Doctrines and Practices of the Ancient Church Relating to the Eucharist, Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. The Fifteenth Difference. The Old Prayers in the Canon of the Maſs concerning the Sacrament, agree not with the preſent Faith of the Roman Church: And their New Prayers to the Sacrament have no countenance from the Ancient Church.
IT is to no purpoſe to enquire, who was the Author of the Canon of the Maſs, when Wallafridus Strabo (o)De reb. Eccleſiaſt. cap. 22. Quis primus ordinaverit nobis ignotum eſt. Auctum tamen fuiſſe, non ſemel ſed ſaepius ex partibus additis intelligimus.(who lived in the middle of the 9th Century) tells us, It was a thing to him unknown. Seeing alſo he adds, That it had been enlarged, not only once but often; it is as vain to ask after its Age.
The ſame alſo the Abbot Berno (p)Berno Ab. Augienſ. de rebus ad Miſſam ſpectant. c. 1. Attamen ipſum Canonem non unus ſolus compoſuit totum, ſed per tempora aliud alius interpoſuit vel adjecit.ſays, It was not one Man that compoſed the Canon all of it, but at ſeveral times another interpoſed and added another thing.
And as they added, ſo alſo I doubt not but they altered many things, as we may gueſs by that remarkable Difference, betwixt what the Author of the Book of Sacraments, under the name of S. Ambroſe (q)Lib. 4. de Sacram. cap. 5. Fac nobis hanc Oblationem adſcriptam, rationabilem, acceptabilem, Quod eſt Figura corporis & ſanguinis Domini noſtri Jeſu Chriſti. Quam Oblationem tu Deus in omnibus quaefumus benedictam, adſcriptam, &c. facere digneris, Ʋt nobis corpus & ſanguis fiat dilectiſſimi tui Filii D. N. J. Chriſti., cites as the Prayer in his Time, and what we now find in it. (ſpeaking of the Oblation) it was, then, Make this Oblation to us allowable, rational, acceptable, Which is the Figure of the Body and Blood of Chriſt our Lord: Which now is turned into this Prayer, That the Oblation may be made to us the Body and Blood of thy dear Son our Lord.
But yet to take the Canon as now it is, we ſhall find the Prayers of it, not capable of being reconciled with the preſent Faith of the Roman Church, and with Tranſubſtantiation.
To give ſome Inſtances.
Thus they pray in the Canon, immediately after the words of Conſecration.Can. M…ſſ. Unde & memores, Domine, nos ſervi tui, ſed & plebs tua ſancta ejuſdē Chriſti Filii tui D.N. tam beatae paſſionis, necnon & ab inferis reſurrectionis, ſed & in coelos glorioſae aſcenſionis; Oſſerimus praclarae majeſtati tuae de tuis donis ac datis, Hoſtiam param, hoſtiam immaculatam, Panem ſanctum vitae aeternae, & Calicem ſalutis perpetuae. Supra quae propitio ac ſereno vultu reſpicere digneris: & accepta habere, ſicuti accepta habere dignatus e… munera pueri tui juſti Abel, & ſacrificium Patriarchae noſtri Abrahae, & quod tibi obtulit ſummus Sacerdos tuus Melchiſedeck, ſanctum Sacrificium, immaculatam Hoſtiam. Supplices te rogamus, omnipotens Deus, jube haec perferri per manus ſancti Angeli tui in ſublime Altare tuum, in conſpectu Majeſtatis tuae, ut quotquot ex hac altaris participatione Sacroſanctum Filii tui corpus & ſanguinem ſumpſerimus, omni benedictione coeleſti & gratia repleamur. Per eundem J. Chriſtum D. N. Nobis quoque peccatoribus—partem aliquam & ſocietatem donare digneris cum tuis ſanctis Apoſtolis — intra quorum nos conſortium, non eſtimator meriti ſed veniae, quaeſumus, largitor adinitte. Per Chriſtum D. N. Per quem haec omnia, Domine, ſemper bona creas, ſanctificas, vivificas, benedicis & praſtas nobis.
Wherefore we, O Lord, thy Servants, and yet thy Holy People, being mindful, as well of the Bleſſed Paſſion, as alſo of the Reſurrection from the Dead, and of the glorious Aſcenſion into Heaven, of the ſame thy Son our Lord Jeſus Chriſt; do offer to thy moſt excellent Majeſty, out of thy own Donations and Gifts, a pure Sacrifice, an Immaculate Sacrifice, the Holy Bread of Eternal Life, and the Cup of Everlaſting Salvation.
Ʋpon which (Gifts) vouchſafe to look, with a propitious and ſerene Aſpect: and to accept them, as thou didſt vouchſafe to accept the Gifts of thy Child, the Righteous Abel, and the Sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham; and the Holy Sacrifice, the immaculate Hoſtie, which thy High Prieſt Melchiſedeck did offer to thee.
Almighty God, we humbly beſeech thee, command theſe things to be carried by the Hands of thy Holy Angel to thy High Altar, before thy Majeſty, that as many of us, as by this partaking of the Altar, have received the moſt holy Body and Blood of thy Son, may be filled with all Heavenly Benediction and Grace, by the ſame Jeſus Chriſt our Lord.
Vouchſafe alſo to beſtow on us Sinners — ſome part and ſociety with thy Holy Apoſtles, &c. — into whoſe ſociety we intreat thee to admit us, not weighing our Merit, but beſtowing Pardon on us. Through Chriſt our Lord.
By whom, O Lord, thou doſt always create, ſanctify, quicken, bleſs, and beſtow on us all theſe good things.
Immediately after all have communicated, this follows.
What we have taken with our Mouth, Quod ore ſumpſimus, Domine, pura mente capiamus: & de munere temporali fiat nobis remedium ſempiternum.O Lord, may we receive with a pure Heart: and of a temporal Gift, may it be made to us an Eternal Remedy.
While the Prieſt is waſhing his Thumbs and Fore-fingers over the Cup, with Wine and Water, and wiping of them, he is bid to ſay;Corpus tuum, Domine, quod ſumpſi, & ſanguis quem potavi, adhereat viſceribus meis: & praeſta ut in me non remaneat ſcelerum macula, quem pura & ſancta refecerunt Sacramenta. Qui vivis, &c.
Let thy Body, O Lord, which I have taken, and thy Blood which I have drunk, cleave to my Entrals, and grant that the ſtain of my Crimes may not remain in me, whom pure and Holy Sacraments have refreſhed.
Who liveſt, &c.
All theſe Prayers I have cited, the Reader muſt remember are after Conſecration; upon which immediately, according to the preſent Faith of the Roman Church, the Subſtance of Bread and Wine is deſtroyed, and nothing but the Species and Shadows of them remain; and now Chriſt, inſtead of them, becomes preſent there in his Body, and Soul, and Divinity. This is their Faith. But it is impoſſible to reconcile this to thoſe foregoing Prayers. For at the beginning of the Canon, they pray, *Supplices rogamus ac petimus uti accepta habeas & benedicas, haec dona, haec munera, haec ſancta ſacrificia illibata.That God would accept and bleſs theſe Donations and Gifts, theſe holy undefiled Sacrifices; that is, the Oblations of Bread and Wine, which are no more than ſo, till the words of Conſecration.
After this (as you heard) they pray, That this Oblation may be made to us, the Body and Blood of thy dear Son Jeſus Chriſt. Which do not imply a change of Subſtances; for thoſe words (fiat nobis) be made to us, may very well conſiſt with the Oblations remaining in Subſtance what they were before, only beging the Communication of the Virtue and Efficacy of Chriſt's Paſſion to themſelves.
And that this is the ſenſe of the Canon, appears by thoſe words after Conſecration, when they ſay, We offer to thy Majeſty a pure Sacrifice of thy Donations and Gifts. Which words plainly ſuppoſe, that they are in Nature what they were, God's Creatures ſtill, not the appearance and ſhadow of them only. But they call them now the Bread of Eternal Life, and the Cup of Salvation; becauſe, after they are bleſſed and made Sacraments, they are not now to be look'd upon as bodily Food, but as the Food of our Souls, as repreſenting that Body of Chriſt, and his Paſſion, which is the Bread of Etern… Life.
If they had underſtood nothing to remain now after conſecration, but Chriſt's Natural Body, they would not have called this thy Gifts in the Plural Number, but expreſſed it in the Singular, thy Gift. Neither can they refer to the remaining Accidents, becauſe they are no real Things, and rather tell us what God has taken away, (the whole Subſtance of them) than what he has given.
But then what follows, puts it out of all doubt *Supra quae propitio ac ſereno vultu reſpicere digneris.; Ʋpon which (ſtill in the Plural) look propitiouſly. If it had been, Look upon us propitiouſly for the ſake of Chriſt, it had been well enough. Or, to deſire of God to look upon theſe things propitiouſly which they offer; if they mean (as he that made the Prayer did) that God would accept this Oblation of Bread and Wine, as he did of Abel and Melchiſedeck, (which latter was indeed Bread and Wine) this had been very proper. But to make that which we offer to be Chriſt himſelf, (as they that believe Tranſubſtantiation muſt expound it) and to deſire God to look propitiouſly and benignly upon him, when there can be no fear that he ſhould ever be unacceptable to his Father, nor none can be ſo fooliſh as to think that Chriſt ſtands in need of our recommendation to God for acceptance, this ſenſe can never be agreeable to the Prayer. Therefore the moſt Ancient of all the ſpurious Liturgies, I mean, that attributed to Clemens in his Conſtitutions (r)Lib. 8. c. 12. foreign—foreign &c., has given us the true ſenſe of it; We offer to thee this Bread and this Cup— and we beſeech thee to look favourably upon theſe Gifts ſet before thee, O God, who ſtandeſt in need of nothing; and be well pleaſed with them for the honour of thy Chriſt, &c.
Would it not run finely, to pray that God would be well pleaſed with Chriſt, for the honour of his Chriſt?
But beſides the Petition, that God would look propitiouſly upon them, it follows in the Canon, That God would accept them, as he did the Gifts of Abel, and Abraham, and Melchiſedeck. How unagreeable is this (if Chriſt himſelf be underſtood here) to make the Compariſon for acceptance, betwixt a Lamb and a Calf, or Bread and Wine, and Chriſt the Son of God, with whom he was always highly pleaſed.
But then what follows ſtill entangles Matters more in the Church of Rome's Senſe. The Prayer, That God would command theſe things to be carried by the hands of his Holy Angel to the High Altar above. For how can the Body of Chriſt be carried by Angels to Heaven, which never left it ſince his Aſcenſion, but is always there? Beſides the High Altar above, in the Senſe of the Ancients, is Chriſt himſelf. And Remigius of Auxerre tells us (s)De celebrat. Miſſae in Bibl. Pat. 2dae Edit. Tom. 6. p. 1164. In Coelo rapitur miniſterio Angelorum conſociandum corpori Chriſti., That S. Gregory's Opinion of the Sacrament was, That it was ſnatched into Heaven by Angels, to be joined to the Body of Chriſt there. But then in the ſenſe of Tranſubſtantiation, what abſurd ſtuff is here to pray, that Chriſt's Body may be joined to his own Body? So that there can be no ſenſe in the Prayer, but ours, to underſtand it of the Elements offered devoutly, firſt at this Altar below, which by being bleſſed become Chriſt's Repreſentative Body, and obtain acceptance above through his Interceſſion there And thus it is fully explained, by the Author of the Conſtitutions (t)Lib. 8. c. 13. in initio. foreign.; Let us entreat God, through his Chriſt, for the Gift offered to the Lord God, that the good God, by the mediation of his Chriſt, would receive it to his Coeleſtial Altar, for a ſweet ſmelling Savour.
To put the Matter further out of all doubt, it is obſervable, that the Liturgies that go under the name of S. James, and S. Mark, do both of them mention the acceptance of the Gifts of Abel and Abraham, and the admitting them to the Celeſtial Altar, before the reciting the words of the Inſtitution, or Conſecration, (as the Roman Church calls them, by which they ſay the Change is made). That the Liturgy of S. Chryſoſtom prays, That God would receive the Oblations propoſed to his Superceleſtial Altar, almoſt in the ſame words, both before and after Conſecration; and that he look'd upon them to be the ſame in ſubſtance that they were before, plainly appears by an expreſſion after all, where he prays (u)foreign., That the Lord would make an equal diviſion of the propoſed Gifts to every one for good, according to every Man's particular need. Which cannot be underſtood of Chriſt's proper Body, (but of the conſecrated Bread and Wine) which cannot admit of ſhares or Portions, equal or unequal.
Laſtly, That S. Baſil's Liturgy alſo, before the Conſecration, prays, That the Oblations may be carried unto the ſuperceleſtial Altar, and be accepted as the Gifts of Abel, Noah, Abraham, &c. And to ſhew that even after the words of Inſtitution, he did not believe them to be other things than they were before, he ſtill calls them the Antitypes (x)foreign, &c.of the Body and Blood of Chriſt; and prays, That the Spirit may come upon us and upon the Gifts propoſed, to bleſs and ſanctify them, and to make this Bread the venerable Body of our Lord God and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, and this Cup his Blood, the Spirit working the change.
And afterwards the Prieſt prays (y)foreign., That by reaſon of his Sins, he would not divert the Grace of his Holy Spirit from the propoſed Gifts. A needleſs fear, if the Gifts were already Chriſt's Body, that the Spirit ſhould be hindred from coming upon that, where all the Fulneſs of the God-head dwells bodily, by any Man's Sins.
The next Paſſage of the Canon increaſes ſtill the difficulty to them that believe Tranſubſtantiation. When it ſays, Through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord, by whom, O Lord, thou doſt always create, ſanctify, quicken, bleſs and beſtow all theſe good things on us. If there be no good thing remaining in the Euchariſt beſides Chriſt, when theſe words are ſaid, What Senſe or Truth is there in them? Can Chriſt, or his Body that already exiſts, be created anew, and be always created? Can that be always ſanctified, that was never common? Or, is he to be raiſed and quickned anew daily, that once being ſo raiſed, can die no more? &c. But that which makes the Abſurdity of this Interpretation the greater, is, that they ſay that all this is done to Chriſt by Chriſt himſelf; as if God by Chriſt did create Chriſt; and by Chriſt, did bleſs, and quicken, and ſanctify Chriſt; which none but he that is forſaken of common Senſe can affirm.
The old Interpreters of the Canon made other work of it, and ſuppoſed that the Creatures offered to God, remained Creatures ſtill; for thus the forecited Remigius (z)In Bibl. Patr. Tom. 6. p. 1165. Per Chriſtum Deus Pater haec omnia non ſolum in exordio creavit condendo, ſed etiam ſemper creat praeparando & reparando: bona, quia omnia à Deo creata valdè bona: creata & ſuis conſpectibus oblata ſanctificat, ut quae erant ſimplex creatura, fiant Sacramenta: vivificat, ut ſint myſteria vitae: Benedicit, quia omni benedictione coeleſti & gratiâ accumulat. Praeſtat nobis, per eundem ſecum ſanctificantem, qui de corpore ſuo & ſanguine ſuo nobis tam ſalubrem dedit refectionem.comments upon them. God the Father not only in the beginning, created all theſe things by Chriſt, but alſo always creates them, by preparing and repairing them. Good, becauſe all things created by Good are very good. He ſanctifies thoſe things ſo created and offered in his ſight, when the things that were a ſimple Creature, are made Sacraments: he quickens them, ſo that they become Myſteries of Life: He bleſſes them, becauſe he heaps all Celeſtial Benediction and Grace on them. He beſtows them on us, by the ſame Chriſt ſanctifying them with him, who has given to us ſo wholſom a repaſt from his Body and Blood.
What can be alſo more plain than the words of the next Prayer I mentioned, That what we have taken with our Mouth, may of a Temporal Gift be made an Eternal Remedy? Did ever any one call Chriſt a Temporal Gift, in diſtinction from an Eternal Remedy? Is it not certain that the Oblata, the things offered, are the Temporal Gift, which by our due receiving them, become eternally beneficial to us?
The laſt Prayer alſo, which begs, That the Body and Blood of Chriſt may cleave to their Bowels or Entrals, cannot be interpreted of his proper and natural Body; ſince, as the Romaniſts confeſs, this Body can neither touch us, nor be touched by us, as it exiſts in the Sacrament, much leſs can cleave or ſtick to our Bodies. But the repreſentative Body of Chriſt may; and he that made this Petition firſt, ſeems to tell us his own Senſe, (tho' no very wiſe one) that he would not have this Holy Food to paſs through him, as other Meats did (and which many of the Ancients thought this alſo did) but might remain and be conſumed (as S. Chryſoſtom's phraſe is) with the Subſtance of his Body.
Thus I think I have demonſtrated ſufficiently the firſt thing I aſſerted at the beginning of this Chapter, That the old Prayers in the Canon of the Maſs, concerning the Sacrament, agree not with the preſent Faith of the Roman Church.
I proceed now to ſhew the other thing, That their New Prayers and Devotions to the Sacrament, have no countenance from the Ancient Church.
I told the Reader before of their New Feſtival, which the Miſſal calls the Feaſt and Solemnity of the Body of Chriſt. They have ſuited all things anſwerably to it; New Prayers, New Hymns; and their allowed Books of Devotion, have an Office of the Bleſſed Sacrament, for one day of the Week, and a New Litany, &c. Which I ſhall give now ſome account of, and tho' all of them are not direct Prayers to it, yet they are ſuch ſtrains concerning it, and in ſuch a new Stile, as has no old Example.Miſſal, Rom. in Solemn. corporis Chriſti. Oratio. Deus qui nobis ſub Sacramento mirabili paſſionis tuae memoriamreliquiſti: tribue, quaeſumus, ita nos corporis & ſanguinis tui ſacra Myſteria venerari, ut redemptionis tuae fructum in nobis jugiter ſentiamus. Qui vivis, &c.
Thus tranſlated in the Manual of Godly Prayers.
O God, which under the Admirable Sacrament, haſt left unto us the Memory of thy Paſſion: grant, we beſeech thee, that we may ſo worſhip the Sacred Myſteries of thy Body and Blood, that continually we may feel in us the fruit of thy Redemption.
Who liveſt, &c.
I believe the Ancient Church never thus prayed, that by the worſhip of the Sacred Myſteries, they might feel the Fruit of Chriſt's Redemption; but that they might ſo receive the Sacred Myſteries, &c. for they laid the ſtreſs upon worthy receiving, as this Church do's upon worſhipping.
In an Office of the Venerable Sacrament, printed at Colen, 1591. they are ſtill more particular.
Ibid. p. 72. ad completor. Deus qui glorioſum corporis & ſanguinis tui myſterium nobiſcum manere voluiſti: praeſta, quaeſumus, ita nos corporalem praeſentiam tuam venerari in terris, ut ejus viſione gaudere mereamur in coelis.
Ibid. p. 44. ad primam. Deus qui in paſſionis tuae memoriam panem & vinum in corpus & ſanguinem tuum mirabiliter tranſmuraſti; concede propitius, ut qui in venerabili Sacramento tuam praeſentiam corporalem credimus, ad contemplandam ſpeciem tuae celſitudinis perducamur. Qui vivis, &c.
O God, who wouldſt have the glorious Myſtery of thy Body and Blood to remain with us; grant, we pray thee, that we may ſo worſhip thy corporal Preſence on Earth, that we may be worthy to enjoy the Viſion of it in Heaven. Who liveſt, &c.
Qui vivis, &c.
Again thus;
O God, who in memory of thy Paſſion didst wonderfully change Bread and Wine into thy Body and Blood; mercifully grant, that we who believe thy Corporal Preſence in the Venerable Sacrament, may be brought to the beholding of the appearance of thy Highneſs.
Who liveſt, &c.
Rithmus S. Thomae ad Sacram Euchariſtiam; Or a Rithm of Tho. Aquinas to the Holy Euchariſt.
In Miſſal. Rom. ad finem Orat. poſt Miſſum.
Adoro te devotè latens Deitas,
Quae ſub his figuris vere latitas.
Tibi ſe cor meum totum ſubjicit,
Quia te contemplans totum deficit.
Viſus, tactus, guſtus in te fallitur,
Sed auditu ſolo tutò creditur.
Credo quicquid dixit Dei Filius.
Nil hoc verbo veritatis verius.
In cruce latebat ſole Deitas,
At hic latet ſimul & humanitas:
Ambo tamen credens atque confitens,
Peto quod petivit Latro penitens.
Plagas, ſicur Thomas, non intueor,
Deum tamen meum te confiteor.
Fac me tibi ſemper magis credere,
In te ſpem habere, te diligere.
O Memoriale Mortis Domini,
Panis vivus, vitam praeſtans homini;
Praeſta meae menti de te vivere,
Et te illi ſemper dulcè ſapere, &c.
I devoutly adore thee, O latent Deity,
Who under theſe Figures truly lieſt hid.
My Heart ſubmits it ſelf wholly to thee,
For when it contemplates thee, it wholly fails me.
Sight, taſt, and touch, is deceived in thee,
Hearing alone a Man may faſely truſt.
Whatſoe'er the Son of God ſaid, I believe.
Nothing is truer than this Word of Truth.
The Deity only on the Croſs was hid,
Here the Humanity alſo is conceal'd:
But both believing and confeſſ…ng both,
I ask what the Repenting Thief deſir'd.
I do not ſee, as Thomas did, thy Wounds,
Yet I acknowledg thee to be my God.
O make me ſtill more to believe in thee,
On thee to place my Hope, and thee to love.
O thou Memorial of my dying Lord,
Thou living Bread, and giving Life to Men,
Grant that my Soul on thee may ever live,
And thou to it mayſt always ſweetly taſt, &c.
Another Sequence of Tho. Aquinas, which begins, Lauda Sion Salvatorem.
In Miſſal. Rom. in ſeſto Corp. Chriſti.
Docti Sacris inſtitutis,
Panem vinum in ſalutis
Conſecramus hoſtiam.
Dogma datur Chriſtianis,
Quod in carnem tranſit panis
Et vinum in ſanguinem.
Quod non capis, quod non vides,
Animoſa firmat fides
Praeter rerum ordinem.
Sub diverſis ſpeciebus,
Signis tantum & non rebus
Latent res eximiae.
Caro cibus, ſanguis potus;
Manet tamen Chriſtus totus
Sub utrâ que ſpecie.
A ſumente non conciſus,
Non confractus, non diviſus,
Integer accipitur.
Sumit unus, ſumunt mille,
Quantum iſti, tantum ille;
Nec ſumptus conſumitur.
Sumunt boni, ſumunt mali;
Sorte tamen inequali
Vitae vel interitus.
Mors eſt malis, vita bonis;
Vide paris ſumptionis
Quàm ſit diſpar exitus.
Fracto demum Sacramento,
Ne vacilles, ſed memento,
Tantum eſſe ſub fragmento,
Quantum toto tegitur.
Nulla rei fit ſciſſura,
Signi tantum fit fractura;
Qua nec ſtatus, nec ſtatura
Signati minuitur, &c.
Being taught by holy Leſſons, we conſecrate
Bread and Wine for a ſaving Hoſt.
It's a Maxim to Chriſtians, that Bread is
changed into Fleſh, and Wine into Blood.
What thou doſt not comprehend, or ſee, a
ſtrong Faith confirms it, beſides the order
of Nature.
Precious Things lie hid under different Species,
which are Signs only, not Things.
The Fleſh is Meat, and the Blood Drink, yet
Chriſt remains whole under each Kind.
Uncut, unbroken, undivided, he is received
whole by him that takes him.
When a thouſand take him, one takes as
much as they; nor is he conſumed in
taking.
The Good and Bad both take him, but their
Lot is unequal in Life and Death.
He is Death to the Bad, and Life to the Good;
behold an unlike end of a like taking.
When the Sacrament is broken,
Be not ſtagger'd, but remember,
There is as much in a Particle
As the whole covers.
Here is no diviſion of the thing,
Only a breaking of the Sign;
Whereby neither the State nor Stature of
the thing ſignified is diminiſhed, &c.
Another Hymn of the ſame Author, which begins, Pange lingua glorioſi.
In Breviar. Rom. in ſeſto Corp. Chriſti.
In ſupremae nocte coenae
Recumbens cum ſratribus,
Obſervata lege plenè
Cibis in legalibus;
Cibum turbae duodenae
Se dat ſuis manibus.
Verbum caro, panem verum
Verbo carnem efficit,
Fir que ſanguis Chriſti merum,
Et ſi ſenſus deficit
Ad firmandum cor ſincerum
Sola fides ſufficit.
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
Veneremur cernui:
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui:
Praeſtet fides ſupplementum
Senſuum defectui, &c.
Thus tranſlated in the Manual of Godly Prayers.
At his laſt Supper made by Night,
He with his Brethren takes his Seat,
And having kept the Ancient rite
Uſing the Laws preſcribed Meat;
His twelve Diſciples doth invite,
From his own Hands himſelf to eat.
The Word made Fleſh, to words imparts
Such ſtrength, that Bread his Fleſh is made,
He Wine into his Blood converts;
And if our Senſe here fail and fade,
To ſatisfy Religious Hearts,
Faith only can the Truth perſwade.
Then to this Sacrament ſo high,
Low rev'rence let us now direct,
Old Rites muſt yield in dignity
To this, with ſuch great Graces deckt:
And Faith will all thoſe Wants ſupply,
Wherein the Senſes feel defect, &c.
In another Hymn of Th. Aquinas, which begins, Verbum ſupernum prodiens, they pray thus to the Sacrament.
In Breviar. Rom. in Feſto Corp. Chriſti.
O ſalutaris Hoſtia,
Quae Coeli pandis oſtium:
Bella premunt hoſtilia,
Da robur, fer auxilium.
O ſaving Hoſt, that openeſt Heaven's Door,
Th' Arms of our Foes, do us encloſe:
Thy ſtrength we need; O help with ſpeed,
We humbly thee implore.
There was publiſhed at Paris, with the app…obration of three Doctors of the Faculty there, An. 1669. a little Book in French, called, Practique pour Adorer le tres Saint Sacrament de l' Autel: Or, A Form for the Adoration of the moſt Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Which begins thus: Praiſed and adored be the moſt Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
And then adds;
Whoſoever ſhall ſay theſe Holy Words, [Praiſed be the moſt Holy Sacrament of the Altar] ſhall gain an hundred days of Indulgences; and he that do's reverence, hearing them repeated, as much. He that, being confeſſed and communicated, ſhall ſay the above-ſaid words, ſhall gain a Plenary Indulgence; and the firſt five times that he ſhall ſay them, after his having been Confeſſed and Communicated, he ſhall deliver five of his Friends-ſouls, whom he pleaſes, out of Purgatory.
Then follows the Form for honouring the Holy Sacrament, conſiſting of two Prayers, as follows, (which I ſhall ſet down in Latin and Engliſh, becauſe I find them in the Hours of Sarum, Fol. 66. and in the S. Litaniae variae, p. 44. printed at Colen, 1643. The firſt of them has this Rubrick before it in the Hours of Salisbury. Our Holy Father the Pope, John xxii. hath granted to all them that devoutly ſay this Prayer after the Elevation of our Lord Jeſu Chriſt, three thouſand days of Pardon for deadly Sins).
Anima Chriſti ſanctifica me.
Corpus Chriſti ſalva me.
Sanguis Chriſti inebria me.
Aqua lateris Chriſti lava me.
(Hor. Sar. Splendor vultus Chriſti illumina me.)
Paſſio Chriſti conforta me.
(H. Sar. Sudor vultus Chriſti virtuoſiſſime ſana me.)
O bone Jeſu exaudi me.
Intra vulnera tua abſconde me.
Ne permittas me ſeparari à ce.
Ab hoſte maligno defende me.
In hora mortis meae voca me,
Et jube me venire ad te;
Ut cum ſanctis tuis laudem te
In ſaecula ſoeculorum. Amen.
Soul of Chriſt, ſanctify me.
Body of Chriſt, ſave me.
Blood of Chriſt, inebriate me.
Water of Chriſt's Side, waſh me.
Paſſion of Chriſt, comfort me.
O good Jeſus hear me.
Within thy Wounds hide me.
Suffer me not to be ſeparated from thee.
From the malicious Enemy defend me.
In the Hour of my Death call me,
And command me to come to thee,
That with thy Saints I may praiſe thee,
For evermore. Amen.
At the Elevation of the Maſs.
Hor. ſec. uſ. Sar. Ibid.
Ave verum corpus natum
De Maria Virgine;
Vere paſſum, immolatum
In cruce pro homine:
Cujus latus perforatum
Unda fluxit ſanguine.
Eſto nobis praeguſlatum
Mortis in examine.
O Clemens, O pie,
O dulcis Fili Mariae.
Thus tranſlated in the Manual of Godly Prayers.
All hail true Body, born of
the Bleſſed Virgin Mary 5
Truly ſuffered and offered upon the
Croſs for Mankind:
Whoſe Side, pierced with a Speat,
yielded Water and Blood.
Vouchſafe to be received of us
in the Hour of Death.
O good, O Jeſu, Son of the Bleſſed
Virgin, have mercy on me.
After this, the French Form adds what follows.
Theſe two good Prayers were found in the Sepulchre of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt in Jeruſalem; and whoſoever carries them about him with Devotion, and in Honour of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, ſhall be delivered from the Devil, and from ſuddain Death, and ſhall not die of an ill Death. He ſhall be preſerved from Peſtilence, and all infectious Diſeaſes. No Sorcerer, nor Sorcery, ſhall be able to hurt him or her, that has theſe two good Prayers about them. The Fire from Heaven ſhall not fall upon the Houſe where theſe Prayers are rehearſed with devotion. A Woman with Child, ſaying them devoutly, ſhall be brought to Bed, without any danger of her own, or her Child's Death. Lightnings and Thunders ſhall not fall upon the Houſes where theſe Prayers are rehearſed with Devotion. Such a one ſhall not die without Confeſſion, and God will give him Grace to repent of his Sins.
Now I will add a Specimen of Litanies of the Sacrament.
Litaniae de Sacramente:
S. Litaniae variae p. 30.
— Panis vivus qui de Coelo deſcendiſti Miſere nobis.
Deus abſconditus & Salvator Miſere nobis.
Frumentum Electorum Miſere nobis.
Vinum germinans Virgines Miſere nobis.
Panis pinguis & deliciae Regum Miſere nobis.
Juge Sacrificium Miſere nobis.
Oblatio munda Miſere nobis.
Agnus abſ que macula Miſere nobis.
Menſa puriſſima Miſere nobis.
Angelorum Eſca Miſere nobis.
Manna abſconditum Miſere nobis.
Memoria mirabilium Dei Miſere nobis.
Panis Superſubſtantialis Miſere nobis.
Verbum caro factum habitans in nobis Miſere nobis.
Hoſtia Sancta Miſere nobis.
Calix Benedictionis Miſere nobis.
Myſterium fidei Miſerere nobis.
Praecelſum & venerabile Sacramentum Miſerere nobis.
Sacrificium omnium Sanctiſſimum Miſerere nobis.
Vere propitiatorium pro vivis & defunctis Miſerere nobis.
Coeleſte Antidotum, quo à peccatis praeſervamur Miſerere nobis.
Stupendum ſupra omnia miraculum Miſerere nobis.
Sacratiſſima Dominicae paſſionis commemoratio Miſerere nobis.
Donum tranſcendens omnem plenitudinem Miſerere nobis.
Memoriale praecipuum divini amoris Miſerere nobis.
Divinae affluentia largitatis Miſerere nobis.
Sacroſanctum & auguſtiſſimum myſterium Miſerere nobis.
Pharmacum immortalitatis Miſerere nobis.
Tremendum ac vivificum Sacramentum Miſerere nobis.
Panis omnipo…tia verbi caro factus Miſerere nobis.
Incruentum Sacrificium Miſerere nobis.
Cibus & conviva Miſerere nobis.
Dulciſſimum convivium, cui aſſiſtunt Angeli miniſtrantes Miſerere nobis.
Sacramentum Pietatis Miſerere nobis.
Vinculum Charitatis Miſerere nobis.
Offerens & Oblatio Miſerere nobis.
Spiritualis dulcedo in proprio fonte deguſtata Miſerere nobis.
Refectio animarum Sanctarum Miſerere nobis.
Viaticum in Domino morientium Miſerere nobis.
Pignus futurae gloriae, &c. Miſerere nobis.
The Litany of the Sacrament in the Manual aforeſaid.
— Living Bread that didſt deſcend from Heaven Have mercy on us.
God hidden, and my Saviour Have mercy on us.
Bread-Corn of the Elect Have mercy on us.
Wine budding forth Virgins Have mercy on us.
Fat Bread, and the delight of Kings Have mercy on us.
Continual Sacrifice Have mercy on us.
Pure Oblation Have mercy on us.
Lamb without ſpot Have mercy on us.
(Manual adds) Table of Propoſition Have mercy on us.
Moſt pure Table Have mercy on us.
Food of Angels Have mercy on us.
Hidden Manna Have mercy on us.
Memorial of God's wonderful Works Have mercy on us.
Superſubſtantial Bread Have mercy on us.
Word made Fleſh and dwelling in us Have mercy on us.
Holy Hoſt Have mercy on us.
Chalice of Benediction Have mercy on us.
Myſtery of Faith Have mercy on us.
Moſt high and venerable Sacrament Have mercy on us.
Sacrifice of all other moſt Holy Have mercy on us.
Truly propitiatory for the Quick and Dead Have mercy on us.
Heavenly Antidote, whereby we are preſerved from Sin Have mercy on us.
Miracle above all other aſtoniſhing Have mercy on us.
Moſt ſacred Commemoration of our Lord's Death Have mercy on us.
Gift ſurpaſſing all Fulneſs Have mercy on us.
Chief Memorial of Divine Love Have mercy on us.
Abundance of Divine Bounty Have mercy on us.
Holy and moſt Majeſtical Myſtery Have mercy on us.
Medicine of Immortality Have mercy on us.
Dreadful and Life-giving Sacrament Have mercy on us.
Bread by the Word's Omnipotence made Fleſh Have mercy on us.
Unbloody Sacrifice Have mercy on us.
Meat and Gueſt (Manual omits) Have mercy on us.
Moſt ſweet Banquet, whereat the Miniſtring Angels attend Have mercy on us.
Sacrament of Piety Have mercy on us.
Bond of Charity Have mercy on us.
Offerer and Oblation Have mercy on us.
Spiritual ſweetneſs taſted in its proper Fountain Have mercy on us.
Refection of Holy Souls Have mercy on us.
Viaticum of thoſe who die in our Lord Have mercy on us.
Pledge of future Glory, &c. Have mercy on us.
This is enough to ſhow into what ſtrains of Devotion the preſent Roman Church now runs, ſince Tranſubſtantiation is an Article of its Faith. I deny not that theſe Prayers are very natural if that Doctrine were true; and I would fain have a good Reaſon aſſigned, why, if this Doctrine was believed of old, this was not the way of the Primitive Devotion: If they affirm that it was, it lies upon them to produce the evidence. But then let me tell them before-hand, that we will not be ſhamm'd off with a Rhetorical Proſopopoeia of an Author, under the name of S. Denis the Areopagite (which has been the only thing I have ſeen alledged, and as often anſwered) whoſe Authority neither cannot be conſiderable to us, who remember that he was firſt produced and ſhown to the World by Hereticks, and rejected by the Orthodox.