which produceth nothing now to the Sense; but they
face us down, that it hath turned the Bread into a
Man; nay more, into a God; and require men to worship
it, as if it were our Saviour himself present God and
Man, and thereby to commit most grosse Idolatry.
For if it bee enough to excuse it of Idolatry, to
say it is no more Bread, but God; why should not the
same excuse serve the Egyptians, in case they had
the faces to say, the Leeks, and Onyons they worshipped,
were not very Leeks, and Onyons, but a Divinity under
their Species, or likenesse. The words, “This
is my Body,” are aequivalent to these, “This
signifies, or represents my Body;” and it is
an ordinary figure of Speech: but to take it
literally, is an abuse; nor though so taken, can it
extend any further, than to the Bread which Christ
himself with his own hands Consecrated. For
hee never said, that of what Bread soever, any Priest
whatsoever, should say, “This is my Body,”
or, “This is Christs Body,” the same should
presently be transubstantiated. Nor did the Church
of Rome ever establish this Transubstantiation, till
the time of Innocent the third; which was not above
500. years agoe, when the Power of Popes was at the
Highest, and the Darknesse of the time grown so great,
as men discerned not the Bread that was given them
to eat, especially when it was stamped with the figure
of Christ upon the Crosse, as if they would have men
beleeve it were Transubstantiated, not onely into
the Body of Christ, but also into the Wood of his Crosse,
and that they did eat both together in the Sacrament.
Incantation In The Ceremonies Of Baptisme The like
incantation, in stead of Consecration, is used also
in the Sacrament of Baptisme: Where the abuse
of Gods name in each severall Person, and in the whole
Trinity, with the sign of the Crosse at each name,
maketh up the Charm: As first, when they make
the Holy water, the Priest saith, “I Conjure
thee, thou Creature of Water, in the name of God the
Father Almighty, and in the name of Jesus Christ his
onely Son our Lord, and in vertue of the Holy Ghost,
that thou become Conjured water, to drive away all
the Powers of the Enemy, and to eradicate, and supplant
the Enemy, &c.” And the same in the Benediction
of the Salt to be mingled with it; “That thou
become Conjured Salt, that all Phantasmes, and Knavery
of the Devills fraud may fly and depart from the place
wherein thou art sprinkled; and every unclean Spirit
bee Conjured by Him that shall come to judge the quicke
and the dead.” The same in the Benediction
of the Oyle. “That all the Power of the
Enemy, all the Host of the Devill, all Assaults and
Phantasmes of Satan, may be driven away by this Creature
of Oyle.” And for the Infant that is to
be Baptized, he is subject to many Charms; First, at
the Church dore the Priest blows thrice in the Childs
face, and sayes, “Goe out of him unclean Spirit,
and give place to the Holy Ghost the Comforter.”
As if all Children, till blown on by the Priest were