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are assured of eating spiritually, and yet withal really.

14. Great was the authority of Pythagoras amongst his scholars; if he said it, they were silent; but greater was, and is, and ought to be, the authority of Christ with believers: He saith it, and they believe. The sun remains a splendent body, though bats and owls cannot endure it; the Holy Sacrament remains an unspeakable Mystery, though the carnal man doth not perceive it. In this case, silence is the safest eloquence, and the best expressing is not to express. A godly meditation is safer than a Socratical disputing. Discourse of controversy doth often abate devotion: discourse of piety about this Mystery is sweeter than the honey or the honey-comb.

15. The Passover, which Christ kept with His disciples, was prepared in an upper room. When men brought unto Him a man sick of the palsy, they, in letting down the sick, uncovered the roof of the house. The harder parts of the paschal lamb were consumed by fire. Mysteries are, if not contrary, yet often above reason. Well saith St. Cyril, in his third book against Julian, "If human reason waver in things sensible, how much more shall it do so in things beyond sense? Faithless Julian, what if the creation of the angels excel

human capacity, did not Moses well in forbearing to mention it? Assuredly he did well. What if it cannot by reason be conceived how Christ, sitting at the table, should give Himself to His, for sustenance, wilt thou, therefore, by-and-by, imagine this or that change?"

Let us rather honour Christ in His Mysteries, praise Him for His mercies, be thankful unto Him for His benefits. Those things which we comprehend, let us admire; those which we cannot comprehend, let us more admire: though words be wanting what to express, let not faith be wanting what to believe.

16. When all is done, the devout estimation of the ancient Fathers, concerning this Holy Sacrament, is not lightly or loosely to be passed over, whose example for piety let us set before the eyes of our mind.

17. Notwithstanding, we look not so much in this case what the Fathers, who were no babes, for the first six hundred years, have determined, as what Christ saith, who is before all. But be it, let antiquity prevail, which way soever men turn them for these curious and needless disputes, sure they were not from the beginning.

18. And now a little to take a survey of the beginning and progress of the doctrine of transub

stantiation, when now the envious man watched to sow his tares amongst the wheat, which is of grains the chiefest; to corrupt gold, which is of metals the purest; to draw away the minds of men from the pledges of their salvation, amongst which the Holy Eucharist is not the least; this he did not so much by opposition, as by subtle guile, stirring up curious fancies to seek and search out reasons of the secret counsel of God, and to say with them in the Gospel," Master, how camest Thou hither?"

19. One Berengarius, in the year 1028, was the first that came upon the stage to act this tragedy; by him were kindled such sparks as after brake out into great and fearful flames.

The matter is tossed to and fro in the time of Nicholas, the second Bishop of Rome. In the year 1040 Berengarius abjured his former assertions; were his latter thoughts the wiser? This I stand not to discuss, dispute it he that will.

20. The Church in the meanwhile, who ought to have followed the counsel of St. Paul to Timothy, in suppressing questions that cause strife, did clean contrary, in adding more and more, daily, a multitude of questions, so long that those sparks kindled by Berengarius began to increase, and set all, as it were, into a most hideous combustion.

* 1 John vi. 25.

21. An assembly of religious men came together in the council of Lateran; in this rueful state of things what is done by the council? Doth it appease debates! No. Doth it call back this holy institution of Christ to the ancient practice? It endeavoured nothing less; only it promulgates a new and unheard-of doctrine of transubstantiation and why might not the council establish the word transubstantiation as well as the first council of Nice did the word ouoovoios, the first council of Ephesus the word eOTÓKOS, which both were established by councils, and after received by the Christian world? There was neither the same authority to decree, nor the necessity of doctrine to be decreed, in this, as was in the two beforenamed councils: what did not time decay? atas parentum, etc.

22. After this, the question comes to be handled by the Master of the Sentences, whom the school divines do follow; is the controversy appeased? Disputed it is, to and fro, by many subtleties; here the multitude of questions is able to confound the reader, and the divers turnings and windings able to bring the happiest wit into a labyrinth. At one time the doubt is about the power of God, at another about His will; now, of the existing of substance with accidents, then, of accidents with

out a substance; sometimes of annihilating of former natures, sometimes of trans-elementing the same. In this chaos there is nothing found certain save that uncertain dream of transubstantiation.

23. Whether or no this were pleasing to that Blessed Spirit, who willeth us to be wise unto sobriety, let all men judge.

24. The Bethshemites were happy in enjoying the presence of the ark of God; but falling to be curious by prying into it, they suffered just punishment for their curiosity. The Church of Rome was happy while it enjoyed the presence of this Holy Mystery, had she known her own happiness, when, for a thousand years together, there was never heard of the name of "ubiquity," "sacramentary," or the like; no division of the East against the West Church, or of the West against the East; all agreed about the truth of this Holy Mystery; but when once men would press into depths inaccessible, rend away the veil, and intrude themselves into the Lord, with what a spirit of giddiness were they whirled to and fro, as he of whom the comical poet maketh mention, which way to betake him he knew not. This it is to run into needless

mazes.

Holy of Holies, good

1 Sam. vi. 19.

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