The adoration of the host,
practised in the Roman church, is grossly idolatrous, and as every one is
compelled to unite in this act, the whole Roman church must be idolatrous and
apostate, and cannot be a part of Christ's church.
I answer, First, that although
the council of Trent declares that " the worship of latria, due to the
true God," ought to be paid " to this sacrament” from which it
may be inferred, that the elements of bread and wine are to be
worshipped; the same council elsewhere directs this worship to Christ
himself; and accordingly, Roman theologians maintain, without any
censure, that the worship " is wholly referred to Christ himself,
not to the signs and outward appearances, which although they be honoured with
the same religious worship, yet are not honoured with that supreme one of
latria. It is impossible to maintain that there is any idolatry in this.
If Christ be in a special and
mysterious manner present in these " holy mysteries,” as the infinite
majority of Christians have at all times firmly and fervently believed,
according to the more simple and unrestrained interpretation of Holy Scripture
; the truly religious man cannot but be profoundly impressed with sentiments of
awe and veneration in the more immediate presence of the Divine Saviour of the
world, He will feel with the patriarch : " How dreadful is this place !
this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Nor
will he need the voice of God to say: " Put off thy shoes from thy feet ;
for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”
Since, therefore, the members of
the Roman communion are not obliged to worship the bread and wine
with divine honours, that church cannot be fairly said to be wholly idolatrous
or apostate; and notwithstanding her practical corruptions, may still remain a
part of the Christian church.
Secondly, it is not to be denied
that the elements themselves are, in many cases, made the object of
superstitious and even idolatrous worship; as has been shown by various writers
from the works of Gregory de Valentia, Bellarmine, Coster, Vasquez, &c. But
it does not seem that these corruptions are universal; though they certainly
prevailed so much, that it was extremely necessary to remove the elevation and
other rites which led to such serious evil in the church.
It would seem that the elevation
and its accompanying rites were not always understood as acts of worship to the
elements, or to Christ present in the sacrament. (William Palmer, A Treatise
on the Church of Christ: Designed Chiefly for the Use of Students in Theology, 2
vols. [3d ed.; London: J. G. F. & J. Rivington, 1842], 1:239-40, italics in
original)
