66

then understood to partake of the true spiritual food, upon receiving the symbolical; and if all this was then implied in the words, "This is my body," &c. so it is now. What the Sacrament then was, in meaning, virtue, and effect, the same it is also at this day. Such was the way of reasoning which some of the Fathers made use of; and it appears to have been perfectly right and just. It was with this view, or under this light, that they took upon them to say, that our Lord's words then spoken, were to have their effect in every consecration after; namely, as being directly declaratory of what then was, and virtually promissory of what should be in like case for all times to come. The same Lord is our High Priest in heaven, recommending and enforcing our prayers there, and still constantly ratifying what he once said, "This is my body," &c. For, like as the words once spoken, "Increase and multiply, and replenish the earth,” have their effect at this day, and in all ages of the world; so the words of our Lord, "This is my body," though spoken but once by him, stand in full force and virtue, and will ever do so, in all ages of the Christian Church. This is the sum of St. Chrysostom's reasoning upon this head; which it may suffice barely to refer tot: Mr. Pfaffius has collected from him what was most material, illustrating all with proper remarks". The use I would farther make of the notion is, to endeavour from hence to explain some short and obscure hints of the elder Fathers. For example, Justin Martyr speaks of the elements being eucharistized or blessed by the prayer of the word that came from him x [God.] Why might not he mean the very same thing that Chrysostom does, namely, that Christ, our High Priest above, now ratifies what he

Chrysost. Homil. i. de Proditione Judæ, tom. ii. p. 384. ed. Bened.

" Pfaffius de Consecratione Vet. Eucharistica, p. 389, &c. Compare Bingham, b. xiv. ch. 3. sect. 11. Albertin. lib. i. c. 7. p. 33. and Covel's Account of the Greek Church, p. 47, 48, 63, &c.

* Τὴν δι ̓ εὐχῆς λόγου τῇ παρ' αὐτῷ εὐχαριστηθεῖσαν τροφήν. Just. Mart. p. 96. Conf. Albertin, p. 31.

once said on earth, when he blessed the elements with his consecration prayers, in the institution of the Eucharist ? It is he that now sanctifies the symbols, as he then did, and, as it were, presides over our Eucharistical services, making the bread to become holy, which before was common, and giving the true food to as many as are qualified to receive it, along with the symbolical; that is, giving himself to dwell in us, as we also in him. There is another the like obscure hint in Irenæus, which may probably be best interpreted after the same way. He supposes the elements to become Christ's body by receiving the wordy. He throws two considerations into one, and does not distinguish so accurately as Origen afterwards did, between the symbolical food and the true food. In strictness, the elements first become sanctified (in such a sense as inanimate things may) by consecration pursuant to our Lord's institution, and which our Lord still ratifies; and thus they are made the representative body of Christ: but they are at the same time, to worthy receivers, made the means of their spiritual union with Christ himself; which Irenæus points at in what he says of the bread's receiving the Logos, but should rather have said it of the communicants themselves, as receiving the spiritual presence of Christ, in the worthy use of the sacred symbols. But this matter must come over again, and be distinctly considered at large. All I had to do here was, to fix the true notion of consecration in as clear and distinct a manner as I could. The sum is, that the consecration of the elements makes them holy symbols, relatively holy, on account of their relation to what they represent, or point to, by Divine institution: and it is God that gives them this holiness by the ministry of the word. The sanctification of the communicants (which is God's work also) is of distinct consideration from the former, though they are

ν Ὁπότε οὖν καὶ τὸ κεκραμένον ποτήριον, καὶ ὁ γεγονὼς ἄρτος ἐπιδέχεται τὸν λόγον τῇ Θεῖ, καὶ γίνεται ἡ εὐχαριστία σῶμα Χριστέ, &c. Iren. lib. v. c. 2. p. 294.

προσλαμβάνειν τὸν λόγον τῷ Θεῷ, εὐχαριστία γίνεται. Ibid.

often confounded: and to this part belongs what has been improperly called making the symbols become our Lord's body; and which really means making them his body to us; or more plainly still, making us partakers of our Lord's broken body and blood shed at the same time that we receive the holy symbols; which we are to explain in the sequel. I shall only remark farther here, what naturally follows from all going before,. that the consecration, or sanctification of the elements in this service, is absolute and universal for the time being; and therefore all that communicate unworthily are chargeable with profaning things holy: but the sanctification of persons is hypothetical, and particular, depending upon the dispositions which the communicants bring with them to the Lord's table.

*

Having done with the consecration of the elements, I should now proceed to the distribution and manducation. But as there is a sacramental feeding and a spiritual feeding; and as the spiritual is the nobler of the two, and of chief concern, and what the other principally or solely looks to, I conceive it will be proper to treat of this first: and because the sixth chapter of St. John contains the doctrine of spiritual feeding, as delivered by our Lord himself, a twelvemonth, or more, before he instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist, I shall make that the subject of the next chapter.

CHAP. VI.

Of Spiritual Eating and Drinking, as taught in John vi.

THE discourse which our Lord had at Capernaum, about the eating his flesh and drinking his blood, is very remarkable, and deserves our closest attention. His strong way of expressing himself, and his emphatical repeating the same thing, in the same or in different phrases, are alone sufficient to persuade us, that some very important mystery, some very significant lesson of

instruction is contained in what he said in that chapter, from verse the 27th to verse the 63d inclusive.

For the right understanding of that discourse, we must take our marks from some of the critical parts of it, and from other explanatory places of Scripture. From verse the 63d, as well as from the nature of the thing, we may learn, that the discourse is mostly mystical, and ought to be spiritually, not literally understood. "It is the spirit that "quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that "I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." I am aware that this text has been variously interpreted a, and that it is not very easy to ascertain the construction, so as not to leave room even for reasonable doubt. I choose that interpretation which appears most natural, and which has good countenance from antiquity, and many judicious interpreters: but the reason of the thing is sufficient to satisfy us, that a great part of this discourse of our Lord's cannot be literally interpreted, but must admit of some figurative or mystical construction.

A surer mark for interpreting our Lord's meaning in this chapter is the universality of the expressions which he made use of, both in the affirmative and negative way. "If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever." "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath "eternal life 4,-dwelleth in me, and I in hime." So far in the affirmative or positive way: the propositions are universal affirmatives, as the schools speak. The like may be observed in the negative way: "Except ye eat the "flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no "life in you." The sum is: all that feed upon what is here mentioned have life; and all that do not feed thereupon have no life. Hence arises an argument against in

Origen. în Levit. Hom. vii. p. 225. Eusebius de Eccl. Theol. I. iii. c. 12. Cyrill. Hierosol. Catech. xvi. p. 251. Mystag. iv. 321. Chrysostom. in loc. Athanasius ad Serap. Ep. iv. p. 710. ed. Bened. Augustinus in Psalm xcviii. a Vid. Albertin. de Eucharist. p. 243, &c. h Vid. Albertin. p. 244.

John vi. 56.

John vi. 51.

d John vi. 54.

John vi. 53.

terpreting the words of sacramental feeding in the Eucharist. For it is not true that all who receive the Communion have life, unless we put in the restriction of worthy, and so far. Much less can it be true, that all who never have, or never shall receive, have not life: unless we make several more restrictions, confining the proposition to persons living since the time of the institution, and persons capable, and not destitute of opportunity; making exceptions for good men of old, and for infants, and for, many who have been or may be invincibly ignorant, or might never have it in their power to receive the Communion, or to know any thing of it. Now an interpretation which must be clogged with a multitude of restrictions to make it bear, if at all, is such as one would not choose (other circumstances being equal) in preference to what is clogged with fewer, or with nones.

Should we interpret the words, of faith in Christ, there must be restrictions in that case also; viz. to those who have heard of Christ, and who do not only believe in him, but live according to his laws. And exceptions must be made for many good men of old, who either knew nothing of Christ, or very obscurely; as likewise for infants and idiots; and perhaps also for many who are in utter darkness without any fault of theirs so that this construction comes not fully up to the universality of the expressions made use of by our Lord.

But if neither of these can answer in that respect, is there any other construction that will? or what is it? Yes, there is one which will completely answer in point of universality, and it is this: all that shall finally share in the death, passion, and atonement of Christ, are safe; and all that have not a part therein are lost h. All that are

s Conf. Albertin. de Eucharist. p. 234, 235.

Nisi manducaveritis, inquit, carnem filii hominis, et sanguinem biberitis, non habebitis vitam in vobis. Facinus, vel flagitium videtur jubere: figura est ergo, præcipiens passioni Dominicæ communicandum, et suaviter atque utiliter recondendum in memoria, quod pro nobis caro ejus crucifixa et vulnerata sit. Augustin. de Doctrin. Christian. lib. iii. cap. 16. p. 52. tom. iii. Bened.