6 DR. PUSEY'S SERMON on approaching this same subject, "be | in this sense been made kings and priests), there nothing of this life, nothing earthly and when once given to David and those that were with him, still on the ground that the "vessels of the young men were holy (7)." The Angel brought the cake to Elijah, that in the strength of that food he might go forty days and forty nights unto the Mount of God. In verbal prophecy, it is foretold under the images of the very elements, and so of strengthening and overflowing joy, "Wisdom," that is, He Who The penitent's joy, then, in the Holy Eu- is the Wisdom of God, in a parable correcharist is not the less deep, because the sponding to that of the marriage-feast, pardon of sins is not, as in Baptism, its di- crieth, "Come, eat of My bread and drink rect provision. The two great Sacraments, of the wine I have mingled." Or, in the as their very signs show, have not the same very Psalm of his Passion and atoning Sacend. Baptism gives; the Holy Eucharist rifice, it is foretold, that "the poor shall Baptism en- eat and be satisfied:" or that He, the good preserves and enlarges life. graffs into the true Vine; the Holy Eu- Shepherd, shall prepare a Table for those charist derives the richness and fullness of whom He leadeth by the still waters of the His life into the branches thus engraffed. Church, and giveth them the Cup of overBaptism buries in Christ's tomb, and flowing joy ;" or as the source of gladness, through it He quickens with His life; the" Thou hast put gladness into my heart, Holy Eucharist is given not to the dead, but to the living. It augments life, ordeath; gives immortality to the living; to the dead it gives not life, but death; it is a saviour of life or death, is received to salvation or damnation. Whence the ancient Church so anxiously withheld from it such as sinned grievously, not as an example only to others, but in tenderness to themselves, lest they break through and perish; "profane," says St. Cyprian (5), "the Holy Body of the Lord," not themselves be sanctified; fall deeper, not be restored; be wounded more grievously, not be healed; since it is said, he adds, "Whoso eateth the Bread and drinketh the Cup of the Lord unworthily, is guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord." since the time that their corn, and wine, The chief object, then, of the Holy Eu-abundantly, O beloved." In all these varied symbols, strength, recharist, so conveyed by type or prophecy, by the very elements chosen, or by the newed life, growth, refreshment, gladness, words of our Lord, is the support and en- likeness to the Angels, immortality are the largement of life, and that in Him. In gifts set forth; they are gifts as to the Retype (6), the tree of life was within the deemed of the Lord placed anew in the Paradise of God, given as a nourishment Paradise of his Church, admitted to His of immortality, withheld from Adam when Sanctuary, joying in His Presence, growhe sinned the bread and wine, wherewith ing before Him, filled with the river of His Melchizedeck met Abraham, were to re-joy, feasting with Him, yea, Himself feastfresh the father of the faithful, the wearying in them, as in them He hungereth (8). warrior of God; the Paschal Lamb was a Hitherto, there is in allusion to sin; it is commemorative sacrifice; the saving blood what the Church should be, walking in the had been shed; it was to be eaten with the brightness of His light, and itself reflecting unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, that brightness. and with bitter herbs the type of mortification, and by those only who are undefiled. The Manna was given to them after they had passed the Red Sea, the image of cleansing Baptism, and, as he himself interprets it, represented Him as coming down from heaven to give life unto the world, the food of Angels and the holy hosts of heaven; The Shew-bread was eaten only by those hallowed to the Priesthood, (as the whole Christian people has And when our Lord most largely and directly is setting forth the fruits of eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood, He speaks throughout of one Gift, life; freedom from death, life through Him, through "This is His indwelling, and therefore resurrection from the dead. and life eternal. the Bread, which cometh down from heav en, that a man may eat thereof and not die. If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever; and the Bread that I will give is not then life only as an outward gift to be possessed by us, as His gift; it is no mere strengthening and refreshing of our souls, by the renewal (14) and confirming our wills and invigorating of our moral nature, giving us more fixeduess of purpose, or im And My Flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." "Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you." "Whoso eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last Day." He that eateth My Flesh and drink-planting in us Christian graces; it is no eth My Blood dwelleth in Me and I in gift, such as we might imagine gives to the him." "As the Living Father hath sent most perfect of God's created beings in Me, and I live by the Father, so he that himself. Picture we the most perfect wiseateth Me, he also shall live by Me." "He dom, knowledge, strength, harmony, prothat eateth of this Bread shall live for portion, brightness, beauty, fitness, comever." No one can observe how this whole pleteness of created being; fair as was discourse circleth round this gift of life, and that angel "in the garden of God" before how our Lord, with unwearied patience, he fell; "the seal of comeliness, full of bringeth this one truth before us in so wisdom, and complete in beauty-perfect many different forms, without feeling that in his ways from the day he was created He means to inculcate, that life in Him is (15)." Yet let this be a perfection, upheld, His chief gift in his Sacrament, and to indeed, of God, yet external to Him, as a make a reverent longing for it an incen- mere creation, and it would fall unutterative to our faith. Yet, although life in ably short of the depth of the mystery of Him is the substance of His whole teach- the Sacraments of Christ, and the gift, the ing, the teaching itself is manifold. Our germ whereof is therein contained for us; Lord inculcates not one truth only in va- although such as we actuaily are, we know ried forms, but in its different bearings. that, for strength we have weakness, for He answers not the strivings of the Jews, knowledge ignorance, our nature jarring "how can this man give us his flesh to still, disharmonized, obscured, deformed, eat?" Such an "How can these things both by the remains of original corruption be?" he never answereth; and we, if we and our own superadded sins. For the life are wise, shall never ask how (9) they can therein bestowed is greater than any gift, be elements of this world and yet His very since it is life in Christ, life through His Body and Blood. But how they give life indwelling, Himself Who is Life. to us he does answer; and amid this ap- Holy Scripture hints that the blessed Anparent uniformity of His teaching, each gels, who never fell, shall, in some way separate sentence gives us a portion of that to us unknown, gain by the mystery of .answer. And the teaching of the whole, the Incarnation, being with us gathered as far as such as we may grasp it, is this. together under One Head, our Incarnate That He (10) is the Living Bread, because Lord into His One Body (16); the fulHe came down from Heaven, and as being ness of Him who filleth all in all. one God with the Father, hath life in Him-tainly, Scripture seems to imply, that, alself, even as the Father hath life in Him-though he "took not the nature of angels," self; the life then which He is He impart- but "of man," yet all created beings, ed to that Flesh which He took into Him-"thrones, and dominions, and principalities, self, yea, which He took so wholly, that and powers," shall, if one may reverently Holy Scripture says, He became it, "the say it, be more filled with God, when, this Word became Flesh," and since it is thus His body being perfected, there shall be no a part of Himself, "Whoso eateth My check or hinderance to the full effluence of Flesh and drinketh My Blood," (He Him- His Divine Nature, circulating through the self says the amazing words,)" eateth Me," whole Body, into which He shall have and so receiveth into Himself in an effable" knit things in heaven and things in earth," manner his Lord Himself," dwelleth," (oru" the innumerable company of the Angels," Lord says) "in Me and I in him," and having Christ within him (11), not only shall he have, but he "hath" already "eternal Life," because he hath Him who is "the And of this we have the germs and first Only True God and Eternal Life (12);" beginnings now. This is (if we may revand so Christ "will raise him up at the last erently so speak) the order of the mystery Day," because he hath His life in him. of the Incarnation, (17) that the Eternal Receiving Him into this very body (13), Word so took our flesh into Himself, as to they who are His receive life, which shall impart to it His own inherent life; so the pass over to our very decaying flesh; they we, partaking of It, that life is transmitted have within them Him who is Life and Im-on to us also, and not to our souls only, mortality and Incorruption, to cast out or absorb into itself our natural mortality, and death, and corruption, and shall "live for ever," because made one with Him Who Alone" liveth for evermore." It is Cer and "the just made perfect;" and the whole glorified Church shall be clothed and radiant with Him, the Sun of Righteousness. but our bodies (18) also, since we become flesh of His flesh, and bone of His bone, (19) and He Who is wholly life is imparted to us wholly.(20) The Life which He is, spreads around, first giving Its own vitality 8 DR. PUSEY'S SERMON to that sinless Flesh which He united in- a Mystery, receive the Flesh of His Body, dissolubly with Himself, and in it encircling (and thereby shall become one, because and vivifying our whole nature, and then, the Father is in Him and He in us), how through that bread which is His Flesh, find- is it asserted that the Unity is of will only, ing an entrance to us individually, pene- whereas the natural property (conveyed) trating us, soul and body, and spirit, and through the Sacrament is the Sacrament irradiating and transforming into His own of a perfect unity?" And a little after, (24) light and life. In the words of a father alleging our Blessed Lord's words, "My (21) who in warfare with the Nestorian Fiesh is truly meat, My Blood is truly heresy lived in the mystery of the Incar- drink." "Of the truth of the Flesh and nation, "He is life by nature, inasmuch Blood, there is no room left for doubt. For as He was begotten of the Living Father; now, according both to the declaration of but no less vivifying also is His Holy Body, the Lord and our faith, It is truly Flesh and being in a matter brought together (ovvnvey truly Blood. And these, received into us, μévov) and ineffably united with the all-vivi- cause, that we are in Christ and Christ in fying Word; wherefore It is accounted us. Is not this truth? Be it not truth to His, and is conceived as one with Him. those who deny that Christ Jesus is true For, since the Incarnation, it is inseparable; God. He then is in us through the flesh, save that we know that the Word which and we are in Him, since this, which we came from God the Father, and the Tem- are, is with Him in God." ple from the Virgin, are not indeed the Would that, instead of vain and profane same in nature; for the Body is not con- disputings, we could but catch the echoes of substantial with the Word from God, yet these hallowed sounds, and, forgetting the is one by that ineffable coming-together | jarrings of our earthly discords, live in this and concurrence; and since the Flesh of harmony and unity of Heaven, where, the Saviour became life-giving, as being through and in our Lord, we are all one in united to That which is by nature Life, God. Would that, borne above ourselves, The Word from God, then, when we taste we could be caught up within the influence It, we have life in ourselves, we too being of the mystery of that ineffable love whereunited with It, as It to the indwelling by the Father would draw us to that oneWord." "I then, (22) He saith, being in ness with Him in His Son, which is the perhim will by Mine own Flesh raise up him fection of eternal bliss, where will, thought, who eateth thereof, in the last day. For affections shall be one, because we shall since Christ is in us by His own Flesh, we be, by communication of His Divine Namust altogether rise, for it were incredible, ture, one. Yet such is undoubted Catholic yea, rather, impossible, that Life should teaching, and the most literal import of not make alive those in whom It is." To Holy Scripture, and the mystery of the add the words of one father only of the Sacrament, that the Eternal Word, Who is Western Church, ever had in honour, as God, having taken to Him our flesh and well for his sufferings for the faith, as for joined it indissolubly with Himself, and so, his well-weighed and reverent language, where His Flesh is, there He is (25), and S. Hilary (23) adduced the very actualness we receiving it, receive Him, and receiving of this union in proof against the Arians, Him, are joined on to him through His Flesh that the Unity of the Father and the Son, to the Father, and He dwelling in us, dwell was not of will, but of nature, because our in Him, and with Him in God. "I," he union with the Son is by unity of nature, saith, "in the Father, and ye in Me, and I not of harmony of will only. "For if the in you." This is the perfection after which Word was truly made Flesh, and we, in all the rational creation groans, this for the Supper of the Lord, truly receive the which the Church, which hath the first Word, being Flesh, how must He not be fruits of the Spirit, groaneth within herself, thought to abide in us, by the way of na- yea, this for which our Lord Himself tarriture, Who, being born man, took to Him-eth, that his yet imperfect members advanself the nature of our flesh, now inseparable from Him, and under the Sacrament of the Flesh which is to be communicated to us, hath mingled the nature of His own Flesh with His eternal nature. So then, we are all one, because both the Father is in Christ, and Christ in us. Whosoever then shall deny that the Father is in Christ by way of nature, let him first deny that himself is by way of nature in Christ or Christ in Him; because the Father in Christ and Christ in us, make us to be one in them. If then Christ truly took the Nature of our Body, and that Man, Who was born of Mary, is truly Christ, and we truly, under cing onward in him (26), and the whole multitude of the Redeemed being gathered into the One Body, His whole Body should, in Him, be perfected in the Unity of the Father. And so is He also, as Man, truly the Mediator between God and Man, in that being as God, One with the Father, as man, one with us, we truly are in Him who is truly in the Father. Ile, by the truth of the Sacrament, dwelleth in us, in Whom, by Nature, all the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth; and lowest is joined on with highest, earth with heaven, corruption with incorruption, man with God. But where, one may feel, is there here ON THE EUCHARIST. · any place for the sinner? Here all breathes "perfected into unity with God the Father, of holy life, life in God, the life of God im- through Christ the Mediator. For having parted to man, the indwelling of the All received into ourselves, bodily and spiritualHoly and incarnate Word, the Presence of ly, Him who is by Nature and truly the God in the soul and body, incorruption and Son, Who hath an essential Oneness with eternal life, through His Holy Presence Him, we, becoming partakers of the Naand union with him, Who, being God, is ture which is above all, are glorified." Life. Where seems there room for one," We," says another (39), come to bear the mansion of whose soul has been broken Christ in us, His Body and Blood being difdown, and he to have no place where Christ fused through our menibers; whence, saith may lay His head (27); the vessel has been St. Peter, we become partakers of the broken, if not defiled, and now seems unfit Divine Nature."" to contain God's Holy Presence; the tenement has been narrowed by self-love, and seems incapable of expanding to receive the love of God, or God Who is love; or choked and thronged with evil or foul imaginations; or luxury and self-indulgence have dissolved it, or evil thoughts and de-nate and subdued notion of sin; and what sires have made room for evil spirits in that which was the dwelling-place of the Trinity? Yet, although most which is spoken belongs to Christians as belonging already to the household of saints and the family of Heaven and the Communion of Angels and unity with God, still here, as elsewhere in the New Testament, there is a subordi wraps the Saint already in the third Heaven, may yet uphold us sinners, that the pit shut not her mouth upon us. The same reality of the Divine Gift makes it Angel's food to the Saint, the ransom to the sinner. And both because It is the Body and Blood of Christ. Were it only a thankful commemoration of his redeeming love, or only a showing forth of His Death, or a strengthening only and refreshing of the soul, it were indeed a reasonable service, but it would have no direct healing for the sinner. To him its special joy is that it is his Redeemer's very (40) broken (41) Body, It is His Blood, which was shed for the remission of his sins. Doubtless, God's highest and "holy" gift is, as the Ancient Church proclaimed, chiefly "for the holy." "Ye cannot be partakers of the Table of the Lord, and the table of devils." And as Holy Scripture, so also the Ancient Church, when alluding to the fruits of this ineffable gift, speak of them mostly as they would be to those, who, on earth, already live in Heaven, and on Him Who is its life and bliss. They speak of those "clothed in flesh and blood, drawing nigh to the blessed and immor. tal nature (28);" of "spiritual fire (29);" In the words of the angrace (30) exceeding human thought and cient Church, he "drinks his ransom," (42) a gift unutterable;" "spiritual food (31), he eateth that, "the very Body and Blood surpassing all creation visible and invis- of the Lord, the only sacrifice for sin," (43) ible," "kindling (32) the souls of all, and God "poureth out" for him, yet "the most making them brighter than silver purified precious blood of his Only-Begotten;" (44) by the fire;"" removing (33) us from earth, they "are fed from the Cross of the Lord, transferring us to heaven," "making angels because they eat His Body and Blood;" for men, so that it were a wonder that man (45) and as of the Jews of old, even those should think he were yet on earth," (34) who had been the bterayers and murderers yea, more than angels, "becoming that of their Lord, it was said, "the Blood (46) which we receive, (35) the Body of Christ." which in their phrensy they shed, believFor that so we are "members (36) of Him, ing they drank," so of the true penitent it not by love only, but in very deed, mingled | may be said, whatever may have been his with that Flesh, mingled with Him, that we sins, so he could repent, awful as it is to might become in a manner one substance say, the Blood he in deed despised and prowith Him," "the one Body and one Flesh faned, and trampled under foot, may he, of Christ (37):" and He the Eternal Son when himself humbled in the dust, drink, and God the Word in us, "commingled (38) and therein drink his salvation. "He (47) and co-united with us," with our bodies as who refused not to shed His blood for us, with our souls, preserving both for incor- and again gave us of His Flesh and His ruption; "re-creating the spirit in us, to very blood, what will He refuse for our newness of life, and making us parta- salvation?" He," says St. Ambrose, (48) kers of His Divine Nature;' "the bond" is the Bread of life. Whoso then eateth of our unity with the Father, binding us to life cannot die. How should he die, whose Himself as Man," Who is "by nature, as food is life? How perish, who hath a livGod, in God His own Father;" "descend-ing substance? Approach to Him, and be ing to our nature subject to corruption and filled, because He is Bread; approach to to change, and raising it to Its own excel-Him and drink, because He is a fountain; lences, and "by commingling it with Itself, approach to Him, and be enlightened, beall but removing it from the conditions of cause He is Light; approach to Him and created Nature," and "re-forming it accord-be freed, because where the Spirit of the ing to Itself." "We are," adds St. Cyril, | Lord is, there is liberty approach to him B 66 10 DR. PUSEY'S SERMON not the participation of the Blood of Christ?" remission of sins is implied by the very words. For, if we be indeed partakers of His atoning Blood, how should we not be partakers of its fruits? "That which is in the Cup," S. Chrysostom paraphrases, (58) "is that which flowed from His side, and of that do we partake." How should we approach His Sacred Side, and remain leprous still? Touching with our very lips that cleansing Blood, (59) how may we not, with the Ancient Church, (60) confess," Lo, this hath touched my lips, and shall take away mine iniquities and cleanse my sins ?” (61) and be absolved, because He is Remission | greatness of His strength;" then did He of sins." begin to "tread the wine press alone," and In each place in Holy Scripture where to "stain all His raiment;" then to "wash the doctrine of the Holy Eucharist is the garments" of His Humanity" with" the taught, there is, at least, some indication"Wine" of His Blood (55); and therefore of the remission of sins. Our blessed does the Blood bedew us too; it cleanses Lord, while chiefly speaking of Himself, us, because it is the Blood shed for the reas the Bread of life, the true meat, the mission of our sins (56). And this may true drink, His Indwelling Resurrection have been another truth, which our Lord from the dead, and Life everlasting, still intended to convey to us, when he pronounsays also, the Bread that I will give is ced the words as the form which conseMy Flesh, which I will give for the life of crates the sacramental elements into His the world." As amid the apparent identi- Body and Blood, that that Precious Blood ty of this teaching, each separate oracle is still, in continuance (57) and application enounces some fresh portion of the whole of His One Oblation once made upon the truth, so also does this; that His Flesh Cross, poured out for us now, conveying to ..and Blood in the Sacrament shall give life, our souls, as being His Blood, with the othnot only because they are the Flesh ander benefits of His Passion, the refission of Blood of the Incarnate Word, who is Life, our sins also. And so, when St. Paul says, but also because they are the very Flesh" The cup of blessing which we bless, is it and Blood which were given and shed for the life of the world, and are given to those, for whom (49) they had been given. This is said yet more distinctly in the awful words whereby He consecrated forever (50) elements of this world to be His Body and Blood. It has been remarked (51), as that which cannot be incidental, (as how should any words of the Eternal Word be incidental ?) how amid lesser variations in the order or fulness of those solemn words they still, wherever recorded, speak of the act as a present act. "This is My Body which is given for you;" "This is My Body which is broken for you;" "This is My Blood of the New Testament which is shed for There is, accordingly, an entire agreemany for the remission of sins;" "This ment in the Eucharistic Liturgies of the Cup is the New Testament in My Blood universal Church, in prayer, in benediction, which is shed for you.' He saith not, in declaration, confessing that in the Holy "which shall be given," "shall be broken," Eucharist, there is forgiveness of sins also. "shall be shed," but " is being given,' be- Those of S. James (62) and S. Mark (63) ing broken," "being shed" (didoμevov, кhúμɛ- so paraphrase the words of Consecration VOVÈ KXVVÓμEVOV), and this, in remarkable con- as to develop the sense that they relate trast with His own words, when speaking not only to the past act of His Precious of that same Gift, as yet future, "The Bloodshedding on the Cross, but to the comBread which I will give is My Flesh, which munication of that Blood to us now. "This I will give (ôv ¿yì dúow) for the life of the is My Body which for you is broken and world." And of one of the words used, given for the remission of sins." "This is S. Chrysostom (52) remarks how it could My Blood of the New Testament, which not be said of the Cross, but is true of the for you and for many is poured out and givHoly Eucharist. "For a bone of Him,' en for the remission of sins." Again, the it saith, shall not be broken.' But that Liturgies join together, manifoldly, remiswhich he suffered not on the Cross, this Hesion of sins and life eternal, as the two suffers in the oblation for thy sake, and sub-great fruits of this Sacrament. Thus in the mits to be broken that he may fill all men." Hereby He seems as well to teach us that the great Act of his Passion then began then, as a Priest, did He through the Eternal Spirit offer Himself without spot to God; then did He "consecrate" Himself (53) before He was by wicked hands crucified and slain (54); and all which followed, until He commended His Blessed Spirit to the hands of His Heavenly Father, was one protracted, willing, Suffering. Then did He begin His lonely journey, where there was none to help or uphold, but He "travelled in the prayer for the descent of the Holy Ghost on the sacred elements, (64) "that they may be to all who partake of them to the remission of sins, and to life eternal;" or in intercession, (65) “ that we may become meet to be partakers of Thy holy mysteries to the remission of sins and life eternal," or in the words of communicating, (66) "I give thee the precious and holy and undefiled Body of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and life eternal." And the prayer in our own liturgy is almost in the very words |