Saints and Martyrs: the extreme of the other would depress them to the class of rash innovators, and speak of them in terms which may indeed be used of Peter Martyr, or Calvin, or Bucer. Rather let us on the one hand give what praise and honour may be justly due to their early exertions in the cause of truth, to which we owe our freedom from some errors and abuses which still overrun a large portion of the Church: let us upon the other disavow the lengths to which they were at last driven, not so much by the principle within, as by the pressure from without. Above all, let us remember that the Church of England has refused to ratify by her consent very many of the doctrines which have been attributed to her, by men who look upon Cranmer and Hooper and Latimer, and their decisions and indecisions, as her own, and as Herself.

It is not a matter of comparatively little importance according to what rite the Eucharist is celebrated. For example, even if we allowed that the Establishment, called the Kirk of Scotland, or the Wesleyan Methodists, or Brownists, or any other schismatical sect are still in some way not out of the Church, yet it would by no means follow, that they either possess the power, or in fact do rightly consecrate the sacred elements and receive the blessings of communion. Again, that a Priest duly authorized and ordained by a Bishop of the Catholic Church should be the minister, is not the only thing essential to a valid administration. Our Blessed Lord, the great High Priest, blessed the elements of bread and wine, and gave thanks, and said, "This is My Body:" "This is My Blood." The Holy Apostles, and after them the various Churches which they founded, imitated His example, and used certain rites and prayers

which they held to be essential: and it is a part of our duty to inquire, whether the Communion of the Body and Blood of our Blessed Lord be rightly and duly administered, even as we are bound to try and examine ourselves before we presume to eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup.

The Church of Rome has declared her belief that the consecration of the Elements is entirely conveyed by the utterance of these words, "This is My Body:" "This is my Blood." (We cannot say that she considers this to be the only essential rite.) The rubrics also of the Missal speak of them as "Verba Consecrationis.” But, if we rely upon the evidence of the ancient Liturgies we find certain rites or observances, at least three in number, which, because we do so invariably find them, we cannot be exceeding our due bounds in supposing to be essential. They may perhaps be more clearly expressed in one Form than in another: still, in some degree or other, if in such a case we may speak of degrees, they are most certainly in all. If, therefore, these rites are essential, there cannot be a valid consecration of the Eucharist according to any Form in which they are not to be found. As in the case of another Sacrament, viz. that of Baptism, the blessings and privileges attached to it are not (so far as we know) to be

60 "Nulla dubitatio est, quin vel ipsis Apostolis viventibus aliquis fuerit Liturgiæ usus, variis constans precibus in conficiendo tremendo Altaris Sacrificio. Sancto Luca teste perseverabant Apostoli in fractione Panis et Orationibus. Apostolus vero vult fieri obsecrationes, orationes, et gratiarum actiones, pro omnibus hominibus, pro regibus, et omnibus, qui in sublimitate sunt. Ecquando vero ista peragebantur? In Sacrificio ineffabili Christianæ gentis, uti memoriæ prodidit Sanctus Justinus Martyr, &c." Muratori. De Reb. Lit. 2.

obtained, except there be an authorized Minister, and the proper matter, and the proper Form.61

These three rites are, the recital of the Words of Institution, the oblation of the Elements afterwards, and a prayer for the descent of the Holy Spirit, to make them in effect the Body and the Blood of Christ.62 All these are in the Old Liturgy of the English Church, according to the various Uses which were permitted before 1548: they are expressly and in clear words in Edward's first Book of 1549: less clearly, but still, by God's mercy, still in the second Book of 1552 and lastly, in our present Office.

I shall for the present pass by the consideration of our present Liturgy, and that, so similar to it, of 1552: and as briefly as possible give the necessary extracts from the old English and the Roman Missals, and from the first Book of King Edward.

The recital of the History and Words of Institution is most plain in all of these. In the Salisbury, York, Roman and other Missals these words occupy a conspicuous place, often distinguished also by a variety in the type, or writing, “Qui pridie quam pateretur, accepit panem in sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas, et elevatis oculis in cœlum, ad te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem, tibi gratias agens, benedixit, fregit, deditque discipulis suis, dicens: Accipite et manducate ex hoc omnes. HOC EST ENIM CORPUS MEUM. Simili modo postquam cœnatum est, accipiens et hunc præclarum calicem in

61 In saying an authorized Minister, I would avoid making remark upon the question of Lay-Baptism, administered in the Church, by her declared permission.

62 I omit for the present any mention of the ceremony of mixing water with the wine.

sanctas ac venerabiles manus suas: item tibi gratias agens, benedixit, deditque discipulis suis, dicens: Accipite et bibite ex eo omnes. HIC EST ENIM CALIX SAN

GUINIS MEI, NOVI ÆTERNI TESTAMENTI: MYSTERIUM FIDEI: QUI PRO VOBIS ET PRO MULTIS EFFUNDETUR IN REMIS

SIONEM PECCATORUM. Hæc quotiescunque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis."

In the first Book of Edward: "Who in the same nyghte that he was betrayed: tooke breade, and when he had blessed, and geuen thankes: he brake it, and gaue it to his disciples, sayinge: Take, eate, this is my bodye whiche is geuen for you do this in remembraunce

of me.

Likewise after supper he toke the cuppe, and whe he had geuen thankes, he gaue it to them, saying: drink ye all of this, for this is my bloude of the newe Testament, whiche is shed for you and for many, for remission of sinnes: do this as oft as you shall drinke it, in remembraunce of me."

The Prayer for the descent of the Holy Spirit is by no means express in either of the ancient English Uses, or in the Roman: still it is included in the following petition and necessarily must be, if only by the operation of the Third Person in the Blessed Trinity, the sacred elements are indeed made the Body and the Blood of Christ. And who would deny this? The old Missals and the Roman invocate the Holy Spirit therefore in the prayer: "Quam oblationem tu Deus in omnibus, quæsumus, benedictam, adscriptam, ratam, rationabilem, acceptabilemque facere digneris: ut nobis Corpus, et Sanguis fiat dilectissimi Filii tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi." 63

63 Much more express, I would remark, is the Invocation in the old

But in Edward's First Book the prayer is in plain words: "Heare us (o mercifull father) we beseche thee: and with thy holy spirite and worde vouchesafe to blesse and sanctifie these thy gyftes, and creatures of breade and wyne, that they maye be unto us the bodye and bloud of thy moste derely beloued sonne Jesus Christe."

The Oblation to the Almighty God of the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ is in this form in the old English and Roman Uses, after declaring how mindful both Priest and people are of the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of the Son: "Offerimus præclaræ Majestati tuæ de tuis donis ac datis, Hostiam puram, hostiam sanctam, hostiam immaculatam: Panem sanctum vitæ æternæ, et Calicem salutis perpetuæ."

In the first Book of Edward: "Wherefore, O Lorde and heavenly father, accordyng to the Institucion of thy derely beloued sonne, our savioure Jesu Christe, we thy humble servauntes doe celebrate, and make here before thy diuine Maiestie, with these thy holy giftes, the memoriall whiche thy sonne hath willed us to make : hauyng in remembraunce his blessed passion, mightie resurrec

Gallic Liturgy used in the extreme west before the days of Charlemagne, and S. Augustin of Canterbury. In the Office for the Epiphany we find a proper Preface with the prayer, “ut qui tunc aquas in vina mutavit; nunc in Sanguinem suum oblationum nostrarum vina convertat: et qui aliis saturitatem, meri potatione, concessit; nos potationis suæ libamine, et Paraclyti Spiritus infusione sanctificet. Per Dominum, &c." And again, upon the Feast of the Assumption, in the "Post Mysterium," " Descendat, Domine, in hist Sacrificiis tuæ benedictionis coæternus et cooperator Paraclytus Spiritus: ut oblationem, quam tibi de tua terra fructificante porregimus, cœlesti permuneratione, te sanctificante, sumamus. Ut translata Fruge in Corpore, Calice in Cruore, proficiat meritis, quod obtulimus pro delictis. Præsta omnipotens Deus: qui vivis et regnas in sæcula.” Thomas. Codic. Sac. 287. 293.