The doctrine of transubstantiation, or conversion of the bread and wine in the Eucharist into the

divinity, of the Sa

and practice of an

real body and blood, soul and viour, has led to another error idolatrous nature-the adoration of the host, or of the sacramental elements. Believing that the bread and wine, the words of consecration being pronounced, are changed into the real body and blood, soul and divinity, of Christ, the priest kneels and adores the host as his God, and holds it up to the people, who fall prostrate before it, and adore it also!

To prevent misrepresentation or mistake, we will produce the decision of the Council of Trent on this subject, and then show that the practice of the Romish church is in accordance with that decision. The Council thus decrees-" If any one shall say, that in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is not to be adored with the external worship of Latria, and, consequently, that he is not to be worshipped upon any festival solemnity, and that he is not to be carried about in processions, according to the laudable and universal manner and custom of the church; or that he is not to be publicly set forth before the people, that he may be adored by them, and that those who adore him are idolaters; let him be accursed."* To understand what is here

* «Si quis dixerit in sancto Eucharistiæ sacramento Christum unigenitum Dei filium non esse cultu Latriæ, etiam externo adorandum," &c.--Sess. xiii. can. vi.

meant by worship of Latria, it is necessary to remark that the Romish church distinguishes religious worship into two kinds, Dulia (dovλaa) and Latria (arpeia.) The former (Dulia) they give to saints and angels; the latter (Latria) is the highest worship, which is due to the Creator alone. Of this latter kind is the adoration of the host. The reason of this is, their belief that Christ's divinity and humanity are as really present in the host, under the species of bread and wine, as he is in the highest heavens. This is the reason assigned in justification of this adoration by the Council of Trent-" The sacrament is not to be adored ever the less, for Christ's having appointed it to be taken, for we believe that same God to be present in it, whom when the eternal Father bringeth into the world, he says, And let all the angels of God worship him,' &c."*

· -

The present practice of the Romish church is in accordance with the above decisions and professions. We learn from the Roman missal, that as soon as the priest has pronounced the words— "Hoc est enim corpus meum," for this is my body:- "Here," says the missal, "he adores the sacrament on his knees, and then lifts it up above his head for the adoration of the people." Maunday-Thursday the priest consecrates two hosts, reserving one for the next day, when there is no consecration; the reserved host is put into * Sess. v. cap. xiii.

On

another chalice, which is placed in the middle of the altar, and covered with the pall, palten, and veil. "On this day," says the rubric, 66 a proper place is prepared in some chapel or altar of the church, and decently adorned with hangings and lights, where the chalice, with the reserved host, is to be kept until the next day. At the end of the mass the priest carries the B. Sacrament in solemn procession to the said place, being accompanied with lights and censers fuming all the way. Being come to the place, the B. Sacrament is placed upon the altar, fumed thrice with incense, and placed in a tabernacle. During the procession the following hymn is sung :

"Sing, O my tongue, the mystic rite, contrived by wisdom infinite;

Containing, in the shape of food, the glorious flesh and precious blood,

Shed by the fruit of noblest womb, the Gentiles' King, to stop our doom.

For man he came, was born of man; from a chaste maid his

life began:

On earth he lived, and preached, to sow the seeds of heavenly truth below;

And then with lasting love to close his life, this wondrous way he chose.

That evening when that Supper past, which with his brethren was the last;

The paschal victim having eat, and closed the law with legal

meat,

He with his hands for food bestows, himself to twelve his wisdom

chose.

The Word made flesh, by words he said, turns into flesh, substantial bread;

Wine too he makes his blood divine; though sense cry out, 'tis bread and wine;

But hearts sincere are here secured, by faith, in words of truth

assur'd.

To this mysterious table now, let knees, and heart, and senses

bow;

Let ancient rites resign their place, to nobler elements of grace; What our weak senses can't descry, let stronger faith the want

supply.

To th' undivided Three in One, to God the Father and the Son, Salvation, honour, jubilee, praise, glory, benediction be;

To the Holy Ghost whose equal rays, from both proceed be equal praise. Amen."*

To the host thus adored, prayers for mercy are addressed, as to God Almighty!

In Popish countries it is usual to carry the consecrated host in solemn procession through the streets, in order to administer it to the sick and dying on such occasions, all who meet it are required to fall down on their knees and adore it. In such cases, even Protestants are required in some way to show some mark of reverence to it. On Corpus Christi day a festival is celebrated with great pomp, in honour of the consecrated host in Popish countries, when the host is carried in procession from place to place in great pomp, and amidst great rejoicings: on these occasions those

* Pange, Lingua, gloriosi, &c.; the above hymn, in Latin, is in the Roman Missal.-(Keating and Brown,) p. 275.

who dwell in the streets, through which the procession passes, are required to decorate their houses in honour of the host.

The adoration of the host, which it has before been proved when treating on the doctrine of transubstantiation, is a mere creature, a piece of bread consecrated as the figure or emblem of Christ's body, is as palpable an act of idolatry as was ever invented or imagined. It is, in fact, giving the highest worship (Latria), to a creature, which is due to the almighty Creator alone. It is no sufficient palliation of this idolatry to say that the intention is to worship the Creator and not the creature; "for so," as Tillotson justly observes, "the Persians might be excused from idolatry in worshipping the sun, because they intend to worship God and not the creature; and so, indeed, we may excuse all the idolatry that ever was in the world, which is nothing else but a mistake of the Deity, and upon that mistake a worshipping of something as God which is not God."

Against the peculiar errors on which we have been remarking, the church of England protests at the close of her 28th Article, in these words

The sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped."

Also, in the words of her Apology, by Bishop Jewel-" Neither can we away in our churches with these shows and sales, and markets of masses,