Works of Joseph Hall, Section 17
SECTION XVII. Concerning Tranſubſtantiation.
Genebr. l. 1. de Trin. Li. d…n. 2. dial. Caniſius in praef. lib. de Io. Bapt. foreign. Bell. l. 2. de Chro. c. 19. Caluinus fine dubio in mode loquendi errauit, ſed dum rem ipſam diſcutio, non facilè audeo pronunciare illum in errore fuiſſe.THeſe errors concerne the Scriptures; thoſe which follow, concerne either Chriſts perſon, or his offices: I let paſſe that idle brabble, (as Bellarmine himſelfe iudges it) which the Popiſh Cenſors hauehave vniuſtly rayſed about the Sons Godhead of himſelfe; and inſiſt vponupon waightier quarrels; I would that exploded opinion of Tranſubſtantiation, and (which is the root of it) the Multi-preſence of Chriſts body, did not vtterly ouerthrow the truth of his Humanity. Good God! Is it poſſible (as Auerrves ieſted of old) that Chriſtians ſhould make themſelues a God of bread? That any reaſonable man can beleeue, that Chriſt carried his owne body in one of his hands, that hee raught it forth to bee eaten by thoſe holy gheſts of his, which ſaw him preſent with them, and heard him ſpeaking to them, both whiles they were eating him, and when they had eaten the ſacred morſell? That the ſelfe ſame Sonne of man ſhould at once both deuoure his whole ſelfe, and yet ſhould ſit whole and entire at the Table with them? That the glorious body of Chriſt ſhould be carried through the vncleane paſſages of our mawes; and either be there turned into the ſubſtance of our body, or (contrary to that the Spirit ſaid of old,Pſal. 16.10. Thou ſhalt not ſuffer thine holy One to ſee corrup… ) ſhould bee ſubiect to putrifaction, or vaniſh to nothing, or returne into that heauen, wherein it was, ere it returned, while it returned: or laſtly, ſhould be eaten with Mice (deuout and holy Vermine) or perhaps mixed with poyſon, to the Receiuer? What Monſters of follies are theſe? How mad, yea, how impious is this obſtinacie of folliſh men, that they wil ouer-turne the very principles of nature, the order of things, the Humanity of their Sauiour, the truth of the Sacrament, the conſtant iudgement of Scripture, and laſtly, the very foundations of all Diuinity; and confuſedly iumbell Heauen & Earth together, rather than they will (where neceſſity requires it) admit but of a tropical kinde of ſpeech, in our Sauiours conſecration, whiles in the meane time, the whole Reuerend Senate of the Fathers cryes out,Tert. contra. Marc. l. 4. B… tus Rhenanus confeſſes, this errour of Tertullian was confuted in Berengarius. Aug. Pſal. 3. & Epiſt. 162. De doct. Chriſt. 3. 16. Chryſ. Hom. 46. in Ioh. &c. Bel. l. 1. de Euch. cap. 1. De doct. Chri. l. 3. & redoubles the names of Symboles, Types, Signes, Repreſentation, Similitude, Figures, and what-euer word may import a borrowed ſenſe; notwithſtanding all the indignation of Heauen, all the ſcorne of Pagans, al the Reluctation of the Church? This Letter killeth, as Origen truely ſpeakes: Now what likelyhood is there, here, of agreement? That the true body of Chriſt is truely offered, and truely receiued in the Sacrament, which of vsus hath not euer conſtantly taught, and defended? But how is this? not by any bodily touch, as Cyrill and Ambroſe ſay well, but by our faith. That it ſhould be Corporally, Carnally, Orally preſent, and torne in pieces with our teeth (as good Pope Nicholas cauſed Berenganius to ſay, and our Allen had followed him vnbidden) hath euen ſeemed impious to vsus, and (as Auſten iudges it) no leſſe … …agitious.
We … well yet the ingenuitie of Arius Montanus, in this point; who vponupon Luk. 22. This is my body (ſaith he) that is, My Body is Sacramentally contained in this Sacrament of Bread; and ſtraight hee addes (like another Nicodemus, Chriſts nightly Diſciple) The ſecret and moſt myſticall manner whereof, God will once vouchſafe, more cleerely to vnfold to his Chriſtian Church: Thus he: In the meane time, for vsus; this prodigious conceit of Tranſubſtantiation, which alone containes in it as many abſurd errours, as there hauehave bin minutes of time, from the firſt forming of it (that is, from the Councell of Lateran) vntill this houre, can looke to be entertained no otherwiſe at our hand, than as ſuch a Deuilliſh fancie deſerueth, with hatred, and execration.