by Protestants which is Sacramentall And by the Papists defined to be Trans-substantiall SECT I. First of the Sacramentall THere lieth a Charge upon every Soule that shall communicate and participate of this Sacrament that herein he Discerne the Lord's Body which Office of Discerning according to the iudgement of Protestants is not onely in the use but also in the Nature to distinguish the Obiect of Faith from the Obiect of Sense The First Obiect of Christian Faith is the Divine Alteration and Change of naturall Bread into a Sacrament of Christ's body This we call a Divine Change because none but the same Omnipotent power that made the Creature and Element of Bread can Change it into a Sacrament The Second Obiect of Faith is the Body of Christ it selfe Sacramentally represented and verily exhibited to the Faithfull Communicants There are then three Obiects in all to be distinguished The First is before Consecration the Bread meerely Naturall Secondly After Consecration Bread Sacramentall Thirdly Christ's owne Body which is the Spirituall and Super-substantiall Bread truly exhibited by this Sacramentall to the nourishment of the soules of the Faithfull Secondly of the Romish Change which you call Transubstantiation SECT II. BVt your Change in the Councell of Trent is thus defined Transubstantiation is a Change of the whole Substance of Bread into the whole Substance of the Body of Christ and of Wine into his Blood Which by the Bull of Pius the Fourth then Pope is made an Article of Faith without which a man cannot be saved Which Article of your Faith Protestans beleeve to be a new and impious Figment and Heresie The Case thus standing it will concerne every Christian to build his Resolution upon a sound Foundation As for the Church of England she professeth in her 28. Article saying of this Transubstantiation that It cannot be proved by holy Writ but is repugnant to the plaine words of Scripture overthroweth the nature of a Sacrament and hath given occasion unto MANY SVPERSTIONS CHAP. II. The Question is to be examined by these ground viz. I. Scripture II. Antiquity III. Divine Reason IN all which wee shall make bold to borrow your owne Assertions and Confessions for the Confirmation of Truth The Romish Depravation of the Sence of Christ his words This is my Body for proofe of Transubstantiation SECT I. YOu pretend and that with no small Confidence as a Truth avouched by the Councell of Trent that Transubstantiation is collected from the sole true and proper Signification of these words This is my Body So you CHALLENGE VVHerein you shew your selves to be men of great Faith or rather Credulity but of little Conscience teaching that to be undoubtedly True whereof notwithstanding you your-selves render many Causes of Doubting For first you grant that besides Cardinall Cajetane and some other Ancient Schoolemen Scotus and Cameracensis men most Learned and Acute held that There is no one place of Scripture so expresse which without the Declaration of the Church can evidently compell any man to admit of Transubstantiation So they Which your Cardinall and our greatest Adversary saith Is not altogether improbable and whereunto your Bishop Roffensis giveth his consent Secondly which is also confessed some other Doctors of your Church because they could not find so full Evidence for proofe of your Transubstantiation out of the words of Christ were driven to so hard shifts as to Change the Verbe Substantive Est into a Verbe Passive or Transitive Fit or Transit that is in stead of Is to say It 's Made or It passeth into the Body of Christ A Sence which your Iesuite Suarez cannot allow because as hee truly saith It is a Corrupting of the Text. Albeit indeed this word Transubstantiation importeth no more than the Fieri seu Transire of Making or Passing of one Substance into another So that still you see Transubstantiation cannot be extracted out of the Text without violence to the words of Christ Wee might in the third place adde hereunto that the true Sence of the words of Christ is Figurative as by Scriptures Fathers and by your owne confessed Grounds hath beene already plentifully * proved as an Infallible Truth So groundlesse is this chiefe Article of your Romish Faith whereof more will be said in the sixt Section following But yet by the way wee take leave to prevent your Obiection You have told us that the words of Christ are Operative and worke that which they signifie so that upon the pronuntiation of the words This is my Body it must infallibly follow that Bread is changed into Christs Body which wee shall believe assoone as you shall be able to prove that upon the pronuntiation of the other words of Christ This Cup is the new Testament in my Blood Luc. 22. 20. the Cup is changed into the Testament of Christ's Blood or else into his Blood it selfe The Novelty of Transubstantiation examined as well for the Name as for the Nature thereof SECT II. The Title and Name of Transubstantiation proved to be of a latter date YOu have imposed the very Title of Transubstantiation upon the Faith of Christians albeit the word Transubstantiation as you grant was not used of any Ancient Fathers and that your Romish Change had not it's Christendome or name among Christians to be called Transubstantiation as your Cardinall Alan witnesseth before the Councell of Laterane which was 1215. yeares after Christ nor can you produce One Father Greeke or Latine for a Thousand yeares attributing any word equivalent in strict Sence unto the same word Transubstantiation untill the yeare 1100. which is beyond the Compasse of due Antiquitie At what time you finde note and â—rge Theophylact who saith of the Bread that It is Trans-elementated into the Body of Christ Which Phrase in what Sence hee vsed it you might best have learned from himselfe who in the very same place saith that Christ in a manner is Trans-elementated into the Communicant which how unchristian a Paradoxe it were being taken in strict and proper Sence we permit to your owne iudgements to determine Neither yet may you for the countenancing of the Noveltie of this word obiect the like use of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as though it had beene in use before the Arian Controversie began because the Fathers of the Councell of Nice iudged the Obiection of the Novelty of that word Calumnious for that the use of it had beene Antient before their times as your Cardinall Bellarmine himselfe witnesseth You furthermore to prevent our Obiection demanding why the Antient Fathers never called your fancied Romish Change Transubstantiation if they had beene of your Romish Faith concerning the Substantiall Change of Bread into the Body of Christ haue shaped us this Answere namely that Although they used not the very word Transubstantiation yet have they words of the same signification to wit Conversion Transmutation Transition
of Christ being the most substantiall of all food and therefore called as of ancient Fathers so even by your Fathers of Trent Supersubstantiall Bread it must necessarily follow that as it is named by Christ The true Bread and the Life thereby which is the effect of the spirituall Eating thereof is the most true and Reall Life because Everlasting So the Vnion spirituall which a Christian hath in his soules-feeding is the most Reall and true Vnion as may sufficiently appeare by Analogie To wit that Bread and Wine being the most vitall nourishments for the conservation of man's bodily essence are therefore chosen as the Fathers teach to represent and exhibit unto him although in themselves but Signes and Symbols the very Body and Blood of Christ Therefore the Body and Blood of Christ are our Reall nourishments in this Sacrament And such as is our food such must be our Vnion by feeding thereon which wee say is by Faith in this Sacrament and you may not gain-say it who to comfort your Disciples are taught to instruct them that even without this Sacrament the spirituall Vnion may be presented to the soule of man with the Body of Christ and that as a sufficient meanes of uniting him to Christ by a spirituall manner of Eating And this you say is To receive Christ his Body truly albeit this be to receive him only by faith and desire So you Whence you perceive our Inference viz. If our spirituall Vnion with Christ his Body may be really and truly made by Faith and Desire without this Sacrament then in our Sacramentall eating thereof may the Communicant be much more made partaker thereof by Faith and ardent Desire the Sacrament it selfe being a Seale of this our Christian Faith CHAP. II. That only the Godly faithfull Communicants are Partakers of the Bodie and Blood of Christ and thereby united to Christ in the iudgement of Protestants SECT I. OVr Church of England in her 28. and 29. Article saith thus The Body of Christ is given to be eaten in this Sacrament only after a spirituall manner even by faith wherein the wicked and such as are void of faith eate it not although they doe visibly presse with their teeth the Sacraments of the Body and Blood of Christ yet are they in no wise Partakers thereof But your Romish Church flatly otherwise as you all know and therefore hath your Sympresbyter Master Brereley endevoured to assume some Protestants to be on your side whom he hath alleaged with like faithfulnesse as he hath cited Master Calvin then whom he could not have in this case a greater Adversary For although Calvin grant with all Protestants that the wicked and faithlesse receive truly by way of Sacrament the Body of Christ yet doth he deny that they have in their bodies any Corporall coniunction or Vnion with Christ because the Vnion which we have saith he is Only spirituall only with the soule onely with the heart onely by faith and although it be offered to the wicked to be really received yet doe they not receive it because they are Carnall Their onely Receiving therefore is but Sacramentall So Mr. Calvin It had beene good that your Priest had suspected his Iudgement and as well in this Case as in others by doubting his owne eye-sight had borrowed your Cardinall his Spectacles then would hee have clearly perceived that together with other Protestants Calvin held that The wicked although they receive the Symbols and outward Signes of Christ's body yet the body it selfe they doe not receive So your Cardinall of the Doctrine of Protestants For although indeed Calvin said that The wicked eate the Body of Christ yet explaining himselfe he added these two words In Sacramento that is Sacramentally which in Calvins stile is alwayes taken for Symbolically only As for the consent of Protestants herein we put it to your great Cardinall and Champion their greatest Adversary to expresse He ioyneth Lutherans to the Calvinists in one consent for denying the Orall and Corporall Eating thereof and for believing the Eating of it to be Only by Faith Yet left any may say that in receiving the same Sacrament he doth not receive the thing signified thereby you may haue a Similitude to illustrate your iudgments as thus The same outward word concerning Iustification by Christ commeth to the eares of both Vnbeleevers and Beleevers But the Beleevers only are capable of Iustification That only the Godly-faithfull are Partakers of the Body and Blood of Christ and thereby Vnited unto him in the iudgement of Ancient Fathers SECT II. CHrist speaking of that which is the most Reall Eating saith Ioh. 6. He that eateth me remaineth in me and shall live for ever Vpon which Text Saint Hierome concludeth The men that live in pleasure neither eate the flesh of Christ nor drinke his Blood Next Origen inferreth that No wicked man can eat Christ his flesh And Saint Augustine most peremptorily Without doubt saith he they doe not spiritually eate the flesh of Christ nor drinke his blood although that they doe visibly and carnally presse the Sacrament thereof with their teeth and notwithstanding eate their condemnation So he thereby distinguishing the inward soules Eating Spirituall from the outward and Sacramentall Eating as he doth man's Spirit from his Teeth In which respect he as verily denied that Indas ate his Lord the bread as hee affirmed him to have eaten The bread of the Lord. Therefore the Bread Sacramentall was not the Bread the Lord. Cyrill Bishop of Alexandria teacheth that whosoever doth truly receive the body of Christ Is in Christ and Christ in him both so ioyned one with the other as waxe melted with waxe is united together All these so evident Testimonies of so ancient Fathers doe inferre this Conclusioâ— against you that none doe really eate the Body of Christ who receive him but only Sacramentally And afterwards other Fathers will be found to ioyne their Consent hereunto where they teach that none eate his flesh with whom Christ hath not a perpetuall vnion Now for you to answere that their meaning is not that the ungodly eate it not really but that they eate it unworthily and therefore unprofitably for their salvation is but recoyling and giving backe when you want a shield for your defence For the Testimonies alleaged which deny that the faithlesse and godlesse men Eate Christ's Body speake directly of the Act of spirituall Eating and not only of the Effect as you fancie Peruse you their Testimonies and be you our Iudges That by Spirituall Eating your Romish Corporall Vnion through Sacramentall Eating is excluded SECT III. SAcramentall Eating and Vnion professed by your Church is as you may remember said to be Corporall by Christ's bodily Touch of the body of the Receiver but seeing the godly and faithfull man only can be partaker of the body and blood of Christ and be really united unto it as the
Reason which might not likewise haue moued the ancient Church of Christ both Greeke and Romane to the same manner of Pronunciation Whereas the Catholike Church notwithstanding for many hundred yeares together precisely observed the ordinance of Christ THE SECOND CHALLENGE In respect of the necessitie of a Lowde voice especially by the Romish Priest in uttering the words of Consecration THe greatest silence which is vsed by the Romane worshippers is still in the Priests vttering or rather muttering the words of Institution Hoc est corpus meum and Hic est sanguis meus albeit here is the greatest and most necessarie Cause of expressing them for the satisfaction of euery vnderstanding Hearer among you For those you call the Words of Consecration the iust pronunciation whereof you hold to be most necessarie because if the Priest in vttering of them faile but in one syllable so farre as to alter the sence of Christs words which as you say may happen by six manner of Defects then the whole Consecration is void and the thing which you adore is in substance meerely Bread still If therefore the People shall stand perplexed in themselves whether the words which are concealed be duely vttered by the Priest to himselfe how shall it not concerne them to heare the same expresly pronounced lest that according to your owne Doctrine they be deluded in a point of faith and with divine worship adore Bread instead of the person of the Sonne of God Whereof we are to entreate at large in due place if God permit Your fift Romish Transgression of the Canon of Christ his Masse is a second Contradiction against the Sence of the former words of Christ SAID VNTO THEM SECT VII AGaine that former Clause of the Canon of Christ to wit He said unto them teacheth that as his voice Saying unto them was necessarily audible to reach their eares so was it also Intelligible to instruct their vnderstanding and therefore not vttered in a Tongue vnknowne Which is evident by that hee giveth a Reason for the taking of the Cup Enim For this is the bloud c. which particle For saith your Cardinall is implyed in the first part also Now whosoeuer reasoneth with another would bee vnderstood what he saith The contrarie Canon of the now Romane Masse The Councel of Trent saith your Iesuite decreed that it is not expedient that the Diuine seruice should be celebrated in a knowne tongue Whereupon you doubt not to censure the contrarie Doctrine of Protestants to be Hereticall and Schismaticall and no wayes to be admitted But why Lest say you the Church may seeme a long time to haue beene asleepe and to haue erred in her contrarie Custome So you Our Church of England contrarily thus It is a thing repugnant to the Word of God and Custome of the Primitiue Church to haue publike prayer and ministring of the Sacraments in a tongue not knowne of the people This occasioneth a double Plea against your Church of Rome first in defence of the Antiquitie and Vniversalitie next for the Equitie of Prayers in a knowne tongue in the publike service of God I. CHALLENGE Against the Romish Alteration of the Catholike and vniversall practiceâ— of the Church and the Antiquity thereof IN the examination of this point Consider in the first place your owne Confessions given by your Iesuits and others acknowledging that In the dayes of the Apostles and a long time after euen for a thousand yeares and more the whole Church and in it the People of Rome had knowledge of this part of service concerning the Sacrament and vsed to say AMEN So you And this is as much as we need to require concerning the judgement and practice of the true Antiquitie of this Custome You will rather doubt we suppose of the Vniversalitie thereof because you vsually goe no farther then your Dictates which teach that because there were generally but three generall and knowne tongues Hebrew Greeke and Latine therefore the divine seruice was celebrated thorow-out the Church in one of these three And because these could not be the vulgar language of euery Christian Nation it must follow say they that the People of most Nations vnderstood not the publike Prayers vsed in their severall Churches And with this Perswasion doe your Doctors locke vp your consciences in a false beleefe of an vniversall Custome of an vnknowne service of God Which you may as easily vnlocke againe if you shall but vse as a key this one Observation viz. That the three common tongues namely Hebrew Greeke and Latine although they were not alwayes the vulgar Languages yet were they knowne Languages commonly to those people that vsed them in Divine Service Which one only Animadversion will fully demonstrate vnto vs the truth of our Cause It is not denyed but that the three Languages Hebrew Greeke and Latine were in primitiue ages most vniuersall insomuch that the Hebrew was spoken albeit corruptly thorowout almost the whole Easterne Church The Greeke was currant thorow the whole Greeke Church also and in the lesser Asia And the Latine was dispersed ouer a great part of Europe It will now be fully sufficient to know that the most of these languages were certainly knowne in publike worship vnto all them of whom they were vsed in publike Sermons and preachings For your owne Church howsoever she decreed of Praying yet doth she forbid Preaching in an vnknowne tongue Now therefore ioyne we beseech you the eyes of your bodies and mind together in beholding and pondering our Marginals and you shall finde first if we speake of the Greeke Language that there was a generall knowledge thereof even among the vulgar people of the Churches of Antioch Caesarea Alexandria and thorowout Asia Secondly if of the Latine you may behold anciently the familiar knowledge thereof in the Church of Rome whereof St. Hierome hath testified that The people were heard in the Churches of Rome resounding and thundring out their Amen! This in Churches vnmixt Thirdly in mixt Congregations of Greeke and Latine that the Seruice was said both in Greeke and Latine Fourthly your owne generall Confession yeelding a common knowledge of the Latine tongue to the people of a great part of Europe and wee say also of Africke insomuch that Augustine doth openly teach that the Latine tongue was better knowne to his Africanes than was the Punicke although this were their natiue Language And also of France Spaine Italie Germanie Pannonia Dalmatia and many other Nations in the North and West particularly manifested by the Latine Homelies and writings made to the people of Africke by Tertullian Cyprian and Augustine and in France and Germanie by the people praying and ioyntly saying AMEN Not to tell you of the now-Custome of the remote Christian Churches such as are the Egyptians Russians Ethiopians Armenians and others All which exercise their publike Service in the vulgar and mother-tongues
that came vnprepared and as not intending to Communicate they commanded them to be gone and to be packing out of doores To this purpose your owne Relator telleth you from other Authors of the practice of Antiquity and of other succeeding Churches in not suffering any to be present but such as did Communicate and of removing and expelling them that did not Nor can the Church of Rome iustly take exception at this seing that in the Roman Church also in the daies of P. Greg. the first which was 600. yeares after Christ the office of the Deacon at the time of the celebration of the Eucharist was to crie alowde saying If any doe not communicate let him give place Where wee see the religious wisdome of that ancient Church of Rome which could not suffer a Sacrifice to devoure a publike Sacrament and to exclude a Communion Whereunto the Scriptures gave the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a Gathering together and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a Communion as also of The Supper of the Lord. Yea and Calixtus a Pope more ancient than Gregorie required that persons present should Communicate Because saith he the Apostles had so ordained and our Church of Rome obserueth the same But what haue We said have Wee called this Sacrament the Supper of our Lord so we thought were we taught by the Apostle 1. Cor. 11. before wee heard your Iesuite Maldonate denying this and bitterly inveying against Protestants terming them Blind men for want of judgement for so calling it But he must pardon vs if we though wee should suspect our owne sight yeild to the ancient Fathers of Primitive times as to men farre more cleare-sighted than that Iesuite could be who as both your Romane Catechisme with Lindan instructeth and as your Cardinall Baronius confesseth following the authority of the Apostles used to call the sacred Eucharist the Lord's Supper distinct from the Paschall Supper which went before it amongst whom you have Dionysius Areopagita with Chrysostome Cyprian Augustine Hierome Anselme Bernard Whereupon with some of them we enioyne a Necessity of a ioynt Communion with those that are present Will you suffer a Golden mouth to be Moderator in this Controuersie thus then Whosoever thou art saith Chrysostome that being fit to participate of this Sacrament shalt stand only looking on and not eate thou doest no lesse Contumely and reproach to the Sacrament than a man invited to a Feast who will not taste thereof doth unto the Lord that invited him to bee a Guest So hee And to shew that it cannot be sufficient to behold it only as a proper Sacrifice as you pretend the same Father as you know saith against such By-standers Why doe we waite at the Altar offering meaning unproperly a Sacrifice when as there is none to communicate And why dost thou impudent fellow stand here still not being one of them that participate thereof But enough This then you perceiue is a matter of no small importance even by reason of the nature of this Sacrament which is a Divine Banquet being also enioyned upon the Catholike Church by that Command of Christ DOE THIS Therefore the Command and Precept comming maketh you Transgressors for not Eating even as by the first Command given unto man-kind of Eate not our first Parents became Transgressors for Eating So justly doth our Church require that Gazers who comunicate not should depart We forbeare to repeate that which we have formerly prooved to wit that you by not dismissing the non-Communicants from beholding the Celebration this Sacrament are condemned by the word Masse whereof you have so long boasted untill that now your Glorie is become your shame The Eight Transgression of the Canon of Christ his Masse by a second Contradiction of the Sence of the former words EATE YEE SECT X. THis is the last Act of Christ concerning the use of the first Element viz. Bread saying EATE YEE even as he said of the other Drinke yee and of both hee gave this his joynt Command Doe this Wherefore this Act of Eating being thus prescribed as the only bodily outward end of this Sacrament it doth exclude all other bodily Vses of man's inuention Accordingly our Church of England Article 25. saith Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be carried about but to be duely used The contrarie Canon of the Romane Masse The holy Synod of Trent saith your Iesuite hath ordained that this Sacrament be preserved carried abroad and publikely proposed to the people in Procession with solemne Pompe and Worship Which is a laudable Custome CHALLENGE VVE doe not dispute against all manner of Reseruation of the Eucharist for wee acknowledge some to be ancient but wee inquire into the religious use and end of Reseruation which we say was not for any publike Profession or Adoration but only for a Sacramentall Eating thereof And how vniustly you call this your Procession only for publike Adoration Laudable wee are provided to demonstrate by the Confessions of your owne Iesuites and others out of Cyprian and other Fathers who consulting first about Antiquitie grant that after the Celebration of the Eucharist anciently The Remainders which were left lest they should corrupt and putrifie were usually either given to children under age yet not to be received Sacramentally but only to be consumed by them or were burnt in the fire or else eaten reverently in the Vestrie called the Pastophorium Which was likewise the Custome of Rome in the primitive age as Pope Clement witnesseth And although in the times of extreme persecution Christians were permitted to take the Eucharist and carrie it home to their houses yet it was as you grant to no other end but that they might eate it and this only in the time of Persecution After which time the same Custome was abrogated So you How then can you call the Reservation of the Hoast for publike Procession and not for Eating Laudable which hath beene thus checked and gain-sayed by so syncere Antiquitie Secondly when you please to reveile unto us the first Birth of your owne Romane Custome you grant that it was not untill a Thousand foure hundred yeares after Christ And must it then be called a Laudable Custome whereby that we may so speake beardlesse noveltie doth take place of sage and gray-headed Antiquitie Thirdly in discussing the end which was destinated by our Saviour Christ you further grant that The primitive and principall end prescribed by Christ is for Sacramentall eating and that the Sacrament is to be given for this as it 's primary effect And yet notwithstanding for you to bring in a Pompous ostentation of not Eating and to call it a Laudable Custome argueth what little Congruitie there is betweene your Practice and Christ's Institution And how much lesse Laudable will this appeare to be when we consider the grosse and intollerable Abuses of your Processions
whereby hee requireth in all persons about to Communicate three principall Acts of Reason one is before and two are at the time of Receiuing The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let a man examine himselfe and so come c. The second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To discerne the Lords body The third is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To remember the Lords death vntill his Comming againe All which Three being acts of Iudgement how they may agree vnto Infants being persons void of iudgement iudge you And remember we pray you that wee speake of Sacrament all Eating and not of that vse before spoken of touching Eating it after the Celebration of the Sacrament which was for Consuming it and not for Communicating thereof CHAP. III. The Tenth Transgression of the Canon of Christ his Masse by the now Church of Rome is in contradicting the Sence of the next words following concerning the second part of this Sacrament of receiuing the Cup HE LIKEWISE TOOKE THE CVP AND GAVE IT TO THEM SAYING DRINKE YEE ALL OF THIS And adding 1. Cor. 11. DOE THIS AS OFTEN AS YOV DOE IT IN REMEMBRANCE OF MEE SECT I. BY which Words Like manner of Taking and Giving and Saying Drinke yee All of this we say that Christ ordained for his Guests as well the Sacramentall Rite of Drinking as of Eating and hath tied his Church Catholike in an equall obligation for performance of both in the administring of this Sacrament This Cause will require a just Treatise yet so that our Discourse insist only upon necessary points to the end that the extreme Insolencie Noveltie Folly and Obstinacie of the Romane Church in contradicting of this part of Christ his Canon may be plainly displayed that every conscience of man which is not strangely preoccupated with prejudice or transported with malice must needs see and detest it We have heard of the Canon of Christ his Masse The contrarie Canon of the Romish Church in her Masse Shee in her Councell of Constance decreed that Although Christ indeed and the Primive Church did administer the Eucharist in both kinds notwithstanding say they this Custome of but one kind is held for a law irreprovable Which Decree shee afterwards confirmed in her Councell of Trent requiring that the former Custome and Law of receiuing it but vnder one kinde be observed both by Laicks yea and also by those Priests who being present at Masse doe not the office of Consecrating Contrarily our Church of England in her thirtieth Article thus Both parts of the Lords Sacrament by Christ's Ordinance and Commandement ought to be ministred to all Christian men alike CHALLENGE BVt wee demand what Conscience should mooue your late Church of Rome to be guided by the authority of that former Councel of Constance which notwithstanding maketh no scruple to reiect the authority of the same Councell of Constance in another Decree thereof wherein it gain-sayeth the Antichristian usurpation of the Pope by Denying the authority of the Pope to be above a Councell and that as the Councell of Basil doth prooue from the authority of Christ his direction unto Peter to whom he said Tell the Church We returne to the State of the Question The full State of the Question All Protestants whether you call them Calvinists or Lutherans hold that in the publike and set celebration of the Eucharist the Communion in both kinds ought to be given to all sorts of Communicants that are capable of both The question thus stated will cut off a number of Impertinences which your Obiectors busie themselves withall as will appeare in due places Wee repeate it againe In publike Assemblies of all prepared and capable of the Communion The best Method that I could choose for the expedite and perspicuous handling of this great Controversie is by way of Comparison as namely First by comparing the Institution of Christ with the contrarie Ordination and Institution of the Romane Church Secondly Christ his Example with contrarie Examples Thirdly the Apostles Practice with the adverse Practice Fourthly the Primitive Custome of the Church Catholike with the after-contrarie Custome and the Latitude thereof together with latitude of the other Fiftly the Reasons thereof with Reasons Sixtly the divers manners of beginning of the one as also the Dispositions of men therein with the repugnant manner and Dispositions of men in continuing the other The discussing of all which points will present unto your view divers kinds of Oppositions In the first is the Conflict of Religion with Sacriledge In the second a soveraigne Presidence in Christ with Contempt In the third of Faithfulnesse with Faithlesnesse In the fourth of Antiquity with Noveltie In the fift of Vniversality with Paâ—city In the sixt of Wisdome with Folly as also of Charity with Iniustice and Impiety In the seventh of Knowledge with Ignorance as likewise of Devotion with Profanenesse And all these marching and warring together without any possibility of Reconciliation at all The first Comparison is of the Institution of Christ with the Contrarie proving the Precept of Christ for the vse of both kinds to all lawfull Communicants SECT II. THere is one word twice used in the tenour of Christ his Institution once concerning the Bread Hoc FACITE DOE THIS the second time touching the Cup Hoc FACITE QVOTIESCVNQVE DOE THIS AS OFTEN c. Both which whosoever should denie to have the Sound and Sence of a Precept might be confuted by your owne Iesuites Doctors Bishops and Cardinals among whom wee find your Barradas interpreting it Praecipit your Valentian Praeceptum your Iansenius Mandat your Alan Praeceptio your Bellarmine Iubet each one signifying a Command But of what this is our next Inquisition The Acts of Christ were some belonging to Consecration and some to Distribution Manducation and Drinking Such as concerned Consecration of both kinds being with common consent acknowledged to be under that Command of Hoc facite are the Taking Bread and Blessing it c. The other touching Administration of the Cup whereof it is said Hee tooke it and gave it to his Disciples whom after he had Commanded saying Drinke you all of this he added the other Command set downe by Saint Paul saying unto them Doe this as often as yee shall doe it in remembrance of Mee That by this Obligation he might charge them to communicate in both kinds A Precept then it must needs be But we are not ignorant of your Evasions Your first Evasion Although say you it be said to his Disciples Drinke you all and Doe this yet it is spoken to them as they were Priests And onely to the Apostles saith Master Brereley And againe The Apostles did represent the Priests CHALLENGE VVE answere that your owne Castro will not allow your Antecedent but is perswaded rather by the manifest Current of the Text that The Apostles were not Priests when the Cup was given unto them And although they were then
are the Rites of the old Law called Shadowes in respect of the Sacraments of the Gospell according to the which difference Saint Iohn the Baptist was called by Christ a Prophet in that hee foretold Christ as now to come but he was called more then a Prophet as demonstrating and pointing him out to be now come Which Contemplation occasioned divers Fathers to speake so Hyperbolically of the Sacrament of the Eucharist in comparison of the Sacraments of the old Testament as if the Truth were in these and not in them as Origen did Besides the former two there is Veritas Obsignationis a Truth sealed which maketh this Sacrament more than a Signe even a Seale of Gods promises in Christ for so the Apostle called Circumcision albeit a Sacrament of the old Law the Seale of Faith But yet the print of that Seale was but dimme in comparison of the Evangelicall Sacraments which because they confirme unto the faithfull the Truth which they present are called by other ancient Fathers as well as by Saint Augustine visible Seales of divine things So that now we have in this Sacrament the Body of Christ not only under a Signe or signification but under a Seale of Confirmation also which inferreth a greater degree of reall Truth thereby represented unto us This might have beene the reason why Saint Augustine taught Christ to be Present both in Baptisme and at receiving the Lord's Supper A fourth Reason to be observed herein as more speciall is Veritas Exhibitionis a Truth Exhibiting and delivering to the faithfull Communicants the thing signified and sealed which Christ expressed when he delivered it to his Disciples saying Take eate this is my Body given for you and this is my Blood shed for you Thus Christ by himselfe and so doth he to other faithfull Communicants wheresoever to the ends of the World by his Ministers as by his hands through virtue of that Royall Command DOE THIS Vaine therefore is the Obiection made by your Cardinall in urging us with the testimony of Athanasius to prove that Christ his Body is exhibited to the Receivers As though there were not a Truth in a mysticall and sacramentall deliverance of Christ his Body except it were by a corporall and materiall presence thereof which is a transparent falsity as any may perceive by any Deed of Gift which by writing seale and delivery conveyeth any Land or Possession from man to man yet this farre more effectually as afterwards will appeare But first we are to manifest That the Romish Disputers doe odiously slanderously and unconscionably vilifie the Sacrament of the Eucharist as it is celebrated by PROTESTANTS SECT III. BEllarmine with others obiect against Protestants saying that Their Sacrament is nothing else but a crust of Bread and pittance of Wine And againe A morsell of Bread ill baked by which the Protestants represent unto their memories the death of Christ and the benefits thereof A goodly matter so doth a Crucifix and to make the Sacrament only a Signe is an ancient Heresie So they But have you not heard the Doctrine of the Protestants teaching the Eucharisticall Bread to be more than bare Bread a Sacramentall signe more an Evangelicall signe more a sacred Seale yet more an exhibiting Instrument of the Body of Christ therein to the devout Receiver And have not these outragious Spirits read your owne Cardinall witnessing that the Protestants teach that Although the Body of Christ be still in Heaven yet is it received in this Sacrament first Sacramentally by Bodily mouthes in receiuing the Bread the signe of Christ his Body and by which God doth truly albeit Sacramentally deliver unto the faithfull the reall body of Christ and secondly spiritually to the mouth of the soule by faith and so they truly and really participate of the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ So Bellarmine concerning Protestants which is so plainly professed by Calvin himselfe as would make any Romish Adversary blush at your former Calumnies who hath not abandoned shamefastnesse it selfe CHALLENGE THus may you see that we have not hitherto so pleaded for the Existence of the Substance of Bread in this Sacrament after Consecration as thereby to exclude all Presence of Christ his body nor so maintained the proprietie of a Signe or Figure as not to beleeve the thing signified to be exhibited unto us as you have heard With what blacke spot of malignity and falshood then were the Consciences of those your Doctors defiled thinke you who have imputed to Protestants a Profession of using onely bare Bread which they notwithstanding teach and beleeve to be a Sacred Signe of the true Body of Christ in opposition to Heretikes an Evangelicall Signe of the Body of the Messias crucified against all Iewish conceit yea a Seale of Ratification yea and also a Sacramentall Instrument of conveying of the same precious Body of Christ to the soules of the faithfull by an happy and ineffable Coniunction whereof more hereafter in the Booke following where the consonant Doctrine of the Church of England will likewise appeare And as your Disputers are convinced of a malitious Detraction by the confessed positions of Protestants so are they much more by your owne instance of a Crucifix for which of you would not hold it a great derogation from Christ that any one seeing a Crucifix of wood now waxen old should in disdaine thereof call it a wooden or rotten Blocke and not account them irreligious in so calling it but why onely because it is a signe of Christ crucified Notwithstanding were the Crucifix as glorious as either Art could fashion or Devotion affect or Superstition adore yet is it but a signe invented by man And therefore how infinitely more honourable in all Christian estimation must a Sacramentall Signe be which onely the God of Heaven and Earth could institute and Christ hath ordained to his Church farre exceeding the property of a bare signe as you have heard A Father deliuering by politique assurances under hand and seale a portion of Land although an hundred miles distant and convaying it to his sonne by Deed if the sonne in scorne should terme the same Deed or writing blacke Inke the Seale greasie Waxe and the whole Act but a bare signe were he not worthy not onely to loose this fatherly benefit but also to be deprived of all other the temporall Blessings of a Father which hee might otherwise hope to enioy yet such like have beene your Calumnies and opprobrious Reproaches against our celebration of the Sacrament of Christ The Lord lay not them to your Charge Now you who so oppose against the Truth of the mysticall Presence will not conceale from us that Presence of the Body and Blood of Christ which your Church doth so extremely dote on CHAP. II. The Romish professed manner of Presence of Christ's Body in this Sacrament SECT I. OVr Methode requireth to consult in the first
sacrificed by the hands of the Priest Here to wit on the Table below representatively as hereafter the Catholique Fathers themselves will shew And these two may easily consist without any necessity of the Priest reaching his hands as farre as the highest Heavens as your Cardinall pleasantly obiecteth Thirdly you alleage Wee are said to partake truly of the Body of Christ As though there were not a Truth in a Sacramentall that is Figurative Receiving and more especially which hath beene both proved and confessed a Reall and true participation of Christ's Body and Blood spiritually without any Corporall Coniunction But it is added saith he that These namely the Body and Blood of Christ are Symbols of our Resurrection which is by reason that our Bodies are ioyned with the Body of Christ otherwise if our Coniunction were onely of our soules onely the Resurrection of our soules should be signified thereby So hee that 's to say as successesly as in the former For the word HAEC These which are called Symbols of our Resurrection may be referred either to the Body and Blood of Christ immediatly spoken of and placed on the Table in Heaven which we Commemorate also in the Celebration of this Sacrament and in that respect may be called Symbols of the Resurrection of our Bodies because If Christ be risen then must they that are Christs also rise againe Or else the word These may have relation to the more remote after the manner of the Greekes to wit Bread and Cup on the first Table because as immediately followeth they are these whereof not much but little is taken as you have heard Which other Fathers will shew to be indeed Symbols of our Resurrection without any Consequence of Christ's Bodily Coniunction with our Bodies more than there is by the Sacrament of Baptisme which they call the Earnest of our Resurrection as doth also your Iesuite Coster call it The Pledge of our Resurrection But this our Coniunction with Christ is the subiect matter of the Fift Booke Lastly how the Eucharist was called of the Fathers a Sacrifice is plentifully resolved in the Sixt Booke THE FIFTH BOOKE Treating of the third Romish Doctrinall Consequence arising from your depraved Sence of the Words of Christs Institution THIS IS MY BODY concerning the manner of the present Vnion of his Body with the bodies of the Receivers by Eating c. CHAP. I. The state of the Question SECT I. A Christian man consisting of two men the Outward or bodily and the Inward which is Spirituall this Sacrament accordingly consisteth of two parts Earthly and Heavenly as Irenaeus spake of the bodily Elements of Bread and Wine as the visible Signes and Obiects of Sense and of the Body and Blood of Christ which is the Spirituall part Answerable to both these is the double nourishment and Vnion of a Christian the one Sacramentall by communicating of the outward Elements of Bread and Wine united to man's body in his Taking Eating digesting till at length it be transubstantiated into him by being substantially incorporated in his flesh The other which is the Spirituall and Soules food is the Body and Blood of the Lord therefore called Spirituall because it is the Obiect of Faith by an Vnion wrought by God's Spirit and man's faith which as hath beene professed by Protestants is most Reall and Ineffable But your Church of Rome teacheth such a Reall Vnion of Christ his Body and Blood with the Bodies of the Communicants as is Corporall which you call Per contactum by Bodily touch so long as the formes of Bread and Wine remaine uncorrupt in the bodies of the Receivers Our Method requireth that we first manifest our Protestant Defence of Vnion to be an Orthodoxe truth Secondly to impugne your Romish Vnion as Capernaiticall that is Hereticall And thirdly to determine the Point by comparing them both together Our Orthodoxe Truth will be found in the Preparations following That Protestants prosesse not only a Figurative and Sacramentall Participation and Communion with Christ's Body but also a spiritually Reall SECT II. ALl the Bookes of the Adversaries to Protestants are most especially vehement violent and virulent in traducing them in the name of Sacramentaries as though we professed no other manner of feeding and Vnion with Christ's body than only Sacramentall and Figurative For Confutation of which Calumny it will be most requisite to oppose the Apologie of Him who hath beene most opposed and traduced by your Disputers in this Cause to shew first what he held not and then what he held If you shall aske Calvin what he liked not he will answere you I doe abhorre your grosse Doctrine of Corporall Presence And I have an hundred times disclaimed the receiuing only of a Figure in this Sacrament What then did hee hold Our Catechisme teacheth saith hee not only a signification of the Benefits of Christ to be had herein but also a participation of the substance of Christ's flesh in our soules And with Swinckfeldius maintayning only a Figurative perception we have nothing to doe If you further demand what is the Feeding whereby we are united to Christ's body in this Sacrament hee tels you that it is IV. Not carnall but Spirituall and Reall and so Reall that the soule is as truly replenished with the lively virtue of his flesh by the powerfull worke of the Spirit of God as the body is nourished with the corporall Element of Bread in this Sacrament If you exact an Expression of this spirituall Vnion to know the manner hee acknowledgeth it to be above Reason If further you desire to understand whether he were not Singular in this opinion he hath avouched the iudgement of other Protestants professing not to dissent one Syllable from the Augustane Confession as agreeing with him in iudgement herein Accordingly our Church of England in the 28. Article saith that To such as worthily and with faith receive this Sacrament The Bread which we breake is a partaking of the Body of Christ which Body is given taken and eaten in the Supper only after a spirituall and heavenly manner the meane whereby is Faith That the Body of Christ by this Sacrament was ordained only for food to the Christian man's Soule SECT III. VVHat need wee seeke into the Testimonies of ancient Fathers which are many in this point of Dispute having before us the Iudgement of your Fathers of the Councell of Trent and of your Romane Catechisme authorized by the same Councell both which affirme that Christ ordained this Sacrament to be the spirituall food of man's soule In which respect the Body of Christ is called Spirituall in your Popes Decree That the Spirituall feeding and Vnion with Christs Body is more excellent and Reall than the Corporall Coniunction can be SECT IV. THe soule of man being the most essentiall and substantiall part of man because a Spirit immortall and the flesh
the Eucharist to make it a Sacrifice without some Sacrificing Act. A Sheepe is no Sacrifice whilst it remaineth in the fold nor can every Action serve the turne except it be a destructive Act for the Sheepe doth not become therefore a Sacrifice because it is shorne nor yet can any destructive Act be held Sacrificing which is not prescribed by Divine Authority which onely can ordaine a Sacrifice as hath beene confessed But no such divine ordinance hath hitherto beene proved Is it not then a miserable case which you are in to suffer your selves to be deceived by such Mountebankes who pretend to direct mens Consciences in the Mysteries of Christian Faith and particularly concerning this high point of Proper Sacrifice and in the end give no other satisfaction than by meere Riddles of a Visible not Visible Consecrated not Consecrated Destroyed and not Destroyed with Blood separated and not separated from the Body and each one spoken of the same Body of Christ Our last point concerning a proper Sacrifice followeth CHAP. VII Our Fourth Examination is of the Doctrine of PROTESTANTS in the point of Sacrifice IN discussion whereof we are to consider first the Acts which are incident unto the Celebration of this Sacrament and then the Object thereof which is the true and reall Body of Christ as it was Sacrificed upon the Crosse In respect of the Acts we say I. That Spirituall Sacrifices albeit Vnproper are in one respect more true and doe farre excell all merely Corporall Sacrifices according to Scripture SECT I. WHen Christ called himselfe the True Vine the True light the True Bread in respect of the naturall Vine Light and Bread He taught us to distinguish betweene a Truth of Excellency and a Truth of propriety by their different Effects That which hath the naturall property of Bread although Manna preserveth but the temporall life for They are Manna and died But the Bread of Excellency which is Christ's Body preserveth to Immortalitie It is a good Observation which your Canus hath that Many spirituall things are called Sacrifices in Scripture because they were prefigured by the outward bodily Sacrifices of the Lambe as the killing of Beasts were signes of mortification which is a killing of sinne So he And the Thing prefigured you know is alwaies held more excellent than the figure thereof First the Sacrifice of Contrition Psal 51. 17. The Sacrifice of God is a Contrite heart Secondly of Righteousnesse by Mortification Psal 4. 5. Offer the Sacrifice of Righteousnesse And Rom. 12. 1. Present your Bodies a living Sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable Service Thirdly the Sacrifice of Prayer and Praise Hosea 14. 2. We will render the Calves of our lips Fourthly of Almes-workes Heb. 13. 16. With such Sacrifices God is well pleased Fifthly Sacrifice of Preaching Rom. 15. 16. That I ministring the Gospell that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable being sanctified by the holy Ghost Sixthly the Sacrifice of Martyrdome Phil. 2. 17. Yea and if I be offered up upon the Sacrifice and Service of your faith c. Next we say II. That all these Spirituall Acts although improperly called Sacrifices yet are they more excellent than all merely Corpoporall and proper Sacrifices in the Iudgement of Ancient Fathers SECT II. VPon this Contemplation Ancient Fathers have breathed out many divine Ejaculations for the expressing of the excellent Prerogatives of Spirituall Sacrifices in respect of Corporall Of the Sacrifice of Contrition thus Gods wrath is to be appeased with Spirituall Sacrifices And They were then Sacrifices for sinne which are now Sacrifices of Repentance for sinne And God sheweth he will not have the Sacrifice of a slaine beast but of a contrite breast Of the Sacrifice of Righteousnesse thus He that dieth to the world is for himselfe a Sacrifice And Then were creatures slaine to cleanse mens bodies but now are men to mortifie their vices Every one being made a Priest over his owne body to over-rule vices And They offered those grosse bodies of sheepe but we the more subtile and pure of vertues because unbloody things best agree with God And This is a new and admirable Sacrifice And The best Sacrifice is to have a pure minde and a chaste Body Of the spirituall Sacrifice of Prayer and Praises unto God thus These are most perfect and onely Sacrifices acceptable to God Of Preaching the word of God thus We stay vices with the sword of the word And of The Function Evangelicall It is a pure Sacrifice and immaculate And A Sacrifice sweeter than all Spices Of Almes-workes thus These God testifieth to be more pleasant unto him than all the Sacrifices And This is a true Sacrifice whereof the other Sacrifices are but Signes Of Martyrdome thus We are God's Temple our hearts his Altars we then offer up our bloody Sacrifice when we contend for the truth with our blood In briefe Every good worke done to the end that we may enjoy God is a true Sacrifice Hitherto of our Proposition by the Determination of holy Fathers In the next place we say for the Assumption III. That Protestants professe in their Celebration divers Sacrifices of chiefe Excellency SECT III. COrporall and Spirituall Sacrifices are by you distinguished calling the first Proper and the other Improper but the spirituall excelleth by infinite Degrees as you have heard In which kinde Protestants in their Celebration professe foure sorts of Sacrifices For proofe hereof we may instance in our Church of England most happily reformed and established First the Sacrifice of Mortification in Act and of Martyrdome in Vow saying We offer unto thee O Lord our selves our soules and bodies to be an holy lively and reasonable Sacrifice unto thee Next a Sacrifice Eucharisticall saying We desire thy fatherly goodnesse mercifully to accept of our Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving And why may we not with the Scripture call this a Sacrifice seeing that your Bishop Iansenius held it for an Argument of proving Christ to have offered a Sacrifice even Because he gave Thanks giving of Thankes being a kinde of Sacrifice So he Thirdly a Sacrifice Latreuticall that is of Divine worship saying And although we be unworthy to offer up any Sacrifice yet we beseech thee to accept of our bounden duty and service c. This performance of our Bounden Service is that which Ancient Fathers called an Vnbloody Sacrifice Nor is our Church of England alone in this Profession This Truth we refer unto the Report of your Cardinall and of Canus by whom you may understand the agreement betweene them whom you name Lutherans in their Augustane Confession and of Calvin by acknowledging not some one Act but the whole worke of this Celebration according to the Institution of Christ both in Communication Commemoration and Representation of his Death with
Praise and Thanksgiving to be a Sacrifice Eucharisticall And also to use the words of Calvin Latreuticall and Sebasticall that is a Sacrifice of Worship and Veneration which every Christian may and must professe who hath either eyes in his head or faith in his heart the Celebration of this Sacrament in Remembrance of his absolute Sacrifice of our Redemption being the Service of all Services that we can performe to God Now wherein and in what respect we may furthermore be said to offer to God a Sacrifice propitiatory improperly will after appeare when we consider Christ's Body as the Object herein That Protestants in their Commemoration offer up the same Body and Blood of Christ which was Sacrificed on the Crosse as the Object of Remembrance and most absolute Sacrifice of our Redemption SECT IV. NOw we are come to the last most true and necessary point which is the Body and Blood as the Object of our Commemoration Still still doe you urge the saying of Fathers where they affirme that we offer unto God The same Body and Blood of Christ on this Altar even the same which was sacrificed on the Crosse which therefore you interpret as being the same subject matter of our Commemoration As is a King acting himselfe upon a Stage as hath beene shewen We as instantly and more truly proclaime that we offer Commemoratively the same undoubtedly the very same Body and Blood of Christ his All sufficient Sacrifice on the Crosse although not as the subject of his proper Sacrifice but yet as the only adequate Object of our Commemoration as when the same murther of the Emperour Mauritius is represented in a Stage-play in some manner of Resemblance wherein we cannot possibly erre having Truth it selfe for our Guide who said Doe this in remembrance of me namely of the same Mee meaning Christ as crucified on the Crosse as the Apostle commenteth saying Hereby you shew the Lords Death till he come even the Same Body as the Same Death whereunto beare all the Fathers witnesse thorowout this Treatise Whereby it will be easie for us to discerne the subject Sacrifice of Christ from ours his being the Reall Sacrifice on the Crosse ours only the Sacramentall Representation Commemoration and Application thereof CHAP. VIII Of the Second Principall part of this Controversie which concerneth the Romish Sacrifice is as it is called Properly Propitiatory THis part is divided into an 1. Explication of that which you call Propitiatory 2. Application thereof for Remission of Sinnes The State of the Question of Propitiatory what it is SECT I. THe whole Difference standeth upon this whether the subject matter of our Representation in the hands of the Priest be properly a Propitiatory Sacrifice or no. Now Propitiatory is either that which pacifieth the wrath of God and pleaseth him by it's owne virtue and efficacy which as all confesse is only the Sacrifice of Christ in his owne selfe or else a thing is said to be Propitiatory and pleasing to God by God's gracious acceptance and indulgence The Romish professe the Sacrifice of their Masse to be such in the proper Virtue of that which the Priest handleth For the Tridentine faith concerning your Propitiatory Sacrifice is this viz. It is that whereby God being pacified doth pardon sinnes And least that there might be any ambiguity how it doth pacifie God whether by his gracious Acceptance or the Efficacie of offering your generall Romane Catechisme authorized both by your Councell of Trent and the then Pope Pius the fourth for the direction of your whole Church instructeth you all concerning your Sacrifice of the Masse that As it is a Sacrifice it hath an Efficacy and Virtue not onely of merit but also of satisfaction So they as truly setting downe the true nature of a Propitiatory Sacrifice as they doe falsly assume and apply it unto the Sacrifice of your Masse which Protestants abhor and impugne as a Doctrine most Sacrilegious and only grant the Celebration to be Propitiatory Improperly by God's Complacency and favourable acceptance wherewith he vouchsafeth to admit of the holy Actions and Affections of his faithfull Triall of all this is to be made by Scriptures Fathers by your owne Romish Principles and by the Doctrine of Protestants In the Interim be it knowne that our Church of England in her 31. Article faith of your Propitiatory Sacrifice of the Masse as it is taught by you that it is A Blasphemous Fable and Dangerous Deceit That the Romish Propitiatory Sacrifice hath no foundation in the Institution of Christ SECT II. YOur onely Objection is that Christ in the words of his first Institution said Take this is the new Testament in my Blood shed for you and for many for the Remission of sinnes Heare your Cardinall These words doe most evidently teach that Christ now in his Supper offered up his Blood for the sinnes of his Apostles So he But if this his Exposition of Christ's words be most evident alas what a number of other blinde Guides of great estimation among you hath your Church favoured pampered privileged and authorized who could see nothing in the words of Christ but the flat contrary namely that they were spoken in the Present Tense Tropically for the future not that it was then shed but that it was to be shed on the Crosse immediatly after among whom have beene reckoned Gregory de Valentia Salmeron Barradas three prime Iesuits your Bishop Iansenius yea and the Author of your Vulgar Translation And that you may the better discerne how hard the foreheads of your Cardinall of your Rhemists of Mr. Breerley and of such others are who have made that Objection you have beene likewise advertized that in the very tenor of your owne Romish Masse it selfe the word is expresly Effundetur It shall be shed We say in the Tenor of your Romish Masse published by the Authority of Pope Pius the fifth repeated by every one of your selves you being Romish Priests and accordingly beleeved of all the Professors of your Romish Religion Which Interpretation was furthermore confirmed by Fathers and by Scripture in the places objected and by a Reason taken from your owne Confession granting that Christ his Blood was not really shed in his last Supper This is that which we had to oppose unto that your Cardinal 's Most evident Argument as Sun-shine to Moone-light That many things are said to pacifie and please God which are not properly Propitiatorie by their owne Virtue according to Scriptures and your owne Confessions SECT III. IN Scripture our Mortification of the flesh is called a Sacrifice well-pleasing to God Rom. 12. 1. Almes Workes of Charity are likewise called Sacrifices wherewith God is delighted Heb. 13. 16. Comforting and cherishing the Ministers of God is called A Sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God Phil. 4. 18. So the Scripture And that Spirituall Sacrifices are more pleasing unto God than all the Hecatombs of Corporals could be is
happinesse of our Protestants profession concerning the Celebration of the Eucharist in comparison of your Romish How much more when you shall see discovered the Idolatry thereof which is our next Taske THE SEVENTH BOOKE Concerning the last Romish Consequence derived from the depraved sence of the words of Christ THIS IS MY BODY which is your Divine Adoration of the Sacrament contrary to these other words of Christ IN REMEMBRANCE OF MEE CHAP. I. WEE have hitherto passed thorow many dangerous and pernicious Gulfes of Romish Doctrines which our instant haste will not suffer us to looke backe upon by any repetition of them But now are wee entring upon Asphaltites or Mare mortuum even the Dead Sea of Romish Idolatrie whereinto all their superstitious and sacrilegious Doctrines doe emptie themselves which how detestable it is we had rather prove than prejudge The State of the Question concerning Adoration of the Sacrament SECT I. IN the thirteenth Session of your Councell of Trent wee finde a Decree commanding thus Let the same divine honour that is due to the true God be giuen to this Sacrament After this warning-Peece they shoot of a great Canon of Anathema and Curse against everie one that shall not herein worship Christ namely as corporally present with Divine honour That is to say To adore with an absolute divine worship the whole visible Sacrament of Christ in the formes of bread and wine as your Iesuit expoundeth it A worship saith he far exceeding that which is to be given to the Crucifix Whereupon it is that your Priests are taught in your Romane Missall to elevate the Consecrated Hoast and to propound it to the people to be adored and adoring it themselves in thrice striking their breast to say O Lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world have mercy upon us So you But what doe they whom you call Sacramentaries judge of this kinde of worship can you tell All of them saith your Cardinall call it Idolatry But they whom you call Lutherans are they not of the same Iudgement say They call us because of this worship Artolaters that is Bread-worshippers and Idolaters saith your Iesuit As for our Church of England She accordingly saith that The Sacrament of the Lords Supper was not reserved carried about lifted up or worshipped Our Method must now be to treat first of Christs Institution or Masse next of the Profession of Antient Fathers then of your Romish Masse in it selfe and lastly wee shall returne againe to our owne home to demonstrate the happie Securitie which our Church hath in her manner of worship So that these contradictorie Propositions This Sacrament is to be adored with divine worship and Is not to be adored with divine worship being the two different scales of this Controversie the one will preponderate the other according to the weight of Arguments which shall be put into either of them Of the Institution of Christ shewing that there was therein neither Precept for this Adoration of the Sacrament nor Practice thereof SECT II. NO outward Adoration of the Sacrament was practised of the Disciples of Christ say we at the Institution thereof which you confesse with us and take upon you to give a reason thereof to wit that There was no need that the Apostles should use any outward signification of honour to the Sacrament because they had then Christ present and visible before them So your Iesuite which contradicteth your owne Objection of therefore adoring Christ in receiving the Sacrament because then he Commeth under the roofe of your mouthes for the neerer our approach is to any Majestie the greater useth to be our outward humiliation But well no Practice of outward Adoration by the Apostles at that time can appeare much lesse have you any Evidence of any Precept for it If there had beene in the words of Christ or in the volume of the new Testament any syllable thereof your Cardinall would not have roved so farre as to Deuteronomie in the old Testament to fetch his only defence out of these words of God Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God supposing that the Bread which is worshipped is indeed the Sonne of God which is as it were mere Canting being the basest kinde of Reasoning that can be and is therefore called of Logitians A begging of the point in Question We contrarily adhere to the Institution of Christ in all points necessarie and essentiall thereunto and knowing that the Apostle promised to deliver Whatsoever hee had received of the Lord concerning this Sacrament which you hold to be the principall part of your Romish Religion wee are perswaded that he in expressing the other Commands of Christ touching Consecration Administration and Communication of this Sacrament never taught that your Article of divine Adoration whereof hee gave not so much as the least intimation The Apostolicall times faile you We shall try if the next called the Primitive Age can any whit advantage your Cause which is our second Station CHAP. II. Of the Doctrine of Antiquity concerning the Adoration of the Eucharist SECT I. THE Iudgement of Antiquity is objected by you and the same is opposed by us against you Let both be put to the Triall First by answering of your Objections out of the Fathers against us and then by opposing their direct Testimonies against you Your Objections are partly Verball and partly Practicall the Verball are of three kinds two whereof are specified in the next Proposition That neither the objected manner of Invitation to come with feare nor of Association of Angels spoken of by the Fathers imply any Divine Adoration of the Eucharist SECT II. OVt of Chrysostome is objected his Exhortation that Christians in their approach to this Sacrament Doe come with horror feare and reverence Next is their talking of the Angels being present at this Celebration holding downe their heads and not daring to behold the excellency of the splendor c. and to deprecate the Lambe lying on the Altar These seeme to your Cardinall to be such invincible Testimonies to prove the Adoration of Christ as Corporally present that he is bold to say They never hitherto were answered nor yet possibly can be So he taking all Chrysostomes words in a literall sence whom notwithstanding your owne Senensis hath made to be the most Hyperbolizing Preacher of all the Fathers and therefore hath given unto all Divines a speciall Caution against his Rhetoricke in the point of this Sacrament lest we understand him literally Of which kinds you may have some Instances out of the very places Objected where Chrysostome saith indeed That we see that Lambe lying on the Altar And said he not also even in the same Oration We see here Christ lying in the Manger wrapped in his clouts a dreadfull and admirable spectacle So he But say doe you see herein either Cratch or Clothes or can you talke of Christ's