Of the institution of the sacrament of the blessed bodie and blood of Christ, (by some called) the masse of Christ eight bookes; discovering the superstitious, sacrilegious, and idolatrous abominations of the Romish masse. Together with the consequent obstinacies, overtures of perjuries, and the heresies discernable in the defenders thereof. By the R. Father in God Thomas L. Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.

Our Third Proofe, that the Substance of Bread remayneth after Consecration in the Sacrament, is taken from the Iudgement of Sense necessarily.

First, by the Authority of Scripture.

SECT. VII.

ALthough man's Sense may be deceived, thorow the inconve∣nient Diposition of the Medium, thorow which he seeth, as it

hapneth in judging a straight Staffe to be Crooked, which stan∣deth in the Water; and in thinking a White Obiect to be Greene in it selfe, which is seene through a Greene glasse: or Secondly by the unequall Distance of place, as by conceiving the Sunne to be but two feet in breadth; or the Rainbow to be a Colour, and not Light; or Thirdly by some defect in the Organ, or Instrument of seeing (which is the Eye) whereby it commeth to passe that wee take One to be Two, or mistake a Shadow for a Substance: yet notwithstanding when our Eyes that see are of good Constitution, and Temper; the Medium, whereby we see, is perfectly disposed; the Distance of the Obiect, which we see, is indifferent; then (say we) the iudgement of Sense, being free, is True, and the Concur∣rence and ioynt Consent of divers Senses, in one arbitrement, is infallible.

This Reason, taken from Sence, you peradventure will judge to be but Naturall and Carnall, as those Termes are opposed to a true and Christian manner of Reasoning: Wee defend the Con∣trary being warranted by the Argument which Christ himselfe used to his Disciples, Luc. 24. 39. [Handle mee, and see.] Your Car∣dinall although he grant that this Reason of Christ was available, to prove that his owne Body was no Spirit, or Fancy, but a true body, even by the onely Argument from the Sence of Touching; b 1.1 Yet (saith he) was it not sufficient in it selfe, without other Ar∣guments to confirme it, and to prove it to have beene a humane body, and the very same which it was. So he.

Which Answere of your Cardinall we wish were but only false, and not also greatly irreligious: for Christ demonstrated hereby not onely that he had a body (as your Cardinall speaketh) but also that it was his owne same humane body, now risen, which before had beene Crucified, and wounded to Death, and buried, according to that of Luke [That it is even I.] Luc. 24. 39. Now because * 1.2 It is not a Resurrection of a Body, except it be the Same body: Therefore would Christ have Thomas to * 1.3 thrust his hands into his sides, and feele the print of his wounds, to manifest the same body; as Two of your Iesuites doe also observe, the One with an c 1.4 Optimè, the O∣ther with a d 1.5 Probatum est. Accordingly the Apostle Saint Paul laid this Argument, taken from Sence, as the foundation of a Fundamentall Article of Faith, even the Resurrection of the same Body of Christ from the dead; for how often doth he repeate, and inculcate this? * 1.6 He was seene, &c. And againe thrice more, Hee was seene, &c. And Saint Iohn argueth, to the same purpose, from the Concurrence of three Sences: * 1.7 That which wee have heard,

which we have seene, and our hands have handled, declare wee unto you. The validity of this Reason was proved by the Effect, as Christ averreth, * 1.8 Thomas because thou hast seene (that is, perceiued both by Eye, and hand) thou hast beleeved.

Notes

• b 1.1

  Consequentie Christ••, affirmativè sumpta, Hoc pa pa∣tur, hoc videtur, Er∣go est Corpus, opti∣ma fuit, quià sensus non fallitur Circa proprium Obiectum: ita{que} necessariò quod videtur, & tangitur Corporale est. At ne∣gativè; hoc non pal∣patur, nec videtur, Ergò non est Corpus; Dominus non fecit, & mala est. Non fal∣luntur Sensus nostri, cum nos album quid, rotundum, solidum sentire arbitramur, quae sunt propria ob∣jecta. Sed cum Panis Substantiam sub illis Accidentibus latere denuntiant, fallun∣tur. Dominus solùm probare voluit se nō esse inane spectrum, seu Phantasma, sed verum Corpus; id quod ex Testimonio sensus Tangendi optimè probavit. Illud autem Corpus esse humanum, idem quod anteà fuerat, non probavit Dominus hoc solo Argumento, ex Tangendi sensu desumpto (quod sine dub••o non erat sufficiens) sed multis alijs modis, loquendo, mandueando, testimonio Angelorum, miraculo Piscium, allegatione Scripturarum. Bellar. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. de Euch. c. 14. §. Respondeo.
• * 1.2

  1. Cor 15.
• * 1.3

  Ioh. 20. 27.
• c 1.4

  Optimè Origines, O∣stendit se Christus in vero Corpore suo resuscitatum. Tolet. Ies. in Ioh. c. 20. p. 534.
• d 1.5

  Probatum est, Christum idem Corpus numero demonstrâsse. Suarez ••es. Tom. 2. qu. 54. § 1.
• * 1.6

  1. Cor. 15. 5.
• * 1.7

  1. Ioh. 1. 1.
• * 1.8

  Iohn 20. 29.