The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-03-05
CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
EXPLAINED BY BISHOP KAN,
The Scripture Proof. of Tranuub.tantla.iOn,
Asummary of His Line of Argument.
The Institutions of the
Church FOrsShadOWsd.

third lecture Of his Lenten course.
In his second lecture he had set forth
very fully the Catholic doctrine OF tran.
substantiRtion and answered the objec-
tions usually alleged sgainst 1t. he had
also presented come OF the many opinions
adopted by those who had rejected the
teaching Of the Catholic Church.
Last evening he began to expose the
Scripture proofs In favor Of the doctrine
held by his church. His line of argument
may be thus briefly summed us:
Many OF the most important events
which happened to the people Of God in
oiden times, as we'll as most OF their ritual
observances were intended to typify and
foreshadow institutions Of the christian
dispensation. In support OF this Rsser.
ton we have the explicit and repeated
testimony Of st. Paul. See bis epistle TO
the Colo8sians, (chapter ny, his first epis-
tie to the Corinthians (Chapter y, and his
epistle to the Hebrews (chRpter n. Now
several Of the most striking OF those types
or figures, argued the Bishop, find their
complete realization or iulAlment only in
the Catholic doctrine concerning the Lords
Supper. They have never been verified
under the christisn dispensation, unless
the true and substantial body and blood
Of Christ are present and distributed In
the Holy Eucharist.
In the first place, let ua tRkO the Jewish
Paschal lamb. By Gods orders the door
posts are marked with the blood OF the
slain lamb Of whose flesh the Hebrews
were commanded to eat. The destroying
angel passes by every house 90 marked,
whilst he tlRys the first born OF every
other family. Only then does Pharaoh
rslent and consent to the departure Of the
Hebrews from Egypt. To commemorate
this, their deliverance, the people OF God
were commanded most strictly to kill q
lamb once year on an appointed day
and to eat OF It's flesh. No rite among the
Jews was celebrated more solemnly. The
evening before the Saviour's death was
the day on which it was observed. Faith
fully does our Lord carry out the preGcrip.
ton OF the law, eating the Paachal lamb
with his chosen apostles.
But he himself, according to the testi'
mony OF his holy precursor, was the true
Lamb Of God who taketh away the sin
| Oh tu6 WULlus no buoIeluLo ~ hab VIII
was prefgured by the Jewish Paschal
lamb. But that fgure Ia now to cease, and
to be replaced by the reality. In his
Paschal feast the Christian will no longer
eat the fesh Of tho fyIrG!iue Christ, but
will partake Of the very Humanity Of the
Saviour heretofore typided to the jews
under the Paschal lamb. This christian
Passover therefore the Saviour most ap-
propriately institutes on the day Of the
Hebrew Pasch. In place Of the flesh OF
the Paschal lamb, he gives his own most
sacred flesh: Take and eat; this Is my
body" Worthy OF God Ia such gift;
since with Christ's body and blood, his
soul and divinity are communicated TO the
Christian. Our Lord Himself, as st. Paul
says, becomes our Passover Il Cor. v. y.
Compare this sublime teaching Of the
Catholic church with tho barren theory
that, in the Lords supper, we receive
only q bit OF bread and sup Of wine, as
symbols ofChrist's body and blood ? 1tthis
were true, then must we hold that Christ
merely substituted one type or figure for
another; bread instead OF the flesh Of the
slain lamb. Is there anything Godlike in
such gift2 Itrequires no divine power
to institute such empty symbols. Indeed
In this case, we would feel like imploring
our Blessed Lord to make no substitution
Of types or symbols. II we can have only
barren emblems, and not the precious re.
atty, II were better to retain the slain
lamb, which Ia far more appropriate
figure Of the Lamb OF God than bread
and wine.
In the next place, the Bishop referred
10 the sprinkling with the blood OF VIC
Tins, Of the people OF God, when Moses
read to them the law received on Sinai:
Ex. xiv. 1-S. In like manner Christ pro-
claimed his New Covenant but the blood
he distributes Is that prehgured by the
blood Of the ancient victims. "This
10 the Chaliee, the New Testament in my
blood" luke xii, 20)
The mama on which the Israclites were
miraculously fed for forty years in the
desert, was another striking figure OF the
Holy Eucharist. So does st. Paul testify.
Il. Cor. < u; such too is maniiestly the
teaching OF Christ himself, as may be seen
by reading the si1th chapter Of st. John's
Gospel. Passing through the Red Sea and
under the CLOUD was figure Of Baptism
now only those who passed through the |
sea and under the cloud eat the mama
80 too the Holy Eucharist Is sacrament
given only 10 those who by Baptism have
been regenerated in Christ. The mama
fed Gods people in the wilderness; the
Holy Eucharist Is the food Of the Chris |
tian in the desert Of this world. The
mama was undoubtedly Q miraculous
bread much more 90 Is that bread which |
1t prefgured, and OF which Christ said:
HThe bread that will give Is my flesh"
In O word, the mamma Of the New Testa-
ment must be far superior to the mama
given to the children Of the first dispen-
sation; but manilestly this would not be
the case, II the Eucharist were nothing
more than ordinary bread. Hence again,
the accomplishment Of this striking fig.
ure OF the old law demands something
far better than Protestanta offer US in the
Holy Communion; whilst the Catholic
doctrine fully answers our every e8pecta.
tiop by assuring ua that in the Holy Com
munion 10 realized the Savior's promise:
"He that eateth me, the same shall live
by me-" (John vi.5S).
The last figure OF Christ and OF his eu-
chsristic sacrifice and sacrament cited by
The Bishop, was NelchisedeCh, who brought
forth bread and wine, (Gen. xiv. Is 20),
not to refresh Abraham and his troops
who had abundance in the booty Just
captured, but to make thank. offering in
the quality Of priest Of the Most High
God; The Psalhist, (l0a or 10th Ps.)
aud st Paul, (Hebr. W, proclaim Chrlst
q priest according to the order Of Melchis.
edech. The latter sacrificed in bread and
wine, whilst the jewish priests chiefly Of
fered living victims. At his last supper,
Christ verified the similarity O.; his priest! I
hood 10 that Of MelOhisedech by offering {
up his body and blood under the appear:
anCesof bread and wine. Melchisedech
presents the figure Of this great eucharis.
tc sacrifice, whilst Christ sysin gives "a
The realisation Of the Agufe. This was
The inVafiable Interpretation put upon
these passages Of Holy writ BY all the
early fathers who lived long before the
doctrine Of ChriB.B real presence In the