The Lords Supper or, A vindication of the sacrament of the blessed body and blood of Christ according to its primitive institution. In eight books; discovering the superstitious, sacrilegious, and idolatrous abomination of the Romish Master. Together with the consequent obstinacies, overtures of perjuries, and the heresies discernable in the defenders thereof. By Thomas Morton B.D. Bp. of Duresme.

That a Figurative sense of Christ his speech [THIS IS MY BODY, &c.] is evinced out of the words themselves; from the Principles of the Romish Schooles. SECT. I.

[ 30] THere are three words, which may be unto us as three keyes to unlocke the questioned Sense of Christs words; wher∣of two are the Pronoune [THIS] and the Verbe [IS] not onely as they were then spoken by Christ himselfe, but also as they are now pronounced by the Minister of Christ. And the third key is the Pronoune [MY] whereof hereafter. Wee be∣gin with the word [THIS.]

[ 40] The State of the Question, about the word [THIS.]

When wee shall fully understand by your Church (which a holdeth a Proper and literall Signification) what the Pronoune [THIS] doth demonstrate, then shall wee truly inferre an in∣fallible proofe of our figurative sense.

All Opinions concerning the Thing, which the word [THIS] in the divers opinions of Authours, pointeth at, may be redu∣ced

to Three heads, ( as you likewise confesse:) namely, to signifie either This Bread, or This Body of Christ, or else some Third thing different from them both. Tell you us, first, what you hold to be the opinion of Protestants? Lutherans and all Calvinists (saith yourb Iesuite) thinke that the Pronoune [THIS] pointeth out Bread. But your Romane Doctors are at oddes a∣mong themselves, and divided into two principall Opinions. Some of them referre the word [THIS] to Christ's Body, Some to a Third thing, which you call Individuum vagum. In the first place wee are to confute both these your Expositions; and after to confirme our owne. [ 10]

Notes

• a

  Conc. Trident. Sess. 13. cap. 1. Verba illa à Christo com∣memorata, & à Divo Paulo repetita, pro∣priam significatio∣nem prae se ferunt.
• {fleur-de-lys} Vasquez in 3. Thom. Disp. 201. cap. 1. Omnes opiniones ad tres tantùm cals¦ses reduci possunt: nam quidam [Hoc] reserunt ad substan∣tam panis: alij ad a∣liquod commune, quod statim post con∣versionem demon∣stret. Deni{que} non∣nulli ad id solum quod in sine prolati∣onis verborum, quod est corpus.
• b

  Lutherani & omnes Calvinistae pronomen [Hoc] propane positum esse dicunt, quià panem Christus in manu acceperat, & di••it [Hoc est corpus meum.] Ma••don. Ies. in Matth. 26. §. H••c omnes.—Lutherus in verba Evangelistae. Habent hunc sensum; Hic panis est corpus meum.