The Protestant Religion Truly State and Justified, Part 37
The Nine and Thirtieth accuſed Point.
That the Bread of the Supper of our Lord was but a Figure, or Remembrance of the Body of Chriſt, received by Faith, and not his true and very Body.
Anſ. 1. Proteſtants hold, that as all words are to be taken according to the uſage of the Subject or Science that they are uſed about, Phyſical Terms Phyſically; Rhetorical Rhetorically, Geometrical, Aſtronomical, Arithemetical, accordingly, Law Terms according to Law, and Moral and Theological Terms Morally and Theologically; ſo, if as Naturaliſts, we ask what the matter of that Sacrament is, we ſay Bread and Wine: If as Moraliſts and Theologues, we ſay, it is the Body and Blood of Chriſt: As if you ask of a Gold and Silver Coyn, what it is in a Natural Sence, we ſay, it is Gold and Silver: But if you ask in a Civil, Political and Law-Sence, we ſay, it is a 20 s. piece, a Jacobus, a Carolus piece, or it is a Crown, or a Shilling. So we ſay that Sacramentally and Morally, and Relatively, that which is naturally true Bread and Wine, is yet alſo the true Body and Blood of Chriſt: And we ſay not that it is only a Figure and Remembrance, but it is ſuch a Figure as is Repreſentatively his very Fleſh and Blood: And it is to Deliver to us, and Inveſt us in a Spiritual Ʋnion with Chriſt himſelf, and right to his ſaving Grace.
A proxy that as Repreſentative of a Prince Marrieth a Foreign Lady, is more than a Remembrance; and ſo is his Image, if it be uſed in the Marriage. A Key, or a Twig and Turf, by which Inveſtiture in Houſe and Land is delivered, and a Staff and Ring, by which Biſhopricks were of old delivered by Inveſtiture, are all more than a bare Remembrance.
2. As to your implied Doctrine of Tranſubſtantiation, that after the words of Conſecration, there is left no real Bread and Wine, it is Copiouſly and undenyably proved a Novel Doctrine, ſo monſtrous, as if it had been formed to engage Mankind in a Renunciation of Chriſtianity, Humanity, and common Senſes, and to be an obliging profeſſion of this Renunciation. It is enough for us to believe, that after the true Conſecration, it is no more meer Bread and Wine, (as after the Coyning a 20 s. Piece, a Crown, or a Noble, or an Angel, it is not meer Gold, but the ſaid named Coyn.) But if ever Satan ſhewed himſelf a Dragon, under the Name of an Angel of Light, it was when he made the Canons of the 4th. Laterane General Council under Innocent the 3d. that ſet up Tranſubſtantiation, and the Murdering of all that deny it, of depoſing Princes that will not exterminate them. This adjuncts and effects will ſhew the difference between this Counterfeit Sacrament and Chriſt. Chriſts Sacrament was inſtituted to be a Sacrament and Covenant of deareſt Love between God and Man, and one another: But as Satan, when he Covenanteth with Witches, to ſell him their Souls, muſt have it ſealed by his ſucking their Blood, ſo the ſeal that he ſet to the Monſter of Tranſubſtantiation, was that his Church and it muſt live by the blood of thoſe that own it not.
But what will convince men, that by Noiſe and Worldly Intereſt have Conquered all that is proper to a man, yea, or a living ſenſible Animal.
1. They pretend Chriſts Words, This is my Body, when they know that it was his ordinary parabolical phraſe, and they will take this Phyſically and ſingularly as different from all the reſt. Tho' he ſay, I am the Door, I am the Vine, and ye are the Branches, and my Father is the Huſband-man, and the Field is the World, and the Tares are the Children of the Wicked one, and the Harveſt is the end of the World, and the Reapers are the Angels; they that received the Seed by the High-way, are they that, &c. And ſo he ſpeaketh uſually.
2. They know that in 1 Cor. 11. Paul calls it Bread after the Conſecration, three times in the three next Verſes: And would they have Burnt Paul for a Heretick? What can they deviſe againſt theſe plain words?
3. They ſentence all to Death and Hell that will believe their Eyes, Taſte, Feeling or any Senſe of themſelves, and all others, that perceiveth true Bread and Wine after Conſecration.
4. Hereby they make God as Creator, the Grand Deceiver of the World, by deluding all Men's Senſes.
5. And hereby they overthrow all certainty of Faith Divine and Humane. For Senſe and Humanity are before Faith and Chriſtianity, and their perception preſuppoſed: And if Senſe be preſuppoſed fallible, yea falſe, Faith muſt needs be ſo: For we are not ſure that ever we ſaw a Book, or Man, or Light, or heard man ſpeak, or what he ſaith: And how can he believe Gods Word or the Popes, or Prieſts, that is not ſure that ever he heard or ſaw them?
6. They feign every ſottiſh filthy Prieſt, to work more Miracles at his pleaſure, by his tranſubſtantiating, than Chriſt or his Apoſtles did.
7. They enable a drunken Prieſt to undoe Bakers and Vintners, by ſaying the words of Conſecration Intentione Conſecrandi over all their Bread and Wine: And then they have none left.
8. They feign Chriſt to have eaten his own Body by his Body, and either that the ſame Body did eat it ſelf, or that he had two Bodies that did eat neither.
9. They feign that his whole Body did eat his broken Body, and that his Diſciples did eat it, before it was broken; and drank his ſhed Blood before it was ſhed.
10. When two General Councils C.P. the 5th. and Nice the 2d. tell us, that Chriſts body in Heaven now is not Fleſh and Blood, and Paul ſaith 1 Cor. 15, that Fleſh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, yet they maintain that Chriſt hath had theſe 1600 years a body of Fleſh and Blood.
11. They feign abundance of Accidents without ſubject Subſtances, that are the Accidents (Quantity, Quality, &c.) of nothing.
12. They feign a ſottiſh Prieſt to make his Maker day by day.
13. When Chriſt ſaith, He that eateth my Fleſh, and drinketh my Blood, ſhall live for ever; they feign the moſt wicked men to eat his Fleſh and drink his Blood.
14. They feign Mice to eat God.
15. They feign every wicked man to eat his God, and digeſt part of him into his own Fleſh and Blood, and caſt out the other part into the Jakes.
16. They teach men to commit Idolatry, by worſhiping Bread as God.
17. All this is enforced by Fire and Sword, againſt the Blood of Holy men.
18. All this is Novel Hereſie, contrary to the Doctrine of the Univerſal Church, for a Thouſand years after Chriſt and more.
19. It's contrary to Paul's Quere, 1 Cor. 12. Are all workers of Miracles? underſtood Negatively.
20. It's feigned a ſufficient ground to depoſe Princes, and deſtroy whole Lands.
But theſe things, and ſpecially the forged Miracles of the Tranſubſtantiation, are more largely confuted in many Treatiſes.
What hope of ending any Controverſies with Papiſts, that agree not with us in the credit of Senſes as Heathens do? Can we bring any Controverſie to a plainer iſſue, than to all Men's common Senſes, about due Objects and due Mediums? And is there any diſputing where no principle is agreed on?