Transubstantiation, Title page – To the reader
A PLAIN REPRESENTATION OF Tranſubſtantiation, As it is received in the Church of Rome: WITH The Sandy FOUNDATIONS it is built upon, and the ARGUMENTS that do clearly evert and overturn it.
By a Countrey Divine.
Tranſubſtantiation (or the Change of the Subſtance of Bread and Wine in the Supper of the Lord) cannot be proved by Holy Writ: But it is repugnant to the plain Words of Scripture, overthroweth the Nature of a Sacrament, and hath given occaſion to many Superſtitions.
Articles of the Church of England, Art. 28.
Nullum hic errori velúm, nullus ignorantiae pratextus, neque enim vel vereum Dei praeit, vel ratio, vel ſenſus, & errori ac ignorantiae tum demum aliquid datur, ubi obſcuritas reperitur ſive ex. parte objecti, ſive ex parte medii, aut modi illud cognoſcendi, non veto ubi vitium in ſubjecto tantum, idque voluntarium ac affectatum. Spanhem. …ub. Evang. Part. 2. Dub. 50. p. 450.—.
London, Printed for J. Johnſon, 1687.
THE PUBLISHER TO THE READER.
IT's an odd Story that ſome tell us concerning the Py'd Piper of Halberſtadt, who being denied the Reward he was promiſed, for drowning thoſe Rats wherewith they were much troubled; Tuned his Pipes a ſecond Time, and draw all the Children in the Town after him till he had brought them to a Hill, which opening it ſelf to receive them, preſently cloſed upon them again. Many of the Romiſh Communion have of late been blowing their Pipes in our Streets, and 'tis not much to be admired at, that ſome Vermin, Men of flagitious Lives, and ſome Children in Underſtanding have been tripping and dancing after them, to the mighty danger, if not to the eternal ruine, of their Souls.
Our Enemies have been buſily ſowing their Tares, and no doubt had the good Men but ſlept, they would have reaped a much larger Harveſt. But the Orthodox and Learned Clergy of our City have ſtood upon their Watch, have behaved themſelves faithfully towards God and the Souls of Men; have ſo convincingly anſwered and confuted every Book that hath crawl'd out againſt our Religion, that if Men can but read and underſtand, they have ſufficient Antidotes againſt this Poyſon laid before them.
The Truth of it is, all the Arguments our Adverſaries have produced, are but like the Gibeonites old Shoes, only they have new vampt them up again: The ſame Souldiers that have been ſo often beaten out of the Field, only they have new Cloath'd 'em. What Succeſs Dragooning hath had in our Neighbouring Kingdom, is well known; but certainly by their arguing their Prieſts are like to prevail but little among Us. Indeed 'tis an extravagant and moſt unaccountable thing, that they ſhould undertake to perſwade any to go over to their Communion. For they cannot offer at this without pretending to give Men ſome good Reaſon for ſo doing. And yet no Man can forſake our Church, and enter into theirs, but he muſt renounce his Reaſon in order to it. For what can be more contradictory to the Reaſon, as well as the Senſes of all Mankind, than that monſtrous Doctrine of Tranſubſtantiation; the Subject of this following Diſcourſe.
'Tis an Argument indeed that hath been frequently treated upon both formerly and of late, in our own Language as well as in others, to very good Purpoſe. This Dagon, which ſome are ſo zealouſly ſetting up again, hath been often beaten down; I hope it will not be thought a needleſs thing to give it a Few Blows more, utterly to daſh the Stump of this Idol in pieces. That is the end of publiſhing the following Treatiſe; the Author whereof I need not tell thee is a Learned Man; the Work it ſelf, if thou peruſe it, will prove that. All that I ſhall ſay concerning him is this, that his Modeſty is proportionable to his Learning, he lives retired far from the Noiſe of the World; and that he cannot be a greater Stranger to thee, than he is to this preſent publiſhing of his Writings on this Subject. The Manuſcript was put into my Hands by a Friend of his, and upon the peruſal of it, judging it to be an excellent Piece, I was reſolved that it ſhould not continue in the ſame Retiredneſs and Obſcurity as its Author does. And in a time of common Danger, when we are invaded by a formidable Enemy, I ſee no reaſon why Books as well as Men ſhould not be preſſed and forced into the Field. I thought it alſo very hard that our learned Clergy here in the City ſhould always be upon Duty, and not he a little relieved by ſome Forces drawn out of the Country: However I was not willing to go on my own Head, but communicated theſe Papers to a very learned Perſon in this City, who encouraged me to purſue my Deſign by his high Approbation of it.
And indeed tho ſo many have bater'd this moſt abſurd Article of the Romiſh Faith, yet it can hardly be too ill uſed. 'Tis a Point that hath coſt many thouſand Lives, and therefore it deſerves no Mercy nor Pity, ſeeing it hath been the occaſion of ſo much Bloodſhed and Cruelty. Nay not only have Multitudes ſuffered a Temporal Death, becauſe they could not ſwallow this extravagant Doctrine; but Holy Church hath alſo ſentenced them to Eternal Damnation for it. And yet as much pains as they take to cram it down our Throats, and to impoſe the Belief of it upon us with ſuch ſevere Methods, and ſuch terrible Threatnings, I am perſwaded they would be glad to be fairly rid of it themſelves, if they did but know how▪ (But this Brat they cannot drop, becauſe of their pretence to Infallibility) For there is no one Doctrine of their whole Faith equally abſurd and ridiculous with this in the Apprehenſions of all Men, none which they are ſo hard put to to defend, and none that more expoſes them to the Scorn and Contempt of the Infidel Nations, as well as that of the Reformed Churches. The ſevere Cenſure of Avertoes, Perr. de l' Euch. l. 3. c. 29. Sr. Ed. Sands Europae Specul. p. 230. Edit. 1629. Orat. 3. c. 25. p. 18, 19. cited by Daill… againſt. Adam and Cottiby. pt. 1. p. 116.related by Cardinal Perron himſelf on the Credit of Sarga a Jeſuit, is well known, that he never found a worſe or a more ſottiſh Sect than that of the Chriſtians, who eat the God whom they worſhip. This is a thing that is matter of great Scandal to the Jews. A thing (as one ſaith that had reaſon enough to know) which they can at no hand digeſt. And Joſeph Albon a Spaniſh Jew, in his Book entituled, Ikkarim, ſets forth the many Abſurdities of it, and in the cloſe of all ſaith, they are things as can neither be comprehended by the Mind, nor expreſſed with the Tongue, nor endured by the Ear; they are contrary to the Underſtanding and Senſe, and conſequently cannot be believed, nor have any room among the Articles of Faith.
Nor do the Mahometans come behind the Jews in this matter: of which we have a famous Inſtance in Monſieur de la Boulaye le Goux in the Account of his Voyages,pt. 1. c. 10. p. 21. that the Mahometan Souldiers quarrelling with ſome of his Retinue, among other reproachful Words, they called them GOD-EATERS.
And the Truth of it is, 'tis ſo eaſy to lay this in the Diſh of thoſe that bold this Tenet, that the Silence of all the ancient Enemies of the Chriſtian Religion, Celſus, Porphyry, Lucian &c. who never upbraided the Chriſtians with it, is a plain Demonſtration that Tranſubſtantiation was not believed by any in their days.Rigalt. Not. ad Tertull. l. 2. ad uxor. p. 189. Not. 7. And therefore Rigaltius is aſtoniſh't as it (and well he might) that among ſo many Villanies, and ſo many Injuries, with which the Chriſtians were loaded, even ſo far as to accuſe them of Impiety, under this pretence that they had no Altars, and offered no Sacrifices; and among ſo many Apoſtacles of thoſe that revolted from their Religion, there was not any one Man that accuſed them of eating the Fleſh and drinking the Blood of their God.
And indeed 'tis impoſſible but that thoſe ſharp Wits, that did ſo induſtriouſly carp at any thing that ſeemed ſtrange and odd to them in the Chriſtian Religion, and the Profeſſors of it, and either invented or ſpread moſt malicous Calumnies againſt them; I ſay 'tis impoſſible but that they ſhould have flung this in their Teeth, if any ſuch thing had been believed by them. For this is a more extravagant Folly than any with which the Fathers did, or could upbraid the moſt ſottiſh among all the Heathens.De Nat. Deorum l. 3. Can you think any Man to be ſo mad, ſaid Cicero, as to believe that which he eats to be God? No, the very Egyptians themſelves, tho the groſſeſt of Idolaters in ancient Times, were not ſo deſtitute of all Senſe or Reaſon. They were ſo ſottiſh indeed is to worſhip Sheep, Oxen, yea and Onions; but we never read that they did eat thoſe things they adored. This is a ſingular thing peculiar to thoſe that ſtyle themſelves Roman Catholicks.
And as this Doctrine is matter of Sport to thoſe that are without, ſo 'tis of no ſmall Torture and Vexation to them that are within the Roman Church. It not only hinders Men from entring into their Communion, but ſhakes and ſtaggers many that from their very Infancy have been trained up in it, notwithſtanding the mighty Prejudices of their Education. This was a means of opening the Eyes of our Contry-Man Gage, who was formerly a Popiſh Prieſt.Gage's Survey of Weſt Indies. the two laſt Pages. The Story, as he himſelf hath told it, in the Firſt Edition of his Survey of the Weſt-Indies (for 'tis left out in the Second) is to this Purpoſe. Being at a certain time Officiating at the Altar, he chanced to eſpy a bold and profane Mouſe, that it ſeems had ſallied out and ſeized on the little God Almighty, which he carried off before his Face; for he ran away with this Saviour of theirs in his Mouth, as once their pretended St. Chriſtopher lugged him on his Back. The ſight of this made him very thoughtful, and uneaſy in his Mind; and indeed well he might, to think he had worſhip'd a God that was not ſtrong enough to ſecure himſelf from a little Mouſe. In ſhort, hereupon he began to queſtion the Truth of that Faith he had been trained up in, and ſo long profeſſed, and could have no Peace in his own Mind till he had renounced Popery, and embraced the Proteſtant Religion. And I am perſwaded there are not a few, who tho they do not come over to us as he did, but ſtill continue in the external Communion of the Roman Church, yet in their Hearts they do not, and for their Lives they cannot believe Tranſubſtantiation. I know indeed 'tis hard to determine what Extravagancies, both in Opinion and Practice, Men may proceed to, that are once abandon'd and given up by God to believe ſtrong Deluſions. When God hath blinded Men, they ſwallow not only Flies but Camels too. And Education and Temporal Advantages have a mighty influence on Men's Ʋnderſtandings. And therefore I doubt not but many Papiſts do really believe this Doctrine. Yet however many in that Communion, tho they wink hard, can't chooſe but ſee the Nakedneſs of it ſo as to be aſhamed.Anſwer to Walker's Adoration of the Euch. Pref. p. 11. A late Author not only aſſerts, but proves that Cardinal Perron himſelf, a little before his Death, freely confeſſed to ſome of his Friends, That he thought the Doctrine to be MONSTROUS; that he had done his endeavour to COLOUR it OVER the beſt he could in his Books, but that in ſhort he had undertaken an ILL CAUSE, and which was not TO BE MAINTAINED.
Remarkable alſo is the Story which the ſame Author tells us, That the Learned Arch-Biſhop Ʋſher,Pag. 26. having been ſo happy as to convert ſeveral Roman Prieſts from their Errours; and enquiring diligently of them, what they who ſaid Maſs every Day, and were not obliged to confeſs Venial Sins, could have to trouble their Confeſſors ſo continually withal? ingenuouſly acknowledged to him, that the chiefeſt part of their conſtant Confeſſion was their Infidelity as to the Point of Tranſubſtantiation, and for which, as was moſt fit, they mutually quitted and abſolved one another.
To this I ſhall add one thing more, which I do not find that any one of late hath taken notice of; and 'tis out of the ſame Reverend and moſt Learned Arch-Biſhop Uſher, in his Sermon Preached before the King's Majeſty, Anno 1624. of the Ʋniverſality of the Church of Chriſt, and lately Re-printed at the end of his Anſwer to the Jeſuits Challenge. In that Sermon ſaith he,Pag. 19. I can teſtify that when I have dealt with ſome of the Common People, that would be accounted Members of the Roman Church, and demanded of them what they thought of that which I knew to be the common Tenet of their Doctors in this Point; they not only REJECTED IT WITH INDIGNATION, but wonder'd alſo that I ſhould imagine any of their ſide to be ſo FOOLISH as to give Credit to ſuch a SENSELESS THING.
But yet tho there are ſo many Infidels among them, Multitude being a Note of the true Church, it ſeems they are reſolved that they will not want for Company: and therefore they would perſwade us that the Brutes themſelves are many of them turned good Roman Catholicks. Of this we have a good Account in a ſmall Book entituled the School of the Euchariſt, a Book not printed a long time ſince in a dark and ignorant Age, but ſo lately as the Year 1672, and newly tranſlated into Engliſh, wherein are contained many marvellous Stories of the mighty Devotions of Beaſts, Birds, Inſects, Bees, Spiders, Horſes, Dogs, Aſſes, &c. towards the holy Sacrament of the Altar. Several famous Philoſophers indeed have thought that Reaſon was not peculiar to Men, but that the Brutes have had a competent ſhare of it: And therefore they have maintained that 'twas Religion that made the Difference between us and them, of which they never perceived the leaſt Footſteps in them. But if theſe rare Stories may be believed, that Opinion of theirs is utterly overthrown. And the Truth of it is, I could heartily wiſh that the Popiſh Miſſionaries would give over their Attempts on us, and lay out their pains on the Converſion of theſe Creatures, and endeavour to propagate their Faith among them. An Employment which they need not diſdain, ſeeing ſo many of their Betters have ſubmitted to it. St. Anthony among others, preaching to little or no purpoſe to ſome ſtubborn Hereticks, that would not receive his Meſſage, turns away from them,Specul. Exem. Diſt. 7. Ex. 34. and by Divine Inſpiration goes to the Sea-ſide, and calls to the Fiſhes, Ye Fiſh of the Sea and River, hear the Word of the Lord, ſince the Hereticks deſpiſe it. And 'twas a very ſerious Sermon that he preached to them; and to very good Purpoſe, for ſome of theſe Fiſhes his Auditors open'd their Mouths and ſpoke, and the reſt of them bowed their Heads. Indeed ſuch Creatures as theſe are the only ones for them to exerciſe their Talent upon. For 'tis hardly to be conceived that they ſhould have any reaſonable Grounds to hope they ſhall ever make Rational Creatures Proſelytes to ſuch a Bundle of Nonſenſical Doctrines as their Church hath embraced; and among the reſt this of Tranſubſtantiation, which contains many Monſters in the Belly of it, which is ript up, and they ſufficiently expoſed to the Reader's view in the following Diſcourſe. Wherein if any Critical Eye ſhould chance to eſpye ſome ſmall Miſtakes (tho I do not know of any in it) yet it being publiſhed without the Author's Conſent, 'tis poſſible a few have crept in, I hope the Reader will eaſily pardon ſuch Venial Faults; and kindly entertain this Stranger that comes out of the Country, and appears publickly on no other Deſign but that of promoting the Common Good.