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 there are many hundred confessed Defects, which may nullifie the Consecration, to make the Romish Adoration Idolatrous, in respect of Insufficiencies, which might be incident unto the Prae-ordainers of that Priest, whoso∣ever hee be, that now Consecrateth; for causing a Materiall Idolatry. SECT. VI. [ 10]

IF thea 1.1 Bishop that ordained this Priest, which now conse∣crateth, were not a true Priest himselfe, truly ordained, or duly baptized; or else the next Bishop before him, or yet any one in the same line of Ordainers, untill you come to Saint Pe∣ter, for the space (now) of a thousand six hundred yeares, where∣of your Iesuite saith;b 1.2 The Defect of Ordination is seene in many Cases, wherein, Progredi possumus ferè in Infinitum (that is) wee may proceed almost infinitely. So hee. Thinking belike that if wee should in this number of yeares allow unto every Bishop [ 20] ordaining the continuance of twenty yeares Bishop upward to Saint Peter, the number of them all would amount to fourscore Bishops; among whom if any one were an Intruder, or Vnor∣dained, then this Priest faileth in his Priest-hood. Now of these kindes yourc 1.3 Historians afford us Examples of your Popes, some dissolving the Ordinations of their Predecessors, even to the cutting off of oned 1.4 Popes fingers, wherewith hee had used to consecrate. {fleur-de-lys} You may also reade of One, who consecrated an huge number of2 1.5 Priests, Whose Ordinations were all voyd, albeit they had exercised their functions of Consecrating, in the [ 30] Masse, for ten or twelve yeares space. {fleur-de-lys}

Yet is not this all, for unto these are to be added the other Defects, to wit, want of Baptisme, whether for want of due Intention, being three; or undue Pronunciation, being six; or the Errors either of Intention, or Pronunciation in Ordination, all which make eighteene: and these being multiplied by foure∣score (which is the number of Bishop-ordainers from this Bishop to Saint Peter) the totall, wee suppose, will at the least amount unto a Thousand possible Defects, each one whereof, if it hap∣pen, doth quite frustrate and annull the Consecration of this [ 40] Priest, whosoever hee be, that now saith Masse; and leaveth to the people nothing but the Substance of the Creatures of Bread and Wine to be Adored, in stead of Christ Iesus, the Sonne of God. And yet in this Summe are not reckoned the foresaid Defects concerning the Matter, or Forme of Consecration, or of

the Priests Intention therein, or else of his possible Intrusion into this Function of Consecrating of this one Priest, now supposed to bee ordained; every Defect being of force in it selfe to inferre necessarily a Materiall Idolatry in your Romish Masse.

Now rather than you shall call these our Instances odious, or malicious, you must accuse your owne Romish Church, be∣cause wee have alleged no Testimony, but out of your owne publke Romish Missall, Cardinalls, Iesuits, and other Au∣thors [ 10] privileged in your Church. Wee are now in the high point of Christian Religion, even the principall part of Gods Royalty, Divine Adoration, not to be trisled withall. There∣fore now, if ever, shew your selves conscionable Divines, by freeing your Romish Masse from a Formall Idolatry in these forenamed Respects, concerning your confessed Materiall Idola∣try; and do it by some grounds of Truth, or else abandon your Profession, as most damnably Idolatrous.

[ 20]

Notes

• a 1.1

  Si deficit or∣do Sacerdotalis in consiciente, non con∣ficitur Sacramentum. Missal. Roman. pag. 31.
• b 1.2

  Multae sunt causae propter quas potest accidere, ut Christus non sit prae∣sens: ut si Sacer∣dos non sit Bapti∣zatus, vel non fit ri∣tè ordinatus, quod pendet ex multis aliis Causis, quibus ferè in infinitum progre∣di possumus; ut ex parte materiae saepè accidit defectus. Sua∣rez. Ies. in. Thom. quaest. 79. Art. 8. Disp. 65. §. 2.
• c 1.3

  Plena sunt illa tempora Ordina∣tionibus Paparum, Exordinationibus, Superordinationibus. Baron. Ann. 908. num. 3. & Ann. 897. num. 6, & 8. & Ann. 900. num. 6. Platina in vita Ioh. 10. fol. 146 & in vita Sergij 3. fol. 148.
• d 1.4

  Platina in vi∣ta Steph. 6. de Formo∣so; Abscissis duobus dextrae illius digitis, potissimum eis, qui∣bus Sacerdotes in Consecratione utun∣tur.
• 2 1.5

  Non diù est quòd Episcopus, ad∣huc in Gallia, plus∣quam duo Prebyte∣rorum millia conse∣cràrat, quorum omnium Ordinationes nullae judicabantur: attamen isti decem vel duo decim annos celebrave∣rant. Quâ igitur fide adorata fuit Hostia ab iis elevata? Teste Riveto nostro Sum Controv. Tract. 3. qu. 25.