LONDON, Printed by M. Flefker, for Brabazon Aylmer, at the three Pigeons against the Royal Exchange in Cornhill: And William Rogers, at the Sun over against St. Dunstans Church in Fleetftreet. 1684. A DISCOURSE AGAINST Tranfubftantiation. C Oncerning the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, one of the two great pofitive Inftitu tions of the Chriftian Religion, there are two main Points of difference between Vs and the Church of Rome. One, about the Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation; in which they think, but are not certain, that they have the Scripture and the words of our Saviour on their fide: The other, about the administration of this Sacrament to the People in both kinds; in which we are fure that we have the Scripture and our Saviour's Institution on our fide and that fo plainly, that our Adverfaries themselves do not deny it.. Of the first of these I fhall now treat, and endeavour to fhew against the Church of Rome, That in this Sacrament there is no fubftantial change made of the Elements of Bread and Wine into the natural Body and A 2 Bloud Bloud of Chrift; that Body which was born of the Virgin Mary, and fuffered upon the Crofs; for fo they explain that hard word Tranfubftantiation. Before I engage in this Argument, I cannot but obferve what an unreasonable task we are put upon, by the bold confidence of our Adverfaries, to dispute a matter of Sense; which is one of those things about which Ariftotle hath long fince pronounc'd there ought to be no difpute. It might well feem strange if any man should write a Book, to prove that an Egg is not an Elephant, and that a Musket-Bullet is not a Pike: It is every whit as hard a cafe, to be put to maintain by a long Difcourse, that what we fee and handle and taste to be Bread is Bread, and not the Body of a man; and what we fee and tafte to be Wine is Wine, and not Bloud: And if this evidence may not pass for fufficient without any farther proof, I do not fee why any man, that hath confidence enough to do fo, may not deny any thing to be what all the World fees it is, or affirm any thing to be what all the World fees it is not; and this without all poffibility of being farther confuted. So that the bufinefs of Tranfubftantiation is not a controverfie of Scripture against Scripture, or of Reason against Reason, but of downright Impudence againft the plain meaning of Scripture, and all the Senfe and Reafon of Mankind. a It is a most Self-evident Falfehood; and there is no Doctrine or Propofition in the World that is of it felf more evidently true, than Tranfubftantiation is evidently falfe: And yet if it were poffible to be true, it would be the moft ill-natur'd and pernicious truth in the 'World, because it would fuffer nothing else to be true; it is like the Roman-Catholique Church, which will needs be the whole Christian Church, and will allow no |