ejusdem Corporis cum Christo, et inter nos ovraípovs, i. e. ejusdem Sanguinis. “And be also heirs through hope.] So the ancient Fathers were wont to prove the article of our resurrection by the nature of this very Sacrament. They use this reason to exhort the people unto the frequent receiving of the Holy Communion; because they say it is, águanor abavarias, Medicamentum Immortalitatis et Antidotum, rò peǹ bavεiv, An antidote not to die; which if the men of this age would but set their hearts on, as they did, we should not have them set so slightly by the Sacrament as they do." "Bread and Wine.] It is confessed by all Divines, that upon the words of the Consecration, the Body and Blood of Christ is really and substantially present, and so exhibited and given to all that receive it, and all this not after a physical and sensual, but after an heavenly and incomprehensible manner. But there yet remains this controversy among some of them, whether the Body of Christ be present only in the use of the Sacrament, and in the act of eating, and not otherwise. They that hold the affirmative, as the Lutherans (in Confess. Sax.) and all Calvinists, do seem to me to depart from all Antiquity, which place the presence of Christ in the virtue and benediction used by the Priest, and not in the use of eating the Sacrament.--And this did most Protestants grant and profess at first, though now the Calvinists make Popish magic of it in their licentious blasphemy." Additional Notes to the Book of Common Prayer. "What is the inward part or thing signified?] I cannot see where any real difference is betwixt us about this Real Presence, if we could give over the study of contradiction, and understand one another aright." Catechism. "In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, or the Lord's Supper, the Body and Blood of Christ, and therefore the whole of Christ is verily and indeed present, and is verily partaken by us, and verily combined with the Sacramental signs, as being not only significative, but exhibitory; so that in the Bread duly given and received, the Body of Christ is given and received; in the Wine given and received, the Blood of Christ is given and received; and thus there is a communion of the whole of Christ, in the communion of the Sacrament." Probably, had Overall lived before the tenth century, he would have thought he had sufficiently stated his belief, in the above expressions; but placed as he was in other circumstances, it was expedient for him, not only to maintain ancient truth, but to protest against erroneous innovation; he therefore added these words: "Yet not in any bodily, gross, earthly manner, as by transubstantiation, or consubstantiation, or any like devices of human reason, but in a mystical, heavenly, and spiritual manner, as is rightly laid down in our Articles." (As quoted and translated in Knox's Remains, vol. ii. p. 163.) Bishop Morton. "The question is not absolutely concerning a Real Presence, which Protestants (as their own Jesuits witness) do also profess.... Which acknowledgment of our adversaries may serve to stay the contrary clamours and calumnious accusations, wherein they use to range Protestants with those heretics who denied that the true Body of Christ was in the Eucharist, and maintained only a figure and image of Christ's Body, seeing that our difference is not about the truth or reality of presence, but about the true manner of the being and receiving thereof."—Catholic Appeal, p. 93. ed. 1610. Bishop Andrewes. "The Cardinal is not, unless willingly, ignorant,' that Christ hath said, 'This is My Body,' not This is not My Body in this mode.' Now about the object we are both agreed; all the controversy is about the mode. The This is,' we firmly believe; that it is in this mode' (the Bread, namely, being transubstantiated into the Body), or of the mode whereby it is wrought that it is,' whether in, or with, or under, or transubstantiated, there is not a word in the Gospel. And because not a word is there, we rightly detach it from being a matter of faith; we may place it amongst the decrees of the schools, not among the articles of faith. What Durandus is reported to have said of old, (Neand. Synop. Chron. p. 203.) we approve of. We hear the word, feel the effect, know not the manner, believe the Presence.' The Presence, I say, we believe, and that no less true than yourselves. Of the mode of the Presence, we define nothing rashly, nor, I add, do we curiously enquire; no more than how the Blood of Christ cleanseth us in our Baptism; no more than how in the Incarnation of Christ the human nature is united into the same Person with the Divine. We rank it among Mysteries, (and indeed the Eucharist itself is a mystery,) that which remaineth, ought to be burnt with fire.' (Ex. xii. 13.) that is, as the Fathers elegantly express it, to be adored by faith, not examined by reason." Answer to Bellarmine, c. i. p. 11. But "To conclude; not only thus to frame meditations and resolutions, but even some practice too, out of this act of ' apprehension.' It is very agreeable to reason, saith the Apostle, that we endeavour and make a proffer, if we may by any means, to apprehend' Him in His, by Whom we are thus in our nature apprehended,' or, as He termeth it, comprehended,' even Christ Jesus; and be united to Him this day, as He was to us this day, by a mutual and reciprocal apprehension.' We may so, and we are bound so; vere dignum et justum est. And we do so, so oft as we do with St. James lay hold of, ' apprehend,' or receive insitum Verbum, the Word which is daily grafted into us.' For the Word' He is, and in the word He is received by us. But that is not the proper of this day, unless there be another joined unto it. This day Verbum caro factum est, and so must be apprehended' in both. specially in His flesh as this day giveth it, as this day would have us. Now the Bread which we break, is it not the partaking of the Body, of the Flesh, of Jesus Christ?" It is surely; and by it and by nothing more are we made partakers of this blessed union. A little before He said, Because the children were partakers of flesh and blood, He also would take part with them.' May not we say the same? Because He hath so done, taken ours of us, we also ensuing His steps will participate with Him and with His Flesh which He hath taken of us. It is most kindly to take part with Him in that which He took part in with us, and that, to no other end, but that He might make the receiving of it by us a means whereby He might dwell in us, and we in Him;' He taking our flesh, and we receiving His Spirit; by His flesh which He took of us receiving His Spirit which He imparteth to us; that, as He by ours became consors humanæ naturæ, so we by His might become consortes Divinæ naturæ, partakers of the Divine nature.' Verily, it is the most straight and perfect taking hold' that is. taking hold' that is. No union so 6 Not knitteth as it. Not consanguinity; brethren fall out. marriage; man and wife are severed. But that which is nourished, and the nourishment wherewith-they never are, never can be severed, but remain one for ever. With this act then of mutual' taking,' taking of His flesh as He hath taken ours, let us seal our duty to Him this day, for taking not Angels,' but the seed of Abraham.'" Serm. I. on Nativity, Works, vol. i. p. 16. "He is given us, as Himself saith, as the living Bread from Heaven,' which Bread is His flesh' born this day, and after 'given for the life of the world.' For look how we do give back that He gave us, even so doth He give back to us that which we gave Him, that which He had of us. This He gave for us in Sacrifice, and this He giveth us in the Sacrament, that the Sacrifice may by the Sacrament be truly applied to us. And let me commend this to you; He never bade, accipite, plainly take,' but in this only; and that, because the effect of this day's union is no ways more lively represented, no way more effectually wrought, than by this use." Serm. II. on Nativity, vol. i. p. 30. "And I may safely say it with good warrant, from those words especially and chiefly, which, as He Himself saith of them, are spirit and life," even those words, which joined to the element make the blessed Sacrament. we see; 66 "There was good proof made of it this day. All the way did He preach to them, even till they came to Emmaus, and their hearts were hot within them, which was a good sign: but their eyes were not opened but " at the breaking of bread," and then they were. That is the best and surest sense we know, and therefore most to be accounted of. There we taste, and there " taste and see how gracious the Lord is." There we are made to "drink of the Spirit," there our "hearts are strengthened and stablished with grace." There is the Blood which shall " purge our consciences from dead works," whereby we may "die to sin." There the Bread of God, which shall endue our souls with much strength; yea, multiply strength in them to live unto God; yea, to live to Him continually; for he that "eateth His flesh and drinketh His blood, dwelleth in Christ, and Christ in him;" not inneth, or sojourneth for a time, but dwelleth continually. And, never can we more truly, or properly say in Christo Jesu Domino nostro, as when we come new from that holy action, for then He is in us, and we in Him indeed." Serm. I. on the Resurrection, p. 204, 5. "If such a new consecrating we need, what better time than the feast of first-fruits, the sacrificing time under the Law? and in the Gospel, the day of Christ's rising, our first-fruits, by Whom we are thus consecrate? The day wherein He was Himself restored to the perfection of His spiritual life, the life of glory, is the best for us to be restored in to the first fruits of that spiritual life, the life of grace. "And if we ask, what shall be our means of this consecrating? The Apostle telleth us, we are sanctified by the" oblation of the Body of Jesus.” That is the best means to restore us to that life. He hath said it, and shewed it Himself; "He that eateth Me, shall live by Me." The words spoken concerning that, are both "spirit and life," whether we seek for the spirit or seek for life. Such was the means of our death, by eating the forbidden fruit, the first-fruits of death; and such is the means of our life, by eating the flesh of Christ, the first-fruits of life. "And herein we shall very fully fit, not the time only and the means, but also the manner. For as by partaking the flesh and blood, the substance of the "first Adam," we came to our death, so to life we cannot come, unless we do participate with the flesh and blood of the "second Adam,” that is, Christ. We drew death from the first, by partaking the substance; and so must we draw life from the second, by the same. This is the way; become branches of the Vine, and partakers of His nature, and so of His life and verdure both." Serm. II. p. 219, 20. "To end; because we be speaking of a hope to be laid up in our bosom, it falleth out very fitly, that even at this time, festum spei, the Church offereth us a notable pledge, and earnest of this hope there to bestow; even the holy Eucharist, the flesh wherein our Redeemer was seen and suffered, and paid the price of our redemption; and together with it "the holy Spirit, whereby we are sealed to the great day of our redemption." To the laying up of which earnest of our hope, and interest in all these, we are invited at this time, even literally to lodge and lay it up in our bosom. We shall be the nearer our scio, if we taste and see by it, how gracious the Lord is;" the nearer our spero, if an earnest or pledge of it be laid up within us; the nearer our redemption, if we have within us the price of it; and rr |