CHAPTER XII (4)

After this he came to his sacrament of the altar, beginning at the paschal-lamb, and the shew-bread; and so came to the words of Christ, “This is my body,” and to what the apostle wrote of it to the Corinthians; concluding, “that after the priest had consecrated the bread and wine, it was immortal and divine, and he that received it, received the whole Christ.” I followed him through the Scriptures he brought, till I came to Christ’s words and the apostle’s; and I showed him “that the same apostle told the Corinthians, after they had taken bread and wine in remembrance of Christ’s death, that they were reprobates, if Christ was not in them: but if the bread they ate was Christ, he must of necessity be in them, after they had eaten it. Besides, if this bread and this wine, which the Corinthians ate and drank, was Christ’s body, then how hath Christ a body in heaven?” I observed to him also, “that both the disciples at the supper, and the Corinthians afterwards, were to eat the bread, and drink the wine in ‘remembrance‘remembrance of Christ,’ and to show forth his death, till he come; which plainly proves, the bread and wine which they took was not his body. For if it had been his real body that they ate, then he had been come, and was then there present; and it had been improper to have done such a thing in remembrance of him, if he had been then present with them; as he must have been, if that bread and wine, which they ate and drank, had been his real body.” Then as to those words of Christ, “This is my body,” I told him Christ calls himself a vine, and a door, and is called in Scripture a rock; “Is Christ therefore an outward rock, door, or vine?” “O” said the Jesuit, “those words are to be interpreted:” “So,” said I, “are those words of Christ, ‘this is my body.’”

Now having stopped his mouth as to argument, I made the Jesuit a proposal thus: “That seeing,” he said “the bread and wine was immortal and divine, and the very Christ, and that whosoever received it, received the whole Christ; let a meeting be appointed between some of them (whom the Pope and his cardinals should appoint) and some of us; and let a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread be brought, and divided each into two parts, and let them consecrate which of those parts they would. And then set the consecrated and the unconsecrated bread and wine in a safe place, with a sure watch upon it, and let trial thus be made, Whether the consecrated bread and wine would not lose its goodness, and the bread grow dry and mouldy, and the wine turn dead and sour, as well and as soon as that which was unconsecrated. By this means, said I, the truth of this matter may be made manifest. And if the consecrated bread and wine change not, but retain their savour and goodness, this may be a means to draw many to your church: if they change, decay, and lose their goodness, then ought you to confess, and forsake your error, and shed no more blood about it: for much blood hath been shed about these things, as in Queen Mary’s days.” To this the Jesuit made this reply: “Take,” said he, “a piece of new cloth, and cut it into two pieces, and make two garments of it; and put one of them upon king David’s back, and the other upon a beggar’s, and the one garment shall wear away as well as the other.” “Is this thy answer?” said I; “Yes,” said he. “Then,” said I, “by this the company may all be satisfied that your consecrated bread and wine is not Christ. Have ye told people so long that the consecrated bread and wine was immortal and divine, and that it was the very and real body and blood of Christ, and dost thou now say it will wear away, or decay, as well as the other? I must tell thee, Christ remains the same to-day as yesterday, and never decays! but is the saints’ heavenly food in all generations, through which they have life.” He replied no more to this, being willing to let it fall; for the people that were present saw his error, and that he could not defend it.

Then I asked him “why their church persecuted and put people to death for religion.” He replied, “it was not the church that did it, but the magistrates.” I asked him “whether those magistrates were not counted and called believers and Christians.” He said, “Yes:” “Why then,” said I, “are they not members of your church?” “Yes,” said he. Then I left it to the people to judge from his own concessions, whether the church of Rome doth not persecute, and put people to death for religion. Thus we parted; and his subtilty was comprehended by simplicity.

During the time I was at London, many services lay upon me; for it was a time of much suffering. I was moved to write to Oliver Cromwell, and lay before him the sufferings of Friends, both in this nation and in Ireland. There was also a rumour about this time of making Cromwell king: whereupon I was moved to go to him, and warned him against it, and of divers dangers; which, if he did not avoid, “he would bring a shame and ruin upon himself and his posterity.” He seemed to take well what I said to him, and thanked me: yet afterwards I was moved to write to him more fully concerning that matter.

About this time the Lady Claypole[59] (so called) was sick and much troubled in mind, and could receive no comfort from any that came to her; which when I heard of, I was moved to write to her the following letter:—

“Friend,

“Be still and cool in thy own mind and spirit from thy own thoughts, and then thou wilt feel the principle of God to turn thy mind to the Lord, from whom cometh life; whereby thou mayest receive his strength and power to allay all storms, and tempests. That is it which works up into patience, innocency, soberness, into stillness, staidness, quietness up to God, with his power. Therefore mind; that is the word of the Lord God unto thee, that thou mayest feel the authority of God, and thy faith in that, to work down that which troubles thee; for that is it which keeps peace, and brings up the witness in thee, which hath been transgressed, to feel after God with his power and life, who is a God of order and peace. When thou art in the transgression of the life of God in thy own particular, the mind flies up in the air, the creature is led into the night, nature goes out of its course, an old garment goes on, and an uppermost clothing; and thy nature being led out of its course, it comes to be all on fire, in the transgression; and that defaceth the glory of the first body. Therefore be still a while from thy own thoughts, searching, seeking, desires, and imaginations, and be staid in the principle of God in thee, that it may raise thy mind up to God, and stay it upon God, and thou wilt find strength from him, and find him to be a God at hand, a present help in the time of trouble, and of need. And thou being come to the principle of God, which hath been transgressed, it will keep thee humble; and the humble, God will teach his way, which is peace, and such he doth exalt. Now as the principle of God in thee hath been transgressed, come to it, that it may keep thy mind down low to the Lord God; and deny thyself; for from thy own will, that is, the earthly, thou must be kept. Then thou wilt feel the power of God, which will bring nature into its course, and give thee to see the glory of the first body. There the wisdom of God will be received, which is Christ, by which all things were made and created, and thou wilt thereby be preserved and ordered to God’s glory. There thou wilt come to receive and feel the physician of value, who clothes people in their right mind, whereby they may serve God, and do his will. For all distractions, unruliness, and confusion are in the transgression; which transgression must be brought down, before the principle of God, which hath been transgressed against, be lifted up: whereby the mind may be seasoned, and stilled, and a right understanding of the Lord may be received; whereby his blessings enter, and are felt, over all that is contrary, in the power of the Lord God, which raises up the principle of God within, gives a feeling after God, and in time gives dominion. Therefore, keep in the fear of the Lord God; that is the word of the Lord unto thee. For all these things happen to thee for thy good, and for the good of those concerned for thee, to make you know yourselves, and your own weakness, and that ye may know the Lord’s strength and power, and may trust in him.

“Let the time that is past be sufficient to every one, who in anything hath been lifted up in transgression out of the power of the Lord; for he can bring down and abase the mighty, and lay them in the dust of the earth. Therefore, all keep low in his fear, that thereby ye may receive the secrets of God and his wisdom, may know the shadow of the Almighty, and sit under it, in all tempests, and storms, and heats. For God is at hand, and the Most High rules in the children of men. This then is the word of the Lord God unto you all; whatever temptations, distractions, confusions, the light doth make manifest and discover, do not look at these temptations, confusions, corruptions; but look at the light, which discovers them, and makes them manifest; and with the same light you may feel over them, to receive power to stand against them. The same light which lets you see sin and transgression, will let you see the covenant of God, which blots out your sin and transgression, which gives victory and dominion over it, and brings into covenant with God. For looking down at sin, and corruption, and distraction, ye are swallowed up in it: but looking at the light, which discovers them, ye will see over them. That will give victory; and ye will find grace and strength: there is the first step to peace. That will bring salvation; by it ye may see to the beginning, and the ‘glory that was with the Father before the world began;’ and so come to know the Seed of God, which is the heir of the promise of God, and of the world which hath no end; which bruises the head of the serpent, who stops people from coming to God. That ye may feel the power of an endless life, the power of God, which is immortal; which brings the immortal soul up to the immortal God, in whom it doth rejoice. So in the name and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty strengthen thee.”

When the foregoing paper was read to Lady Claypole, she said, it staid her mind for the present. Afterwards many Friends got copies of it, both in England and Ireland, and read it to people that were troubled in mind; and it was made useful for the settling of the minds of several.

About this time came forth a declaration from Oliver Cromwell, the Protector, for a collection towards the relief of divers Protestant Churches, driven out of Poland; and of twenty Protestant families, driven out of the confines of Bohemia. And there having been a like declaration published some time before, to invite the nation to a day of solemn fasting and humiliation, in order to a contribution being made for the suffering Protestants of the valleys of Lucerne, Angrona, &c., who were persecuted by the Duke of Savoy, I was moved to write to the Protector and chief magistrates on this occasion, both to show them the nature of a true fast (such as God requires and accepts,) and to make them sensible of their injustice and self-condemnation, in blaming the Papists for persecuting the Protestants abroad, while they themselves, calling themselves Protestants, were at the same time persecuting their Protestant neighbours and friends at home. That which I wrote to them was after this manner:—

“To the Heads and Governors of this Nation, who have put forth a declaration for keeping a day of solemn Fasting and Humiliation, for the persecution (as you say) of divers people beyond the seas, professing the Reformed religion, which, ye say, hath been transmitted unto them from their ancestors.