fuch a custom as this is to be accounted a law, which must not be rejected, or at pleasure changed, without the authority of the church. They who affert the contrary, are to be driven away as heretics, and feverely punished, by the diocefans of the places, or their officials, or by the inquifitors of beretical pravity. Prefently after which the fame council further decrees and declares to the most reverend--- archbishops and bishops, and their vicars in fpiritual affairs, wherefoever placed, that proceffes fhall be directed: in which it is committed and commanded to them, by the authority of the council, under pain of excommunication, that they effectually punish the violators of this decree, who communicating to the people under both kinds, fhall have exhorted and taught that it ought fo to be done. If thefe return to repentance, they may be received into the bofom of the church, after enjoining them a wholefome penance, according to the measure of their fault. But thofe of them who, thro' the hardness of their heart, do not take care to return to repentance, are by these [ spiritual men ] to be reftrained as heretics, calling in alfo to this purpofe, if need be, the aid of the fecular arm. A feronger inftance of church authority than this, one cannot reasonably defire. And indeed the council of Trent itself feems to have been fo well fatisfied with the provifion here made, for punishments of this world against those who should dare to deny, that their half-facrament is equal to the whole; as to be content with only denouncing * anathema against them.

But

Conc. Trident. Seff. XIII. de euchar, can. 3. & Seff. XXI. can. 3.

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But farther it is obfervable, that this article is not thoroughly confiftent with the preceding. For the preceding article tells you, that there is a change made, of the whole fubftance of the bread into Chrift's body, and of the whole fubftance of the wine into Chrift's blood: whereas this article fays, that under one kind only, whole and intire Chrift is received. To folve this difficulty, the Romanists * allege; that the body cannot be without the blood; and that therefore whoever receives the body of Christ, receives Christ himself whole and intire,' But did not Chrift himself know all this as well as they? And why did he, notwithstanding this, ordain the communion in both kinds, if he did not defign that in both kinds his difciples should receive it? Why should the priest receive in both kinds, any more than the reft of the faithful? What commiffion or authority has he for that purpose, any other than that which gives a right to all chriftians? If it be faid; that this is requifite for the more lively representing the feparation of Chrift's

blood from his body:' it is ftill' answered, that Christ himself made no fuch difference; defigning that this ordinance should in a lively manner reprefent to all the faithful the feparation of his blood from his body. Moreover, he comman ed that his disciples fhould remember, or commemorate him, in drinking this cup, as well as in eating this bread; 1 Cor. XI. 25. But his command, it seems, is to stand for nothing.

The reafons ufually given, why the church of Rome does not give the communion in both kinds,

*Grounds, pag. 28. pag. 30.

pag. 31.

kinds, are exceedingly trifling. As to the danger of fpilling; Chrift himself knew that: and yet the council of Conftance owns he inftitu ted the facrament in both kinds. And be fides; the priest is not abfolutely secure against this terrible danger of fpilling a drop, any more than the people. Another reafon is, because wine will foon decay; and therefore the facrament could not well be kept for the fick in both kinds: another, becaufe fome conftitutions can neither endure the tafte nor fmell of wine: another, because true wine in fome countries is very hard to be met with.' But Christ knew all these things as well as the church of Rome; nor does it appear he ever defigned to have confecrated wine, or confecrated bread, laid up for the use of the fick: and if fome conftitu→ tions cannot bear wine; other conftitutions, of which I my felf have feen an inftance, cannot endure bread: and then, if good wine is not to be had, good chriftians will be content with what they can get. But their mafter-piece of a reafon is, that they with-hold the cupin oppo<fition to thofe heretics, who deny that Chrift

is received whole and entire under either kind. Now, 'tis plain, that Chrift himself had not this notion; otherwife he would not have ordained the communion in both kinds. But, it feems, if Chrift himself ordains any thing, which the church of Rome difapproves; he himself fhall be a heretic, rather than they will fail of being obeyed.

I think it proper here to take notice of a fallacious criticism of the author of the Grounds, &c.

Grounds, pag. 31.

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who

who charges our proteftant tranflators with corrupting the text in 1 Cor. XI. 27. by putting and inftead of or, in relation to drinking the cup. Now this criticifm will no way prove, that the communion in one kind only was fufficient to anfwer Chrift's intention. For it only fhews, that if either part of Chrift's ordinance be unworthily received; that is, if a man partakes of either the bread or the cup, without any ferious regard to the defign of the ordinance, which is a thankful remembrance of Chrift; he brings a guilt upon himself. In the mean time, the words immediately preceding, in ver. 26. affure us, that it is both by eating of the bread, and by drinking of the cup, that we fhew forth the Lord's death till he come: and therefore, tho' our tranflation is not exactly literal, yet there is no corruption in the cafe.

But I cannot difmifs this article, without quoting from the council of Florence a very extraordinary paragraph, which has a near relation both to this and the preceding. Concerning the eucharift they fay: * The priest, Speaking in the name of Chrift, maketh this facrament. For, by virtue of the very words themfelves, the fubftance of the bread is changed into the body of Chrift, and the fubftance of the wine into his blood: yet fo that whole Chrift is contained under the fpecies of bread, and whole under the fpecies of wine: alfo in every part of the confecrated boft and confecrated

† pag. 30, 31.

*Sacerdos, in perfona Chrifti loquens, hoc conficit facramentum. Nam, ipforum verborum virtute, fubftantia panis in corpus Chrifti, & fubftantia vini in fanguinem, convertuntur: ita tamen, quod totus Chriftus continetur fub fpecie panis, & totus fub fpecie vini; fub qualibet quoque parte hoftia confecratæ & vini confecrati, separatione facta, totus eft Chriftus. Labbé, Concil. tom. XIII. pag. 537 ·

crated wine, when a feparation is made, there is whole Chrift. Here they have told us how they difpofe of the body and blood of our bleffed Saviour. But what contrivance the church has made for his foul and divinity, to make good what is affirmed in the Vth and VIth articles of this creed; whether they mean, that there are as many fouls and divinities, as according to their doctrine there are bodies, of Chrift; one in every bit of every confecrated hoft, and in every drop of confecrated wine; or how they have ordered it: I have not yet learned. Something of this kind, I take for granted, there must be: otherwife how, according to their own doctrine, can there be whole Chrift in every bit and every drop? But fure I am, that no man, who has just fentiments of the wisdom, and righteousness, and goodness of the divine being, can ever, confiftently with those sentiments, believe, that fuch a doctrine as this is necessary to falvation.

VII. I stedfaftly hold, that there is a purgatory: and that the fouls there detained receive help by the fuffrages of the faithful.

This article receives its explication from those paffages in the council of Trent, which teach us:*

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that

*Si quis, poft acceptam juftificationis gratiam, cuilibet peccatori pœnitenti ita culpam remitti, & reatum æternæ pœnæ deleri dixerit, ut nullus remaneat reatus pœnæ temporalis, exfolvendæ vel in hoc feculo, vel in futuro in purgatorio, antequam ad regna cœlo. rum aditus patere poffit: anathema fit. Se. VI. can. 30. dẹ juftificatione.