81 CHAPTER I. ON THE SACERDOTAL DOCTRINE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 'The issue of that battle in the English Church will depend very mainly on the issue of that, which is now waged against what is called Sacerdotalism.'-REV. DR. PUSEY, quoted in the 'Charge,' p. 121. THE Sacerdotal doctrine of the Lord's Supper, as set forth in the Charge,' which I have undertaken to examine, is contained in the four propositions following, viz. : 1. That the consecrated elements, even before or without their deliverance and reception, are the Sacrament; and, therefore, have, or consist of, both an outward and an inward part. 2. That the inward part of the said consecrated elements, or Sacrament, is Christ's body and blood. 3. That at the Holy Communion the Church presents and offers, or sacrifices, to God Christ's body and blood so present in the consecrated elements. 4. That Christ is to be adored in the consecrated elements, with that divine adoration which is due to him at all times. 6 The first doctrine is stated in the 'Charge,' p. 49, thus:We take . . . the elements of bread and wine, and offer some small portions of these elements to our God.' 'We then consecrate this oblation of bread and wine we bless the elements, or rather He (Christ) blesses them through us. Through such blessing the oblation becomes a Sacrament, and, as such, has not only an out G CHAPTER X. ON JOHN XX. 31.-THE TREE OF LIFE.-CONCLUSION OF THE SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE OF THE SACRAMENTS.-THIS TRINE IS FULL AND SUFFICIENT. DOC 'These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.' To complete the Scripture doctrine of Sacraments, it may be well to observe, that the Tree of Life was consecrated to be a Sacrament for man when innocent in the garden. Other trees were given to Adam as a means of bodily life, but this as a sign and means of life everlasting;1 and thus, if Adam had remained faithful, and had partaken thereof in faith, he would never have died, but have been caught up quick from Eden to the Paradise of God.2 . When Adam violated the first covenant, and lost the inheritance of life, he lost his right to its seal.3 But a new covenant of grace and pardon was then established, through the seed of the woman, with new seals or Sacraments. At the same time the analogy between man's original and recovered position before God is made the ground of instructive scriptural allusions. Thus the heavenly paradise promised to the faithful has, like the earthly, a tree of life;5 signifying that as by 1 Gen. i. 29; iii. 22. 3 Gen. iii. 24. 21 Thess. iv. 17; Rev. ii. 7. 5 Rev. ii. 7. the breach of the first covenant life was lost so by observance of the new covenant life will be found: and as a 'river went out of Eden to water the garden' so the prophet sees healing waters issuing from the sanctuary, and that on either side trees 'bring forth fruits according to his months . . . and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf for medicine.'1 And the Apostle also sees a new heaven and earth, and water of life ' proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb;' and 'on either side of the river was the tree of life, which yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.' 2 6 Thus, in Scripture phrase, 'paradise' was lost, and has been regained: and as the Sacrament of the first covenant was a sign and means of life to the innocent, so the subsequent Sacraments-such as Sacrifice, Circumcision, the Passover, the Yearly Atonement-signified and aided the recovery of life by sinners, through the blood of the new and everlasting covenant, which was shed for the remission of sins. Subsequently the manna in the wilderness and the water from the rock signified Him who gives the 'hidden manna' and the 'living water:'3 and the dedication of the Mosaic covenant with blood and water, sprinkled both on the book and the people, and itsmeats and drinks, and divers washings,' all signified Him, who gives His people spiritual meat and drink; and who came by water and blood"—that is, who came with the water of His spirit, and the blood of His passion, or with a spirit so holy as to conquer sin, and a blood so precious as to redeem the world. 6 One of the Christian Sacraments accordingly most prominently signifies the cleansing of the soul, and the other the propitiation for sin; and the two teach us to look 1 Ezek. xlvii. 12. 3 Rev. ii. 17; John iv. 10. 2 Rev. xxii. 1, 2. Heb. ix. 18, 19. only for a Saviour, who comes in a double character and with the twofold blessings of repentance and remission : so that, if any professor of His religion come to Him for one gift only and refuse the other, or try to separate forgiveness from repentance, he will inevitably lose both, and shipwreck faith:1 or if any man reject either the cleansing water which is shed by the spirit, or the expiating blood which is sprinkled by faith, he rejects Christ; because He came 'not by water only,' nor by blood only, but by water and blood-remarkable signs of which 'principles of the doctrine of Christ' appear to have been given even at the Crucifixion.2 6 We have now given apparently the whole doctrine of the Eucharist and of the other Christian Sacrament as it is found in Scripture; and shall conclude this first part by briefly stating some reasons for not expecting thereon further needful information. any That holy Scripture contains all things necessary is a fundamental doctrine of the Anglican Church: and that both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ.' And therefore even the Old Testament was able to make wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus: '4 because by its prophecies and shadows, as by a light shining in a dark place, Christ and the gospel might, though more dimly, be seen. But in the New Testament, life and immortality are 'brought to light.'5 For while Christ was on earth, He gave His apostles the words which the Father gave Him; and He sent them forth to teach all things which He commanded them; and not long before His departure, He promised to them the spirit to guide them into all truth.' 1 1 Tim. i. 19. 3 Articles VI. and VII. • John xvii. 8; Matt. xxviii. 20. 6 |