Valesius and others, observe the same in the Acts of Lucian the Martyr, and Paulinus's Epistle to Severus.3 This was chiefly, if not solely, done at the paschal festival in token of their unity, love, and charity. But the Council of Laodicea, for some inconveniences attending the practice, absolutely forbad it; ordering that the holy sacraments should not be sent from one diocese to another under the notion of Eulogiæ, or benedictions, at the Easter festival. Yet in some places the custom continued for several ages after. For Johannes Moschus speaks of the communion being sent from one monk to another, at six miles distance; not to mention again the custom of sending the eucharist by Paulinus, and the bishops of Rome from the mother church, to all the other churches throughout the city in every region. But where they left off this custom of send-ing the eucharist, they introduced another way of testifying their mutual love and amity to one another by certain symbols of bread, which they blessed and sanctified also in imitation of the eucharist, but with a different benediction. And to these also they gave the names of Eulogiæ, and Panis benedictus, consecrated bread, which the modern Greeks call 'Avríowpa, vicarious gifts, because they were given in many cases instead of the eucharist. It has been observed already, that they were often given to such as would not communicate, when the ancient fervour of popular and general communions began to decay. Here we are to observe, that they were used to be sent from one country to another instead of the eucharist, as testimonies of their amity and affection. Some, not improbably, thus understood that canon of the Council of Laodicea, which forbids any to receive "the Eulogiæ, or blessings of here

1 Vales. in Locum.

2 Acta Lucian. ap. Metaphrast. vii. Jau.
* Con. Laodie. can xiii. Họ sẽ n

Paulin. Ep. i. ad Severum. τὰ ἅγια εἰς λόγον εὐλογιῶν κατὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τὸ Πάσχᾳ εἰς ἑτέρας παροικίας διαπέμπεσθαι. 5 Mosch. Pratum Spiritual. cap. xxix.

See before in this chapter. sect. 8.

Habert. Archieratic. part ii. obser. 3.

Con. Laodic. can. xxxi. vel xxxii. Où dei aipɛrıāv svλoyiaç λapßávei αϊτινες εἰσιν ἀλογίαι μᾶλλον ἢ εὐλογίαι.

tics, which were to be reckoned curses and absurdities rather than blessings." As also that other canon,' which forbids them to receive either from Jews or heretics, "ra πεμπόμενα ἑορτατικά, such gifts or presents as were used to be sent in festivals." Of this kind was that bread, which Paulinus and Therasia sent to St. Austin as a testimony of their unanimity and cordial affection, which they desire him to bless by his acceptance. Some learned men mistake, when they say, the sending of the eucharist came in the room of this: for it was plainly the reverse: these Eulogia were invented in the room of the eucharist, as appears from the testimony of Irenæus, which speaks of sending the eucharist as the more ancient

custom.

SECT. 9. And to those that were Sick, or in Prison, or under any
Confinement, or in Penance at the point of Death.

Among the absent members of the Church they had a more especial regard to those, that were sick, or in prison, or under any confinement, as the martyrs and confessors, who daily expected their dissolution; and such also of the penitents as were seized with sickness, and in imminent danger of death. To all these they commonly sent the eucharist, which in this case is more peculiarly styled the 'Epódiov, or Viaticum, their preparation or provision for their journey into the next world. Thus in the Council of Nice there is a canon, which orders, "that all penitents should have their necessary and final 'Epódiov, or Viaticum, when they were at the point of death." Which though Albaspinæus interpret only of absolution, yet all others with better reason understand it of the eucharist, because it is added in the end of the Canon, that the bishop shall impart the oblation to them. And so the Council of Agde

3

Con. Laodic. can. xxxvii.

2 Paulin. Ep. xxxi, inter Epist. Aug. Panem unum, quem unanimitatis indicio misimus charitati tuæ, rogamus accipiendo benedicas. Vid. Aug. Ep. xxxiv. ad Pauliaum.

Albaspin. Not. in locum.

1

says, "the Viaticum shall not be denied to any penitents at the point of death." The first Council of Vaison makes a provision for such penitents as were snatched away by sudden death, without the Viaticum of the sacrament, whilst they were preparing for it, that their oblations should be received, and their funerals and memorials celebrated according to the rites of the Church. And the eleventh Council of Toledo3 makes another provision for such, as by reason of extreme weakness could not take the whole Viaticum of the communion, nor swallow the bread, but only drink the cup, that since this proceeded not from any infidelity, but from mere infirmity, they should not be cut off from the body of the Church. The fourth Council of Carthage mentions it in several canons, and in one canon particularly speaks of a very remarkable case, which sometimes happened, that a penitent, who desired to be admitted to penance in time of sickness, was sometimes suddenly taken speechless, or turned delirious by the paroxysm of his distemper, before the priest could come to him; in which ease, if they that heard him could testify his desire, he was to be admitted: and if it was thought he would immediately die, he was to be reconciled by imposition of hands, and then the eucharist was to be poured into his mouth. Which is called the Viaticum of the eucharist in the two

'Con. Agathan. can. xv. Viaticum tamen omnibus in morte positis non est negandum. 2 Con. Vasens. i. can. 2. Nefas est eorum commemorationes excludi à salutaribus sacris, qui ad eadem sacra fideli affectu contendentes-absque sacramentorum viatico intercipiantur, &c.

Con. Tolet. xi. can. 11. In multorum exitu vidimus, qui optatum suis votis sacræ communionis viaticum expetentes, collatam sibi à sacerdote eucharistiam rejecerunt. Non quod infidelitate hæc agerent, sed quod præter dominici calicis haustum, traditam sibi non possent eucharistiam deglutire. Non ergò hujusmodi à corpore ecclesiæ separandi sunt, &c.

Con. Carthag. iv. can. 76. Is qui pœnitentiam in infirmitate petit, si casu, dum ad eum sacerdos invitatus venit, oppressus infirmitate obmutuerit, vel in phrenesim versus fuerit, dent testimonium qui eum audierunt, et accipiat pœnitentiam. Et si continuò creditur moriturus, reconcilietur per manûs impositionem, et infundatur ori ejus eucharistia, &c. 5 Ibid.

eza. lxxvii. Pœnitentes, qui in infirmitate sunt, viaticum accipiant. Can. lxxviii. Poenitentes, qui in infirmitate viaticum acceperint, non se credant absolutos sine manas impositione, si supervixerint.

following canons. As it is also in the Council of Orange and Girone, and many other places. The eucharist in these cases was commonly carried and delivered by a presbyter or a deacon, as has been noted out of Justin Martyr: yet in cases of great necessity it might be carried and given by any other. As appears from that case in Eusebius related out of an Epistle of Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, to Fabian, bishop of Rome, where he tells of one Serapion, who having sacrificed in time of persecution, could not die till he had sent for the presbyter to reconcile him: but the presbyter being sick sent him a small portion of the eucharist, by the hands of the messenger that came for him, giving him orders to dip it first and put it into his mouth, which he had no sooner done, but the man gave up the ghost in peace. But this was forbidden by the canons in ordinary cases.*

SECT. 10.-The Eucharist sometimes consecrated in private Houses for these Purposes.

Sometimes indeed they used private consecrations of the eucharist in the houses of sick men, or in prisons, to answer these pious ends and purposes: but most commonly they reserved some small portion of it in the church from time to time for this use, as most expeditious and convenient for sudden accidents and emergencies. There are very ancient instances and examples of both kinds. Cyprian speaks of private consecrations made in prisons for the martyrs and confessors in time of persecution. For he gives orders," that neither should the people visit them glomeratim, in great multitudes, to raise envy; nor the presbyters," who went to offer the eucharist with them, go more than one at once, and that by turns, accompanied only with a

1 Con. Arausican. i. can. 3. Euseb. lib. vi. cap. 44.

Con. Gerundens. can. ix.

Vid. Gratian. de Consecr. dist. ii. cap. 29. Cypr. Ep. v. ad Cler. p. 11. Presbyteri quoque, qui illic apud confessores offerunt, singuli cum singulis diaconis per vices alternent: quia et mutatio personarum et vicissitudo convenientium minuit in vidiam.

single deacon, to decline envy and observation." There is nothing more certain, than that in times of persecution the Christians performed all divine offices in every place whither necessity drove them: every place was then a temple, as Dionysius,' of Alexandria, words it in Eusebius, for them to hold religious assemblies in, whether it were a field, or a wilderness, or a ship, or an inn, or a prison. Lucian's prison was his church, and his own breast his altar to consecrate the eucharist upon, for himself and those that were with him in confinement. In such a case, Tertullian says, three were enough to make a Church, when necessity would not allow them a greater number. It is as evident, that private consecrations were made in private houses upon the account of sickness. St. Ambrose was thus invited to offer the sacrifice in a private house at Rome, as we are told by the writer of his life. And Paulinus, bishop of Nola, is said to have ordered an altar to be prepared for himself in his chamber,” where he consecrated the eucharist, in his sickness, not many hours before his death. Thus Gregory Nazianzen tells us, that his father consecrated it in his own chamber; and that his sister, Gorgonia,' had a domestic altar. Therefore we have no dispute with Bona upon this point, nor should we have any with his Church, if this were all that were meant by private mass in the Roman communion. The reader may hence observe the mistake of those learned men, who assert, that the primitive fathers, though passionately indulgent towards their sick brethren in granting them their spiritual Viaticum, yet always took a care that the elements should be consecrated in the church. For the instances that have been given, both concerning the martyrs and the sick, are undeniable evidence to the

Ap. Euseb. lib. vii. cap. 22.

Vita Luciani. Philostorg. lib. ii. cap. 13.

Tertul. de Fuga.

cap. xiv. Non potes discurrere per singulos, sit tibi et in tribus ecclesia. Paulin. Vit. Ambros. Per idem tempus cum trans Tyberim apud quendam clarissimum invitaretur, ut sacrificium in domo offerret, &c.

5 Uranius. Vit. Paulini.

6 Naz. Orat. xix. de Laud. Patris. p. 305.

Naz. Orat. xi. de Gorgonia, p. 187. of Div. Offic, chap. x. p. 299.

Hamon Lestrange, Allian.