two things very clearly 1 st That at that time they kept the Bread of the Eucharist in a Casket or Coffer so far were they from making it an Object of their Adoration 2 d That the mingling only of the Bread that was consecrated before with the Wine that was not consecrated made them look upon the Wine though not consecrated by the Words of Jesus Christ as the Blood of Jesus Christ which is the most extravagant and sensless Notion in the World if we suppose that these Fathers were season'd with the Doctrine of Transubstantiation which attributes to the Words of Christ only the Virtue of changing the Substance of the Wine into the Substance of the Blood of Christ Allatius takes a great deal of pains to avoid this Argument which shews that the Greek Church that believes the same cannot be of the Faith of the Church of Rome In the mean time the thing is certain and Mabillon has ingenuously acknowledged that this is the true sense of that Canon And indeed there are many Proofs that make it evident that both the Greek and Latin Fathers were of this Opinion Salonius one of the most famous Bishops of Gallia Narbonensis owns no other Doctrine but that of the Old and New-Testament Drink Waters out of thine own Cistern and running Waters out of thine own Well S. By Cistern he means the Catholick Doctrine that is that of the Old and New-Testament and by the Well he understands the Depth and Height of the same Catholick Doctrine that is the various meanings of holy Scripture For in these Words he teacheth us to beware of the Doctrine of Hereticks and to attend to the reading of Holy Scripture He will have the Author 's Meaning and not Tradition to be the Explication of Scripture Do not remove the antient Land-marks or Bounds which thy Fathers have set S. By the antient Bounds he understands the Bounds of Truth and Faith which Catholick Doctors have plac'd from the beginning He would have no Man therefore receive the Truth of Holy Faith and Gospel-Doctrine any otherwise than it hath been handed down to them by the Holy Fathers and likewise commands that no Man interpret the Words of Holy Scripture otherwise than according to the Intention of each Writer He doth not own the Apocrypha How many Books did Solomon publish S. Three only according to the number of their Titles Proverbs Ecclesiastes and Canticles V. What doth Solomon say in the Proverbs or what doth he teach in Ecclesiastes and his Songs He assigns but two Places whither the Soul goes immediately For by the Tree Man is understood because every Man is as it were a Tree in the Wood of Mankind by the South which is a warm Wind is signified the Rest of Paradise and by the North which is cold is signified the Pain of Hell and the meaning of it is Wheresoever Man prepares a Place for his future abode if to the South when he falls that is dies he shall abide to all Eternity in the Rest of Paradise and the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven He makes it the greatest Absurdity that a Man should eat his own Flesh which yet follows from the Doctrine of Transubstantiation But that Expression He eats his own Flesh is spoke by an Hyperbole V. What is an Hyperbole S. When any thing is exprest that is incredible V. How is this exprest hyperbolically he eats his own Flesh S. Because it is incredible that any Man should eat his own Flesh but to aggravate the slothfulness of this Fool he saith that he eats his own Flesh to shew that a Fool rather desires his Flesh should waste by Hunger and be consumed by the Misery of Want than to support it by the labour of his Hands These are all Maxims concerning divers important Articles very different from the present Maxims of the Church of Rome I grant that Prosper who was a Native of Aquitain was no more than a Lay-man but he was in so great a Reputation that there were but few Bishops of his time that have shewn more Knowledg or exprest more Zeal for the defence of Truth than he did This Testimony is given of him by Cassiodorus Photius and Vasquez Wherefore his Testimony concerning the Faith of his Country must be of great weight with us Would we know the Opinion of the Church of this Diocess He tells us of a small part of the Body of Jesus Christ thereby meaning the Eucharist or the Sacrament which was given in little Bits And it is in the same sense that he speaks of a small part of the Sacrifice Expressions that are utterly inconsistent with the Notion of the Church of Rome concerning the carnal Presence And indeed it is plain in all his Writings that he follows the steps of St. Augustin in his Expressions and Judgments of things which are contrary to those of the Church of Rome This we may see in his Extract of the Sentences of St. Augustin where he repeats what that Father had said upon Psalm 33. upon occasion of these Words of the vulgar Version which says that David ferebatur in manibus suis in the presence of Achish Where it clearly appears that he understood those Words as well as St. Augustin did of the Sacrament of his Body which may be called his Body in some sense that is to say by way of Likeness as St. Augustin expresseth himself concerning it I cite nothing here from those other Works which are attributed to him because indeed they are none of his I shall only observe two things The first is that in his Epistle to Demetrius he plainly shews that he knew nothing of the Doctrine of the Church of Rome concerning the Necessity of the Ministers Intention for the Validity of the Sacraments for there he attributes all to the Work of God and not to that of the Minister according to the Doctrine of St. Augustin upon the Question of the Validity of Baptism conferred by Hereticks The other is that as he follows St. Augustin in the Matter of Free Grace as one may see in his Poems gathered from the Opinions of St. Augustin and his Sentences so he rejects the Doctrine of Merit and Works as a pure Pelagian Doctrine in several Places of his Writings Lastly We must join with these Authors Arnobius the Rhetorician since it is very probable that he lived in Gallia Narbonensis because he has dedicated some of his Works to Leontius Bishop of Arles to the Bishop of Narbonne and Faustus Bishop of Riez who died about the year 485. Arnobius explains his Belief in the Matter of the Eucharist after this manner We have received saith he upon the 4 th Psalm Wheat in the Body Wine in the Blood and Oil in Chrisme So likewise on Psal 104. he saith of Jesus Christ that he administers not only the species of Bread but also of Wine and Oil. Thus it is he describes the Eucharist and
dead Bodies to be unclean as if Christians still lived under the Law Whereas Vigilantius blamed the Custom of honouring them in the Churches because it was a piece of Superstition in a Place dedicated to religious Worship to bestow any Veneration upon Creatures though the most holy and most excellent that might be St. Jerom is forced to prevaricate upon this Charge his way of defending this matter is such as would never please the Palat of the Church of Rome Nos autem non dico Martyrum reliquias sed ne Solem quidem Lunam non Angelos non Archangelos non Cherubin non Seraphim omne nomen quod nominatur in praesenti saeculo in futuro colimus adoramus ne serviamus Creaturae potius quam Creatori qui est Benedictus in saecula Honoramus autem reliquias Martyrum ut cum cujus sunt Martyres adoremus honoramus servos ut honor servorum redundet ad Dominum qui ait qui vos suscipit me suscipit Ergo Petri Pauli immundae sunt Reliquiae ergo Moysi corpusculum immundum erit quod juxta Hebraicam veritatem ab ipso sepultum est Domino quotiescunque Apostolorum Prophetarum omnium Martyrum Basilicas ingredimur toties Idolorum templa veneramur accensique ante tumulos eorum cerei Idololatriae insignia sunt But we neither worship nor adore I do not say the Relicks of Martyrs but not so much as the Sun and Moon c. nor any Name that is named in this World or in that which is to come lest we should serve the Creature rather than God who is blessed for ever But we honour the Relicks of the Martyrs in worshipping him whose they are we honour the Servants that their Honour may redound to the Lord who saith He that receives you receives me What are the Relicks then of Peter and Paul unclean Is the Body of Moses unclean which according to the Hebrew Truth was buried by the Lord himself and as often as we enter the Churches of the Apostles Prophets and Martyrs do we worship the Temples of Idols and shall we say that the Tapers which burn before their Monuments are the Marks of Idolatry What a fine Application doth St. Jerom make here of that Passage He that receives you receives me and how solid an Answer doth he return to a solid Objection when he tells us We honour the Servants in worshipping him whose they are What a Consequence is this Is there any other Honour due to Relicks besides that of being interred Was not this the Custom used to the Christians of old before the time of Constantius It is well enough seen that the good Father skips over the Difficulty and under a general Protestation of worshipping nothing but God he endeavours to shelter a Custom which had been introduced after the Emperor Constantius's time that is to say about 60 Years before Vigilantius blamed the Custom which but a little before had been introduced of lighting Tapers before the Tombs of Martyrs and passing the Night by them in Prayer wherein he followed the Maxims of the Council of Elvira held under the Empire of Constantine about 90 Years before After what manner doth St. Jerom refute these Complaints of Vigilantius he tells us of the Presence of the Angels at the Grave of Jesus Christ he relies upon the Example of the Apostles who buried the Body of St. Stephen He produceth the Custom of Daniel and the Apostles who spent the Night in Prayer and all this without doubt extreamly to the purpose and the Protestants are much in the wrong to prefer the Opinions of Vigilantius to such solid Reasonings as these But it may be replied That St. Jerom disputed only slightly and for Argument's sake in his Epistle to Riparius not having then seen the Writing of Vigilantius and therefore handled the matter only as a Declaimer This indeed is the best Excuse that can be alledged to make the Reader digest the furious Transports and Invectives of this famous Monk who treats Vigilantius no otherwise than as another Julian the Apostate and seems very willing to have had him destroyed by the Law mentioned in the 13 th of Deuteronomy And after all this St. Jerom is the same in his Book against Vigilantius which follows this Epistle After a Preface which out-does all the Monsters that either the Scripture or Fables speak of he begins thus Exortus est subito Vigilantius seu verius Dormitantius qui immundo spiritu pugnet contra Christi spiritum Martyrum neget sepulcra veneranda damnandas dicat esse Vigilias nunquam nisi in Pascha Alleluja cantandum continentiam Haeresin Pudicitiam Libidinis seminarium quomodo Euphorbus in Pythagora renatus esse perhibetur sic in isto Joviniani mens prava surrexit ut in illo in hoc Diaboli respondere cogamur insidiis Here is suddenly started up one Vigilantius or rather Dormitantius who with an unclean Spirit fights against the Spirit of Christ and denies that any Veneration ought to be given to the Sepulchres of Martyrs condemns the Watchings at them affirms that Alleluja's ought to be sung at no time except Easter calls Continence Heresy and Chastity the Nursery of Lust so that as Euphorbus was said to be born again in Pythagoras in like manner in him seems to be revived Jovinianus's Wickedness in whom as we were forced to oppose our selves against the Wiles of the Devil so likewise are we now equally obliged to oppose this Man's Errors What Ciceronian Eloquence is this What a strange Account of things is here But there is something worse behind see what Stories he tells of Jovinian Ecclesiae Authoritate damnatus inter Phasides aves carnes suillas non tam emisit spiritum quam eructavit iste Caupo Callaguritanus in perversum propter nomen viculi mutus Quintilianus Miscet aquam vino de pristino artificio suae venena perfidiae Catholicae fidei sociare conatur impugnare virginitatem odisse pudicitiam in convivio saecularium contra sanctorum Azemia proclamare dum inter phialas philosophatur ad placentas liguriens Psalmorum modulatione mulcetur ut tantum inter Epulas David Idithum Asaph filiorum Core cantica audire dignetur Surely the good St. Jerom did not think of what he said so extreamly was he transported with an inconsiderate Zeal for Celibacy but however this Zeal of his had a reasonable Motive Prohnefas said he This is the first Heresy of Vigilantius he would have it allowed to Ministers to marry whereas in the ten Provinces subject to the Pope in the seventeen Provinces of the Jurisdiction of Ephesus and in the five Provinces of Egypt they followed a contrary Custom This without doubt was a crying Heresy and yet it appears from the Decretal of Pope to Hymerius Bishop of Tarracona that it had made so little Impression upon the Minds of Men that Innocent I. was fain to write
1 Cor. 11.24 and shews that the Authors of this Liturgy did understand them of the Cross and not as the Church of Rome doth of the Eucharist The Ambrosian and Gallican Liturgies have followed the Sense of the Gothick Liturgy which deserves some Observation We meet with the same thing again Thou didst command by Moses and Aaron thy Servants that the Passover should be celebrated by the offering of a Lamb for ever until the Coming of Christ and hast commanded the same Custom to be observed for a Memorial 4. It supposeth that we receive the Body of Jesus Christ spiritually Let us dearest Brethren who have been fed with the Food of Heaven and refreshed with the Cup of the Eternal Wine render never-ceasing Praises and Thanks to our God begging of him that we who have spiritually receiv'd the Sacred Body of our Lord Jesus Christ being freed from fleshly Vices may deserve to be made Spiritual What it means by the word Spiritual is very plain where it calls the Dove that appeared at the Baptism of Jesus Christ Spiritalis Columba And the spiritual Dove descending upon his Head by the Holy Ghost that camest thy self Thus it calls the Eucharist spiritual Sacrifices He hath refreshed us with the Heavenly Bread and the Spiritual Cup. 5. It takes for granted that the Believers of old did eat the same Living Bread which Jesus Christ gives us For he himself is the living and true Bread that came down from Heaven and always dwells in Heaven who is the Substance of Eternity and the Food of Power For thy Word by which all things were made is not only the Bread of humane Souls but of the very Angels themselves By the Nourishment of this Bread thy Servant Moses was enabled to fast 40 Days and Nights when he received the Law and abstained from carnal Food that he might be the more capable of tasting thy Sweetness living on thy Word Let this living and true Bread which came down from Heaven that he might give Food to the Hungry yea that he himself might be the Food of the Living become to us such Bread as that our Hearts may be strengthned thereby that so in the Power of this Bread we may be enabled to fast these 40 Days without any impediment from Flesh and Blood 6. It calls the Sacrament Gifts laid upon the Altar Be pleased to sanctify O Lord these Gifts which we offer upon thy Altar offering immaculate Sacrifices upon the Holy Altar Let us beseech the Almighty through his only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ who hath vouchsafed to bless and sanctify these Gifts by the offering up of his Body and Blood that he would be pleased also to bless the Gifts offered by his Servants 7. It calls the Sacrament Salutiferam Dominicae immolationis effigiem in sacrificio spiritali Christo offerente transfusam The salutiferous Representation of our Lord 's offering up of himself transfused into the spiritual Sacrifice whereof Christ himself is the Sacrificer or Offerer 8. We find there a Prayer whose Title is A Collect for the Breaking of the Bread after Consecration Which scarce proves that they were persuaded that the Substance of the Bread was destroyed by the Consecration 9. The same which in some Places it calls the Body of Christ it elsewhere calls the Sacrament of the Body 10. It reduceth all to the virtue of the Eucharist Keep within us Lord the Gift of thy Glory and let us by the Virtue of the Eucharist which we receive be armed against all the Pollutions of the World 11. It supposeth that the Body of Jesus Christ abides within us and prays that it may continue there incorruptible Hear the Prayers of thy Family Almighty God and grant that these holy Things which we have received of thy Gift we may by thy Gift keep incorrupted within us And again let us with unanimous Prayer entreat the Divine Mercy that these saving Sacraments being received into our inward Parts may purify our Soul and sanctify our Body and confirm our Hearts and Minds in the hope of heavenly Things 12. It calls the Eucharist Holy Bread Bearing in mind the most glorious Passion of our Lord and his Resurrection from the lower Parts of the Earth We offer up unto thee O Lord this unspotted Sacrifice this holy Bread and this saving Cup beseeching thee c. 13. It calls the Sacrament Holy Mysteries in several Places These many Instances one would have thought might have obliged Mabillon to believe that the Authors of this Liturgy did speak figuratively in some other Places where they seem to speak more strongly and to give us another Notion especially considering the manner of their expressing themselves when they speak of the Feast of St. John Baptist It it worthy and just equal and saving for us always to give Thanks to thee Almighty and merciful God and in this Banquet of thy Sacrament to join the Head of thy Martyr by an Evangelical Commemoration and to offer it upon thy Propitiatory Table as in a Dish of shining Metal And we may add several others upon each of those Passages which seem the most likely to deceive us If we had the Canon of this Liturgy which these Gentlemen did not think fit to give us we should there easily find the Solution of these Difficulties for it is very probable it was like that of the Ambrosian Liturgy where it was so clearly specified that the Bread was the Figure of the Body of Jesus Christ as that it put an end to all manner of Cavillings on the Point Indeed these Words The Figure or Representation of the Sacrifice of our Lord do plainly shew that this was their meaning But we must make a shift to help our selves with what they have been pleased to give us It is easy to judg what those Passages were which Mabillon judg'd to be most favourable to his Cause for he hath caus'd them to be Printed in great Characters that no Body might pass them by Thus the word Truth seem'd to him to determine the Question of the Real Presence the Words are these We beseech thee Almighty God that like as we do now perform the Truth of the Heavenly Sacrament so we may cleave to the Truth of the Body and Blood of our Lord. But this learned Benedictine has suffer'd himself to be overtaken by his own Prejudice The Author of the Liturgy distinguisheth two times the one before the Death of Jesus Christ which was only an obscure Image of a Thing that was to come this is that which is exprest in these Words Or that the Living Bread by denying of himself should not afford Life but for the Redemption of his Possession and the Praise of his Glory what before he vouchsaf'd in a Parable he may now vouchsafe in Truth The other wherein the Death of Jesus Christ hath authoriz'd the Signification of the Eucharist upon which