An early example of High Church-Tractarian Eucharistic controversy
From High Church theologian Godfrey Faussett's 1838 sermon critiquing the Tractarians - 'The Revival of Popery', delivered from the same pulpit from which Keble preached the 1833 Assize sermon and Newman preached his plain and parochial sermons - an early indication of growing differences over Eucharistic doctrine between the High Church tradition and the Movement, mindful that Pusey's famous 1843 sermon is normally regarded as signalling the break with Old High Church Eucharistic doctrine:
The distinction required clearly lies between the body and blood of Christ being spiritually included in the elements, and spiritually received by the faithful; or, as Bishop Taylor explains it, "We by the real spiritual presence of Christ do understand Christ to be present, as the Spirit of God is present in the hearts of the faithful, by blessing and grace".
The naked and unqualified and therefore ambiguous expression real presence, now so systematically and studiously adopted by some persons, is highly objectionable and dangerous: and there is but too much reason to apprehend that some of those who employ it are far even from intending the supposed qualification.
Significantly, Faussett in the note to this section of the sermon quotes from Waterland agreeing with Hooker's dictum on "the worthy Receiver of the Sacrament" and goes on to rightly predict a consequence of Tractarian Eucharistic teaching:
We need not therefore be surprised to find that those who hold the doctrine of the real presence, without regard to this essential distinction, become dissatisfied with the service of our Church.
The distinction required clearly lies between the body and blood of Christ being spiritually included in the elements, and spiritually received by the faithful; or, as Bishop Taylor explains it, "We by the real spiritual presence of Christ do understand Christ to be present, as the Spirit of God is present in the hearts of the faithful, by blessing and grace".
The naked and unqualified and therefore ambiguous expression real presence, now so systematically and studiously adopted by some persons, is highly objectionable and dangerous: and there is but too much reason to apprehend that some of those who employ it are far even from intending the supposed qualification.
Significantly, Faussett in the note to this section of the sermon quotes from Waterland agreeing with Hooker's dictum on "the worthy Receiver of the Sacrament" and goes on to rightly predict a consequence of Tractarian Eucharistic teaching:
We need not therefore be surprised to find that those who hold the doctrine of the real presence, without regard to this essential distinction, become dissatisfied with the service of our Church.
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