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.

The second Romish Contradiction, to the ouerthrowing of that, which Christ called [MY BODY:] by making one Body of Christ, not one, but many.

SECT. II.

YOur Profession standeth thus: g The Body of Christ, albeit now in Heaven, yet is (say you) substantially in many places here on earth, even wheresoever the Hoast is consecrated. So you. Next your Master h Brerely laboureth earnestly to draw Calvin to professe a Possibility of Christ's Bodily presence in divers places at once, contrary to Master Caluins plaine and expresse profession in the same Chapter; where he directly confuteth this Romish Do∣ctrine of Madnesse, saying thus: i To seeke, that Christ his Bodie should be in many places at once, is no lesse madnesse than to re∣quire, that God should make his body to be flesh, and not to be flesh at one time; whereas not Aristotle, but the Spirit of God (saith he) hath taught us, that this his body is to be contained in Heaven untill the last day. Afterwards Calvin inveigheth against the fol∣ly of your Church, which will not acknowledge any presence of Christ in this Sacrament, except it be locall on earth, As if (saith

he) she would pull Christ out of his Sanctuary of Heaven. And at last, after that he had said, k Christ his Body is united to the soule of the Communicant, he so explaineth himselfe, that hee meant a spirituall Vnion: so that it doth fully appeare, that Master Brerely in this point (as usually in many others) alleageth Calvins testimony, a∣gainst Calvins sence; and his owne conscience.

It is irkesome to see the fury, wherewith your Disputers are carried against Protestants, amongst whom wee see againe your Master l Brerely imposing upon Beza the same opinion of the pre∣sence of Christ's Body in Heaven, and in Earth at one time. Al∣though, notwithstanding, m your Iesuite Salmeron as bitterly ta∣xeth Beza, for contrarily holding it Impossible for one Body to be in two places at once; whom therefore he calleth an Apostata: and whom n another tearmeth for the same cause, Blasphemous, as if this were indeed to deny the Omnipotencie of God. Whereas, ac∣cording to our former Proposition, it is rather to defend it, be∣cause God is the God of Truth (which is but one) and Truth is with∣out that Contradiction, which is necessarily implyed in your Do∣ctrine of the Locall presence of any one Body in many places at once, as in the next place is to be evinced.

Notes

• g

  Bellar. lib. 3. de Euch. cap. 3.
• h

  M. Brerely in his Booke of the Liturgy of the Masse, pag. 150. Because Calvin. In∣stit. 4. cap. 17. §. 10. saith: Etsi incredibile videtur, ut in tanta locorum distantia pe∣netrare ad nos possit Christi caro, ut sit nobis in cibum, &c.
• i

  The same Calvin in the same Chap. 17. §. 24. Cur (inquiunt) non faciat Deus ut caro eadem diversa loca occupet, ut nullo loco contineatur, ut modo, & specie ca∣reat? Insane, quid à Deo postulas ut carnem simul faciat esse, & non carnem? perinde ac si instes, ut lucem simul lucem faciat, ac te∣nebras. Ibidem §. 26. Corpus Christi, ex quo resurrexit, non Aristoteles, sed Spiritus sanctu•• finitum esse tra∣dit, & coelo contineri usque ad ultimum diem. Et §. 30. Cuius ••rgo amentiae est, coelum terrae potius miscere, quàm non extrahere Christi corpus è coelestisanctuario?
• k

  As for the obie∣cted sentence, hee ex∣plicateth himselfe, §. 31. Christus illis prae∣sens non est, nisi ad nos descendat, quasi v••rò si nos ad se eve∣hat, non aequè eius potiamur praesentia. & §. 36. ut Christum illi•• rite apprehēdāt, piae animae in coelum erigantur necesse ••st. [As untruly also doth he alleage Bucer, Be∣za, and Farel p. 237. who had the same sence with Calvin. Master Foxe said that Christ if he list might be on earth, but hee said not so of and in the same time.]
• l

  See in the former Allegation.
• m

  Fieri posse, ut Christi corpus possit esse in pluribus locis simul, praeter hunc A postatam nemoinficiatus est, quod cum ••redere noluit, tollit ab omnipotenti virtute. Salmer. Ies. tom. 9. tract. 23. pag. 173.
• n

  Beza cum adversarijs congressus, ubi Calvini mysteria non posse•• defendere, in eam prorupit Blasphemiam, ut Deum neget omnipotentem: disertè enim scribit, Deum non posse efficere, ut Cor∣pus aliquod, manente substantia, sit absque ••oco, vel in pluribus locis simul; Illud enim Angeli axioma [apud Deum nihil est impossibile] non sine exception•• accipiendum esse, quod factum fieri nequit infectum—O argutos Philosophos! qui Dei Maiestatem ad suas physicas regulas non erub••scunt revocare Prateol. Elench. Hae∣res. lib 2. Tit. Bezanitae.