then to place her selfe in Gods seat For as there is none but the King that can give an interpretation to his edict that may be of equall force with the edict it selfe So there is none but God alone that may give such a construction unto the Word of God as may be of the like power and authority with the Word of God And there is nothing more certaine then that such an interpreter is greater then the Law-giver sithence he giveth unto the Law such a sense as he pleaseth and the people taught to rely more on that then on the Law it self And to be sure that the Church of Rome be not any way subject unto the holy Scripture they maintaine that it is the Church that doth authorize the Scripture and which gives it all its power and authority as if the Subject could give authority unto Lawes or as if the Word of God did receive its authority from men To this end the Doctours of the Church of Rome say that the Church is more ancient then the holy Scripture but doth it therefore follow that the Church must be above the Scripture the people are they not many of them older then the King yet are they neverthelesse subject both to the King and to his Lawes however there be many Doctrines in the holy Scripture more ancient then the Church But say they we should not know that it were the Scripture if the Church did not tell us so but doth it follow thence I pray you that the Church must be above the Scripture If I should say I doe not know which is the King and if my friend should shew me doth it therefore follow that my friend must be above the King Many serve for witnesses unto persons unto whom they are farre inferiour Likewise to undervalue the authority of the Scripture and to strengthen that of the Church they say that the holy Scripture is a dead thing and cannot speake and consequently may not be Judge for say they a Judge must be able to speake as the Church is This is most false and deceitfull for the holy Scripture speaketh enough and if it speaks not enough it is that it guides us But the Church of Rome forsooth will be the rule it selfe and not subject to any Law but will be Judge both of the Law and of the Word of God Thus are men become Gods Judges and guilty persons shall be infallible and soveraigne Judges of the sence and authority of the Law which concernes their owne crime by this meanes they need not feare to be condemned but will they nill they at the day of Judgement they shall be judged by this very word over which they now thus usurpe authority then shall that pratling Judge be constrained to keep silence So then these Gentlemen in sending the people to the Church for the deciding of doubts in faith distract their minds with an innumerable company of doubts and difficulties for how shall an ignorant man know that there must be a Church in the world If they say he may know it by the Scripture it is then necessary that he be acquainted with the Scripture and thus the authority of the Church should be founded on the Scripture and when the Church teacheth this or that how shall the people know whether it be conformable to the Word of God sithence the reading of Gods Word is absolutely forbidden them and there being many Churches disagreeing one with the other how can the poore people discerne that which teacheth lyes from that which teacheth the truth seeing the very rule of truth which is the holy Scripture is a book utterly forbidden them Shall they follow the multitude Jesus Christ saith Mat. 7. That the gate is wide which leadeth to perdition and there are ten times as many Turks and Pagans as there are Christians shall they believe miracles our Saviour faith Marke 13. There shall come false teachers working miracles whereby to seduce if it were possible the very elect shall they have regard to seats and successions The Churches of Greece have also had their seats since the Apostles and the Churches of Syria theirs and brag of S. Peters chair and yet all these are quite contrary to the Church of Rome and indeed more ancient Jesus Christ himself and his Apostles having preached there and beeing the first Institutours of them We doe not here dispute of S. Peters superiority over the rest of the Apostles he might be the first in order authority or virtue and yet not have any superiority of jurisdiction But that matters not the question is whether the Pope of Rome be S. Peters successour as the head of the universall Church which is the principall point of the Papists Religion wherof neverthelesse there is not one word spoken in all the Scripture The Bishops of Corinth and Thessalonica were Saint Pauls Successours not as Apostles but as particular Bishops of those cities So the question is not whither the afore-said Bishop of Rome be Saint Peters Successour in the Bishoprick of Rome but whether he succeeds him in the Apostleship as the head of the whole Church This is that which we slatly deny and which they can never proove or if they could so prove it yet the Pope having corrupted Saint Peters Doctrine and changed his Bishoprick into an absâ—lute temporall Monarchy had long since that lost his succession To conclude there being but one holy Scripture and there being many contrary Churches and the Doctors of these Churches being apt to seeke their owne profit and subject to be carried away with diverse evill affections but the holy Scripture being an incorruptible Judge let us have recourse to this holy Word of God in the which if there be any obscurity there is
whole Kingdome hath interest Nay I say more though S. Peter had been the head of the Church and though he had resided at Rome and had left his charge to the Bishop of Rome which are all such presuppositions as they shall never be able to proove yet hath the Pope long since fallen from his charge and consequently lost his honour by comporting himselfe quite contrary to S. Peter and to a spirituall Pastour being become a temporall Monarch having amassed unto himself such an aboundance of riches that the Superiours and Kings of the Earth are poore in comparison As for his Doctrine the Chapters following shall be imployed to shew that it is absolutely contrary to the Doctrine of the Apostles Again S. Peter never made himself a religious worship but contrariwise in Acts 10. v. 25. he hinders Cornelius from worshipping him saying Stand up I my selfe also am a man S. Peter never indeavoured to set himself above God as doth the Pope glorying that he can dispence with men from keeping their vowes made unto God He that can dispence with a servant from obeying his master must be greater then the master The Pope dispenceth with men from obeying Gods commands doth he not then make himselfe greater then God He dispenceth also with Subjects from keeping their oath of allegiance which they have sworne to their Soveraigne inciting therby to rebellion He permits a man to marry his Neece and his wives sister things absclutely against Gods expresse command in the 18. 20. Chapters of Leviticus Faults committed against the Pope are many of them accounted so hideous that they are not to be pardoned under a great summe of mony or it may be two or three years pilgrimage but as for sins which tend only to Gods dishonour as swearing blasphemy Sabbath-breaking and so though they be fâ—atly forbidden in Gods holy Word yet if they doe not any way intrench upon the Popes prerogative not derogate from his supremâ—cy theseare esteem'd but petty faults half a dozen pâ—â—er nosters and two or three ave Maries are a suâ—ficient satisfaction for a thousand such sins Briefly he boasts himself to be above the Church and saith that the Church is above the Word of God by this reckoning then the Pope is two degrees above Gods Word Moreover in the Councels where the Pope is present the holy Scripture is set at his feet as it was in the last Councell of Lateran I leave any reasonable man to judge whether by this it appeareth not plainly that he tramples under his feet the Word of God To conclude when I reade in the second Epistle of the Apostle Saint Paul to the Thessalonians That there shall come a man which is called the man of sinne and the sonne of perdition that shall call himselfe God and exalt himselfe above God boasting himselfe in signes and miracles And in the 17. of the Revelation of the great Whore that is cloathed in scarlet that seduceth Kings and maketh them drunke with the bloud of her fornication that hath her habitation in the City seated on seven mountains that is to say the City of Rome I have searched every where but can find none to whom this may be so truly applyed as to the Pope of Rome CHAP. III. Of the worshipping of Images THe third abuse which I have taken notice of in the Church of Rome is the service which they doe unto Saints departed this life The Councels of the Church of Rome namely the second Councell of Nice command that Images be adored At Paris a little before Lent you may see the people goe in procession to the Image of our Lady to have permission to eat butter The women come and rub their Chappelets on the feet of the I mages they light them torches at mid-day they kisse them they make coursies to them they bring them presents and carry them all about in procession with great solemnity Nay more then that you may see many Images of Saints that never were As of the three Kings Saint Christopher Saint Margaret Saint Martiall Saint Vrsuline Saint Longis Saint Catherine and many other such like fantasticall Saints that never were in the world Many prayers likewise there are which they mumble out before such their dumbe petty-gods as that unto the crosse Ave Lignum triumphale c. and diverse others which prayers if they intend them to Gods honour they must also cause those things to which they speake to understand what they say unto them No man except he be franticke will speake to the Kings Image with a conceit that thereby he doth the King any honour All these inventions serve on purpose to lull the people asleep in ignorance wherefore they call Images the books of the ignorant they themselves also hide them in time of Lent which is the time of their devotion that they may not hinder their devotion That which causeth all this misery is that they take away from the common people the holy Scripture for having forbidden them Gods Word it was most necessary for them to finde them out somewhat or other to muse on for this end they take out of the table of the commandements which they deliver unto the people the second commandement wherein God forbids the worshipping of Images and the making of the likenesse of any thing in heaven or in earth Deut. 5.8 Thus they doe in some places clip and crop the word of God and in other some patch it and peece it wherby to make it answerable to their owne inventions As I cannot therefore but pitty the miserable estate of those people who are thus kept in darknesse and ignorance so I cannot but most justly condemne the intollerable usurpation of their Leaders who to serve their owne unsatiable avarice hating the glorious light of Gods word endeavour by all meanes to eclipse the same and thereby bring themselves and all such as are carried away with their lives and doctrine without Gods great mercy to everlasting destruction CHAPTER IIII. Of Prayer and serving God in an unknowne tongue ONe of the most deadly and most dangerous abuses of the Church of Rome in my judgement is their praying to God in a language that oft times the person that prayeth understandeth not for S. Paul in the 1. to the Corinthians chap. 14. ver 15. willeth us to pray with understanding How can we expect that God should grant our requests if we our selves doe not know what we would have True indeed God understandeth all languages but in prayer God hath not so much regard to the tongue but to the heart which cannot be then well disposed when it knowes not what the tongue doth say For the tongue is given unto men to testifie the thoughts of their hearts so that he who prayeth not knowing what he saith doth not expresse his thoughts by his words by this meanes he doth as it were act a Comedy before God There is no Prince that will suffer a man to prate thus
to him although he understandeth all languages And indeed we can hardly reprove a man more sharply then by telling him friend thou knowest not what thou sayest Thus then they both mocke God and lose their labour The abuse is yet farre greater in the reading of the Epistle and Gospell to the people in the Church in Latine whereof most of them understand not so much as one word How can they then yeeld obedience unto such doctrines as they understand not Is not this the curse which God Almighty denounceth by his Prophets I will henceforth speake to this people in another tongue and with other lips and so they will not understand me saith the Lord 1 Cor. 14.21 Isa 28.11 And the Apostle Saint Paul saith that in the Church he hadrather speake five words with understanding that thereby he might teach others also then a thousand words in an unknowne tongue 1 Cor. 14. And in the same Chapter a little before he saith Except ye utter by the tongue words easie to be understood how shall it be knowne what is spoken for ye shall speake unto the ayre therefore if I know not the meaning of the voyce I shall be to him that speaketh a Barbarian and he that speaketh shall be a Barbarian unto me See then an admirable Religion for they speake to stocks and stones which understand no language and to the people least they should understand what they say they speake altogether in Latine The people indeed gee to see the Masse but they cannot understand a word of it nay and very often the Priests themselves have much adoe to understand it But say they we reade the Masse in Latine that strangers also may have benefit thereby A pretty hypocriticall excuse it is indeed for suppose there be ten twenty or more strangers in a Church is it fit that they should have service read in a language which they know and all the rest of the people sit like fooles and understand never a word Besides if they did meane as they pretend surely in such a City as Paris they would have in a Church for strangers to resort unto the service read in Latine and in all the rest in their owne countrey language which they all understand They also absolutely forbid any man to reade the holy Scripture without a speciall Licence from the Pope or his Factor and to translate it into the vulgar tongue which is as much to say as that they will not suffer a childe to read his Fathers will and that God Almighty is become suspected as if he had given us his word to deceive us The Apostle Saint Paul when he sent Epistles to the Ephesians Corinthians Philippians c. He writ unto every of them in their owne tongue to the end that all might reade and know what he writ unto them And I pray why may not we now reade those same Epistles in our owne language as well as they read them in theirs Whereupon also the Apostle Saint Paul in the 1 Thess 5. I charge you by the Lord saith he that the Epistle be read unto all the holy brethren So likewise Acts 17. ver 10. the Bereans are commended for that they searched the Seriptures daily whether those things were so which Saint Paul preached unto them Saint Paul in the 2 of Timothy Chap. 3. prayseth his Disciple Timothy because that from a childe he had knowne the holy Scriptures In a word this is a new startup invention and such a knavery as is seldome heard of to forbid the people to reade the word of God lest they should become heretickes whereas indeed it is only to maske them with ignorance for feare lest by the light of Gods Word their Religion should plainly appeare to be as it is indeed full of grosse errours and hypocrisie In those countries where the Inquisition is bawdy-houses are licensed and the Pope doth gather out of them great summes of money for tribute â—oolish pamphlets and immodest Love-bookes are printed cum privilegio but if they finde but one Bible either Italian Spanish or the like 't is accounted a crime which deserveth no lesse then death and a case worthy of the Inquisition And certainly had it not been for the reformed Church that is to say purged from Popery the Bible had long since been buried in oblivion and no mention made thereof For as theeves hate the light lest their evill deeds should be discovered so doe those Doctors of the Church of Rome labour to obscure the light of Gods Word lest their hypocriticall inventions and new found devilliâ—h plots whereby they serve their owne unsatiable lusts should bee brought to light CHAPTER V. Of the Invocation of Angels and Saints departed this Life THe Invocation of Angels and Saints deceased hath indeed a shew of devotion and humility but it is never the lesse contrary to to the word of God which flatly forbids us to give any divine service or worship unto Angels as in the second Chapter of Saint Pauls Epistle to the Colossians Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of Angels intruding into those things which he hath not seen We beleeve in God alone and the same Apostle Saint Paul in the tenth Chapter of his Epistle to the Romanes forbiddeth us to worship any other then him in whom we beleeve how saith he shall they call on him on whom they have not beleeved And our Creed teacheth us to beleeve in the Father the Sonne and the Holy-Ghost but not in any creature whatsoever So likewise in the two and twentieth of the Revelation when Saint John fell downe to worship before the feet of the Angell the Angell forbad him saying see thou doe it not for I am thy fellow-servant worship God Saint James in the first of James ver 6. Willeth us to pray in faith and the Apostle to the Romanes 14. Chapter tels us that whatsoever is not of faith is sinne wherefore the Invocation of Saints cannot be done in faith because it is not grounded on the word of God for the same Apostle in the tenth of the Romanes saith that saith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God and none of the Doctors of the Church of Rome could ever produce any argument out of the word of God whereby to prove that religious worship which they give unto Angels or Saints deceased either lawfull or necessary Againe if it be necessary for us to pray to Saints it must likewise most necessarily follow that they must know our hearts and thoughts for how should they else discerne hypocrites from such as pray in sincerity Which is quite contrary to Gods word in the second booke of the Chronicles chap. 6. ver 30. thou onely saith the wise King Solomon knowest the hearts of the children of men Likewise to say that the Saints see all things in the face of God as in a glasse were to prophecye having no warrant from the word of
accuse God Almighty of injustice to thinke that he inflicts more punishments on any man then his sinnes doe deserve It is not to know the greatnesse of sinne and to be ignorant of the punishment due thereunto to conceive that a few fasts and scourgings or any miseries that are to be endured in this life can be a satisfaction more then sufficient for the same For our Saviour in the 5th Chapter of Saint Matthew saith that he that calleth his brother foole shall be in danger of hell-fire And if the satisfaction of Iesus Christ be sufficient for the punishment due to all our sinnes what need we the satisfactions of Saints Why should we thinke that God will take two payments for one and the same debt when the first is sufficient Moreover God rewards us to the full here on earth for all our good works and endeavours how is it then that we should merit any thing to another thereby A foolish conceit it is indeed as if the same money which I imploy to buy me a house should likewise serve over and above for the payment of another mans debts And in a thing so holy and important as touching our reconciliation with God in Christ is it lawfull to forge articles of faith without any ground for the truth thereof out of the word of God For where is the least proofe for this in all the holy Scripture who seeth not that it was invented on purpose to increase the Popes treasury and to exalt his Empire who hereby with his pardons and Indulgences amasseth unto himselfe infinite riches I would very willingly learne who it was that first put the Saints satisfactions into the treasury of the Church when began this distribution how shall we know certainly whether God doth receive these satisfactions as sufficient why had not the Priests in the old Testament such a treasury wherein to keep the superaboundant satisfactions of Noah Abraham and Jacob c. which overplus it seems they have lost by ill husbandry What is the cause why our Saviour Christ Iesus nor his Apostles were not advised to speake of this Treasury or of one mans satisfying for another Surely Saint Paul was asleep when he said that every man shall beare his owne burthen Gal. 6. or else they will make themselves wiser then Saint Paul But whether it be allowable by Gods Word or no so it be any way conducing to the Popes profit it matters not with them so the Pope hath a fee it 's no matter whether God hath any honour Thus doe they both dishonour God and wrong their owne soules CHAP. XII Of the presence of the Lords body in the Sacrament and of Transubstantiation IF there were none other abuse in the Church of Rome save only this one errour of Transubstantiation it were of it selfe sufficient to drive away from the Church of Rome any man that is carefull for the salvation of his soule The holy Scripture declareth that no Idolaters shall enter into the kingdome of God 1 Cor. 6. and surely there can be no greater Idolatry then to call a morsell of bread his god and his Creator and to adore a god made with a few words a god that may be stollen away a god that may be mouldy and eaten up with wormes and those termes which they use of eating God of lifting up God of carrying God about in procession me thinkes should make a true Christians haire to stand on end to heare such intollerable blasphemies whereby God Almighty is so greatly dishonoured and the Christian Religion so exposed to the reproach of Pagans and Infidels The Doctors of the Church of Rome strive to prove this their Transubstantiation from that passage of our Saviour which they alleadge cropt and maimed not mentioning either the foregoing or the following words where we find that Jesus tooke bread brake it blessed and gave it to them saying take eat this is my body which is broken for you doe this in remembrance of me It appeares then that our Saviour gâ—ve bread and it is manifest that he gave it not till after the consecration it was therefore bread after the consecration Our Saviour saith that the bread is his body not that the bread is changed or transubstantiated into his body so that the bread is not the body of Christ Capernaitically or grossely but sacramentally and spiritually Moreover our Saviour in the 12th Chapter of Saint Johns Gospell saith me ye have not alwayes which were false if he were alwayes inclosed in a wafer cake To this they answer that we have him no more visibly I reply that to have Jesus Christ invisibly is neverthelesse to have him that man should lye that should say he hath no money because it is in his coffer So likewise in the 16th of Saint Johns Gospell ver 17. I goe to the Father saith our Saviour which also were an untruth if he did still remaine in a peece of bread All this they pretend under the shadow of these words this is my body for the meaning whereof they will not receive Saint Pauls exposition who thus delivereth it unto us the bread which we breake is it not the communion of the body of Christ 1 Cor. 10.16 And I pray how many times in the Scripture is it said that we are the body of Christ doth it therefore follow that we be transubstantiated into his body We see then into how many blasphemies how many grosse absurdities and contradictions they run into to defend this their fantasticall Transubstantion having no proofe at all for it out of Gods word what they have out of their unwritten word I know not neither doe I care CHAP. XIII Of the sacrifice of the Masse A word or two now of the Idolatrous sacrifice of the Masse Hereupon it was that I first found the Doctors of the Church of Rome at a fault For I often called on them to shew me some passage out of the word of God that commandeth the sacrifice of the body of Christ Jesus but they could none of them ever shew me any Some forsooth will take the institution thereof from those words of our Saviour doe this which they interpret sacrifice my body but this interpretation is of their owne invention Others alleadge that passage of our Saviour this is my body for the institution of it But what if it were such a body indeed as they interpret it which notwithstanding is very false can they conclude because our Saviour said this is my body that he commanded the sacrifice of his body Briefly they cannot alleadge any passage out of the word of God which might prove the institution of this their most idolatrous sacrifice And indeed seeing the sacrifice of the death of Iesus Christ is sufficient what need is there to sacrifice him any more Againe through the whole passage of the institution of the Lords Supper there is not the least signe or mention of any sacrifice neither did the Apostles any worship at