Can. Mâ—ss Unde memores Domine nos servi tui sed plebs tua sancta ejusdeÌ„ 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 eâ— 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 Vpon 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 Eternâ—â— 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 Vpon 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
Chrysostome (y) In Acta Hom. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verily the Power of Baptism is great c. it do's not suffer Men to be any longer Men. Nazianzen (z) Ocat 40. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am changed into Christ in Baptism Cyril of Alexandr (a) In Joan. 3.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By the energy of the Spirit the sensible Water is changed into a kind of divine and unspeakable Power Again (b) Idem Epist ad Letorum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That they are transelemented by Regeneration through the Grace of the Laver of Baptism S. Austin (c) Cont. Crescon lib. 4. c. 54. Uno die tria alio quinque millia credentium in suum corpus conversa suscepit speaking of Baptized Converts to Christianity It received on one day Three on another Five thousand Believers converted into his Body Again (d) In Joan. tract 11. Unde rubet Baptismus nisi sanguine Christi consecratus elsewhere he asks How comes Baptism to be red but by being consecrated with the Blood of Christ Leo the Great (e) Scrm. 14. de Passione Susceptus à Christo Christum suscipiens non idem est post Lavacrum qui ante baptismum feit sed corpus regenerati sit caro crucifixi haec commutatio dextrae est excelsi c. He that is received by Christ and receives Christ is not the same Man after as before Baptism but the Body of the Regenerate Person becomes the Flesh of Christ crucified this is a Change by the Right hand of the most High c. And again (f) De Nativ Dom. Serm. 4. Christus dedit aquae quod dedit matri virtus enim altissimi obumbratio Spiritus S. quae fecit ut Maria pareret Salvatorem eadem facit ut regeneret unda credentem Christ gave to the Water what he gave to his Mother For the Virtue of the most High and the Overshadowing of the Holy Ghost which made Mary to bring forth a Saviour the same makes the Water to regenerate a Believer Where we may also note by the way That the mention of God's Omnipotence in the Case of Sacraments do's not infer a substantial Change made there since it do's not do it in Baptism and yet the Omnipotency of God is seen in working Changes there Zeno Verenens (g) Ad Neoph. post Baptism Serm. 2. Aqua nostra suscipit mortuos evomit vivos ex animalibus veros homines factos ex hominious in Angelos transituros Our Water receives the Dead and vomits forth the Living being made true Men of meer Animals such as are to pass from being Men into Angels c. He says this of Baptism which is not like common Water which receives the Living to the bottom and vomits forth the Dead Author sub nomine Eusebii Emisseni (h) Hom. 2. de Epiphan Mutantur subitò aquae homines postmodum muâ—aturae The Waters are suddenly changed which are afterwards to change Men viz. that are baptized in them Again (i) Id. Hom. 3. de Epiph. Homo per aquam baptismi licet à foris idem esse videatur intus tamen alter efficitur persona non contingitur natura mutatur A Man by the Water of Baptism tho' outwardly he seems the same yet inwardly he is made another Man. The Person is not touched and Nature is changed Again (k) Idem Hom. 5. de Pasch In exteriore nihil additum est totum in interiore mutatum est In illam primae originis dignitatem nativo candore mutatur ac per aquam Baptismi vel per ignem Spiritus S. aeterni illius panis corpus efficitur Nothing is added to what is outward and he is wholly changed in what is inward He is changed by a native Whiteness into the Dignity of his first Original and by the Water of Baptism or by the Fire of the Holy Spirit is made the Body of that eternal Bread. 4 Assertion The Change in the Eucharist which the Fathers so often mention is either a Change into a Sacrament or a Change of Efficacy and Virtue by infusion and addition of Grace What can be plainer as to the first than that of Isidore of Sevil (l) De Offic. Eccles l. 1. c. 18. Haec duo sent visibilia sanctificata autem per Spiritum S. in Sacramentum divini corporis transeunt Speaking of the Bread and Wine he says These two are visible but being sanctified by the Holy Spirit they pass into a Sacrament of his divine Body As for the Change of Virtue and Efficacy take these following Testimonies among many others Theodot us (m) Epitom ad fin Operum Clem. Alex. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Bread and Oil are sanctified by the Power of the Name not being the same they were according to appearance when taken but are changed powerfully into a Spiritual Virtue The like he says of the Water in Baptism That it not only retains the less that is the Substance of Water but also has Sanctification added to it Epiphanius also (n) In Compendio de Fide Eccles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speaks the same Here in Christ the virtue of Bread and force of Water are strengthned not that the Bread is thus powerful to us but the Virtue of the Bread which Christ puts into it For Bread is indeed an Aliment but there is in it a Virtue to enliven us Cyril of Alexandr (o) Apud Victor Antioch Com. MS. in Marc. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God condescending to our Infirmities indues the Oblations set before us with a Virtue of Life and changes them into the Efficacy of his Flesh And in the fore-cited place of his Comment upon John (p) In Joan. 6.57 he says The least particle of the Eucharist mixing it self with our whole Body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fills it with its own Efficacy c. Theodoret (q) Dialog 1. tells those that partake of the Divine Mysteries That they must not consider the Nature of the Things seen but upon the change of Names 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 believe the change made by Grace And he adds That Christ honoured the visible Symbols with the Name of his Body and Blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not changing the Nature or Substance of them but adding Grace to Nature Theophylact (r) In cap 14. Marc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also says the same Our Lord preserves the Substance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Theodoret of Bread and Wine but changes them into the Virtue of his Flesh and Blood. Greg. Nyssen (s) Orat. in Bapt. Christi speaking of the Privileges which Consecration advances things to instances first in the Water of Baptism and the great and marvellous Efficacy thereof and proceeds to that of an Altar which is at first but a common Stone but after
in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist is contained truly really and Substantially the Body and Blood of Christ but shall say That he is in it only as in a Sign or Figure or Virtue And the Catechism ad Parochos (h) Part. 2. de Eucharist n. 25. says That the True Body of our Lord Christ the same that was born of the Virgin and sits in the Heavens at the Right-hand of the Father is contained in this Sacrament I will now shew that the Fathers advance such Positions as plainly contradict this Doctrine 1 Position The Fathers ever since Christ's departure and Ascension into Heaven look upon his Body as absent from Earth tho' in another sense he is still present All those Testimonies before produced under the Fifth Difference concerning Bodies being commensurate to Space and not being in more places than one and saying this of Christ's Body as well as of other Bodies are a Proof of this Position but besides those I will here add some further direct Proofs of it S. Ambrose thus (i) Com. in Luc. 24. Ascende nobis ut te sequamur mentibus quem oculis videre non possumus c. Ergo non supra terram nec in terra nec secundùm carnem quaerere te debemus si volumus invenire Nunc enim secundùm carnem non novimus Christum Maria quia quaerebat in terra tangere non potuit Stephanus tetigit quia quasivit in coelo Stephanus inter Judaeos vidit absentem Ascend speaking to Christ that we may follow thee with our Minds whom we cannot see with our Eyes S. Paul has taught us how we should follow thee and where we may find thee Seek those things that are above where Christ sits c. Therefore we ought not to seek thee upon Earth nor in the Earth nor according to the Flesh if we would find thee Mary could not touch him because she sought him on Earth Stephen touched him because he sought him in Heaven Stephen among the Jews saw him absent S. Austin is so copious in this Argument and his Testimonies so many that a good Choice of them is only necessary Thus he says (k) Serm. 140. de Tempore Ideo Dominus noster absentavit se corpore ab omni Ecclesia ascendit in coelum ut fides aedificetur si enim non nosti nisi quod vides ubi est fides Therefore our Lord absented himself from every Church and ascended into Heaven that our Faith may be edified for if thou knowest nothing but what thou seest where is Faith Again (l) Serm. 60. de Verb. Dom. Semper quidem Divinitate nobiscum est sed nisi corporaliter abiret à nobis semper ejus corpus carnaliter videremus nunquam spiritualiter crederemus Christ is always with us by his Divinity but unless he were corporally absent from us we should always carndly see his Body and should never spiritually believe This is a clear Testimony that Christ is absent as to his Natural Body and that if it were not so he would be visible to us still Again (m) Tract 50. in Joannem Loquebatur de praesentia corporis sui nam secundùm Majestatem suam secundùm Providentiam secundùm ineffabilem invisibilem Gratiam impletur quod ab eo dictum est Ecce ego vobiscum omnibus diebus c. Secundùm carnem vero quam assumpsit secundùm id quod de Virgine natus est c. non semper habebitis me vobiscum expounding those words The Poor ye have always with you but me ye have not always He spake this says he concerning the Presence of his Body For according to his Majesty according to his Providence according to his unspeakable and invisible Grace that is fulfilled which he said Behold I am always with you c. But according to the Flesh which he assumed according to what was born of the Virgin c. directly contrary to the Trent Catechism ye shall not have me always with you And in another place (n) Serm. 120. de diversis Secundùm praesentiam pulchritudinis divinitatis suae semper cum patre est secundùm praesentiam corporalem jam supra coelos ad dextram patris est secundùm praesentiam vero fidei in omnibus Christianis est According to the beautiful Presence of his Divinity he is always with the Father according to his corporal Presence he is now above the Heavens at the right hand of the Father he forgot to add and in the Holy Sacrament but according to the Presence of Faith so he is in all Christians What can be more plain than another Saying of his (o) Serm. 74. de diversis Credimus in eum jam sedentem ad dextram patris sed tamen quamdiu sumus in corpore peregrinamur ab co nec cum dubitantibus vel negantibus dicentibus Vbi est Deus tuus valemus oftendere We believe on him who sits now at the right hand of the Father but yet whilst we are in the Body we are absent as in a strange Country from him nor can we shew him to those that doubt to those that deny him and say Where is thy God If S. Austin had believed as the Roman Church do's the Corporal Presence of Christ in the Eucharist he could have pointed to him upon the Altar if any had asked Where is thy God Cyril of Alexandria (p) In Joan. 9.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 says Tho' Christ be absent from the World as to his Flesh yet he is present to those that are in him and to the whole Universe by his Divine and Ineffable Nature neither is he absent from any Creature nor distant from any but is every where present to all and fills the whole Universe And elsewhere (q) In Joan. 17.12 speaking of the Disciples who thought it a great loss to them that being taken up to Heaven he would now be absent according to his Flesh he says They ought not only to have respected and looked to his Fleshly Presence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to have understood that tho' he was separated from their Society according to the Flesh nor could be seen by their bodily Eyes yet that he was present and assistant always by the Power of his Divinity Fulgentius (r) Ad Trasimund l. 2. c. 17. Unus idemque secundùm humanam substantiam absens coelo cùm esset in terra derelinquens terram cum ascendisset in coelum Secundùm Divinam vero immensamque substantiam nec coelum dimittens cùm de coelo descendir nec terram deserens cùm ad coelum ascendit One and the same Christ according to his Humane Substance was absent from Heaven when he was upon Earth and left Earth when he ascended up to Heaven but according to his Divine and Immense Substance neither left Heaven when he descended from Heaven nor forsook Earth when he ascended into Heaven Again
about this Mystery both according to the Old and New Testament that no doubting may disturb you concerning this Life-giving Banquet The Sermon goes on with an account of the Jewish Passover and the Application of those things to the Eucharist which I omit Christ before his suffering consecrated Bread P. 469. and distributed it to his Disciples saying thus Eat this Bread it is my Body and do this in remembrance of me Also he Consecrated Wine in a Cup and said Drink ye all of this This is my Blood which is shed for many for the Remission of Sins The Apostles did as Christ commanded they consecrated Bread and Wine for the Eucharist And to his memory also afterward every one of their Successors and all Christ's Priests According to Christ's Command by the Apostolical Benediction did consecrate Bread and Wine in his Name Now Men have often disputed P. 470. and do it still How that Bread which is prepared of Corn and is baked by the heat of Fire can be changed into Christ's Body and how that Wine which is pressed out of many Grapes by any blessing of it can be changed into our Lord's Blood Now to such Men I answer that some things are spoken of Christ by signification some others by a known thing It is a true thing and known that Christ was born of a Virgin and voluntarily suffered Death and was buried and this Day rose from the Dead He is called Bread and a Lamb and a Lion and otherwise by signification He is called Bread because he is our Life and the Life of Angels He is called a Lamb for his Innocency A Lion for his Strength whereby he overcame the strong Devil Yet notwithstanding according to true Nature Christ is neither Bread nor a Lamb nor a Lion. Wherefore then is that Holy Eucharist called Christ's Body or his Blood if it be not truly what it is called Truly the Bread and Wine which are consecrated by the Mass of the Priests show one thing outwardly to Mens Senses and another thing they declare inwardly to believing Minds Outwardly Bread and Wine are seen both in appearance and in tast yet they are truly after Consecration Christ's Body and Blood by a Spiritual Sacrament An Heathen Child is Baptized yet he altereth not his outward shape though he be changed within He is brought to the Font full of Sin through Adam's Disobedience but he is washed from all his Sins inwardly tho' he has not changed his outward Shape So also that Holy Font-Water which is called the Well-spring of Life is like in Nature in specie to other Waters and is subject to corruption but the Power of the Holy Ghost by the Priest's Blessing comes upon that corruptible Water and after that it can wash both Body and Soul from all Sins P. 471. by spiritual Power We see now in this one Creature two things that whereby according to true Nature it is corruptible Water and that whereby according to the Spiritual Mystery it has a saving Power So also if we look upon that Holy Eucharist according to a corporeal Sense then we see that it is a Creature corruptible and changeable but if we own a spiritual Power there then we understand that Life is in it and that it confers Immortality on those that tast it by Faith. There is a great difference betwixt the insible Vertue and Power of this Holy Eucharist and the visible appearance of its proper Nature By its Nature it is corruptible Bread and corruptible Wine and by the Virtue of the Divine Word it is truly the Body and Blood of Christ yet not corporally so but spiritually There is much differencce betwixt that Body which Christ suffer'd in and that Body which is consecrated for the Eucharist The Body that Chrivt suffer'd in was Born of the Flesh of Mary with Blood and Bones with Skin and Nerves animated by a rational Spirit in humane Members but his Spiritual Body which we call the Eucharist is collected from many grains of Corn without Blood and Bone without Member or Soul wherefore there is nothing in it to be understood Corporeally but all is to be understood Spiritually Whatsoever is in that Eucharist which restores Life to us this is from Spiritual Virtue and from Invisible Operation Therefore that Holy Eucharist is called a Sacrament because one thing is there seen and another thing understood that which is there seen has a bodily Nature that which we understand in it has a spiritual Virtue The Body of Christ that suffered Death P. 472. and rose from the Dead henceforth dies no more but is eternal and impassible That Eucharist is Temporary not Eternal it is corruptible and capable of division into minute Parts it is chewed with the Teeth and sent into the draught yet it will be true that according to spiritual Virtue it is whole in every part Many receive that Holy Body yet according to the spiritual Mystery it will be whole in every part Tho' some receive a lesser part of it yet there will not be more virtue in the greater part than in the lesser because it will be whole in all Men according to the invisible virtue This Sacrament is a Pledg and a Type the Body of Christ is the Truth We keep this Pledg Sacramentally till we come to the Truth it self and then is the Pledg at an end It is indeed as we said before Christ's Body and his Blood but not Corporally but Spiritually Do not dispute how this can be effected but believe it firmly that so it is Here follow some idle Visions which that credulous Age were fond of but are nothing to the purpose and therefore I omit them Paul the Apostle speaketh of the old Israelites writing thus in his Epistle to the Faithful P. 473. All our Fore-fathers were baptized in the Cloud and in the Sea and all ate the same spiritual Meat and all drank the same spiritual Drink for they drank of that spiritual Rock and that Rock was Christ That Rock from whence the Water then flowed was not Christ in a Corporal Sense but it signified Christ who declared thus to the Faithful Whosoever thirsteth let him come to me and drink and from his belly shall flow living Water This he said of the Holy Ghost which they that Believed on him should receive The Apostle Paul said that the People of Israel ate the same spiritual Meat and drank the same Spiritual Drink because the heavenly Food that fed them for forty Years and that Water that flowed from the Rock signified Christ's Body and Blood which are now dayly offered in the Church of God. It was the same which we offer to day not corporally but spiritually We told you before that Christ consecrated Bread and Wine for the Eucharist before his Passion and said This is my Body and my Blood he had not yet suffered and yet he changed by his invisible Power that Bread into his Body and
I have already produced three more of their mind who inclined to that which was afterwards a common errour so to defend the true Conversion of Bread that they granted the matter of the Element to remain as they saw it did in all other natural transmutations But we will try whether the rest of the Fathers did not also speak the same thing Justin Martyr (z) Dial. cum Tryph. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speaking of the oblation of fine Flour for those that were cleansed from Leprosy says It was a type of the Bread of the Eucharist which our Lord J. Christ commanded us to make in memory of his passion What we make as was show'd cap. 8. observ 7. can be only Bread not Christs Body in a proper sense Again (a) Apol. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 telling us of the Bishops praying and giving thanks over the Elements he adds that the Deacons give to every one present leave to take of the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist That this was his sense appears further by another Character he gives of it in the same place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he calls it Food by which our Flesh and Blood by a change are nourished What he says in another place (b) Dial. cum Tryph. p. 345. Edit Paris 1615. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Christians remembring their Lords Passion by their dry and wet food can agree only to Bread and Wine which therefore must be supposed to remain S. Irenaeus (c) L. 5. adv haeres c. 2. Ex quibus augetur consistit carnis nostrae substantia asserts with Justin that the Bread and Cup of the Eucharist is that by which the substance of our Flesh is nourished and consists In another place (d) Ibid. l. 4. c. 34. Carnem quae à corpore Domini sanguine alitur Quemadmodum qui est à terra panis percipiens invocationem Domini jam non communis panis est sed Eucharistia ex duabus rebus constans terrena coelesti c. he not only says that our Flesh is nourished by the Body and Blood of our Lord but adds As the Bread that is from the Earth perceiving the Lords Invocation is not now common Bread but the Eucharist consisting of two things an Earthly and an Heavenly c. Tho' not common Bread yet Bread still because else it would consist only of one thing viz. Christs Body and no earthly thing besides Origen (e) Comm. in Matth. 15. v. 15. p. 254. Edit Huet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If every thing that enters into the mouth gees into the Belly and is cast into the draught then also the food that is sanctified by the word of God and Prayer as to the material part of it which can be nothing but Bread goes into the Belly c. but in respect of the Prayer that is superadded it becomes profitable c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nor is it the matter of the Bread but the word that is said over it that profits him that eats it not unworthily of the Lord. Cyprian (f) Epist ad Caecilium l. 2. Ep. 3. alias 63. Invenimus calicem mixtum fuisse quem Dominus obtulit vinum fuisse quod sanguinem suum dixit We have found that it was a mixed Cup which our Lord offered and that it was Wine which he called his Blood. Macarius (g) Homil. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Church is offered Bread and Wine the Antitype of his Flesh and Blood and they that are partakers of the visible Bread do spiritually eat the Flesh of the Lord. Epiphanius (h) In Compend fidei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a place I before cited speaking of the Eucharist says that the Bread is food but the virtue that is in it is for begetting Life It do's not cease to be food tho' the quickening power is all from the grace and spirit of God in it S Ambrose (i) De Benedict Patriarch c. 9. Hunc panem dedit Apostolis ut dividerent populo credentium hodiéque dat nobis eum quum ipse quotidiè sacerdos consecrat suis verbis Hic panis factus est esca Sanctorum speaking of the Benediction of Assur Her Bread is fat c. says Christ gave this Bread to the Apostles to divide it among believing people and now he gives it to us whenas the Priest daily Consecrates with his words This Bread is made to be the food of Saints S. Austin (k) L. 3. de Trin. c. 4. Corpus Christi sanguinem dicimus illud tantum quod ex frugibus terrae acceptum prece mysticâ consecratum rite sumimus ad salutem spiritualem in memoriam pro nobis Dominicae Passionis quod cùm per manus hominum ad illam visibilem speciem perducitur non sanctificatur ut sit tam magnum Sacramentum nisi operante invisibiliter Spiritu Dei. We only call that the Body and Blood of Christ which being taken from the fruits of the Earth and Consecrated by mystical Prayer we rightly receive to our spiritual health in memory of our Lords Passion Which when it is by the hands of men brought to that visible substance is not sanctified to become so great a Sacrament unless the spirit of God invisibly operate Again (l) Idem Ibid. c. 10. Panis ad hoc factus in accipiendo Sacramento consumitur Bread made for this purpose is consumed in receiving the Sacrament But it is neither received nor consumed till it be Consecrated nor then but when eaten And again elsewhere (m) Serm. 9. de divers cap. 7. Eucharistia panis noster quotidianus est sed sic accipiamus illum ut non solum ventre sed mente reficiamur The Eucharist is our daily Bread but let us so receive it that we may not only have refreshment for our bellies but for our minds Upon this account it is that looking upon the Sacrament as a refreshing food to our Bodies as S. Austin here speaks the Ancients believed that by partaking of the Eucharist they Broke their Fasts this appears beyond all question in what Tertullian (n) Lib. de Orat. c. 14. ad finem Stationum diebus non putant plerique sacrificiorum orationibus interveniendum quod statio solvenda sit accepto corpore Dominico says who in resolving a doubt that troubled some minds what they should do when it happened that by a private vow they undertook a strict Fast which obliged them not to take any refreshment till Evening and this fell out upon a station day which was usually Wednesdays and Fridays when the Fast was ended at three a Clock by receiving the Communion Most think says he that on the station days they ought not to be present at the Prayers of the Sacrifices when the Eucharist was administred because the Fast was broken upon receiving the Lords Body Tertullian excepts not against this