The Buckler of the Faith, Part 2 · Article 38 · Subpart 7
That Transsubstantiation ouerthroweth the humanitie of Iesus Christ, and exposeth it to great opprobrie and disgrace.
Sect. 30 The worst mischiefe is, that by this doctrine the humanity of Iesus Christ is abolished, and the dignity of Priests exalted, contrary to the honour of the Sonne of God. This of all others is a principall heresie. For to ouerthrow the humane nature of Iesus Christ, is to cut the band in twaine which vniteth vsus to God, and a stopping of the pipe whereby God maketh his celestiall benefits to fall downe vponupon vsus. God doth not acknowledge vsus to be his children, but onelyonly because we are brerhren to his Sonne. But we should not be brethren to the Sonne of God, if he were not a man as we are, and had not an humane nature like vntounto ours. He was content to participate with our humane nature, that we might be partakers of his diuine nature, & to put on our flesh, to clothe vsus with his Spirit. That is it which the Apostle Hebrewes 2.17. saith, Wherefore in all things it behoued him to be made like vntounto his brethren. And 4.15. he saith, He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sinne: That he might be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and that hauing a brother which is inheritor of the kingdome of heauen, we might be coheires with him by vertue of that alliance.
This doctrine of Transsustantiation striketh piety at the very root, and wounds religion at the heart.
1 For Iesus Christ hath not a true humane body, if the parts of his body be not different in situation, and if in eueryevery part of the host his body be whole, so that his head and his feet are in the whole host, and his head and his feete in eueryevery particular part thereof.
2 To take from a body those things whereby it differeth from a spirit, is to make it no more a body but a spirit. But by transsubstantiation the body of our Lord is bereft of all the properties and differences whereby a body is distinguished from a spirit. For vnderunder the species they make it to be without space, and without circumscription, hauing no place, no measure, nor space, nor parts or members situated apart in their places.
3 And as in a point there is neither length nor breadth, whosoeuer placeth an humane body all whole vnderunder an indiuisible point, bereaueth it of all length and breadth, and by consequent maketh it to be no more a body.
4 In the Eucharist they make the body of our Lord to be more spirituall then the soules. For a soule is but in one place, it is neuer separated from it selfe, as they say the Lords body is, which is whole in heauen, and whole in an hundred thousand places all at one time here on earth, and is not in the region betweene both.
5 Also eueryevery humane body hath his interior parts situated in their naturall places, as the heart inclosed in the heart-case, the braine that filleth the membranes and the inner hollownesse of the head. If that be not in Iesus Christ, he is no man. Then seeing it is manifest that the interior parts of the body of Iesus Christ occupie a space, and are circumscribed by the place, which is the interior superficies of the body which containeth them: is it not a contradiction vntounto themselues to say, that the seuerall parts of the body of Christ do fill a space, and are contained in a place, but that all the body doth not fill any space, neither is contained in any place? As if one should say, that eueryevery seuerall part of a body is white, and that the whole body is blacke.
6 Againe, by transsubstantiation they make and produce a body, which was a body before they make it. For the body of Iesus Christ which is already in heauen, is made by the Priest here on earth: as if while M. Arnour is at Paris, he should be begotten in Rome.
7 We hauehave shewed before that this doctrine giues Iesus Christ two contrary bodies at one time, one body sitting at the table, the other in the mouthes of the Apostles, which sate not at the table: one body speaking and mouing, the other not speaking, nor able to stirre it selfe. One a weake and passible body, the other without infirmitie and impassible. One body which suffered and sweat drops of bloud, the other in the stomackes of the Apostles, which suffered no paine: which of these is our redeemer?
8 And when they say that the consecrated host is round, what meane they by the host? Do they vnderstand Iesus Christ? Iesus Christ is not round. Or do they vnderstand the accidents? Those accidents are not the host. In this matter they can hardly speake three words without contradicting themselues.
9 It serues not their turnes to giuegive the body of Christ two beings, the one natural, the other sacramentall. For besides that one thing can hauehave but one being; and to giuegive Iesus Christ a sacramētall being, that is to say, significatiue, is to build castles in the aire: our aduersaries confesse, that vnderunder the species Iesus Christ hath also his naturall being. Whereby it followeth, that also in that naturall being which is vnderunder the species, these things must happen vntounto it, to be in no place, to hauehave no space, to hauehave his length vnderunder a point, and such like things disagreeing with a true body.
10 The worst is, that by scattering the body of our Lord in many places at once, the Church of Rome maketh the History of the Gospell not onelyonly doubtfull but also ridiculous. For if the body of Iesus Christ can be in diuerse places at once, and distant one farre from another, and neuerthelesse still remaine an humane body, who can assure me that then when Iesus Christ was vponupon the crosse, he was not walking in another place? and that when he was before Pilate in Ierusalem, he was not asleepe in Alexandria? and that when he was in the blessed virgine Maries wombe, he was not in other womens wombes? And why Iesus Christ went so often from Galilee to Ierusalem, seeing that without stirring from Galilee he might be in Ierusalem? Why Ioseph and Marie hauing left him in Ierusalem against their wils, turned backe againe to fetch him, seeing that he might hauehave stayed in Ierusalem, and yet by their doctrine he might hauehave followed them all at one time?
11. For it is to little purpose to say, that as then the body of Christ was not yet glorified: seeing that in the institution of this Sacrament he was yet weake and not glorified, and yet they say, that then his body was whole vnderunder eueryevery part of the hoast, and in eueryevery one of his disciples mouthes.
12. If for an answer thereunto they aske vsus, and say, Is not God powerfull enough to do it? I will likewise answer them, and say, That God is no lesse powerfull to do otherwise, and that he is wise to do no such thing. All that which is written in the Alcoran may be proued in the same manner, by saying that God is able to do so. The will, and not the power of God is the rule of our beleefe. It is a great wrong to binde the omnipotent power of God to do all that which we imagine or conceiue, and to bind it with ridiculous bands, vnderunder pretence of exalting him, to make him captiue to vsus. God is omnipotent because he doth all whatsoeuer he will, and not all that we will prescribe vntounto him. But we hauehave seene before that the will of God is cleane contrary vntounto that which our aduersaries will hauehave him to will.
13. And though we ought onelyonly to endeuour to exalt the omnipotencie of God without making inquirie of his will, yet it shall appeare that we exalt the power of God and of our Lord Iesus Christ, and that our aduersaries diminish and derogate from it.
For, it is much more agreeable to the power of Iesus Christ to communicate himselfe vntounto vsus without comming downe here vponupon earth: as the Sunne is much more admirable by making it selfe present with vsus so farre off, and making vsus feele his vertue, then if he should come downe nearer the earth.
14. Adde hereunto, that vnderunder the hoast, Iesus Christ is not onelyonly put into the power of a man, but also made so vnable, that our aduersaries acknowledge, that vnderunder the species he can neither breathe, moue, nor open his eyes: for how should he there change place seeing he hath no place? How should he go vnderunder the species, seeing they put him whole vnderunder one indiuisible point which hath no length? For all mouing requires some extention.
15. Is it an exalting of the Maiestie and greatnesse of the eternall Sonne of God, to make him subiect to the will of a Priest, which many times is not an honest man; who maketh Iesus Christ when he will, carrieth him whither he will, and keepes him vnderunder locke and key? and to make cautions, and prouisions against all inconueniences that may happen, if the bloud shal chance to be spilt, or to freese, or if rats gnaw or eate the body of Iesus Christ, or if the Priest by weakenesse or drunkennesse, casteth vp the hoast out of his stomacke? Is it an honoring of God, and of his eternall Sonne, to call God an hoast, that may be stolen away? that may receiue cuts with a knife, like the Iesus Christ of Billetes in Paris? that may be carried away by beasts? that may fall into the dirt, and being fallen cannot rise againe? For although they say that Iesus Christ suffereth nothing by all that, because he is impassible, yet thereby he is greatly dishonored, and the Sonne of God is openly derided, and exposed to the laughter of the enemies of the Gospell.
16. It is also a dishonour to Iesus Christ to make men beleeue that the bones and relikes of Saints, dead at the least 12. or 15. hundred yeares before, can remaine without rotting: and yet by experience to acknowledge, that the hoast becometh mouldy in a few dayes, and that the presence of Iesus Christ, which is in it (as they say) doth not preserue it from vermine and the teeth of beasts.
17. But Iesus Christ is specially dishonoured hereby, that in the Papall procession the hoast is carried vponupon a curtall with a lanterne,This procession is set out in the first booke of Ceremonies. lib. 1. sect. 2. but the Pope is borne vponupon the shoulders of Kings and Princes, or vponupon the shoulders of their ambassadors. And that in the papall Masse the Pope is ten times more honored, and there is ten times more reuerence and religious honor done vntounto him then to God, which (as they say) he holdeth in his hands.
18. The ancient Fathers spake of the body of our Lord with more respect; for they were so farre off from beleeuing that it could be eaten by rats, that on the contrarie they beleeued that prophane persons eate it not, although they receiue the Sacrament.*Qui discordat à Christo nec carnem Christi manducat, nec sanguinem bibit, etsi tantae rei Sacrame…tum ad iudicium sui quotidiè accipit. Illi manducabant panem Dominum, ille panem Domini contra Dominum. Saint Augustin in the booke of Sentences collected by Prosper, saith, He that disagreeth with Iesus Christ, eateth not the flesh of Christ, nor drinketh his bloud, although he receiueth the sacrament of so great a thing to his condemnation. And in the 59. Treatise vponupon Saint Iohn, he saith, that the disciples did eate the bread, which is the Lord, but that Iudas did eate the bread of the Lord, against the Lord. For this Doctor beleeued that Iesus Christ is not eaten but by faith.