Works of Joseph Hall, Section 18 – Section 19
SECTION XVIII. Concerning the Multi-preſence of Christs body.
BVt this ſleeueleſſe tale of Tranſubſtantiation, was ſurely brought both into the world, and vponupon the Stage, by that other Fable of the Multi-preſence of Chriſts body: neither know I, whether I ſhould preferre for madneſſe,foreign. and ſophiſticall coozenage. That the ſame body of Chriſt ſhould be in a thouſand places at once of this ſublunary World, whiles yet it is in the meane time intire in Heauen; That the whole body of Chriſt ſhould lie hid in a little thinne Wafer, yet ſo, that the parts and members thereof ſhould not one run into another, but continue diſtinct, and ſeuerally diſpoſed among themſelues, and hauehave a ſhape and order agreeable to a mans body (which are Bellarmines owne words) it doth not onelyonly exceed reaſon, but faith: Neither doe they ſay now (as of old) Behold, here in Chriſt, or there; but (which is much worſe) Behold, Chriſt is both here, and there;Iul. Scal. exercit. in Card. That receiued Axiom of the Schooles is of an eternall Truth; The numericall vnity of a finite thing cannot ſtand without continuity. Who can chooſe but be aſhamed of the Ieſuites here? The very places in which Chriſts body is, (ſaith Bellarmine) are diſcontinued; yea, and the body of Chriſt it ſelfe is diuided from it ſelfe, in reſpect of place, but not in reſpect of his proper ſubſtance, or quantity; As if there could be any diuiſion of a materiall ſubſtance, but by bounds of place? As if quantity were not both bounded, and meaſured by place alone?Aug. Epiſt. 57. Spatia locarum tolle corparibus, & nuſquam erioti. Cited alſo by D. Sutcliffe, cont. Bell. de Euchar. Plau. Amphi. Tun dicere audes verbero, quod nemo vnquam homo vidit, nec poteſt ficri… Tempore vno, homo idem duobus vt locis ſimul ſit. Tho. in Mag. l. 1. d. 32. q. 1. art. 1. Bell. de Euchar. l. 3. c. 4. p. 297. in 8. As if there were not an vndoubted relation of the place to the thing placed: But now, this doth not belong to Chriſt onelyonly. S. Xauier, in our Age (one of Loyalaes brood) was ſeene at once, both in the Ship, and in the Boat: Turſellian reports it; vntounto this fabulous Saint, and his Fellow-fabuler, the Reporter, I cannot deuiſe to ſet a better match, than that Plantine Amphitrio: Dareſt thou ſay, thou fond Slaue, that which neuer man yet ſaw (nor indeed can be done) that one man ſhould at the ſame time, be in two places at once?
How farre wide is Aquinas (the honour of the Schooles) which ſaith, By the ſame ground or reaſon that an Angell might bee in two places, he might be in as many as you will? See now either Xauier is eueryevery where, or elſe the carcaſſe of a Frier is more ſubtle than the nature of an Angell. To conclude, either Aquinas is falfe, or the Papiſts Vbiquitaries. How ouer-bold are the Ieſuites, the Patrones of this Multi-preſence? Bellarmine, ſcorning the modeſty of Thomas, Egidius, Carthoſian, Capetolus; Becauſe (ſaith he) we thinke that the body of Chriſt may be in many places at once, locally, and viſibly, therefore we ſay, and hold, that the ſame body may be circumſcriptiuely and definitiuely in more places at once: For; that a body may bee circumſcriptiuely in any place, nothing is required, but that it be fitly meſured vntounto that place: So as the bounds of the place and the thing placed, be both together; but, it is not required, that it ſhould not be elſe-where, as in another place: Thus he: What an abſurd oppoſition is this? To be circumſcribed in one place, and yet to be other-where; That the bounds of the place, and the thing placed a would … he, and the places a thouſand; that a thing ſhould be fitly … meaſuredly … placed; and yet be in almoſt infinite; That another remo…e place ſhould … hinder circumſcription, than a part of the next place;Sapientem ſtultitiam, Iraen. li. 1. cap. 9. What is to be …, if this … be wiſe who … at the wiſefolly of theſe men, as Iraeneus ſaid of the Valentinians.
But I willingly … that of Chryſoſtome; To conceiue of diuine things by Philoſophy, is another, than to take our bred-hot Iron with our fingers, and not with tongs. And, that of Auguſtine, Yeeld God able to doe ſomething, which thou art not able to vnderſtand;Socrat. l. 2. 28. Tert. l. de Praeſ. It is reported that Ariſtotle miſ-led Aetius the Heretike, into that filthy error of Arrius; and Tertullian hath taught vsus, that all Hereſies are ſuborned by Philoſophy. What hath Athens to doe with Hieruſalem: the Academy with the Church? Away with Arguments where faith is in queſtion, as Thomas ingenuouſly ſayes out of Ambroſe; But what is all this to vsus? It is well yet, and I doe heartily congratulate it to our men, that the idle Tale of Surius concerning Melancton, and Caroloſtadius and other Proteſtants,Binius in vita Adrian. 6. abandoning of all Philoſophie (wherewith yet Binius pleaſed himſelfe of late) is thus hiſſed out of countenance, and vaniſhed; Be like now, the reformed Doctors are Philoſophers, but too much: For vsus, wee doe eaſily grant that many things are done, which we cannot vnderſtand; but theſe things we grant not, becauſe wee vnderſtand they cannot be done:Petr. Mart. dial. de Omni praeſ. God hath abſolute power (as Thomas ſpeakes truly) ouer the whole nature of the creature; but not ſo, as that he ſhould cauſe it to be, and not to be, at once: This (as Sadeel ſayes wittily) Deus potenter non poteſt: The obiect of Gods power (as the Ieſuites Schoole willingly confeſſes) is whatſoeuer implies not a contradiction in it ſelfe; Now, that the ſelfe ſame body ſhould ſit downe, and not ſit downe; ſhould be viſible and inuiſible; diuiſible and continued, and yet diſcontinued and indiuiſible; To be all here, to bee all elſewhere; to be here greater, there leſſe: To be one, and many; the ſame, and diuers; to depart, and not to depart; to be contained in Heauen, and not to be contained; to be a quantity without ſpace, to be meaſured by, and fitted to a place, and not to take vp any place; To be accidents, and yet not to be inherent; To be formerly, yet to be made; To be made, and not to be made; To be otherwiſe in places, than in a place; To be a true body, and yet to be ſpiritually; That Boy were well worthy of whipping, that cannot diſcerne and confeſſe manifeſt contradictions. But what doe I ſpend time in this thornie Diſcourſe? This one word ſhall ſhut, and ſumme vp all; That this wicked paire of opinions offers plaine violence to the true humanity of Chriſt; neither can euer, Saluâ fide, be reconciled with the Euangelicall Truth.
SECTION XIX. Concerning the Sacrifice of the Maſſe.
THe Prieſtly Office of Chriſt is not a little impeached by the dayly Oblation of the Miſſall Sacrifice, and the number of Mediators. For the firſt: That in this Sacred Supper there is a Sacrifice (in the ſenſe wherein the Fathers ſpoke) none of vsus euer doubted:foreign. but that is then, either Latreuticall (as Bellarmine diſtinguiſhes it not ill) or Euchariſticall: That is here (as Chryſoſtome ſpeakes) a remembrance of a Sacrifice, that is, as Auguſtine interprets it, a memoriall of Chriſts Paſſion, celebrated in the Church; and from this ſweet commemoration of our Redemption, there ariſes another Sacrifice, the Sacrifice of praiſe; and from thence a true Peace-offering of the Chriſtian ſoule; Theſe three Sacrifices offer themſelues to vsus here; but for any propitiatory Sacrifice, vnleſſe it be (as the Gloſſe interprets it) repreſentatiuely, I finde none,Trid. Cō. Seſſ. 22. none Eſſentiall; none (as the Tridentines labour to perſwade) true and proper; neither indeed can there be. For, what? Doth the Prieſt offer the ſame that Chriſt hath offered, or another? If another; then not propitiatory; for onelyonly Chriſts is our Propitiation: If the ſame; then not an vnbloudy Sacrifice; for Chriſts Sacrifice was a bloudy one; Then, the naturall Being of Chriſt ſhould againe be deſtroyed; Then, the bloud of the Mediator (which I abhorre to imagine) muſt be of a finite value and power: yea, Chriſt himſelfe did not ſacrifice on the Table; out on the Croſſe; For if the Sacrifice, which he offered in his Supper, were perfect, and fully propitiatory, what needed he to die afterward? wherefore was his bloud ſhed vponupon the Croſſe, which by his Tranſubſtantiated bloud (not yet ſhed) had formerly redeemed the World? But if it be vnbloudly, then it is not propitiatorie: for without ſhedding of bloud (ſaith the Apoſtle) is no remiſſion. Or what oppoſition is there betwixt the order of Melchiſedec, and Aaron, betwixt Chriſt and the Prieſts of the old Law;Heb. 9.11. if this Office doe equally paſſe, and deſcend in a long Pedigree of mortall Succeſſors? Or why were the legall Sacrifices of the Iewiſh Synagogue ſo oft repeated, but becauſe they were not perfect? and how can, or why ſhould that which is moſt abſolutey perfect, be reiterated?
To conclude, what can either be ſpoken or conceiued more plaine,Heb. 9.28. foreign. Heb. 10.12. Quam oblationem tu Deus in omnibus quaeſumus benedictam, …ſcriptam, ratam ac rationabilem facere digneris. Munera quaeſumus, Domine, oblata ſanctifica, &c. Canon. Miſſ. than thoſe words of God, Once Offered, One Sacrifice, One Oblation? And yet theſe Popiſh Shauelings (Deuout men) take vponupon them to crucifie, and ſacrifice Chriſt againe; and whiles they ſolemnly offer the Sonne of God vp vntounto his Father, they humbly beſeech him, (in a religious blaſphemie) that he would be pleaſed to bleſſe, and accept that Oblation. It is not for vsus, I confeſſe, to be ſo deuout: We will remember this holy Sacrifice of Chriſt (as Caſſander well aduiſes) and celebrate it with a thankfull heart, we will not repeat it; we will gladly receiue our Sauiour, offered by himſelfe, to his Father, and offered to vsus by his Father, we will not offer him to his Father: which one point whiles we ſticke at (as we needs muſt) we are ſtraight ſtricken with the Thunderbolt of the Anathema of Trent: Here can be therefore no poſſibilitie of peace.