"being partakers of those benefits; and the mouth where"by we thus eat and drink, that is, the means whereby "we are made partakers of those benefits, is our true and "lively faith d." This account is formed upon our Catechism, and upon the old principles of our first Reformers, and the next succeeding Divines, before any refined speculations came in to obscure or perplex a plain notion, and a very important truth. All I have to observe farther upon it, by way of explanation, is as follows: 1. When the learned author says, that " the soul is not capable of

receiving those benefits otherwise than by faith," I understand it of adult Christians, and of what they are ordinarily capable of: God may extraordinarily apply the benefits of Christ's passion wherever there is no moral obstacle, as he pleases. And it should be noted, that, properly speaking, we do not apply those benefits to ourselves, we only receive, or (by the help of God's grace) qualify ourselves for receiving: it is God that applies e, as it is also God that justifies; and he does it ordinarily in and by the sacraments to persons fitly prepared. 2. When it is said, that the body and blood of Christ, in the sense of our Church, are only the benefits of Christ's passion, I so understand it, as not to exclude all reference to our Lord's glorified body now in heaven, with which we maintain a mystical union, and which is itself one of the benefits consequent upon our partaking of Christ's passion; as seems to be intimated by the author himself, where he reckons a nearer union with Christ among the benefits. 3. The judicious author rightly makes faith to be the mouth only, by which we receive, not the meat or drink which we do receive; the means only of spiritual nutri

d Archbishop Sharp, vol. vii. serm. xv. p. 366.

• Fides magis proprie dicitur accipere et apprehendere, quam vel polliceri, vel præstare. Sed verbum Dei et promissio cui fides innititur, non vero fides hominum, præsentia reddit quæ promittit; quemadmodum inter reformatos et pontificios aliquot consensum est in Collatione Sangermani habita 1561. Male enim a multis Romanensibus nobis objicitur, quasi crederemus hanc Christi præsentiam et communicationem in sacramento, per nudam fidem tantum effici. Cosin. Histor. Transubst. c. ii. sect. 8. p. 17, , 18.

ment, not the nutriment itself: for the nutriment itself is pardon and grace coming down from above, flowing from the spiritual and gracious presence of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, whose temple we are, while we are living members of Christ.

CHAP. VII.

Concerning Sacramental or Symbolical Feeding in the EU

CHARIST.

AFTER considering spiritual manducation by itself, independent of any particular modes, forms, or circumstances, it will next be proper to take a view of it, as set forth in a sensible way, with the additional garniture of signs and symbols. Under the Old Testament, besides the ordinary sacrifices, the manna and the waters of the rock were signs and symbols of spiritual manducation, according to St. Paul's doctrine, where he teaches, that the ancient Israelites "did all eat the same spiritual meat, "and did all drink the same spiritual drink f” which Christians do; the same with ours as to the spiritual signification of it: so I understand the place, with many judicious interpreters, both ancients & and moderns h. As the heavenly meat and drink of the true Israelites was Christ, according to the Apostle, and Christ also is ours, the Apostle must be understood to teach, that they fed upon the same heavenly food that we do; only by different symbols, and in a fainter light. The symbols are there called spiritual meat and drink, that is, mystical; for they signified the true food, which none but the true Israelites were fed with, while all received the signs. In the New Testament, the bread and wine of the Eucharist are the appointed symbols of the spiritual blessings, but

f 1 Cor. x. 3, 4.

Austin, Bede, Bertram, and others.

h Besides commentators, see Archbishop Cranmer on the Sacrament, p. 86. &c. Bishop Jewell, Treatise on the Sacrament; Mede, Discourse xliii. p. 325. &c. Bishop Moreton on the Sacrament, book v. c. 2. sect. 3. p. 314.

under clearer and brighter manifestations. For proof hereof we must look back to the original institution of the Sacrament, and particularly to the words, "This is my "body," &c. and "This is my blood," &c. To undertake the exposition of them is entering into the most perplexed and intricate part of the whole subject; made so by an odd series of incidents, in a long tract of time, and remaining as a standing monument of human infirmities : in consideration whereof, moderns, of all parties, may perhaps see reason not to bear themselves high above the ancients, in point of wisdom or sagacity. The plain obvious notion, which nobody almost could miss of for six or seven centuries, came at length to be obscured in dark ages, and by degrees to be almost totally lost. It was no very easy matter to recover it afterwards, or to clear off the mists at once. Contentions arose, even among the elucidators: and what was worst of all, after that in every scheme proposed, at the Reformation, some difficulties remained, which could not of a sudden be perfectly adjusted, there appeared at length some enterprising persons, who, either for shortening disputes, or for other causes, laboured to depreciate the Sacraments themselves, as if they were scarce worth the contending for: which was pushing matters to the most dangerous and pernicious extreme that could be invented. But I pass on.

For the clearer apprehending what that plain and easy notion was, which I just now spake of, I choose to begin with a famous passage of St. Bernard, often quoted in this subject, and very useful to give the readers a good general idea of the symbolical nature of the Sacraments. He compares them with instruments of investiture, (into lands, honours, dignities,) which are significant and emblematical of what they belong to, and are at the same time means of conveyancei. A book, a ring, a crosier, and the

í Variæ sunt investituræ secundum ea quibus investimur: verbi gratia, investitur canonicus per librum, abbas per baculum et annulum simul: sicut, inquam, in ejusmodi rebus est, sic et divisiones gratiarum diversis sunt traditæ sacramentis. Bernard. de Cœn. Domini, serm. i. p. 145.

like, have often been made use of as instruments for such purpose. They are not without their significancy in the way of instructive emblem: but what is most considerable, they are instruments to convey those rights, privileges, honours, offices, possessions, which in silent language they point to. Those small gifts or pledges are as nothing in themselves, but they are highly valuable with respect to what they are pledges of, and what they legally and effectively convey: so it is with the signs and symbols of both Sacraments, and particularly with the elements of bread and wine in the Eucharist. They are, after consecration, called by the names of what they are pledges of, and are ordained to convey; because they are, though not literally, yet in just construction and certain effect, (standing on Divine promise and Divine acceptance,) the very things which they are called, viz. the body and blood of Christ to all worthy receivers. In themselves they are bread and wine from first to last but while they are made use of in the holy service, they are considered, construed, understood, (pursuant to Divine law, promise, covenant,) as standing for what they represent and exhibit. Thus frequently, in human affairs, things or persons are considered very differently from what they really are in themselves, by a kind of construction of law: and they are supposed to be, to all intents and purposes, and in full legal effect, what they are presumed to serve for, and to supply the place of.

A deed of conveyance, or any like instrument under hand and seal, is not a real estate, but it conveys one; and it is in effect the estate itself, as the estate goes along with it; and as the right, title, and property (which are real acquirements) are, as it were, bound up in it, and subsist by it. If any person should seriously object, in

Our very judicious Hooker has explained this matter much the same way, in these words, as spoken by our Lord.

"This hallowed food, through the concurrence of Divine power, is in “verity and truth, unto faithful receivers, instrumentally a cause of that "mystical participation, whereby as I make myself wholly theirs, so I givę

such a case, that he sees nothing but wax and parchments, and that he does not apprehend how they can be of any extraordinary value to him, or how he is made richer by them; he might be pitied, I presume, for his unthinking ignorance or simplicity: but if, in a contrary extreme, he should be credulous enough to imagine, that the parchments themselves are really and literally the estate, are so many houses or tenements, or acres of glebe, inclosed in his cabinet, he could not well be presumed to be far short of distraction. I leave it to the intelligent reader, to make the application proper to the present subject. I have supposed, all the while, that the cases are so far parallel: but whether they really are so must now be the point of inquiry; for I am sensible that the thing is too important to be taken for granted.

Come we then directly to consider the words, "This is "my body," and "This is my blood." What can they, or what do they mean?

1. They cannot mean, that this bread and this wine are really and literally that body in the same broken state as it hung upon the cross, and that blood which was spilled upon the ground 1700 years ago. Neither yet can they mean that this bread and wine literally and properly are our Lord's glorified body, which is as far distant from us, as heaven is distant: all sense, all reason, all Scripture, all antiquity, and sound theology, reclaim against so wild a thought.

2. Well then, since the words cannot be understood literally, or with utmost rigour, they must be brought under some figure or other, some softening explication, to make them both sense and truth.

3. But there may be danger of undercommenting, as well as of interpreting too high: and men may recede so far from the letter as altogether to dilute the meaning, or break its force. As nothing but necessity can warrant us

"them in hand an actual possession of all such saving grace as my sacrificed “body can yield, and as their souls do presently need: this is to them my "body." Hooker, vol. ii. p. 337. Conf. Cosin. Histor. Transubst. p. 57,.58.