THE RECANTATION OF Cornelius O Donnel, PRIOR of TRIM, As it was by him solemnly delivered in the Church of Trim( Renouncing the Errors of the ROMAN CHURCH) upon Sunday Aug. 14. together with the Motives inducing him thereunto. licensed August 19. 1664. GOod People, considering my now appearing here this day in a way differing from my Profession formerly in the Romish Church, it becomes necessary for public satisfaction that something be declared as to the Manner, Reasons and Grounds of it, which I choose to be done amongst you here at Trim, rather than Elsewhere; This being the very Place unto which( by a Power foreign to you, and by me now disclaimed) I have been appointed Prior)( that being amongst those with whom I once was) a dignity of Esteem, the Prior of Trim reputed amongst the most Eminent of that kind in this kingdom. This gives you the repute then had of me among those whom I at that time conversed with: So therein you see what my former Profession was, and way of life, being one in Communion with the Church of Rome, and a Regular of the Dominican Order of Friars; in which way I continued about twenty years, and in Order hereunto my Education hath been most in foreign Parts, as at Rome; Naples, &c. being but lately return'd to this my Native Country of Ireland, and here received with those respects, and that Trust already mentioned. Ambition of greatness is not therefore( you see) the Motive to this Change; for I cannot now propose to myself great things rationally, as I had no reason to deny myself any hopes of rising yet higher then I have done, had I gone on and continued in that Course wherein I was formerly; nor is Liberty, and a being out of the Narrow Rules of a Regular Order any inducement to me in this, for I know not where liberty even to licentiousness is to be had more then in the way of my Conversation formerly; not that I say 'tis so there professedly and by public Allowance, yet to be so in effect and generally, and with much connivance and impunity also is what cannot be denied; of which I could wish hearty that others also in that course would consider seriously and seasonably; nor that, nor any thing in that kind was a Persuasive to me in this, but what only is grounded on conscience and care of Salvation, to which all sinister ends of Ambition or Liberty, or any thing else of that nature must give place. Under these thoughts of this Change, I have long laboured with some conflicts and trouble of mind, and sometime of hazard to my Person also: for during my time at Naples, having inconsiderately expressed myself in some things whereby jealousies were raised of me, which had like to have brought me into the Inquisition, had I not recollected myself by a seasonable contraction made of what had so passed me; and herein I aclowledge my weakness in not rather standing it out then and in After trials; for thereby, and by temptations after of quiet and advantage, I did for a time silence conscience, and was content to run on as formerly, and so resolved I came to this my native soil, and here accordingly accepted of that preferment before mentioned then offered and conferred upon me. But here it pleased God to look on me in his mercy again, not so leaving me to myself, and having brought me hither to a place of more liberty for declaring myself so, as I could not do before, and finding here also means for my fuller information in the truth, then in my former condition, I have therefore through that grace of God which hath opened that way so for me, now laid hold on this happy opportunity for it, and do rejoice that I may with this freedom and safety declare myself in all these in this place, and at this time before you. But in the very entrance on this I find my the public Discourse of all; all mouths open against me, some maliciously, others over-credulously to my great scandal and discouragement, and aspersed with scandalous surmises, such as until this occasion were never known. But if I so suffer, I know I am not alone in it, and I know him who assures me of a blessing, while oath s so curse. Blessed are ye, saith Christ, when all men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil of you falsely for my sake, Math. 5. verse 11. But whatever men say of me, or whatever I have been, I, shall by the Grace of God approve myself in my conversation so as not to be a scandal to the Truth now professed by me; nor shall I, I hope be a reproach to the Church which I desi●e now to be received into, thereby hoping in time to stop the mouths of Traducers to their own shane. And now( Good People) having given you some account of myself as to my life, I beg your further patience, while I add some thing of the Motives to this Change; some only I offer of many, that I be not too tedious to you. 1. One was the consideration of that( as I conceived unlimited Pow●r assumed and p●act●sed by the Pope for dispensing with inc●stu●us Marriages in the greatest nearness of blood, so as by such a dispensation purchased with money an Uncle might be allowed to mary his N●●ce, if not a Brother h●s S ster. This I know to be contrary to Gods Law in express terms, and how any mo●tall man or creature could dispense with the D●v●ne Law of the supreme God I cou●d not understand; for to dispense with a Law is( we know) an Act of Prerogative, such as is exe●cised by a Super●our over an Inferiou●, and how that supremacy which the Pope challenged on Earth should rise so much higher, was I profess above me to conceive, and what I thought not fit nor safe to submit my reason and faith unto. 2. I was further told, and must have believed as a necessary Article of Faith, that in consecrating the Host in the holy Eucharist, and after the prolation of these words of Consecration, Hoc est enim Co●pus meum, the nature of Bread and Wine thence further ceased to be, and that thereby a real transubstantiation is made of the natural Body and Blood of Christ as he was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary his Mother, and as he was after offered on the across, and the least Particle, even to minimum naturale of that Bread hath Christ wholly and entirely in it, and that wheresoever consecrated, although in Millions of places at once, and at the greatest distances; and that the Bread alone without the Cup is sufficient and comprehensive of both, and that Bread alone is to be administered to the People exclusively to their taking of the Cup, and the Host so consecrated is to be adored of all even as Christ himself, and with the same divine and supreme Worship commonly termed Satreia. This is what I then thought of that Sacrament, wherein I found many things sticking. 1. For how could those words, hoc est corpus meum, although very plain for a Real Presence, reach yet to a corporal Presence, especially considered as when ●hos● words were pronounced by Christ himself in the fi st Inst●ution; for was that B●ead and Wine at that v ●y time Christs very Body and Blou● naturally? Did he h ld h●mself in his own hands? and did he himself e●t himself? was he himself then crucified before he was cr●cifi d? or was it not then a sign only of what was to be ●one to ●im after when he should be crucified, as it is now to us of his having been already crucified? 2. And if that be so, and not such change be made as is suggested, but that the consecrated Bread and Wine are Bread and Wine still, and in the former nature after Consecration; what then do we after Consecration in adoring that for Christ himself, and as himself, which is not himself, only Sacramentally? This could not be( as I conceived, without danger, at least of Idolatry, in adoring a Creature for God. 3. I saw not how Christ having appointed Bread and W●ne both, and not one alone to be delivered to all, and that he hath said particularly of the Cup, Drink ye all of this, which he did not say of the Bread, as foreseing some Injury would be offered to that part of his blessed Institution above the other, in taking this the Cup away, and denying it to some, the Laity, while the other the Bread, and administered to all; I saw not( I say) how that could consist with that sacred Institution of Christ or Lord, whose actions in that are to be for our Imitation, as is his command for our obedience. 4. I could not understand how Christs Body being a natural Body as ours, and in all things like ours( present glory excepted) and should yet be infinitely multiplied, and in several infinite places at once, contrary to the nature of a true Body such as Christ is; How can that multiplication of Bodies consist with one Body only? nor did what I heard in that of G●ds Omnip t●ncy so satisfy; for where is it found and seen, that God w●uld do so. And Miracles are not to be multiplied unnecessarily, or according to our fancies, besides what is further to be said in it. 5 That which was imposed on our Faith concerning Purgatory was a scruple also to me, that being a place said to be for souls after death, there to be purged from Sins by fire and sufferings, so grievous as that all the sufferings in this life is said to be nothing in comparison; Pu●gatory fire being no way esteemed short even of Hell itself, both Torments only differing in duration, Hell Torments being eternal, the other but Temporary. 1 But that Death should be a time for reforming, which is the work of this life only, is what is contrary to Scripture. 2 That the state of the souls of those who are for Heaven( for such only are said to be for Purgatory) others, having Hell for their Place, that I say such souls which after this life are for bliss and Peace should be for Torments unspeakable, is what is also contrary to Scripture Revel. 14.13. Where Saint John saith, [ I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me, writ; Blessed are the Righteous which die in the Lord from hence forth; yea saith the Spirit, that they rest from their Labours and their works do follow them] so saith the Spirit of God whom I am to believe rather then any other Spirit that tells me the contrary. 3 Nor do I find in Scripture such a place as that of Purgatory is said to be. 4 Nor is that Great virtue of purging from Sin given to any fire, or any other thing, that being peculiar only to the Blood of Christ, which,& which only, purgeth us from all sin. 5 And all considered I had just cause to suspect that all that of Purgatory was but a corrupt design; First, for advantage, which was infinite, by purchasing on that ground Indulgences and Masses, and other the like. Secondly, that it might be a politic design for making up the Popes greatness, both in giving him a Supremacy of Power in Purgatory as on Earth, and further by fastening all men and their Interests unto him, as one in whose power is there after peace by a speedy deliverance out of those scorching flames and Torments unspeakable. I will not trouble you with more of this kind at present, having I doubt gone too far already, only know that this and much more so sticking with me, I could not be so wanting to myself as not to seek Peace and Salvation where I might find it, and not being satisfied of having it where till now I had in vain expected it. And now Right Reverend Father in God my Lord Bishop of Meath, in whose hands I thus put my se●f, being within your diocese, and Charge, I humbly desi●e tha you would accept of this my humble acknowledgement of former Errors which I now Renounce, and he●e I lay down at your feet what before I esteemed mine honour, this Patent of my Priorship of Trim, with which I cast off at once all of that k●nd, and kneeling, I humbly beg to be rece●v to ●ommunion with you, and that I may have your B ●●●g a d Pray●rs to God for me, that he would co●fi●●●e 〈◇〉 ●y is G●ace to walk before him for the futu●e answera●le 〈◇〉 me●cy now given me. A●l which as from my s●lf is freely and cordially he●e under mine own hand acknowledged, and thus presented to your Lordship. CORNELIUS o DONNE●. Memorandum, That in the 14th of August 1664. b●ing the Lords day, the above Delaration signed by Cornel us o ●●nnel late Prior of Trim in the County of Meat was by himself openly red in St. Peters Church at Trim in a full Congregation after public Prayers and Sermon, and w●s after by himself delivered into the hand of the Lord Bishop of Meath; and that he the said Cornelius o Donnel having been then presented to the Bishop by Dr. Amor●se Jones archdeacon of Meath. He was thereupon publicly received with a Solemn Benediction. LONDON, Printed by Richard Hodgkinson, living in Thames-street over against Baynards-Castle.