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.

II. That the Doctrine of the same Impossibility (by reason of Contradiction) doth magnifie the power of God, by the universall consent of Romish Doctors; and their divers examples of Impossibility, con∣cerning a Bodie.

SECT. III.

YOur owne Iesuites doe lay this for a ground: a All Divines affirme (say they) that God is omnipotent, because hee can doe any thing that implyeth not contradiction; for that Contradiction both affirmeth and denyeth the same thing, making it to be, and not to be that it is. But God, who is Being in himselfe, cannot make a thing ioyntly to be and not to be. This is a Contradiction, and were not Om∣nipotencie but Impotencie; not an effect, but a defect. To conclude. Every thing either is, or is not: take away this Principle (say you) and farewell all learning and knowledge. So you, and that, without contra∣diction, most truely.

As your Doctors have taught the truth in Thesi, and Doctrine, so will they manifest the same in Hypothesi, by examples of Impos∣sibilities, because of Contradiction: namely, that it is b Impos∣sible for God to be contained in one place: Secondly, for a

Spirit to be divided into parts: Thirdly, for Bread to be the Bo∣dy of Christ, at the same instant when it is Bread: Fourthly, for the same thing to be present together at divers times: Fiftly, for one thing to be twice produced in divers places at once: Sixtly, for a Bo∣dy, having quantity, not to be able to possesse a place: Seaventhly, It is impossible for Christ his Body, as it is in the Sacrament, to come from one place into another: Eighthly, Impossible it is to vndoe that which is once done; because this were to make that which is true to be false. So your Iesuites, with others.

Notes

• a

  Dicendū, Deum omnia posse facere, quae ullo modo fiant. Omnes Theologi di∣cunt, Deum esse om∣nipotentem, quià po∣test id omne, quod nō implicat contradi∣ctionem, quae ponit esse & non esse simul: & proindè si illud fi∣eret, fieret aliquid, cuius esse esset non esse, &c. Bellar. lib. 3. de Euch. c. 2 §. Alio igi∣tur. Idem. Adversarij conveniunt in hoc, id non posse fieri, quod implicat con∣tradictionem. Ibid. Ipsa contradictio cō∣sistit in esse, & non esse. Si Deus haberet esse coniunctum cùm non esse, non esset Deus: Si non esset Deus, non esset Omnipotens. Quare posse facere quod implica•• contradictionem, est Deum posse non esse omnipotentem. Maldon. Ies. Tom. 1. de Euch. qu. 1. p. 153. & Perer. Ies. in Gen. 17 initio.
• b

  I. Impossibile est Deum posse conti∣neri in aliquo loco. Greg. de Valent. Ies. II. Fieri non potest divinâ virtute, ut spiritus existat more corporum divisibiliter. Bellar. lib. 1. de Euch. cap. 14. §. Respondeo ad. III. Non potest corpus praedicari de pane, quia ita disparatum affirmarctur de disparato; quod implicat contradictionem. Bell. quo supra. IV. Impossibile, idem esse praesens duobus temporibus simul, cum tempora fluunt. Bel. Ib. V. Rem eandem produci bis, aut ter in diver∣sis locis non habet duo substantialia, nec substantialiter diversa: proinde non potest to•• novis productionibus produci. Vasq. Ies. in 1. Thom. To. 2. disp. 76. c. 6. VI. Impossibile est per divinam potentiam quantitati, ut corpus quantum non sitaptum occupare locum. Suarez Ies. To 3. disp. 48. §. 1 p. 583. VII. Fieri non potest, quòd corpus Christi, ut sit in Sacramento, ex uno in alium locum venerit, ita enim fieret, ut à coelo fidelibus abesset, quoniam nihil movetur, nisi locum deserat è quo movetur. Catechis. Rom. de Euch. nu. 31. p. 187. VIII. Dicere Deum facta in∣fecta reddere, quis non videt idem esse, ac dicere Deum posse facere, ut quae vera, non sint vera. Salmeron. Ies. in 2. Tim. 2. Disp. 3.