A09453:290
A Reformed Catholic
A reformed Catholic: or, A declaration showing how near we may come to the present Church of Rome in sundry points of religion: and wherein we must for ever depart from them with an advertisement to all favourers of the Roman religion, showing that the said religion is against the Catholic principles and grounds of the catechism.A reformed Catholike: or, A declaration shewing how neere we may come to the present Church of Rome in sundrie points of religion: and vvherein we must for euer depart from them with an advertisment to all fauourers of the Romane religion, shewing that the said religion is against the Catholike principles and grounds of the catechisme.
Cambridge: printed by John Legat, 1598Cambridge: printed by Iohn Legat, 1598
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Reason III. Transubstantiation overturns the very Supper of the Lord. For in every sacrament there must be a sign, a thing signified, and a proportion or relation between them both. But popish real presence takes all away: for when the bread is really turned into Christs body, and the wine into his blood, then the sign is abolished, and there remains nothing but the outward forms or appearance of bread and wine. Again, it abolisheth the ends of the sacrament, whereof one is to remember Christ till his coming again, who being present in the sacrament bodily, needs not to be remembered: because helps of remembrance are of things absent. Another end is to nourish the soul unto eternal life: but by transubstantiation the principal feeding is of the body and not of the soul, which is only fed with spiritual food▪ for though the body may be bettered by the food of the soul, yet can not the soul be fed with bodily food.
Reason III. Transubstantiation ouerturnes the very Supper of the Lord. For in euery sacramēt there must be a signe, a thing signified, and a proportion or relation betweene them both. But popish reall presence takes all away: for when the bread is really turned into Christs body, and the wine into his bloode, then the signe is abolished, and there remaines nothing but the outwarde formes or appearance of breade and wine. Againe, it abolisheth the endes of the sacrament, whereof one is to remember Christ till his comming againe, who beeing present in the sacrament bodily, needes not to be remembred: because helpes of remembrance are of things absent. Another ende is to nourish the soule vnto eternall life: but by transubstantiation the principal feeding is of the body and not of the soule, which is onely fed with spiritual food▪ for though the body may be bettered by the food of the soule, yet cā not the soule be fed with bodily food.
Reason IV. In the sacrament the body of Christ is received as it was crucified: and his blood, as it was shed upon the cross: but now at this time Christs body crucified, remains still as a body, but not as a body crucified: because the act of crucifying is ceased. Therefore it is faith alone, that makes Christ crucified to be present unto us in the sacrament. Again, that blood which ran out of the feet and hands and side of Christ upon the cross, was not gathered up again and put into the veins: nay, the collection was needless, because after the resurrection, he lived no more a natural but a spiritual life: and none knows what is become of this blood. The Papist therefore cannot say it is present under the form of wine locally: and we may better say it is received spiritually by faith, whose property is to give a being to things which are not.