WEll met, well met Master Wrest-Writ, you are such an eager man; Do you remember, Sir, the conference we had, when we last encountred, almost in this very place? Doe you still pursue your errours with that wilfull heat?

Out of my sight thou Idolater; pro­phanesse hangs in a mist about thee, that thou maist commit thy deeds of darknesse with the Whore of Babilon with more securenesse.

Not so hasty Master Wrest-Wright, a good cause should be disputed with good words, and con­firmed with reasons, not with passions.

Down Dagon, down, I hate thee Cringe; [Page 2]I hate thee and thy late disputed doctrine of the reall presence in the Sacrament, worse than the lawne Reeves of the Prelates, which are but meer rags of Rome, and fit onely for tinder for the Tinder-box of Tophet; but goe to M [...]ster Cringe, because society is the injunction of nature; and good discourse (they say) doth make a hor [...]e that trots seeme to amble, proceed in your last argument, and I promise you both silence and attention.

If you will be patient I will: The doctrine then of the reall presence in the Eucharist.

The Eucharist! I can forbeare the argu­ment no longer; there is no such word to be read in all the Scripture.

Very frequently, Sir, in the Greek originall.

Talk not to me of Greek, I will beleeve no Greek, it is a language that shall carry no autho­rity with me; I hope to see Greek and Latine too, ere it be long, in lesse reputation than they are.

I doe not like this fury, E'en God be with you, and grant your zeale more knowledge, and your knowledge more humility.

Nay but hark you Master Cringe, hark you one word,—look you here,—Master Accepted Weighall:—Come as wisht for.

How have you done this long time? How doe you Master Crucy? Sir, I heartily salute you.

I returne your salutation with the like testi­mony of good will, and true affect on: you intervene an happy Vmpire, we two were e'en a falling out, and a falling off too.

Verily, Master Weighall, the words of truth being not in his lips, I was about to separate, and to leave him to the fogs of his superstitious ignorance, [Page 3]I must beseech you, having so happily met with your bet­ter company, that we may abandon him.

Why so Sir, Although I am a Professour of true and Orthodox Religion, I am not of the separation; I would be neither a Trojan, nor Tyrian; it fares with Religi­on as with Vertue, she must preserve her selfe entire be­twixt two extreames; and the safest way to truth is the middle way; I would be neither learnedly superstirious, nor obstinately ignorant; but to the point which you were so hot in disputation of.

Sir, when last Master Cringe and I encountred, we held a controversie concerning the reall presence in the Sacrament, which Master Cringe beleeveth to be truly corporall, and in adoration bowes unto it.

Sir, I beleeve the Sacrament to be a greater my­stery then peradventure you conceive it, and not a meere Love-feast, as idly enough you are pleased to fancy it; I dare affirme, that the great worke of mans Redemption is no where more perfectly to be discovered, Nec tam prae­sentes alibi cognoscere Divos.

Sir, you are in your Latine, I will have La­tine againe to answer you; I assure you I take it to be a Commemoration per fidem, onely in remembrance of our Saviours sufferings, on whom we feed with the eye of faith.

That cannot be Master Wrest-Writ, the words are positive and punctuall, This is my Body, and will admit of no other interpretation.

The words that follow that text doe as plainly and punctually interpret the words precedent, Doe this in remembrance of me, which implies a direct absence of the party; for what needs a remembrance, when the person is present? and in this I referre my selfe to Master Weigh­all. You affirmed besides at our last meeting, that you did [Page 4]feed in the Sacrament, upon the very body of Christ indeed.

I feed in the Sacrament on the very Body and Bloud of Christ, the elements of Bread and Wine, being transubstantiated into his Body.

This is most horrible impiety. How is this transubstantiation? when is it begun? when is it finished? answer me to that, Master Cringe.

Immediately after the words of the conse­cration.

That cannot be, for the Metaphysicks (as I have heard Schollers say) will not allow that the sub­stance should be altered, and the accidents remaine, that the Bread and Wine should be converted into the very Body and Bloud of Christ; yet the colour and taste of the Bread and Wine, which are their accidents, should still continue; neither will Divinity ever agree, that the Bread, which after consecration, you say, is turned into the Bo­dy of Christ, should suffer afterwards, corruption, and moulder away, as we see it doth.

We feed, I say, in the Sacrament on the very Body of Christ; but how? not as we feed on butchers meat bought in the shambles; but it being received with all reverence, and prepared humility after a divine and spi­rituall manner; and whatsoever you are pleased to say to to the contrary of us, beleeve me, there is no Catholick but is of the same opinion with me.

That you doe to avoid some dangerous absur­dities which would consequently arise, should you affirme, that in a fleshly manner you eat in the Sacrament, the very flesh of our Saviour; for then by the same argument should the blessed Virgin, the mother of our Saviour, feed in the Sacrament, on the flesh of her owne son; and then again, as often as in the time of Leat you receive the Communi­on, [Page 5]you should as often offend against the order of the Church, which doth command, that there should in Lent no meat be eaten. Besides, I understand how crosse it is to reason and Philosophy, that one Body should at one and the same time move in severall places.

Wonders are no wonders in wonderfull sub­jects; I beleeve as the Church beleeveth, which doth in­forme me, that the Body of our Saviour is assisted alwayes with the Divinity of our Saviour, and in this (as Master Wrest-Writ did before) I referre my selfe to you Master Weighall.

With all my heart, and if we shall continue in our journey and travell one way together; as in this, so in all controverted points betwixt us, I shall referre my selfe to your advice, Master Weighall.

I have not the desire, nor yet the ability to goe thorow with so great a taske; but since it is the incli­nation of truth to communicate herselfe, and through all my life I have made it my labour to enquire her out: I will, as neare as I can, first state the question aright, and then determine it. I beleeve we ought not to make our ap­proaches to the blessed Sacrament, with that overween­ing familiarity, as the sawcy Brownists; nor yet with such a devout superstition as the abused Papists. That the Bread and wine in the Sacrament should be transubstantiated into the Body of Christ, cannot be admitted into the faith of any sober man, without admitting with it many grosse and grievous errours; for besides that, it is but a meere invention of latter times, it is diametrically opposite to reason and nature; and God himselfe, who oftentimes doth work above nature, doth never work against it. The elevation of the Host by the Papists, savours of rank ido­latry; and the unmannerly sitting of the Brownists at the Communion, of irreverence. A decent and humble po­sture [Page 6]is most requisite, especially where God is pleased to communicate himselfe to be really, and more peculiar­ly present. It is no lukewarmenesse, no neutrality to keepe safe between both your errours, but a grounded know­ledge and uprightnesse: And I assure my selfe, if you would well weigh, with how much safety between both rockes the Truth doth passe by unship-wrackt, how secure and cleare shee is discovered, you would then make hast to disembogue, and make up unto her, who indeed is the Center of all sublunary happinesse, where alone we may finde peace with confidence. Errours in the Church result out of too unruly an heat, or too thick and too grave a Su­perstition; either while we violently are lead by our own ungoverned humours, or while blinded with pompe, or with the shadowes of Antiquitie with a willing reverence wee are drawne unto Idolatry. Too much Ceremony and an affected pompe hath begot much Superstition in the Sacrament amongst the Papists. Too carelesse a pre­sumption hath begot much irreverence in the Sacrament amongst the Anabaptists. The mean betwixt both is the fate and happy way attended with a persevering care, not to decline, either to the one, or to the other, either to the right hand, or to the left.

I thanke you for your good counsels, and shall endeavour to embrace them.

And I shall acknowledge my selfe to be much improved by you which doth embolden me to propound one question more, and that is concerning the Originall, and the Institution of Bishops.

I should with much content lend care to your Conference, but see the Towne is neare, and within the full view of our eye; we will therefore for this day repose our minds as well as bodyes; and refer the discourse untill the Morning.