Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/312

 WOItSHIP Or THB HOST. Most holy and august myntery, Remedy which confers immortality, Awful and life-giving sacrament, Bread, by the omnipotence of the word, changed into flesh, Unbloody sacrifice, Our food and our guest, Delicious bamluet, at which ministerdug angels are present, Sacrament of piety, ' Bond of union, Offerer and oblation, Spiritual sweetness, tasted in its very sauce, Refection of the holy souls, Pledge of the glory to come, !0. T fa. of Coq, The annual festival of the holy sacrnent, or Corpus Christ/day, was instituted by Urban IV. in 1264, and the institution was con/treed at a council held at Vienna in 1311. It is held on Thursday der Trinity Sunday. Im origin is variously related. Some say tim woman named Jul/ann, residing at Liege, had a vision, to the following effect: "That as often as she addressed herself to God or to the in prayer, she saw the full moon, with a small defect or breach in it; and that havselong studied to find out the signitieatio of this strange appearance, was inwardly informed by the Spirit, that the signified the church, and that the defect or breach was the w,t  annual festival in honour of the holy sacrament." This induced the pope to inst/tnte the feast. Others say tlmt a certain priest %as per- forming ma who doubted the dogma of the real presence, sad that blood tiewed from the host which he held in his hands, which, of course, completed his conviction. This being reported to the pope, he instituted the festival.* Such was the rise of tiffs gat festival, and so late was its tion in the Roman Church, to which alone it is confined M this dy. The whole practice of the adoration of the host is novel, and was u- known to the primitive church and to ancient writers; s eau be .bundantly shown, against the following unsuppormd canon of the Council of Trem, in these word: "If any one sh!l say that the s'nent is not to be worshipped by a peculiar feast, nor o solemnly carried about in processions, according to the laudable an/ universal manner nd custom of the holy church; nor to be pblily proposed to the people, that it may be adored by them, and that the wetshippers are idolaters; let him be accursed." Thus the Roman Catholics address prayers and hymns to Iho mere as if it were the living God. They profess to believe, no only th Ood is in it, but, that it is God. As such, they pray to it, trust in it. To' honour it, they blieve is to honere' God; and M on- teton it, is to contemn him. In their estimation, there is no impiety lual to t!t of slighting the consecrated wafer; and no tee great for thews who reject aneh wohip, or who refu to join i it. Pmt., ol. i, 1- 4, 44. 1

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