The Catholick doctrine of the Eucharist in all ages in answer to what H. Arnaud, Doctor of the Sorbon alledges, touching the belief of the Greek, Moscovite, Armenian, Jacobite, Nestorian, Coptic, Maronite, and other eastern churches : whereunto is added an account of the Book of the body and blood of our Lord published under the name of Bertram : in six books.

The first Consequence.

THE first Consequence bears, That the consent of all Churches in the * 1.1 Faith of the Real Presence, explains and determines the sense of our Saviours words. To establish this Proposition, he says that the Ministers endeavour to stretch these words, This is my Body, to their sense, by an infinite num∣ber of metaphysical Arguments, which have only obscure and abstracted principles. That they use long discourses to expound separately each word as the term this, the word is, and the word Body. That by this means that which yields no trouble (when a man follows simply the course of na∣ture and common sense) becomes obscure, and unintelligible. That sup∣posing in like manner a man should philosophise on these words, Lazarus come forth, it's no hard matter for a man to entangle himself with 'em; for this Lazarus will be neither the Soul nor the Body separately, nor the Soul and Body together, but a mere nothing. Now a mere nothing cannot come out of the Grave. That our Saviour did not speak to be only understood by Philosophers and Metaphysicians, seeing he intended his Religion should be followed by an infinite number of simple people, women and children, persons ignorant of humane learning. That we must then judg of the sense of these words by the general and common impression which all these per∣sons receiv'd without so many reflections. That to find this simple and na∣tural impression we must consult the sense wherein they have been effectu∣ally taken for the space of a thousand years, by all Christians in the world which never had any part in our Disputes. That our Saviours intention was rather to express by these words the sense in which they have been ef∣fectually taken by all Christians in the world, which was not unknown to him; than that in which they have been understood in these latter days by a few Berengarian & Calvinistical Philosophers. That he has right to sup∣pose as a thing certain, that since the 7th. Century, all Christians through∣out the whole earth have held the Doctrine of the Real Presence and Tran∣substantiation, and that this consent of all people for a thousand years is suf∣ficient to shew what the simple impression is, and consequently the real sense of Christs words. This is the summary of his first Chapter.

The first Reflection.

THE design of this whole discourse tends to cast men into horri∣ble confusions. I grant our Saviour intended not to speak so as to be un∣derstood only by Philosophers, but on the contrary, that his Religion should be embraced by infinite numbers of ignorant people, women, and children, and persons uncapable of deep reasoning. But if the sense of these words must be sought in the consent of all Churches, these women and children, and ignorant people will be hard put to it to find it. How few persons are there capable of themselves to make this inquisition, for which they must have skill in Languages, read two hundred Volumes, or more, attentively examine 'em, distinguish the times, places and occasions, consider the cir∣cumstances of passages and drift of Authors, compare the various interpre∣tations, and do in a word a thousand things necessary to prevent their ta∣king one thing for another? And as for those that shall take this task upon 'em under the guidance of another, how many cheats are they to beware of? How shall they be certain that they shall have no false Authors imposed up∣on 'em for true ones, forged Writings attributed to Authors, or false Passa∣ges, corrupt Translations, and false Explications to give them another sense than the natural one, that they shall not be imposed on by captious Arguings or frivolous Answers, yet well coloured; that they shall not be ti∣red with fruitless discourses to wear out their patience, and attention, and by this means make 'em fall into the Net. All this has been hitherto done, and I do not find such as be guilty of this do amend whatsoever complaints have been made. I grant one may find the true sense of our Saviour's words in the consent of all Churches: But is it not a more short, sure, and easie way to seek it by considering the words themselves, by comparing them with other Sacramental Expressions, by the nature of the Ordinance which our Saviour instituted, by the circumstances that accompanied it, the design he proposed in it, by his ordinary ways of expressing himself, by the other words he added, by the sense wherein, according to all probability his Dis∣ciples understood him, by the explanations which S. Paul gives of it, and in short by the genius and universal Spirit of the Christian Religion. Whe∣ther a man makes this inquisition by himself, or under the direction of an∣other, 'tis certain that the way which we offer is far less troublesome and dangerous, easier and better accommodated to the capacity of the common people, than that of the consent of all Churches. Mr. Arnaud supposes this consent from the 7th. Century to this present, because he believes he has proved it. But were this supposition as certain and true in the main, as 'tis false and imaginary, it can reside no where but in the imagination of those that have read his Book. And how many are there in the rank of the sim∣ple people that never read it? Of those amongst 'em that have read it, how few have been capable to understand and Judg of it? Are they able to discern whether his citations be true or no, whether his Passages be faithfully tran∣slated, his Arguments conclusive, his Attestations allowable; and whether he has not concealed several things which ought to be known on this subject, for a man to be throughly informed in it? After all, reason requires 'em to suspend their judgments till such time as they have seen my Answer. And supposing my Answer does not satisfie 'em, how know they but that my weakness or ignorance has prejudiced the Cause I defend? In the mean time what will become of the Faith of these simple persons, if they will make it depend on the consent of all Churches, touching the sense of our Saviours

words. Mr. Arnaud under pretence of searching short ways, throws men into such labyrinths out of which 'tis impossible to get out.

Second Reflection.

I grant that the true sense of our Saviours words must be the simple and natural one. We dispute touching this simple and natural sense. Mr. Ar∣naud will needs have it to be that of Transubstantiation, and the Real Pre∣sence, we affirm 'tis the Sacramental or figurative one. Supposing we could not on either side find out this simple and natural impression which these words do of themselves make in the minds of men, by reason of our Di∣spute, and that we must go search it amongst those that be free from these prejudices, it is not reasonable we should stop at those that lived since the 7th. Century till now, to the prejudice of the first six ages. We must on the contrary begin from the six first. Tradition, said one, not long since, * 1.2 whose word ought to be regarded, must begin from the Apostles, and pass on till this present by an uninterrupted succession. The first then that are to be consulted, for the finding this simple impression, must be the Apostles that heard immediately these words from our Lords own mouth. We must search the History of the Gospel to see whether there be any thing that dis∣covers they took 'em in the sense of Transubstantiation, whether they have been surpriz'd by any astonishment, or ravished with admiration, or trou∣bled with some doubt, whether 'tis likely they were imbued with principles on which this sense is established; as that a body should be in several places at once, and accidents subsist without their substance, &c. And whether they were not on the contrary imbued with some maxims very opposite to this sense: as for instance, that to drink Blood was a crime strictly forbidden by Moses's Law, that the signs were called after the name of the things which they signifi'd, and whether it appears from any of their words or acti∣ons, that they adored the Eucharist. And 'tis here I think we ought to be∣gin, and afterwards come to S. Paul, and examine whether in what he has said on this subject, or any others, there be any thing that shews he belie∣ved Transubstantiation. We must afterwards discuss age after age, what the Fathers of the six first Centuries have written on it, consult the Com∣mentaries which they have expresly made on these words, and in short en∣deavour by an attentive meditation throughly to discover their sense. But to lay aside the Apostles, and the first six Centuries, to begin this enqui∣ry after the simple and natural impression which these words have made in mens minds by the 7th. and 8th. following ones. 'Tis as if a man should go out of Paris to learn the news of France, in the furthermost parts of that Kingdom. But 'twill be reply'd, these Centuries were not prepossessed by our Disputes: I grant it. But they may have had other prejudices which have disturbed this simple and natural impression which we seek. What likelihood is there of finding it pure, according as we desire it, in Greece, since the fancies of Damascen have been in vogue, whom the Greeks esteem as another S. Thomas, according to Mr. Arnaud; but whom Mr. Arnaud durst not follow himself no more than we, whether Damascen believed the assum∣ption of the Bread, or only the union of it to the Body of Christ in the manner I have proved and explained? How can it be expected to be found pure amongst the Copticks, Armenians, Jacobites, Nestorians, Egyptians, since these people have fallen into ignorance, gross Errors and Superstiti∣ons wherein they still remain. A man that is acquainted with the History of the Emissaries sent from the Latins into all these Countries since the 11th.

Century till this time without intermission, may not he justly suspect that the Emissaries have troubled the purity of this Impression? Howsoever it cannot be denied but it was more pure in the six first Ages than in the fol∣lowing ones, and consequently that we ought not to begin our inquiries since that time.

The third Reflection.

Mr. ARNAƲD unjustly accuses the Ministers for embroiling the sense of these words, This is my Body: But we may with greater reason charge the Scholasticks and Controvertists of the Roman Church with it, who have made I know not how many glosses, and formed I know not how ma∣ny opinions on the word This. We know what Ambrose Catarin has written of it, Let the Reader consider, says he, the labour and anguish which * 1.3 almost all Writers have undergone, when we demand of 'em the signification of this Pronoun, This; for they write such a multitude of things, and those so contrary to one another, that they are enough to make a man at his wits end that too closely considers 'em. The Ministers give these words a sense very plain and natural, which neither depends on obscure and abstracted Princi∣ples, nor metaphysical notions. If they argue either to establish their sense, or shew that these words can suffer no other, their arguings lie in ob∣servations which are clear and intelligible: as for instance, the word this cannot signifie any thing else but this Bread, and that the whole propositi∣on must be taken as if our Saviour had said, this Bread is my Body; and to make this proposition intelligible, we must necessarily give it a figurative sense, for one and the same subject cannot be literally both Bread and Body. I grant we must not Philosophise on these words, Lazarus come forth. Neither is there ever a one of us that sets himself to Philosophise on 'em; we under∣stand simply by Lazarus a person whom our Saviour raised from the dead in the very moment he called him, as God made light at that very instant wherein he said, Let there be light. The difficulties which Mr. Arnaud finds in our Saviours expressions are affected difficulties. But those which arise from the sense of Transubstantiation attributed to our Saviour's words are real ones, not by abstracted and metaphysical arguments, but because never man said, this is such a thing, to signifie that the substance of the thing which he held was imperceptibly changed into the substance of another, hu∣mane language will not suffer it.

The fourth Reflection.

Mr. ARNAƲD in vain opposes the sense of Philosophers and Doctors to that of simple persons, and such as are not capable of any deep reasoning, to find out the true natural impression which our Saviours words make on the minds of men, without study and reflection. This natural impression since a thousand years to judg thereof only by History is a thing absolutely un∣known and undiscernable to us for two reasons; the first, that the simple are not guided by the most natural impression, they are led by that which their Doctors and Philosophers give them, for we know very well that in mat∣ters of Religion the people usually believe what their guides teach 'em, and not what their first sense dictates to 'em. The other reason is, that whatso∣ever we can know of the belief of Churches since a thousand years de∣pends on the Writings which are come to our hands. Now these Books were wrote by Doctors and Philosophers, who may have given us their Spe∣culations,

and those of the same opinion with them, what they have learn'd in the Schools, or what they themselves have imagin'd, rather than the sim∣ple and natural impression of people.

The fifth Reflection.

'TIS ill reasoning to say that the sense which seems to have prevail'd since the 7th. Century, be it what it will, (for I examine not at present what that is) must necessarily be the true sense of our Saviour, under pretence that he was not ignorant of the manner in which they would take his words, in this Century, and in the following ones. The mysteries of his prescience, and those of his providence touching the errors wherein he suf∣fers men to fall are unknown to us. Neither is it permitted us to pry into them. He has suffered men to understand in the three first Centuries what is said in the Revelations touching his reign of a thousand years, in the sense of a terrestial Kingdom. He has permitted men in the 4th. and 5th. Centuries to understand commonly these words, If ye eat not the Flesh of the Son of man, nor drink his Blood, ye will have no life in you, of the necessity there is of receiving the Eucharist to be saved. The ways of God are beyond our reach, and we must never judg of the true sense of his word, by the opinions which are prevalent amongst men.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Book 10. ch. 1.
• * 1.2

  In the Re∣marks on the request of M. D' Ambrun, 9th. Remark.
• * 1.3

  Ambros. Cat••••r, Tract. de verb. quibus confici∣tur, &c.