Skip to main content

'That real and substantial presence': Ussher, the Irish Articles, and the Lord's Supper

Archbishop Ussher came to mind on Sunday, as the choir sung Ave Verum as the Communion anthem:

Hail, true Body, born

of the Virgin Mary,

having truly suffered, sacrificed

on the cross for mankind,

from whose pierced side

water and blood flowed:

Be for us a sweet foretaste

in the trial of death!

It is possible that some of my low church brethren might assume that Ussher, the great Reformed Conformist, would heartily disapprove. I had in mind, however, his 1620 sermon to the House of Commons, which suggests that he would heartily affirm such a declaration of the real and substantial presence of Christ in the holy Sacrament:

Thus in the Lord's Supper, the outward thing which we see with our eyes, is bread and wine, the inward thing which we apprehend by faith is, the body and blood of Christ: in the outward part of this mystical action, which reacheth to that which is Sacramentum only, we receive this body and blood but sacramentally; in the inward, which containeth rem, the thing it self in it, we receive them really: and consequently the presence of these in the one is relative and symbolical; in the other, real and substantial ...

The bread and wine are not changed in substance from being the same with that which is served at ordinary tables: but in respect of the sacred use whereunto they are consecrated, such a change is made, that now they differ as much from common bread and wine, as heaven from earth. Neither are they to be accounted barely significative, but truly exhibitive also of those heavenly things whereto they have relation: as being appointed by God to bee a means of conveying the same unto us, and putting us in actual possession thereof. So that in the use of this holy ordinance, as verily as a man with his bodily hand and mouth receiveth the earthly creatures; so verily doth he with his spiritual hand and mouth (if any such he have) receive the body and blood of Christ.

And this is that real and substantial presence, which we affirmed to be in the inward part of this sacred action.

Ussher's words in the sermon deliberately echo the Irish Articles of 1615. This is a reminder that, while a good Laudian will be thankful that the Church of Ireland wisely replaced the Irish Articles with the Thirty-nine Articles in 1634, the sacramental teaching of the Irish Articles was never a matter of concern. As Article 94 of the Irish Articles declared:

in the inward and spiritual part the same Body and Blood is really and substantially presented unto all those who have grace to receive the Son of God, even to all those that believe in his name. And unto such as in this manner do worthily and with faith repair unto the Lord’s table, the Body and Blood of Christ is not only signified and offered, but also truly exhibited and communicated.

This affirmation is not explicitly stated by Article 28 of the Thirty-nine, even though such teaching is certainly intended by Article 28. Also to be noted is the rich invocation of the Prologue to the Fourth Gospel, pointing to a relationship between the Incarnation and sacramental theology. Whatever the Laudian critique of the Irish Articles, it did not concern eucharistic theology. What is more, the eucharistic teaching of the Irish Articles is also suggestive of why the 1559 BCP omitted the Black Rubric, with its denial of "any real and essential presence", and why 1662 significantly revised the Black Rubric to deny "any Corporal Presence of Christ's natural Flesh and Blood". Such revision was necessary precisely because, as Ussher declared and as the Irish Articles affirmed, there is in the Holy Supper "that real and substantial presence" of the Lord's Body and Blood.

Finally, there is another related point to be made. The Irish Articles point to the sacramental consensus of the Jacobean and Caroline Church, embracing both Reformed Conformists and Laudians. We see this in Ussher's declaration of the real presence being echoed by his successor in the See of Armagh, the Laudian John Bramhall:

a true Real Presence; which no genuine son of the Church of England did ever deny ... Christ said, "This is My Body;" what He said, we do steadfastly believe ... The Fathers never meant by these forms of speech [previously quoted by Bramhall - 'we see Christ', 'we touch Christ', 'we eat Christ'] to determine the manner of the Presence (which was not dreamt of in their days), but to raise the devotion of their hearers and readers; to advertise the people of God, that they should not rest in the external symbols, or signs, but principally be intent upon the invisible grace

Whatever the soteriological differences between Ussher the Reformed Conformist and Bramhall the Laudian, together they affirmed Christ's real presence in the holy Sacrament.

Ave verum corpus.

(The final illustration is of a stained glass window in Armagh Cathedral of Ussher and his successor Bramhall, the Reformed Conformist and the Laudian, side by side.)

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why I support the ordination of women: a High Church reflection

A number of commenters on this blog have asked about my occasional expressions of support for the ordination of women to all three orders.  With some hesitation, I have decided to post a summary of my own views on this matter.  The hesitation is because I have sought on this blog to focus on issues and themes which can unify those who identify with or have respect (grudging or otherwise!) for what we might term 'classical' Anglicanism (the Anglicanism of the Formularies and - yes - of the Old High Church tradition).  Some oppose the ordination of women (and I have friends and colleagues who do so, Anglo-Catholic, High Church, and Reformed Evangelical).  Some of us support it (again, friends and colleagues covering a wide range of theological traditions). Below, I have organised my thinking around 5 points (needless to say, no reference to Dort is implied). 1. The Declaration for Subscription required of clergy in the Church of Ireland states: (6) I promise to submit ...
25 comments
Read more

How the Old High tradition continued

Charles Gore's 1914 letter to the clergy of his diocese, ' The Basis of Anglican Fellowship ', can be regarded as a classical expression of the Prayer Book Catholic tradition.  A key part of the letter - entitled 'Romanizing in the Church of England' - addressed the "Catholic movement", questioning beliefs and practices within it which tended to "a position which makes it very difficult for its extremer representatives to give an intelligible reason why they are not Roman Catholics".  Gore provides the outlines of an alternative account and experience of catholicity within Anglicanism, defined by three characteristics.  What is particularly interesting about these characteristics is their continuity with the older High Church tradition.  Indeed, the central characteristic as set out by Gore was integral to High Church claims over centuries: To accept the Anglican position as valid, in any sense, is to appeal behind the Pope and the authority of t...
19 comments
Read more

Pride, progressive sectarianism, and TEC on Facebook

Let me begin this post with an assumption that will be rejected by some readers of laudable Practice , but affirmed by other readers. Observing Pride is an understandable aspect of the public ministry of TEC.  On previous occasions , I have rather robustly called for TEC to be much more aware and respectful of the social conservatism of the Red states and regions in which it ministers. A failure to do so risks TEC declining yet further into the irrelevance of progressive sectarianism.  At the same time, TEC also obviously ministers in deep Blue states and metropolitan areas - and is the only Mainline Protestant tradition in which a majority of its members vote Democrat .* With Pride now an established civic commemoration, particularly in such contexts, there is a case for TEC affirming those aspects of Pride - the dignity of gay men and lesbian women, their contribution to civic life, and their place in the church's life - which cohere with a Christian moral vision. (I will n...
4 comments
Read more