Doctrines and Practices of the Ancient Church Relating to the Eucharist, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. The Firſt Difference. The Church of Rome is forced to aſſert a continued Series of Miracles to juſtifie her Doctrine of Tranſubſtantiation. But the Fathers never mention any Miracles in the Euchariſt, ſave only the Effects of God's powerful Grace, working great Changes in us, and advancing the Elements in the uſe of them thereunto, without changing their Nature and Subſtance.
TO give the Reader a View of what Wonders are to be believed, according to what the Trent Council has decreed concerning Tranſubſtantiation, we need go no further than to the Trent Catechiſm *Ad Parcchōs, part. 2. num. 25., which tells us, there are three moſt wonderful things, which the Catholick Faith without any doubting, believes and confeſſes are effected in this Sacrament, by the Words of Conſecration.
1. That the true Body of Christ, that ſame Body which was born of the Virgin, and ſits at the Right-hand of the Father, is conteined in this Sacrament.
2. That no Subſtance of the Elements remains in it, tho' nothing may ſeem more ſtrange and remote from our Senſes.
3. What is eaſily collected from both, That the Accidents, which are ſeen with our Eyes, or are perceived by our other Senſes, are without any Subject (in which they ſubſiſt) in a ſtrange manner, not to be explained. So that all the Accidents of Bread and Wine may be ſeen, which yet inhere in no Subſtance, but ſubſist by themſelves, ſince the Subſtance of the Bread and Wine are ſo changed into the very Body and Blood of our Lord, that the Subſtance of Bread and Wine ceaſe wholly to be.
But others of the Romiſh Writers have made a larger and more particular Enumeration of the Miracles wrought in the Euchariſt, which no Created Power can effect, but God's Omnipotency alone. I'le give them in the Words of the Jeſuite Pererius *In Joan. c. 6. Diſp. 16. num. 48., who reckons theſe Nine diſtinct Miracles.
1. The ſame Chriſt remaining in Heaven, not departing thence, and without any local mutation, is really and corporally in the Sacrament of the Euchariſt.
2. Nor is he thus there only in one conſecrated Hoſt, but is together in all Hoſts conſecrated throughout the whole Earth.
3. Tho' the Body of Chriſt in the Sacrament has all its Quantity and Colour, and other ſenſible Qualities; yet as it is in the Sacrament, it is neither there viſibly nor quantitatively *Quantum ad ſitum, & extenſionem ejus ad locum.as to its ſitus, and extenſion unto Place.
4. Tho' the Body of Chriſt be in it ſelf greater than a Conſecrated Hoſt, yet according to the (Eſſe) Being it has there, it is whole in that Hoſt; nor only whole in the whole conſecrated Hoſt, but alſo whole in every part thereof.
5. If thoſe Accidents of the Conſecrated Hoſt be corrupted, and it ſhould happen that of them Worms or any other Animal be generated, there is a great Miracle in their Generation: For either the Materia prima is created anew, out of which the ſubſtantial Form of thoſe Animals is produced, as many Divines now think; or, according to S. Thomas, which ſeems to be a greater Miracle, The Quantity that was of the Conſecrated Hoſt, ſupplies the place of the Materia prima, and in it is produced the ſubſtantial Form of thoſe Animals which are generated from thence.
6. The very Converſion of Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Chriſt, which is properly called by Divines Tranſubſtantiation, is a great Miracle; for ſuch a Tranſmutation is found in no other thing, and is beſides all the Order and Courſe of Nature, and can be made by no Created Power, but by God's Omnipotency alone.
7. The Manner by which ſuch Tranſubſtantiation is made, is not without a Miracle; for it is made by the Words of Conſecration, pronounced rightly, and, as it ought, by a Prieſt. Therefore, as naturally ſuppoſing the laſt diſpoſition in Matter to produce the Form of Fire, the Form of Fire is infallibly produced in that Matter: So the Words of Conſecration being pronounced by the Prieſt, Chriſt himſelf is infallibly in that Conſecrated Hoſt.
8. After Conſecration, the whole Subſtance of Bread and Wine ceaſing to be, yet their Accidents do not ceaſe, but remain: Neither do they remain inhering in any other Subject, but (per ſe exiſtunt) exiſt by themſelves, which is truly beſides and above the Nature of Accidents, whoſe eſſe (as the Schools ſay) is ineſſe, becauſe they can neither be produced nor remain naturally without a Subject.
9. Laſtly, Thoſe Accidents of the Conſecrated Hoſt, tho' without the Subſtance of Bread and Wine, yet have the ſame natural Virtue which Bread and Wine had before Conſecration; viz. the Virtue of nouriſhing, encreaſing, and ſtrengthning the Body of the Perſon that receives it; when yet Nutrition is made by converſion of the Subſtance of the Food into the Subſtance of the Living Creature.
By reaſon of which Miracles (he ſays) the Church ſings thus in the Hymn for Corpus-Chriſti day.
Quod non capis, Quod non vides,
Animoſa firmat fides, praeter rerum ordinem:
Etſi ſenſus deficit,
Ad firmandum cor ſincerum
Sola fides ſufficit:
Praeſtat fides ſupplementum ſenſuum defectui.
That is,
What never yet was underſtood,
Nor ever ſeen by any Creature,
A confident Belief makes good,
Tho' croſs to all the Laws of Nature.
Tho' Senſe will not be brought t'allow it,
A Heart ſincere may be ſecure,
And, waving all its Scruples, ſure,
Since Faith alone's enough to do it;
For Faith ſupplies the Senſes want,
And makes good Meaſure, where that's ſcant.
As for the Fathers, they are ſo far from conſenting to this heap of Miracles in the Euchariſt, that we have reaſon to think, as to ſome of them, they never entred into their thoughts, nor never troubled themſelves about them; and, for the moſt of them, tho' they are direct Conſequences of Tranſubſtantiation, yet they are oppoſed and contradicted by the Fathers, as ſhall be ſhewn in Particulars afterwards: Here it ſhall ſuffice to ſay in general, That the Fathers give us this as a Character of the old Hereticks, to urge God's Omnipotency to countenance and give a colour to their Figments and abſurd Opinions. Thus Gr. Nazianzen ſays of the Apollinarians, *foreign. Orat. 51.That being preſſed with theſe Reaſonings, they fly to this, That to God it is poſſible. And Tertullian, when Praxeas alſo urged God's Omnipotency, gives this excellent †Contr. Praxeam, c. 10. Si tam abruptè in praeſumptionibus noſtris hâc ſententiâ utamur, quidvis de Deo confingere poterimus; quaſi fecerit, quia facere potuerit. Non autem quia omnia poteſt facere, ideo credendum eſt illum feciſſe, etiam quod non fecerit; ſed an fecerit, requirendum.Anſwer to him. If we may ſo abruptly uſe this Sentence, (viz. That to God all things are eaſie) in our Preſumptions, we may then feign any thing we pleaſe of God; as if he had done a thing, becauſe he was able to do it. But becauſe (God) can do all things, we are not to believe he has done that which he has not done; but we are to inquire, whether he has done it or no.
Thus Gr. Nyſſen *Gr. Nyſſen in Hexaemeron. foreign.aſſerts, That the Will of God is the Meaſure of his Power. And Clemens of Alexandria †Stromat. l. 4. propè finem. foreign., That God who is Omnipotent, will effect nothing that is abſurd. And Origen ‖L. 5. contr. Cel…. foreign., When we ſay, That God can do all things, we know how to underſtand all things, not of ſuch things as cannot exiſt, and are unintelligible.
Obj. If any object, That the Fathers often bring in Inſtances of Gods miraculous Power (as St. Ambroſe does in the Red Sea and the River Jordan, and in the miraculous Conception of our Saviour, &c.) to create Faith in Men as to the great Change that is wrought in the Euchariſt.
Anſ. I anſwer, True indeed: But then it is to be remembred, (what ſhall hereafter be more fully declared) that the Change there is not terminated upon the Subſtance of the Elements, nor is God's Power ſhewn upon them, to alter their Nature from what they were before, ſo as to deſtroy them; but it is an addition of Grace to their Nature, and an advancement of them to produce wonderful Effects upon us in the uſe of them. So that now the Element of Water in Baptiſm is no more a common thing, but is employed by God to waſh away our Sins, to cleanſe our Souls, and to regenerate and renew us: And in the Euchariſt the Bread and Wine, which in themſelves are the Food of our Bodies, are advanced to be a Means to communicate the Body and Blood of Chriſt to us, for the nouriſhing and refreſhing our Souls, and to make us Partakers of the ſaving Effects of his Death and Paſſion; which are only Miracles of God's Grace. And the Fathers urge the forementioned Miracles in Nature, to aſſure us of theſe Wonders of Divine Grace. And this they do not only in the caſe of the Euchariſt, but of Baptiſm alſo; where yet none aſſert any Converſion of the Subſtance of Water into any other thing. Thus S. Ambroſe *De in qui initiantur, c. 9. ad finem. Si ergo ſuperveniens Spiritus S. in Virginem conceptionem operatus eſf, & generationis munus implevit: Non utique dubitandum eſt, quod ſuperveniens in fontem, vel ſuper eum qui baptiſmum conſequitur, veritatem regenerationis operetur.: Mary conceived by the Holy Ghoſt, without the intervention of any Man, as S. Matthew tells us; She was found with Child of the Holy Ghoſt. If then the Holy Spirit coming upon the Virgin made her to conceive, &c. we need not queſtion but that the ſame Spirit coming upon the Water of Baptiſm, or on him that is baptized, do's produce true Regeneration. And P. Leo Mag. †De Nativit. Dom. Ser. 4. Chriſtus dedit aquae, quod dedit-Matri: Virtus enim Altiſſimi & obumbratio Spiritus S. quae fecit ut Maria pareret Salvatorem, eadem facit ut regeneret unda credentem.Chriſt gave to the Water, what he gave to his Mother; for the Power of the moſt High, and the Overſhadowing of the H. Spirit, which cauſed Mary to bring forth our Saviour, the ſame cauſes the Water to regenerate a Believer. Excepting therefore theſe Wonders of God's Grace, the Fathers knew no other Miracles in the Sacraments; and theſe Wonders are common to both the Sacraments, and not peculiar to one of them only.
This even Card. Cajetan *In 3. part. q. 75. art. 1. Non eſt diſputandum de divina potentia, ubi de Sacramentis tractatur. Ibid. art. 2. Stultum eſt ponere in hoc argumento, quicquid Deus poteſt facere.was ſo ſenſible of, that he tells us, We muſt not diſpute concerning God's Power when we treat of Sacraments. And again, It is a fcoliſh thing to aſſert in this Argument, whatſoever God can do.
He was not ignorant of what S. Auſtin had ſaid long before †Lib. 3. de Trin. c. 10. Quia haec hominibus nota ſunt, quia per homines fiunt, honorem tanquam religioſa poſſunt habere, ſtuporem tanquam mira non poſſunt., who ſpeaking of Signs taken to ſignifie other things, and inſtancing in the Bread taken and conſumed in the Sacrament, adds, But becauſe theſe things are known to men, as being made by men, they may have Honour given them for their relation to Religion; but cannot raiſe Aſtoniſhment, as Miracles or Wonders. Which he could never have ſaid, if he had believed the Wonders and Miracles of Tranſubſtantiation.
I'le conclude this Head with another Saying of his *Lib. 3. cont. Julian. c. 3. Haec ſunt ſententiarum portenta veſtrarum, haec inopinata myſteria Dogmatum novorum, haec paradoxa Pelagianorum haereticorum mirabiliora quàm Stoicorum Philoſophorum.—Mira ſunt quae dicitis, nova ſunt quae dicitis, falſa ſunt quae dicitis. Mira ſtupemus, nova cavemus, falſa convincimus., which may be as well applied to the abſurd Paradoxes and Miracles which the Roman Church advances in this Caſe of the Euchariſt, as ever it was to thoſe he there confutes about Baptiſm. Theſe are the Prodigies of your Opinions; theſe are the uncouth Myſteries of New Dogma's; theſe are the Paradoxes of Pelagian Hereticks, more wonderful than thoſe of the Stoick Philoſophers.—The things you ſay are Wonderful, the things you ſay are New, the things you ſay are Falſe. We are amazed at your Wonders, we are cautious againſt your Novelties, and we confute your Falſities.
But this Difference being more general, we go on to more particular ones.