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was needful to be done, this has been effectually done; but in truth it was quite as needful to be done, that the Faith of the Primitive Church, in respect of the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of CHRIST in the Sacramental Bread and Wine, should be steadily and uncompromisingly maintained in all its pure simplicity, and wholly apart from the inventions of Zuinglius, and Luther, and Calvin, no less than from the inventions of Rome. The position of the Church of England, in itself sound and unassailable, would in that case, have been far less exposed to invidious assault. That it sometimes suffers even through those who have done great things in its defence, is only one more proof and instance that the best things of man are not perfect.

The fact then of some considerable indistinctness, uncertainty, and confusion of theological statement in connection with the Doctrine of the Real Presence in the writings of many of our great Divines, must be candidly admitted and fairly met. It may serve, as it ought to serve, to make us gentle and forbearing in maintaining the Truth of Holy Scripture as witnessed to by the Church Catholic.

And indeed we have a better reason still wherefore we should not "make haste." It is an unspeakable blessing to reflect that there is no such uncertainty or indistinctness in Holy Scripture, or in the witness of the Church. These two facts once established--and they have been established as in

contestably true--it ought not to have been necessary to say a word about the Church of England; seeing that THE position of the Church of England, in respect of Doctrine, is that she is ONE with the Church Primitive. It has, nevertheless, become necessary to say, and to prove, that there is no uncertainty or indistinctness touching the Doctrine of the Real Presence in our own Liturgy and Catechism; nor again in our Homilies and Articles, if considered in their due dependance and connection with each other, and with the other formularies of our Church. For it is in her Formularies, taken as a whole, and not in the writings of her Divines, however eminent, that is to be found the ultimate test of the Doctrine of the Church of England. This great fact seems indeed to be not uncommonly overlooked; and the suppression amongst us of the voice of the Church, speaking with "authority" in her Synod, and, where the need is judged to have arisen, declaring her oneness in Doctrine with the Church Primitive, has doubtless had much to do with making members of the Church bring into the place of the authority of the Church herself, the authority of some one or more of her Divines, with whose manner of regarding and teaching Doctrine they may be predisposed to agree.

Having thus endeavoured to clear my way, I pass on to the specific proposition I have undertaken to prove. The proposition which I have undertaken to prove from Holy Scripture is this :

That there is a Real Presence-not material, or as

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it is said, "Corporal," but immaterial and spiritual—– of the Body and Blood of CHRIST, in the Consecrated Bread and Wine. And that the Body and Blood of CHRIST, being Really Present in the Consecrated Bread and Wine, after an immaterial and Spiritual manner,-a manner which, as Holy Scripture has not explained, the Church has not defined -are given, therein and thereby, to all, and are received by all who come to the LORD's table.

There are three parts of this proposition;

1. That the Body and Blood of CHRIST are Really Present in the Consecrated Bread and Wine.

2. That the Body and Blood of CHRIST are Really Present in the Consecrated Bread and Wine, after a manner not material, or, as it is said "Corporal," but immaterial and Spiritual.

3. That the Body and Blood of CHRIST, being Really Present, after an immaterial and Spiritual manner, in the Consecrated Bread and Wine, are therein and thereby given to all, and are received by all who come to the LORD's table.

I have made these three statements separately, and will prove them separately, not as being distinct propositions-for they are parts of one and the same proposition-but for clearness' sake.

What I mean by saying that they "are parts of one and the same proposition" is this-the whole proposition might have been briefly stated thus:

That there is a Real Presence of the Body and Blood of CHRIST in the Consecrated Bread and Wine.

These words, fully and truly understood, imply all the rest; for,

1. It is a part of the true notion of, and belief in, the Real Presence, that it is not material, or as it is said "corporal," but immaterial and spiritual.

2. Granted the truth of the proposition that the Body and Blood of CHRIST are Really Present in the consecrated Bread and Wine, it is also true that the Body and Blood of CHRIST are given in and by the consecrated Bread and Wine to all, and are received by all who come to the LORD's Table. The truth of the first proposition carries with it the truth of the second, and makes both propositions one.

Proposition III. is therefore, strictly speaking, not a deduction from the Doctrine of the Real Presence, but a part of the Doctrine itself. But supposing it to be a deduction only, then, if we know, as we certainly do know, that the Bread and Wine, retaining their very natural substances, become, in some ineffable way, the Body and Blood of CHRIST, through the consecrating power of the Priest-which is the plain teaching of Holy Scripture, and witnessed to as such by the undoubting testimony of the Church Catholic,-it follows from Holy Scripture and "ex necessitate rei,"-Seeing that we do not know, as we certainly do not, that the Presence thus vouchsafed is, under any circumstances, withdrawn, so that the Bread and Wine cease to be that which by consecration they have become-it follows, I say, from Holy Scripture

and "ex necessitate rei," that the Body and Blood of CHRIST are given in and by the consecrated Bread and Wine to all, and are received by all who come to the LORD'S Table.

But as I said, I will prove the proposition, as first stated, in its separate parts, for clearness' sake. I am to prove then,

I. That there is a Real Presence.

II. That it is a Spiritual Presence.

III. That to all who come to the LORD's Table, to those who eat and drink worthily, and to those who eat and drink unworthily, the Body and Blood of CHRIST are given; and that by all who come to the LORD'S Table, by those who eat and drink worthily, and by those who eat and drink unworthily, the Body and Blood of CHRIST are received.

The importance of proposition III., which is the specific point at issue between Bishop Spencer and myself, is that it supplies an unfailing test of what is meant by any one who affirms of himself that he holds the Doctrine of the Real Presence. It has been, as supplying such a test, that I have proposed it to Candidates for Holy Orders; not as a "theological opinion," which may or may not be held, but as a test of truth of doctrine, and soundness of faith.* e.g. A man may say, I believe in the Real Presence

* See Wilberforce's" Doctrine of the Holy Eucharist," p. 259. The importance of proposition III. is further evidenced by the fact that it is directly affirmed in terms by Archdeacon Wilberforce, as the undoubted Doctrine of Holy Scripture, wit

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