The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-11-20
Rev. DIR. Ryder's Lecture on the Eucharist

The Rev Dr. Ryder, President of the College
of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Mass, preached
IN st. Peters church, Barclay street, in this city,
yesterday. He selected for his text the sixth chap
ter of ST. John, SD verse eft any man eat of this
bread, he shall live for ever.'
In the words quoted for your consideration, DR..
Ryder said, you will readily anticipate the divine
theme on which | mean to address you; and IN
the contemplation of this heavenly doctrine, cannot
but figure to myself the position which the Catholic
church holds in regard to it, and the object Ct admra
ton she must thereby be to The christian and phoso-
pher The Catholic church alone believes that in the
adorable Eucharist the Saviour has given, under the
form of bread and wne his sacred body and blood
the salvation of the world In the Eucharist Is per.
petusted the mystery Of redemption by which we are
enabled to give to the Almighty God in this world
that pure homage and worship which he pre- emf
deserves, but which neither in heaven the
earth does he receive except in the Eucharstic
flee Of the Catholic church. 1t is in that God is
shipped as he deserves to be, and that not by the
merit Of the individual who offers the sacrifice but by
the intrinsic efficacy Of the divine obaton by which
his s made glorious fro the rising the setting
OF the sun. In contemplating this sacrifice, cannot
but observe that the Catholic church surrounded like
chaste Susanne, charged by all 1scordant denomina
ton as the aithess spouse of Christ the berayer
his faith yet who alone figures to the world perfc
tion OF the god that he is devoted the wor that
he has displayed his ineabe charity and wisdom in the
most estimable manner Is that the character of
fsithless spouse? IL it in human nature that she
would forfeit her faith in eulogising him whom she
trayed? No, II is not Again the Catholic church
has been OF introducing this sacrifice of the
Eucharist Well II she has she is entitled to ad mira.
ton for so doing The Catholic church has invented
the doctrine OF the real the doctrine of
substantiaton, by which the elements of bread and
wine are changed into the body AID blood Of Christ.
IL IL SAID that this Is comprehehsibe. 1t is incom-
prehe nsibe but for period OF eighteen hundred
years the Catholic church has convinced the proudsst
records OF primitive christianity full of the
trne which we are accused of having invented All
the intellect OF man has been arragned against this
Doctrine and every effort has been made to subver
but yet never in solitary nee
been adduced against which the Catholic chucrh has
not been able to But the tru is the Catho.
lie church Is the faithful spouse of Christ She has
not invented the doctrines which she propounds to her
children but it is the revelations which GOD has
made to that church. She is but the depository of
the faith which she has been told guard and which
she has guarded and will guard, to the consum
nation OF the world. Everything connected with the
Eucharist is therefore, nothing less than revelation
made by God to her for the man. and that
may convince you all and such Of ydssenting breth
within hearing Ct me- will give YOU few OF
the arguments of the Catholic church on the subject
OF the real presence and for the greater elucdatoa
OF It, will propose to your consideration the Language
OF the Saviour, in which he promises to institute this
sacrifice, and will afterwards show that the divine
Saviour has really Instituted that which he promised
In TIE sixth chapter Of st. john the first part of
which have already read, he such Language as
is perfectly consistent with the doctrines of the Ca
thoc church, and perfectly incompatible with those
Of our dissenting brethren. They believe, in the Eu.
ehaIist that there is nothing but the mere represen
church on the other hand believes that bread and
wine are changed into the real body and blood, CON.
In the first place then, Saviour says The bread
will give Is my flesh for the life of the world There
with mere faith why Because, he had airsadv
spoken of faith and is there speaking of that which
he intended to give That bread which will give, he
says implying something for the future which he in
tended to establish. The proposition is convertibs
1t is identical 1t will mean the same, whether you
give my flesh for the life of the world or nv flesh
for the life of the world is the bread which will give
meant his flesh and beod agurativeiy, No. s and
! am free to say, that If he had said it would
have been absurd, because we have not been re.
deemed by the mere representatives of the BODY
and blood of Christ but by his real fesh-sud
blood If a figure only is intended then wo ohris.
mere figure. proceed" The Jews therefore stroves
among themselves; saying, how this give US his
heth to eat There is no misakins the sgniacation
which they applied to the words. They understood
him his real flesh and blood Now what was the nswer
Of Jesus to those who made this remark? Amen,
amen Unless you eat the flesh the Son Ct Man and
orink OF mis- blood, you shall not have life In you
There is an answer in keeping with the belief which
they had formed. And he adds, He that eateth INV
flesh and drnketh my blood hath everlasting life and
VIII raise him up at the last day. Does he say he
who eateth the figure of my flesh, SCI Not at all
Decaue the Inquire Is not identical with everasti life
and therefore we have claim from partaking Of the
humanity of God to resurrecti ton i'm state
Again, he says For my flesh is meat indeed and NV
blood Is drink indeed" viii you change this nguage
ake hjs
language it is and say whether the saviour %eans
only figure 1t is not figure, but real flesh and
blood which he ne meant Again, he says, i" He that
eatelh my hesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me
and in him. How can person be said to abide in
Christ, If you look upon him only a figure But he
can abide in you and you in him. when his flesh and
blood partaken in reality Now here is the elnci
daton Of the doctrine which the Saviour giyes0 As
the living father .t has sent me- and live by the
live by men here invoke your attention and ask Won
do you believe the divinity of Christ OF course You
hivin Co %LxAL
the Eucharist shall live. By what? BY figure or in
reality There is the question. As Christ is God God
stqual to the father because the same nature is in
BOTH and consequently Christ is the true God as much
as the Father, because the nature is common to
both and he who partakes of the real esh and blood
partaRes Oh nim This Is declaration which ought to
make us feel grateful for exatng US to be partakers
cfthe flesh and blood of God Again, this is bread
that cane down from heaven. Not as your fathers |
did eat mama and are dead he that eateth this |
live for ever" Now this not be pass
ed over. Let me personate a Jew for a moment Your
Jesus would say, has declared he gave YOU brsad an
peror to that which fathers got in the desert:
my bread superior both in figure and in substance
its properties more in accordance with the divine
gift and 1t Is far superior in reality We find on the
pages of revelation that the mama, on which the
lsraei'es fed for forty years is called the bread of
angels. and it's properties were wonderful wonid as
Jew say is the bread which you partake of equal to
.nis mama IL does not descend from heaven except
hsuratvey, The Jew would, therefore, triumph over
the divine Savior and say that he has failed in his
promise to give bread superior to the mamma You
cannot answer this, but the Catholic can The |
bread OF the Eucharist of the Catholic church |
10 as superior to mamma Christ /. superior
to anything earthly, ani thus this christian would
triumph over the Jew. Now the Scripture tells us |
that he was teaching the people at the time
and therefore, 1t was IN his character IA teacher bs
supplied the intelligence which they needed MANY
therefore of his disciples when they heard this said
his Is hard and who can believe it 20 IL Is hard
to believe that 10 is the real flesh blood which Is
meant, but it is hard only because it is true because
OF its reality but substitute the language of the
Church Of England and there is difficulty in it
Again IT Is clear and evident that the divine Saviour
mtant his body and blood in reslity under the ap.
pearance OF bread and wine. But Jesus, knowing
that some OF bis disciples murmured, &c. -; as much
W. 20 say you doubt what say, not remembering
mat lew minutes before, / showed my omnpotence
oy multiplying the loaves and fishes What if you
should see me ascend to heaven would you believe it
more readily The reverend lecturer concluded nv
appealing most eloquently to his audience to extend
their charity to the poor of the church and his an
peal was heard, for good collection was taken