cach other, as a pledge doth from that thing, of which it is given to us as the pledge, as much as an image doth from that thing, of which it is the image, as much as the figure doth from the truth. We see then that the mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ, which is now received in the Church by the faithful, is separated by a wide difference from that, which was born of the Virgin Mary, which suffered, was buried, which rose again, which ascended into Heaven, which sitteth at the right hand of the Father. For that which is done on our journey, is to be spiritually received, because faith believeth that, which it seeth not; it spiritually feedeth the soul, and maketh glad the heart, and giveth everlasting life, and incorruption, while we look not upon that, which feedeth the body, which is pressed by the teeth, which is divided into parts, but upon that, which is spiritually received in faith. But that Body, in which Christ suffered and rose again, still existeth as His proper Body, which He took of the body of the Virgin Mary, which even after His resurrection could be handled and seen, as He Himself said to His disciples, "Handle Me and see, for a spirit hath Luke xxiv., not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have." 39. tius quoted. XC.-Let us hear also what St. Fulgentius saith in his book con- St. Fulgencerning faith.* "Most firmly hold, and doubt not in any sort, that the Only-Begotten Son, God the Word, when made Flesh, offered Himself for us, a sacrifice and oblation to God for a sweet-smelling savour. To Whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, animals were sacrificed in the time of the Old Testament by Patriarchs, Prophets, and Priests, and to Whom now, that is, in the time of the New Testament, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, with Whom He hath one and the same Divinity, the Holy Catholic Church throughout the world ceaseth not to offer the sacrifice of Bread and Wine in faith and love. In those carnal victims there was a signification of the Flesh of Christ, which He without sin was to offer for our sins, and of that Blood, which for the remission of our sins He was to pour forth. Whilst in this sacrifice there is the thanksgiving, and commemoration of the Flesh of Christ, which He hath offered for us, and of the Blood, which He hath shed for us. Of which the Blessed Apostle Paul speaketh in the Acts of the Apostles, Take heed to yourselves and to the whole Acts xx, 28. St. Augustine quoted flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to rule the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own Blood.' In those sacrifices, therefore, what was to be given us was figuratively signified; but in this sacrifice, what has already been given us, is evidently shewn." XCI. When he saith, that in those sacrifices there was a signification of what should be given us, but in this sacrifice a commemoration of what has been given us, he clearly implieth, that, as the one had a figure of things to come, so this sacrifice too is a figure of things past. XCII. By these words he most evidently sheweth, how great is the difference between the Body, in which Christ suffered, and this Body, which is for the commemoration of His passion and death. For the one is His proper and true Body, and hath naught in it of mystery or figure; the other is mystical, and sheweth one thing by a figure outwardly, while it representeth another thing inwardly through the understanding of faith. XCIII. Let me allege one other testimony of the Father Augustine, again. which will confirm what I have said, and conclude my discourse. In his sermon to the people concerning the Sacrament of the altar,* he thus speaketh; "What ye now see on the altar of God, ye saw also on the night that is past; but as yet ye have not heard what it is, what it meaneth, and of how great a thing it containeth the Sacrament. What ye see then, is the bread and the cup, which even your eyes declare to you; but the point in which your faith requireth instruction is this; that the bread is the Body of Christ, the cup is the Blood of Christ. This is but briefly stated, and it may suffice for faith, yet faith Is. vii., 9. requireth instruction. For the Prophet saith, If ye will not believe, ye shall not understand.' Ye may therefore say to me, Thou hast bidden us to believe; explain that we may understand. A thought like the following may arise in some one's mind; We know whence our Lord Jesus Christ took flesh, from the Virgin Mary, He was suckled as an infant, He was nourished, He grew, He came to years of manhood, He suffered persecution of the Jews, He was hung on the tree, He was slain, He was taken down from the tree, He was buried, the third day He rose again, He ascended into heaven on the day He willed, thither He raised His own Body, thence He shall come to judge This sermon is extant at the conclusion of the letter of Fulgentius to Ferrandus the deacon, concerning the Baptism of the dying Æthiopian. the quick and dead, there He now sitteth at the right hand of the Father. How then can the bread be His Body? and the cup, or what the cup containeth, how can it be His Blood? These, brethren, are called Sacraments for this reason, because in them one thing is seen, and another understood; that which is seen hath a corporeal nature, that which is understood, hath a spiritual fruit." XCIV. This venerable author, in these words, instructeth us what we ought to think of our Lord's proper Body, which was born of Mary, and now sitteth at the right hand of the Father, and in which He will come to judge the quick and the dead, and what of that, which is placed on the altar, and received by the people. The former is entire, is neither cut nor divided, nor veiled under any figure; the latter, which is set on the Lord's Table, is a figure, because it is a Sacrament: as it is outwardly seen, it hath a corporeal nature, which feedeth the body; as it is inwardly understood, it hath a spiritual fruit, which quickeneth the soul. XCV. When he would speak somewhat more openly and clearly of this mystical body, he addeth the following words, "Wherefore if ye wish to understand the Body of Christ, hearken to the words of the Apostle, Ye are the Body and members of Christ.' If therefore ye1 Cor. xii., are the Body and members of Christ, your own mystery is laid on the 27. Lord's Table, ye receive your own mystery, ye answer, Amen, to that which ye are, and by so answering ye subscribe thereto. Thou hearest, The Body of Christ, and thou answerest, Amen.* Be thou a member of the Body of Christ, that this Amen may be true. But why so in We being many 1 Cor. x., XCVI.-St. Augustine sufficiently teacheth us, that, in the bread which is placed on the altar, the Body of Christ is signified, as well as * This refers to the form of administering the Eucharist in the ancient Church, which was thus. The Priest said, "The Body of Christ," and "The Blood of Christ;" to each of which the people subjoined "Amen." By the time of Gregory the Great, the form of delivery was a little enlarged; for then they said, "The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul." And by the time of Alcuin and Charles the Great, it was augmented into this form, "The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul unto everlasting life;" which is very much the same with the former part of that ⚫ which is now used in our Liturgy. See Bingham, Ant. b. 15. ch. 5. § 8. 17. He determines the question in tive. the body of the people who receive, to the intent he might plainly shew Christ's proper Body to be that, in which He was born of the Virgin, in which He was suckled, in which He suffered, in which He died, in which He was buried, in which He rose again, in which He ascended into heaven, in which He sitteth at the right hand of the Father, and in which He shall come to judgment. But that, which is placed on the Lord's Table, containeth the mystery of that Body, as also again it containeth the mystery of the body of believing people, as the Apostle testifieth, "We being many are one bread and one body in Christ." XCVII.-Your wisdom, most illustrious Prince, may understand, second that it hath been most clearly shewn, by the testimony of Holy Scripthe nega- ture, and the words of the Holy Fathers, that the bread, which is called the Body of Christ, and the cup, which is called the Blood of Christ' is a figure, because it is a mystery; and that the difference is not small between the Body, which existeth in mystery, and the Body, which suffered, died, and rose again. For the one is the proper Body of our Saviour; no figure, no hidden signification, but the manifestation of the reality itself is there acknowledged, and the vision of this believers still desire; for He is our Head, and with the vision of Him our desire shall be satisfied; inasmuch as He and the Father are One, not in respect of the Body, which the Saviour hath, but in respect of the fulness of the Godhead, which dwelleth in the Man Christ. XCVIII.—But in this other, which is celebrated in a mystery, there is a figure not only of the proper Body of Christ, but also of the people that believe in Christ. For it beareth the figure of either body, that is, of the Body of Christ, which suffered and rose again, and of the people, who in Christ are born again and quickened from the dead. XCIX.-Let us moreover add, that the bread and the cup, which is both called and is the Body and Blood of Christ, doth represent the memory of our Lord's passion and death, as He saith Himself in the Luke xxii., Gospel, "Do this in remembrance of Me." Which the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. xi., explaineth when he saith, "As often as ye eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come." 19. 26. C.-We are taught both by our Saviour, and by St. Paul the Apostle, that this bread and cup, which are placed on the altar, are placed there in figure or in memory of the Lord's death, that they may recall to our present remembrance that which was done in times past, so that being put in remembrance of His passion, we may by it be made partakers of the heavenly gift, whereby we have been freed from death; knowing well that when we shall arrive at the vision of Christ, we shall have no need of such like instruments, to remind us what His boundless mercy hath endured for us. For we shall then see Him face to face, we shall not be reminded by the outward admonition of temporal things, but by the contemplation of the Truth itself shall see, how we ought to render thanks to the Author of our salvation. CI. Yet let it not be thought, from my saying this, that in the mystery of the Sacrament, the Body and Blood of the Lord are not received by the faithful, for faith receiveth that which it believeth, not that which the eye beholdeth. It is spiritual meat, and spiritual drink, spiritually doth it feed the soul, and giveth life, which shall satisfy for ever, as our Saviour saith Himself, when commending to us this mystery, "It is the Spirit which quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing." CII. In my desire to obey your Majesty's command, I have presumed, though of slender powers, to dispute on a subject of no small importance. I have followed no presumptuous opinion of my own, but have had regard to the authority of the ancients. If you approve what I have said, as Catholic, ascribe it to the merit of your own faith, which disdained not to lay aside your kingly glory and magnificence, and to enquire from an humble subject an answer of truth. But if it please you not, ascribe it to my weakness, which hath failed sufficiently to explain that, which it desired. John vi., 63. Here endeth the book of Ratramn on the Body and Blood of the Lord. |