THE TESTIMONY OF THE FATHERS FOR THE Real and Subftantial PRESENCE OF Our Saviour's Body and Blood in the O begin with St. Ignatius, a Father of the firft Age, a Contemporary and Difciple of the Apoftles. In his Epiftle to the Citizens of Smyrna, he has thefe Ep. ad Smyrn. Words concerning certain Hereticks of his Time. They admit no Eucharifts or Oblations, because they do not confefs the Eucharift to be the Flesh of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, which fuffered for our Sins'. 4 (2.) St. Juftin, a Father of the fecond Age, fpeaking of the Blessed Eucharift Adminiftred to the People has thefe Words. We do not take thefe Things as common Meat, or common Drink: But as Jefus Chrift Christ our Saviour being incarnated by the Word of God, bad Flesh and Blood for our Salvation; So we are taught (by the Apoftles as follows) that in the fame manner that the Food from which our Flesh and Blood by Change are nourished, by the Prayers and Be F 2 nediction De Can. nediction of the fame Word pafs'd upon it, is the Flesh of the fame Incarnate Jefus. Therefore fince Jefus by the Word of God was made Flefh, not figuratively but truly, and fubftantially, Bread and Wine by the fame Word of God, are made not figuratively, but truly and fubftantially his Body and Blood, St. Juftin affirming it to be done by the fame Word, in the fame man ner. (3.) St. Cyprian, a Father of the third Age, has thefe Words. The Bread, which our Lord gave to his Difciples, not in outward appearance, but in Nature chang'd, by the Omnipotency of God is Trail. de Lapf. made Flesh. And again, Returning from the Devils Altar they approach the Holy One of our Lord with foul and defil'd Hands. Over-charg'd with the killing and poisonous Meat of Idols, they invade the Body of our Lord with Months, even yet breathing their Wickednefs, and exhaling infectious Contagion- They offend their Lord more with their defild Mouths and Hands, than they did when they deny'd him. Can the Hands and Mouth diftinguish Figures? Or can they reach or invade the Body of our Lord, unless it be really and fubftantially in the Bleffed Sacrament? (4.) St. Hilary, a Father of the fourth Age, arguing against the Arians, who maintain'd only a moral Unity of Will, and not a natural and fubftantial one between the Father and the Son, makes ufe of the natural and fubftantial Union of Chrift with us. in the Blessed Sacrament, to prove a natural and fubftantial Uni7. 8. de Trinit. ty between the Father and the Son in thefe Words. I ask those who alledge only an Unity of Will between the Father and the Son, whether Chrift, is now in us by Truth of Nature, or by Agreement of Will? For if the Word was made truly Flesh, and we truly receive the Word made Flesh in the Meat of our Lord: How can it be thought but that Chrift is naturally in us.And a little after upon thofe Words (my Flesh is truly Meat, my Blood is truly Drink, he that eats my Flefh, and drinks my Blood, remains in me, and I in him) he has thefe Words. Concerning the Truth of Christ's Flesh and Blood, there's no room left for Doubt, for now both according to his Profeffion and our Faith, there's truly Flesh, and truly Blood, and thefe being received and swallowed, make us to be in Chrift, and Chrift in us, Is not this Truth? May it befall them not to think it Truth, who think Jefus Chrift not to be true God. And a little farther on, This is the cause why we have Life, that in us being Carnal (or in our carnal Bodies) me have Christ remaining by his Flesh, being to live by him as he lives by his Father. That is, not only by a moral, but a natural Union alfo, as is feveral times by this Holy Father exprefs'd. And unless we understand him fo, inftead of the greatest Champion of the Catholick Church against, the the Arians at that time, we make him the weakest and most frivolous Reafoner in the World. For his Argument in the figurative Sense, would amount to no more than this, Chrift is only figuratively in us by means of the Bleffed Eucharift. Therefore he's naturally and fubftantially in the Father. What a Confequence for the great St. Hilary to make? (5.) St. Cyrill, Patriarch of Jerufalem, a Father of the fame Age, Catechizing thofe who were newly Baptiz'd, has these Words. Our Lord the Night he was deliver'd to his Enemies, hav- Catech. 4. ing taken Bread, and given Thanks to God, he brake it, and gave it to his Difciples, faying, take, Eat; this is my Body. Afterwards taking the Chalice, and giving Thanks, he faid, this is my Blood. Christ therefore himself, Jaying, of Bread this is my Body, whoever after dares Queftion it? And the fame affirming, and faying of Wine; this is my Blood, who will call it in Doubt, and fay it is not his Blood? In Cana of Galilee he chang'd Water into Wine with the fole Power of his Will. And fhall he be unworthy to gain our Belief that he changed Wine into his Blood? If being invited to a corporeal Marriage he wrought an astonishing Miracle, aftonishing Miracle, ought we not for much greater Reafon acknowledge that he has given his Body and Blood to the Children of the Sponfe. Wherefore let us receive the Body and Blood of Christ with all Certainty. For under the Type of Bread is given his Body, and under the Type of Wine is given his Blood. So we are made Chrift's Bearers, that is, carrying Chrift when we receive his Body and Blood into our Members. Do not therefore think of mere Bread and Wine. For they are the Body and Blood of Chrift according to his own Word. And although Senfe Juggest this to you, judge not by your Tafte, but hold with an affured Faith, and without any doubt that they are the Body and Blood of Chrift, which are given you. Is this a proper Catechifm for a Proteftant Minifter, who is pofitive that a change of Bread into Chrift's Body, is abfolutely impoffible, whatever he is told of the change of Water into Wine; who earneftly contends that the entrance of Chrift's Body into our corporeal Organs is unworthy his Divine Majefty; who maintains we are always to believe our Senfes, unless we will overthrow all the Method of establishing Divine Faith Is this I fay a proper Catechifm for a Proteftant Minifter, or a Roman Catholick Pricft? (6.) St. Bafil, a Father of the fame Age, has thefe Words. 1. 2. de Baper Our Lord faying fomething greater than the Temple is, here Instructs 9. 20 us, that he is much more Impious and Wicked, who being guilty of. Impurity dares offer in Sacrifice the Body of our Lord, who has given himself a fragrant Oblation and Hoaft for us, by how much the Body of the only begotten Son of God is more excellent than Rams and Bulls Bulls More excellent, I fay, not by Reason of Comparison. For the Excellence is incomparable, which certainly it were not, if the Sacrifice of our Saviour's Body and Blood, offer'd by his Priests were only Figures of our Lord's real Body. For according to that, Rams and Bulls were Figures of the fame, as well as this. (7.) St. Gregory of Niffa, the worthy Brother of St. Basil, and a Father of the fame Age, in his Catechistical Difcourfe teaches, Orat. Catech. That being we consist of a double Substance, of Soul and Body, we Stand in need of being united to the Source of Life according to both: He declares this Source of Life to be no other than that Body which by its Refurrection was fhewn to be more powerful than Death, and that this Body cannot be any ether way fufficiently united to us, as a neceffary Antidote against the Poifon of Sin, which has infected both Body and Soul, unless it be received by way of Meat within our Bodies, and admitted into our Bowels. He omits not, nor is he frighted with the Difficulty (which Proteftants make fuch a Bugbear of) how it can be that this Body, which is diftributed to fo many Thousands of the Faithful over all the World, can be whole in every one partaking of it, and yet remain whole in it felf. He maintains, That Bread was turn'd into this Body two ways, by Eating, and by thofe Words of Confecration: This is my Body. That thereby the Nature of thofe Things which appear is Tranfelemented into this Body. In fine, he has thefe Words. Therefore I rightly believe, that Bread now Confecrated by the Word of God, is changed into the Body of God the Word. Can any Roman Catholick fay more? Matth. (8.) St. Chryfoftom, a Father of the fame Age, has these Words. Hom. 84. in Let us in all Things believe God, and not Contradict him, tho' what be fays feems contrary to our own Thoughts and Eyes, but let his Word prevail over both our Thoughts and Eyes. And fo let us do in the Mysteries, not regarding only whats propos'd, but relying on his Word. For his Word cannot deceive, but our Senfe is easily deceiv'd. He never Errs, but its often mistaken. Since his Word therefore fays, this is my Body, let us be perfwaded of it, and believe it, and behold it with our intellectual Eyes. How many now a days are apt to fay, O that I might fee his Form, his Shape, his Cloaths, or Shoes? Bebold you fee him, you touch him, you eat him. You defire to fee his Cloaths. But he allows you not only to see himself, but to touch him, to eat him, and to take him even within you. Its not enough for him to be made Man, to be fcourg'd with Whips, to be put to Death for us, unless he also mix himself with us, and make us his Body, not by Faith only, but in reality. What is there that he who partakes of this Sacrament, ought not to exceed in Purity, what Rays of the Sun Sun ought not that Hand to excel which divides this Flesh, that Mouth which is filled with this Spiritual Fire, that Tongue which is imbued with the Purple of this dreadful Blood? We are nourifked with that which the Angels fee with Trembling, and which they cannot ftedfaftly behold without being dazl'd with its Splendor. And yet we are reduced into one Mafs, we are made one Body, and one Flesh with him, who can express the Power of our Lord, who can fufficiently found forth his Praife? What Shepherd ever fed his Flock with his own Flesh? Shepherd do I say? Many Mothers deliver their ten-der Infants to other Nurfes; but he does not fo, he Nourishes us with his own Flefh, and every way Unites himself to us.-The Things before us are not the Effects of Human Power. He who performed. them in the last Supper performs them now, we hold the Place of his Minifters, but he is the Perfon who fanctifies and changes them. (9.) The fame Father in his 24th Homily upon the ift to the Corinthians, explicating that of St Paul, The Chalice of Benediction. which we blefs, is it not a Communication of Chrift's Blood? Has these Words. He said very faithfully, and very terribly; and whathe faid is this. That which is in the Chalice is that which flow'd from: his Side, and we partake of it. This Mystery makes Earth Heaven. For what is most precious and honourable there, I fhew you here проп Earth: For as it is not the stately Edifice, or guilded Roof, which is most Magnificent in an Earthly Prince's Court, but the Body of the King fitting upon his Throne; fo in Heaven is the Body of the King. And this you may now fee upon Earth, and not only fee it, but touch it, eat it, and return home with it. Whereupon in the 3d. Book of Priesthood he has thefe Words, O Miracle, O wonderful Goodness! He who fits above with the Father at the fame Inftant is managed by the Hands of all, and delivers himself to fuch as defire to receive and embrace him. but qui initi, co (10.) St. Ambrose, a Father of the fame Age, has thefe Words, I. de iis Confider with your felf whether is moft Excellent, the Bread of Angels myst, or the Flesh of Chrift, which furely is the Body of Life? That was from 9. Heaven; this furpaffes Heaven. That was fubject to Corruption, if kept a Day above the Time; this fo incorruptible, that whoever religiously tafts it, becomes exempts from Corruption. Water iffued out of a Rock for them; Blood iffues out of Chrift for you. Thofe things hap pen'd to them in Figure of what was to be fulfill'd in us. You know whether's better. Light is better than the Shadow, Truth than the Figure, the Body of the Creator than the Heavenly Manna. Perhaps you'll Say I fee another thing; how can you tell me it is the Body of Chrift which I receive? This therefore remains for me to prove. And how many Examples do we make use of to prove, That it is not what Nature form'd, but what the Benediction Confecrated, and すん |