The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Controversy 11 · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. After what manner the Chriſtian Church of the firſt Ages celebrated the Lords Supper. How the ancient cuſtoms ſhew evidently, that they believed not the real preſence, nor tranſubſtantiation.
IT will conduce much to the clearing of this matter, to view the(a)See Dionyſius of the Eccleſiaſtical Hierarchy 3. ch. And Clement in the 8. Book of Apoſtolical Conſtitutions. ancient cuſtoms, and the form of adminiſtring the Lords Supper in the ancient Church; for thereby we ſhall ſee how far the Roman Church is gone from the ancient cuſtoms. And of theſe cuſtoms the moſt part will ſerve for proofs of the belief of the ancient Chriſtians upon this controverſie.
In Sacred places where the people met for the preaching of the word, and for the adminiſtration of Sacraments, there was a wooden Table in the midſt, which was moveable, and might be removed. They called it a Table in the firſt Ages: But by little and little the cuſtom crept in to call it an Altar.
In every Temple or Church there was but one Table or Altar; for then ſo many little Altars were not ſeen in ſeveral corners of the Church. Tha… cuſtom of having many altars in a Temple was ſet up when they began to ſing private Maſſes, that is ſolitary Maſſes, without either communicants or aſſiſtants.
Upon that Table before they began the celebration of the Euchariſt, the Deacons brought the offerings of the people, that is, bread and wine, and ſometimes divers fruits; Which offerings they called gifts, and preſents, and ſacrifices. And the Paſtour of the Church prayed in a tongue underſtood by all, that God would accept of theſe gifts and offerings.
Of thoſe offerings of bread and wine, the Paſtour, and the Deacons that aſſiſted him, ſet a part as much as needed for all the brethren preſent to communicate with the two kinds. For then round Hoſts, and thoſe thin wafers, baked between two Irons, and ſtampt with a Crucifix, were not in faſhion. But they had ordinary bread and wine upon the Table, as much as would ſerve for that holy action. The remnant of the offerings which were not uſed in the holy Communion, was kept for the Agapes, or Love-Feaſts, and for the ſubvention of the poor.
That bread and wine being thus laid upon the Table, were covered with a cloth. And in many Churches there was a double curtain ſpred before the Table, which hindred the people from ſeeing that which was ſet upon the ſacred Table. Of which the conſecration was made by prayer, not by ſpeaking to the bread. And that prayer, as alſo the whole ſervice, was done in a tongue which the people underſtood.
But when the hour of admitting the people to the Communion was come, the Deacon cryed with a loud voice, that the Catechumens and Penitents, and all that did not communicate, ſhould go forth. So there remained none but the Communicants: then they drew the curtains, and took off the linnen cloth, and the Sacred ſigns were uncovered and expoſed to the peoples ſight.
In ſome places the Biſhop taking with both his hands the diſh where the Sacred ſigns were, lifted it up a little to make it ſeen better; And did all this with his face turned towards the people. For then they ſpake not of lifting up God, and elevating the Hoſt. The manner of theſe days for the Prieſt to turn his back unto the people, and lift up the Hoſt above his head, and at the ringing of a little Bell to make the people adore that Hoſt with the Soveraign Service due unto God alone; All this I ſay would have been found ſtrange and prodigious by the Antients, and no trace of it is found in Antiquity.
That being done, the Communicants gave the kiſs of peace among themſelves, and kiſſed one another in ſign of concord. The Prieſt waſht his hands, and cryed out, Sancta Sanctis, that is, Holy things for holy perſons. After that the Clergy and the people went to the Communion. In ſome Churches the Deacons brought the holy Communion in the two kinds to every one in his place, and preſenting the holy Sacrament to each Communicant, ſaid in a known tongue, Lift up your hearts, (b)Surſum corda.and the Communicants anſwered,(*)Habemus ad Dominum. We have them unto the Lord.
The Communicants both men and women received with their hand the Sacrament, and with their hand put it in their mouth. Some men and women wrapt it in a handkerchief, and carried it to their homes, and laid it up in ſome cheſt or cupboard. But as ſcruples will multiply, and every Age brings always ſome new thing; in the ſeventh Age it was permitted to men only to take the Sacrament with their bare hand, but women took it with a white linnen over their hands.
From the Table in the time of the Communion, the Sacrament was ſent to the abſent, ſick, and priſoners, and ſuch as could not come to the Congregation. And many times it was carried to them by ſome widow, or ſome little boy.
(c)See the Oration of … Ambroſe upon the death of his brother Satyrus.Satyrus brother to Ambroſe, being in danger of Shipwrack, demanded the holy Sacrament, although he was not yet baptized. Which having taken he ate it not, but hanged it at his neck, and threw himſelf into the Sea to ſwim for his life.
But becauſe commonly there was more conſecrated bread upon the Table then needed for all the Communicants, the remnant of that bread, which was called the hody of Chriſt, was burnt, or given to little School boys to eat it, or was(d)Conſtit. Clem. 1. 8. c. cap. 20. Poſtquam omnes ſumſerunt, accipiant Diaconi reliquias & portent in paſtophoris. carried to the Prieſts houſe to eat it at home.
They made then a great ſcruple of conſcience to let any part of the conſecrated bread to fall to the ground, but the cautelae Miſſae were not yet extant, whereby a Prieſt vomiting the Hoſt is commanded to eat it up again, unleſs he can find one to do ſo much for him; or to burn that vomiting, and put the aſhes among the relicks. Or if it happen that the chalice be ſpilt on the floor, theſe cautelae Miſſae command that the floor be ſcraped, and that the ſcraping be mingled with other conſecrated wine, or put among the relicks.
In old time, when the Sacrament fell to the ground, or if it happened to be ſtollen away, the Chriſtians were not ſo ſtupid as to ſay that God was fallen, or that Chriſt was ſtollen.
Of Gods Feaſt, and of carrying God in proceſſion, there was no ſpeech then; nor of kneeling in the ſtreet when the Hoſt paſt by, nor of worſhipping the Prieſts box with no Hoſt in, when the Prieſt returns from giving the Sacrament to a ſick perſon.
Of high and low Maſſes, or running, or dry, or private Maſſes; of Maſſes in white, in green, and in violet; Maſſes of St. Antony, or Maſſes of the holy Ghoſt, there was no ſpeech in thoſe days.
That old form of adminiſtring the holy Communion was very different from the Maſs of our days, as much as ſinging Maſs differs from celebrating the Lords Supper. So much doth the belief of the Modern Roman Church differ from that of the ancient Church. And moſt part of the cuſtoms which I have repreſented, are ſo many proofs, that then they belived neither real preſence, nor tranſubſtantiation.
For had the Ancients believed that the Sacrament is really the body of Chriſt, they would never have put it in the hands of the people, there being always divers among the multitude, whoſe bodies and conſciences are fouly defiled, and many Hypocrites. They would never have ſuffered that a woman ſhould take Chriſts body in her hand, lap it up in a handkerchief, and thruſting it into her pocket, or ſome other place about her, carry it home, and ſhut it up in a Trunk or Drawer. Had ſuch a thing been done in a place where the Pope reigneth abſolutely, no pain could be found ſevere enough for the perſons guilty of ſuch an horrible profanation. They would ſay that this was the Prodigy foretold by the laſt Comet: Or if after that a ranging plague, or famine conſumed the people of the Land, thoſe diſaſters would be taken for expiations of ſuch an abominable crime.
If the ancient Church had believed Tranſubſtantiation, they would never have given the conſecrated bread to unbaptized perſons; Neither would they have ſuffered an unbaptized man to hang it at his neck, and caſt it with himſelf into the Sea. Much leſs would they have burnt Chriſt, or given the Lords body to a company of boys coming from School, who commonly have more waggery then devotion. Cyprian relates, that a little Girle carried in the arms, vomited the Chalice which a Deacon had powred into her mouth: for then they received Infants to the communion: That wine ſpilt was not taken up again; and the chalice had never been expoſed to that danger, if the Church had believed that it was the true body of Chriſt. That example alſo ſheweth, that the Deacons carried to every one the Sacrament.
When the Euchariſt was carried to them that were abſent, the people that ſaw it carried by, would have worſhipped it, had they believed that it was Chriſts body. And how could the people have worſhipped it in the ſtreet, ſince they did not worſhip it in the Church?
Obſerve alſo how the cuſtom is changed. In old time the ſight of the Sacrament was forbidden to the Catechumens and Penitents; whereas now the Hoſt is carried in proceſſion through the ſtreets in the ſight of Pagans, Jews and Turks, if there be any preſent, and of publick harlots; and with all theſe ſorts of people Rome, Venice, Milan, &c. do abound.
For the proof of all this, I will beſtow the following chapter.