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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
word_n	body_n	bread_n	figure_n	9,215	5	9.3127	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28845	A pastoral letter from the Lord Bishop of Meaux to the new Catholicks of his diocess exhorting them to keep their Easter, and giving them necessary advertisements against the false pastoral letters of their ministers : with reflections upon the pretended persecution / translated out of French, and publish'd with allowance.; Lettre pastorale. English	Bossuet, Jacques Bénigne, 1627-1704.	1686 (1686)	Wing B3787; ESTC R12514	28,012	60

profitable or indifferent in other Countries should strike you with horrour only when you see them practised by your fellow Subjects and in the Catholick Church In effect they aim at nothing else but to cast Venom upon all that we do I shall have other occasions to instruct you concerning the Service in the Vulgar Tongue and I have often done it already by word of Mouth But what would this furious Minister mean by these words Accustome not your selves to this Barbarous Language which robs the Peoples Ears of Religion and only leaves something for the Eyes Is not this a visible Calumny to asperse the Catholick Church that she would conceal from the People her Mysteries after the Council of Trent hath made this Decree That least the Sheep should be without nourishment and that there may be alwayes some Person ready to give to the little ones the Bread which they ask the Pastors shall explain to them during the celebration of Mass especially on Sunday's and Holy days some Point of what is there read and some one of the Mysteries of this most Holy Sacrifice It is not then the Intention of the Church to hide from you the Mysteries but on the contrary to Expound to you every Day some part with so much care as to render them known and familiar to you The Books which they have put into your Hands explain all to you and those who persuade you that we would take from you the knowledge of the adorable secrets of Religon aim at nothing else but to fill you with gall and bitterness against your Brethren But behold the great grievance We make you adore Bread I have already professed to you that I will not enter into Controversies but I will only tell you that this Reproach is like that which the Socinians cast upon us and which heretofore the Disciples of Paulus Samosatenus objected to us they denying the Divinity of JESUS CHRIST accuse us of being Idolaters and imagine they have a purer Worship than ours because they render not Supreame Honour to a Man But whilst they glory in being more Spiritual than we and of paying to the Divinity a purer Adoration they are in effect Carnal and Gross because they follow nothing but their Sence and Humane Reason which persuades them that a Man cannot be a God They would make you Spiritual after the same manner they boast of purifying your Worship in obliging you to beleive it is only Bread which you see upon the Holy Table and that the Body of JESUS CHRIST which you see not there is not also there neither can it be there What do you also in this but follow Flesh and Blood But if after the Example of Catholics you would raise up your minds if you would render your selves capable of believing that JESUS CHRIST hath power to vail himself under the Figure of Bread to excercise our Faith what could hinder you from understanding these words This is my Body as literally as these The Word was God and the Word was made Flesh Formerly you were taught that it was an Inhumane Action and contrary to Piety to eat Mans Flesh with the Mouth of the Body and especial the Flesh of ones Father This Title of Anthropophagi and Cannibals which the Ministers gave us made us pass for Brutes in the Opinion of their blind followers and there is no sort of violence they did not think themselves oblig'd to us the Words of JESUS CHRIST rather than own a Sense so Barbarous Now that Men's Minds are more calm'd and they have acknowledged in favour of the Lutherans that this Manducation of the Flesh of our Lord which was look'd upon with such detestation has no poison in it that it contains nothing either repugnant to Piety or to the Honour of God or to the good of Men insomuch as the Lutherans who believe and practice it as well as we are thought worthy to partake of the Holy Table and to be true Members of JESUS CHRIST What reason have you to strain the Words of JESUS CHRIST and by force introduce a Figure of which not one Example is found in Scripture But if we are Idolaters because we adore JESUS CHRIST in the Eucharist What are the Lutherans It is not true tho they tell you so that they do not adore JESUS CHRIST in the Blessed Sacrament If you consult them they will tell you that believing JESUS CHRIST to be there only when he is receiv'd they adore him there only when they do receive him and that 't is to adore him in receiving him that they receive this Holy Sacrament on their Knees But tho they did not render him any exteriour Adoration who knows not that it is not in this Exteriour the Service do's consist The Acts of Faith Hope and Charity addressed to JESUS CHRIST as present is not this a perfect Adoration they render to him And if it be an Idolatry to Adore JESUS CHRIST in the Sacrament of the Supper can he that Adors him there Interiourly exempt himself from being an Idolater How then can he have part at the Table of JESUS CHRIST and in the Celestial Heritage Weight my Brethren weigh this so solid and also so intelligible a Reason you will see how they connive at all the Lutherans do but are outragious against all that we practice aiming at nothing but to inspire you with anun just horrour against our Worship Finally If it be an Idolatry to Adore JESUS CHRIST in the Blessed Sacrament where have the true Adorers been for so many Ages Deceive not your selves my Brethren The Adoration of JESUS CHRIST in the Eucharist is as ancient as the Church Her self But not to tell you only those things which we our selves are agreed upon This Adoration as all acknowledge was at least established in the Church and constantly there decided ever since Berengarius's time that is to say above Six hundred Years ago Hath Hell prevailed during so many Ages And that which was alwayes to subsist even to the end of the World according to the Word of JESUS CHRIST hath it suffered so considerable an Interruption And that you may not think I would amuse you with a nice discussion of the History of passed Ages Where were the true Adorers when Zuinglius and Calvin came into the World For as for Luther it is manifest that if he changed any thing in the Adoration it was very late Nevertheless where were these true Adorers at the first starting up of Luther and in the begining of the New Gospel You presently betake your self to the Seven Thousand unknown to the Prophet Elias who had not bowed their Knees to Baal But these Seven Thousand sure would have declared themselves at least when they saw the Reformers appear I have pressed Monsieur Claude to Name but one who joyning himself to these Pretended Reformers did say to them I have alwayes believ'd as you do I never adhear'd to the Roman Faith nor

to the Mass nor to the Real Presence nor the Adoration of JESUS CHRIST in the Eucharist To this so precise a Demand to this Matter of Fact so clearly laid down what has this Minister so full of subtilties answered Do's Monsieur de Meaux says he imagine that the Disciples of Luther and Zuinglius are oblig'd to make formal Declarations of all they thought before the Reformation and that they are bound to insert these Declarations in their Books You see that he had not a Man to name and this Answer may pass for a solemn Acknowledgment that in effect he knows not one Person who has made such a Declaration It is a manifest Illusion to say That these things are not committed to Writing and that notwithstanding it was objected on all Sides and in all Books to the Pretended Reformers That the Doctrine which they taught was unknown when they first appear'd yet it never entred into their Minds to tell us That the greatest number of those that follow'd them had always believ'd as they believ'd Moreover tho' the World has been fill'd with Letters Histories and Treatises and that a thousand and a thousand times they have endeavour'd to satisfie the World concerning the Novelty which we imputed to them they never yet nam'd these Comerades which they suppose they had among us and even at present Monsieur Claude cannot find them tho' he be pressed to name at least some one But in stead of satisfying this Demand he alledges to us the sudden Progress of the Reformation Which shews us says he that the Matter was extraordinarily dispos'd As if the desire to free themselves from Vows from Fasts from Continance from Confession from the Mysteries which transcended our Senses from Subjection to Bishops who were in so many Places Temporal Princes as if the Sweetness of Church Revenues the Disgust taken against Ecclesiasticks who were alas too Ignorant and too Scandalous thee deceitful Charm of Railleries and Invectives and that of a Turbulant and Seditious Eloquence the Power given to Princes and Magistrates to decide Matters in Religion and to all Men of rendring themselves Judges of their own Faith and of believing nothing but the Dictates of their own Sence in short as if Novelty it self had not been the alluring Bait to draw in Troops into the New Reformation whole Cities Princes People and even Priest themselves and Apostate Religious Now whilst Catholicks alledg'd to the Reformers and their Disciples these causes of their Revolt this was the time to Answer it was not of Yester-day they had these Thoughts nay they ought to have explicated this even before that time For in fine they have supposed in their New Pastoral Letters that according to the Doctrine of St. Paul It is not enough to believe with Heart unto Righteousness but that we ought also to confess with the Mouth unto Salvation and glorifie God with the Body and the Spirit because he is the Redeemer of them both 'T is thus the Letter addressed to them who are fallen speaks and that which is Written to the Oppressed by Babylon do's not explain it self in less formal terms Know that it is enough to hate these things with the Heart but they ought to be condemn'd with the Mouth Why do they not then shew us those whom they suppose to have Confessed before the Reformation the Doctrine which is taught Nevertheless they cannot shew us any one So true is it that there were none at all And it appears on the contrary that the first Reformers Priests and Religious for the most part had been Consecrated in the Faith which we profess as we have already seen and those whom they draw into their Rebellion looked on them as extraordinary Men who taught them a New Doctrine Where then in the Name of God were those who believ'd aright since all the World and as well the Reformers as those that follow'd them believ'd as we do Take heed my Dear Brethren that you look not upon this Question as unprofitable or curious The intent is to verifie the Promises of the Gospel Monsieur Claude acknowledges that in Vertue of these Promises of JESUS CHRIST Teach and Baptize I will be always with you Successors was establish'd in the Church but for a time Under pretext that the Holy Ghost descends visibly no more they pretend that he descends no more at all and that this Ceremony is useless They might have pretended with as much reason That because Satan afflicts no more as in former times visibly in their Flesh those whom the Church deliver'd to him she has lost the Power of delivering them to him by her Censures Believe them not my Brethren and be not more wise than all Antiquity Learn diligently of your Pastors what is the Effect of this Sacrament and of the holy Chrism which we bless after the Example of our Fathers from the very beginning of Christianity You should already have demanded of us with ardour a Sacrament so necessary to fortifie your Infant-Faith Come my Brethren come and receive it from our hands Come you that are near desire it ye that are far off and I will come and bring you this Heavenly Gift But above all prepare your selves to Communicate at Easter and to receive the Adorable Flesh of the Lamb without Spot who takes away the sins of the World What is there more to be desired than to exercise the Right belonging to the Spouse to enjoy the Sacred Body of the Heavenly Bridegroom to deliver him your own to be Sanctified by him to be united to him Body to Body Heart to Heart Spirit to Spirit to the end we may be made perfect in one with him that we may be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh and finally two in the same flesh and also in the same spirit with JESUS CHRIST It is not only the Spirit but the Body also which we must prepare for the Body of JESVS For since the Word was made Flesh the Body which he took is the Means to unite us to his Divinity and to consummate the Mystery 't is also by uniting himself to our Body that the Son of God makes this Grace and his Vertue pass into our Souls Run eagerly then to the Body of our Saviour What have you more to desire when you have there found with the Divinity and the whole Person of JESUS CHRIST the Source also of Grace and Life He has said Whoso Eateth me shall live by me He has said Whoso Eateth of this Bread shall have eternal Life He has said The Bread which I will give you is my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the World What other Grace could they receive with the precious Blood And who sees not that the one and the other and both together have but one and the same Vertue Ought you not to be content to Communicate as Pious Antiquity Communicated the Sick as St. Ambrose