Chap. 1. the. II. Diuision.
Touching kneeling at the communion it forceth not who did first appoint it (although I can finde no such decree made by Honorius) it is the meetest manner of receiuing this sacrament in mine opinion, being commonly vsed in praying and giuing of thanks, both whiche are annexed to this sacrament, and are to be required in the cōmuni∣cants, and therfore I thinke this to be a good reason: the meet est ge∣sture for praying and thāksgiuing is kneeling, but those that receiue the Eucharist pray and giue thāks, Ergo the meetest gesture for them is kneeling.
The onely perill is adoration, whiche may as well be committed sitting or standing. But wherefore then serueth preaching? there is as much daunger of contempt the one way, as there is of adoration the other way. In such matters Christian magistrates haue autho∣ritie to appointe what they thinke most conuenient, and the same must be obserued of those that be pacifici, and not contentiosi. But of sit∣ting and kneeling at the communion more is to be spoken hereafter in the second part.
Although it be not of necessitie that we should receiue the communion sitting, yet there is the same cause of abolishing kneeling, that ther is of remouing the wafer cake, and if there be daunger of superstition in one (as M. Doctor confesseth) why is ther not daunger in the other? and if ther be men that take occasion to fall at the one, & that by superstition, how commeth it to passe that M. Doctor in the. 180. pag. saith ye neither gospeller, nor Papists, obstinate nor simple, can superstiti∣osly offend in this kneeling, when as the kneeling carrieth a greater shew of worship, & imprinteth in the mindes of the ignorāt a stronger opinion, and a deeper print of adoration, than the sighte of a round cake. And if kneeling be so voyd of all fault, as M. Doctor would make vs beleeue, howe came it to passe, that in King Edwards days, there was a protestation added in the booke of pray∣er, to cleare that gesture from adoration.
If this be a sufficiēt argument, to alter & chaunge so decent & comely an order and gesture in praysing God, then what order can stand in the church, seing there is no∣thing that may not be abused? My words in the. 180. pag. be true, and as yet vnan∣swered. I will set them downe in their place, that the Reader may perceyue howe little you are able to saye against them.
The protestation made in king Edwards dayes touching this gesture, was to satissye (if it