XIII. Concerning the Papists making the flesh and blood of Christ of bread and wine; and the apostle saith, they knew Christ no more after the flesh; and how the formal Christians take the bread and wine kneeling, in remembrance of Christ's death, and his disciples took it sitting.

THERE is and hath been a great deal of stir among several sorts of people called christians, about the eating and drinking of bread and wine, which some call a sacrament, and some call it Christ after they have blessed it, and consecrated it, as they call it. And also they that do not say the elements of bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ, or the very Christ, (which they take upon their knees kneeling,) such are called heretics. The Jews were not to eat the passover which God commanded, upon their knees, or to kneel down and eat it; for where did the Lord command the Jews to kneel down to any thing that he commanded them to take or eat? And all the figures and shadows, or types, where did the Lord ever command the Jews to bow or kneel down to such things, but they were to bow down to the Lord, and serve and worship him? For do not you, after you have consecrated the elements of bread and wine, and made you a Christ and a God of it, do not some of you bow down, and kneel down to it? And it is but elements of bread and wine when you have done. And the Lord saith, Thou shalt not make a likeness of any thing that is in heaven,' &c. And do not you make a likeness of Christ, who sitteth at the right hand of God in heaven, of the elements of bread and wine? And this is a breach of the command of God.

Now when the evening was come, Christ sat down with his twelve disciples, as in Matt. xxvi. 20 to the 31st. So he doth not say they kneeled or bowed, but they sat down, when they eat the last supper with Christ. And again in Mark xvii. 18. And in the evening Jesus cometh with his twelve disciples, and as they sat and did eat, Jesus said unto them,' &c. Here you may see they sat and did eat. It is not said they bowed or kneeled and did eat. But they sat with the King of kings, and Lord of lords at supper, the night before he was crucified. And in Luke xxii. 14. And when the hour was come, Christ sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. It is not said they bowed down, or kneeled down, but they sat down with Christ when they did eat the bread and wine.

And therefore you that profess the scripture is your rule, why do you force people to bow and kneel, when they take the elements of

VOL. VI.

1 Exod. xii. 10, 11. and xx. 4, 5. Deut. v. 8, 9.

61

bread and wine, &c. seeing here are three witnesses, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that all say they sat down with Christ at the last supper the same night that he was betrayed, when they drank and did eat; and never one of them say, they bowed or kneeled when they drank of the fruit of the vine, and eat of the bread in remembrance of Christ, to show forth his death till he come? Of this you may see more at large, in a book entitled, A distinction betwixt the two suppers of Christ;' to wit, the supper when he was betrayed, and the supper after he was ascended.

And when did ever Christ, or the apostles command them to make an altar, and bow to it, or before it, and set up outward candles in outward candlesticks, to burn night and day in the outward churches or sanctuaries, as you call them, as your Papists do? And do not the unreformed bow before the altar that they have made, and set up an outward candle in an outward candlestick? Though they do not light them, there they stand ready if the pope should command them to be lighted. These things, altars, candles, and candlesticks, lighted or unlighted, and bowing and kneeling to your altars, and bread and wine when you take it, had you not all these things from the pope and Papists, and not from Christ and his apostles? And if you observe the apostles, they took bread and wine at night after supper; but you take it before dinner, and you say the scripture is your rule. And Christ said unto John, Rev. i. 20. The seven candlesticks which thou sawest, are the seven churches;' so they were not seven outward candlesticks set up in the churches, as you call them; but the seven churches were the seven golden candlesticks which held the light of Christ, which shines continually; so the church of Christ was, and so the church of Christ is now.

And the apostle saith, 'For both he that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified are all of one; for which cause Christ is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praises unto thee.' Heb. ii. 11, 12. Rev. i. 15. So where two or three are gathered together in his name, he is in the midst; and the church of Christ is the golden candlestick, and Christ is in the midst. So he is a light in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. So unto God be glory in the church by Jesus Christ, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephes. iii. 21.

And the Jews in the first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary, and a tabernacle, and a candlestick; but hath not Christ abolished all these worldly things, which were made and pitched by men? as in Heb. ix. 1, 2.

But Christ our high priest is a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. Heb. viii. 1, 2.

And the apostle saith, 'Henceforth know we no man after the flesh, yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth we know him no more,' namely, Christ after the flesh; and is not ' henceforth,' time to come. 2 Cor. v. 16. So the apostles were far off from making a Christ of the elements of bread and wine, both his flesh, bones, and sinews, when they said 'Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more;' to wit, after the flesh. Then was it not in the spirit, and his godhead, and as he was God? But what work hath the Papists made to pretend to make flesh, blood, and bones of Christ of the elements of bread and wine, and bowing down to it, and worshipping it, and burning and killing such as would not!

Now they that in the apostles' days did take the elements of bread and wine, did it in remembrance, and in a show of Christ's death till he came. And Christ said he would come again to his disciples, and did so. And Christ was put to death in the flesh, and not his godhead, nor as he was God, who saith, Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit.' 1 Pet. iii. 18. And Jesus said, 'If any man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him.' And again Christ saith, You have heard how I said unto you, I go away and come again unto you; if ye love me ye would rejoice.' John xiv. 23. 28. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.

And where did ever the apostles take bread and wine in remembrance of Christ's death in the flesh, after they had said, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more, (viz. after the flesh.) 2 Cor. v. 16.

And now you Papists, that call yourselves Roman Catholics, that is, universal, and yet you did say in a dispute, that you had not the same power and holy ghost that the apostles had in the primitive times; and yet you do say after you have consecrated bread and wine, it is the body of Christ, both his flesh, blood, and bones, yea, the very whole Christ; and yet when so made, he hath no legs, hands, nor mouth, and can neither speak, hear, see, nor go! And why cannot you make a virgin Mary, the mother of Christ, as well as make a Christ? and a St. Peter of bread and wine, as well as a Christ; and set him up in a chair, as well as set up a pope in Peter's chair, as you call it ?

And is not this a strange juggling, that you should turn wine into blood, and bread into flesh, bones, and sinews? This is as strange a miracle as ever was heard of in the world, wrought by an unclean ghost; for some Popish priests confessed, in a dispute with some Quakers, at Thomas Apostles in Gerrad Robert's house, when it was asked you, whether you had the same holy ghost as the apostles had, and you de

nied it, and said, it was presumption to affirm any such thing; and then it was said unto you, then it was not like that you should be led into all truth. In what could you pray, and in what was your fellowship? It could not be but in the unclean ghost, which led out of all truth, for the holy ghost led the apostles and the church of Christ into all truth; and they prayed in the holy ghost, and had fellowship in the holy ghost. And the apostles, and the church of Christ never did say nor pretend, that with the holy ghost, they could turn wine into blood, and bread into flesh, bones, and sinews, and then say it was the whole Christ, and eat him when they had done; and they that would not believe it, to burn them, as you Papists have done who pretend to turn wine into blood, and bread into flesh, bones, and sinews, and say it is the whole Christ, which could neither speak, see, nor go! Strange monster makers, with your unclean ghost, and when you have done you eat him! And when we have said unto you, and desired you to try your Christ, whether his flesh and blood will not corrupt; to have part of the wine and the bread you consecrated, locked up with the unconsecrated in a cellar, and seven Protestants, and seven Papists to keep watch over the cellar, and if the consecrated did corrupt, mould, and die, as the other, then you should turn to us; but if it prove immortal, and the very flesh, blood, and bones of Christ, then we would all turn to you, and this would bring truth to light, and honour to God; for you have burnt and put many to death, because they could not believe in your great miracle and monster, that you have made with your unclean ghost. For we are in the Catholic faith, set up in the apostles' days, which Jesus Christ was and is the author and finisher of, and we are redeemed not with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. And the apostle saith, Christ's flesh did not see corruption, and though he was crucified, nailed to the cross, and his side run into with a spear, and dead and buried, and was three days and three nights in the sepulchre, yet his flesh saw no corruption, and did not change; for the apostle saith, The Lord did not suffer Christ, his holy one, to see corruption.' 'And therefore,' it is said, did my heart rejoice, my tongue was glad: moreover also, my flesh shall rest in hope,' whom God raised from the dead to sit upon his throne, and his flesh saw no corruption. Acts ii. 26, 27. 31, 32. And therefore now you Papists, come out and try your great monster and miracle, as before,

XIV. The trial of the Pope's Spirit.

WILL the pope let the Protestants have their meetings peaceable in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Rome, and in all the cities or do

minions, where he, or his have power? If that he, or his, do desire that his people should have their meetings peaceable in the nations, kingdoms, cities or governments, where the Protestants have the power; come let us see if he hath so much holiness, or infallibity, to do unto others, as he would have others do unto him? I say to do unto others, as he would have others do unto him, that is, to let others of a different persuasion from him have their liberty, as he would have his, seeing they all profess Christ in words, as before; if not, he is below the law and the prophets, and short of a christian; and if his actions be below the law, and the prophets, and christianity, it is then a shame to talk of infallibility and holiness.

XV. Concerning the kingdom of God.

THE law and the prophets were until John, who was the greatest prophet born of a woman, but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John; and since John Baptist the kingdom of God is preached, and men do press into the kingdom. So the everlasting kingdom of God is the end of the law, and the prophets, and John, for the everlasting kingdom of God stands in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the holy ghost, which the law, and the prophets, and John called for, and was held forth by them in figures, types, and shadows, and John ran before and prepared the way to the kingdom; and they that are in the kingdom are in the substance, and in the end of the law, and the prophets, and John's ministration, and are in the end of all things that do change; for the kingdom of God is everlasting, and doth not change.

Moses was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after. But Christ, as a son over his house, whose house we are, that be children of heavenly Jerusalem. For Moses was over the house of Israel with their figures and shadows; but Christ Jesus, who is the substance, is over his great spiritual house; who hath all power in heaven and earth given to him, who doth enlighten all their spirits in the house or tabernacle of fallen Adam, which light is the life in Christ, by whom Adam and Eve were made, and all things that were made, were made by Christ. For Aaron did light the outward candles and lamps in the outward tabernacles that were made with hands. But Christ the great prophet, priest, bishop, and shepherd, doth enlighten the spirits of men, the candle of the Lord, in their tabernacle not made with hands, with his true heavenly divine light, which is the life in himself, the word, by whom all things were made, as before. So Christ is over his great house, an enlightener, a quickener,. a saviour, a redeemer, a counsellor, a leader, a captain, a prophet to open, a shepherd to feed, a bishop to oversee, and a king and lord to