Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/296

 CHAPTER �'I. HALF COMMUNION. 1. Their doctrine ,tated. Council of Constance quoted. Trent quoted: . The Church of Rome, by her doctrine, has muthtted the sacrament: 3. Half commun;ou is coutm 7 to the in,titution of Chrbt: 4. The very nature of the eachfist require both kinds: 5. Without the cup there is no sacrament: 6. The primit/re church mbninis- tered in both kindo: ?. Strictures on the resons which the Church of' Rome ivsa for her practice. 1. TR*SaVBSTANTXATmN end communion in one kind ere ingeniously connected together. Roman Catholics believe 'the Christ whole and entire, his soul, body, and divinity, is contained in either species, and in the smallest particles of each. Hence they infer, that whether the communicant receive the bread or the wine, he enjoys the full benefit of the sacrament. Thus, to support their monstrous dogma, a Christian ordinance is cut in two: tamsubstantiation justifies communion in one kind, and communion in one kind proves the truth of tamsubstantiation. Such is the rgument. But in denying the cup to the laity they divide this sacrament of Christ, they pervert his express law in this matter, and rocede from the practice of the apostles. And though they con- fen it was the praetice of the primitive church to receive the scra- ment in both kinds, they lay it aside, end curse all who ny they ire wrong; that is, they curse thoe who follow Christ, his alMsties, and his church, and re,use to follow him themselves. The Council of Constance, in 1414, declares that Christ instituted the scrament in both kinds; that in the primitive church both kinds were received by the laity as well as the clergy; but for the purpose of avoiding camtin  sad , half communion was resorted to; sad communion in both kinds is called an v'or, and all priests to be punished for miaistering in both kinds. But we will give the decree of the council, end let Rome speak in her own words: "Whereas, in several paris of the world, some hew rashly presumed to assert that nil Christian8 ought to receive the holy sacrament of the eucharist under both spaeisa of' breed Mid wine, sad that also er anpper, or not fasting, contrary to the laudable custom of' the church, justly emnVed of, which they damnably endearour to reprobate as sacrilegious: ce it is that this holy general Council of Constance, assembled by the Holy Ghost to provide for the salvation of. the faithful against re'or, declares, decrees, and defines, that although Christ did fter anp- r institute this hol scrament, sad administered it to hi8 disciples m otA n, of bread and wine, yet this notwithstanding, the laudable sathority of. the sacred canons, sad the approved custom of the church, hath fixed end doth fix, that this sacrament ought not to be couseertted after supper, nor received by the f.sithful except fasting. And as this custom, for the purpose of avoiding earrain dan.e. rs end seendais, hn been rationally introduced, sad that, nithough this scrament was re- ceived by the faithful under both kinds in the primitive church, it was afterward received in both kinds by the officiating priests, and by the sac repouantur donee corr.mpantur, at. poat '.m sacrarium proficisntur; quod ai . noetjturo.et cmeree in ramhum 1 Oiaitized b,/GOOcIC

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