Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/365

 under foot,  while  St.  Optatus  relates  how  certain Donatists, in  attempting  to  feed  it  to  the  dogs,  were torn in  pieces  by  the  infuriated  animals. According to St.  Basil,  to  pray  to  the  Eucharist  was  deemed right and  proper,  and  not  to  pray  to  it  was  sinful, and St.  Augustine  testifies  that  the  charge  of  having worshipped Ceres  and  Bacchus  brought  by  the Pagans against  the  Christians  was  due  to  the  adoration paid  by  the  latter  to  the  body  and  blood  of Christ  under  the  appearances  of  bread  and  wine. Nothing but  belief  in  the  real  presence  could  justify, or can  explain  such  practices. If the  primitive Church held  that  the  consecrated  species  still  continued to  be  mere  bread  and  mere  wine,  it  should have chosen  water  used  for  baptizing  as  a  far  more sacred object  of  veneration. But nowhere  do  we read  of  such  a  choice  having  been  made. The Eucharist alone  received  the  honor  and  adoration  due exclusively to  Christ  and  to  God.

Brethren, if  the  Fathers  of  the  early  Church  have little concerning  a  dogma  which  had  not  yet  been called in  question,  the  same  cannot  be  said  of  the later defenders  of  the  faith. In a.d.  1045,  Berengarius  first  attacked  the  doctrine  of  the  real  presence, and  thereafter  we  find  it  explicitly  asserted  by nine  general  Councils  and  copiously  defended  by  all the Fathers. Now, is  it  reasonable  to  contend  that that trinity  of  heretics,  Berengarius,  Wycliff,  and Zwinglius, were  in  matters  of  faith  a  safer  guide  than the entire  teaching  body  of  the  Church;  that  they alone represented  the  true  Church  of  Christ,  while