Doctrines and Practices of the Ancient Church Relating to the Eucharist, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. The Seventh Difference. When the Fathers call the Euchariſt Chriſt's Body and Blood, the Roman Church underſtands it of Chriſts natural Body given there. But the Fathers do not ſo; but underſtand it moſt commonly of the Elements of Bread and Wine, even when they call them the Body of Chriſt, and give us the reaſons why they ſo call them.
INeed not tell you, how the Romiſh Writers catch at every place of the Fathers, where they meet with the mention of Chriſts Body and Blood: all their Citations are full of little elſe but Teſtimonies of this kind.
But if they had a mind to underſtand their ſenſe, and did not meerly liſten to the ſound of their words, they would quickly ſee them interpret themſelves, ſo that there could be no miſtake, nor countenance given hereby to Tranſubſtantiation, or any preſence of Chriſt but what is ſpiritual. Which by a few Obſervations out of them will appear.
1. Obſerv. The Fathers give us warning of it, and tell us, That they ſtudiouſly conceal and hide the Myſteries from ſome perſons, both out of the Church, and in it. Therefore their meer expreſſions concerning it, are not ſufficient to inform us of their meaning.
Thus Cyril of Jeruſalem (a)Catech. Illum. 6. pag. 149. Edit. 4. Pariſ. 1608. foreign, &c.tells us, That we do not ſpeak openly of the myſteries among the Catechumens, but often ſpeak many things covertly, that the faithful that are acquainted with the matter, may underſtand it, and they that are unacquainted may not be hurt.
S. Auſtin (b)In Pſal. 103. Quid eſt quod occultum eſt, & non publicum in Eccleſia… Sacramentum Baptiſmi, Sacramentum Euchariſtiae. Opera noſtra bona vident & Pagani, Sacramenta vero occultantur illis.in like manner. What is it that is hidden and not publick in the Church? The Sacrament of Baptiſm, and the Sacrament of the Euchariſt. The very Pagans ſee our good works, but the Sacraments are hid from them.
S. Chryſoſtome (c)In 1 Cor. 15. Hom. 40.(upon thoſe words, why are they then Baptized for the dead) ſays, I have a mind to ſpeak it openly, but I dare not, foreignbecauſe of them that are not initiated. foreignFor they make our Expoſition more difficult, compelling us either not to ſpeak plainly, or to declare to them things that ought to be conceal'd.
Upon this account they concealed what was apt to be deſpiſed (whether they did well or no in this I ſhall not here queſtion) ſcarce vouchſafing to name the viſible Elements, but mentioning them with more glorious Titles, ſuch as could not be diſregarded. Thus they called Baptiſm by the name of foreign, illumination; and they called the Euchariſt, the Sacrifice, quod norunt fideles, which the faithful know, (thus concealing it) or the Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Chriſt. They call the Lords Table an Altar, and the Miniſters Prieſts, tho' all theſe are to be underſtood in a figurative and improper ſenſe.
Thus S. Auſtin ſays (d)De verb. Dom. Serm. 53. Penè quidem Sacramentum omnes corpus ejus dicunt., Almoſt all call the Sacrament the Body of Chriſt. Which very phraſe ſhews, that the Sacrament is not in ſubſtance Chriſts natural Body. For who would phraſe it ſo, almost all call it, in giving a proper name to a thing? ex. gr. would any ſay, that almoſt all call a Houſe a Houſe, or a Man a Man? but to ſay, that almoſt all call Kings Gods, tells you, that however for certain Reaſons, Kings are called Gods, yet they are not really and properly ſo.
The ſame Father (e)De Trinit. l. 3. c. 4. —Sed illud tantum quod ex fructibus terrae acceptum & prece myſtica conſecratum, ritè ſumimus ad ſalutem ſpiritualem, &c.ſpeaking of ſeveral things, whereby Chriſt may be ſignified and ſet forth, either by words written, or ſpoken, &c. he ſays, We do not call theſe the Body and Blood of Chriſt, but that only, which being taken from the fruits of the earth, is rightly received by us to our ſpiritual health, &c.
If the other things had been called ſo, any one would have underſtood it muſt be improperly ſo called, and ſo muſt this too, as his following words tell us, Non ſanctificatur ut ſit tam magnum Sacramentum, niſi operante inviſibiliter Spiritu Dei.that even this is not ſanctified to become ſo great a Sacrament, but by the inviſible operation of the Spirit of God.
So Iſidore of Sevil (f)Orig. Lib. 6. cap. 19. Eo (ſc. Chriſto) jubente, corpus Chriſti & ſanguinem dicimus, quod dum fit ex fructibus terrae, ſanctificatur, & fit Sacramentum, operante inviſibiliter Spiritu Dei.gives the ſame account, By the command of Chriſt, we call the Body and Blood of Chriſt, that which being made of the fruits of the earth, is ſanctified and made a Sacrament by the inviſible operation of the ſpirit of God.
2. Obſerv. The Fathers oft-times in their very manner of ſpeaking concerning the Body and Blood of Christ, point at another thing than his Natural Body; ſo that we need no Commentary upon their words to explain them, for they carry at firſt hearing our ſenſe and meaning in them, and not that of the Romaniſts. To give a few inſtances.
S. Cyprian (g)Epiſt. 63. ad Caecilium. Cùm dicat Chriſtus, ego ſum vitis vera, ſanguis Chriſti non aqua eſt uti que ſed vinum — Quomodo nec Corpus Domini poteſt eſſe farina ſola, aut aqua ſola, niſi utrum que adunatum fuerit & copulatum, & panis unius compagine folldatum.diſcourſing againſt thoſe that Conſecated and drank only Water in the Sacrament, ſays, When Chriſt ſays, I am the true Vine, the Blood of Chriſt it's plain is not Water but Wine. — So neither can the Lords Body be flour alone, or water alone, unleſs both of them be united, and coupled and kneaded tegether into one Loaf.
Where no Body can doubt of S. Cyprian's meaning, that by Chriſts Body he underſtands not his natural Body, but the Sacrament of it.
And ſo the Council of Carthage, (h)Pandect. Canon. p. 565. foreign.decreed againſt the Armenians (who made uſe of Wine only in the Euchariſt) That nothing ſhall be offered, but the Body and Blood of Chriſt, as the Lord himſelf delivered it, (the phraſe carries its ſenſe in the face of it, if they had ſaid no more, but they add) that is, Bread and Wine mixed with Water.
What can be more plain than that of Theodoret (i)Dialog. 1. foreign, &c., when he ſays, That our Saviour changed the names, and on his Body he put the name of the ſign (or ſymbol) and on the ſign the name of his Body? A little before he ſhows how. You know, ſays he, that God called his Body Bread, and elſewhere he called his fleſh Wheat (foreign), except a Corn of Wheat fall to the Earth and die, Matth. 12. But in the delivery of the myſteries, he called Bread his Body, and that which is mixed (foreign) Blood. Is it not clear, that neither in one caſe, nor the other, theſe ſayings are to be underſtood properly, but figuratively? Eſpecially when Theodoret, before all I now have cited, makes this compariſon. As after Conſecration, Ib. foreign.we call the myſtical fruit of the Vine the Lords blood; ſo he (Jacob) called the Blood of the true Vine, the Blood of the Grape. Both the one and the other muſt be figuratively underſtood.
When S. Cyprian in the forecited Epiſtle (k)Epiſt. 63. Hoc quis veretur, ne per ſaporem vini redoleat ſanguinem Chriſti.ſays, that ſome might make it an Objection, that by partaking of the Communion early in the Morning, they might be diſcovered to the Heathen Perſecutors by the ſmell of the Wine, he expreſſes it thus, One fears this, leſt by taſting Wine he ſhould ſmell of Chriſts Blood.
S. Jerome has ſuch another ſaying, which cannot well be miſtaken to expreſs any other ſenſe but ours, when ſpeaking of Virgins (l)Epiſt. ad Euſtochium. Ebrietati ſacrilegium copulantes aiunt, abſit ut ego me abſtineam à ſanguine Chriſti.that were reproved for drinking Wine to exceſs, he ſays, they made this excuſe, (joining ſucrilege to their drunkenneſs) and ſaid God forbid that I ſhould abſtain from the Blood of Chriſt.
Either they ſaid nothing to the purpoſe, or they took that which they called the Blood of Chriſt, for Wine properly.
Thus alſo S. Chryſoſtome (m)Epiſt. 1. ad Innocent. foreign.ſpeaking of the rudeneſs of the Souldiers in the Church, ſays, that in the tumult, the moſt holy Blood of Chriſt was ſhed upon the Souldiers Cleths. Which could be nothing but Sacramental Wine.
Leo the Great, ſpeaking of the Manichees, that for fear of the Laws came to the Communion of the Catholicks, and directing how to diſcover them, he ſays (n)Serm. 4. de Quadrageſ. Ita in Sacramentorum communione ſe temperant, ut interdum tutiùs lateant; Ore indigno Chriſti Corpus accipiunt, ſanguinem autem redemptionis noſtrae haurire omninò declinant., They ſo behave themſelves in the Communion of the Sacraments, that they may ſometime be more ſafely concealed; with an unworthy mouth they take the Body of Chriſt, but altogether decline drinking the Blood of our redemption.
In the ſenſe both of Leo and the Manichees, the Body and Blood here muſt be taken figuratively; for ſuch bad men as they, in the ſenſe of the Antients, could not eat, or any way receive Chriſt's Body in a proper ſenſe, but being underſtood of the Type of it, viz. of the Sacramental Bread, that they would receive; but not the Type of his Blood; viz. the Wine, becauſe, as S. Auſtin (o)De Hereſ. 46. Vinum non bibunt, dicentes fel eſſe principum tenebrarum.obſerves, they drink no Wine, ſaying, it is the Gall of the Prince of darkneſs. They had no more prejudice againſt the Blood than the Body of Chriſt, only they took it to be Wine, which they abhorred.
3. Obſerv. The Fathers ſpeak of Chriſt's Body and Blood in the Euchariſt, with ſuch terms of reſtriction and diminution, which plainly tell us, that they underſtood it not of his ſubſtantial and natural Body, but in a figurative ſenſe. Thus Origen (p)Contr. Celſum l 8. p. 399. Edit. Cantabr. foreign.ſays, That Bread in the Euchariſt is made by Prayer a certain holy Body.
And S. Auſtin (q)In Pſal. 33. conc. 2. Accepit in manus quod norunt fideles & ipſe ſe portabat quodammodo, cùm diceret hoc eſt Corpus meum., Chriſt took in his hands what the faithful underſtand, and after a ſort, carried himſelf when he ſaid, This is my Body.
Bede (r)In Pſal. 33. Chriſtus quodammodo ferebatur in manibus ſuis.upon the ſame Pſalm, has the ſame term of reſtriction, Chriſt after a ſort, was carried in his own hands.
S. Auſtin elſewhere (ſ)Epiſt. 23. ad Bonifac. Secundum quendam modum Sacramentum Corporis Chriſti, Corpus Chriſti eſt; Sacramentum ſanguinis Chriſts, ſanguis Chriſti eſt., In a certain ſenſe, the Sacrament of the Body of Chriſt is Chriſt's Body; and the Sacrament of the Blood of Christ, is Chriſt's Blood. Juſt as at Eaſter we ſay, this day Chriſt roſe, becauſe it is a memorial of it.
S. Chryſoſtome (t)Epiſt. ad Caeſarium. Dignus habitus eſt Dominici Corporis appellatione.ſays of the Conſecrated Bread, That it has no longer the name of Bread (tho' the nature of it remains) but is counted worthy to be called the Lord's Body.
Theoderet in like manner (u)Dialog. 1. foreign., He honoured the viſible Symbols with the appellation of … Body and Blood.
Facundus Hermian. (x)In defenſ. 3. capit. l. 9. — Non quod propriè Corpus cjus ſit panis, & poculum ſanguis, &c.is moſt expreſs. We call, ſays he, the Sacrament of his Body and Blood, which is in the Conſecrated Bread and Cup, his Body and Blood; not that properly the Bread is his Body, and the Cup his Blood, &c.
So alſo is S. Chryſoſtome (y)In Gal. 5.17. Vol. 3. Savil. p. 755.in another place; where he ſhows, that the word Fleſh; is not always taken for the foreign, the nature and ſubſtance of the Body (which is the only proper ſenſe) and he gives other inſtances which are improper; foreignas that fleſh ſignifies a depraved will. foreignAnd adds two other improper ſenſes, in theſe words. By the name of Fleſh, the Scripture is wont alſo to call the myſteries; he adds alſo, that it calls the Church ſo, when it calls it the Body of Chriſt.
The very phraſe of being wont to call, ſhows, that of which it is affirmed to be improperly ſo called, as the phraſe of being thought worthy of the name (as we heard before) argues the name not properly to agree to it.
4. Obſerv. The Fathers, knowing, that the Euchariſt was not in a proper ſenſe Chriſts Body, give us ſeveral reaſons why it is called his Body. But no body uſes to give a reaſon why he calls a thing by its proper name. I ſhall not name all the reaſons here, but reſerve ſome to another place; when we conſider the Sacrament, as a Sign, Figure, Type, Memorial, &c.
1. One reaſon they give is from its likeneſs and reſemblance, either in reſpect of what it conſiſts of, or from the likeneſs of its effects.
S. Auſtin's ſaying is remarkable (z)Epiſt. 23. Si Sacramenta quandam ſimilitudinem earum rerum non haberent quarum Sacramenta ſunt, omninò Sacramenta non eſſent. Ex hac autem ſimilitudine plerun que etiam ip…arum rerum nomina accipiunt., If the Sacraments had not a reſemblance of thoſe things of which they are Sacraments, they would not be Sacraments at all: But from this reſemblance they take commonly the name even of the things themſelves which they reſemble.
Bede alſo gives (a)In Cap. 6. Epiſt. ad Roman. Lib. 4. cap. 4. Fortê dicis, ſpeciem ſanguinis non video. Sed habet ſimilitudinem. Sicut enim mortis ſimilitudinem ſumpſiſti, ita etiam ſimilitudinem pretioſi ſanguinis bibis, &c.the ſame reaſon in his Commentary on the Romans.
The Author of the Book of Sacraments under S. Ambroſe his name, ſpeaks thus. Thou mayſt ſay perhaps, I do not ſee the ſubſtance of Blood. Well, but it has its likeneſs. For as thou hast received the likeneſs of his death, ſo thou drinkeſt the likeneſs of his pretious Blood.
S. Cyprian (b)Epiſt. 76. ad Magnum. Quando Dominus Corpus ſuum panem vocat, de multorum granorum adunatione congeſtum, populum noſtrum quem portabat indicat adunatum: & quando ſanguinem ſuum vinum appellat de botris at que acinis plurimis expreſſum at que in unum coactum, gregem item noſtrum ſignificat commixtione adunatae multitudinis copulatam.. When Chriſt called Bread, made up of many united grains of Corn, his Body, he ſhewed the unity of Chriſtian people whom he bore; and when he call'd Wine preſſed out of many Grapes, and put together his Blood, he ſignified alſo the uniting of a multitude of the Chriſtian flock together.
So Rabanus Maurus (c)De Inſtit. Cleric. c. 31. Propterea Dominus noſter Corpus & ſanguinem ſuum in eis rebus commendavit, quae ad unum aliquid rediguntur ex multis five granis five acinis, & Sanctorum Charitatis unitatem ſignificaret.. Therefore our Lord commended his Body and Blood in thoſe things, which conſiſting of many Grains or Grapes, are brought together into one, whereby he might ſignify the unity of the Charity of Saints.
Others again from the likeneſs of its effects.
Thus Iſidore of Sevil (d)De Offic. Eccleſ. l. 1. cap. 18. Panis quia confirmat Corpus, ideo Corpus Chriſti nuncupatur; vinum autem quia ſanguinem operatur in carne, ideo ad ſanguinem Chriſti refertur.. Bread, becauſe it ſtrengthens the Body, is therefore called the Body of Chriſt; and Wine, becauſe it produces Blood in the Fleſh, is therefore referred to the Blood of Chriſt.
The ſame reaſon is alſo given by Rabanus Maurus, in his Commentary upon the 26 Chap. of S. Matthew.
2 Reaſon. Another reaſon, why they call the Euchariſt Chriſts Body, is, becauſe it ſupplies the place, is inſtead of it, is its repreſentative, its pledge and pawn.
Tertullian (e)Lib. 6. de Orat. Corpus ejus in pane cenſetur, Hoc eſt corpus meum.. His Body is reputed to be in the Bread, This is my Body.
S. Auſtin (f)Tract. 45. in Joan. Videte, fide manente, ſigna variata. Ibi Petra Chriſtus, nobis Chriſtus quod in altari Dei ponitur.. See how the ſigns are varied, Faith remaining the ſame. There (in the Wilderneſs) the rock was Chriſt, to us that which is placed on Gods Altar is Chriſt.
Again elſewhere more fully (g)De Civit. Dei, l. 18. c. 48. Quodammodo omnia ſignificantia videntur rerum quas ſignificant ſuſtinere perſonas, ſicut dictum eſt ab Apoſtolo, Petra erat Chriſtus, quoniam Petra illa de qua hoc dictum eſt, ſignificabat uti que Chriſtum.. All things intended to ſignify, ſeem in a ſort to ſuſtain the perſons of thoſe things which they ſignify, as the Apoſtle ſays, The Rock was Chriſt, becauſe that Rock of which this is ſpoken, did ſignify Chriſt.
Cyril of Jeruſalem (h)Catech. Myſtag. 4. — foreign, &c.ſays, Wherefore with all aſſurance, let us receive it (viz. The Bread and Wine) as the Body and Blood of Chriſt; for in the type of Bread his Body is given thee, and in the type of Wine his Blood.
Proclus of Conſtantinople (i)Orat. 18. — foreign.. Inſtead of the Manger let us venerate the Altar; inſtead of the Infant let us embrace the Bread that is bleſſed by the Infant, (viz. Chriſt.)
Victor Antiochen. (k)In Marc. 14. Citante Bulingero adv. Caſaub. foreign. foreign.When the Lord ſaid, this is my Body, this is my Blood, it was fit that they who ſet forth the Bread, ſhould, after giving of thanks, reckon it to be his Body, and partake of it, and account the Cup to be inſtead of his Blood.
The Author of the Commentaries attributed to S. Jerome (l)In 1 Cor. 11. Ultimam nobis commemorationem five memoriam dereliquit, quemadmodum ſi quis peregrè proficiſcens, aliquod pignus ei quem diligit derelinquat, ut quotieſcun que illud viderit, poſſit ejus beneficia & amicitias memorare.. Chriſt left to us his laſt remembrance, juſt as if a perſon taking a Journey from home, ſhould leave ſome pledge to one whom he loves, that as oft as he look'd upon it, he might call to mind his kindneſſes and friendſhips.
So alſo Amalarius (m)De Offic. Eccleſ. l. 3. c. 25. Edit. Hittorpii, p. 425. Chriſtus, inclinato capite, emiſit ſpiritum. Sacerdos inclinat ſe, & hoc quod vice Chriſti immolatum eſt, deo Patri commendat.. Chriſt bowing his head gave up the Ghoſt. The Prieſt bows himſelf, and commends to God the Father this which is offered as a Sacrifice in the place of Chriſt.
5. Obſerv. That altho', for the Reaſons given, the Fathers call the Sacrament Chriſts Body, yet they plainly ſay, that what is diſtributed in the Euchariſt is without any life or ſenſe, which cannot be ſaid of Chriſts natural Body.
Epiphanius (n)In Anchorat. foreign. — foreign &c. — foreign.. We ſee what our Saviour took in his hands (viz. Bread) and having given thanks ſaid, This is mine, and that; and yet we ſee, that it is not equal to it nor like it, not to the incarnate Image, not to the inviſible Deity, not to the Lineaments of members; for this (the Bread) is of a round form, and inſenſible as to any power.
Theophilus of Alexandria (o)Epiſt. Paſchal. 2. Non recogitat a juas in Baptiſmate myſticas adventu Sp. Sancticonſecrari, panem que Dominicum, quo Salvatoris Corpus oſtenditur, & quen, frangimus in Sanctificationen, noſtri, & S. calicem, quae in menſa Eccleſiae collocantur, & utique inanima ſunt, per invocationem & adventum Spiritûs S. ſanctificari., diſcourſing againſt Origen, who did not believe that the H. Ghoſt did operate upon things inanimate, ſays, He (Origen) do's not remember, that the mystical waters in Baptiſm are conſecrated by the coming of the H. Ghoſt, and that the Lords Bread, whereby the Body of our Saviour is ſhown, and which we break for our ſanctification, and the H. Cup, which are all placed upon the Table of the Church, and are indeed without life, yet are Sanctified by the Invocation and advent of the H. Ghoſt.
S. Jerome (p)Epiſt. ad Theoph. Alex. Ut diſcant qui ignorant cruditi teſtimoniis Scripturarum, qua debeant veneratione Sancta ſuſcipere & Altaris ſervitio deſervire; ſacroſ que calices & ſancta velamina, & caetera quae ad cultum pertinent Dominicae Paſſionis, non quaſi inanima & ſenſu carentia Sanctimoniam non habere, ſed ex conſortio corporis & ſanguinis Domini, eadem qua Corpus ejus & Sanguis Majeſtate veneranda.commending the foreſaid work, and admiring at the profit the Churches would reap thereby, ſays, They they who are ignorant, being inſtructed by Scripture-Teſtimonies, may learn, with what veneration they ought to meddle with holy things, and ſerve at the Altar; and that the H. Chalices and H. Veils, and the reſt of the things that appertain to the Celebration of our Lord's Paſſion, are not to be look'd upon as having no ſanctity, as being without life and ſenſe, but by reaſon that they accompany the Body and Blood of our Lord, are to be venerated with the ſame majeſtick regard, that his Body and Blood is.
6. Obſerv. That the Fathers ſpeak of Diviſions and parts of the Euchariſt, which cannot be truly ſaid of the natural Body of Chriſt, which the Rom. Church confeſſes to be impaſſible, but only of the Sacramental Bread and Wine.
Cyprian (q)Lib. de Lapſis. Quidam alius & ipſe maculatus, ſacrificio à Sacerdote celebrato, partem cum caeteris auſus eſt latenter accipere, ſanctum Domini edere & contrectare non potuit.. Another who was alſo defiled, the Sacrifice being Celebrated by the Prieſt, was ſo bold, as privily to take a part of it with others, but he could not eat and handle the Holy (Body) of the Lord.
Clemens Alexandr. (r)Strom. l. 1. — foreign.. When the Biſhop, according to cuſtom had divided the Euchariſt, they ſuffered every one of the people to take a portion of it.
Origen (s)Hom. 13. in Exodum. Cùm ſuſcipitis Corpus Domini, cum omni cautela & veneratione ſervatis, ne ex eo parum quid decidat, ne conſecratimuneris aliquid dilabatur, &c.(if they be his genuine words) ſays, When ye receive the Lords Body, ye keep it with all caution and veneration, leſt any little portion of it ſhould fall down, leſt any thing of the conſecrated gift ſhould ſlip down to the ground, &c.
S. Baſil (t)Epiſt. 289. ad Caeſariam.ſhowing, that they that have received the Communion in the Church may reſerve it, and Communicate themſelves at home with their own hand, and that the practice was thus in Alexandria and Egypt; adds, that when the Prieſt has diſtributed the Sacrifice, he that receives it whole, foreignand takes daily a part of that which was ſo given him, ought to believe that he rightly receives it. — It is the ſame in virtue, whether a perſon receive a ſingle part from the Prieſt, or many parts together.
S. Ambroſe agrees with it, (u)Epiſt. 1. ad Juſtum. Etſi parum ſumas, etſi plurimum haurias, eadem perfecta eſt omnibus menſura redemptionis.ſpeaking of the Blood of Chriſt. Whether thou takeſt, ſays he, a little, or drinkeſt a larger draught, there is the ſame perfect meaſure of redemption to all.
So alſo S. Auſtin (x)Epiſt. 59. ad Paulin. — Ad. diſtribuendum comminuitur.ſpeaking of that upon the Lords Table which is bleſſed and ſanctified, (which is Bread) he ſays of it, that it is broken into little parts to be diſtributed. Which cannot be ſaid of Chriſts proper Body.
And elſwhere (y)Epiſt. 86. ad Caſulanum. De agni immaculati corpore partem ſumere.his phraſe concerning communicating is, to take a part from the body of the immaculate Lamb.
Alſo in another place, he ſays (z)De Verb. dom. ſerm. 33. In accipiendo novimus quid cogitemus, Modicum accipimus & in corde ſaginamur., In receiving we know what we think. We receive a little portion, and are fatted at heart.
Cyril of Alexandria (a)In Joan. 6.57. foreign.ſays, The leaſt part of the Conſecrated Bread (which he calls the Eulogy) mingles the whole Body into it ſelf, and fills it with its own energy, and thus both Chriſt is in us, and we again are in him.
Euſebius (b)Eccleſ. Hiſt. l. 6. c. 36. — foreign.tells the ſtory of the Presbyter, that when Serapion was a dying, ſent him, by a Boy, a little bit of the Euchariſt.
And Proſper (c)Dimidium temporis. c. 6. — Brevem portiunculam Corporis Dominici.has a like ſtory of a poſſeſſed Woman, that received a ſhort and ſmall portion of our Lords Body.
And P. Pius I, in an Epiſtle attributed to him (and made uſe of by Bellarmine (d)De Euchar. l. 2. cap. 5. Si quid de ſanguine Domini ſtillaverit in terram.) ſpeaks of ſome of the Blood of Chriſt dropping and diſtilling on the ground, and directs what is to be done in that caſe.
7. Obſerv. The Fathers ſpeak of making the Body of Chriſt in the Euchariſt, in a ſenſe quite different from that of the Romaniſts.
S. Jerome frequently uſes the phraſe of making Chriſts Body, and ſpeaking of the Presbyters that ſucceeded to the Apoſtles, in one Epiſtle (e)Epiſt. 1. ad Heliodor. Qui Chriſti Corpus Sacro ore conficiunt.he ſays, they make the Body of Chriſt with their Holy Mouth.
And in another Epiſtle (f)Ad Evagrium. Ad quorum preces Chriſti Corpus ſanguiſ que conficitur.ſays of them, That upon their Prayers the Body and Blood of Chriſt is made.
Alſo in a third Epiſtle (g)Ad Fabiolam. Sequeſter Dei & hominum, & carnes agni ſacro ore conficiens.he deſcribes a Prieſt to be one that mediates betwixt God and Men, and one that makes the fleſh of the Lamb with his holy mouth.
Here now they of the Church of Rome take care to advance the Prieſthood, tho' even with words of Blaſphemy. One crys out (h)Stella Clericorum. Qui creavit me ſine me, creatur mediante me., He that created me without me, is created by my means.
So alſo Biel (i)In Canon. Miſſae, Lect. 4. Qui creavit me (ſi fas eſt dicere) dedit mihi creare ſe, & qui creavit me ſine me, creatur mediante me.. He that created me (if I may be bold to ſay it) has given me power to create himſelf, and he that created me without me, is created by my means.
Biel alſo (in the ſame Lecture) makes a compariſon between the Prieſts and the Bl. Virgin, and makes them to carry it from her in this matter.
She by pronouncing eight words, Illa prolatis octo verbulis, Ecce Ancilla Domini, fiat mihi ſecundùm Verbum tuum, ſemel concepit Dei filium & mundi Redemptorem. Iſti à Domino conſecrati, quin que Verbis eundem Dei Virginiſ que filium advocant quotidie corporaliter. Attendite, O Sacerdotes, in quo gradu & dignitate ſitis conſtituti.Behold the Handmaid of the Lord, &c. Conceived once the Son of God and the Redeemer of the World. They (viz. the Prieſts) being conſecrated by the Lord, by ſpeaking five words, do call the ſame Son of God, and the Virgin, bodily before them every day. And then crys out. Conſider, O Prieſts, in what high degree and dignity you are placed.
But now the Fathers they ſufficiently explain themſelves, that this of making Chriſts Body, cannot be underſtood of the natural and proper Body of Chriſt. For
Firſt, They lay it down as a Rule, that whatſoever is made, was not before it was made.
Thus Athenagoras (k)De reſurrect. foreign.ſays, That which is already is not made, but that which is not.
Tertullian in like manner ſays (l)Lib. contr. Hermog. cap. 19. Nihil quod fieri habet ſine initio eſt, quin initium ſit illi dum incipit fieri.Nothing that has a fieri, is without a beginning, but it begins to be while it begins to be made.
Athanaſius (m)Contr. Arian. Orat. 3. foreign.It is the property of Creatures and works, that they are ſaid to exiſt out of non-entities, and not to be before they are made.
Greg. Nyſſen (n)Contr. Eunom. l. 9. foreign.. If he made it, he made that which was not at all.
S. Hilary (o)De Trin. l. 12. Omne quod fit, antequam fiat non fuit.. Every thing that is made, was not before it was made.
S. Ambroſe (p)De Incarn. l. 3. Quod fit incipit.. That which is made begins to be.
S. Auſtin (q)De moribus Manich. c. 7. Facere enim eſt quod omninò non erat.. To make is true of that which was not at all.
Cyril Alexand. (r)Theſaur. Aſſert. 20. foreign.. It cannot be, that what already exiſts, ſhould be brought into being, but what do's not exiſt.
Vigilius alſo (s)Lib. 3. cont. Eutychen. Fieri, ejus ſoleat eſſe proprium, qui nunquam ante ſubſtiterat.. To be made, is the uſual property of him, who never ſubſiſted before.
Caſſianus alſo (t)Lib. 7. de incarn. c. 2. Quae orta jam fuerint, redire in id rurſum non queant ut novâ creatione generentur.. Things already ſprung up, cannot return into that ſtate; that they ſhould be generated by a new creation.
Theſe ſayings do very ill accord with the Doctrine of the Roman Church (u)Catechiſ. ad Paroch. de Euchariſt. n. 39. Sine ulla Domini noſtri mutatione; ne que enim Chriſtus aut generatur, aut mutatur, aut augeſcit., which teaches, that the Converſion in the Euchariſt is made, without any change in our Lord; for neither is Chriſt generated, or is changed, or increaſed.
Secondly, They ſo ſpeak of making Chriſts Body, that it cannot be underſtood of any other than his typical and myſtical Body. For the Fathers ſay, That Bread is made his Body.
Tertullian (x)Cont. Ma…c. l. 4. c. 40. Acceptum panem & diſtributum diſcipulis, Corpus ſuum illum fecit, hoc eſt Corpus meum dicendo.. Chriſt when he had taken Bread, and diſtributed it to his Diſciples, made it his Body, ſaying, This is my Body.
Euſebius (y)Demonſt. Evang. lib. 8. foreign.. Chriſt commanded his Diſciples (ſpeaking of the Symbols of the Divine Oeconomy delivered to them, i. e. Bread and Wine) to make the image of his Body.
Cyril of Jeruſ. (z)Catech. Myſtag. 1. foreign.. When the Invocation is over, the Bread is made the Body of Chriſt, and the Wine the Blood of Chriſt.
Greg. Nyſſen (a)Orat. in Chriſti Baptiſma. foreign.ſays, At first the Bread is common Bread, but after the myſtery has conſecrated it, it is called and is made the Body of Chriſt.
S. Auſtin (b)Serm. de diverſis, 87. Non omnis panis, ſed accipiens benedictionem Chriſti, fit Corpus Chriſti. Canon Miſſe. Quam oblationem tu Deus in omnibus, quaeſumus, benedictam, adſcriptam, ratam, rationabilem, acceptam que facere digneris, ut nobis Corpus & ſanguis fiat dilectiſſimi tui filii Domini noſtri J. Chriſti, &c.. Not all Bread, but only that which receives Christ's bleſſing, is made the Body of Chriſt.
Canon of the Maſs. Which Oblation, O Almighty God, we beſeech thee vouchſafe to make bleſſed, allowable, firm, rational, and acceptable, that it may be made to us the Body and Blood of thy moſt dear Son our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, &c.
Alſo the Fathers ſay ſtill more expreſly, that the Body and Blood of Chriſt, is made of Bread and Wine.
Thus the Author of the Book of Sacraments under S. Ambroſe's name (c)Lib. 4. de Sacram. c. 4. Tu fortè dicis, meus panis eſt uſitatus: ſed panis iſte panis eſt ante verba Sacramentorum, ubi acceſſerit conſecratio de pane fit caro Chriſti.. Perhaps thou wilt ſay, My Bread is uſual Bread: but tho' that Bread be Bread before the Sacramental words, yet upon Conſecration, of Bread is made the Fleſh of Chriſt.
Gaudentius (d)In Exod. trac. 2. Ipſe naturarum Creator & Dominus, qui producit de terra panem, de pane rurſus, qui po…eſt & promiſit, efficit proprium corpus, & qui de aqua vinum fecit, & de vino ſanguinem ſuum.. The Creator and Lord of nature himſelf, who produces Bread out of the Earth, of Bread again (ſeeing he is oble, and has promiſed it) he makes his own Body; and he that of Water made Wine, made alſo of Wine his Blood.
Now all this can be meant of nothing elſe, but what we heard out of Euſebius before, of the Image of his Body, which he commanded his Diſciples to make.
S. Jerome alſo explains it of the Sacramental Bread and Wine, upon thoſe words of the Prophet (e)In Jerem. 31.12. De quo conficitur panis Domini, & ſanguinis ejus impletur typus, & benedictio Sanctificationis oſtenditur., They ſhall flow together to the goodneſs of the Lord, for Wheat, and for Wine and Oil. He adds, Of which the Lords Bread is made, and the type of his Blood is fulfilled, and the bleſſing of ſanctification is ſhown.
And in another place (f)In cap. 9. Zachar. De hoc tritico efficitur ille panis qui de Coelo deſcendit & confortat cor hominis.Of this Wheat the Bread that deſcended from Heaven is made, and which ſtrengthens the heart of man. Which muſt be underſtood of the Bread received in the Euchariſt.
So Tertullian (g)Antea citat. Corpus ſuum illum (ſc. panem) fecit, hoc eſt Corpus meum dicendo, id eſt, Figura Corporis mei.explains himſelf. He made Bread his Body, ſaying, This is my Body, That is, the Figure of my Body.
And Leo Magn. (h)Epiſt. 88. Nec licet Preſbyteris niſi eo (ſc. Epiſcopo) jubente, Sacramentum Corporis & ſanguinis Chriſti conficere.. Neither may the Presbyters, without the Biſhops Command, make the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Chriſt.
S. Chryſoſtom (i)Hom. 29. in Geneſ. foreign.ſpeaking of Wine, ſays, By this the matter of the good things for our Salvation is perfected. Where by thoſe good things, he plainly means the Wine in the Euchariſt.
It is alſo very obſervable, that the Fathers ſometimes call this the myſtical Bread and Wine, and ſometimes the myſtical Body and Blood of Chriſt.
Thus S. Auſtin (k)Contr. Fauſt. l. 20. c. 13. Noſter panis & calix certâ conſecratione, myſticus fit nobis, non naſcitur.ſays, Our Bread and Cup is made myſtical to us, by a certain conſecration, and does not grow ſo.
S. Chryſoſtom (l)De r…ſurrect. mort. Hom. 33. foreign.thus. The myſtical Body and Blood is not made without the grace of the ſpirit.
When S. Ambroſe (m)Lib de iis qui initiant. c. 9. Hoc quod conficimus Corpus ex Virgine eſt. Sacramentum illud quod accipis ſermon… Chriſti conficitur. Vera uti que caro Chriſti quae crucifixa eſt, quae ſepulta eſt. Verè ergo car…is illius Sacramentum eſt.had ſaid, This Body which we make is of the Virgin. He explains this phraſe by another before it, viz. That Sacrament which thou receiveſt is made by the Word of Chriſt. And alſo by another ſaying of his that follows. It was true Fleſh of Chriſt that was Crucified and buried; it is therefore truly the Sacrament of his Fleſh. Where you ſee he diſtinguiſhes theſe two, the Fleſh of Chriſt Crucified, and that in the Sacrament, which is only myſtically ſo.
Heſychius (n)In Levit. lib. 6. — Corpore myſtico non veſcetur.ſpeaking of Jews, Pagans, and Hereticks, ſays, that the Soul in Society with them may not eat of the myſtical Body, that is, of the Euchariſt.
And elſewhere (o)Id. ibid. lib. 2. Chriſtus bibens ipſe, & Apoſtolis bibere dans ſanguinem intelligibilem.ſpeaking of the Cup in the Sacrament, uſes this phraſe, Chriſt drinking himſelf and giving to the Apoſtles the intelligible Blood to drink. Where intelligible Blood is the myſtical Blood in the Euchariſt, according to his conſtant uſe of that word.
Procopius of Gaza (p)In Eſa. cap. 3.upon thoſe words of the Prophet, of Gods taking away the Staff of Bread and ſtay of Water; and telling us, that Chriſts Fleſh is meat indeed, and his Blood drink indeed, which they that have not, have not the ſtrength of Bread and Water; he adds, there is another enlivening Bread alſo taken from the Jews, foreign&c. where he means the Euchariſt, diſtinguiſhing it from Chriſts proper Fleſh and Blood.
S. Ambroſe (q)De benedict. Patriarch. c. 9. Hunc panem dedit (Jeſus) Apoſtolis, ut dividerent populo credentium, hodie que dat nobis eum, quem ipſe quotidie ſacerdos conſecrat ſuis verbis. Hic panis factus eſt eſca Sanctorum. Poſſumus & ipſum Dominum accipere, qui carnem ſuam nobis dedit, ſicut ipſe ait, Ego ſum panis vitae.makes the ſame diſtinction, where ſpeaking of the Benediction of Aſſer, that his Bread was fat, &c. and that Aſſer ſignifies riches; he adds, Jeſus gave this Bread to the Apostles, that they ſhould divide it among believing people, and he now gives it to us, being that which the Prieſt daily Conſecrates with his words. This Bread is made the food of Saints. We may alſo understand thereby the Lord himſelf, who gave his Fleſh to us, as he ſays, I am the Bread of Life.
What can be more clear, than that he diſtinguiſhes here between the Euchariſtical Bread (which he calls the Saints food) and Chriſt himſelf the Bread of Life?
8. Obſerv. The Fathers ſpeak of Chriſt's Body ſanctified and ſacrificed in the Euchariſt; which cannot be underſtood of any thing, but his repreſentative and Typical Body.
S. Auſtin (r)Epiſt. 59. Quod in Domini menſa eſt — — benedicirur & ſanctificatur.ſpeaking of that which is upon the Lords Table (which the Church of Rome will have to be Chriſt's Natural Body) ſays, that it is bleſſed and ſanctified.
And Gaudentius (s)In Exod. tract. 19. Per ſingulas Eccleſiarum domos in myſterio panis & vini reficit immolatus, vivificat creditus, conſecrantes ſanctificat conſecratus., ſpeaking of Chriſt, whom he compares to the Paſchal Lamb, ſays, Through all the Houſes of the Churches, in the myſtery of Bread and Wine, being ſacrificed he refreſhes, being believed on he quickens, being conſecrated he ſanctifies them that conſecrate.
This can be only true in repreſentation, which is ſaid of Chriſt's being ſacrificed and ſanctified (or conſecrated) by us; for the proper and natural Body of Chriſt can neither be ſanctified in a proper ſenſe, nor ſacrificed by us, as I ſhall now ſhow.
1. Not ſanctified properly.
For this in the ſenſe of the Fathers, is Dedication to God; and tho' we may dedicate our ſelves to God, yet not the Son of God to him.
Origen (t)In Levit. hom. 11. Sanctificare aliquid, hoc eſt, vovere Deo.. To ſanctify a thing, that is, to v…w it to God.
Cyril Alexandr. (u)Com. in Eſaiam. Edit. gr. lat. p. 178. foreign.. That which is ſaid to be ſanctified do's not partake of all holineſs, but it rather ſignifies that which is devoted to God in honour of him. Now Chriſt is certainly partaker of all Holineſs.
Jobius *Apud Photium, cod. 222. foreign.. We ſay a place, or Bread, or Wine is ſanctified, which are ſet apart for God, and are not put to any common uſe.
Heſychius (x)In Levit. l. 7. Quod ſanctificatur & offertur, eo quod offertur Sanctificari incipit, ergo prius non erat ſanctum.. That which is ſanctified and offered, becauſe it is offered it begins to be ſanctified, therefore that it was not holy before. This cannot be affirmed of Chriſts proper Body, which was never other than holy, but may of the Typical Bread which was common before.
2. Not ſacrificed properly.
Therefore Gaudentius (y)In Exod. tract. 19. Labores Paſſionis, &c. in figura corporis & ſanguinis offerimus.in the forecited Tract, ſays, We offer the Labours, &c. Of the Paſſion, in the Figure of the Body and Blood.
S. Austin (z)Epiſt. 23. ad Bonifac. Nonne ſemel immolatus eſt Chriſtus in ſeipſo, & tamen in Sacramento omni die populis immolatur?. Was not Chriſt offered once in himſelf, and yet every day in the Sacrament he is offered for the people?
He oppoſes, you ſee theſe two, to be Sacrificed in himſelf, (and that is but once) and to be offered in the Sacrament, and that may be every day.
Alſo elſewhere (a)In Pſal. 21. Praefat. in ſecundam expoſ. Quotiens Paſcha celebratur, nunquid totiens Chriſtus moritur? Sed tamen anniverſaria recordatio, quafi repraeſentat quod olim factum eſt, & ſic nos facit moneri tanquam videamus in cruce pendentem Dominum.. Does Chriſt die ſo often as Eaſter is celebrated? Yet this Anniverſary remembrance, do's as it were repreſent what was done of old, and ſo admoniſhes us as if we ſaw our Lord hanging on the Croſs.
And in the ſecond Expoſition it ſelf, he ſays (b)In ſecunda expoſ. Pſal. 21. Coenam ſuam dedit, Paſſionem ſuam dedit.. He gave us his Supper, and he gave us his Paſſion, viz. By repreſentation.
S. Chryſoſtom (c)Hom. 83. in Matth. foreign.ſays the ſame; The myſtery (viz. the Euchariſt) is the Paſſion and the Croſs.
Which he explains thus elſewhere (d)Hom. 17. in Epiſt. ad Hebr. foreign.. We always offer the ſame Sacrifice, or rather make a remembrance of (his) Sacrifice.
So Eulogius of Alexandria (e)Apud Photium cod. 280. foreign., ſpeaking of the tremendous myſtery of Chriſts Body, ſays, It is not the offering of different Sacrifices, but the remembrance of that one Sacrifice once offered.
Theodoret alſo fully (f)In Epiſt. ad Hebr. 8.4. foreign.tells us, That it is manifeſt to thoſe that are skill'd in divine matters, that we do not offer any other Sacrifice, but make a remembrance of that one ſaving one.
S. Auſtin's words are alſo remarkable (g)De civit. Dei, l. 17. cap. 5. in fine. Manducare panem in N. Teſtamento eſt Sacrificium Chriſtianorum.To eat Bread in the N. Teſtament is the Sacrifice of Chriſtians.
Euſebius (h)Demonſtr. Evan. l. 1. c. 10. foreign.ſpeaking of Chriſt's Sacrifice offered for our Salvation, adds. He commanded us to offer to God continually the remembrance inſtead of the Sacrifice. What can be more plain?
S. Ambroſe ſays (i)De Offic. l. 1. cap. 48.that Chriſt is offered here, but it is (in imagine) in an image, and he oppoſes this to his offering himſelf (in veritate) in truth.
S. Auſtin (k)Quaeſtion 83. quaeſt. 61 Ipſe etiam Sacerdos noſter qui ſeipſum obtulit holocauſtum pro peccatis noſtris, & ejus Sacrificii ſimilitudinem celebrandam in ſuae Paſſionis memoriam commendavit.ſays, Our Prieſt who offered himſelf an holocauſt for our ſins, alſo commended the ſimilitude of his Sacrifice to be celebrated in memory of his paſſion.
And elſewhere (l)Contr. Fauſtum, l. 20. c. 21. Hujus Sacrificii caro & ſanguis — Poſt aſcenſum Chriſti per Sacramentum memoriae celebratur.. The Fleſh and Blood of this Sacrifice — after Chriſt's Aſcenſion, is celebrated by the Sacrament of remembrance.
Laſtly, Fulgentius (m)De fide ad Petrum, c. 16. Sacrificium panis & vini.calls the Sacrifice, which the H. Catholick Church ceaſes not to offer through the whole World, the Sacrifice of Bread and Wine; and ſays, that in this Sacrifice, — Gratiarum actio at que commemoratio eſt carnis Chriſti quam pro nobis obtulit.there is a thanksgiving and a commemcration of the Fleſh of Chriſt which he offered for us.
For want of apprehending things thus, they of the Church of Rome are tempted to utter words bordering upon Blaſphemy; and with Corn. à Lapide, *Comm. in Heb. 7. v. 7. Adde Sacerdotem quatenus gerit perſonam Chriſti Sacrificantis, quodam modo majorem eſſe Chriſto ipſo ſacrificato. In omni enim Sacrificio ſacerdos major eſt ſua victima quam offert.to make their Sacrificing Prieſt greater than Chriſt the Sacrifice.