Iewes and to makâ— a worse rent in his body then the Iews did in parting his garments Auerroys his interpreter of the Papistes speakes thus that he compassed al lands almost and yet could not find a worse sect theÌ„ these Antichristian heresies for saith hee they rent and teare with their teeth him that made them and so do dishonor him whom they should honour All the reason that they build vpon is but the words only of the institution Christ said This is my body ergo they say we must beleeue it is his bodie nothing indeed maketh more against them for marke the wordes Iesus tooke bread c. I will demand of them by interrogatories thus What did Christ take Bread What did he breake Bread What did hee giue Bread What did they eate Bread What did hee call his Body euen that which he tooke in his hands which also he brake and gaue to his disciples viz. bread This is my body then must thus be construed viz. This bread is my bodie which is a figuratiue speech And the verie same Phrase is vsed by the Lord himselfe in the olde Sacraments of the law The Lord speaking of circumcision saith This is my couenant between you and me Gen. 17. yet circumcision is not the couenant but a signe of the couenant So in the Phrase it is all one This is my body that is this bread is a signe of my body Pascha item Iehouae transitus The Paschal Lambe is called the Lords Passeouer yet is it not the passeouer but the signe of the Passeouer And Paul in the first to the Corinths the tenth saith the rocke was Christ So God the father is called an husbandman God the sonne a vine a doore Peter is called Satan Satan is called a Lion All are figuratiue or tropical speeches S. Paul decides this controuersie when thrise after the consecration hee repeates the word bread But they affirme further finding this argument to be weake that this bread and wine is turned miraculously whom we aunswer Austin wirh S. Augustine Sacramenta honorem tanquam religiosa habere possunt sed stuporem tanquam mirae non possunt And againe saith the same S. Augustin non dubitant Dominus dicere Hoc est corpus meum cum signum daret corporis suiâ— If it were a miracle there could be no error it would appeare to be truly altered The bread would take the forme of flesh and the wine would appeare to be bloud but in quantity and quality we see they remaine al one without alteration of substance more than in vse Search the scriptures laid out in the scripture and we shall find no conueniency betweene this and them The rod was turned into a serpent the Israelites Exod. 4. saw it Water was turned into wine in the mariage Iohn 2. 9. at Canah the guests saw it and tasted it The auncient fathers are against them Theodoret saith Mistica signa non amittunt propriam naturam the mistical signes do not lose their proper nature Will they heare the testimony of one of their owne fraternitie Macarius a monke saith in the church is offered bread wine viz. Exemplaria corporis sanguinis Christi I say according to the truth of Gods word there is no alteration but the bread and wine stil remaine al one both before and after the words of consecration The mutatioÌ„ is not in substaÌ„ce but in vse for they be as seales of Christs merits for vs as for exaÌ„ple take wax fastned to a writing and it differeth not from other waxe but in vse only not in nature but by the ordinance of man But the sacraments are ordained for a more excellent purpose And being only in vse after the administration they haue no place but during the action The things in these visible signes represented vnto vs are Iesus Christ and al his graces and treasures for the vertue of our faith is such that it ascendeth from the earth into heauen and there doth knit and vnite vs with Christ which is the cause that the Primitiue church sâ—ng surâ—um corda lift vp your hearts signifying that we should prepare not dentem but menteÌ„ not our mouthes but our hearts to apprehend Christ and the benefits of his death Not poring vpon the Pix looking for Christ to be there like as the shaueling priests did in the time of blindnesse For they after they haue blasted and breadied and blowed vpoÌ„ the bread they kneele down to it and worship it saying Agnus dei qui tollis thrise do they call the bread holden in their hands the lamb of God was not this abhominable Idolatry The author of this idolatrous leuation of the bread was Pope Honorius about the yeare of our Lord 1210 yet the aduersaries dare bragge that their masse came from the Apostles like the old Arcadians who hold themselues to be a day elder than the Moone forgetting how they themselues call it Sacrificium nouum wherein they strangle the antiquity of it For a better resolution note the force of these arguments ouerthrowing the Papists doctrine of transubstantiation The first Argument It is against the nature of a naturall body to be in more places than one at once Christs body being in heauen cannot be in the Sacrament too that it is in heauen and there abideth that pregnant place in the third of the Actes proues it whom it behooueth the heauens to conteine vntill the restoring of all things Besids the Article of our faith proues his being there and his owne testimonie in the fourteenth of Iohn I must go to my father Vntill Pope Vrbane this error of the Papists was neuer receiued in the church he first compelled men by fire and fagot to receiue this abhominable doctrine it is not much more then fiue hundred yeares agoe The second Argument S. Augustin saith that Abraham Moses and the Prophets receiued the body of Christ truly and effectually before Christ was incarnate of the Virgin Marie euen the same body we receiue now S. Paul proouing as much they did eate all one spirituall meate and drinke one spirituall drinke all this notwithstanding yet our aduersaries do vrge except you eate the flesh of Christ and drinke his bloud there is no life in you what life then hath Abraham and Dauid and all the holy men that died afore Christ Note the absurdities of the Papists doctrine they ouerthrow the nature of a sacrament in confounding the signe with the substance they make their maker they draw Christ from heauen to the table at their own pleasure they giue him infinite bodies Which is giuen for you This is the fruit of it this sacrifice were nothing auaileable if it concerned not our good This was the end of this institution of Christs Supper his body was giuen for vs. Christ died not for himselfe but for vs this was that holy sacrifice which the sacrifices of the old law shadowed the bloud of oxen and of sheep did purport that
it no more Wee will now proceede to the second Commaundement The secoÌ„d commandement IF thou loue God as thou oughtest and as he requireth thou wilt make no Image of God for so runneth the commaundement Tbou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image And if thon mayest not make it much lesse mayst thou worship it no Commaundement Exe. 34 14 throughout the Scripture is more pressed than this thou shalt bow downe to no other God because the Lorde whose name is Iealous he is God This Commaundement was greatly violated in the dayes of Ieremy the prophet chargeth Iudah that according to the number of their Cityes were their gods they could say to a tree thou art my father and to a stone thou hast begotten me Remember saith Moses when God spake vnto you out of the fire you hard the voice Deu. 4. 12. of the wordes but saw no similitude saue a voyce only As we are forbidden in this commandement to make the Image of God so are we likewise charged not to make the Image of any other thing either to worship it or god sainct or angell by it for God will not bee worshipped after our owne fancies but as his word commaundeth God will be worshipped in spirit and truth according to the paterne of the word as Moses did all thinges according to the patterne he saw in the mount In vaine ye worship me teaching for doctrine Mark 7. 7. the precepts of men This controules the vaine and idle conceitednesse of ignorant people who being demaunded why they maintaine this or that superstition they answere no other thing but this our father 's held the same before vs and wee holde the same too by tradition from them as if religion came by discent so folishe are some and ignorant euen as an horse or mule which haue no vnderstanding Ambrose in his twenty ninth Epistle saith that the Iewes are the rather estranged from Christian religion because they find Images erected in the Papistes Synagogues The Iews smarted many times for their Idolatrous worship therfore now detesting it in themselues they abhor it in others also Osee telleth the Iewes that because they counsailed with their stocke and staffe and went a whoring from vnder their god therfore their daughters should be harlots and their spouses whores What sencelesnesse is it saith a learned diuine for the Image of God to fall downe before the Image of a man Danid painteth out the vanitie of superstitious worshippers when speaking of Idols he saith the Idolls of the heathen are siluer and gold euen the worke of mens hands they haue mouths and speake not they haue eies and see not they haue eares and heare not neither is there any breath in their mouth they that make them are like vnto them so are all they that put their trust in tâ—â—m Liclantius peremptorily giues out this censure there is no doubt saith he but that no pure religion can be there where any Image is receiued Againe if thou loue God thou wilt cary The third commandement such ar euerent estimatioÌ„ of him as that thou wilt not abuse so much as his name thou wilt both speak and think reuerently of him Thou dost violate this commaundement so often as thou dost blasphemously apply the name of God to inchauntment sorcery cursing and periury The iniquity of these times and the necessity of reforming the grosse abuses of men wilfully and wittingly incurring the breach of this commaundement would require whole volumes of inuectiues witchcraft forceries charming they are sinnes too commonly practized in this age If ones finger do but ake or any part of thy body be extraordinarily touched with any infirmity straight to the witch thou runnest or sendest and so for things that be lost or stolne for the which the wiseman or the wise woman must be consulted with alas beloued is God as Baal that he should not care for your abuse nor call you to an accouÌ„t for the breach of his commandements Or are you yet to be taught whether this be a sinne or not For so many shame not to answer when they are challenged for going to a wise man or woman why say they we hope we do well we find that good comes of it we get our health we recouer our goods that were lost and so they crosse S. Paul his rule Non facienda sunt mala vt veniant bona we may not do ill that good may come of it If thou hast not yet heard the Lord condemning this sinne heare it now and henceforth condemne it in thy selfe Let none be found among you that vseth Leuiti 20. witchcraft or that is a regarder of time or a sorcerer or a charmer or that councelleth with spirits for all that do such things are an abhomination to the Lorde The Canaanites for this cause were expelled Exo. 22. 18. from their good land let not a witch liue In the sift of the Gallathians it is reckoned among the sins of the flesh and condemned Wilt thou behold the terror of the Lords wrath vpon this sinfull generation and euer after beware of a witch looke vppon Saul whom God did not spare though he were a King for consulting with the witch at Endor he was vtterly forsaken his kingdome taken 1. Sa. 31. 4. 6 from him the next day folowing he and his three sonnes were slaine Will ye haue another president of Gods iustice vpon another who was a King too Achaziah being sicke of a bruze taken with a fall would needes send to Beelzebub 2. King â— of Ekron to know whether hee shoulde recouer or no but the Lorde by the mouth of Eliah sent backe the messenger before he could come to the witch and bade him returne this colde comfort to his master is there no God in Israel that thou sendest to inquire of Beelzebub wherefore thus saith the Lorde thou shalt not rise vp from the bed whereon thou art gone vp but shalt die the death If you or any other when you go to a witch should receiue this or the like sentence at the Lordes mouth I resolue you would be more warie I cannot part with this sinne because I would beate it downe and stamp it into hel from whence it came Oh would I could find that stone that might kill this Goliah I would throw it at him with al my might and make it sincke into the midst of his temples to returne glory to Israel and shame to the Philistins Most notable is that place in Ezech. where God pronounceth an heauy woe against these wise-mongers Woe vnto the women that sow pillowes Ezec. 13. 18 vnder euery arme-hole wil ye hunt the souls of my people wil ye pollute me among my people for handfulls of barley and for peeces of bread to stay the soules of them that should not die can you giue life to the soules that come vnto you why do ye hunt the soules of my people
know not how thou wilt be dispensed with Wilt thou know then how to anoide the daunger heereof and withall the breach of this commaundement thou must doe it thus viz in iudgement in righteousnesse and in trueth and so I conclude this commandement Many wordes neede not to be spent in The tenth commandement clearing the tenth and last which reacheth to the brideling of our affections If thou loue thy neighbour thou wilt not transgresse so much as in thought against him for the very motions of our hearts are able to seperate vs from the loue of God Rom. 7. 7. and the loue of our neigbour See how carefull the Lord is ouer vs he would haue vs not onely to watch our woorkes but our woordes also and our thoughts The former commandement of witnesse bearing is called by the learned Prieceptuâ— vâ—rborum the precept of words and this last may be called Man latum cogitationum the commandement of thoughts If God would haue thee watch thy words and thy thoughts how much more carefâ—lly would hee haue thee to watch thy deedes If God requireth thee to glorifie him in words much rather doth he require thee to glorifie him in deedes and if in deedes then most of al in charitable deedes if to speake well to thy neighbour then to do well much rather And here fit occasion is ministred to put you in mind of your poore neighbors deny not them foode and other necessities that they shall require how do we know but that God hath sent this famine vppon vs to try how we wil carry our selues to our brethren â—â—â— poore distressed members of Christs body we haue had many plentifull yeares Gods name be praised for it in regarde whereof and in testimonie of gratitude let vs not now shut our hands nor shut vp our doores lest it might be said that Pharaohs leane kine haue eaten vppe all the sutte kinâ— That which we giue it is not lost he that giues but a cup of cold water shall not loose his reward remember how God blest the dyle in the cruze and the meale in the bag to 1. King 17 thâ— poore widdow If thou giue to the poore thou dost not giue but lend and to whom dost thou lend but to the Lord he that giueth to the poore â—â—ndoth to the Lord and looke what he layeth oâ—t it shal be paid him againe yea hâ— will paye it thee againe trebble in the double Consider thou giuest it vnto him who is 〈…〉 â—nâ—â—â—esh who is the Image of God as well as thou who is made of the same â—oâ—â—d with thee who must be heire of the same promises with thee If in other things thy loue apeare not to thy neighbor yet in this it must needes appeare and shew it selfe by releeuing him so fulfilling the will of God who chargeth thee thus in the fifteenth of Deut. seuenth verse Deut. 15 7 If thy brother by thee be poore thou shalt not harden thy hart nor shut vp thine hand but shalt releeue him in his neede he that despiseth the poore despiseth him that made him if you shall thus do and in the feare of God I exhort you so to do to you then belongs that voice of comfort come ye blessed of my father receiue the kingdom prepared for you froÌ„ the beginning of the world for I was hungrie and you gaue me meate I was thirstie and you gaue me drinke I was a stranger and you lodged me I was naked and you cloathed me I was sicke and you visited me I was in prison and you came vnto me Know that Christ in the poore is hungry and thirstie and a stranger and naked and sicke and in prison and in asmuch as you haue done it vnto one of the least of these his brethren you haue doone it vnto him And now beloued that I haue shewed you all the circumstaunces in effect of this loue towardes God and towardes your neigbour which is all the duetie that the Lorde requireth of you in these his commandements enter into your selues sound yourselues whether this loue of God be in you or not As S. Paul bade the Corinthians to proue 2 Cor. 13. 5 themselues whether they stood in the faith so I not by way of commandement but by request rather intreate you proue and examine your selues whether this loue of God be in you or not It shall soon appeare by due examination as a vessell is iudged by the sound thereof to be either empty or full Happie is that man that can saye all these haue I kept The prodigall sonne was neuer halfe so welcome to his father as this man is to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉