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.

CHAP. VII.

The Third Corporall manner of Vnion of Christ his Body, by a Bodily mixture with the Bodies of the Communicants (professed by some Romanists at this day) is Capernaiticall.

SECT. I.

WEe heare your Iesuite reporting that a Many latter Di∣vines in your Church have beene authorized in these daies to write, labouring to bring the Romane Faith to so high a pitch, as to perswade a b Reall, naturall, cor∣porall, and substantiall Vnion of the Body of Christ with the Bodies of the Communicants: even almost all of late (saith he) who have writ∣ten against Heretiques. So hee.

Among others we find your Cardinall c Alan, who will have it Really mingled with our flesh, as other meates, Transubstantiation onely excepted; as did also Cardinall d Mendoza. And what else can that sound, which we have heard out of your Roman Missal, pray∣ing that The Bodie of Christ eaten may cleave unto your gutts? iust Manichean-wise, as you have heard even now out of S^t. Au∣gustine.

CHALLENGE.

Confuting and dispelling this foggie myst of Errour, by your owne more common confessions.

THis first opinion of mingling the Body of Christ corporally with man's Bodily parts, what thinke you of it? your Iesuite calleth it e Improbable, and as repugnant to the dignity and maiesty of this Sa∣crament, Rash, and absurd. Iustly, because if this Doctrine were true, you must likewise grant that the same Bodie of Christ, which

you say is eaten of myce and Rats, is mingled within their guts, and entrails; and so such vile Creatures should be as really capa∣ble of Communion with Christ's Body, as the most sanctified a∣mong Christians can be: for which the Beasts themselues, if they could speake, would (as the Asse unto Bal••am) condemne the foo∣lishnes of your Prophets, namely those, of whom you have heard your Iesuite confessing, that this is the Doctrine of Almost all late Diuines, which is to adde one Capernaiticall Absurdity to another.

It onely remaineth to know with what Spirits these your New Divines have thus written; your Suarez telleth vs, saying, That they speake so in hatred of Heretiques (meaning Protestants) against whom they writ. Who would not now magnifie the Profession of Protestants, to observe their Adversaries to be so farre transported with the Spirit of malignity and giddines against them, that by the iust Iudgement of God they are become so starke blind in themselves, as that they fall into opinions not onely (as is confes∣sed) Rash and Absurd; but also Capernaitically-Hereticall? And indeed they who imagined a Corporall Eating, how should they not aswell have conceived a Corporall fleshly Commixtion?

Notes

• a

  Multi Catholi∣ci his temporibus, in odium Haeresis, ve∣ram praesentiam cor∣poris Christi in hoc Sacramēto—Sump∣tione eius fieri unio∣nem inter corpus Christi & suscipien∣tem, quam realem, naturalem, & sub∣stantiale••, at{que} eti∣am corporalem vo∣vocant. Sic Algerus, Turrecremata, Rof∣fensis, Hosius, Turri∣anus, Bellarminus, Alanus. Suarez Ies. Tom. 3. qu. 79. Disp. 64. Sect. 3.
• b

  Deni{que} recenti∣or••s omnes, qui de hoc Sacramento contra Haereticos scribunt, hoc ferè modo loquuntur. Suarez in 3. Tho. Disp. 64. §. 3. p. 822.
• c

  Card. Alan. Cum comedimus Eucharistiam, corpore Christa verè vescimur, ex quâ manducatione per naturae instrumenta realirer recipitur intra nos, at{que} Substantiae nostrae permiscetur, sicut coeteri cibi, nisi quod mutationem in carnem nostram non patiatur. De Euch. lib. 1. cap. 28.
• d

  Fer••u•• Mendozam Cardinalem Burgensem in lib. quem de vnione scripsit, docuisse Christum Sacramentaliter man∣ducatum non solùm fieri praesentem in loco, quem species possent Sacramentaliter occupare, sed quodammo∣dò diffundi per totum Corpus hominis, ut toti illi in omnibus eius partibus uniatur, se{que} illis immisceat: sed haec cogitatio non solùm improbabilis, sed etiam absurda, & plusquam temeraria est. Suarez. quo sup▪ pag. 822.
• See above C. 6. §. 2.
• e

  Nihilominùs haec sententia im∣probabilis, & aliena dignitate & maie∣state huius Sacra∣menti, quod non propter corporalem coniunctionem, sed propter spiritualem institutumest, dicente Christo [Mea verba Spiritus sunt & vita. Ioh 6.] Suarez quo sup. pag 822.
• See the testimonie above cited. Chap. 6. §. 2.
• See above at (b.)
• See his Testimo∣nies cited a little be∣fore, lit. (〈◊〉〈◊〉.)