Romane Church; and that word of trueth which was published in Anselme's dayes, for the salvation of Priests and people in the English Church, is now condemned by an Index Expurgatorius, with a Deleatur upon those saving words. But I say of them, as St. Ambrose sometimes pronounced of the Arrians. They may well blot out our letters, but our faith they shall never abolish*.

PARAG. 3.-Transubstantiation.

LOOKE upon their Doctrine of Transubstantiation, and you shall see how miserably their Church is divided, touching the Antiquitie and the Universalitie of that poynt of faith. Some derive it from the words of Christ; others from Christ's benediction before the words were uttered; some from the exposition of the Fathers; others from the Councell of Lateran; some from the authoritie of the Scriptures; others from the determination of the Church. And whereas many other poynts of the Romish Doctrine are pretended to bee Apostolicall Traditions, as having no Foundation in the written Word; it is observed by learned Du Plessist, that the Papists generally maintaine, that their Masse is prooved from the ScripInsomuch as at the 26th and 27th of Matthew, and other places, where there is men

ture.

* Ambros. orat. 1. contr. Arrian.

+ De Euchar. 1. 1. cap. 1. initio.

tion made of the Institution of the Sacrament, their ordinary Commentaries doe now note, and that commonly with capitall Letters in the Margin; Here is the Institution of the Masse*; whereas others formerly, and even the ordinary Glosse hath noted upon the same words; Here is the Institution of the Eucharist, being a Sacrament for remembrance of the Lord's suffering. It was the great vaunt of Campian the Jesuite, If the Protestants name the Gospell, we joyne with them, the very words are for us: This is my body, this is my blood: and Bellarmine his fellow Jesuit professeth confidently, that the words, This is my body, constitute the essence of the Sacrament, and are operativet. If we shall further question, at what time; whether before, or after the words spoken there is a conversion of the elements into the body and blood of Christ: Aquinas tells us, that the very last instance of the delivery of those words, is the first instance of Christ's body in the Sacrament, but in all the time before, there is the substance of bread remaining‡.

If these men therefore have spoken the truth,

* Lyran. in Mat. ca. 26. edit. 1520. Camp. Rat. 2. Whit. p. 11. Hic instituitur Eucharistia: Sacramentum ad Dominica passionis recordationem.

+ Bell. tom. 3. de Euch. l. 1. c. 11.

Ultimum instans prolationis verborum est primum instans in quo est in Sacramento corpus Christi, in toto autem tempore præcedenti est item substantia panis. Aqu. par. 3. q. 75. art. 7. ad 1.

let

let them beare witnesse of the truth; onely let mee tell you, they want that unitie in this poynt of faith, which they appropriate as a speciall marke to their Church and for proofe of this, I will produce no other testimonies, but their owne learned Authours (and I presume, a better proofe then their owne confessions, none of them can expect.) Whereby it shall appeare, that their grand poynt of Transubstantiation hath neither foundation in the Scriptures, nor certaintie in the Fathers, nor unitie among themselves, to conclude it for an article of beliefe. First, touching the words of consecration, Salmeron the Jesuite speaking in the person of the Grecians, delivers their opinion in this manner: For as much as the benediction of the Lord is not superfluous or vaine, neither gave hee simply bread, it followeth, that when he gave it, the transmutation was already made, and those words (This is my body) did demonstrate what was contained in the bread, not what was made by them*: And Swarez the Jesuite ingenuously professeth, that Cardinall Cajetan in his Commentary upon this Article, did affirme, that those words of Christ, This is my body, doe not of themselves sufficiently proove Transubstantiation, without the supposed authority of the Church; and therefore by the commandement of Pius Quintus, that part of his Commentary is left out in the Romish Edition. Habemus confitentem, wee

* Dan. Cham. Paustr. lib. 6. de Euch. c. 7.

have

+ Ex Catholicis solus Cajetamus in Commentario hujus Ar

ticulis

have a faire confession for a Cardinall, and a friendly caveat touching the spunging out of his authoritie. And that the world may know, that these men are better friends to our cause, then many yet conceive them to bee, I will produce both Cardinals and Bishops, and Schoolemen, who will testifie with us.

First, that there are no words in Scripture to prove Transubstantiation.

Secondly, that those words This is my body, doe not constitute the essence of the Sacrament.

Thirdly, that the ancient Fathers did not beleeve the substance of the Sacramentall bread was converted into Christ's reall flesh.

Fourthly and lastly, that Transubstantiation was not beleeved de Fide, as a matter of faith, above 1000 yeeres after Christ.

And first I will give you their own confessions touching the place and proofe of Transubstantiation, derived from the Scriptures.

Gabriel Biel*.] "How the body of Christ is in the Sacrament, Non invenitur in Canone Bibliæ, it is not expressed in the Canon of the Bible."

Cardinall de Alliaco †.]

That manner

or

meaning,

ticulis qui jussu Pii V. in Romanam editione expunctus est, docuit, seclusam ecclesiæ authoritate, verba illa (Hoc est corpus meum) ad veritatem hanc confirmandam non sufficere. Suar. tom. 3. disp. 46.

* Quomodo fit corpus Christi utrum per conversionem alicujus, &c. Biel in Can. Missa, Lect. 49.

་

+ Patet quod ille modus sit possibilis nec repugnat rationi, nec authoritati

meaning, which supposeth the substance of bread to remaine still, is possible, neither is it contrary to reason, nor to the authority of the Scriptures; nay, it is more easie and more reasonable to conceive, if it could accord with the determination of the Church."

"Hitherto

J. Fisher, Bishop of Rochester*.] St. Matthew, who onely maketh mention of the new Testament, neither are there any words heere written, whereby it may be proved, that in the Masse is made the very presence of the body and blood of Christ: And lastly he concludeth; Non potest igitur per ullam Scripturam probari: it cannot be proved by any Scripture."

Durandt.] "Christ blessed the bread by his heavenly benediction, and by vertue of that word, the bread was turned into the substance of Christ's body, and (saith hee) Tunc confecit cum benedixit, He then made it, when he blessed it."

Odo Cameracensis .] "Christ blessed the bread,

authoritati Bibliæ, imò facilior ad intelligendum et rationabilior, quam, &c. in 4 Sentent. q. 6. art. 1..

* Hactenus Mathæus, qui et solus Testamenti novi meminit, neque ullum hic verbum positum est quo probetur in nostrá Missa veram fieri carnis et sanguinis Christi præsentiam. J. Fisher, contra capt. Babylonicam, c. 10. N. 8. et O.

+ Benedixit benedictione cœlesti, et virtute verbi, qua convertitur panis in substantiam corporis Christi, &c. Durand, in Rational. 1. 4. c. 41.

↑ Benedixit, suum corpus fecit, qui prius erat panis, benedictione factus est caro: non enim post benedictionem dixisset, Hoc est corpus meum, nisi in Benedictione fieri corpus suum. Odo in Canonem. Dist. 4,

and