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.

That the Organicall parts of the Body of Christ must be propor∣tionable to the Dimension of the places, wherein they are; is proved by the confessed Romish Principle it selfe.

SECT. V.

THe reason, which your Cardinall layeth downe to prove it necessary, that Christ his Body should have in it selfe (ac∣cording to the nature of a Body, distinct parts of head and eyes, and other Organs fit for the use of a reasonable Soule, hee taketh from Magnitude, which is an Extension of parts into their proportio∣nable length, bredth, and depth: this (saith he) is inseparably united to Christ his Body in its owne intrinsecall disposition, in it selfe; but not so (saith he) in regard of the place.

CHALLENGE.

THis your owne Reason may wee iustly retort upon your selves, proving, that if the naturall disposition of the Bodie of Christ be thus proportionably extended in it selfe, it must be

so likewise in respect of place, and space; because the three dimen∣sions of the Body of Christ (as you have confessed) stand thus, that one is an extension in Length, another in Breadth, the third in Depth, and each of these three are distinct one from another. Well then, The arme must be here, and thus farre longer than the foot, the legge here, and thus farre thicker than the finger, the hand here, and thus farre broader than the toe, and accordingly di∣stinctly in other parts. But Hîc, and Hucusque; Heere and There, thus farre, and so farre, being Relatives of space, and place, doe demonstratively shew that that Extension of distinct parts of the Body, which they have in themselves divisibly, the same they must necessarily have in respect of the Vbi, place, or space, wherein the Body is. If therefore you will not Heretically teach a Mathemati∣call, or Phantasticall body of Christ, you must deny the Article of Trent, untill you can beleeve, and make good, that a part of a divisible Body, longer or shorter, broader or narrower, can be (and that equally) in one indivisible point.

This is confirmed by the Essence of Christ his glorified Bodie, (as you confesse it to be) now in Heaven, possessing a Reall place in the said proportion of Spaces of length, and breadth, as it had here upon earth, which it doth by the naturall Magnitude, or Quantity thereof. But the said naturall magnitude, or quantity of the said Body of Christ is (according to your owne generall Do∣ctrine) in this Sacrament. Therefore must it have the same Com∣mensuration of Space.

Wee should be loath to trouble your wits with these specula∣tions, if that the necessity of the Cause (by reason of the Absur∣dities of your Romish profession) did not inforce us hereunto; Therefore must you suffer us a little to sport at your trifling serious∣nesse, who writing of this divine Sacrament, and seeing it to be round, solid, broken, moulded, in the one kind; and liquid, frozen, and sowring in the other, doe attribute all these to Quanti∣ties, and Qualities, and Accidents, without any other subiect at all. So then by the Romish Faith we shall be constrained to beleeve, in effect, that the Cup is filled with Mathematicall lines, the Mouse eating the Hoast is fed with colours, and formes: that it is Coldnesse that freezeth, and Roundnesse which weigheth downe, and falleth to the ground; as if you should describe a Romish Communi∣cant to be a creature clothed with Shadowes, armed with Idaea's, fed with Abstracts, augmented with Fancies, second Intentions, and Individuall Vagues, and consisting wholly of Chimaera's.

Notes

• See above, Sect. 2.