l3ook IV, TilE L 0 R D 's S UPPER. • Body, which wants the elfential Properties of a Body, which is to have .~tantitJ:, • and <ake up Room ; take away this, and the Body may properly be a Spmr, for tt is that only which dilferencerh ir from a Spirit.' But further, eo lhew how idle and abfurd it is to take our Savior's Words in a proper Senie, we !ball !bew that it is utterly againfi Senfe and Reafon, as well as con· trary to Scripture, as you have heard. . . Firft, It is againfr Senfe. What greater Evidence can there be of Things, than what Senfe affordetl1? But if this which the Papifrs affirm, about the confecrated Bread beino- the reJl Body of Chrifr, be true, the Senfes of all the World are deceived: For fince the great Argument for Chrifrianity, as all agree, was the Words that Chrilt fpoke, and the Works which Chrifi did; now how could we be fure he dtd fo fpeak, or fo work, if we may nor credit the Reports of our Eyes and Ears? This was St. Luke's great Evidence of the Truth of what he wrote, That it was delivered to him by Eye.Witnclfes, Lu~e i. 1, 2. and Sr. John's: What we have feen with our Eyes, and our Hands have handled of the Word of Life, I John i. 1. And St. Paul's for the Refuneftion, 'That he was ftm of Cephas, then of the 'I'welve, thm of above jive Hundred Bretbren at once, 1 Cor. xv. 5, 6. Even Thomas's Infidelity yielded to this Argumtm, ? hat if he did thruft his Hand into Chrift's Side, he would believe, John xx. 25. Chrift judged this wa> a convincing Argument, when the A poll:les thought they h td feen a Spirit: Handle me, and fee: For a Spirit bath not F'lejh and Blood, as you fee tue have, Luke xxiv. 39· But now if after the Words ofConfecration, there is under the Species of Bread, the Nawre and Properties of Flelh, then are the Senfes of the wife(l: of Mortals de– ceived: And if our Senfes be deceived here, they are not, as a late Amhor, Dr. Tillotfon, obferves, to be trufl:ed in any other Thing; no, not when they are moO: fure that we fee Father or Mother, or Wife, or Children. Can we be fure, This is my Body, is written in Matt. xxvi. Mark xiv. Luke xxii. I Cor. xi.? For may not thofe Words be fome other Words? Why fhould we crufl: our Eyes? What if we !bould tdl the Papifrs, thefe Words, 'This is my Body, are neither in this Chapter, nor any where dfe written in the New Teframent, and grow confident'of it, and tell them the \Vords are, This is not my Body; it is the Bricks that were laid eo build Babe!, it is the Gates of Solomon's Porch : This is the Shew-Bread that Abimelech gave to David, the Bottles that .Abigail took from Nabal? If they tell us, We are frrangely deceived, and the Senfe of ali that we can read will give it againfr us; may not we tell them as well, when they fay, This is the real Body of Chrifr, when it is nothing but a vVafer-Cake, That they are fl:rangely deceived, and that the Senfes of all, that can either fee, rafie, fine!!, or feel, will give it againfr them? This being fo, what reafon is there for them to burn us, bccaufe we cannot fee the Bread to be Chrifl:'s real Body, more than there is for us to kill them, becaufe they cannot fee that it is the Gates of Solomon's Porch. Secondly, le is againfl: Reafon. And !ball any conclude, that is any Principle of the Chriftian Religion, that is contrary to, and urrerly agoinfr Reafon? For it would make us believe Things that are abfolutely impoffible, and grofs Contradictions. Though fome Things may be above Reafon, yet they rhemfelves confefs no Principle of Religion can be againft it. Obj. .llu.r they fay, We imagine many 'l'hings impojjible, that really are not fo; and further mumate, If we can prove mry real Impojjibilities, •which this Do!lrine forceth them to beliew, thry willyield to us: For they with us condemn the Lutheran Opinion, That Chri!t's Body is every where, becaufe it is impojjible; and tberefor. expound thoft Words, I am the Vme, I am a Door, &c. figuratively, as we do, becaufe it is impojjible for him who is a Man, to be a Vine, or a Door, &c. See Mr. Pool, p. 107. * /lnfw. ltiS no lefs Impoffible for the Bread to be Chrifr's real Body. ' Why might ' not rhe Vme, as well as the w~ine, be by Tranfubfl:anriarion converted into Chrifl's • real SubOance? I think, faith Mr. Pool, the Mother as o-ood as the Dauo-hter. Ami efpeci~lly fince Chri!r faith, I am the Vine, might nor"' they have devi'fed another ' Tranlubfianriation, to make Chrift's Vl'ords o-ood? · Bm to proceed to !bew how irrational and ,~bfurd their Notion is, and what they hold, as. you heard, that Chrifr's whole Body is prefent in every Crumb of the llread, t.3c. and }tt do affirm, Chrifl:'s Body is entire and undivided, and alfo believe • See a Book called S(ripturt M;jltrin, p. 279· 7 s it
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