38,39.

one doth as much overthrow the other; and that Miracles which are certainly the best and highest external proof of Chriftianity are the worst proof in the world of Tranfubftantiation, unless a man can renounce his fenfes at the fame time that he relies upon them. For a man cannot believe a Miracle without relying upon fense, nor Tranfubftantiation without renouncing it. So that never were any two things fo ill coupled together as the Doctrine of Christianity and that of Tranfubftantiation, because they draw feveral ways and are ready to ftrangle one another; fince the main evidence of the Chriftian Doctrine, which is Miracles, is refolved into the certainty of fenfe, but this evidence is clear and point-blank against Tranfubftantiation.

4. And Lastly, I would ask what we are to think of the Argument which our Saviour ufed to convince his Difciples after his Refurrection that his Body was really rifen, and that they were not deluded by a Ghost or Apparition? Is it a neceffary and conclusive * Luk. 24. Argument or not? * And he said unto them, why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arife in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I my felf; for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye fee me have. But now if we fuppofe with the Church of Rome the Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation to be true, and that he had inftructed his Disciples in it just before his death, ftrange thoughts might juftly have rifen in their hearts, and they might have faid to him; Lord, it is but a few days ago fince thou didst teach us not to believe our fenfes, but directly contrary to what we faw, viz. that the bread which thou gavest us in the Sacrament, though we faw it and handled it and tafted it to be bread, yet was not bread but thine own natural body; and now thou appealeft to our fenfes to

prove that this is thy body which we now fee. If feeing and handling be an unquestionable evidence that things are what they appear to our fenfes, then we were deceived before in the Sacrament; and if they be not, then we are not fure now that this is thy body which we now fee and handle, but it may be perhaps bread under the appearance of flesh and bones, just as in the Sacrament, that which we faw and handled and tafted to be bread was thy flesh and bones under the form and appearance of bread. Now upon this fuppofition, it would have been a hard matter to have quieted the thoughts of the Difciples: For if the Argument which our Saviour ufed did certainly prove to them that what they faw and handled was his body, his very natural flesh and bones, because they faw and handled them, (which it were impious to deny) it would as ftrongly prove that what they faw and received before in the Sacrament was not the natural body and bloud of Chrift, but real bread and wine: And confequently, that according to our Saviour's arguing after his Refurrection they had no reafon to believe Tranfubftantiation before. For that very Argument by which our Saviour proves the reality of his body after his Refurrection doth as ftrongly prove the reality of bread and wine after Confecration. But our Saviour's Argument was most infallibly good and true, and therefore the Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation is undoubtedly falfe.

Upon the whole matter I fhall onely fay this, that fome other Points between us and the Church of Rome are managed with fome kind of wit and fubtilty, but this of Tranfubftantiation is carried out by mere dint of impudence and facing down of Mankind.

And of this the more difcerning persons of that Church are of late grown fo fenfible that they would now be glad to be rid of this odious and ridiculous Doctrine. But the Council of Trent hath faften'd it to their Religion and made it a neceffary and effential Point of their Belief, and they cannot now part with it if they would; it is like a Milftone hung about the neck of Popery which will fink it at the last.

And though fome of their greatest Wits, as Cardinal Perron, and of late Monfieur Arnaud, have undertaken the defence of it in great Volumes; yet it is an abfurdity of that monftrous and maffy weight, that no humane authority or wit are able to fupport it: It will make the very Pillars of St. Peter's crack, and requires more Volumes to make it good than would fill the Vatican.

And now I would apply my felf to the poor deluded People of that Church, if they were either permitted by their Priests or durft venture without their leave to look into their Religion and to examine the Doctrines of it. Confider, and fhew your felves men. Do not fuffer your felves any longer to be led blindfold, and by an implicit Faith in your Priefts, into the belief of non-fense and contradiction. Think it enough and too much to let them rook you of your money for pretended Pardons and counterfeit Reliques, but let not the Authority of any Prieft or Church perfuade you out of your fenfes. Credulity is certainly a fault as well as Infidelity: and he who faid, bleffed are they that have not feen and yet have belie ved, hath no where faid, blessed are they that have feen and yet have not believed, much lefs, blessed are: they that believe directly contrary to what they fee.

Το

To conclude this Difcourfe. By what hath been faid upon this Argument it will appear, with how little truth, and reason, and regard to the intereft of our common Chriftianity it is fo often faid by our Adverfaries, that there are as good arguments for the belief of Tranfubftantiation as of the Doctrine of the Trinity When they themselves do acknowledge with us that the Doctrine of the Trinity is grounded upon the Scriptures, and that according to the interpretation of them by the confent of the ancient Fathers: But their Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation I have plainly fhewn to have no fuch ground, and that this is acknowledged by very many learned men of their own Church. And this Doctrine of theirs being first plainly proved by us to be deftitute of all Divine warrant and Authority, our Objections against it from the manifold contradictions of it to Reafon and Sense are so many Demonftrations of the falfehood of it. Against all which they have nothing to put in the oppofite Scale but the Infallibility of their Church, for which there is even lefs colour of proof from Scripture than for Tranfubftantiation it self. But fo fond are they of their own Innovations and Errours, that rather than the Dictates of their Church, how groundless and abfurd foever, fhould be call'd in queftion; rather than not have their will of us in impofing. upon us what they pleafe, they will overthrow any Article of the Chriftian Faith, and fhake the very foundations of our common Religion: A clear evidence that the Church of Rome is not the true Mother, fince the can be fo well contented that Christianity fhould be destroyed rather than the Point in question fhould be decided against her.

FINIS.

I.

A Catalogue of the feveral Cafes, &c.

Perfwafive to Communion with the Church of

A England.

2. A Refolution of fome Cafes of Confcience which refpect Church-Communion.

3. The Cafe of Indifferent things ufed in the Worfhip of God, propofed and stated, by confidering thefe Questions, &c.

4. A Difcourfe about Edification.

5. The Refolution of this Cafe of Confcience, Whether the Church of Englands Symbolizing fo far as it doth with the Church of Rome, makes it unlawfull to hold Communion with the Church of England?

6. A Letter to Anonymus, in anfwer to his three Letters to Dr. Sherlock about Church-Communion.

7. Certain Cafes of Confcience refolved, concerning the Lawfulness of joyning with Forms of Prayer in Publick Worship. In two Parts.

8. The Cafe of mixt Communion: Whether it be Lawfull to Separate from a Church upon the account of promiscuous Congregations and mixt Communions?

9. An Answer to Diffenters Objections against the Common Prayers and fome other parts of Divine Service prescribed in the Liturgy of the Church of England. 10. The Cafe of Kneeling at the Holy Sacrament ftated and refolved, &r. In two Parts.

II. A Difcourfe of Profiting by Sermons, and of going to hear where Men think they can profit moft.

12. A ferious Exhortation, with fome important Advices relating to the late Cafes about Conformity, recommended to the prefent Diffenters from the Church of England.

13. An Argument to Union; taken from the true intereft of thofe Diffenters in England who profefs and call themselves Proteftants.

14. Some