HISTORY OF THE Corruptions of Christianity. PART VI. The Hiftory of Opinions relating to the LORD's SUPPER. THE INTRODUCTION: THERE is nothing in the whole history that I have undertaken to write, fo extraordinary as the abuses that have been introduced into the rite of the Lord's fupper. Nothing can be imagined more fimple in its original inftitution, or less liable to misapprehension or abufe; and yet, in no inftance whatever, has the depravation of the original doctrine and custom proceeded to a greater height, or had more serious confequences. In allufion, perhaps, to the feftival of the paffover, our Lord appointed his difciples to eat bread B bread and drink wine in remembrance of him; informing them that the bread represented his body, which was about to be broken, and the wine his blood, which was about to be shed for them; and we are informed by the apostle Paul, that this rite is to continue in the chriftian church till our Lord's fecond coming. Farther than this we are not informed in the New Teftament. We only find that the custom was certainly kept up, and that the chriftians of the primitives times probably concluded the public worship of every Lord's day, with the celebration of it. As the rite was peculiar to chriftians, the celebration of it, was of course, in common with joining habitually in the public worship of christians, an open declaration of a man's being a christian, and more fo indeed, than any other vifible circumftance; because other perfons might occafionally attend the public worship of christians, without bearing any proper part in it themselves. Let us now see what additions have been made to this simple inftitution, in several periods, from the primitive times to our own. And for this purpose it will be most convenient to divide the whole history into four parts; the first from the age of the apostles to that of Austin, including his time, and that of the great men who were his cotemporaries; the fecond extending from that period, to the time of Pafchafius; the third, from him to the reformation; and the fourth, from that time to the present. In In writing the history of this subject, in each of the periods, I fhall first note the changes of opinion with respect to the Lord's fupper itself, together with the change of language which took place in confequence of it. I fhall then give an account of the fuperftitious practices that were grounded on thofe opinions; and lastly, I shall relate what particulars I have met with relating to the manner of celebration. SECTION I. The Hiftory of the Eucharift till the Time of Austin. THE first new idea which was superadded to the original notion of the Lord's fupper, was that of its being a facrament, or an oath to be true to a leader. For the word facrament is not to be found in the fcriptures, but was afterwards borrowed from the Latin tongue, in which it fignified the oath which a Roman foldier took to his general. Thus, in the first century, Pliny reports, that the chriftians were wont to meet together before it was light, and to bind themselves by a facrament. This I would obferve, is but a small deviation from the original idea of the Lord's B 2 Lord's fupper; and though it be not the fame with the true idea of it, as before explained, yet it cannot be said to be contrary to it. Afterwards the word facrament came to be used by chriftian writers in a very loofe manner, for every thing that was looked upon to be folemn or mysterious; and indeed, as bifhop Hoadley obferves, for almost every thing relating to religion. The next idea which was added to the primitive notion of the Lord's fupper was of a much more alarming nature, and had a long train of the worst consequences. This was the confidering of this inftitution as a mystery. And, indeed, the christians affected very early to call this rite, one of the mysteries of our holy religion. By the term mystery was meant, originally, the more fecret parts of the heathen worship, to which felect perfons only were admitted, and those under an oath of fecrecy. Thofe mysteries were also called initiations; thofe who were initiated were fuppofed to be pure and holy; while those who were not initiated were confidered as impure and profane; and by these mysteries the heathens were more attached to their religion than by any other circumftance whatever. This made the firft chriftians (many of whom were first converted from heathenism, and who could not all at once divest themselves of their fondness for pomp and myftery) wish to have fomething of this nature, which was fo ftriking and captivating, in the christian religion; religion; and the rite of the Lord's fupper foon ftruck them, as what might eafily anfwer this purpose. When this new idea was introduced, they, in confequence of it, began to exclude all who did not partake of the ordinance, from being present at the celebration of it. Those who did not communicate, even were not allowed to know the method and manner in which it was adminiftered. Tertullian, who wrote at the end of the fecond century, feems to allude to this practice. "Pious initiations," fays he, "drive away the profane, and it is of the very nature of mys"teries to be concealed, as thofe of Ceres in "Samothrace," but as he is there defending the chriftians from the charge of practifing abominable rites in fecret, he may only mean that, on the fuppofition of fuch practices, no perfon could reveal them, their enemies not being prefent, and they would hardly do it themselves. Indeed, it is most probable that this cuftom of concealing the mysteries did not take place till the middle of the third century †. After this time, the council of Alexandria reproached the Arians with difplaying the holy myfteries before the catechumens, and even the pagans, whereas "that which " is holy," they fay, "fhould not be caft to the dogs, nor pearls before fwine t." In the fourth Apol. cap. vii. Opera, p. 8. + Larroche, p. 125. |