Christ as concerning his corporall presence is no more in the earth but in heaven only Christ hath in him two natures the nature of God and the nature of man As concerning his divine nature hee is in heaven in earth and in every place But as touching his humane nature hee is in heaven onely and there shall remaine untill the Day of Iudgement as Saint Augustine saith as concerning the presence of his Majestie wee have Christ alwayes but as touching the presence of his flesh it was truely sayd to his Disciples Mee shall yee not alwayes have with you For the Church had him a few dayes after thâ— presence of his flesh but now it holdeth him by faith and seeth him not with the eyes Againe he saith God and man is one person and both is one Christ Iesus in every place in that he is God but in heaven in that he is man Also in another place Where and in what manner Christ is in heaven it is a vaine and superfluous thing to aske or demand but wee must surely beleeve that hee is onely in heaven If hee be onely in heaven as concerning his corporall presence as both the Scriptures and Saint Augustine affirme how then is hee either in your round cake at Masse or else hanging up in your popish Pixe over the Altar with an halter But let us heare what the ancient Doctour Virgilius writeth concerning this matter The Sonne of God saith he as concerning his Humanitie is gone away from us but as touching his Divinity hee saith unto us Behold I am with you alwayes unto the end of the world Againe forasmuch as the word is every where and his flesh is not every where it appeareth that one and the same CHRIST is of both natures and that hee is in every place as concerning the nature of his Godhead Againe that hee is contayned in a place as touching the nature of his manhood Of these Authorities doth it manifestly appeare that Christ inasmuch as he is God is in every place but having respect to that hee is a man he is only in one place that is to say in heaven If he bee only in heaven inasmuch as he is man then consider yee what is to be thought of the doctrine of the Papists which teach that Christs naturall body is in every place wheresoever his Godhead is O Antichrists If this be not to play the Hereticke Marcions part and utterly to destroy the verity of Christs humane nature or of his naturall body what is it But Saint Augustine saith very well in this behalfe wee must take heed saith hee that we doe not so set forth maintaine or affirme the Godhead of the Man Christ that wee take away or destroy the truth of his body For it doth not follow that that which is in God should be every where as God Christ inasmuch as he is God is every where but being man hee is onely in heaven But yee will object according to your old wont the omnipotencie or almighty power of God and say that forasmuch as he is omnipotent and almighty he may both make the bread his body and also bee in as many places concerning the corporall presence as he list that is to say in infinite places at once I answer God is not called Almighty because he can doe all things but because he is able to doe whatsoever his Godly pleasure is to doe For there are certaine things which God cannot doe as for example hee cannot denie himselfe hee cannot lye hee cannot save such as die in infidelity hee cannot make another of like power with himselfe hee cannot save the reprobate nor condemne the Elect which have their names written in the Booke of life c. Whatsoever is contrary to his Word that cannot God doe But it is contrary to the Word of God for Christs body to bee in more places at once than in one yea to bee both in heaven sitting at the right hand of God the Father and heere also in earth at your popish Masses in a thousand places at once therefore is not God able to make his body to bee in so many places at once as ye faine forasmuch as the nature of God onely is infinite and the nature of all creatures is contained in some certaine one place at once But here againe yee will bring forth these promises of CHRIST Wheresoever two or three be gathered together in my Name there am I in the middest of them Againe I am with you alwayes unto the end of the world These promises and such like are to bee understood not of the corporall presence here on earth but of his Grace as the Doctors themselves doe declare It is to bee noted marked and considered saith Cyril that although Christ hath taken away the presence of his body from hence yet by the Majesty of his God-head hee is alwayes present as hee at his departure promised his Disciples Behold saith he I am with you alwayes unto the very end of the world The like saying of Saint Augustine heard wee before Of all these things heretofore spoken it is evident that the naturall body of Christ is not here in earth as yee Masse-mongers would gladly make us beleeve but in heaven onely and there shall remaine untill the day of Iudgement Christ in the mean season being here present with us by his Spirit and Grace Seeing then that the Sacramentall bread is not the naturall body of Christ God and man but a figure Sacrament and holy signe of his body with what forehead dare you either affirme that your little thinne round cake after five words pronounced over it and you breathing blasting and blowing upon it to be the true naturall reall corporeall and substantiall body of Christ God and Man as hee was borne of the Virgine Marie and suffered for us on the Altar of the crosse or worship it your selves or yet provoke others so to doe according to Pope Honorius decree and not after Christs institution What is Idolatrie if this bee not Idolatrie To worship a piece of bread for God what heathen Idolater ever so doted If good king Ezekias lived in these our dayes hee would rather play with the Sacrament of Christs body and bloud as he did with the Brasen Serpent than hee would suffer such abomiable Idolatry to be committed at the ministration of it to the great dishonour of God the utter defacing of Christs passion and bloud and death and to the dreadfull damnation of innumerable souls O England England teares yea teares of bloud mayest thou well weepe which in the prosperous time of that most godly King Edward the Sixt wert blessedly purged of all superstition Idolatry and popish doctrine and hadst restored unto thee the true Gospel of thy salvation and the right ministration of the Lords Sacraments But now for thine unthankfulnesse toward the Lord thy God all these heavenly treasures are
but had in an everlasting remembrance first of all preached a most fruitfull and comfortable Sermon to his Disciples and afterward as he sate at the table with them hee tooke bread into his hands and after he had given thankes to his heavenly Father as his manner was for his corporall gifts but specially for the deare love that hee of his owne meere mercie and free heartie good will bare toward mankind he brake bread and gave bread unto his disciples saying Take yee eat yee this is my body which is betrayed for you Doe this in remembrance of me And as hee tooke the bread and made it a Sacrament that is to say an holy signe figure token and Memoriall of his Body breaking so likewise he took the wine and made that a Sacrament holy signe figure token and Memoriall of his bloud shedding and after thankesgiving to his heavenly Father for the benefits aforesaid he delivered the Cup unto his Disciples saying Drinke of this all ye This Cup is a new Testament in my bloud which is shed for many for the remission of sins Doe this so oft as yee shall drinke it in the remembrance of me And this heavenly banket once done they said grace that is to say they praised God by saying either certaine Psalmes of David or some other thankesgivings and so departed Here is the whole institution of the Lords Supper Now let us compare Christs Supper with your Popish and Idolatrous Masse and see how well Christs doings and yours agree together If ye be the Ministers of Christ and not of Antichtist the servants of God and not of the Divell then will you follow your Master Christ which saith I have given you an example that as I have done so likewise yee should doe Let us now then goe in hand with the matter First we reade that Christ before hee fed his Disciples with the mysticall food of his body and bloud made a Sermon unto them wherewith as with a certaine most wholesome preparative hee made meet the minds of his Disciples unto so worthy a banket giving all faithfull Ministers an example that whensoever they with the congregation doe come together to celebrate the Lords Supper there should be some Sermon or exhortation made unto the people that they might the better examine themselves and the more deepely consider the thing that they goe about And according to the example of Christ not only the Apostle but all the holy Fathers also of the Primitive church used the trade and so did it continue in the Church of Christ till Antichrist the Bishop of Rome had driven Christ out of place and set up himselfe as God Againe till hee had expulsed the Supper of the Lord and set up his owne peevish yea theevish Idolatrous Masse as wee may see in the monuments of the ancient Writers They continued saith blessed Luke in the Apostles doctrine and fellowshippe and in breaking of bread and in prayers And Saint Paul saith As often as ye shall eat this bread and drinke of the cup shew set forth declare and preach the Lords death till he come A practise hereof have we in the Acts of the Apostles where wee reade That upon one of the Sabbath dayes when the Disciples came together for to breake bread so termeth S. Luke the receiving of the Sacrament of Christs body and blood blessed Paul preached unto them and continued the preaching unto midnight And the Sermon ended they brake bread ate thanked God and departed For if the Sacrament of Christ be never so comfortable yet if they bee not known what they are to what use they were instituted what joyfull promises are annexed unto them what they signifie and preach unto the faithfull receivers c. What other things are they to us thaÌ„ the pretious stone was to Aesops Cock A SacrameÌ„t ministred without preaching of the word is but a dumb ceremony a glasse offered to a blind man and a tale told to one that is deafe The Apostles before the ministration of any Sacrament preached and so did the holy Fathers of the primitive Church Saint Iohn Baptist the sonne of the Priest Zachary preached unto the people before hee baptized them Our Saviour Christ a little before his ascension said to his Apostles â—oe and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost Here is Baptism the preaching of the word joyned together And as concerning the blessed Sacrament of Christs body and blood did not our Saviour Christ preach at the institution and ministration of it Are we not also commanded by the holy Apostle that whensoever wee come to receive the blessed Communion the death of the Lord should be preached declared and set forth Did not the Apostles of Christ and all the godly Bishops of the primitive Church observe the same order They considered right well how little the ministration of the Sacraments availeth without the preaching of the Word For as S. Paul saith how shall they believe without a Preacher Faith commeth by hearing and hearing commeth by the Word of God None therefore of the Lords Sacraments ought publickely to be administred without preaching of the word yea that not in a strange tongue but in such a speech as the people understand or else it were as good to speake the words unto a sâ—rt of sheepe or geese as unto them that are gathered together at the ministration of any Sacrament And this meant Saint Augustine when hee said Take away the Word and what is Water but water But let the word bee added to the ElemeÌ„t it is made a SacrameÌ„t Whence hath the water such a power that it should touch body and wash the heart but by the vertue of working of the word not because it is spoken but because it is beleeved The word signifyeth here not only the speaking of Ego baptizote c. or Hoc est corpus meum c. pronounced by the Priest in a strange tongue but the preaching of the word of God uttered by the mouth of the Ministers in such a language as the people understand or else how shall they beleeve It is not the utterance of Gods word in an unknowne speech that bringeth faith but when it is so spoken that it is understood of them that heare it and that faith through the operation of the holy Ghost ensueth which otherwise is cold lyeth idle and worketh nothing in the heart of the hearer for as S. Augustine saith Take away the Word and what is Water but water that is to say take away the preaching of Gods word from the SacrameÌ„t of Baptism which declareth what Baptisme is who instituted it to what use it was ordained what fruits and commodities wee receive by it c. And what doth the water of Baptisme profit I speake concerning such as are come to the use of reason
or such as are present at the ministration of Baptisme And so likewise may wee say of the Sacrament of Christs body and bloud Take away the word and what is Bread but Bread What is wine but wine that is to say Take away the preaching of the Lords death from the holy Cōmunion and what doth it profit to eat drinke the Sacramentall bread and wine seeing the mystery is not knowne nor understood But put the preaching of the word to the Elements water bread and wine and so are they made holy and honourable Sacraments full of singular joy and great comfort as Saint Augustine saith Let the word be added to the Element and it is made a Sacrament Therefore where the Lords Supper is rightly ministred there is declared the death and passion of Christ there is shewed forth the misery of man from the which hee could have beene no otherwise released but only by the death of Christ there is taught what the Sacrament is what it signifyeth and to what use Christ our Saviour did institute it there are the people exhorted not rashly nor with unwashed feet as they use to say to come unto the Lords Table but to prove trie and examin themselves whether they come with such faith and love unto that most worthy mystery as they ought least they eat and drinke their own damnation there are they stored up unto the workes of mercie toward the poore and unto hearty thankesgiving to God the Father for the death of his Son Christ there also are they put in remembrance that after they have tasted those heavenly mysteries have spiritually fed upon the body bloud of Christ which through faith are present and truly received in spirit of faithful Cōmunicants and are become one body with Christ they ought no more to returne unto their old sinfull wicked conversation but from henceforth to serve their Lord God in holines righteousnes all the daies of their life Is there any such thing done in the popish Masse Who preacheth Who maketh the exhortation Who moveth the people to repentance faith love and amendment of life mutuall recōciliation workes of mercie or unto thankesgiving to God the Father for the death of his Sonne Christ Who playeth the Schoolmaster and giveth the people such exhortations that they goe home from your Masses better learned than they came thither What theese ever lest his theft What false lawyer gave over his bribing what whore forsooke her whordome what wicked man at any time repented him of his wickednesse by comming unto your Masse Yea rather they goe from your Masse so well instructed that they thinke that now they have heard a Masse they may doe all the day after what they will Amends is made beforehand If they bribe poll pill steale lye slander blaspheme kill murder runne on whoring play the harlot fall to drunkennesse to dicing to carding and doe all other unlawfull things it maketh no matter for they have heard Masse They have satisfyed for the sinne before it be committed The hearing of masse hath dispatcht al the matter aforehand And what marvaile is it though such abomination followeth of your massing seeing the people heareth no goodnesse at it but rather are confirmed in all kind of ungodlinesse The chiefest jewell of all I meane the preaching of Gods word is utterly exiled from your Masse as all goodnesse is besides There is none of you all that stand up in the pulpit that lift up your voice to declare unto the people either their wickednesse or preach unto them the most joyfull pleasant and comfortable Gospel of our Saviour Christ. If there bee any preaching at all the Bells make it when the popish Clark ringeth to Masse The Bells being hanged up tell the people somewhat which they understand namely that there is a popish masse ready at hand come heare it who list and be never the better when yee have done But ye speake nothing at all that the people understand and so are yee worse than the Bells Oh how often have I seene here in England at the ministration of the holy Communion people sitting at the Lords table after they have heard the sermon or the godly exhortation set forth in the Booke of Common prayer read unto them by the minister bitterly weep heartily repent and sorrowfully lament their too much unkindnesse and unthankfulnesse toward the Lord God for the death of his Sonne Christ and for his other benefits againe their negligence in doing their duty toward their poore neighbours what free and large gifts also have I seene given to the poore mens boxe what laying aside of al enmity and renewing of unfained mutuall reconciliation what loving embracing and holy kissing of one another What assurance of heartytty friendship for ever to continue where immortall hatred was before what godlinesse also of life have I seen afterward practised by them that were the Communicants what alteration of manners What newnesse of conversation The covetous man to abhorre his covetousnesse the Adulterer to leave his adultery the Whore to defie her whoredom the Proud man to detest his pride the Vsurer to give over his usury and so forth by hearing the word of God preached and by the worthy receiving of the holy Communion hath full oft bin seen in England when the doctrine of the Gospell flourished among us Never saw I one point of like godlinesse practised of any man by hearing your popish Masses but as they have come thither wicked and ungodly so have they departed againe with the same ungodlines and wickednes rather being the worse than the better by hearing that your Idolatrous masse and yet Oh God be mercifull unto us and forgive us our sinnes the glorious and blessed Cōmunion is now through the craft and subtilty of the devil and through the wilinesse of his sturdy stout champions that filthy Synagogue of Sathan utterly banished out of this Realme unto the great dishonour of God and unspeakable sorrow of all true Christians and that most vile most stinking most pestiferous most abominable most wicked most devillish most idolatrous popish private Masse received again set up and magnifyed above the starres yea and above God and his holy ordinance when indeed of all Idols the Masse is most to be abhorred of such as feare and love God But though your Masse were never so good as indeed it is starke naught without comparison yet forasmuch as it is done without the preaching of the word and in a strange it is altogether unprofitable yea and abominable Notwithstanding behold the hypocrisie and counterfeit holinesse yea rather your double dissimulation and devillish deceiving of the simple people when yee have stood awhile pattering like a sort of asses yee know not what at the lower end of the Altar saying the Introite or office of the Masse as they call it the Kyrrys the Gloria in Excelsis the Collects
but ye give it to your selves But as Christ gave the bread to his Disciples willing them to eat it in remembrance of his passion and death so ought yee to doe to the faithfull congregation that are present and not like swinish beasts to eate and drinke up all alone your selves and afterward to blesse the people wiâ—h an empty cup as ye doe at your high and solemne feasts But this doe yee not therefore are ye plaine Antichrists Take this bread saith our Saviour Christ. Take it in your hands Hand off say yee Papists Gape and wee will put it in your mouths and feed yee as children use to feed their Iack-dawes Handle so pretious a relique Marry Sir God forbidde The woman peradventure hath lien with her husband all night or the husband with the wife and shall such touch the pretious body of our Lord with their handes Marry Sir God forbid That were a piteous case But yee abominable Whoremasters ye filthy fornicators yee stinking Sodomites ye deceitfull Deflowrers of mayds yee devillish defilers of mens wives yee cankred corrupters of widowes and yee lecherous locusts may lie with your whores and harlots all night and the next day after goe to Masse consecrate make touch handle breake and devoure your God and yet ye defile the Sacrament nothing at all O abominable Whorehunters O monstrous Massmongers Honest Matrimonie after your corrupt judgements defileth the Sacrament of Christs body and bloud but filthy fornication abominable adultery wicked whoredome and stinking Sodomitrie advanceth the dignity thereof O right Chaplins of that filthy Idoll Priapus But come off I pray you what hath the hand more offended than the mouth that it may not touch the Sacrament Are they not both the good creatures of God are they not made both of one substance and to say the truth there commeth not so much evil from the hand as there doth out of the mouth For out of the mouth come Blasphemies cursed speakings evil reportes bannings slanders lies malicious words filthy tales idle talke singing of bawdy ballads c. But from the hand commeth vertuous occupation honest labour painefull travaile getting of thy living helping of our neighbors and almes-giving to the poore But yee are alwayes like your selves that is to say very Antichrists For yee are evermore contrary to Christ. Christ delivered the Sacrament into his Disciples hands and you put it into the Communicants mouths as though the people were not so wise as to put a morsel of bread in their owne mouthes The people are much bound to you that have so good opinion of them Ye make them momes indeed asses louts and your very riding fools God once open their eyes that they may perceive your jugling Ye are well worthy to have your tithes and offerings truely payd yee doe your duty so well Verily they that give ought to find you Masse-mongers withall and to maintaine you in your abominable massing doe nothing else but offend God dishonor Christ tread under foote the pretious bloud of Christ make Christs death of no price maintaine Idolatrie defie the holy Communion destroy the Christian common-weale uphold Antichrists brood cherish Satans Chaplains pamper Priapus pildepates make fat Venus stout stallions enrich Bacchus Sacrificers and nourish such monsters as doe nothing else than murther kill and slay the soules of so many as follow your damnable Doctrine and hant your Idolatrous Masses Let the Christians therefore beware how and upon whom they bestow their goods lest by giving to Massing priests they get to themselves everlasting damnation The doer and maintainer shall receive like punishment He that readeth the practises of the ancient Church shall evidently see that the manner of the godly Ministers at that time was not to put the Sacramentall bread into the peoples mouths as yee doe at this present but to give it them into their hands For it was not then taken and honored for a God as it is now but it was reverently used and taken as an holy and worthy Sacrament of Christ. But what marvaile is it though yee will not suffer the people to handle the Sacramentall bread seeing yee will not suffer the coÌ„municants to touch your Popes holy chalice wherein notwithstanding is not the Sacrament of Christs bloud but only meere wine dedicated and appointed to no godly use Ye are contrary to Christ in all things God amend you Take eat saith our Saviour Christ. Nay say ye Masse-mongers neither take yee nor eat but come heare Masse devoutly see us take and eat up altogether and it is enough for you Fall down kneele worship your Maker that wee shew unto you Honor your God that is hanged up in the pixe over the Altar and so shall yee be good Catholickes and deare children of our mother holy Church If yee come at Easter according to P. Zepherinus commandemeÌ„t and then receive your maker devoutly it is enough for you At all other times we wil receive the Sacrament for you and it shall do you as much good as though you had eaten it your selfe O false and subtile hypocrits O wicked corrupters of the Lords blessed Testament If other men shold eat up your dinners and suppers in your stead as ye eat up the SacrameÌ„t from the people ye should not have so fat panches as yee have nor yet so frie in your grease as you doe Christ delivered the Sacramental bread to his Disciples and bade them eate but yee eat up all your selves and will give no man part with you O cankred carles O churlish chuffes And here may we note by the way to what end the Sacramental bread is ordained not that it should be kneeled to nor honored as a God nor gazed on nor carried about in popish pompous processions nor offered up for a sacrifice for the sins of the quick the dead nor yet to reserve it to hang it up in the pixe over the Altar as yee Papists doe but that it should be received and eaten of the faithfull Communicants at the Lords Supper in remembrance of CHRISTS death Take eat saith our Saviour Christ. Hitherto have wee heard that your peevish popish private pedlary pelting masse agreeth with the Lords blessed Supper and holy Communion nothing at all Let us now see how well ye behave your selves in the words of Consecration as yee call them wherein after your opinion hangeth all the matter Christ said This is my bodie which is betrayed for you Doe this in the remembrance of me Now let us behold your consecration Taking the little Cake in your hands yee say these words The day before hee suffered hee tooke bread into his holy and worshipfull hands and lifting up his eyes unto heaven to the God his Father Almightie and giving the thanks he blessed brake and gave to his Disciples saying Take and eat of this all ye For this is my body The Author of these words as
they bee here recited was Pope Alexander about the yeare of our Lord 112. Here doe yee not rehearse the words truely as our Saviour CHRIST spake them Some words yee added and some yee have taken away But I much marvell at your grosse ignorance in this one thing Yee put a difference betweene Blessing and Thankesgiving For when yee rehearse this word Beâ—edixit he blessed you crosse and blesse the bread with your greasie fingers as though Christs blessing in that place were the wagging of his fingers and not rather thankesgiving For where Saint Marke hath Cum Benedixisset When he had blessed Saint Matthew Luke and Paul hath Cum Gratias egisset When he had given thankes So that to blesse after Markes phrase is nothing else than to give thankes to praise and to magnifie And so is it taken in divers places of the holy Scriptures both in the old and new Testament Again ye put to these foure words of Christ Hoc est corpus meum this word Enim and ye say Hoc est enim carpus 〈◊〉 one word more than ever Christ put in because ye may be found still as ye are even abominable liars But for putting in this one word Enim which is of so great vertue say ye that without it there can bee no perfect Consecration and then what is to bee thought I pray you of Christ and of his Apostles of the Primative Church and of the Greekes at this day which never used that word being your owne superfluous addition yee most wickedly leave out these most necessary words that CHRIST spake which is betrayed for you Doe this in the remembrance of mee This joyfull promise that Christs body was betrayed given and broken for us with the residue ye leave out as a thing pertaining nothing to the purpose And yet are they so necessary that without the knowledge of them the Sacrament profiteth nothing at all If I receive the Sacrament a thousand times yet if I know not to what use it was instituted of Christ what profits and benefits I have by the worthy receiving of it If I doe not set before the eyes of my minde the death of Christ and faithfully beleeve to have remission forgivenesse of al my sins by the breaking of Christs body by the sheadding of his most pretious bloud c. it profiteth me no more thaÌ„ the pretious stone did profit Aesops Cock Again those words which Christ spake openly to his Disciples unto their great joy and comfort you partly leave out and partly whisper in hocker mocker to your selves that no man may bee the better for your doings and that the people may bee kept still in blindnesse Our Saviour CHRIST saith What I tell you in darkenesse that speake yee in light And what ye heare in the eare that preachye on the house tops But ye doe cleane contrary For that which Christ spake openly to his Disciples ye mutter it softly to your selves O cruell soule-slayers and bloudie murtherers But is this your dexterity uprightnes and true dealing with the Word of God So to corrupt and mangle the words of the glorious Testament of the Sonne of God It is not lawfull to alter a mortall mans Testament and dare ye presume O yee Antichrists to alter and change the blessed Testament and heavenly will of the King of Glory Are ye faithfull Ministers which deale so unfaithfully with your Lord and Master Ye that deale so wickedly with God how wil ye deale with man God keepe all faithfull people out of your clawes After ye have once spoken these five words Hoc est enim corpus meum over the bread and have blasted breathed and blowed upon it yee kneele down to it and worship it like abominable Idolaters and afterward ye hold it up above your pestilent pilde shaven shamelesse heads that the people by looking upon it and worshipping it may be partakers also of your abominable Idolatry not being contented with your own damnable estate except ye bring other also into the same danger The Author of your levation lifting the bread above your head was Pope Honori the third about the yeare of our LORD 1 10. which commanded that the Host should bee lifted up above the Priests head at Masse and that all the people should fall downe and worship it O Antichrist Here may all men see how ancient a thing your holy sakering is which is counted the best and chiefest part of your Masse when notwithstanding it is the most wicked and most abhominable part of your idolatrous Masse Verily it is not much more than three hundred yeares old Let the lying Papists therfore bee ashamed to brag that their divellish Masse came from the Apostles seeing it is proved to be a new and late invention of Antichrist And although the whole Masse of the Papists be utterly wicked and abhominable yet this part which they call the Sakering is most wicked and abominable for as much as it provoketh the people that are present to commit most detestable Idolatries For the people take it to be their god They beleeve that bread w ch the Priest heaveth above his head to bee Christ perfect God perfect man Therfore kneel they down unto it knocke their breasts lift up their heads worshippe and honour it When the Bel once rings if they cannot conveniently see they forsake their seats and runne from Altar to Altar from Sakering to Sakering peeping here and tooting there and gazing at that thing which the pilde-pate Priest holdeth up in his hands And if the Priest bee weake in the armes and heave not up high enough the rude people of the Countrey in divers parts of England will crie out to the Priest hold up Sir Iohn hold up Heave it a little higher And one will say to another Stoupe downe thou fellow afore that I may see my Maker For I cannot be merry except I see my LORD GOD once in a day O abomination Ah Woe worth you yee Masse-mongers that are the authors of this abominable Idolatrie and through your wicked massing send thousands to the Devill except the mercy of God bee the greater Better were â—e Masse-mongers to leave your fat Benefices your rich Prebeuds your wealthy Deanries your honourable Chaplainships your long Gownes your Sarseneâ— Tiopets and your shaven crownes and become watertankard-bearers in London or to cobble a shoo or goe to plough and cart yea to have a milstone tyed about your neck and be cast into the bottome of the sea than your most stinking wicked and vile massing to provoke so many people unto Idolatry and to bring the wrath of God and everlasting damnation upoÌ„ them except they repent and amend Verily I say unto you it shall bee easier for the Land of So dome at the day of Iudgement than for you But I know what yee will say That we hold up is the very
natural bodie of Christ God and man therefore may we all justly worship it I aske you how prove ye it to be the naturall bodie of Christ Yee answer By the vertue of these words Hoc est enim corpus meum I reply CHRIST spake these words of the bread as the holy Scriptures and all ancient Writers doe witnesse and so then followeth it that bread is Christs body and Christs bodie is bread And by this meanes it must needs be granted that Christ hath two bodies one made of bread and another of flesh which he received of Mary the Virgin But yee answer Christs calling is making Christ called the bread his body therefore is it made his bodie I answer againe Christ called himselfe a Vine a Doore a Shepheard and called his Heavenly Father a Plough-man is Christ therefore made a naturall vine a materiall doore a rusticall shepheard and his Father an husband-man of the country Christ called Iohn Baptist Elias Is Iohn therefore made that Elias the Thesbite which preached in the time of wicked King Achab Christ called Iohn the Evangelist Maries son and called Mary his mother is Iohn therefore made the naturall son of Mary the Virgin Christs mother And is Mary made the very true and naturall mother of Iohn Evangelist I am sure yee will not so say No more is the Sacramentall Bread Christs naturall body although Christ called it his bodie but his bodie in a mystery and in a figure as the old writers testifie Tertullian that most ancient Doctor saith Iesus taking bread and distributing it among his disciples made it his bodie saying This is my bodie that is to say a figure of my body Hereto agreeth the saying of Saint Augustine Christ did not sticke to say This is my body when he gave the signe of his bodie And Saint Hierome saith that Christ did represent the truth of his body and bloud by the bread and wine An infinite number of like sentences concerning this matter are found in the ancient Authors which prove evidently that this saying of Christ Hoc est corpus meum This is my body is a figurative speech Signes or Sacraments in the holy Scripture are called by the names of the things whereof they bee Sacraments and signes as we reade of the Arke of Circumcision of the Paschal Lambe of the Sacrifices of the old Law of Baptisme which Saint Paul calleth the Laver or fountaine of regeneration and the receiving of the Holy Ghost And after this sort is the sacramental bread called by the name of Christs body because it is the Sacrament signe and figure of his bodie Those things which doe signifie saith Saint Cyprian and those things which be signified by them may bee both called by one name And Saint Augustine rehearsing divers sentences which were spoken figuratively numbreth among thē these words of Christ Hoc est corpus meum This is my body whereby he declareth plainly that Christ spake these words figuratively not meaning that the bread was his body by substance but by signification Moreover it is directly against the veritie and truth of Christs naturall body to bee at more places at once than in one as hee must be in an hundred thousand places at once if your doctrine bee true A stinking Sodomite or a wicked whoremonger being dressed in his fooles coat and standing at an altar with a little thinne round cake in his hand shall with these five words Hoc est corpus meum and with blowing and breathing upon the bread make Christ the king of glory to come from the right hand of his father and to touch himselfe in the Accidents of the little cake untill yee have eaten him and then trudge up againe to heaven till Hoc est enim corpus meum fetch him down again if your doctrine bee true O proud Lucifers And oh poore wretched Christ who at every filthy Masse-mongers commandement art compelled to come down from the glorious throne of thy Majestie and to bee handled as the Papish please either to bee torne asunder with their teeth or else to be hanged up with an halter in their popish Pixe But know yee O ye vile and blasphemous Papists that though yee whisper your five words never so oft at your Idolatrous altars and breath blast and blow till yee be windlesse yee shall never plucke the Son of God from the right hand of his Father nor make that thinne cake of yours Christs naturall Body The article of our faith is that Christ is gone up into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty and from thence hee shall come to judge the quicke and the dead Our Saviour Christ told his Disciples full oft a little before his passion that hee should leave the world and goe up againe unto his Father Saint Mark saith that Christ was taken up into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God Saint Luke saith that Christ went away from his Disciples and was carried up into heaven The Angell of God said to the Apostles when Christ did ascend up into heaven yee men of Galile why stand ye gazing up into heaven This Iesus which is taken up from you into heaven so shall hee come as ye have seen him going into heaven Of these words of the Angells wee learne that as Christ went up visibly and was seene with the corporall eyes of men but never man saw him yet comming downe with his corporall eyes therefore never came he downe corporally since his ascension S. Stephen indeed saw Christ even with his bodily eyes as wee reade in the Acts of the Apostles But where Heere on the earth between the Priests hands Nay but in heaven standing on the right hand of God Saint Paul heard Christ speake but from whence from the popish pixe yea rather from heaven Saint Peter saith as blessed Luke testifyeth that Iesus Christ must receive heaven till the time that all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world beganne bee restored againe This time is till the day of judgement If ye will have Christ therefore bodily at your Masses yee must tarry till the day of Iudgement For till that time saith blessed Peter hee must keepe heaven Alasse where is your Hoc est enim corpus meum after your grosse understanding become Moreover S. Paul in divers places of his Epistles declareth that Christ is ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God and maketh intercession for us to God his father So likewise doe the other Apostles in their writings Iesus Christ saith Saint Peter is on the right hand of God and is gone into heaven We have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous saith Saint Iohn All these Authorities of the holy Scripture with many other doe testifie that