Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

XXVIII.

of this nature could never have got into the Church in ART. any age, if thofe of the age that admitted it had not known that it had been the doctrine of the former age, and fo upwards to the age of the Apoftles. It is not to be denied, but that very early both Juftin Martyr and Irenæus thought, that there was fuch a fanctification of the elements, that there was a divine virtue in them: and in those very paffages which we have urged from the arguings of the Fathers against the Eutychians, though they do plainly prove that they believed that the fubflance of bread and wine did ftill remain; yet they do fuppofe an union of the elements to the body of Chrift, like that of the human nature's being united to the divine. Here a foundation was laid for all the fuperftructure that was afterwards raised upon it. For though the liturgies and public offices continued long in the firft fimplicity, yet the Fathers, who did very much study eloquence, chiefly the Greek Fathers, carried this matter very far in their fermons and homilies. They did only apprehend the profanation of the facrament, from the unworthiness of thofe who came to it; and being much fet on the begetting a due reverence for fo holy an action, and a ferioufnefs in the performance of it, they urged all the topics that fublime figures or warm expreffions could help them with; and with this exalted eloquence of theirs we muft likewife obferve the ftate that the world fell in, in the fifth century: vaft fwarms out of the North over-run the Roman empire, and by a long continued fucceffion of new invaders all was facked and ruined. In the Weft, the Goths were followed by the Vandals, the Alans, the Gepides, the Franks, the Sweves, the Huns, and the Lombards, fome of thefe nations; and in the conclufion the Saracens and Turks in the Eaft made havoc of all that was polite or learned; by which we loft the chief writings of the firft and beft times; but instead of thefe, many fpurious ones were afterwards produced, and they paffed eafily in dark and ignorant ages. All fell under much oppreffion and mifery, and Europe was fo over-run with barbarity and ignorance, that it cannot be eafily apprehended, but by fuch as have been at the pains to go through one of the ungratefulleft pieces of ftudy that can be well imagined, and have read the productions of thofe ages. The understanding the Scriptures, or languages, or hiftory, was not fo much as thought on. Some affected homilies or defcantings on the rituals of the Church, full of many very odd fpeculations about them, are among the beft of the writings of thofe times. They were eafily

Gg3

impofed

ART. impofed on by any new forgery; witnefs the reception
XXVIII. and authority that was given to the Decretal Epifiles of

the Popes of the first three centuries; which for many ages
maintained its credit, though it was plainly a forgery of
the eighth century, and was contrived with fo little art,
that there is not in them colour enough to excuse the ig-
norance of thofe that were deceived by it. As it is an
eafy thing to mislead ignorant multitudes, fo there is
fomewhat in incredible opinions and stories, that is fuited
to fuch a state of mankind; and as men are apt to fancy
that they fee fprights, especially in the night, fo the
more of darkness and unconceivablenefs that there is in
an opinion, it is the more properly calculated for fuch
times. The
ages
that fucceeded were not only times of
ignorance, but they were alfo times of much corruption.
The writers of the fourth and fifth centuries give us dif
mal representations of the corruptions of their times; and
the fcandalous unconftancy of the councils of those ages,
is too evident a proof of what we find faid by the good
men of thofe days: but things fell lower and lower in
the fucceeding ages. It is an amazing thing, that in the
very office of confecrating bithops, examinations are or-
dered concerning thofe crimes, the very mention of
which give horror; De Coitu cum Mafculo et cum Quadru
pedibus.

The Popes more particularly were fuch a fucceffion of men, that, as their own hiftorians have defcribed them, nothing in any hiftory can be produced that is like them. The characters they give them are fo monftrous, that nothing under the authority of unqueftioned writers, and the evidence of the facts themfelves, could make them credible.

But that which makes the introduction of this doctrine appear the more probable is, that we plainly fee the whole body of the Clergy was every where fo influenced by the management of the Popes, that they generally entered into combinations to fubject the temporalty to the fpiritualty; and therefore every opinion that tended to render the perfons of the Clergy facred, and to raise their character high, was fure to receive the beft entertainment, and the greatest encouragement poffible. Nothing could carry this fo far as an opinion that reprefented the Prieft as having a character by which, with a few words, he could make a God. The opinion of Tranfubftantiation was fuch an engine, that it being once fet on foot, could not but meet with a favourable reception from thofe who were then feeking all poffible colours to give credit to

their authority, and to advance it. The numbers of the Clergy were then fo great, and their contrivances were fo well fuited to the credulity and fuperftition of thofe times, that, by visions and wonderful ftories confidently vouched, they could easily infufe any thing into weak and giddy multitudes. Befides, that the genius of thofe times led them much to the love of pomp and fhew; they had loft the true power and beauty of religion, and were willing, by outward appearances, to balance or compenfate for their great defects.

But befides all thofe general confiderations, which fuch as are acquainted with the hiftory of those ages know do belong to them in a much higher degree than is here fet forth; there are fome fpecialties that relate to this doctrine in particular, which will make the introduction of it appear the more practicable. This had never been condemned in any former age: for as none condemn errors by anticipation or prophecy; fo the promoters of it had this advantage, that no formal decifion had been made against them. It did alfo in the outward found agree with the words of the inftitution, and the phrases generally used, of the elements being changed into the body and blood of Chrift: outward found and appearance was enough in ignorant ages to hide the change that was made. The ftep that is made from believing any thing in general, with an indiftinct and confufed apprehenfion, to a determined way of explaining it, is not hard to be brought about.

The people in general believed that Chrift was in the facrament, and that the elements were his body and blood, without troubling themselves to examine in what manner all this was done: fo it was no great ftep in a dark age to put a particular explanation of this upon them and this change being brought in without any vifible alterations made in the worship, it must needs have paffed with the world the more eafily: for in all times vifible rites are more minded by the people than speculative points, which they confider very little. No alterations were at firft made in the worship; the adoration of the hoft, and the proceffions invented to honour it, came afterwards.

ART.

XXVIII.

iii. Tit. 42.

cap. 10.

Honorius the IVth, who first appointed the adoration, Greg. De does not pretend to found it on ancient practice: only he cret. Lib. commands the priests to tell the people to do it: and he at first enjoined only an inclination of the head to the facrament. But his fucceffor Gregory the IXth did more refolutely command it, and ordered a bell to be rung at

the

ART. the confecration and elevation, to give notice of it, that XXVIII. fo all thofe who heard it might kneel and join their hands, and fo worship the hoft.

The first controverfy about the manner of the presence arofe incidentally upon the controverfy of images: the Council at Conftantinople decreed, that the facrament was the image of Chrift, in which the fubftance of bread and wine remained. Thofe of Nice, how furiously foever they fell upon them for calling the facrament the image of Chrift, yet do no where blame them for faying that the fubflance of bread and wine remained in it: for indeed the opinion of Damafcene, and of moft of the Greek Church, was, that there was an affumption of the bread and wine into an union with the body of Chrift. The Council of Conftantinople brought in their decifion occafionally, that being confidered as the fettled doctrine of the Church; whereas thofe of Nice did vifibly innovate and falfify the tradition for they affirm, as Damafcene had done before them, that the elements were called the antitypes of Christ's body, only before they were confecrated, but not after it : which they fay none of the Fathers had done. This is fo notoriously falfe, that no man can pretend now to justify them in it, fince there are above twenty of the Fathers that were before them, who in plain words call the elements after confecration, the figure and antitype of Chrift's body here then was the tradition and practice of the Church falfified, which is no fmall prejudice against thofe that fupport the doctrine, as well as against the credit of that Council.

About thirty years after that Council, Pafchase Radbert, Abbot of Corby in France, did very plainly affert the corporal prefence in the eucharift: he is acknowledged both by Bellarmine and Sirmondus to be the firft writer that did on purpofe advance and explain that doctrine: he himfelf values his pains in that matter; and as he laments the flownefs of fome in believing it, fo he pretends that he had moved many to affent to it. But he confeffes, that fome blamed him for afcribing a fense to the words of Chrift, that was not confonant to truth. There was but one book writ in that age to fecond him; the name of the author was loft, till Mabillon difcovered that it was writ by one Herigerus, Abbot of Cob. But all the eminent men and the great writers of that time wrote plainly against this doctrine, and affirmed, that the bread and wine remained in the facrament, and did nourish our bodies as other meats do. Those were Rabanus Maurus, Archbishop of Mentz; Amalarius, Archbishop of Triers;

Heribald,

Heribald, Bishop of Auxerre; Bertram, or Ratramne; ART. John Scot Erigena Walafridus Strabus; Florus, and XXVIII. Chriftian Druthmar. Three of these fet themselves on

purpose to refute Pafchafe.

Rabanus Maurus, in an epiftle to Abbot Egilon, wrote against Pafchafe for faying, that it was that body that was born of the Virgin, that was crucified and raised up again, which was daily offered up. And though that book is loft, yet as he himself refers his reader to it in his Penitential, fo we have an account given of it by the anonymous defender of Pafchase.

Ratramne was commanded by Charles the Bald, then Emperor, to write upon that fubject; which he in the beginning of his book promifes to do, not trufting to his own fenfe, but following the fteps of the holy Fathers. He tells us, that there were different opinions about it: fome believing that the body of Chrift was there without a figure: others faying that it was there in a figure, or mystery: upon which he apprehended that a great fchifm mutt follow. His book is very fhort, and very plain: he afferts our doctrine as exprefsly as we ourselves can do: he delivers it in the fame words, and proves it by many of the fame arguments and authorities, that we bring.

Raban and Ratramne were, without difpute, reckoned among the first men of that age.

John Scot was alfo commanded by the fame Emperor to write on the fame fubject: he was one of the most learned and the moft ingenious men of the age; and was in great esteem both with the Emperor, and with our King Alfred. He was reckoned both a faint and a martyr. He did formally refute Pafchafe's doctrine, and affert ours. His book is indeed loft; but a full account of it is given us by other writers of that time. And it is a great evidence, that his opinion in this matter was not then thought to be contrary to the general fense of the Church in that age: for he having writ against St. Auftin's doctrine concerning Predeftination, there was a very fevere cenfure of him and of his writings, publifhed under the name of the Church of Lyons: in which they do not once reflect on him for his opinions touching the Eucharift. It appears from this, that their doctrine concerning the Sacrament was then generally received; fince both Ratramne and he, though they differed extremely in the point of Predeftination, yet both agreed in this. It is probable that the Saxon homily, that was read in England on Eafter-day, was taken from Scot's book; which does fully reject the corporal prefence. This is enough

to

« AnteriorContinuar »