N20568:7172
The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of martyrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].The new and complete book of martyrs; or, An universal history of martyrdom: being Fox's Book of marytrs, revised and corrected, with additions and great improvements. : Containing an authentic account of the lives, persecutions and sufferings of the holy martyrs; and the many dreadful persecutions against the Church of Christ in all parts of the world, by pagans, Jews, Turks, papists, and others, from earliest ages of the church to the present period. ... The whole forming at once a general Christian martyrology, and a complete history of persecutions. / By the Rev. Mr. John Fox, M.A. late of Magdalen College, Oxford. ; Now revised, corrected and improved, with many additional articles, relating to the acts and monuments of the church. By Paul Wright, D.D. ; Embellished with forty elegant copper plate engravings. ; In two volumes. Vol. I[-II].
New-York: printed by William Durell, 1794
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
THAT which is former (saith Tertullian) is true; that which is latter is false. But the doctrine of transubstantiation is a late doctrine, for it was not defined generally before the council of Lateran, about 1215 years after Christ's coming, under pope Innocent, the third of that name. For before that time it was free for all men to believe, or not believe it, as the bishop of Durham doth witness in his book of the presence of Christ in his supper, lately published. Therefore, the doctrine of transubstantiation is false.
2. THAT the words of Christ's supper be figurative, the circumstances of the scriptures, the analogy or proportion of the sacraments, and the opinions of all the holy fathers, which were, and wrote for the space of 1000 years after Christ's ascension, do teach: whereupon it follows, that there was no transubstantiation.
3. THAT the Lord gave to his disciples bread, and called it his body, the scriptures do witness. For he gave that, and called it his body, which he ⟨p. 653⟩took in his hand, whereon he gave thanks, which also he brake, and gave to his disciples, that is to say, bread, as the fathers Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Epiphanius, Augustine, and all the residue which are of antiquity, do affirm: but inasmuch as the substance of bread and wine is another thing than the substance of the body and blood of Christ, it plainly appeareth that there is no transubstantiation.
4. THE bread is no more transubstantiate than the wine: but that the wine is not transubstantiate, St. Matthew and St. Mark teach us: for they witness that Christ said, he would drink no more of the fruit of the vine, which was not blood but wine: and therefore it follows, that there is no transubstantiation. Chrysostom upon St. Matthew, and Cyprian do affirm this reason.
4. THE bread is no more transubstantiate than the wine: but that the wine is not transubstantiate, St. Matthew and St. Mark teach us: for they witness that Christ said, he would drink no more of the fruit of the vine, which was not blood but wine: and therefore it follows, that there is no trans•bstantiation. Chrysostom upon St. Matthew, and Cyprian do affirm this reason.
5. AS the bread in the Lord's suppe• is Christ's natural body, so it is his mystical body: for the same Spirit that spake of it, This is my body, said also, For we many are one bread, •ne body, &c. but now it is not the mystical body by transubstantiation, and therefore it is not his natural body by transubstantiation.
6. THE words spoken over the cup in St. Luke and St. Paul, are not so mighty and effectual, as to transubstantiate it: for then the cup, or that which is in it, should be transubstantiated into the New Testament: therefore the words spoken over the bread, are not so mighty as to make transubstantiation.
7. ALL that doctrine which agreeth with those churches which be apostolical mother churches, is to be counted for truth, because it holdeth that which these churches received of the apostles, the apostles of Christ, and Christ of God. But it is manifest that the doctrine taught at this present by the church of Rome, concerning transubstantiation, doth not agree with the apostolical and mother churches of Greece, of Corinth, of Philippos, Colossia, Thessalonica, and Ephesus, which never taught transubstantiation; yea, it agreeth not with the doctrine of the church of Rome, as it was taught in times past. For pope Gelasius, setting forth the doctrine which that see then held, doth manifestly confute the error of transubstantiation, and ••proveth them for sacrilege who divided the mystery, and kept the cup from the laity: therefore the doctrine of transubstantiation agreeth not with the truth.
THIS was the writing which Weston pulled out of his bosom; and yet before he began to read it, he told Mr. Bradford that he had inquired of his conversation at Cambridge since his last being with him; and, said he, because you are a man not given to the glory of the world, I will speak it before your face; your life I have lea•ned was •••ays such there, as all men, even the greatest enemies you have, cannot but praise, and th•••fore […] love you much better than ever I did; •ut now I will read over your arguments, and so we will confer them. They are such that a man may well perceive you stand on conscience, and therefore I am the more ready and glad to pity you. So he began to read the first▪ to which he said, that though the word […] on began but lately, yet the thing always was, and hath been since Christ's institution.
THIS was the writing which Weston pulled out of his bosom; and yet before he began to read it, he told Mr. Bradford that he had inquired of his conversation at Cambridge since his last being with him; and, said he, because you are a man not given to the glory of the world, I will speak it before your face; your life I have lea•ned was •••ays such there, as all men, even the greatest e•emies you have, cannot but praise, and th•••fore 〈…〉 love you much better than ever I did; •ut now I will read over your arguments, and so we will confer them. They are such that a man may well perceive you stand on •onscience, and therefore I am the more ready and glad to pity you. So he began to read the first▪ to which he said, that though the word 〈…〉 on began but lately, yet the thing always was, and hath been since Christ's institution.
Brad. I do not contend, or insist upon the word only, but upon the thing which is as new as the word.
THEN Dr. Weston went to the second, and there brought out St. Augustine, how that if an evil man going to the devil, did make his will, his son and heir would not say his father did lie in it, or speak tropically: much more Christ, going to God, did never lie, or use any figurative speech in his last will and testament. Do you not remember this place of St. Augustine, said he?
Brad. Yes, sir, but I do not remember St. Augustine hath those words tropically, or figuratively, as you rehearse them: for any man may speak a thing figuratively and not lie: and so Christ did in his last supper.
AFTER this Dr. Weston went to the third, and brought forth Cyprian, how that the nature of bread is turned into flesh. Here, says he, my lord of Canterbury expoundeth nature for quality, by Gelasius. Which interpretation serves for the answer of your argument, that Christ called bread his ⟨p. 654⟩body: that is, the quality, form, and appearance of bread. And further, the scripture is wont to call things by the same names which they had before, as Simon the leper; he was not so at that time, but because he had been so.
Brad. Cyprian wrote before Gelasius; therefore Cyprian must not expound Gelasius, but Gelasius Cyprian; and so they both teach, that bread remaineth still. As for things having still the names they had, it is no answer, except you could show that this now were not bread, as easily as a man might have known and seen then Simon to have been healed and clear from his leprosy.
Brad. Cyprian wrote before Gelasius; therefore Cyprian must not expound Gelasius, but Gelasius Cyprian; and so they both teach, that bread remaineth still. As for things having still the names they had, it is no answer, except you could shew that this now were not bread, as easily as a man might have known and seen then Simon to have been healed and clear from his leprosy.
