ans among them, who have little or no Wine at all? How many abftemious Chriftians are there in the World, who cannot bear the Tafte or Smell of Wine? And to go no further, for an Inftance of all this, than the Northern Parts of our own Country. How many of their Priefs, to my certain Knowledge, are fo poor, that many of them do fcarce receive as much Money, in a Year, from their Parishioners, as wou'd purchafe Wine enough to communicate their People, under the Species of Wine only, even at Eafter?

And muft none of all these receive the Sacrament in one Kind, because they cannot receive it in both? No doubt they ought not, if the taking it in both Kinds be of the Effence of the Sacrament. What will become then, of the People in the primitive Church, of the Solataries or Hermits, who frequently or rather daily took it under the Species of Bread alone? Of the People who took it at Home in their Houses, of the fick who took it likewife under the fame Species? Or of the Children, who took it under the Species of Wine? Or rather what fhall we fay of the primitive Holy Fathers and Paftors of the Church, who not only faw and knew, but also approved of this Practice? St. Cyprian, Lib. de Lapfis, gives three Inftances of this Practice of the firft of which, he was an Eye Witnefs himself. The firft of a little Girl at the Breaft. The fecond of a certain Woman who had at Home in her House the Blessed Sacrament, under the Species of Bread, laid it up in a Box or Cheft. And the third of a Man, who attempted to carry home the Sacrament under the Species of Bread, between both

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his Hands, as the Chriftians were accustomed to do, and to take every Day at Home in Order to ftrengthen themselves against the Violence of the Perfecutions which they hourly expected. Let us hear his own Words," Præfentè ac "Tefte me ipfo accipite quid evenerit. Paren"tes forté fugientes, duni trepidi minùs fibi con"fulunt, fub Nutricis Alimento parvulam Fili"am reliquerunt, relictam Nutrix detulit ad Magiftratus. Illi ei apud Idolum, quo Populus confluebat, quod Carnem nec dum poffet "edere per Ætatem, Panen Mero mixtum, "quod tamen & ipfum de Immolatione pereun"tium fupererat, tradiderunt. Recepit Filiam "poftmodum Mater. Sed Facinus Puella com""miffura tam loqui & indicare non potuit, quam

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nec intelligere prius potuit, nec arcere. Ig "noratione igitur obreptum eft, ut Sacrificanti"bus nobis eam fecum Mater inferret. Sed e"nim Puella mixta cum Sanctis, Precis noftræ & "Orationis impatiens, Nunc Ploratu concuti, "nunc Mentis ftu cæpit fluctuabunda jactari, "&velut Tortore cogente, quibus poterat In"dicijs Confcientiam facti in fimplicibus adhuc "Annis rudis Anima fatebatur. Ubi vero fo "lenibus adimpletis Calicem Diaconus offerre "Præfentibus cæpit, & accipientibus Cæteris "Locus ejus advenit, Faciem fuam Parvula in

ftinctu divinæ Majeftatis avertere, Os Labijs "opturantibus premere, Calicem recufare. Per"ftitit tamen Diaconus, & reluctanti licet, de "Sacramento Calicis infudit. Tunc fequitur fingultus & Vomitus. In Corpore ac Ore violato Euchariftia permanere non potuit. Sanctificatus in Domini Sanguine Potus de pollutis "Vifceribus erupit. Tanta eft Poteftas Domini,

"tanta

A cer

tanta Majeftas!" Hear what happened, I my felf being prefent and Witness thereof. tain Father and Mother fleeing from Perfecuti on, whilft in their Fear they did not take fuffici ent Care, left to be Suckled by a Nurfe their little Daughter, of whom the Nurfe informed the Magiftrates: Thefe gave the Child, at the Idol, whither the People gather'd together, Bread fteeped in Wine, because she could not eat Flejh for her Age, which Bread remained of what was offered in Sacrifice by those who perish. The Mother afterward recieves her Daughter, but the Child could neither tell the Crime he committed, nor understand it, nor binder it. It happened therefore ignorantly, that as we were offering the Sacrifice, her Mother brought her in with berfelf. But the Girl mixt with the Saints, not being able to bear our Prayers, began now to tremble and cry; again to move and swell up, and, as if he had been compelled by an Executioner; her Ignorant Soul in fo tender Years confeed the Fact, with fuch Marks as she was able. to give thereof. But when the Solemnity was over, the Deacon began to prefent the Chalice to fuch as were by; and when they bad received, and it came to her turn, the little one turned afde ·ber Face, by the Inftinct of the divine Majefty, clofed her Mouth with her Lits, and refufed the Chalice. The Deacon however perfifted, and notwithflanding her Refiftance poured down her Throat fome of the Sacrament of the Chalice. Immediatly followed, fobbing and heaving. The Eucharift cou'd not remain in a polluted Body and Mouth. The Drink fanctified in the Blood of the Lord, came up out of her polluted Bowels, great is the Power of the Lord, fo great his Majefty! K 4

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"Et cum Quædam (continues St. Cyprian) Ar"cam fuam, in qua Domini Sanctum fuit, Mani "bus indignis tentaffet apperire, Igne inde fur"gente deterrita eft, ne auderet attingere."

And when a certain Woman bad attempted with polluted Hands, to open her Cheft, in which the holy one of the Lord was laid, he was fo frightened by a Fire flaming out from thence, that he durft not touch it.

"Et alius (adds be) qui & ipfe maculatus ; Sa"crificio a Sacerdote celebrato, Partem cum "cæteris aufus eft latentèr accipere: Sanctum "Domini edere, & contrectare non potuit: Ci"nerem ferre fe appertis Manibus invenit."

And another, who was also polluted; when the Priest had celebrated the Sacrifice, prefumed to take privily a Piece with the reft; he could not eat or touch the holy one of the Lord; he found, when he had opened bis Hands, that he carried Afbes.

Here your Grace may please to observe, that St. Cyprian was fo far from condemning the Practice of giving the Sacrament in one Kind; to little Children under the Species of Wine; to Men and Women under the Species of Bread to be carry'd to their Houses; for their daily fpiritual Refection, and in order to ftrengthen themselves in Time of Perfecution, that he only declaims against thofe, who had prefumed to receive it with polluted Hearts or Hands. But wou'd not he (think you My Lord) cry aloud against the Practice it felf, had he believed, that it was effential to the Worthy Participation of the Sacrament, to take it in both Kinds? For my Part, My Lord, I fhou'd be apt to believe

was not, had I no other Evidence of the

Mate

Matter, than that of a Man of St. Cyprian's Antiquity, Learning and Piety. But that your Grace may fee this Practice was not peculiar to the Churches of Affrica, of which St. Cyprian was the chief Bishop in his own Days: I fhall furnish your Grace with Examples, of the like Practice, both in the Greek and Latin Churches.

Eufebius Cafarienfis the famous Ecclefiaftical. Hiftorian, Lib 6. Cap. 36. relates a Paffage to the fame Purpose, which he copied from a Letter wrote by Dionyfius Bishop of Alexandria to a certain Fabius, who favoured the Schifm of Novatus. Here are Dionyfius his Words, made English from the Greek: There dwelt with us a certain faithful Old Man, whofe Name was Serapion: Who altho' he had paffed a great Part of his Life with Integrity and blamelefs, yet in Time of Perfecution fell through Infirmity of Mind. This Man very often earnestly defired to be again réceived into the Church: But no Man, because be bad facrificed to the Idols, gave Ear to his Petition. Having fallen into a Fit of Sickness, be continued three Days without Speech or Senfe. On the fourth Day being a little cafed, be called bis Nephew unto him, and faid: How long will ye detain me O Son? Haften I pray, and difmifs me foon. Call unto me one of the Priests. When he had spoke thefe Words, be loft his Speech again. The Boy ran for the Prieft. It was then Night; the Priest himself was fick, and could not come to him: But because I had order'd, that fuch as were upon the Point of De parting this Life,fhou'd be made Partakers of the boly Myfteries (provided they had called for them, and efpecially if before, whilst they were in perfect Health, they had bumbly defired them) That fo be

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